Makeup

COLLECTION Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer

I think this is still one of the best drugstore concealers, especially when it comes to high coverage. I've used up a few of these, though they aren't easy to get. I have the shade Fair which is appropriately light and fits me ok. It covers a lot, so I use this one for spots, stronger redness and under the eyes when I feel I look extra tired. But it can look obvious on dry skin that's one of its rare minuses. The packaging is a minus too because while I like the doe foot applicator, the cap breaks every time.

Repurchase: Yes.

BOURJOIS 123 Perfect CC Cream

The best BB/CC cream I found, though this is basically a classic foundation and it's very similar to my favourite Healthy Mix Serum. They both have light-medium coverage and an great natural no-makeup makeup finish, the main difference is that this one has a more satin finish, while Serum is more dewy. The only minus for me is the shade range which tragically overlooks very pale skin tones, so I couldn't use it on its own, instead I ended up mixing in with lighter foundations and recently with lightening drops by TBS. It has one more mini minus and that is that if you store it in a way that the applicator points down, once you open it, the product just starts to spill out and refuses to stop no matter how you turn it. If you're looking for a great drugstore base, I recommend you check this one out. 

Repurchase: I would love to, but all the shades are too dark for me. Maybe I will.

CATRICE Beautifying Lip Smoother

One of the most comfortable lip products ever. It's like a pillow for the lips. I liked it a lot, but I very rarely wear lip glosses so this has gone bad before I had a chance to use it up.

Repurchase: This shade isn't sold any more, but still I won't be buying new shades. I know I'd end up not using it again.

Skincare

QUEEN HELENE The Original Mint Julep Masque

I bought this massive tube a few years ago based on rave reviews on Makeup Alley. It's a great, simple clay mask in a traditional scary green shade and it really does work in getting your pores clean, but it's not a miracle worker. I heard some people say it works on their blackheads, but it doesn't on mine, it just makes the skin look more fresh and healthy. It's great for oily to combination skin, but I wouldn't use this on dry skin because this becomes very tight and removes all oils. My biggest complaint about this is that it's so thick, I could not get it out of the tube once I used up about a half. I literally had to jump on the tube to get a few centimetres out and I just do not have patience for that.

Repurchase: Maybe.

BALEA Beauty Effect Eye & Lip Serum 

This serum didn't do much. I didn't find it very hydrating and it left a sticky coat on the skin that was still there in the morning, then it even started to flake. I regret spending money for this, but the Power Maske from this line is really good.

Repurchase: No.

URIAGE Thermal Micellar Water Combination/Oily Skin 

This was just another micellar water in my seemingly endless stash and it didn't stand out. Average, but good performance in terms of removing makeup, only mascara occasionally posed a challenge, it feels like water and isn't irritating. It's meant for combination/oily skin, but I didn't notice a difference between other micellar waters.

Repurchase: No.

FIRST AID BEAUTY Exfoliating Pads 

I already spoke about these in my skin care post where I said that they are too gentle for me, so I didn't see any effect, but I hear these work with sensitive skin if you need something with AHA. 

Repurchase: No.

Body

SOAP & GLORY Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub

I really loved the texture of this one. It's a sugar and salt scrub, so it'll be harsh for those more sensitive, but I like my scrubs to be strong. It was nicely balmy, so my skin wasn't dry after a shower and it completely rinsed off. But as much as I love the texture, I'm not fond of the scent. It was barely passable to me from the beginning when it smelled like maple syrup, but the older it got the more it started to smell like a mix of coffee with a self-tanner, and I'm not a fan of either. I have two more S&G scrubs in my stash, Sugar Crush and Flake Away, both are lovely.

Repurchase: No, but yes to other S&G scrubs.

AFRODITA 100% Spa Sugar Scrub

Good for scrubbing, but this is just way too greasy to deal with. A thick layer of slippery oil just sticks to your skin and you need either a stripping shower gel or a bar soap to get it off. It's a hazard to use this in the bath.

Repurchase: No.

NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Or

I'm embarrassed to say I had this since 2012, but it only recently started to just smell a bit off, so I quickly used it up. I adore the original version and I've gone through several bottles, but a product with glitter is harder to use up. It's a drier oil than the original, it's hardly greasy on the skin and it has a ton of tiny shimmer plus even a bit of a bronze tint that did make my skin a bit darker. It's a product that it's mostly for summer, but I realised I don't like shimmer on my skin because it's emphasises my imperfections, plus the shimmer always ends up everywhere, regardless what type of the product it is. I used this mostly on my hair when it was very, very dry. 

Repurchase: No, I'm sticking to the original only.

BALEA Rasiergel

Frische Kick

A boring empty, I bought so many of these in a row. This one had a lemon cake scent and the one I have currently has a strange coconut scent. 

Repurchase: Yes

KNEIPP Herbal Bath Pure Bliss

This looked like blood when I poured it out the bottle. It was a thick, dark red liquid and it turned the water into a light shade of pink. It has a strong scent that for me was a type that I liked and didn't like because it was to me an unfamiliar warm floral scent that was a bit strange.

Repurchase: No.

Hair

TIGI S Factor Flat Iron Shine Spray Heat Defender

I swore by this in the past when my hair wasn't in such good condition as it's now, or at least until I found products that are great defrizzers (Dove, Potion 9, Percy & Reed). It's basically an light oil, similar to Orofluido Sahara and it protects against heat tools, plus gives tons of shine, it makes the hair look healthier and it even feels a bit nourishing. Now I don't need that much extra on my hair (most thanks to Dove), so I can afford to buy something cheaper (Balea) and save some pennies. If you have very dry hair, I really recommend this.

Repurchase: Yes.

KÉRASTASE Forme Fatale Voluptuous Blow-Dry Gel

This was a miss purchase for my hair type. I just got too into the idea that since it's from Kérastase it'll surely be a less drying volumising product, but you can't have one without the other. This made my hair both too dry and too frizzy, but it gave a ton of volume when blow-dried with a round brush. I used it on very thin hair, quickly greasy hair and it worked so much better. There was no frizz, just a good amount of volume.

Repurchase: No.

EBELIN Polishing Nail File

I bought a few of these in a row. They are cheap and do their job. It has three sides that aren't that rough, one is completely smooth and it meant to polish the nail, which gives it a great shine.

Repurchase: Yes.

ESSENCE Nail File

A file with four sides varying in roughness. Again a product that I've bought several in a row, though this time I bought a crystal file by Ebelin as well.

Repurchase: Yes.

Samples

L'OCCITANE Divine Youth Oil - This smells like real floral honey, I love it. It's a light oil that needs time to sink it, but my skin liked it. Too bad it cost such a ridiculous amount of money. Full price 90.50 €, ingredients. Purchase: No, too expensive for the ingredients it has.

L'OCCITANE Shea Ultra Rich Comforting Cream - A very thick moisturiser that feels the same as their 20% Shea body lotion and hand cream. My skin got a bit less clear when I used this, but it could have been hormonal. Full price 30.50 €, ingredients. Purchase: No

AFRODITA Why Mask S.O.S - a mask meant for skin that needs calming, but based on ingredients it looks to me as a good mask for spotty skin (contains zink and clay). I've tried a few Afrodita's masks and this one is the only one that stands out. It's a mask that doesn't dry on the skin, but it's still a wash-off mask and it contains a good amount of niacinamide which brightens the skin and that's precisely what I noticed. The skin just looked more healthy and glowy. Very likeable. Repurchase: I might.

L'OCCITANE Almond Milk Concentrate - I've had this before, in a pot as well. It's a light, but very velvet feeling moisturiser with a lovely milky almond scent. It's popular for a reason. Full price 43.70 €, ingredients. Purchase: No

L'OCCITANE Shea Ultra Rich Body Lotion - Another thing I had before and I liked. A super rich body moisturiser with a nice neutral nutty scent. Full price 25.40 €, ingredients. Purchase: Maybe, it's really good.

Instant Matt foundation

10 Matt Ivory

Essence's other matte foundation, All About Matte, got replaced with this one called Instant Matte. It claims to be long-lasting (a bold up to 18h claim), waterproof and that it has full coverage. 

Texture: It's a very thick, almost paste-like foundation, but with a dry matte texture. Those mousse foundations come to mind when I use this and I had difficulties blending around the edges because it's thick and it sets fast, so you have little time to work with it. It looks awful on close inspection on my currently combination-dry skin. It's flaky and uneven, the only word I can come up with is tragic. I have no idea how it would look on very oily skin, but I can only assume that it fits such skin better. 

Coverage and finish: It's got medium-full coverage, though it's hard to me to assess its coverage properly because the shade is too dark for me. But I didn't feel like I need to use concealer under the eyes, however for spots either another coat would be needed or a separate concealer. The finish is matte, as a promised, but it didn't hold back the oils on my forehead for more than three hours (I don't use powder). It a very obvious foundation, for my taste, too cakey, but you do get coverage. 

Shade: I got the lightest shade, which is as usual for Essence, only appropriate for oompa loompas. Not one foundation from Essence fit me so far, their shade ranges completely leave out anyone under NC/W20. Compared to my other similar shades, Instant Matte 10 is the most peachy-yellow, which on me looks orange people, but it's probably around NC25-30. Catrice has much more neutral and wearable shades. In comparison Milani Conceal + Perfect 01 is a shade darker, more yellow; Beyu Nutri Power Foundation 15 is a shade darker, more neutral; Catrice HD Liquid Coverage 010 is a lot more neutral/almost a bit pink; L'Oreal Infallible 24h Matte 10 is pink, while Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 51 is two shades lighter and yellow.

Staying Power: It lasts at least 10 hours on my combination-dry skin, but I'm not a fan of how it wears (and yes, I went all orange face for the sake of blogging for a day). When I swatched it on my hand, a makeup wipe could not remove it well and I had to scrub a lot, so it is waterproof.

Packaging: It comes in a simple, thin tube, but the product is so thick, it's not easy to squeeze it out. Ingredients here.

Price and availability: It costs 4.39 € in drugstores and supermarkets.

Blush Play Sculpting Blush Palette

10 Play it Peach

Just like L'Oreal, Essence decide to do a selection of blushes with which you should be able to create a 3D effect or more plump looking cheeks. I tried it that way, but everything blends in together like always, so I find it pointless to bother with such application, however, all these blushes work excellently on their own.

Highlight: for my skin tone this isn't a highlight, but a pale peach blush with a glowy finish. The texture is nice and soft.

Sculpt: a matte, dirty peachy-pink shade. The texture is the hardest of the three and it needs a couple more swipes, but it's the shade I like most.

Define: a bright peachy-pink with a glowy-satin finish. It's got a very lovely soft, blendable texture.

Using all three shades. On the lips Catrice Longlasting Lip Pencil in 070 I got you Babel.

A very likeable palette for the price and it's my favourite from the new products I tried, but the colours are pretty basic. It costs 4.39 €

Prismatic Rainbow Glow Highlighter

10 Be a Unicorn

So rainbow highlighters actually became a thing, who would have thought. I'm not sure if Bitter Lace Beauty on Etzy was the original creator, but once Wet n Wild picked up on the idea these became super popular and Essence is quick to jump on the bandwagon. I dislike the idea of rainbows on my cheeks, but that doesn't matter at the moment.

Essence created a version with only four colours, so you don't get the same effect as Wet n Wild's for example and both the stripes as well as the packaging itself are too wide for swiping the brush in all shades at once and creating a rainbow effect on the cheeks, but I think that Essence meant it to be mixed anyway. 

Rainbow effect.

Mixed.

It costs 3.79 €.

Shine Shine Shine Lip Gloss

12 Runway, your Way

New on Essence stands are lines of lip glosses, one of them are Shine, Shine, Shine, which honestly are the about same as all the lip glosses they had before. Essence does decent lip glosses - not sticky, they don't go all weird during the day and have some colour, so you don't just get a bunch of clear shades in disguise. 

12 Runway, your Way is a basic purple and a type of shade that's on the warm side. Pigmentation is semi-opaque, but as it wears, it quickly turns into more of a stain. It's got a gentle fruity scent that's typical of Essence.

ESSENCE Fade your Shade Lipstick 

02 ombré parfait

There are actually two shades of these, one is white and this one is a vampy shade. They are meant to be used as top coats, so this one you apply just in the centre of the lips, then blend it out to create an ombre effect. But 02 works like a normal lipstick and that's how I swatched it. 

02 ombré parfait is a very deep plum burgundy shade, well almost black (Essence just calls it black-red). It's the deepest such shade in my collection, so if you're looking for a true vampy shade, this one is nice and cheap.

The formula is thick, matte and completely opaque. It's not easy to blend, but instead you get a long-lasting lipstick that doesn't smudge much. If you plan to wear it on its own, it might feel drying to some.

The packaging is like an eyeshadow stick and you don't get the most precise application. Lip liner is needed if you're not planning to go ombre. 

It costs 2.99 €.

*PR products.

1. SKINFOOD Black Sugar Mask Wash off and Black Sugar Honey

The original Black Sugar mask is on almost all the lists of best Korean skincare products and even when I was asking for recommendations, this was mentioned first. It's a sugar scrub and it apparently leaves your skin baby smooth - something my skin hasn't been in a very long time. I'm actually more drawn to the Honey version, but I hear it's more gentle.

Jolse, $8.78 (free shipping) // Tester Korea, 5.56 € // RoseRoseShop, $5.20 // Beautynetkorea, $9.38 // eBay, from $7.81

2. SECRET KEY Starting Treatment Essence

First essences are a very new thing to me, but they are the most frequently mentioned products when it comes to Korean beauty. They usually contain a lot of ferment as well as niacinamide and their main goal is that they brighten the skin. Missha's Time Revolution is highly praised, but this one is cheaper on eBay and I hear it's also good. I'm planning on getting samples on eBay, like of most of the products on my wishlist.

Tester Korea, 13.56 € // RoseRoseShop, $8.07 // Beautynetkorea, $12.73 // eBay, from $14.21

3. COSRX Galactomyces 95 Whitening Power Essence

Another essence, this one with 95% galactomces (yeast ferment) and again, the main idea is that is brightens the skin, makes it more even and it promises to help getting skin back elasticity. 

Jolse, 15$ // Tester Korea, 14.15 € // RoseRoseShop, $13.33 // eBay, from $16.48

4. COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence

I found the idea of snail product beyond revolting ever since I hear a TV commercial over 10 years ago. And then I tried a few samples I got from Jolse and my skin felt really good. I have these annoying smile lines that take forever to bounce back and I definitely saw a difference in the morning when I used TonyMoly Prestige Jeju Snail cream. That one is crazy expensive, so I'll try to find a cheaper alternative.

Jolse, 14.25 $ // Tester Korea, 11.42 € // eBay, from $15.25

5. SKINFOOD Gold Caviar Toner

This has gold flecks in it and the whole packaging looks so pretty that I just want it on my vanity. I hear the toner is quite nice for dry skin, as are the rest of the products in this line.

Jolse, 19.18 $ // Tester Korea, 13.73 € // RoseRoseShop, 12.84 $ // eBay, from $15.23

6. SKINFOOD Black Sugar Perfect First Serum 2X 

I read a couple very convincing reviews about this. It works like a first essence, so again it helps to brighten, tighten and hydrate the skin, but I'm also loving the packaging. 

Jolse, 22.38 $ // Tester Korea, 17.34 € // RoseRoseShop, 12.84 $ // eBay, from $16.22

7. BANILA CO. Miss Flower Mr Honey Essence Oil

I hear this whole line smells like honey and I just want it. I read some raves about this essence and ingredients sound very promising, so I'm dead set on getting it because apart from Nuxe oil, I currently have nothing else that I can use and my skin is feeling dry and not truly happy.

Tester Korea, 19.04 € // RoseRoseShop, 17.66 $ // eBay, from $20.36

8. BANILLA CO. Miss Flower Mr Honey Cream

Again , I heard it smells like honey - I'm just pathetic, but I adore honey. From what I hear this is quite thick, so it might suit me well right now, but it is very expensive and I can't find samples, so this will remain on my wishlist for a while. 

Tester Korea, 36.74 € // RoseRoseShop, 30.27 $ // eBay, from $34.95

9. SKINFOOD Royal Honey Essential Queen’s Cream

I'd love to get just samples for this first, but I desperately need something for under makeup and I hear this one supposedly has a lightweight gel-like consistency. Plus it has honey, so I can't resist trying it.

Jolse, 19.98 $ // Tester Korea, 17.34 € // RoseRoseShop, 16.22 $ // eBay, from $16.08

10. BIORÉ UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA+++

This is a top recommendation from just about everyone for a very light sunscreen. I'm not sure which one is more popular, this one or the gel version, but I'm more drawn to the Essence. It's reasonably priced, but I hear these have a lot alcohol in them.

eBay, from $6.43

11. SKINFOOD Miracle Food 10 Solution Sun Essence SPF50+ PA+++

I'l again shallowly admit I like this for the packaging, but I read a review that praises it as a lovely, light sunscreen. I think I'll order it.

Jolse, 15.18 $ // Tester Korea, 14.45 € // eBay, from $14.33

12. SULWHASOO Capsulized Ginseng Fortifying Serum

This is insanely expensive if you get full size and that's why I plan to get samples. I hear this helps with the elasticity of the skin and that's what I really need at the moment because my smile lines are freaking me out.

Jolse full size, 106.23 $ // eBay samples from $2.50

13. ETUDE HOUSE Beauty Shot Photo Blur

I heard some good things about this primer, though reviews focused on its blurring effect and on how well it photographs, but it doesn't help with the staying power . I'll get samples first. 

Beautynetkorea, $12.90 // eBay, from $11.99

14. BANILLA CO. Miss Flower Mr Honey Hydrogel Masks

Another product in the Miss Flower Mr Honey line and I hear these are fantastic because they make the skin very glowy. 

Tester Korea, 3.4 € // eBay, from $5

15. TOSOWOONG Pure Propolis Mask

Again I'll say these interest me because they smell like honey, but I also hear they are very good because they contain propolis, niacinamide and adenocine, so they should make the skin glowy and very hydrated.

eBay, from $5.40 (for 3)

16. ETUDE HOUSE Black Hydrogel Eye Patch

This is just so adorable. I haven't heard much about if it actually works, but I'd love to give it a try.

Jolse, 3.98 $; Beautynetkorea, $3.75; eBay, from $3.77

17. ETUDE HOUSE Bubble Pore Cleansing Patch

Another cute product by EH. This one is like a nose strip except it starts to bubble like that famous Elizavecca bubble mask. 

eBay, from $3.50

18. ETUDE HOUSE Laugh Lines Care Patch

These are probably pointless apart from being hydrating, but I'd love to give them a go. Who knows, maybe they do a little something.

Jolse, 3.58 $; Tester Korea, 1.70 €; Beautynetkorea, $3.75; eBay, from $3.44

19. TONYMOLY Inked Cushion Liner

Both Essence and Catrice have cushion liners which I'm thinking about buying, but this one intrigues me more because it also looks so cool. I believe there are other shades of this than just black. 

Jolse, 6.73 $; Tester Korea, 7.80 €; RoseRoseShop, 6.81 $; Beautynetkorea, $8.57; eBay, from $7.61

20. SECRET KEY Gold Racoony Hydro Gel Mask Pack

Just a simple hydrating mask in a gel form instead of the classic sheet and with the cutest cartoon of a racoon. 

RoseRoseShop, 0.63 $;  Beautynetkorea, $3.75; eBay, from $3.07

21.SECRET KEY Gold Racoony 90 x Hydro Gel Eye & Spot Patches

I'm again unsure how gimmicky these are, but I noticed when I was taking before/after pictures for reviews that my circles started looking darker than usual, so I might give these a try. Again I'm a sucker for the packaging. You get 60 under eye patches and 30 round patches for spots. 

Tester Korea, 10.75 €; RoseRoseShop, 8.91 $;  Beautynetkorea, $9.88; eBay, from $8.90

Have you tried anything? What's on your wishlist? Have a great day!

Hopes were high for these drops, probably not just mine, as it's one of the very rare such products in our drugstores. 90% of the time I mix my foundations because a majority of my good foundations are too dark for my pale skin and the ones that actually fit me, suck (Maybelline, Rimmel, Manhattan). So I mix them together and get a semi-decent foundation. I was dead set on getting this, even though as soon as I saw it on Instagram Stories from the German Essence event, I had my doubts about it. Two versions exist - the Lightening one and the Darkening one. I'm not sure about the tone of the Darkening one, I hear it's not the best, but the Lightening is yellow and actually not that light. I don't think I've ever seen a yellow version of such a product and most are much lighter, usually white. Considering most of my dark foundation are warm toned, this wasn't a good start.

Texture: The drops isn't the best name for this product, since they aren't actually that watery, instead they are a light foundation type of texture. They start light, but once you start rubbing them on the skin, they feel slightly greasy. On their own these have a sheer to light coverage and if Catrice were really serious about creating a lightening product, they should have added more pigment. I have to use a lot of the product for it to have an effect, with certain foundations the ratio can be even greater than 1:1, so forget about the idea of adding a drop of it to make the foundation lighter. What this results in is that it messes with the actually texture of the foundation. In some cases it makes the foundation more obvious on the face, then sometimes it adds that little bit of greasiness to it to make it less flat matte looking. But the biggest change these drops do is that they almost completely destroy the staying power of any foundation. By the end of the day, when I'm taking my makeup off with a micellar water, the cotton pad has very little traces of foundation.

What I wonder is why didn't Catrice just use the formula of their HD Liquid Coverage because that foundation has a lot of coverage for a very light texture and then the product would actually be drops.

Shade: It's about the same shade as Nars' concealer in Chantilly, aproximately two shades lighter than my lightest foundations (Maybelline Fit Me 110 and Revlon Colorstay Ivory) and it's tinted yellow. Because of the light texture, I discovered these basically almost fit my skin tone (about a shade lighter) and I can wear it as a tinted moisturiser. I really think these should be lighter and I wish they had a pink version too, so I could make foundation more neutral (most of my dark foundations are warm).

 I've tried them with most my dark foundations:

- Milani Conceal + Perfect 01 (about NC30, very yellow): it lightens it about one-two shades which is not enough and I still can't wear it. Also the yellow on yellow when it comes to undertone, doesn't help either. 

- Beyu Nutri Power Foundation 10 (about NC25, warm): still not quite enough lightening and it affects the texture of foundation, as it makes it more obvious and it basically destroys the staying power (Nutri has a great staying power on its own).

- L'Oreal Infallible 24h Matte 10 Porcelain: these are a great match. Porcelain is pink, so the drops neutralise it and lighten it enough, plus the pore hiding capabilities remain. This is the only good combination I've found so far.

- Catrice HD Liquid Coverage 010: surprisingly a weird combination. It made the foundation sit strange on the skin, but it lightened it enough. Ironic these don't work with a foundation from the same brand.

- Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum 51: ruined the natural finish of the foundation, but it lightened it enough, however the yellow undertone remained too strong. The reason I wear this foundation is the invisible finish, so this is a no-go combination.

- Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream 31: Makes it a very glowy foundation, but lightens it enough. It makes it wear funny, almost like you've overdone on a highlighting primer on an uneven texture. Again not a fan.

Packaging: The drops are stored in a classic tube with a precise nozzle, so I have no complaints here. However, it's only 15 ml of product and considering how much I need to use with every foundation, these won't last long.

Price and availability: These are sold in drugstores for 3.49 €.

Yay or nay? I don't know. It's not like we any other choice here in Slovenia. Alverde has something, but I hear it's got a thick formula that affects foundations texture. Catrice's Drops lack pigmentation and are capable of lightening for about one-two shades, they also greatly affect staying power. It works really well with L'Oreal's foundation, but so far I'm not a fan of other combinations. I still prefer mixing my foundations with other foundations over with this, so a light one with a dark one and of course always a pink one with a yellow one because I have a neutral skin tone, so for these to work they need more pigmentation, to be lighter and too be available in both yellow and pink undertone.

Recently I got The Body Shops Adjusting Drops in Lightening. It's a far superior product in my eyes. Not only does it lighten significantly better and you need to use a lot less, it also does not affect the texture of the foundations as much and original staying power remains. The only thing that is worse is the packaging, which drives you insane. If you're really pale and struggle to find foundations like me, so you're not just looking for something that'll lighten your summer foundation for one shade, try to get your hands on TBS drops. You'll be much happier. I'll have a review in a few weeks once I properly test them with all my foundations.

*PR product.

 New L'Oreal products already hit the shelves in the past month, so I got them to review and of course swatch. I just chucked everything in one post, so ahead are a lot of pictures, but I hope you find them helpful.


Among the new products by L'Oreal are Lip Paints which are available in Matte and Lacquer finish. The formulas are different, but the packaging is the same and both come in tubes with a doe foot applicator that is cut in a curve which fits the contours of the lips. All Paints have a sweet floral fragrance that isn't overpowering. Both versions cost 7.99 € in Slovenia.

Swatches of the first three are Matte, following are the Lacquers: 

Lip Paint Lacquers

Lip Lacquers live up to their name - they are liquid lipsticks with a creamy-glossy finish. Pigmentation is opaque, especially Darling Pink is a stellar performer, but as expected the vampy Dark River is not an easy shade to apply despite good pigmentation. They somewhat remind me of Rimmel's Apocalips which have the same type of formula and finish. Formula is comfortable to wear and lasts impressively well for a creamy-glossy finish, I got at least four hours, but even after that the remaining stain looks great. I like these more than the Matte version because I prefer the more even, easy application. 

101 Gone with the nude

Gone with the nude is a beige brown shade. On darker skin tones it'll be a nude shade, but I'm not a fan of it on me.

102 Darling pink  

Darling pink is a dirty pink-rose, my favourite and most worn shade. It's also got the best formula out of all shades, so if you plan to get any, this is the one I'd recommend.

107 Dark river

Lip Paint Matte

From a matte liquid lipstick enthusiast perspective, I found these disappointing from the first try because they are not matte. However, I can't deny these are still good lipsticks nonetheless, just don't buy them in hopes of a matte finish. These have a mousse type of texture that's even fluffier than Bourjois' Velvets, so application is not as even and you need two coats if you want a completely opaque coat of colour, but you need to be careful because you shift the colour a lot due to the fluffy texture. The finishes vary and only the violet shade is somewhat close to a matte finish, while the other two stay kind of a muted creamy finish, or semi-matte that is similar to BeYu Cashmeres. They don't really ever set, though you get that base stain, but there is none of that traditional tight, matte layer feeling. Since they don't set, these of course transfer and most of the colour disappears in the first hours, but you are left with a stain, especially at Red actually.

 201 Hollywood beige

201 Hollywood beige looks pinkish peachy beige once swatched, but on my lips it's already a brighter, very peachy shade. If you have a darker skin tone, it's very likely you'll get a more pinky colour than me. It's not my favourite, but it's one of the easiest to wear. 

204 Red actually

204 Red actually is very complex red. Why complex? Well similarly to Jordana's Cherry Cobbler, which also fooled me, it's a pinkish red in a thin coat, but in a thick coat it's suddenly a warm red. I was so excited when I saw I finally got a red matte liquid lipstick, but it was a let-down, I just expected a stronger pigmentation with one coat. This one stains a lot and the stain is pink.

207 Wuthering Purple

Apologies to all lovers of purple, but 207 Wuthering Purple is a shade that makes me scream"no" aloud. It's a cool violet shade that I find unwearable for my skin tone in everyday situations. Formula is most like matte, but it's still not the real deal. 

L'OREAL Infallible Blush Paint Palettes

I already included these in my monthly favourites, since they impressed me so much. This is my first time trying L'Oreal blushes, but if all their blushes are like that, they deserve a lot more attention that they are getting on blogs. If my research is correct, than these palettes in this form are sold in Europe, while the States have a similar palette with square pans. All the blushes are powders in various finishes and also vary in quality, but in general the Ambers performs better and it's the one I really recommend you trying, but both are great drugstore buys. Each pan contains 2g of product and are about 1.5x size of a Mac eyeshadow, so it's big enough to use pretty much any blush brush, plus they are far apart so you don't accidentally pick the other shade. Staying power is a big plus at these. On me a majority of blushes don't last, but at these the first few times I wore them I was so surprised to see blush still clinging on my cheeks at the end of the day. Both palettes have a sweet scent and the packaging is good, I have no complaints. Price is set at 13.49 €, which isn't too bad for five blushes that actually look different on the cheeks. 

PINKS

Pinks has a selection of three matte pinks, a light satin peach and a shimmery peach pink. You get a nice variation of both cool toned and warm blushes, and even though it might look like a boring selection of pinks to some, you get two shades that could easily fit into the Ambers palette too.

Shade 1 Ballet Dream: a pale, cool toned pink with a matte finish. Like the rest of mattes in this palette the formula is on the dry side, but it swatches and applies well.

Shade 2 Despinkable Me: a muted, natural peach with a light glowy finish. Nicely pigmented for a pale blush and has a great formula.

Shade 3 Peony Rose: a pastel pink with a matte finish that's a bit darker than Ballet Dream and warmer. The formula is the same as at the first one.

Shade 4 Fuchsia Afterhours: a fuchsia with a matte finish. Again the formula is on the dry side, but it's the most intense blush in the palette and has the best staying power because of it.

Shade 5 Flamingo Dance: peachy-pinky with a creamy formula and shimmer. It's somewhat a darker version of Nars Orgasm.

Flamingo Dance.

 Ambers is a selection of five warm, mostly peachy shades all with some sort of a shimmery/glowy finish. The pigmentation of most shades is excellent, the last two, Amber Love and Indian Cruise, are so incredibly creamy they can easily be used as an fully opaque eyeshadow, the only exception is the middle peachy-pink shade Peach Fling which behaves strangely when swatched, but on the cheeks it's really good. I wear Amber Love pretty much all the time and Peach fling is my second most worn shade. The last amber shade looks absolutely terrifying in the pan, but applied very lightly, it gives me a wearable peachy flush.

Shade 1 Miami Sunrise: a golden pale peach with a glow, a soft creamy formula and good pigmentation

Shade 2 Coral Bay: a light peachy pink with a soft creamy formula and a glow.

Shade 3 Peach Fling: a muted natural peachy-pink shade, similar to I'm Nuts About You by Catrice, but with gold glitter. It swatches very weak, but looks good on the cheeks

Shade 4 Amber Love: a bronzy pink with a great glow, like a highlighter. It's super creamy, has an ice gold shine and is very pigmented. It's on all pictures of the lip swatches.

Shade 5 Indian Cruise: an amber shade with a golden glow. Similar fantastic formula than Amber Love, so very creamy and pigmented. Applied very, very lightly I can make it work on my cheeks. 

 Amber Love. I hope you can see the glow. It's just the blush with no highlighter. Sephora Marvelous Mauve on the lips.

False Lash Superstar X Fiber Mascara

Just like many drugstore companies, L'Oreal enjoys creating spin-off products to ride that wave of popularity a bit longer. I've had the original Superstar mascara, which is also a two-step kind and it gives a lot of volume. The new X Fibre extreme contains fibres in the second step, but also it's improved because the first step isn't white. 

The first step is just a classic mascara. The wand has an hourglass shape and I can get a good effect from just using that side. It gives a nice amount of volume, it doesn't clump up the lashes and it's nicely black. The formula of both sides is surprisingly drier than most new regular mascaras I've tried, in fact it reminds me a lot more of waterproof mascaras, so it's not surprisingly it actually holds the curl well enough, of course better than the original Superstar. However, why I find it so strange that it's not a wet sticky formula, is because the second part has very visible fibres and those need to stick to something. Regardless, they stick to the lashes well, so my fears were unjustified. 

It makes the lashes hard, so as I said, it can hold a curl, but it's still a regular mascara, so don't cry with this, especially since it has fibres. It last well on the lashes without smudging or running, but as I said individual fibres collect under the eye during the day.

The packaging is ok and despite being a large mascara, it's not more difficult to apply. It costs an unreasonable 15.49 €.