This arrived completely shattered because Look Fantastic just wrapped it in a bit of paper. I checked my options and thought it's too much hassle for a product I got in a 3 for 2 offer, so I just fixed it with some alcohol and it's fine. Who cares if doesn't look pretty. This is one glowy highlighter. It rivals Colourpop's Flexiterian and a swirl or two with a brush creates an intense glow on the skin. Shimmer is fine like at most highlighters nowadays. Formula is powdery-creamy to the touch and it swatches very intense with a finger, shade is similar to Flexiterian too, so a champagne shade and great for pale skin, while for deeper skin tones they have 3 other shades. Stupidly we only have one of the deeper shades in Slovenia, at least that's all I've been able to find and I've been checking DM's and Müller's for a month, so I had to order online. This is such a delight to use after Catrice highlighters I've been testing recently. It's just so much better. 

I said I was going to build my own palette and this is it. I've always been a fan of Artdeco eyeshadows, they are nicely pigmented, blend ok and they have a big selection of cool-neutral shades, so I had plenty to pick from. Old gold shades that I love most have been rare in palettes for years now (and everything is so warm or rosy), but at Artdeco I found what I wanted. Three shades in the palette are old, though I got a replacement for shade 245, which is very similar to the new 188 and it's been a long-time favourite of mine, so now two of the shades are very similar in the palette. I know they all look so alike, but on the eyes, there is a difference. They are not the cheapest, but at least I now have a palette with actual cool-neutral shades and I love each one. Missing is a very deep brown, as 242 was the darkest I could find and it could be darker (it sheers when blended), but it combines well with all other shades. Shade 214 iridescent copper is somewhat disappointing because it's less pigmented than the rest, but maybe it's just the top layer. The magnetic palette is old, but they still sell it and have a variety of sizes. I think mine is biggest and can hold 12 eyeshadows or 4 blushes or a combination of the two. I don't know how much it costs now, but I recall it wasn't that cheap, neither super expensive. The names of the eyeshadows are reversed on my "subtitle" since I'm holding the palette upside down, so it's goes from 574 to 12.

Müller, 5.49 €

I'm kind of conflicted about writing about this palette, because I've been exploring where to get them and they appear to be discontinued. They were sent to me probably to share the news of the outlet online shop (for Slovenia) called Beauty Outlet and they don't appear to have this one any more, or maybe they do since the name is still there, but they have others. These were otherwise insanely cheap at 5$ and on the BO shop they are only 2 €. All shades in Spectrum palette are matte and dry, yet the brush pickups up a lot at once. When I was swatching these with fingers, the light blue one just caved in. The bottom part of the palettes + shade Embers (deep amber on top) perform better, the shades are smoother and you get more colour quicker, especially Embers stands out as the best quality eyeshadow with its smooth, more creamy texture than the rest. The top line is drier, harder to build up, with Beat (orange) being weakest. I've tried these with a primer and without. Without I get plenty of colour pay-off with a flat Mac 239 brush, but when I start to blend it out, it all fades quickly and it's just not as bright as in the pan. With a primer (I took Wet n Wild one which is thickest) it didn't look that much more vibrant, so I guess using a white base like Nyx's Milk pencil would be better and these would likely have a super bright pay-off. It's best to tap these on the eyelids to get the best colour pay-off and blend very carefully.

Another palette, this one has the first bottom shade completely shattered and managed to rescue a third of it. It was actually the nicest shade in the palette, so that's a shame. It's a combination of mattes and satin shimmers. Quality of the eyeshadows varies a lot. Some mattes are super pigmented and almost creamy, but then some are more on the dry side, though still good. Shimmers are again a mixed bag and have a tendency to drop more since they are less smooth than mattes. For the price it's ok enough. Shades transfer well on the eyelids, but blending takes a lot away, which is especially true for the darker shades, so they need to be build up. Like I said this is 2 € on Beauty Outlet.

My trusted Shiseido eyelash curler has served me many years and though it still works, it's a bit loose now, so I ordered a new one. I was originally just looking for a new set of replacement pads, since I'm down to my last one (they last so long, though), but I saw a new one was so cheap on eBay that I just got a new one instead. This isn't the same as my old one, mine is black with no defining number and it's sold in some European online shops such as Cult Beauty. This one straight from Japan has a much more arched curve, which caused me concern from the start that it won't fit my eye shape anymore, since I originally got Shiseido precisely because of the flatter shape, as all other curlers bought here pinched on the sides, occasionally ripping out my lashes. But luckily I was wrong and this possibly fits me even more than the old one. The curve is not too big and it curls my lashes a bit nicer, especially in the corners, though it's not a massive difference. Quality-wise this is again a brilliant curler, Shiseido really knows how to make excellent ones. It feels well made, nothing is loose, the pad is nicely soft, yet sturdy and based on my experience they last ages (at Tana's the ripped in months). I ordered from Japan in it took a bit over a month to arrive, which is longer than I'm used to (from Japan it usually took 1-2 weeks, more was uncommon), but at least it arrived safely given the current situation, but I see they raised the price and added shipping charges. 

This has been on my wishlist for a long time and I snapped it when it was 30% off because this is expensive. I have the SPF 30 version that's almost empty and I enjoyed it, I might even buy it again, though I really love the lighter Garnier Ambre Solaire SPF 50 fluid as a sunscreen now. Olaz/Olay's products have niacinamide high on the list and this one also has some peptides. I wanted it mostly due for those two reasons, but I've also read a lot of reviews and it's a very praised moisturiser in the US. Mine will for now stay unopened because I got Balea Vital not long ago and I got this sooner than planned due to the discount.  

Ingredients.

Müller, 13.93 € (19.90 € regular price)

I really screwed up with this one and I still don't get how. It has oil in the name and the ingredients list indicates to me that this is a hair oil, so imagine my shock when I discovered it's a leave-in creamy conditioner. I already have too many such products, including Cantu's cream in a pot, plus this is a big bottle, so I have no idea what to do with it and I still don't have a hair oil (I should have just ordered Palmer's as planned, but Look Fantastic doesn't carry this brand). It's not as good as the version in the pot in terms of moisturising, but it's nicer to use on dry hair because this one has at least some slip compared to that one. But my hair is dry by the next day and this leaves my hair not soft anymore. I need to find a way to use this up. Scent is the same as at the conditioner, so a Pina Colada one. 

Look Fantastic, £6.99

CANTU Shea Butter for Natural Hair Coil Calm Detangler 

The detangler part got me, so I hoped for a product similar to La Croa, but it's just another liquid leave-in conditioner, just like many others on the market. This one is thicker than most, so thick in fact that's the spray was a bad idea and a pump would be preferable at this product. It's also not as nourishing as the leave-in cream in a pot and my hair is dry by the next day, but it does leave the hair less tangled. It doesn't have much frizz control, but it's also not completely useless. 

Look Fantastic, £6.99

This is a part of TBS's Christmas collection and Festive Berry is my favourite scent, though shower gel and hand cream smell differently. The fragrance is described as a mix of raspberry, juniper and blackberry. It smells like it's described straight from the bottle, but under a shower smells like strawberry hard candy. The same thing happened with the this year's Lemon shower gel from the summer collection. Formula is also the same as at that one, so thin and it foams well enough.  

The Body Shop, 6.50 €

The scent of this one stands out. It's a great berry-juniper scent, a very forest-y, fruity-fresh scent and something different than just your classic berry. A body butter and body mist from this collection is surely great. Formula of the hand cream is their regular one, so light and fast absorbing. I prefer the thicker, richer texture of their Hemp cream, but dislike the scent of it, so it they made that formula with this scent, it'd be perfect. But this one is nice to use when my hand aren't that dry. 

The Body Shop, 5.90 €

Something unexpected - jasmine for Christmas. And yet it works. It a greener version of a jasmine scent and when I smell it, it reminds me of wreaths, the ones made out of leaves. Shower gel is the same as at Festive Berry so thin, but this one smells the same all the time. 

The Body Shop, 6.50 €

The Body Yogurt is the same as always, a light gel-cream formula that absorbs quickly. The scent is the same as in the shower gel and as usual TBS scents are quite strong, so it can work as a substitute for a fragrance. 

The Body Shop, 9.90 € 

The gold standard winter classic. A well-done vanilla, a bit like their Pumpkin Vanilla without the extras. It's warm, cuddly and comforting, yet with some depth. I haven't used this yet because I have another TBS body butter opened, but I'm sure it's the same excellent quality as always. TBS butters as thick, rich and take time to absorb, but they are some of the best for very dry skin. 

The Body Shop, 17,50 €

THE BODY SHOP Warm Vanilla Hand Cream 

Same scent as the body butter, so a nice vanilla and the texture is the same light, fast absorbing one that the Festive Berry has too. The scent lingers for a while, so it acts almost like a fragrance.

The Body Shop, 5,90 €

Oriental fruity vanilla

Top notes: Lemon Primo Fiore, Freesia, Magnolia

Heart notes: Jasmine Petal, Rose Damascena Essence, 

Raspberry

Base notes: Vanilla Surabsolute, Cedarwod, Musk

Newest fragrance by Oriflame and I feel they went into a very safe direction with this one, so it doesn't stand out like some of their other scents. This also means it's a very safe bet if you need a gift idea because it's something most people will like, though maybe not love. Personally I love their Giordani Gold Essenza Sensuale more and lately also Amber Elixir, as I feel they have a lot more character, as do some other fragrances I've smelled only in their catalogue like Magnetista (a peppery fruity floral woody vanilla), Northern Glow (a clean, warm floral fruity woody scent), Infinita (a warm jasmine woody scent) and I probably just don't remember more. Fruity notes are only noticeable for the first few seconds, then the floral notes take over (magnolia), while vanilla, which is supposed to be the highlight of this fragrance, remains subtle on my skin. If you want vanilla, this isn't it, but while it's not the most original fragrance, it’s elegant, soft and classic. It's not a silage monster, so it's not a strong scent, it's more of a skin scent, but staying power isn't best. This is a scent I’d wear when I want to smell nice, but not over the top and I think it’s office-friendly enough. Bottle is a nice one, it reminds me of an elegant bag with the opaque black glass and gold details. 

Oriflame, regular price 52.90 € (for 50ml), currently 34.90 €  

My first ever beauty advent calendar. I never got one myself because none convinced me they are worth it. This year Catrice has a version that you make yourself, which I'm not sure if anyone has done before. You get paper bags in two colours schemes, gold stickers with numbers and 24 products. You could set this one up hanging from the wall if you get extra rope or string and clothespins. What's inside the box is printed on the side, so you know what you're getting and that is a ton of discontinued products and a few LE's (8). Personally I'd expect a combination of new products, best sellers and a few LE items, but here it looks like they just had to put their remaining stock of discontinued products somewhere and this was easiest - that's what it looks like to me. It's an interesting box for someone who is just getting into makeup and doesn't have much, but it's not for someone who wants to explore Catrice as a brand, since most of the stuff is discontinued and you can't get more shades if you like a certain product. It also irks me they didn't add the best discontinued products such as Dewy-full glosses. I'm glad though that I got the HD primer with SPF 30, since I was eyeing it for a while, but never took the plunge. This costs 34.99 €.

Light Correcting Serum Primer Candlelight - I had this and didn't like it. Review here 

Golden Dust Highlighter Drops - I had this and didn't like it. Review here. 

All Round Colour Correction palette - thick, balmy concealers, but with an ok colour pay-off. 

Advent Calendar LE Powder Highlighter C01 Soft Candlelight - light gold. Same texture as the More than Glow highlighters, so tightly pressed creamy formula that's hard to pick up with a brush. 

Artic Gloss Highlighter Powder 010 Jupiter's Glow - now this is how Catrice's highlighters should be - easy to pick up fast with a brush and with a nice level of glow. Shade is too sci-fi, a cool blue-purple glow, though light.

Advent Calendar LE Multipurpose Brush - soft and nice quality.

Superbia Vol.1 Warm Copper Eyeshadow Edition - a bit disappointed with the pigmentation, but it's nice enough. Same goes for Vol.2.

Soul Searcher Palette á Porter Eyeshadow 020 Namaste All Day - extra slim palette. These are still sold in other combinations.

Generation Matte Comfortable Liquid Lipstick 090 Girls Bite Back - predecessor of Matt Pro Ink Non-Transfer Liquid Lipstick. Similar to Dream Big that's sold now.  

Advent Calendar LE Glitter C01 Blushing Excitement - a red with gold glitter. 

Have a great day!