Mateja's Beauty Blog

March favourites, updates and wishlist

MAYBELLINE Dream Urban Cover Foundation SPF50

I don't mention this one often, as for some reason we don't have it on stands here, but this is one of the best matches for my skin and this formula really suits me especially in colder months. It's a light-medium coverage foundation that's easy to blend, doesn't sink into pores or emphasise lines and it looks natural. SPF is another plus.

CATRICE Cheek Lover Marbled Blush

10 Dahlia Blossom

Catrice rarely disappoints with the quality of their blushes, but this is their best formula yet. It reminds me of my favourite L.O.V. blushes except it's even more richly pigmented. It has tiny shimmer in it, like Catrice's Glow Lover highlighter, so it adds a glow to the cheeks that doesn't look obviously shimmery. I hope they expand the range in the future. This shade is a warm pink.

CATRICE Shine Bomb Lipstick

040 Secret Crush

This shade is great neutral/my-lips-but-better shade for me, so excellent for a no-makeup look and for adding some definition to the lips. The formula is nicely creamy, moisturising and it lasts well.

ROHTO MENTHOLATUM Melty Cream Lip SPF25/PA+++

Milk Vanilla

Melty Cream is a good name for this. Formula is pleasantly soft and nourishing, plus it has SPF. Despite having SPF this has none of that bitter taste.

REVLON So Fierce! Eyes Wide Open Mascara

This is a regular formula so I don't love it 100% because it doesn't hold my lashes curled, regardless I like its effect. It creates volume fast and adds length without having to apply many coats. I wasn't impressed with its defining abilities when I opened it, but it improved after two weeks and now creates a nice effect, catching every lash, giving the appearance of a lot of lashes. It's one of those formulas that's on the dry side and it also dries on the lashes quick - I like that about it, but it may bother some.

CATRICE My Little Pony Highlighter

I got this because of the packaging, but what's inside pleasantly surprised me. It's got a similar effect as the Glow Lover highlighter, meaning with very fine, small shimmer, except this one is stronger. It's got a peachy/rose-gold tint, which is somewhat dark for me and already looks kind of as a blush, but I like it look of it regardless.

CATRICE My Little Pony Nail Lacquer

C03 Happy Skydancer

A beautiful pastel blue with a nice formula that needs two coats for full opacity. I wore it for a week or two and it didn't chip (unlike the pink shade from the same collection, but I had Seche Vite over both).

A'PIEU Madecassoside Fluid 2x

My replacement for Geek & Gorgeous Stress Less Serum, which was my skin barrier repairing product. Just like the latter it contains Madecassoside and Beta-Glucan, but also 30% of centella asiatica leaf water, ceramides, panthenol, aloe vera and several extracts. The packaging has a generous 300 ml, which should last me a while. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the herbal scent, but I'll get used to it.

My current night time routine without cleansers. I've been using COSRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence (ferments, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, allantoin and adenosine) and Cezanne Skin Conditioner High Moist (ceramides, hyaluronic acid in several forms, aminoacids, cholesterol) for many years. Like A'Pieu fluid, the CORSX Propolis Synergy Toner (Propolis Extract, Honey Extract, Panthenol) is a recent addition, though I've used other propolis products before to add my skin a healthy glow. My anti-ageing part of routine consist of Afrodita Professional Next Generation Retinol Shot (0,1 % Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate (HPR), Urea, Panthenol, Squalan, Ceramides, Beta-Glucan, Cholesterol, Niacinamide) and Bakuchiol Phyto Retinol Shot (2% Bakuchiol, the rest is similar to Retinol Shot), though I can't report that I noticed any changes in my skin after using these regularly for about 6 months now. The last step in my routine is Origins GINZING™ Glow-Boosting Mask (3-o-ethyl ascorbic acid, ginseng, caffeine, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, salicylic acid, hyaluronic acid, aminoacids), though again I can't report of any additional glow, but it is nicely nourishing for my dry skin. Origins mask replaced Olay Regenerist moisturiser I just used up and would repurchase (or rather the new vitamin C version) if I didn't have several creams to use up.

UPDATES

CATRICE Cheek Flirt Face Stick

020 Techno Pink

I finally tracked down the last product from my wishlist of Catrice's new stuff. There were three shades, both of the other two were peachy and such shades look orange-ish on me, so I got this one despite the fact it swatched a bit scary bright in the shop (swatches of shade 010 look so different online, so maybe we had two of the same testers? They looked so similar. I didn't even check the names). It is quite an intense shade for my pale skin and I need to apply this one gradually with small swipes or better said dabs. The stick glides ok on the skin, but it is more on the thick side, so blending isn't as quick and easy as I'd like. I can get a seamless blend by going over the edges with a sponge, while just with fingers it can end up uneven, especially if the base is dry-matte. It doesn't last as long as Catrice's powder blushes, which is not surprising, but it lasts well enough. Shade is similar to the Catrice's Marble blush I mentioned above, as both are intense (for my pale skin) warm pinks, except this one has no shimmer.

CATRICE Hop Hop Hooray Reloaded Nail Lacquer

C02 Hopster Alert

This is from the latest limited edition and there are several colourful shades available. They had these bunnies last year, but unlike before in this collection only full size nail polishes are available (last year I bought a mini lavender shade). This year's shades are more vibrant overall. C02 Hopster Alert is a tomato red, opaque with one coat.

WISHLIST AND WHAT'S NEW IN THE DRUGSTORE

NAJ OLEARI Lovely Cheek Blush - I'd like to renew and expand my blush collection, so I was exploring what to try. The list is much longer than just this blush, but I read a review about this formula that was very positive. I'm already a big fan of their cream eyeshadows, so I'd like to give this a try too.

GOSH Glow Up, Blush Up and Shape Up - someone took inspiration from Charlotte Tilbury Wands - not that we mind if the price is lower and the product good. I checked the stand in local Müller and to my disappointment they aren't here (yet?). The blush stick looks most interesting to me.

DEBORAH Skin Booster Serum Foundation - a new foundation in the drugstores. It's the latest in the line of makeup that claims to be a hybrid with skin care and promises a no-makeup look. However, I fear their lightest shade may not be light, since I've been sent their lightest shades in the past and they were too dark.

NIVEA SUN Triple Protect Ultra Light Fluid - I'm a big fan of the cream version, which is still in my drawer. I'm not sure if this is replacing it or it's just an extra addition to the line. My skin is dry-normal so the cream suits me well and I don't find it greasy, but this is supposed to be even lighter. I've only seen it on website of DM Germany so far.

EBELIN Reusable Eye Pads - Catrice has something just like it - these are silicone eye pads you can use with your eye cream or other skin care product, so a cheaper way of moisturising and refreshing the under eye area than buying hydrogel pads.

#QUEENSUNITED Nihan Hair Perfume - I saw these in Müller and found them interesting, though I didn't spray them because there were no testers. I read some reviews, which are mostly positive and the beige version was compared with Hypnotic Poison and the marble one with Alien. If I like any of the scents, I'll buy one.

LAZARTIGUE Huile de Réves / Nourishing Dry Oil - I need to repurchase this. It's my favourite non-silicone hair oil, as it's light and not overly greasy. I've tried a lot of such oils, but this one truly stands out, as it's most similar to those with silicones.

SYOSS Oleao Intense Oil-to-Cream - another brand launched their quick acting liquid conditioner, though Syoss is a Schwarzkopf brand, so I assume this is very similar to the Gliss version (which I love). Based on ingredients it looks most similar to the Gliss yellow version for dry hair.