MAKEUP

CATRICE Liquid Eyeliner

010 Dating Joe Black

I used up one more. It's my favourite eyeliner formula that I use every day and I always have a spare in stock. It's super black, dries matte, has a great applicator that is easy to use and it lasts all day on my lids. I gave Essence a try for a while, but it's not as good, so this remains a solid favourite.

Repurchase: Done.

SKINCARE

BALEA Erfrischendes Wasch Gel

I've used up several of the old versions and this was my first reformulate tube which I prefer because they got rid of the strong masculine scent. It's a gentle face gel that I use as a second cleanser after oil. 

Repurchase: Done.

L'OREAL Pure Clay Glow Mask

This is my second used up pot of these. This was the green version meant for treating imperfections and oily skin, but I had three versions (also Glow and Exfo) and they have the same effect (well Exfo is a clay mask + scrub). It's a standard clay mask that I use when I have spots or my skin feels a bit off and I need a "skin care day" to fix it up a bit. It does the job and smells ok, actually this has my favourite scent of the three as it's most "spa like". Though the packaging has an extra lid that should help the product from drying out, both I used up were so dry by the end I had to mix them with water to revive them. 

Repurchase: I have two more in stock, but yes. It's quite expensive though for what it is, but one pot lasts me a while.

SECRET KEY Pink Racoony Hydro Gel Eye & Cheek Patch 

These were so cute, shaped like pink hearts and they could be used in one piece or cut in two for using under the eyes. Problem with these is that though they are hydrogels, the closer I was to the end, the less moist they felt. They felt so soothing under the eyes and that pleasant cool feeling remained for a while even after I took them off. I find they don't do any dramatic difference, they merely moisturise and I didn't notice them helping dark circles or lines, but they are very pleasant on tired eyes. The scent was very strong at these and it was the scent of roses that I don't like that much in cosmetics, but otherwise these were nice. 

Repurchase: These were my first ones and I'd like to try some other ones like Petitfee, SNP or Berrisom.

HOLY SNAILS Hanbang Shark Sauce and Honey Shark Sauce

This should be amazing, in mean it's got a high percentage of niancinamide, plus ceramides and ginseng in the Hanbang version and organic manuka honey, propolis, royal jelly in the Honey Shark and they both have hyaluronic acid, ferments and liquorice extract - so all the good things. However, I never got the brightening effect I expected from either of these. It was a simple serum product that when I either included it in my skin care routine or excluded it, I didn't see a difference. Shame, I had high such hopes for this after seeing so much excellent feedback. On a plus side, 7 ml samples lasted a long time and I wasn't frugal with them. 

Repurchase: It's too expensive and I'm not seeing the results I want.

NUXE Huile Prodigeuse

I've been using this oil since 2013 and for years I've used it every single day. Now I still use it very often, but since I started exploring K-Beauty products I tend to forget to use it because I have so many other steps in the routine, but tit's always been that one product that I turn to when something I'm testing broke me out because I know this works for me. My bottle is a very old limited edition because I tend to stock up on these way before I use up the old bottle, so it got its turn only now. I find this oil really suits my skin so well, it's light, non-greasy and one of those products I can always relay on. While I had this bottle, I tested The Body Shops Oils of Life Oil and I loved it even more, but I still want to have another bottle of this too.  

Repurchase: Yes, I really want to try the new Florale version too.

BIORE UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel

This version has already been updated and has gone through a reformulation, so I don't think this review will help you much, but both Biore gel and Essence (version 2015) were the best sunscreens I've tried. They were the lightest such products I've tried, didn't leave any stickiness, white cast or greasiness, instead they were more like primers with a velvet finish. I still have an essence in this old version bought last year, which was unopened until this year, but after I use it up, I'll try the new formulas of these.

Repurchase: Yes, the new versions.

SHEET MASKS

All of these are my favourites and ones I've repurchased. I have separate reviews for each:

MY BEAUTY DIARY Natural Key Series Facial Mask Black Pearl - great brightening effect

THE FACE SHOP Solutions Pearl - another with a brightening effect and best sheet fit for me.

THE SAEM Natural Skin Fit Mask (Disney Edition of packaging) Grapefruit  - super comfy essence and a good moisturising effect.

ETUDE HOUSE 0.2 Therapy Air Sheet Mask Madecassoside - soothing, repairing and nourishing. My new love.

PAPA RECIPE Bombee Honey Mask - nourishing and smells amazing like honey.

PAPA RECIPE Bombee Whitening Honey Mask - my all-time favourite. Very brightening and nourishing, smells like honey.

Repurchase: Definitely, yes to all and I still have most of these in stock.

BALEA Hydrogen Masks for eyes and lips

These were nothing special in terms of effect. The eye mask felt refreshing, but I saw no visible improvement and the lip mask did less than my Palmer's lip balm does. But they are very pretty with the lace pattern. I think these were made permanent after being a LE.

Repurchase: Maybe the eye patches.

BODY

DOVE Deeply Nourishing Shower Gel

My favourite shower gel because it's the creamiest formula I know and it's not drying. I finally found a big packaging in Slovenia, which I'll keep on buying.

Repurchase: Done.

SUBRINA Shower Gel

Cherry Blossom

I've actually gone through more than one of these, plus Perfume Drops and Pina Colada version. These all smell so good and the scent lasts on the skin, at cherry blossom almost like a fragrance. Bad side that I've noticed after a long periods of using these they are drying, so I swap between the more expensive Dove with Subrina. These are also some of the cheapest shower gels here, with a price under 2 € for 400 ml. 

Repurchase: Done.

THE BODY SHOP Almond Milk & Honey Body Butter

This is one of my favourites scents from The Body shop, although unlike any other body butter I had from them this changed its scent in time. Originally this has a lovely sweet milky-honey scent, then it became more musky. Texture, however, is just not the same The Body Shop rich goodness and this is more like a medium thick regular cream. It was still moisturising enough, but I prefer their original body butter texture. 

Repurchase: Yes. 

BALEA Rasier Schaum

Coco Melon

This was the first time I bought the mousse version instead or the gel one I usually buy. At first I thought there is no big difference between the two, but as it got low on product, it wasn't sticking to the skin as well as gel, but otherwise this is still pretty good and if I like any of the LE scents I'll get it again instead of a gel. I loved the scent of this edition. It was mostly like melon, but the coconut note made it a bit warmer. I hope Balea reuses this scent sometime.

Repurchase: Only if I like any LE scent, otherwise I'm sticking to the gel version. 

NIVEA Pearl & Beauty Anti-perspirant

My standard deodorant. I'm a fan of the feminine powdery scent and it's got this powdery particles that I find work in keeping me dry longer. 

Repurchase: Done.

HAIR

L'OREAL Elvive Smooth-Intense Anti-Frizz Shampoo

One of my favourite drugstore shampoos, but this isn't sold here anymore and it was replaced by the equally fantastic Extraordinary Oil. Both are very similar to the much more expensive Kerastase Oleo-Intense, meaning they are like a shampoo +  a good conditioner in one (it doesn't claim to be a 2-in-1) and so far they are the only cheap shampoos I've found that work for my very dry, coarse and thick hair. My hair isn't at all tangled or nor does it leave that squeaky clean feeling I despise at that shampoos because my hair needs a lot of care, instead it feels smooth when I'm rinsing this off and I can comb my hair wet with no problems. The scent of this one was nicer than of Extraordinary that I'm using now, but that's the only difference. 

Repurchase: I don't know if this version doesn't exist anymore, but Extraordinary Oil is exactly the same except for the scent and it's the one I'm using now.

HEAD & SHOULDERS Anti-Dandruff Supreme Moisture Conditioner

I liked this as a conditioner because it was ok even on my super dry hair, even though it doesn't feel heavy, however, it unfortunately didn't work when it came to eliminating dandruff. Not that I'm surprised about the latter because I've tried almost everything and nothing really works long term. I'd buy it again purely because it's a good cheap conditioner for dry hair.

Repurchase: Yes.

DOVE Advanced Hair Series Regenerirende Aufbaupflege

An averagely good drugstore mask, but not quite enough for my hair. I need a bit more than this, especially if I want my hair to stay moisturised for more than a day, but for someone with moderately dry hair it should be really good. I'm not sure if this exists anymore because Dove has made some major changes to their hair care line

Repurchase: Not since I found Pantene Repair conditioner.

MACADAMIA Professional Weightless Moisture Leave-in Conditioning Mist

This was originally a missed purchase that I bought in my search for a Orofluido Sahara replacement. I was going to buy their Healing Oil Spray, but they expanded their range at the time with their Professional line and I thought this too was an oil in spray like Sahara (I've since finally found a replacement in Createurs de Monoi Shine spray). This is a regular leave-in conditioner and it's super light, so from the start I thought this won't do anything for me. Yet the longer I had it, the more I started to appreciate, especially because of the great list of ingredients which includes keratin in hydrolysed form, which is the best version of proteins. It's feels like nothing on the hair, yet I do feel like it's giving my hair an extra boost of moisture and the mist is so fine, making it easy to spray all over the hair quickly. I think this formula would suit any hair type and it should be great even on those with thin hair that gets easily weighted down. Only thing I had to get used to was a strong fragrance, which isn't a bad one, just more unique than most hair products. It's like an oriental perfume with heavy notes, so in summer it's not so easy to handle. 

Repurchase: Yes, because of the good ingredients, but I recently got Schwarzkopf Bonacure Bonacure Fibre Force Fortifying Primer instead. 

HASK Argan Oil Repairing Deep Conditioner

I saw a very positive review on these HASK masks and though I was very doubtful because most people don't have such thick and dry hair like me meaning they need a lot less care for their hair to feel amazing, I grabbed one in Müller after checking the ingredients. The latter are not outstanding and I'm bothered by the fragrance on 4th place, but the rest looked ok and it has lanolin on 5th place which should help seal the moisture in. Oils are after 5th place, but there's several of them, not just argan. The mask is nicely thick, just the way I like it and it's possible it would feel heavy on thin hair, but I can't say for sure. There is 50 ml in the packet which was just enough for one use for my long thick hair, but for some this could last up to 3 uses and certainly 2 for most. It's got an orange scent with some oriental feel, so it's not a zesty fresh type of scent. For a deep treatment, this proved to be fairly weak for my hair. At first the effects of this were ok. It wasn't amazingly nourishing for my hair, but decent enough. However, by day two my hair was so dry and far from being soft, so I had to use just a conditioner again (I used Aussie) to replenish moisture. Maybe for most this will be a good deep treatment to use when the hair needs a pick me up, but for me it was a waste of time. 

Repurchase: No.

SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL Blondme Blonde Toning 

Steel Blue and Sand

For my first use I used half a tubes of each Steel Blue and Sand, which didn't get me to the desired cool medium-dark blonde I want, so I got an extra tube of Steel Blue and use a mix of 3/4 Steel Blue + 1/4 of Sand plus bleached my hair to a lighter shade to see if it will tone the yellow-orange tones I've been trying to get rid off. For a demi-permanent colour this is pretty drying, more so than the bleach, which was surprising. I expected it to turn grey-blue when it was processing, just like those toners for very pale blondes turn purple, but it surprisingly turned pink-mauve. It toned golden yellow hair best, which is a level 9-8, while it turned my lightest pale yellow strands (level 10) blue silver grey, which I did not like at all and shade Ice would have been better for those. The orange strands level 7-8, which I expected it will tone based on reviews and colour theory were left the same as without a toner, so my hair was looking very uneven with ultra cool and warm bits. I've been trying my best to lighten my hair enough to tone it and get it to actually a darker shade that I have now (I want a cool dark blonde and I'm a golden medium blonde now), unfortunately even if I leave the bleach on for 45 minutes, it's a slow process with my thick, naturally dark hair. I hoped this toner will help with the orange-reddish bits, but it only works properly on golden medium blonde hair,so  lighter hair than I expected. Plus I noticed it washes out so fast with a regular SLS shampoo, so I'd recommend you use a sulphate free shampoo or a cleansing conditioner after using these. 

Instead of Blondme developer, which is only sold in 1l versions, I used Ilirija's Hydrogen Cream 3% which is sold everywhere here and comes in a 120 ml bottle, which is just enough for mixing with two tubes of this toner. 3% is best for toning bleached hair because it doesn't lift (much), it just deposits the colour, so it's the most gentle and least damaging percentage of developer. The formula is very liquid compared to Blondme, so I needed a lot more mixing to get a smooth consistency, but it worked just fine. 

Repurchase: Yes, maybe, I don't know. Depends if I'll go any lighter, as it's not working 100% on my currently uneven colour. I picked up a L'Oreal Excellence 7.1 and 8.1 to see if the ashy tones in those are strong enough at least tone down the warm tones. If I decide to give up on blonde  I'll probably use shade 6.3 since it's a colour I quite like out of the darker shades.

PURITO Defence Barrier pH Cleanser

This was a lovely very cleanser with a nice thick foam and I'd like it a lot if it didn't irritate my eyes a bit. It's not as terrible as other K-Beauty cleansers I've tried, but it's still not as gentle as Balea's.

Purchase: No.

PURITO Centella Green Level Calming Toner

This is a slightly thicker toner than they usually are, but overall nothing special when it comes to moisturising. I prefer EH Moistufull collagen, but this is intriguing because it has Centella Asiatica Extract high on the list.

Purchase: It's likeable because of the ingredients.

PURITO Centella Green Level Recovery Cream

Though it feels like a light lotion, this takes quite a while to sink in. Since I have dry skin I like that I have this filter of cream for a while, but it's something I'd only use at night. It promises to fade acne scars and contains 49 % of Centella Asiatica Extract and Niacinamide high on the list, so this sound quite good, but based on a sample I can't report on long term results. 

Purchase: Again, it's likeable because of the ingredients. 

Have a great day!

2000 Calorie is one of the first mascaras I've ever heard about before I even got into makeup, but by the time I was buying my first mascaras, it's was the dawn of the plastic brushes, so I got their Masterpiece instead, even though this mascara has been highly praised. After followed the era of False Lash Effect, which isn't over yet, so when it comes to Max Factor, I've always stuck more to their mascaras with plastic wands. The only mascara with a regular brush I tried was their 2000 Calorie Curl, which proved to be one of the worst mascaras I've ever tried and it completely put me off the Calorie range - how could I have been so misguided? 2000 Calorie is one of the best drugstore mascaras I've found for my type of lashes. It's not amazing in terms giving a ton of volume like Essence's are, but it's a wonderful all-rounder that never looks overdone.

Wand: It's got a classic brush that is densely packed with bristles. It's similar to Beyu's Beauty Queen which is my favourite and it works about the same too. It combs the lashes nicely and creates a nice fanned out effect. It never has too much product on the wand, so I don't have to scrape off the excess like it happened at the Curl version. 

5 minutes after application. As you can see on the right, it does give me a bit of lift, which is more than most regular mascaras, but can't be compared to waterproof formulas.

 Gently curled again so you can see the effect.

Formula: works well for me. Unlike the curl version which was a wet mess that just dropped my lashes, this is a much lighter formula. It doesn't hold a curl like a waterproof mascara, but it also doesn't weight my lashes completely down. I feel that the longer I have it, the better it's getting in that respect. Since the formula is not thick, first coat doesn't create an amazing amount of volume like Essence Lash Princess for example, but it is comparable to Beyu's mascara and their own False Lash Voluptious. Applying more coats is never a problem and you end up with a very nice amount of volume. The lashes don't start sticking together and don't get clumpy, plus this mascara manages to make my usually crisscross lashes (on one eye) looking a lot more nicely fanned out. I can't do that with most Essence mascaras since their formulas tend to be thicker.

Staying power: Mascaras last well on me and I see nothing new at this one. It doesn't smudge, but my eyelid aren't oily. I get the usual all day with it and it's not difficult to remove, which I always appreciate.

Price and availability: it costs 9.99 € and is sold in most drugstores.

I can see why this is still sold after so many years, it's a nice gold classic. Though not outstanding in terms of volume, it's great all-in-one mascara that gives volume, definition and length. This one just might have convinced me enough to get a second tube, especially if it'll be on offer.

Have a great day!

*PR product

I got this as a birthday gift from my cousin after it's been on my wishlist for years. There are two versions of these Shimmer Strips palettes, one is called Natural Nude and mine is a Warm one, though both look warm to me. It's a combination of 12 shimmery-satin shades that can be used in many ways making it an all-in-one product. 

Texture: These are mostly fairly light shades with a good pigmentation. The deepest shades in the bottom right corner are so dark I can only use as an eyeshadow. It’s meant to be an all-in-one product so most of the shades are so pale that they can be used as a setting/finishing powder, but you have to use a very fluffy blush.

Shade: The three top shades are golden, the next three are rosy, then it's a mix of taupes and copper and the bottom row are warm browns. This palette can be used:

- as an eyeshadow palette: it works, but it’s subtler than other palettes. I tend to use one of the shades from the third row on the lids and the deepest brown in the outer corner.

- as a highlighter: using 1st and partly 2nd row. It works well with a medium strong glow. This is my favourite way to use this palette.

- as a blush: using partly 2nd row. It gives a peachy flush, but it's only for pale skin tones as only one shade is a proper blush colour. 

- as a bronzer/contour: using the bottom two rows. It’s a glowy bronzer, so not for contouring as they recommend. It's a warm shade that’s best for pale skin tones with a warm undertone, though the last shade is already quite deep.

- as an all over powder with all shades: using only with a very fluffy brush and avoiding the bottom right shades. It works, but it’s like applying a highlighter in a sheer coat, so not for everyone’s taste. Mixing all shades together makes a pale peachy shade.

Lipstick: Bourjois Rouge Fabuleux 07 Perlimpinpink. Uhani: Fatalka.si

Staying power: I noticed nothing exceptional and neither bad when it comes to staying power. These last averagely on me in any way I use these shades. On my eyelids I get no creasing.

Packaging: It comes in a typical big Physicians Formula box packaging that has two sides. In the back there's an extra compartment with a mirror and two brushes. A bigger thin face brush is surprisingly good because it picks up just enough, the size fits stripes well and it blends ok. The small eyeshadow sponge applicator isn't all that helpful and these shades work much better with eyeshadow brushes.

Price and availability: It's sold on iHerb for $10.44.

Overall I'm happy with this. It is very close to a proper all-in-one product. I tend to use it as an eyeshadow palette, a highlighter and occasionally as a blush, but as I said it's too light for any significant flush. It's nice palette especially for carrying in the bag or for travelling because you can get so much from it. 

Have a great day!

As pretty as this looks it was far from love at first try. In fact we went through a rough patch from the start, but things turned for the better and now I find it one of the nicest highlighters in my collection. The palette consists of three shades, two are warm and one is warm neutral. 

Texture: These all appeared to have a very poor pigmentation when I first tried them and it was only after I broke though the top layer after some heavy duty swatching and using it for a week or two that the first two shades became good. Both are now very pigmented and only one swirl with a dense small brush in the pan is needed for a nice level of glow. The shimmer in both shades is very fine, though not quite as fine as shimmer in Flexiterian by Colourpop which gives the most "smooth" glowy effect, but L.O.V. shades look good too with no large glitter bits. The last shade Prismatic is a complete disappointment. Pigmentation is weak, even after swatching is thoroughly and it's got almost no shimmer, instead it's more of a satin finish. 

Metal Glow

Metal Glow is a classic champagne gold shade. It's not too yellow-toned like for example theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer, which I appreciate a lot. It's not unique, but a shade I like to wear.

Rosy Radiance

Rosy Radiance is a pale rose gold shade and one of my favourite shades ever. I feel it just fits my neutral skin tone so well. In terms of quality and strength of glow Metallic Glow and Rosy Radiance are the same.

Prismatic

Prismatic is a pale peach with weak pigmentation and a shade that doesn't apply evenly. It's a waste of space in this palette.

The first two shades in this are lovely and I especially like shade Rosy Radiance, which is one of the rare such colours in my collection. It needs a dense small brush to get a good glow going and you need to get through the top layer, but the tiny shimmer in this gives the cheeks a good glow. 

Have a great day!

*PR product.

Deborah's newest foundation was developed with the intention to protect the skin from polluted air and blue light emitted by electronic screens. It promises medium coverage, a hydrating effect, lightweight feeling on the skin and a semi-matte finish. I agree with all of their promises apart from the first about the coverage level and in a short amount of time this became one of my favourite formulas. I was sent the lightest shade 00, which unfortunately is quite dark - something that doesn't make me happy, but I lighten it with The Body Shop Adjusting Drops. 

Texture: It feels quite creamy, similar to some tinted moisturisers and it's easy to apply and blend. I like to use a a big oval brush with this foundation because you can really take your time with it to blend it in seamlessly as it doesn't set very fast.  It reminds me of Maybelline's Fit Me Matte + Poreless, except it's more hydrating and better suited for me in winter. It looks nice over pores and doesn't make my (so far) small lines look worse like a lot of foundations do, so I'm pleased with this one.

Just foundation.

 With extra concealer under the eyes and on spots.

Coverage and finish: coverage is light to medium, I definitely need an extra concealer under the eyes, on the tip of my nose and on spots, but this lighter coverage also results in a very natural finish which I'm a big fan of. My skin is currently normal to dry and this sets to the promised semi-matte finish that looks similar to my favourite Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless, however, given that it's a hydrating foundation I have a feeling that similarly to Oriflame's MasterCreation this might stay tacky on normal, combination and oily skin.

Staying power: This wears beautifully through the day. It doesn't make my lines look deep as canyons after hours of wear time, it's doesn't go patchy or super shiny. I couldn't say precisely how long it lasts because I don't tend to look myself in the mirror during the day, but when I use micellar water late in the evening there still some traces left.

Shade: I got the lightest 00 shade which sadly Deborah decided to make quite dark. In fact it's a shade darker than Catrice's HD Liquid Coverage 010, which is already too deep for me. Undertone looks kind of peachy to me as it ends up quite orange-ish on my skin when I wear it on its own. I mix it with about 2-3 drops of The Body Shop Adjusting Drops so I get a close enough shade for me. How I wish this formula existed in a shade similar to Milani Conceal + Perfect 00A. 

Packaging: Deborah went with a very simple tube. I'm more of a fan of bottles with a pump, bit this is just fine.

Price and availability: I went to check the price in DM, but for some reason thought the stand was full of these, the price wasn't there. Basing on the prices of their other foundations, it must be about 15 €.

I love this one for my winter skin. It's like Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless and Healthy Mix had a baby, as it combines a hydrating formula that doesn't go patchy on my dry skin and a natural looking semi-matte finish that doesn't emphasise pores and lines. If only the shade were super pale, this would be a total winner, but luckily great products like The Body Shop's Drops exist, so I can wear this formula with no problems.   

Have a great day!

*PR product.

Catrice had so many versions of primers over the years and this is just the latest. They describe it as a mousse, but it's more of a mix between a mousse and a cream. It promises to hide pores and skin imperfections, as well as it claims it can replace a foundation depending on the desired coverage. 

Texture and effect: The mousse-cream formula feels less silicone-velvety than primers I'm used to. Due to that it's also the least drying such primer I've tried, yet it leaves a matte finish. It hides/fills up more prominent looking pores and creates an even surface. It can't handle lines though and can make them so much worse in combination with more moisturising foundations. Foundation applies with no problems over it.

Shade: Catrice calls this an universal shade, but this is very dark for someone pale as me and I think anyone bellow light-medium skin tone won't be able to wear this alone. I need to be careful not to use a lot, blend it well and put some coverage over it, but it still ends up patchy looking on me, so I'm having trouble wearing this.  

Staying power effect: This lasts nice on my skin and unlike a lot of similar products it doesn't go all dry and cakey with time, but it also depends a lot on the foundation over it. I found that at more moisturising formulas it emphasises lines a lot time in time like I mentioned above and ends up so ageing. I would only stick to areas that need mattifying and hiding pores. It wears off nicely and evenly.

Packaging: This comes in a heavy glass pot with a lid. The opening is big enough that you can use a brush, but I prefer to apply this with fingers and in very small amounts.

Price and availability: It costs 6.39 € and is available in most drugstores. I'm not sure if this product is available on all stands or just the large one.

Catrice did an ok job on the formula when it comes to mattifying and hiding pores, though the discontinued Essence Mousse concealer was better. This is better suited for all skin types and it's less prone to drying the skin. However the "universal" shade ruins this for me. It's simply too dark and has too much pigmentation for my skin tone, so I can't properly wear it without the fear of looking patchy. 

Have a great day!

*PR product

I'm a fan of I <3 Extreme waterproof formula, so I had high hopes from this new mascara which also claims to be waterproof. There are two versions, one for length with a plastic wand and mine is a volume & curl version with a classic, but curved brush. I was immediately impressed with how nicely the brush combs the lashes in how much volume this mascara makes. It's definitely one of the nicest ones when it comes to effect, however, I'm unhappy about it not holding a curl.

Wand: Like I said there are two versions of the brush, mine is one with classic bristles and a curved design, which I quite like. This is one of my favourite shapes because it manages to apply a good amount of product and separate/fan out the lashes well. If I apply more layers, it never starts to clump the lashes together (they look stuck together on my second picture on one eye because of the second curling).

Formula: as usual for Essence this is nicely black mascara and it creates a good amount of volume, more than most drugstore mascaras do on average. It promises to be waterproof which is true and I get no smudging or running with this one. It's also difficult to remove without an oil remover. However, for some reason Essence used a new formula for their waterproof version, one that is more wet than I <3 Extreme, which means my lashes drop with this one and I don't appreciate that after spending quite some time to curl them. It looks ok from the start, but in a few minutes the lashes drop completely. I've tried gently curling them again when mascara dried and it worked (this can't be done with regular formulas), but still I don't want to do that as I fear I'll damage the lashes. 

 5 minutes after application.

Curled again so you can see the effect.

Price and availability: Mascara costs 3.29 €. I'm not sure if it's available on all stands or just the big ones.

This could be a perfect mascara because I love how pretty it makes my lashes look, but I wear waterproof formulas purely so they hold my lashes up otherwise I don't want to remove such heavy duty mascaras every day and this just doesn't cut it. If you don't have lashes that refuse to stay curled, this is a great mascara to try, but I'll be sticking to I <3 Extreme.

Have a great day!

*PR product