PUPA Vamp! Waterproof Mascara 

I'm a big fan of the regular formula, which creates volume fast and fans out the lashes so nicely. With my type of lashes that don't hold a curl I need a waterproof formula, so after having it on my wishlist for quite a while, I got it on Black Friday when it was more reasonably priced. It's not as impressive as the regular formula, which goes for all waterproof mascaras, since they are drier and deposit less product on the lashes, but it's regardless really good. It holds my lashes well, adds a lot of length and enough volume with a couple of coats. Only thing that so far bothers me is that it doesn't fan out the lashes as nicely because with more coats, some lashes start stick. I use a separate clean silicone brush to get the desired definition. It's one of those mascaras that's difficult to remove, but it's also very long lasting on the lashes, it doesn't crumble nor smudge. Brush is a classic one, the same at regular formula, but mine is bent. I had four Pupa Vamp mascaras and none's brush was bent. It's a clumsy brush as no matter how hard I try, I get smudges on my eyelids, so it's the type of mascara like to I'd apply first before other eye makeup. 

I've been eyeing this for a while, but it's more than 22 € in my local Műller. Luckily I got it for 14 € on Look Fantastic. I heard such great reviews about these lashes. They are to be placed under the lashes, instead of on top, so they should look more natural. They last a few days on the eyes and are reusable about 3 times. I haven't worn them yet, but when I do I'll update you. There are also options to buy just the lashes or just the glue + sealer. 

I talked about these when I posted my wishlist after trying them in Müller and they were the best cream eyeshadows from all I tried in local drugstores. I was looking for a replacement for my old stash, though my Kiko's (which are great) are still ok, but they are several years old. These Naj Oleari ones are seriously good, especially shade Golden Brown. They have such an intense colour payoff with one swipe and they blend out without losing too much colour, so they don't need endless building up. Golden Brown is a classic bronze shade has and it's a better performer than Pearly Taupe, I assume due to a smaller shimmer size. Brown lasts all day on my eyelids without creasing and with little fading. Pearl Taupe, however, starts out great, but by the end of the day creases, though the colour is still on the lids. I plan to use this one with powder eyeshadow on top, so as a base, while I can wear Golden Brown on its own. I'm tempted to get a champagne shade as well.

I got them on Douglas.si on Black Friday.

I was looking for a substitute for my old Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner shade Bourbon. After missing with an Essence one (which is darker, but a good eyeliner overall) I got this one which is a very similar medium warm brown with gold shimmer. Mine arrived with the first 3 cm of the tip broken (I just placed it back in for the picture), which I was not happy about, as I feel I lost product even before I started using it. I tried pushing it back in, since it's so creamy, but it only kind of worked. I haven't sharpened it yet, but I hope it doesn't continue breaking, since for an eyeliner this isn't cheap. It doesn't transfer well into the waterline and I find it a bit irritating (I had a feeling something fell in my eye after a while the only time I've worn it there), so I won't use it there, but I use it under the lower lashes for definition (I rarely wear such liners on the top lash line). It lasts ok and doesn't smudge on me, but I don't have oily skin. 

I bought this on a whim, though my experience with this brand had been so-so. I haven't bought a matte liquid lipstick in a while and I miss them. This one is an average one - it takes a while to dry matte, it leaves a tight layer on the lips, it can survive drinking, but not eating. I resent that it doesn't last as long as most of its competition, but the shade is likeable. It's a pale warm pink, too pale for darker skin tones than mine in my opinion, but it's wearable for me. Eveline has a selection of such nude shades among the three matte liquid lipstick lines they have, but this is the lightest.   

This is called a lip oil on English boxes and just a caring lip gloss on German ones. In any case this one doesn't feel like a lip oil, especially compared to the lovely Essence version. Nivea used to have lip glosses, back when they had a makeup line - this formula feels the same I think. It's been a while since I had it, but it felt  instantly recognizable on my lips. So first impression wasn't that good, as the formula doesn't feels as smooth and balmy like Essence's version, plus the applicator is small and hard. But it grew on me a bit. It cares for my lips ok (not that I have very dry lips in general) and I like this shade on me that's nicely semi-opaque when I build it up. Where I bought it, it was on a very good offer, but if I paid full price (I think it's about 6 € in Müller), I'd be a bit disappointed. If you want an actual lip oil, try Essence one instead, but if this Labello colour looks good to you, it's worth the purchase when it's on offer.  

These are the new limited edition shades that were added to the Satin Ink range. I have five, but there are a couple more. Unlike the original line up, this one contains two shades that have shimmer (from my selection of five), while the rest have a creamy finish. I reviewed this formula already and these new ones are the same. They start of shiny, but slowly set to a more matte finish. Staying power is great on me, they can survive most of the day or even the whole day. They feel comfortable on the lips, since they are shiny, so they are this interesting hybrid between a glossy, comfy lipstick and a long-lasting matte liquid formula. Some may experience some dryness when these set matte, but these are not like proper liquid matte lipsticks. New shades are 031 Pink Duchess (a medium warm pink with gold shimmer), 032 Lady Topaz (a warm brown with gold shimmer), 034 Regal Ruby (a deep berry-burgundy), 037 Majestic Rose (medium peachy-beige shade) and 038 Citrine Queen (a caramel brown). I already posted swatches in the last monthly favourites post.   

Click2chic, 12,19 €  

This foundation has been on the market for a while and I think it's the one I remember seeing on ads when I was younger (and the discontinued Color Adapt). When something is still sold after so many years, I assume it must be worth trying. I had this plan to try drugstore products that I remember being on the market for a long time and this was among them, but sadly like most of the times, this foundation is not sold in light shades here and I never got it myself. I got sent a shade that is too dark for me (106 Natural Beige is comparable to Revlon's shades starting with 200 in terms of depth, so for light-medium skin tones), so it's hard to accurately assess the coverage, but I think it's about medium, though it didn't cover my under eye circles that well. Finish is matte on me, though not drying or in a way that would be already flaky on my dry skin, but I didn't need to take away any shine with a powder even right after application. When I did a before-after picture, I felt my skin looked textured with it, but when I was checking it in the mirror through the day, it looked ok. It wore off nicely without becoming patchy anywhere. It's not a very obvious foundation, even though it's matte on me and it blended well with a beauty sponge. 

This is one of the rare regular mascaras that I have repurchased. In fact I think I bought it twice already, which for someone who generally wears waterproof formulas says something. It doesn't hold my lashes up, but I like that it's easy to remove and adds some definition to the eyes, regardless that my lashes drop. The reason I love this formula is because it makes my lashes so pretty (before they fall down) - it adds a lot of a volume and length, but I most appreciate it how nicely it defines and fans out the lashes. I have the waterproof formula too and I'm not as impressed by it because it's very dry. I like the small change they made to the tube. 

I always wanted to try this. Most of the shades are frosty/pearly, which is not my style, but I'm fond of these types of liquid lipsticks that have a "sealer" and Lipfinity have been on the market for a long time. First coat is only semi-opaque, so I build it up with a second, thicker coat. It says it sets in a minute, but the way I apply it, it's a minute or two longer, but it does dry to a finish that barely transfers. Then you apply the top coat over it, which makes the shade glossy. The top coat is so soft, I never experienced a balm in a stick form that's so creamy, it's actually hard to apply without damaging the shape of the top coat a lot. Lip colour then lasts through anything, from drinking, eating or touching the lips, however, after about 8-9 hours, it started to peel on me and bits feel off, so my lip colour looked uneven. It's a lip colour I can feel on the lips (the way I apply it) and it's somewhat dry if you don't reapply the balmy top coat. Colour is a warm red. 

A micellar water with some niacinamide, ceramides, cholesterol and no fragrance. It's meant for all skin types, including sensitive skin. I tested it with my a "strong" makeup look (Dermacol foundation, Catrice liquid eyeliner, a deep burgundy shade of liquid matte lipstick by theBalm, cream eyeshadow from Naj Oleari, Max Factor 2000 Calorie mascara and Colourpop Bare Necessities eyeshadows in dark shades) and it removed all really well. And quite quick too. Skin felt comfortable after removal and there was no residue left. I think this beats my previous favourite Mixa Anti-Dryness micellar, which disappeared from our shelves anyway. 

This caught my attention because it has madecassoside, since I ran out of Geek & Gorgeous Stress Less serum. It's new and Balea suggests it as an anti-spot moisturiser, since it has zink, but it's a calming formula with pantenol and allantoin. Formula is thin, more of a lotion than a moisturiser and it sits right in the middle of what I prefer, as it's neither a liquid that would be easy to layer nor a rich moisturiser to use as a last step for my dry skin. I'm not sold on this texture, but affordable products in local drugstores that have madecassoside are not that common. 

DM, 3,99 €

Origins says on their website this is a best-seller. It's a brightening serum with 5% "retexturing complex" made from a green coffee seed and a mix of AHA +BHA. It also has ginseng extract, salicylic acid, pyruvic acid (has a peeling effect and is apparently effective on spots), caffeine, squalane, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C in Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate form. It's a light lotion that doesn't really absorb quickly and is not that easy to layer over. I got some tingling the first time I used it, which surprised me since it should be weak. Based on ingredients I'd say this looks interesting for those who have blemishes, though it may be irritating to some due to grapefruit and lemon peel oils (my skin isn't at all sensitive, so it's completely fine to me). I don't know how to include this one into my routine properly, since I use products with acids after cleansing and then apply other stuff on top and this texture isn't the best to be layered over, though it can be done. I use the other two Ginzing products a lot more. 

Douglas.si

A cream with niacinamide, ginseng, caffeine, vitamin C in a stable 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid form, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, aminoacid and ginger extract. I like this ingredients list, so I'm using this as the last step in my night routine, though it may not be for sensitive skin because of citrus and spearmint. It's a light gel texture that feels refreshing and stays on the skin for a while in a light tacky layer. It can peel when I apply makeup over it, so I prefer this one in the night routine. I've been using it for several weeks now and I'm not sure I see anything significant in terms of brightening, but I still like using it. It's got an orange scent. This feels like a moisturiser for all skin types because of the gel texture. 

A leave-on mask with olive oil, vitamin C in a 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate forms, ginseng, caffeine, salicylic acid, hyaluronic acid, betaine, aminoacid and again citrus & spearmint extracts, but those are at the end of the list. It's closer to a typical moisturiser than the Energizing Gel Cream, it's richer and has beads in it that burst when you rub the product on the skin. It's better suited for use under makeup that the gel, so I've been using it in the mornings as the last step. It leaves quite a glow on the skin that lasts a long time - it's that classic skincare glow. Like the gel cream, I've been using them for weeks and I can't say I see any brightening, but both are nice to use. 

A repurchase. This is an essential product in my collection. This together with the Hydrator performs almost a miracle and makes my hair feel so much better. It fixes my hair when it lacks protein, so when it's even more coarse to the touch than usual with zero softness, lacks pliability and no amount of moisturising care nourishes it sufficiently. Reconstructor is an intense protein treatment that contains the highest content of Joico's special Quadramine complex, which contains human hair keratin protein in a wide range of molecular sizes - that's what they say. As far as I know proteins adsorb to the hair in a matter of seconds and the general recommendation for this is to leave it on for 5 minutes, but they also say it can be left longer for even better results, which I tend to do. I always use it in combination with the Hydrator since because it's a protein treatment, it doesn't leave the hair soft on its own and it's really recommended you use a moisturising mask after for the best possible result (I see in negative reviews people who misunderstand this product when they say it doesn't leave their hair soft. It's something protein treatments tend to have in common). It's better than Olaplex on me in terms of visible, touchable effect (or at least it works faster), but I consider them different products and I still use Olaplex regularly. For my bleached and coloured hair it's a must. 

A repurchase. Together with Reconstructor they form a power couple, but this is an amazing product on its own. I've used Hydrator on its own for years before I coloured my hair and it's one of my favourite hair treatments since it's one of rare ones has a great effect on my thick, dry hair. This also has some proteins, so it combines both moisturising + protein action and it leaves my hair nicely nourished. 

After trying the mini, I got the full size bottle. It's one of the best if not the best conditioner I've ever tried. It's thinner than the mask (which I also adore), but works about the same and my hair dries so smoothly with a hair dryer after using this. Moroccanoil truly does some of the best hair products.

Click2chic.si

My second bottle. I realised I rarely talked about this, though I used up a whole bottle. It's a lightweight lotion for the ends that instructions say to use on dry hair as a finisher, but I use it both on damp and dry hair because my hair just needs a ton of products otherwise it just doesn't behave. Initially I didn't find it as impressive as their silicone oil, however, it really grew on me and I like how it tames my hair. It has great ingredients with lots of proteins and aminoacids, so I this is a great formula to start using when you hair is freshly cut to make sure the ends stay nice longer, but Moroccanoil markets it as a split ends fixer, thought we all know that when the hair is damaged, nothing will make it healthy again. But it can hide the look of scruffy, dry ends. If you're picking between this and the oil - this will work for hair that's easily weighted down, while with the oil you may need to be more careful with the amount.  

Click2chic.si

This oil has gained some attention on IG and got many praises, so much I wanted to try it even though another oil in my collection is the last I need. Since it's so popular, it was out of stock, so I received this whole gift set (in which you basically get one of the products for free. It's out of stock now too). Subrina Professional's Hydro line is more popular (for normal-dry hair), but this line is designed for dry and damaged hair, so more suited for my needs. First I need to praise the scent of shampoo and conditioner - they smells so similar to Paco Rabanne Olympea. It's that same salty vanilla scent, but without the heavy jasmine. I love it! Shampoo foams well and doesn't leave my super dry hair with that drying squeaky clean feeling, so it's very likeable. The conditioner is medium thick and nourishes my hair well, but like most conditioners the effect on my hair lasts only a day before I need to resort to oils. For normal-moderately dry hair a.k.a. pretty much most people, it should be more than nice. The scent alone makes it worth it. The silicone oil is surprisingly one of the richest and most oily of such products I've tried. One pump get you a lot of product, too much even for me, so it's an oil that should last a while (pump can be easily controlled to get only small amount). The scent is different than the shampoo and conditioner - it has wowed reviewers the most, but I find it a pretty straightforward vanilla. It's a very familiar scent, I know it's something that was popular around here in the past, I just can't put my finger on it. (@illegall_blonde na IG pravi, da to to vonj Sun Mix sončne kreme, ki je ukinjena že precej časa. Vem, da smo jo imeli doma, ampak vonja se pa ne spomnim.) 

Click2chic.si

 A repurchase. I use this as the first step after washing of hair mask/conditioner/treatment every time I wash my hair. It's a clear light gel-like liquid that spreads easily to a large area, so I only need a pump. I find my hair dries smoother when I use this, but it's not the only product I use after washing (Moroccanoil All-in-one leave-in also helps my hair be smoother). 

I don't know why I got this considering I knew it smells like Arianna Grande's Cloud, which is too bland for my taste. I was persuaded by a review that said this was a very thick and rich formula that takes time to absorb, but now I'm thinking that reviewer hasn't tried many moisturisers. It's a bit thicker than Brazillian Bum Bum Cream, but nowhere near thick. It's the type of creamy texture that Nivea's Care Nourishing Cream has, so not hard to apply and blend in. Personally I'd be more impressed by it if it were thicker, something like the amazing The Body Shop body butters. While Brazillian Bum Bum Cream has an intense nutty vanilla scent and can be used instead of a perfume, Beija Flor Elasti-Cream's scent is more gentle, though stronger than AG Cloud body mist that I have and it's also a lot more "defined". It's a floral scent  - nothing of note and I really don't see what's so amazing about it like reviews claim. Bum Bum Cream is so much more impressive, though not the texture. 

A repurchase. I finally caught an excellent deal on this and I got another one. I used to always have at least on TBS body butter, but they are expensive, so it's been a while since I used up my last one. I love their super thick, rich formula that intensely nourishes the skin and I really don't mind it takes a while to sink in. Shea is a clean, nutty scent, unisex in my mind and the most neutral one from the ones I've tried. The changed the packaging to a plastic-metal combination since I had my last pot. I preferred the old labels, but as long as the product is good, it's fine.  

This is one of the new scent to me, so I had no idea what to expect. I like it - TBS describes it as a warm exotic scent. To me it smells like a comforting perfume for cold months with nuts, something slightly spicy & bitter and vanilla or amber but all mixed with this lovely creamy note. Formula is as rich as the Shea version.

THE BODY SHOP Body Butter Avocado 

The texture is the same rich one as at argan and shea, while the scent is green, fresh and creamy. I prefer the other two, but this one is ok as well. 

They added this for free. It's a disinfecting hand gel with 64% alcohol. 

15ml

This caught my attention after reading on Fragrantica it's similar to the famous Glossier Your fragrance. I don't know how the latter smells, but TBS has nice reviews and it was cheap. It has notes of spicy pink pepper, powdery orris, woody ambrette and musk. It was a blind buy and more of a miss than not, though I don't hate it, it's just bland. I know these types of smells are supposed to smell like you and other people notice it more, but no one did so far. I smell mostly pepper and musk, so it's spicy and clean smelling. It's supposed to be similar to Bath & Body Works Kaleidoscope, but they are completely different on my skin and I get compliments when I wear that one. 

10,00 €

I originally planned to repurchase the body butter, but that would be too many moisturisers already, however, now I find it's would be a better choice. One spray smells plastic and lasts two seconds. But spraying it generously and on clothes makes it last a lot longer and it's a bitter refreshing scent, just not as juicy as the body butter. 

Something new I spotted in DM. Lush has these solid balms or massage bars for ages, but they are so expensive, so I only bought I think one in my life, but the general idea is a moisturiser with no packaging. This one is meant for feet, thought just like any moisturiser it can be used anywhere. It's not overly melty like that Lush one I had, so one use doesn't melt away a lot of the product with one use, but it nourishes well even though you need to rub it back and forth a few times to get enough product on. It has a pleasant citrus (lime scent).  

These were meant as gifts for kids for St.Nicholas. They were a big hit and they told me these were their favourites - the dragons do look so cute. There are currently four scents:  Fruity is a fresh fruity scent that's kind of a mix of pear and apples. Sweety is a sweet fruity scent, reminiscent of berries. Breezy is my personal favourite because it has this clean almost marine scent - it's more grown up in my opinion. Sleepy is a soothing scent of milk and honey. All are shampoos and body washes in one, but Sweety also works as a conditioner. The Sweety liquid conditioner is a leave-in that detangles before combing the hair. 

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A repurchase, but in a new packaging. This has a great scent of apricots. Formula is nicely creamy and better than cheap shower gels, but it doesn't beat Dove for me. 

A new version of Milk & Honey scent. This one has notes of rose and amber, and to me it's very different from the original Milk & Honey, much deeper. It's mostly a rose scent. Hand & Body Wash foams ok and has medium-strong scent level, while the cream can be used instead of a fragrance. The bar of soap has a rose embossing in the back.  

Oriflame

*TANGLE TEZZER Wet Detangling Hairbrush and Detangling Hairbrush the Original Lollipop Collection

TT are my absolute favourite brushes for more than I decade I think. I have the Wet Detangling Hairbrush in a black colour that I use every day. I also had an ancient original black brush, but I gave it away after I got the Compact Styler, which fits into my hands better. But the one with the handle is my favourite. I had a couple of dupe brushes and none feel the same, as they have much harder bristles and don't glide through tangly hair as nicely as TTs. These two are both half pink and half orange, a part of a new collection. Tangle Teezers are made from 100% recycled plastic and now in this collection, the boxes are made from 100% recycled cardboard.

A repurchase. My toning shade, an ashy light blonde that is slightly darker than the average blonde toner, so it can cover bleached golden blonde hair. I can't bleach my hair to a pale yellow in one go, so I use this shade (or it the past L'Oreal's 9.1 and Revlon's Colorsilk 70) or the one shade darker 8.1 to tone after bleaching. I swap the developer for a weaker 3% one (10 vol). I didn't make a deliberate switch from Subrina Charm Super Cool Toner, but last two times I didn't manage to bleach well enough for that toner, though I like it more, not just the colour, but the fact it's a demi-permanent colour. 

I never looked at this foundation closely because I wrongly assumed it's a matte high-coverage foundation, so the type my skin isn't fond off (they did release a matte version after this one), but it caught my eye when I was watching Youtube videos for a recommendation for a good high-end foundation in a pale shade (I started out by researching the new Nars Light Reflecting foundation, Charlotte Tilbury's Beautiful Skin and renewed Makeup Forever HD, but due to lack of available pale shades and swatches, ended up buying this). Swan is one of the shades that I believe was added latter and Cloud is even lighter, but I thought the latter may already be too light for me, since it looks almost off-white on swatches. Swan is a tiny bit darker than my skin tone, so it's not ideal, but blends in ok. I've only worn it with my summertime skin care (which is glowy + SPF), but so far I find the name fits this foundation. It's got a good amount of coverage, about medium, so I only need a tiny bit of concealer under my eyes and on an old blemish mark, but despite the higher coverage, it looks like skin, it's smooth and very natural. It wears nicely through the day without flaking or making my lines very obvious. It also looks beautiful on pictures. Finish is glowy in a very nice way and it doesn't feel heavy or greasy. It feels like a high-quality foundation and it fits my normal-dry skin. 

One of still rare cool toned palettes by Colourpop. I have two of their 9-pan ones, That's Taupe and Going Coconuts, which impressed me enough to want to own more of Colourpop eyeshadows despite being kind of a mixed bag in terms of quality (Going Coconuts is the better of the two). There are 30 shades in Stone Cold Fox, ranging from mattes to metallic with a mix of neutral, cool and rosy tones. When I was watching reviews and comparison swatches, some said that Colourpop tends to repeat their colours and if you don't own any of their cool toned options, there's everything in this palette - I actually disagree, as That's Taupe differs from this one, specifically the shimmers. I love this palette. Quality is overall better than the two 9-pans ones, particularly when it comes to shimmer shades. Pretty much all colours have excellent pigmentation, they are so smooth and blend with ease. There's many taupe shades in various depths and the shimmers can easily be picked up with a brush (unlike in That's Taupe) and don't need much layering on the eyelids. They last ok on my eyes, but I don't have problems with oiliness. I like this one more than Bare Necessities, which is hardly surprising and it has almost everything I need, though it lacks those green-golds I love to wear. The palette packaging is so nice. It's made from this almost rubberised-feeling material and it feels high quality. 

I got it when it was 30% off, but it's about 30 €.

I didn't plan to get this one, unlike the Stone Cold Fox, which was on my shortlist for a new neutral palette, but Colourpop has free shipping over 60 $, so I added it to the cart, since it's was 30% off and still looks very wearable from my stand point. It's a warm counterpart to Stone Cold Fox, though there are many neutral shades in it and I can create the type of look like, so not too warm, but even when shades look almost the same in the palette as in SCF, on my skin they look warmer. I was most drawn to that bronze looking shade Genie, but my skin tone makes it an orange toned, which is what happens with 99% of gold shades on me. Quality of eyeshadows is the same and SFC, all blend lovely, have a good colour payoff and last well. I'm happy with both palettes and the packaging has the same nice feel as SCF.

This has a lot of good reviews and I was drawn to it because it's supposed to be very hydrating, which my skin needs. Colourpop has a lot of shades and I wasn't sure if their lightest one might be too light for me. Apparently everyone has stopped normal blogging and there's few comparison swatches between different brands of shades that would help the poor woman trying to buy a foundation online, but I picked the lightest nonetheless, hoping for the best. It ended up being ok, but actually since it's a tinted moisturiser and the coverage low, it doesn't matter that much if you miss the shade. Fair 1N is a very pale colour with a neutral undertone, it's one of the lightest in my collection. Coverage is as I said low, though buildable, but it doesn't look like a proper foundation and it just evens out the skin. Due to that it looks natural, an actually no-makeup makeup look. Having said that, mine has these white beads in it. I don't know what they are, either the product isn't good quality or the formula wasn't blended well, but they are noticeable when I apply this to the face. Strangely enough in time they disappear, almost like they melt. It's a mystery, but it makes the whole product off to me. Finish is glowy and this is indeed a hydrating formula. Honestly, I could live without this in my collection. I thought I'll like the low coverage, but strangely for me I wish it had a bit more. 

I realised a few months ago that there are almost no cream blushes in drugstores among cheap brands here. I used to love Bourjois ones, but it looks like they were discontinued a while ago. There are several shades of these available, but Colourpop has no swatches, so I had to rely on bloggers and it was hard to pick which might work well for me. I thought this one is a standard peachy pink, which is usually universally flattering, but it's a bright warm pink with gold shimmer. It's quite pigmented and I don't need much for my cheeks. Usually I swipe it on the back of the hand and slowly build it up on the cheeks with fingers. 

BENEFIT Wanderful World Blushes Powder Blusher 

These are new and Benefit quite unusually for them released a whole collection, instead of just one blush at a time like the used to do. I own an absolutely ancient Coralista, which used to be my favourite and most used blush, but it's too old now to use. It looks like they discontinued it along with all other blushes, except for Dandelion, which is a part of this line too. Coralista was excellent quality and after a string last year & this year's drugstore stuff I bought and got, I decided it's time for some high end purchases, which I hoped would impress me more and they did. I picked Shellie which looks closest to Coralista and Willa, which is the type of muted pink I wear most often. They have two sizes available, travel and regular, but not all shades are available in travel size (Willa isn't). I actually ended up with two Willas because the first came completely smashed in the post (Cult Beauty quickly sent a replacement with no fuss). I ended up fixing the first broken one with alcohol and it completely changed the colour of it into deeper pink, while the Willa that came whole is a muted pink shade that ends up more warm on my cheeks. Odd, but both are good quality in terms of pigmentation and staying power, they are just a different shade now. These are insanely pigmented. I only need to touch them with my fluffy blush brush and it's enough for me, though I am very pale, so most blushes show up easily on me. Formula is smooth and blends ok, though like I said these are very pigmented and I need to apply a very small amount, so it's not like blending a less pigmented blush that I apply gradually. Willa is a muted pink shade with some glow, but since I apply so little, the glow isn't strong on me. Shellie is very similar to Coralista on my cheeks, a coral that on me leans more to orange than I want, but it's still a peachy-pink shade that brightens up the face. I'm very interested in getting a shade or two more of these, my first choices are Dandelion and Pom Pom. Since these are so pigmented, a mini will last me forever and the opening isn't too small so brushes fit ok into the packaging. Both shades have a fragrance that is the same as Coralista had, a sort of a fruity floral. 

This was actually my first even blush. Obviously in a full size, this is just a gift with purchase I got on Look Fantastic. When I was buying my first makeup product, there wasn't a lot of them in our drugstores, certainly very little good drugstore ones, so my first blush was the most sold and recommended blush at that time that I got online and it's still on the best-selling lists, so that should tell something. It's a peachy-pink with gold shimmer, very often duped by other brands, but to be honest I don't think many come super close to it, especially when it comes to quality and staying power as well as the golden shimmer that adds a glow. I also had Deep Throat, which is similar, but more pigmented, so I used it to do makeup on those with a deeper skin tone than mine. This one is less pigmented than I remember, maybe it's just the top layer, but I need a dense mini brush and a few layers, but it's creates a beautiful peachy-pink flush with a gold glow. 

A repurchase. I had this years ago, but I never repurchased it because I bought a lot of other sprays to try and apart from Catrice one which has a bad spray pump, this was the only one that prolonged staying power of makeup really well from the stuff I tried up to then. I recently got sent the new Revlon's ColorStay Lock spray and Milani's Make it Last, which have both proven themselves to be as good as this one. Most of my makeup lasts all day with Urban Decay with the exception of blush. It's almost the same as the other two sprays (Revlon & Milani) and I kind of trust it most because it's high-end, but on one occasion I have noticed some flakiness on my nose, so it can be drying due to the alcohol content. I got a mini size back then and another again, since I don't often use such sprays because I forget.

Another repurchase. This was my first eyeshadow primer many years ago and again I never repurchased it because for one at that time the packaging was terrible, since it was made from a hard plastic in a unique shape and there was so much left in the tube and you couldn't get to it without cutting the tube and it's also expensive for something I so rarely use as someone who doesn't have oily eyelid anymore. But I recently had Artdeco one in a pot and I was so disappointed when it dried out so fast, with most of the product still in the pot. I've actually been using Etude House Proof 10 one, which is really nice, but I wanted to give the good old UD another go. I realised that Etude House and this one are dupes on me in every respect - formula feels the same: a creamy liquid that has some tackiness to it for a while, but when it sets it's a smooth base. Neither have any colour, but UD comes in more versions. Applicators are the same, a doe foot one. I got Etude House for 5$ on eBay a while go.

I like my Garnier Ambre Solaire Fluid SPF50+ , Nivea Dark Spot Control Luminous 630 SPF 50 and Shiseido Urban Environment Age Defense SPF 30, but LRP has a new state of the art filter Mexoryl400 in this sunscreen and since I tend to spend quite a lot of time in the sun, I thought this may be a good investment to make. It's a replacement for their Shaka Fluid, which was in the same packaging. It's similar to Garnier's Fluid, so very liquid and light, but less elegant and has a shine that lasts on the skin - I make it even worse with a vitamin C serum (I'm currently using the less shiny SVR Ampoule Anti-Ox instead of Afrodita's because of that) and Balea's niacinamide day cream. 

A repurchase. Currently my favourite shampoo. This produces such a thick, rich foam. I find that together with Joico Defy Damage they help my hair. I have the purple version too, which I also like, but it's less thick than this. 

A repurchase. It's not the most amazing conditioner in terms of visible results, so I use Pantene Hair Rescue mask either over it or after it so I get that slippery silkiness when I'm rinsing it off and it's a nice combination. The mask is better, but this has 250 ml and probably about the same percentage of bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate.

A repurchase. I love this a lot more than the no.5 conditioner even though it's thinner, but it has superior results on my very dry hair. But the packaging is shamefully small and unlike no.3 a small amount can't be applied to a large area, so one bottle doesn't last many uses. I keep it for emergencies when my hair desperately needs some repairing care, while I mostly use the n.5 conditioner.  

A repurchase. It's a creamy leave-in with hair repairing bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate. I love the texture of this, which I can use on both dry and damp hair. On damp hair is helps my hair dry smoother with a hair dryer, while on dry hair it smooths down flyaways. The recently changed the bottle to include a pump like on the n.8 mask, but since I got this in a 3 for 2 offer, I guess they were getting rid of the old stock. But I really don't like the old packaging.

The latest Olaplex product, this one is a leave-in, which is not a cream with silicones like no.6, but a gel-ish liquid and I liked it straight away. I own all Olaplex products, but I'm still missing a spray leave-in among their offering, though this is close enough or even better. It's the first step I apply after rinsing off the mask or conditioner and before my "army of usual leave-ins" (Joico K-Pak Liquid Reconstructor, Moroccanoil All-in-one leave-in conditioner and Palmer's Hair Oil) and I find my hair dries smoother. Formula is light and a small amount can be applied to a large area, so I don't have to use more than a pump or two. I quickly became a big fan of this..     

THE INKEY LIST Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Scrub 

I have The Ordinary Glycolic toner that breaks me out when I use it on the face, so I had an idea to use it up on my scalp, however, it made my hair so sticky. I decided to get the hair version by The Inkey List, but idiotically didn’t check neither how it’s used or the concentration. This was a stupid purchase because it's the same as The Ordinary for the face - same concentration of glycolic, so only 7%, which is too weak for me and it leaves the hair sticky, so it needs to be washed off. I can’t use it as a leave-in, like a scalp toner as I planned and 10 minutes of 7% glycolic is a joke to my skin. I should have bought a 30% face version from any of these similar brands instead and give it a try that way.

This was my second time buying it, but the first time Look Fantastic realised they don't actually have it in stock after I already paid for it and they gave me my money back. Then a year passed before I decided to finally give it a go. I wasn't sure if I really want to risk to try it because I kind of don't like it makes the hair waterproof and I worry it might be difficult to get off completely and it may block conditioner from hydrating, but there are so many great reviews that it's hard to resist not falling for the hype. It's an anti-frizz, taming and smoothing liquid that on some I've seen can create that glass hair effect, but I doubt it will work as well on mine. I actually have a good anti-frizz routine, but I can't help not being curious. I quickly encountered a problem with this - it can't be used with silicones or oils, so the cornerstone of my routine. Colour Wow offers its own shampoo and conditioner duo that is free of those things and works with this product, but I just have a gnawing feeling they would leave my hair too dry and breaking due to that. So I used it with my regular routine and I indeed didn't get my hair that smooth, though it did dry more straight (comparable to my anti-frizz routine). Effect should last 4 washes, but my hair got puffy already on the second day. At least I didn't notice it being difficult to wash off. I might try their mini shampoo and conditioner to see  how it goes, but with my silicone and oil rich routine, this product doesn't show its full potential. I was told you need a lot of product, basically soak the hair with this and I was generous. Spray is really good and helps it get to as much hair as it can quickly .