When I was researching Jordana's products, two caught my eye due to high ratings - their matte lipsticks and blushes. I've tried the former and they really are as amazing as everyone says, but I've only now had to chance to try one of their blushes and I got one of the brightest one in the selection.

Texture: It's one of those slightly harder blushes, which is in this case definitely a good thing, since I own such a bright shade. Apple Cheeks is very pigmented, so I need to use a very light hand when applying it. I take some colour off on the back of my hand before applying it and I slowly build up a cute, rosy flush. 

Colour and finish: I got one of the dark shades in the bunch and I have absolutely nothing like it in my collection (not even in that Freedom Makeup Pro Blush palette, pictured at the end of the post). It's a matte bright, warm pink-red shade, basically a classic "fairy-tale" blush colour that gives those cute "I just came from the cold" flush. It reminds me of those bright Mac shades like Azalea, Salsa Rose and Rhubarb, so I think that those with darker skin tones with really appreciate this blush. The colour selection is quite big and I hear they have everything including classic peachy-pinks, which pretty much everyone loves and a nice selection of finishes.  

Jordana Modern Matte lipstick in 01 Matte Bare on the lips and Jordana Made to Last Eyeshadow in 04 Uphold Gold on the eyes.

Staying power: Since it's such a pigmented blush, it lasts really well, but not always and it think it has more to do with my foundation. But it did last at least 8 hours sometimes when I wore it.

Packaging: It's quite a small blush, though I'm unsure how deep the pan actually is. It's plastic and the cap screws on.

For the price it's a lovely little blush that's very pigmented, doesn't look powdery or patchy and lasts nicely on the cheeks. There are rare brands that have such a big selection of shades and there aren't many cheap bright shades that are also matte, so if you're looking for affordable such shades, you can find them here. 

Have a great day!

So what hiding in the most recent My Beauty Box? Quite a lot actually. It's spa day inspired, so they filled it with Missha Pure Source Cell Sheet Mask (I got Pomegranate), Cattier face scrub, Macadamia sample - I got the shampoo, Kneipp Bio body oil and a Yankee Candle from the summer collection, I got Peach. Two more products were hiding in my box, but I believe they were a part of the previous box: L'Oreal Caresse in 706 Coral me Back and Tanya Burr nail polish in Bright and Early. A generous box, I must say and a nice selection of products whether you're planning to have a spa day or not.

My Beauty Box costs 12 €  plus shipping and it's available for Slovene residents. You can get it here.

L'OREAL Caresse 

706 Coral me Back

I've never seen this version of Caresse before. I have the original version that I got years ago in a very similar shade called Dating Coral. The original ones were silver/clear and these version have a white body with a transparent coloured cap, but the design of the packaging it the same. It's basically a lip balm, not even that much tinted and it's more clear/glossy on the lips unless you really go to town with it. The formula is lovely - soft, moisturising and doesn't form a "vaseline layer" on the lips. It's got a gentle sweet, a bit vanillary scent. As a lip balm it's lovely. 

TANYA BURR Nail Polish 

Bright and Early

I'm certain Tanya was inspired by Essie's Cute as a Button shade when making this colour. It's a bright pinky-coral shade, one of my summer favourites and it has a simple creamy finish. The formula is very thick, in fact it reminds me of gel formulas, but since it's a regular formula it doesn't even itself out as well, which means you need to put a bit more effort into application to make it even. It is very pigmented, almost a one coater and with a second coat you're basically just fixing mistakes.

 MISSHA Pure Source Cell Sheet Mask
Pomegranate

 I've only tried one sheet mask before and it was from Montagne Jeunesse which put me off from these type of masks because it feels like a wet cloth on the face. This one is vastly better. It's very, very saturated with product, but because it a gel, slightly slimy consistency, it doesn't drip or feel normally wet, more like a serum-wet if you get what I mean. The fabric is nice and soft, I much more enjoyed it than that cold, weird one from Montagne, but it's again too big for my petite face, so I needed to scrunch it up in some places. It doesn't have much of a scent, barely any, so it will appeal also to those who dislike scented products. The skin feels a bit sticky when you take of the mask after 20 minutes and the serum remains on the skin until the morning. My skin was definitely still tacky when I woke up. Since the sheet is so saturated you can reuse it if you don't find it weird or at least squeeze out the extra and have some serum for later use. In terms of effect, I can't say I noticed any great immediate results, my skin was moisturised and that's it, however, I have to say that in this week after the use, my skin is really behaving and looks so good I'm not even wearing foundation (but I have been using a lot of new skin care products recently, I'll talk about them sometime later). 

Ingredients.

CATTIER Gommage Argile Heilerde Peeling

I've never heard of this brand before. This is a clay based (it says white healing clay) scrub with relatively harsh particles, which I actually like, but there could be perhaps a bit more of them, though I'm sure most people would find there are plenty. It needs a bit more effort to wash off because the clay is thick and sticks to the face, basically it's a regular clay mask, but with scrubby bits. The scent is strong and not particularly pleasant to me as, it's a bad kind of lavender scent, almost alcoholic and sour. Apart from the scent, it's a nice product.

Ingredients.

KNEIPP Bio Hautől

I think this is supposed to be similar to Bio-Oil, since it promises to help heal scars and stretch marks among other things. I don't have any of those, so I won't be able to tell if it works, but it is a nice oil -light, not terribly greasy (still it takes time to sink in) and it helps with dryness. It has a nice citrusy scent that I quite enjoy. It think it's cheaper than Bio-oil, so it might be worth trying it as a replacement.

Ingredients.

MACADAMIA NATURAL OIL Rejuvenating Shampoo

I really like the hair oil from this brand, the mask not so much, even though everyone loves it and this shampoo did neither wow me nor disappoint me. I got a 10 ml sample, which for any normal person would be more than enough, but I have thick hair that's lower-back-length, so it wasn't quite enough for my regular double-wash routine, meaning I couldn't test it alone without using another shampoo (it made me realise how much shampoo I actually use!). It doesn't foam much because it's a SLS/SLES free shampoo, so that's to be expected and I didn't feel it nourished my hair that much, but neither left them squeaky clean and light. Scent was nothing special, I don't even remember it. I've been wanting to try this shampoo for a while, so I'm glad I finally had the chance, but I won't be purchasing it.  

Ingredients.

YANKEE CANDLE Summer Peach 

I was so happy to receive this in the box. Anything with peach gets me exited and I had my eye on this one, but unfortunately we don't have many Yankee Candles where I live (just the best sellers in Műller), especially not limited editions and I'm glad I got a chance to try it. It's not a proper peach scent, instead it's more sweet, artificial, but still fresh and when I gave it to people to smell without showing them the label, they all surprisingly said it smells like strawberries. When it burns it's more of a milky peach scent and the projection of it is medium, the scent itself is more on the light side, but it's noticeable when you come (back) to the room. I find it lovely, though it's not as good of a peach scent as the Pesca candle from Eurospin. 

Have a great day!

MISSHA M Signature Real Complete BB Cream 

#13

This wasn't my first proper Asian BB cream (that was Skin79), but it was the first shade ever that actually fit me. It's still the best fit I found because it's the closest to a neutral undertone I've found, though it has a grey tinge to it, like a lot of proper BB's. It's a light, but greasy formula with a light-medium coverage and I liked it mostly when my skin was drier than usual, as it's quite a tacky BB that takes a really long time to set. 

Repurchase: Yes, because of the shade, but it probably won't happen soon.

MAYBELLINE Instant Anti-Age The Eraser

One of my favourite concealers. It needs very little blending, has medium coverage, a thin formula and a completely natural finish. Love this, but I love Bourjois Radiance Reveal just as much.

Repurchase: Already did.

ESSENCE I <3 Extremes Waterproof Mascara

I talk about this mascara a lot, so I'll be brief - it's my favourite budget mascara because it's super volumising, lengthening, doesn't smudge, flake, it's cheap and it keeps the eyelashes curled all day. Love this stuff.

Repurchase: Already did.

GARNIER Pure Active Fruit Energy Daily Energising Gel Scrub

a.k.a. Hautklar Fruit Energy Belebendes Peeling-Gel

I didn't use this very often because these type of gel cleansers cause flakes on my skin if I use them every day, but I really liked this as a simple cleanser when I didn't wear much makeup. It contains gentle scrub bits and the formula isn't as thin like most gel cleansers, plus it smells refreshing. They stopped selling these here for some reason and I don't know what I should buy as a replacement (maybe the new L'Occitane Peony gel).

Repurchase: I can't find it in our drugstores anymore (it's still sold on Boots), but I liked it, so yes.

ORIGINS Drink-Up Intensive Overnight Mask

I've had this for ages because I found a cheaper replacement fast after I tried this. A few years ago it was a very hyped-up mask and I think it just doesn't deserve it. I mean it's nice, but life-changing? Nope. It's like a thick moisturiser that you apply in a thick coat when your skin is especially parched and while it does the job ok, my skin didn't feel all that special and it failed at really, really dry skin. I remember really wanting this because everyone said it smells like peaches - well, it doesn't. Not even close. It just smells like canned fruit salad, so nothing special. I much prefer the cheaper Balea Beauty Effect Power Maske. 

Repurchase: No.

BALEA Soft & Clear Nose Strips

So far these are my favourite pore strips, however, they are still not that effective. They remove maybe about 50%-75% of the filth that is stuck in the pores, but I can't say that I've seen a significant reduction in blackheads after use. They are very satisfying to use that's why I buy such products, but my blackhead are still there.

Repurchase: Yes.

BALEA Luxury Werwöhndusche Red Love

I really like the scent of this because it's peachy, but it's not regular Balea-type of fresh peach, it's deeper, more sultry. Balea says' it's mix of peach and coconut, however, I notice none of the latter. It's a thick shower product, almost to the point where it's hard to make it foam, meaning you need a bit more water than usual. That thickness actually makes an ok-ish base for shaving. The gel is deep red with shimmer, but other for effect, that shimmer doesn't stick on the skin.

Repurchase: Yes.

GARNIER Oil Beauty Scrub

I really like this, not as a proper scrub, but just as a shower product. It's has quite a unique gel-oil texture that transforms into luxurious creamy foam. The scrubby particles aren't too harsh, so I used it as a regular shower gel. It also smells lovely, kind of sweet nutty-floral.  

Repurchase: Yes.

NIVEA Anti-perspirant pearl & beauty

Another one of these used up. I don't know which one is a row it is, but there have been many. I love the powdery floral feminine scent of this and it works well because it's a bit powdery. Just one of those everyday heroes.

Repurchase: Yes.

JOHN FRIEDA Brilliant Brunette Moisturising Conditioner

One of my favourite drugstore conditioners. I had the jumbo size with 500 ml and a handy pump, which lasted me quite a while, but I don't think you can get this format Müller (mine is from Feel Unique). It's quite light for what I normally like when it comes to conditioners, but it is moisturising enough for me and it gives my hair some shine. It also has a lovely coconuty-caramel scent that lingers on my hair.

. Repurchase: I've seen new packaging, but I don't know if they changed the formula too. I will repurchase despite that.

KÉRASTASE Chroma Sensitive Caressing Cleansing Balm

My first cleansing conditioner that I got as a gift with purchase. I used this when I was too lazy to properly wash my hair, as it's a one-step hair routine, so you just use this as a shampoo and be done with it. However, it's not a product you'd want to use too often, since it's quite heavy even on my thick, dry hair. It made my hair really silky and nourished, basically very similar to using Masquitense also by Kérastase. This is actually designed for coloured hair and it should prevent colour from fading since there is not soap it it, but I would recommend this only to people with very dry hair, as it's not the lightest hair product.

Repurchase: Yes.

IT'S A 10 Miracle Leave-in Product

I remember really wanting this after reading a ton of very positive reviews and I got it for my birthday, since I had to order if off eBay, so understandably the shipping costs where very high. Everyone seems to love this, but it left me very underwhelmed. It promises everything from basic care, heat protection to frizz control, but apart from being a light heat protectant, it failed to deliver. There are so many better products on the market, so I regret spending my money for this.

Repurchase: No.

 OROFLUIDO Beauty Elixir

My favourite hair oil and one I've been using for at least six years. It's thicker than most and that suits my dry, thick hair. It has this gorgeous oriental scent, but it unfortunately doesn't last long on my hair. I just wish they finally came up with a packaging with a pump.

Repurchase: Already have.

ESSENCE Nail Polish Remover 

I mostly use those removers that come in a pot, so this has been in my stash for years. It's very basic, but it removed the nail polish well. It smelled fruity, though nothing exciting. 

Repurchase: If it's cheapest when I'm buying a new remover.

BALEA Pflegecreme Best Wishes 

Orange & Grapefruit scent

Just one of the many of these little tins I have and had. This one was a special edition released at the 20. anniversary of Balea brand. It smelled like oranges, quite authentically, but also a bit strange, so it wasn't my favourite. The texture is light for a universal cream, but very moisturising and it sinks in fast, so I use them as hand creams, however, these really need to be used quickly as they tend to go bad by turning glassy and thick.

Repurchase: Not this scent.

Have a great day!

Jordana quite recently released a batch of liquid eyeshadows, all in neutral shades and with a metallic look. My experience with liquid eyeshadows aren't the best, in fact they discouraged me from buying them and I opted for proper creamy eyeshadows instead. I have to say these are a massive step up and there is none of the super creasy texture that ever sets. These are super, super shimmery - seriously I have nothing as shimmery in my collection and for a reason, since I'm not a fan of shimmer, but if you like proper glamorous eyeshadow that almost look like a glitter eyeliner, you'll like these.

Texture: The texture is very liquid which means the product moves easily on the lids during application, but once it sets, it doesn't move, slip into creases or smudge. Unfortunately the stopper is too wide, which means there is way too much product on the applicator for one lid, meaning you can't apply and blend the eyeshadow with it, instead you have to dot the tinniest amount of product and blend it either with fingers or a brush. First layer is sheer, but very, very shimmery. It's wise to wait for the product to set before applying a second layer or else the product will move, creating a bare patch. Second layer creates a more metallic, opaque effect, but still with a ton of shimmer. On me the shimmer ends up absolutely everywhere (my pet peeve with shimmer eyeshadows and such other products), which is why I would apply foundation after eye makeup.

Jordana Blush Powder 45 Apple Cheeks and Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Liquid Lip Colour 06 Cherry Cobler.

Staying power: It lasts all day with no bigger issues on my normal lids, though the colour does fade to a degree, the shimmer, however, remains stuck on the lids. The colour does sometimes start to gather around the bigger shimmer particles, but on me that's not that obvious, however, this could present itself as a bigger problem on oily lids. On me it doesn't crease, but it transfers on the eyeliner. On the picture bellow it's been on my lids for six hours.

Packaging: A classic "lip gloss tube" with a doe foot applicator, which the manufacturer describes as lemon shaped. As I said the stopper is too big meaning that there is too much product on the applicator and despite the supposed special shape of applicator that should help with the application, you can't actually use it they way it should be. Apart from that it's a decent packaging that doesn't leak and isn't loose.

Price and availability: Mine is from Click2Chic, where these cost 5.81 €. International readers can get them on Beauty Joint.

Stylo Eyeshadow Pen

We can these a blatant copy of Kiko's sticks and they are certainly very similar, but they are a good copy. They're not identical, since the pigmentation isn't as intense, but they are certainly worth picking up. These are great cream eyeshadows in my favourite type of format, which makes them very easy to use. Pigmentation is nice, they are very cream, so they apply without any dragging and they last all day on normal lids (on oily they will probably crease). I love using these as a base for powder eyeshadows, so they intensify them and make them last all day. Both of the shades I own (020 G'Old Mc Donald and 040 Brown to Earth) are shimmery, so they don't look as even on the eyelids as Essence's do, but I still find them very impressive and 040 Brown to Earth is a very close shade to Kiko's 06 Golden Bronze.

Absolute Matt Eyeshadow Palette 

010 Eyes Wide Matt

These Catrice palettes are mostly nice, but not all (chocolate one is most disappointing out of the ones I tried), but this one is by far the best they ever made. The eyeshadows are very pigmented, apply nicely, aren't chalky (though some say they find them dusty) and they last well on the lids. I love the shade range in this one because it has a great selection of neutral matte colours that are perfect for creating a simple defined look, but you can also create a smoky eye. 

Defining Blush

Whether you're on a budget or not, these blushes are a fantastic drugstore buy. They have excellent pigmentation, they apply and blend nicely, plus they have great staying power. Their shade range is lovely, but the one shade I recommend you to try is 020 Rose Royce, a natural looking shade that just adds some definition to the face. Those who like classic pinks will love 025 Pink feat. Coral.

Illuminating Blush

Catrice does great blushes and among them are also these from the Illuminating line. The name isn't the best because they aren't actually illuminating, but they are again great quality blushes with excellent pigmentation and staying power. My favourite is 010 I'm Nuts About You, which is a similar shade as Rose Royce, but more a toned down and it's a type of shade that goes with everything. 020 Coral Me Maybe is a classic peachy-pink-coral shade and 040 La Vie en Rose is a muted peach shade and the lightest in the bunch.

Prime and Fine Professional Contouring Palette

This is a product that received very mixed reviews, though I think most of the bad ones were about the other shade 020, while I have the lighter 010 Ashy Radiance. It's not the softest powder, but when it comes to contour I think that a good thing if you don't want to end up with an obvious brown stripe on the face. It's a cool brown shade, which is a rarity in the drugstores, it blends nicely and fakes a shadow pretty well on my pale, neutral skin tone (I also use it on more tan people than me and it works well). However, only the contour shade is nice, while the highlighter is very subtle and not that impressive. 

Beautifying Lip Smoother

I used to own the hyped-up Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector and this is pretty much the same, well at least it's a very good replacement. It's such a wonderful, creamy and balmy lip gloss which it feels quite luxurious on the lips. My only issue with it is that it gets a bit odd when it's wearing off, like it's peeling, but I just wipe it off and apply it again. I got one of the lightest shade called Apricot Cream and though it's sheer, it still makes my lips paler, so if I were buying a new one, I'd pick something darker. 

Ultimate Colour Lipstick

There are many impressive lipsticks in the drugstore, so nowadays these are just some of many good ones, but they are miles better than Essences, which is Catrice's sister brand. They have an excellent pigmentation, lasting power, don't dry the lips, don't bleed and they are very smooth. Their colour range is beautiful, but shades are discontinued and new added often, so don't get too attached to one colour. 

You might wonder why I didn't include Nude Illusion foundation. While it's a very impressive foundation, I resent the shades are quite dark (but I like that the lightest shade is neutral) and it has a very moody character when it comes to my skin. It can look fantastic and on random days it can look very obvious on the skin, slipping into pores and lines. It is a foundation I use a lot of other people and it always look fine. My friend used to wear it everyday, but has since switched it to All Matt because she wanted something without UVA/UVB to avoid the white cast on pictures and I think she likes it more. Nude Ilusion and All Matt are definitely worth a try if you're looking for a medium coverage cheap foundation with a matte finish. 

I also hear a lot of positive feedback in regards to the Liquid Camouflage concealer, but I never tried it. Check Petra's and Nadja's reviews.

Have a great day!

You might remember I reviewed one of these before, a shade called Romantic Rose, which became an instant favourite, since I discovered these aren't merely eye candy, but truly a great quality blushes. Because I love these so much, I wanted to get more shades and I picked Blossomtime Rose first because I heard it's a classic peachy-pink shade and one with a glow. It's a part of a limited edition, but it's been available for a long time now, so I'm hoping they might make it permanent.

Texture: Compared to Romantic Rose, the texture is harder and it takes more effort to get the colour going on the cheeks (I use a denser blush brush), but the pigmentation is ok. It doesn't look powdery or patchy on the cheeks and it blends nicely. The fact that the texture is harder also means that the pattern isn't disappearing as fast.

Colour and finish: Blossomtime Rose is a coral blush with a gold sheen. Original blushes had no shimmer, but as far as my research went, all three from the limited edition (aside from this one also Awakening Rose and American Beauty Rose) have shimmer. This translates into a lovely glow on the cheeks, actually pretty intense on me and it reminds me a lot of the effect that  theBalm's  Hot Mama and Mary-Lou Manizer create. Originally I thought it's going to be similar to Nars' Orgasm, but's in fact a lot more coral-peachy and it's actually very, very similar to theBalm's Hot Mama, but also to Benefits' Coralista, only the latter has a more champagne glow. 

Staying power: The swatch that made on the back of my hand was actually difficult to remove, which I've never experienced with any powder product and it does indeed last well on the cheeks, providing of course, the base underneath is stable, but high-end blushes still last longer.

Packaging: A plastic case painted slightly greenish gold. It's a thick plastic making it sturdier than most.

Price and availability: I got mine on Beauty Joint for 9.99 $. Slovene readers can get it on Click2Chic and Moja Drogerija.

This was already featured in my latest monthly favourites, so it was obviously a hit. Before I got it I read reviews calling this a dupe for Nars Orgasm, but lets face it - everything with a hint of peachy-pinkness is instantly called a dupe for that famous shade, like no other such shade exists in this world *rolls eyes*. However, I think it's a lot more similar to the more coral Hot Mama and Coralista, despite that they look completely different in the pan. It's actually a very decent dupe for the first one, but the quality isn't the same (Hot Mama is spectacularly amazing quality). I really love these blushes and I hope I get more, at least Awakening Rose.

Have a great day!