As a fan of anything mint, turquoise and teal, Turquoise & Caicos was on my radar for a really long time, however, reports about bad formula always put me off from actually purchasing it. And you know what, the formula is miles away from being bad or uncooperative. I honestly don't get the bad feedback, there are far worse formulas.

Turquoise & Caicos is a muted greenish turquoise shade that has a subtle grey undertone, making it less bright than similar shades. Mint Candy Apple is very different - pale mint green pastel shade and might I add, for me a more difficult formula to work with (as most pastels, to be honest). 

It has a jelly finish and the first coat is very sheer, however, the second gets you enough opacity already, on certain nails I need to apply three coats in total, but this is really not such a big deal as some make it to be. It applies evenly with no streaks and with Seche Vite on top, it takes about a minute or two to dry.

Turquoise & Caicos and Mint Candy Apple:

Everyone who is as pale as me will know how hard it is to find really fair shades to match their Snow White complexion, especially in the drugstore range. 010 Light Porcelain is a very pleasant surprise as far as the shade goes, but in terms of texture and coverage, I think there is room for improvement. 

Texture: A typical liquid foundation that feels light and is runny. If I make a comparison with Bourjois Healthy Mix, which has a similar texture, Rimmel's feels greasier to me and takes a bit longer to blend, it lacks that smoothing effect that Bourjois' has. I finds it applies best with a sponge, however, then it's difficult to get much coverage.

Coverage: Honestly, according to reviews I expected a medium coverage, but this isn't it. It has light, maybe light to medium coverage. It only evens out the skin, but that's it. Also layering doesn't do much more covering. You can see on the pictures that there is very little difference between without and with the foundation. There is a bit of covering of the redness around the nose and circles, but not much. Also freckles still peak though.

Finish: It's shiny from the start and it needs a long time to set, leaving the skin sticky and tacky for ages (my major pet peeve). Once it sets, it leaves a satin finish, though it still has a bit of a glow. I always use a powder on top because I dislike feeling of tackiness and powder helps to it set faster. Without the powder, my T-zone gets shiny fast, something that doesn't happen often to me.

Colour: It is one of the lightest I found and similar to Dior's BB 001, so a pink toned very pale shade. It's a nice match for me, maybe a smidgen too pink, but blends in well in my skintone and doesn't look out of place. Interestingly, the matching concealer, Match Perfection 010 Ivory (the lightest in the bunch), is not just yellow toned, but also darker.

Packaging: I already shared my frustration in my New In post about how my bottle arrived without a pump. I replaced it with one from an empty L'Occitane Rice fluid (which works excellently), so I can't really comment on the packaging other than it's a glass bottle and I don't know how well the original pump works.

Price and availability: I got mine on Asos, luckily with a discount and paid 6.07 €. I believe Rimmel is widely available everywhere, except Slovenia (don't get me started), but you can also find it on Feel Unique, just not the lightest shade.

It a nice foundation, but I expected more coverage. The shade is great, however, if you're not a budget and are looking for a similar shade, I prefer Dior's BB in 001, as I find it looks better on the skin and the coverage is similar. I don't like how tacky it feels and that it needs so long to set, but not everyone is bothered by such things. I wouldn't recommend this for oily skin, since even my combination skin gets an oily T-zone fast without a powder. All in all, if you're looking for a really pale shade in the drugstore, then go for it, but if I rate it from 1 to 5, I give it a 3.5 .

The Match Perfection concealer, however, is absolutely excellent and one of my favourite ever concealers.

When I was standing in front of the Essie counter with my 50% off coupon, already holding the After School Boy Blazer and Turquoise & Caicos in my hands, I spent an eternity deciding on the third polish. I knew I wanted a red because I never owned a proper red nail polish, but I never realised Essie has so many reds to choose from. And all look so close! So I went for the one with the most obvious name, Really Red, since it sounded just like what I wanted. It is a medium bright true red - a classic and elegant colour.
This is another great formula by Essie, just like Cute as a Button. I can get away with one coat, though on some nails I add one more if there wasn't enough polish on the brush the first time. I also like the size of their brushes, as they are just the right width for my nails.

Depend 036 (a bright orange toned tomato red), Essie Really Red and Essence 113 Do You Speak Love? (burgundy):

This product was on my radar for a long time before I bought it and I read nothing but great reviews about it. Naturally, I expected a lot from it, but I must say I was sorely disappointed. The serums contains LR 2412 (sodium tetrahydrojasmonate), an ingredient it shares with Lancome Visionnaire and Vichy Idealia Life Serum, which is supposed to harnesses jasmine's ability to self-regenerate. Personally, I don't buy the marketing ploys and I rather put my trust into the honest reviews of the beauty blogger community. The serum promises to correct and improve visible skin quality by tackling problems such as large pores, red marks and uneven texture, however, in my experience it just doesn't deliver.

Texture: I actually like the texture of this serum. It's a light silky lotion that isn't runny and feels light on the skin. It sinks in fast and the skin is dry to the touch due to the high content of silicones, so the finish it leaves is akin to using a very light primer. Due to that I find it's a nice base for make up. The serum has a golden and pink pearl in it, which looks nice, but doesn't show up on the skin. It's hydrating enough on its own for combination skin and personally I don't feel like I need an additional moisturiser, though I do apply it. One thing that does bother me is that when I want to apply a moisturiser on top, I have to do it before it dries, otherwise the serum layer starts to flake.

Performance: Honestly, I saw no positive long term results whatsoever. In fact, my skin looked a lot worse than usual. I don't consider my skin's condition as being bad, but the longer I was using this the worse it got. It didn't happen overnight, but with everyday use my skin gradually got less smooth, my forehead became very bumpy and there were even some spots in places where I don't usually get them. I stopped using it for a few weeks and during that period I tried to fix my skin, which I did with L'Occitane products and my skin looked ok again. I still decided to give this another go, but again it gradually started to get worse, so I just stopped using it.

Scent: The scent is quite fresh and green. It reminds me a bit of satsuma or orange peels.

Packaging: Yes, the packaging is pretty. I'm not a massive fan of pink, but the pink ombre effect looks very cool. The glass bottle with a pump feels well made and looks great on a vanity. The pump works great as well.

Price and availability: I got mine for 15.99 € in Müller.

I just was not impressed by this serum. Though the texture is nice, it is just not working for me and it only makes my skin worse. The high alcohol content doesn't help the case either. My research also led me to a discovery that Lancome's Visionnaire and Vichy's Idealia Life Serum not only look similar, but also have similar ingredients (Vichy's doesn't have alcohol, though. So it's the best out of the three). I had a much better experience with the L'Occitane Sublime Essence Skin Perfector that I was trying during the "break period". 

  5 most popular posts in 2013

MAC Lipstick Samples from TheBodyNeeds

Bourjois BB Cream

 New Essence Goodies Part 2

 Maybelline 910 Shocking Coral

Essence Long Lasting Lipsticks

My 5 favourite posts on this blog in 2013

Colours of the Rainbow Tag

  My Tips for Dealing with Dry Hair (also most repinned)

 Hair Oils Series

 New In: Drugstore Hair (Styling) Edition

Review: Kérastase Nutritive

You can see a quick overview of my posts on Pinterest.

Some of my favourite posts and bloggers in 2013

Adjusting Beauty: Christmas colored makeup

Eating Lipstick: MAC Riri Woo
I Covet Thee: Autumnal Drugstore Make up Look

Kalter Kaffee: Foundation Friday #4: Maybelline Fit Me Foundation

Lolistick: March Haul/ New In

Lovely Little Lux-uries: Catrice LE: Feathers & Pearls

Makeup and more: Omiljeni proizvodi iz drogerija: Part 1 and Part 2

And here is the second part of my traditional best buys of the year post. You can find the first part with favourite makeup products here and posts from previous years here: 2010, 2011 and 2012.

 Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm

Not a traditional solid balm cleanser, but one with a very runny texture and small oatmeal scrub particles. It removes all but "industrial strength" waterproof mascara and leaves my skin feeling clean yet moisturised. Out of all cleansers I've tried so far, this is the one that makes my skin look best and it really keeps the flakies at bay. The only bad thing is that it's expensive.

REN Resurfacing AHA Concentrate

A very light liquid serum with AHA's that is nothing revolutionary, however, it does help those pesky blemish marks to fade faster. It doesn't work overnight, but long-term this is very effective.

I must report that since I revamped my skincare routine by using balm or oil cleansers and adding AHA's, I haven't had a single dry patch nor the feeling of uncomfortable dryness. A pretty big win in my book.

 Balea Dusche & Creme Cocos & Nectarine

Balea's shower gels are not the most luxurious, however, the peach bubble gum scent of this one is just amazing. It's become one of my favourite shower products ever. 

The Body Shop Honeymania and Vineyard Peach Body Butter

TBS body butters are the best one's I've tried. Honeymania in particular has a fantastic texture, while the scent is an interesting and nicely blended mix of soft honey note with a fresh wildflowers scent that I have really grown to love. Vineyard Peach is the best peach scented product I've ever found, however,  unfortunately it was LE, but you can still find it on eBay.

Kérastase Nutritive Bain Oléo-Relax Smoothing Shampoo, Masquitense Épais - Thick and Nectar Thermique

These are the creme de la creme of hair care products. Targeted for dry to very dry hair, Nutritive products are those gem products that leave my hair amazingly soft, silky and healthy looking, and that feeling lasts for days. Kérastase sure is expensive, but you really get what you pay for.

Kérastase Elixir Ultime

This smells soo divine! I still use Orofluido every time I wash my hair because I find it best for my dry hair, however, on later days I love using a much lighter Elixir Ultime to reduce frizz and give some additional shine to my hair. It also has the best packaging that comes with a pump. I carry the travel size in my bag.

 Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor 

Such a great drugstore conditioner that makes my hair feel quite silky and it's moisturising enough to keep my poor dry ends in shape. The bubble gum scent is fantastic as well.  

 Sexy Healthy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner

 Honestly, I wasn't convinced it was all that amazing from the start, mostly because I was using it wrong, however, I forgot to use it once on damp hair before blow-drying and I was a bit shocked when my hair wasn't really complying as usual. It was then that I realised how brilliant this actually is. It helps with the frizz, tames the hair and keeps it more moisturised. Using this, I can easily use a drugstore conditioner without having my hair dry by the end of second day after washing it. I don't even have to resort to using oil every day on my ends. I also use a small amount mixed with Orofluido on dry hair right after blow-drying and then put it in a high bun overnight, so I get volume and lovely waves. Best leave-in conditioner I ever tried.

got2b Volumania Volumizing Spray Mousse

This is one of the best styling products I ever tried, certainly the best mousse. It's in a spray which means it's easier to control the amount you want and easier to apply evenly. It isn't sticky, smells like raspberry soda and performs so well. With this and Lee Stafford hairspray my curls last at least three days (curled with a Remington 2.5 cm/1 inch barrel curler).

got2b Öl-La-La Styling Öl-Spray 

Healthy hair and shine in a can. It's a light silicon based product with argan oil in a spray form that gives tons of shine, helps fight frizz and doesn't weight down the hair. It's more of a styling/shine product, since the argan oil content is minimal and it doesn't actually nourish the hair much, however, it's much better than your average shine spray because most of those have a high content of alcohol. This is a great product for those, who find that silicone-oils are too heavy for their hair.

Lee Stafford Hold Tight Hairspray

I never though hairspray will be among my favourites, but this one sure deserves it. It gives flexible hold without being sticky, doesn't feel crispy or stiff at all and I don't even feel it on the hair. Despite the lightness it actually holds so well and works perfectly in combination with the got2b mousse. I need to buy the full size.

Lady Gaga Fame

I knew I'd like this from the moment I saw the notes, particularly because I like honey. It's a lovely blend of a honeyed apricot with smokiness of the incense. It's not a typical celebrity juice since the usual notes of vanilla and sugar are replaced by a darker incense. It is an eau de parfum, so it's more of a heavy scent, but I wore it almost all year regardless of the season.

Refan 022 H.Boss - Nuit Woman

This is a more classic scent and I find it perfect for an everyday daytime choice. It starts with a fantastic proper peach bust and then the scent evolves into a more flowery fragrance (white flowers) with some sandalwood. It ends up smelling a bit like fabric softener, but an expensive kind.

As tradition dictates, here is the first part of a (rather large) selection of my favourite buys in 2013. The second one will feature skincare, hair products and fragrances. You can find posts from previous years here: 2010, 2011 and 2012. All blue text are links to reviews and swatches.

Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme (001)

Finally a very light western BB cream and one that is immediately dry to the touch. It is a lovely, light coverage BB with a skin-like finish. I wore it a lot, especially because it takes so little time to apply and blend, so it's great for when you need to apply your makeup in a hurry.

Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream (13)

I am ridiculously pale. Even my doctor found this so odd that she had me tested for anemia about 10 times when I was a child (she also apparently has a case of bad memory). So, it's not every day that someone a ghostly pale as me finds a perfect match, but number 13 is it for me. Texture-wise it's really light and runny, and similarly to Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, it has light to medium coverage. It looks very natural on the skin, however, like most BB's it leaves my skin tacky and sticky, which means it needs time to set. 

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer (Fair)

A great full coverage concealer in the drugstore range that covers everything from circles to those pesky spots. I think all the hype surrounding it is justified, especially because of it's great staying power. The only bad thing is that it can look a bit obvious later in the day.

Urban Decay Naked Basics palette

I was never not much of an eyeshadow person, but this palette changed that completely. I use it on most days and I actually use every colour in this palette, which is unheard of for a two-tops-eyeshadow-girl like me. It's such a gorgeous combination of matte shades that are great quality and can be used for natural, everyday look or a more intense, smokey eye. If I were allowed to own only one eyeshadow palette, this would be it. 

Maybelline Color Tattoo Permanent Taupe

This is a great quality cream eyeshadow and it's matte, which I love. It's really pigmented, blends nicely and really stays put for hours. I mostly use it as a base, but I like it as a quick eyeshadow look on it's own as well.

Lancôme Hypnôse Custom-Wear Volume Waterproof Mascara

Now this is what I call a fabulous mascara. It's one of the rare mascaras that actually hold curl all day, while giving lots of length and some volume. I love how at the end of the day when I take my makeup off, my lashes are still curled even without the mascara.

Ardell Demi Wispies

Absolutely stunning falsies that don't look over the top, but still give the eyes a bit of drama. These are so comfortable to wear and you can't even feel them on your eyes providing you place them correctly (not too close to the inner corner), plus they can be re-used so many times.

Bourjois Cream Blush 01 Nude Velvet

This is my favourite cream blush so far. It blends nicely, it's super easy to apply especially on the go (I use fingers) and I like the packaging. It's very similar to Maybelline's Dream Touch blush, only more siliconey and in a more practical packaging.

Nyx Blush Taupe

This is a great shade for contouring for pale skin as it doesn't have any orange or warm tones in it. It's a cool brown-grey shade that imitates a natural shadow. It's become a part of my everyday routine.

Catrice Defining Blush 040 Think Pink

I just love everything about this blush - the colour, pigmentation, staying power, packaging and affordable price. A great drugstore find!

Mac Lipstick Samples from The Body Needs

I adore these. I have a large selection of Mac shades on hand without spending too much. I wore Lady Danger for most of the summer and other shades I loved to wear this year were Impassioned, Coral Bliss and Relentlessly Red. Swatches here and here.

Catrice Ultimate Colour 240 Matt About Pink

This was my most worn shade this year. It's a bright peachy pink colour with a matte finish and it's a great way of wearing something bright without being too much. The formula is not exactly brilliant, but the colour makes it worth it. 

Bourjois Shine Edition 21 Rouge Making Of

After Bourjois brought out their fantastic formula of lipsticks last year, this year they launched their version of lipstick/lipgloss/lip balm hybrids and again the formula is brilliant. It is the first shine lipstick that is actually worth the 12€ price tag because it has a far better formula than any I tried so far. 21 Rouge Making of is an orange based Lady-Danger-like but more transparent red and I wore it loads.

Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick 107

I finally dipped my toes into the deep berry pool and I am loving it. This lippie rarely left my lips since I got it and I love how I can wear it either as a stain, full-on or something in between and it looks like three different lipsticks. The formula is a great matte one, however, the only gripe I have is the staying power.

Essence Stay Matte Lip Creams

These have the most amazing formula out of all lip products I've tried. They are super pigmented, apply like a dream, last amazingly well on the lips, smell nice and leave a lovely velvety matte finish. Amazing quality for the price. They need to add more shades. Swatches here and here.

Rimmel Apocalips Stellar

This shade is stunningly beautiful. It's such a bright, fun colour, sort of a mix between coral and pink. The quality of these lacquers is great because they are so pigmented and wear off to a nice stain, but the scent is horrible. The finish they leave is glossy at first, but then sets to a more creamy leaning to matte finish when it's wearing off. I recently bought another shade called Eclipse.

Essie Cute as a Button

I adore this colour - a beautiful brightened pink-coral. What impressed me most is the formula which is such a pleasure to use. I wish every nail polish were like that.

Second part is here. Have a great day!