New in #32

CATRICE Absolute Nude Eyeshadow Palette

010 All Nude

This was the first such palette by Catrice and it has been out for quite a while, however, I was never really interested in it, until I saw that there is going to be a new chocolate version, which made me think of this one and the Rose one, so I just wanted to give them a try.  Nude version contains a collection of neutral eyeshadows, ranging from light to dark in different hues and all are shimmery, but I love especially the medium shades, as they are great one-wash colours. I'm very pleased with this palette and I've really been enjoying wearing it since I got it; I've been wearing it more than the Rose version, because it suits my colouring better. I'll have swatches of both palettes in a proper review.

Müller, 5.29 €

CATRICE Absolute Rose Eyeshadow Palette

010 Frankie Rose to Hollywood

A palette that clearly drew inspiration from the massively popular UD Naked 3 palette, so it has a collection of six rosy, taupe and purple shades.  I'm a huge fan of the Absolute Matt version, which inspired in me a lot of trust into these palettes by Catrice, but the day I bought it, someone told me that this is a terrible palette quality-wise, so I was concerned before I actually tried it that I made a huge miss buy. Well, it's a great palette. In respect to quality I really like it, especially that matte taupe shade is fantastic. However, two pairs of eyeshadows look almost identical on the lids, so it's not the most diverse palette in the world. But otherwise, I'm happy I got this.

Müller, 5.29 €

L'OREAL Infallible 24H Matte Foundation

10 Porcelain

There is a huge hype surrounding this foundation and I had my doubts whether it's really as amazing as everyone is claiming to be. Well, it is. I adore this foundation. This looks absolutely flawless over pores. I've never tried anything like it, not even a primer. In the past year almost every foundation started to emphasize my pores for some reason, but this kind of just camouflages them. It's so amazing to see how the pores look so diminished with this foundation, I'm a huge fan. Otherwise it's a medium coverage foundation with a matte finish, so it is an obvious foundation, but I don't mean that in a bad way, just that the matte finish and coverage makes it apparent you're wearing makeup. This will look weird over patches, just to warn you. I got the lightest shade 10 Porcelain which is not exactly porcelain-like, but it's similar to Healthy Mix Serum's 51 only it has a pink undertone. There will be a proper review of this. 

Salma, 10.90 €

ESSENCE Lash Mania False Lash Mascara Waterproof

I love my Lancome Hypnose mascara, but it's very expensive, so I wear it only when I want to be a bit more made up, while the rest of the time I wear either Essence Princess Lash, which is unfortunately not waterproof but I love the effect, or Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde waterproof, which I'm not terribly fond of because it's very average. I decided to get a new cheap waterproof mascara, though I'd really love to get my hands on Maybelline's Lash Sensational in waterproof, but for now Essence's will suffice. I found this one on their website, checked online for reviews (which were all in German) and they reassured me it's worth a try. I've quickly became a fan of the formula. The brush is plastic and huge, so it's clumsy and it deposits tons of product with one coat, just like Princess Lash and I <3 Extremes. This means that definition isn't its forte from the start, but it gets better and better as the formula thickness over time. The amount of volume it gives is huge, it hold curls amazingly well for such a cheap mascara and it's very difficult to remove. I'll post a proper review very soon, as this is in the process of being discontinued.

Müller, 3.29 €

ESSENCE Lash & Brow Gel Mascara

This is very popular and highly rated on Makeup Alley, however, I won't be using it for its original purpose (I don't care about brows at all). You might remember that I spoke about John Frieda Full Repair Touch-Up Flyaway Tamer, which has been on my wishlist for ages, but it's out of stock on Boots International for a really long time, and while Ojon's Tamer Wand is only a bit more expensive, I am very reluctant to shell out 16 € for such a product plus the extortion that they call shipping (and the pound to euro rate has been abysmal in the past six months. Thank you economy!). So I had a brain wave to try this for that purpose. It's a gel with hold, which is quite possibly very similar to the JF or Ojon's formula. I can report that it works well enough, but it's not as good as the real deal. It also still leaves the hair soft and none of the gel residue is apparent. It's good for now, but I still want the John Frieda or at least the Ojon one.

 Műller, 2.19 €

ESSENCE Lipliner

12 Wish Me a Rose

You know how I often say that I don't like these? Well I have seven of them already. I have no words for myself *queue the meme "I'm not even mad that's amazing"*. Wish me a Rose was an Andrea's enabled purchase because she swatched Mac's Please me and Wish me a Rose side by side, and they are indeed very, very similar. Even I'd call them a dupe and I'm very strict with that word. It's a light-medium neutral pink that I think would suit so many people, either as a nice neutral shade like on me or a pinky nude on people with medium skin tones.   

DM, 1.19 €

BOURJOIS La Laque

7 Lycheers

Bourjois released their version of gel inspired formula and I think everyone saw that happening from a mile away. Their selection of shades is pretty basic and cute, but Lycheers grabbed my attention because I have nothing similar and I find it quite unique. When I came home I noticed how similar it is to my beloved Rouge Edition Velvet in 07 Nude-ist - no wonder I liked it straight away. It's a retro rose shade - a dirty medium pink that will fit perfectly into autumn. 

Müller, 7.19 €

ESSENCE Studio Nails 4 in 1 Profi File

I've been buying these for years. They are cheap and they do the job. There are four different textures ranging from a very harsh surface to a buffing smooth one.

Müller, 1.59 €

OROFLUIDO Beauty Elixir

Salma had it for a reasonable price with a discount, so I just got a backup and even so, my bottle is running very low anyway. I love this hair oil and I haven't been without a bottle of it for years. I find it one of the best on the market for dry hair as it doesn't just behave like a regular smoothing serum, but it also adds a bit of extra nourishment that my hair desperately needs. I'm also still in love with the gorgeous oriental scent it has. 

I've reviewed a lot of more expensive hair oils a while ago in my Hair Oil Series if you're interested. 

Salma, 15.90 €

 BALEA Luxury Verwőhndusche

Red Love

Indulging Shower Gel

I was so excited about this range ever since I saw it on Facebook, mainly because it said it smells like peach and coconut. I already had the bath salt, which was lovely (it turned the water into an intense red-pink shade. I'll post pictures one day) and I was delighted when I saw that the shower gel arrived on our shelves as well. It's a very thick shower gel that is deep red with shimmer, so it looks very glamorous. It's very different from their regular shower gels and it's closer to Dove's formula, though it's even thicker and doesn't foam as well as those. The scent is the same as of bath salt, so peachy, but with a deeper, more sexy/sultry note, which actually makes it better suited for colder months than summer.

Ingredients here.

DM, 1.79 €

SUN DANCE Transparentes Sonnenspray 50

Transparent Sunscreen SPF 50

Last year I got the transparent sunscreen in a can, which ended up being a huge oily, schnapps-reeking disaster that lasted three days in total for four people. This year I got one in a classic spray pump, but again a transparent one as the regular sunscreens are just too greasy, which puts me off applying them all together. This one has tons of alcohol in it, but I don't care as I'm only planning to use it for those few days on the beach, also because at least I'll use it because it's light enough on the skin, though still a bit oily, and finally because the Garnier transparent one, which is without alcohol is over 10 € and is just too much (I mean seriously?!). It smells like classic sunscreen and I don't smell alcohol in it, but others do. The spray pump is very hard to press, which is very annoying

DM, 5.79 €

SUN DANCE Selbst Bräunungs Tonik

Self-tanning Toner

 This immediately caught my attention on their website, I mean a self-tanning toner in the drugstore is not something you see often. It is like a regular toner, so not like Clarins' one which feels like a lotion, instead this is like an actual water-like toner that would work even for greasy skin. It sinks in really fast, leaves the skin dry to the touch and doesn't feels sticky, so thumbs up for that. It has a warm vanilla scent that is ok as well. It says to exfoliate the skin first, which I do before the first application as I always do before tanning, then simply apply the toner with a cotton pad all over the face including ears and neck for an even effect. It says the colour should develop in 2-6 hours, but that is very optimistic. On my super pale skin it takes four days for me to I get a nice amount of colour and that's a good thing, because gradual tanning provides a lot more natural results and decreases the chance of streaks. It doesn't smell much of self-tanner, though the more days in a row you use it, the more you might notice it. I heard though that some people with sensitive skin find this product a bit irritating, but it works completely fine on my skin. 

Here is a side by side of me before tanning and after four days. The lipstick is Max Factor's Redefined Rose.

Ingredients here.

DM, 3.49 €

NIVEA Pearl & Beauty Anti-Perspirant

My old faithful. My last bottle was sent to me by Nivea when they saw I couldn't find it in Interspar (such a kind gesture), but now I got mine in DM. I love this deodorant because it actually works for a spray deodorant as it has powder particles in it, but it's not super white, though I still need to be careful with black clothes. It also smells fantastic, soft and so lady-like. 

DM, 2.89 €

OMBIA COSMETICS Express Nagellackentferner

Express nail polish remover

This reminds me a lot of the Ebeline version, meaning it's a basic nail polish remover in a pot, except that the foam inside hasn't got a round hole, but it's just cut in a form of a cross. It removes nail polish well enough, though not as easily as for example the Bourjois' one and it doesn't leave the fingers greasy, however, just like Ebeline's one, this means that it can dry out your nails and skin. The foam is harsher and feels of a lesser quality than both Ebeline's and Bourjois'. It has a sweet scent, possibly of almonds. I like it for the price, but it's nothing special.

Hofer, about 1.8 €

ESSENCE Arriba! TE Hair Chalk

02 Macarena Mint

I dreamt of having this ever since Ana from Beautysaur showed how well this works on her dark hair. It's a very silly thing to purchase, but you know it's also very fun. There were two versions, a pink and a green/teal one, and I grabbed the last one on the stand. This has an amazing colour payoff, especially if you use it on slightly damp hair or like I did it, over a sticky hair spray. With the sticky hair spray base, it lasted all day without fading and it didn't rub off on anything. I'm pleasantly surprised by this and I kind of a want my whole head in this colour. This was a LE, so it's quite possibly gone from most places, but Essence has four colours of hair chalk in their permanent line, though they are in the process of being discontinued. They have a colour just like it, so if you want it, you need to hurry. 

 Müller, 4.39 €

ESSENCE #secret party TE Drink Markers

01 Don't Drink and Dive

This is another silly purchase, but we always end up fighting whose glass was which, so this was a purchase to end all glass related disputes. I'll also put one in my bag as it should certainly come in handy. I don't know where you can get anything similar other than on eBay (I want the moustache ones)

Müller, 2.19 €

ESSENCE Nauti Girl Nail Stickers

01 Hey Sailor

I really liked the Nauty Girl collection. You might have noticed that I largely ignore TE's and LE's (I just genuinely dislike the idea of limited items), but this summer Essence did an excellent job. The sailor inspired nail stickers are super cute and will surely pair them up with a navy blue nail polish. Similar designs here.

ESSENCE Nauti Girl Cosmetic Bag

01 Anchors Aweigh

My cousin got this for me, so thank you. It a nice medium size bag with a zipper that is very basic, but I'll surely replace my mint green one with this one in these summer months. Such a cute design, right?

LANCOME O d´Azur edt

Sample

I am a very shallow person, I'm sure you've noticed by now, so I actually got this sample purely because I love the bottle of the full size parfume. Yeah, so you've learned something about my priorities, but I just love perfume bottles as decoration (this was the main reason I got Katy Perry's Royal Revolution). Anyway it's a nice summery fragrance that smells high-end and I like it, but I'm not completely I-must-have-it-right-now in love with it. It's fresh, floral, aquatic and a bit sharp from the pepper. This a scent I image someone wearing in the office, but the staying power is weak.

Notes on Fragrantica.

Salma, 0.77 €

LOLITA LEMPICKA Elle L'aime edp

Sample

This has been on my radar for quite a while because I loved the notes according to Fragrantica, then I forgot about it, later Živa wrote about it and rekindled my interest. I couldn't find it in our drugstores (not surprised), but they do have it on Salma and they have samples (yay!). Živa was spot on with her description, it is reminiscent of the über popular Bronze Goddess, but with a slight citrus twist. It's beachy, coconuty with neroli and jasmine plus some lime that keeps it from being too cloying. I'm a huge, huge fan, however, staying power is very weak. 

 Salma, 0.73 €

RIHANNA Nude edp 

Sample

I tried this in Müller once and I liked it, but I wanted a proper sample before deciding if it's the scent for me. It's tropical and sweet, but not in an Escada way, instead it's a deeper scent. I can definitely smell guava, which I normally don't like in fragrances, but I guess that combination with a pear note makes is more likeable to me. I swear I can smell vanilla in it, but there is none, so I guess the combination of other notes makes it so sweet and gourmand like. I'm not sold by it or maybe it just doesn't appeal to me in this heat as it's not exactly light. It's lovely, but I won't be buying a full size, I think.  

Notes on Fragrantica.

Salma, 0.63 €

DOLCE & GABBANA The One Desire edp

Sample

I got this as a gift with purchase on Salma. I'm not impressed by the original The One and this one isn't my favourite either. It's sweet with predominant notes of caramel and vanilla, but that lychee note from the start is so odd, almost like it's too sour or even rotten. It later disappears, but I don't like how this is working with my chemistry. In general it's a very generic and forgettable scent to me.

Notes on Fragrantica.

*PA DOLLY LOVE False Eyelashes HS-37
Born Pretty Store offered me to try some more of their false lashes after I posted a review of their Pa Dolly Love HS-43. HS-37 are much, much more dramatic as they are not only longer, but also thicker. I chose these because they have more of a rounded design, instead of tapered and I've never tried lashes like that, so I want to see what effect these have on my eyes. These again come in a box of ten and are on clear a string.
Born Pretty, 3.99 $ (my discount code for 10 % off is MKOH10).

Have a great day! 

New in #31

MAX FACTOR Creme Puff Blush

20 Lavish Mauve

I had major doubts these will ever reach Slovenia, but they did. The price is higher than I expected and they really "spoiled" us with the selection of four shades, but at least they decided to include the one I had my eye on from the start. Lavish Mauve was the least shimmery and coolest out of the four. I thought it's similar to Catrice's Nuts About You, but when I swatched them side by side, they revealed to be very different, as Lavish Mauve is a much cooler, pink-mauve-violet shade with tiny duo chrome violet-gold shimmer, which I can't see on the cheeks. It's soft and decently pigmented, but I don't get that famous "glow" on my cheeks with this one, just a classic flush. You'll see how it looks in my review, but if you want to see it sooner, since I need to take pictures of Lovely Pink before, I can put a quick picture on Instagram.

Müller, 12.79 €

*05 Lovely Pink

Just today Max Factor surprised me by sending me another shade completely out of the blue. Lovely Pink was the second shade on my list and I remember from the swatches I made in the shop that this one was one of the more glowy ones. It is indeed more glowy on the cheek as Lavish Mauve, though I just got it today and I spent two hours in a hot car before trying it, but I could see that small shimmer reflecting on my cheek. It's a warm pink shade and the shimmer is gold.

*MAX FACTOR Colour Intensifying Balm

30 Redefined Rose

Another new release by MF and the other part of my surprise package. It is, as described, an intense lip balm, well in terms of colour that is, and it features a nice moisturising formula. Redefined Rose looks absolutely gorgeous in the packaging, but the colour on my lips surprised me, as it's lighter and a bit cooler pink than I expected - it actually reminds me of how Creme Cup looks on my lips, but I'm sure it's my neutral skin tone that gives it that hue as it looks much warmer of other people's swatches. The pigmentation is better than expected and it's semi opaque with one or two coats, but it can be built-up to pretty much full opacity. I have no doubts this colour will be universally loved.

CATRICE Longlasting Lip Pencil

030 Berryson Ford

I saw this lip liner on Sara's blog and it was this shade from that post that appealed to me most. It's a deep berry-burgundy colour that reminds me of shades like L'Oreal's Laetitia, Bourjois Grand Cru and Catrice's lip liner in Love the Way you Plum. This shade is like a mix of all three I mentioned, so it's a very autumnal/winter colour.

Müller, 2.29 €

ESSENCE Longlasting Lipliner 

05 Lovely Frappuccino

Everyone is going gaga for this liner and Nadja even found it being very similar to the very coveted Soar lip liner. I have been avoiding it for a long time because I'm not a fan of Essence lip liners and my experience with the Satin Mauve liner wasn't the best, but of course I caved mostly because Sara said I should just get it already. Thank you! I think I really like it. I'm still a bit on the edge, but my mom liked it straight away on me and asked me if she can try it as well, however, some don't like this colour on me as it's supposedly too dark. It has been growing on me more and more, and I ended up wearing it loads. It's warmer than Satin Mauve, a tiny bit more red, but still cool enough and it actually looks like Soar and Brave do on most girls I've seen. Highly recommend this to any pale girl who can't find a match for her in the 90's trend revival. I already posted a picture of it on my lips here and it's also on my lips in the got2b photo bellow. 

Müller, 1.59€

ESSENCE Lipliner

15 Honey Berry

So basically I'm an idiot. I was going to get 05 Soft Berry after seeing it on Sara, but was too lazy to write the name on the phone, so I thought this was it. Anyway, it's wasn't a complete miss and it is a colour I don't have yet. On me it's a purple that is a bit similar to Yummy Berry, but a bit darker and cooler. 

I did check Soft Berry later, but I put it back on the stand because it looks so intimidatingly dark brown. 

Müller, 1.19€

*MAKEUP REVOLUTION Iconic Pro Lipstick

Propoganda

MR came out with another line of lipstick and I've seen all sorts of very appealing swatches on the internet, with pretty much everyone praising these. The first few applications negatively surprised me because they were so sheer, but thankfully when the top layer is gone, it reveals a very pigmented, creamy lipstick. The shade is a deep red that looks very glam also due to the shine, however, I would prefer it in a matte finish and it actually exists under a name Propoganda Matte. It's a very comfortable lipstick to wear and I like the rose gold part of the packaging, as it makes it very chic. I don't get the name though. Is it deliberately misspelled?

Makeup Revolution Slovenija, 4.95 €

Do konca junija dobite na slovenski spletni strani Makeup Revolution s kodo BLOG17 17 % popusta.

ESSENCE Cinderella TE Blush

01 So this is Love

I managed to get a hold of one of the last ones of these before they completely disappear (I'm not sure when it was released in other countries though). I got it for just 1 €! What a bargain. Originally I wasn't interested in this blush much, but then I saw it's supposed to be a dupe for Mac's Hippness LE blush, which I wanted a lot time ago. It's a pink with a touch of coral, though on the cheeks it looks just pink. There is some gold shimmer in it as well, but it's not visible on the skin. It's not as pigmented as I expected from the intensity in the pan, so it's one you apply gradually. Cute little thing.

E.Leclerc, 0.99 €

Catrice Longlasting Lip Liner in I got you Babel on the lips. 

*REVLON Ultra HD Lipstick

Rose

Revlon came out with a new line of lipsticks, all adorably named after flowers and I got the shade Rose, which is a natural light pink shade. These aren't that far from their Lip Butters, except they are even softer and more pigmented. The lipstick feels very balmy on the lips and not at all drying even when the hours pass. It has a shiny finish and doesn't tend to last well, but that's expected due to the texture and also the shade. It has a very strong scent of ice cream (exactly like Planica), which obviously appeals to the sweet tooth side of me. You have to open the lid sooo carefully because the lipstick is very soft and it dents easily. I've been wearing this quite a lot since I got it because it's such a non-brainer shade and it's a nice replacement for a lip balm. 

I'm wearing it here.

Click2Chic, 10.89 €

*REVLON Colorstay Gel Envy

400 Royal Flush

Of course I chose a warm purple-pink shade, what else. This one also has a tiny bit of violet shimmer/frost inside that gives it that cool toned hue. I already review this shade here and I've never tried a more perfect one coater. I'm also wearing it in the picture with the Essence blush above.

Click2Chic, 8.49 €

CATRICE Luxury Lacquers Liquid Metal Nail Polish

01 Champagne Rain

Müller had 20 % off all nail polishes and it would be rude not to take advantage. Champagne Rain is a champagne gold shimmer that ends up looking completely opaque on the nails. It looks so glamorous, though I'm already dreading the removal process.

Müller, 3.79 €

L'OREAL Color Riche Nail Polish

205 Rose Bagatelle

L'Oreal's nail polishes appealed to me recently and I picked up this deep rosy nude shade. It's about a shade or two darker than Deborah 01 as well as a bit warmer. I needed two or three coats for full opacity as the formula is thin, especially compared to the new age gel formula nail polishes.

Müller, 4.99 €

*BORN PRETTY 10 Pairs of Eyelashes #HS-43

Born pretty has a ton of eyelashes to choose from and I decided on a pack of 10 that look similar to my favourite Ardell's Demi Wispies. When they arrived I noticed, they are in fact not that similar. They are shorter for about a third and more crisscrossed. I was afraid that they might be too short for me, and they are in the inner part of the eye, however, they are really long in the outer corners and give the eye that fluttery, elongated effect. I find these make my eyes look so much bigger. They are very pretty and fluttery lashes, though I do feel them a bit on the eyes and they are very difficult to get out of the box without ruining them.

I'm wearing them here.

Born Pretty, 3.99 $

*BORN PRETTY The Hot Shop Lipstick

#1

So this is blatantly copying Top Shop's lipsticks, but I'll withhold my judgement about that. I got shade number one, which looks very different from what I imagined based on the swatches. It looks completely orange in the tube, but it's one of those shades that looks peachy on the lips and is pinker the darker your skin is. On me it's still quite an orange-ish shade, but I imagine it would look amazing medium skin tones. It's a very moisturising and soft lipstick with a glossy finish, but not as soft as Revlon's one and it will definitely appeal to all of those who like more moisturising lipsticks. 

Born Pretty, $4.29

L'OREAL Gentle Eyes and Lips Make-up Remover

A lot of people swear by this remover, especially for waterproof mascara. I was using the Maybelline version a while ago and it was the best drugstore remover I've tried to date (best ever is Clarins' one). This is the same kind - a dual phase remover that needs to be shaken so that both liquids mix. I like how it stays mixed for a long time, because most cheap removers separate after a few seconds. As far as removal goes, it's similar to the Maybelline one, but perhaps not quite as effective or it's about the same and Maybelline's is cheaper. I'd say the only difference worthy of mentioning is that L'Oreal's version stays mixed longer. As far as drugstore waterproof makeup removers go, this is a nice one. 

Interspar, 4.99 €

BALEA Luxury Verwöhnmomente Badesaltz

Red Love

Luxury Pampering Moments Bath Salt Red Love

This smells so amazing. If you're familiar with Balea's Kokos & Nectarine shower gel, this is similar, except that it's a warmer and deeper scent. It's just a classic bath salt, so there aren't any bubbles, but it turns the water into this intense shade of red-pink. I love it and I will repurchase it, even though I hoped the scent will be stronger in the bath.

DM, 0.79 €

There is a whole new collection called Luxury, with a shower gel and another bath in this scent, and the same three items plus a hand cream and scrub in the Vanilla & Patchouli scent. So far I've only seen the bath salts and hand cream here.

PRINZESSIN STERNENZAUBER Märchenhaftes 2 in 1 Shampoo + Spülung

2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner

As I said in one of my previous posts, I can't walk past a product with a peach/nectarine scent. I found this quite randomly whilst exploring DM for new or interesting things. It again smells much like the discontinued Kokos & Nectarine scent, though it is a bit of a different candy peach scent. I got it to use as a shower gel, but I did use it as a shampoo once. It's a shampoo plus conditioner in one, but though it foams well, my hair didn't feel particularly nourished (also not terribly stripped) and my hair was quite tangly after using it, which didn't surprise me because it's a silicone free product. I didn't feel it cleaned all that well though, at least as far as the scalp is concerned, but it should be fine for children who don't use styling products anyway. 

DM, 1.79 €

GOT2B  Rise'n Shine Soufflé

Hoch Karäter Volumen + Glaz Soufflé

I watched this video from Luxy hair and saw that this is how my hair looks on the second and third day. She used a hair wax at the end and though I used to use such a product way, way back to tame my frizz, it never occurred to me to use to for curls as well. I had no idea which one to pick in the shop because no one talks about hair waxes that I know off, so I grabbed this one from Got2B because it promises a soufflé texture and it had a nice discount. It is exactly like a soufflé and you can feel the bubbles popping under your fingers. Consequently, it's s lot lighter than a regular wax, however, it still has that waxy feel and I wouldn't use this on thin hair that gets greasy fast. It does define the curls a bit, keeps them in place, perhaps even better than a hair spray and doesn't feel terribly heavy or greasy on my hair. I'm happy with it.

This is meant as a volumising product, but I see no scenario where this could be used for volume. Waxes aren't for volume, but for definition. For volume I'd get a texturizing spray.

Müller, 4 €

AUSSIE 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor

A traditional repurchase. I opted to try out new cheaper drugstore conditioners and masks instead of buying this again purely because of the price. Well, I ended up with three rubbish conditioners and an emptier wallet. Nice one, Mateja. So this one finally had a decent discount and I just grabbed it, now I'm thinking I should have taken two. This is one of my favourite drugstore treatments as it actually works well on my hair, it nourishes, makes it feel sleeker and smells amazing like bubble gums. But why it has to cost almost three times as much as in the USA is beyond me.

Müller, regular price 7.99 €

JOHN FRIEDA Beach Blonde Ocean-Waves

I've never owned a proper salt spray before, I did try to make it myself, but I didn't like it. I heard about this one from Alix (I Covet Three) and I had little hope this will arrive here as well, but it did. Mind you it's only in certain Müllers, but at least they didn't forget us completely again. As Alix said it smells like summer, so it has this beachy, coconut-salty scent and that was one of the main reasons I bought it. It doesn't make the hair super crunchy, though it does leave that salt water feeling on the hair and it made decent enough beachy waves, however, real salt water does it way better. I've only used it once, so I need more play time with it.

Müller, 8.39 €

KNEIPP Badekristale Immer cool bleiben 

Stay Cool Bath Crystals

It was 30°C outside when I was shopping in Müller plus I've just been through an hour long drive and this caught my attention because it's so cute with the penguin chilling with the cocktail. Normally I don't associate baths with cooling down, however, this one contains mint and menthol, so I'm interested in how this works out. 

Müller, 1.29€

Shell and Starfish Soaps

I got these mainly as decoration. I've actually had these before also in a shape of a seahorse as these look so posh in the bathroom. The scent of these is so intense, it's just a classic clean scent and I love it.

Müller, 0.30 € per piece 

*YUMMY Rhubarb and Orange Shower Gel

This smells soo good! Yummy came out with three summer and cocktails inspired scents of their shower gels: Cranberry & Lime (brusnica in limeta), Elder & Mint (bezeg in meta) and Rhubarb & Orange (rabarbara in pomaranča). Mine smells so tropically-fruity sweet, but a tiny bit bitter, which makes it so fresh - I love it. Mom says it smells like Radenska ACE Tropik and I say it smells like Bibita (discontinued blue label one). Otherwise it's just a regular shower gel, which is luckily not as runny as the original ones, but as far as any skin care benefits go, there are none, but the scent is all that matter to me anyway.

Click2Chic, 5,95 € (500 ml)

Belles Saisons Eau De Cologne Lavande

I already spoke about this in my May favourites and I've been spraying this like crazy for weeks now. I discovered this whilst exploring E.Leclerc's beauty section (again. I love it because they have things that you can't get anywhere else in Slovenia) and I was buying spare razors in the men's section when this caught my eye and once I saw the price, I just shoved it in my shopping basket. I love the vintage feel of the glass bottle, it looks better in person and it's glass, so I keep it on display in my room, right next to L'Occitane's stuff. The scent is proper a lavender and even though it's a eau de cologne, when I spray a lot of it, it doesn't disappear in seconds .

E.Leclerc, 1.51 € (250 ml)

Anything you'd like to see a review or an Instagram picture of first? 

* - Products are PR samples.

Disappointing Products

Though I must say I sail the beauty products waters quite successfully and rarely purchase a product that performs poorly, I still have a few laying around. I'm a type person that extensively researches almost every product I buy and I rarely buy something impulsively, yet actually a lot of these product were bought either based on previous good experience with a similar product from the same brand or they just grabbed my attention and I bought them on the spot. To avoid making this post too negative, I'll put a link to a favourable review of each product, so you can more critically assess whether the product might still work for you.

BeautyUK Eden Palette

How gorgeous is this to look at, am I right? This is without a doubt my favourite collection of colours in a palette out of the ones I own (which aren't that many to be honest) and I am gutted it turned out to be such a dud product. The pigmentation of this is so poor, especially of the prettiest matte shades. Those shimmery shades don't perform much better, they do show up, but they all look the same on the lids when blended. This palette completely turned me off cheap "dupe" palettes. I'd rather pay more for a high end one and have eyeshadows that are of actual good quality. I don't care if this was only 6 €, it was still precious pennies wasted on a rubbish product.

Positive review: Bean's Beauty Blog. 

MODELS OWN Gel Eyeliner

I was sent this, but that doesn't inspire mercy from me. At the end of the day I'm still left with a liner that isn't performing the way it should and I hate having such products taking up my space in my makeup collection. The formula of this is simply too dry, so a nice even line is hard to do as mostly it turns out to be a diffused and soft type of line, the same I can achieve with an eyeshadow. Gel eyeliners should be fluid enough and not almost dried up when new.

Positive review: Temporary Secretary

L'OREAL Super Liner So Couture

I got not one, but two completely dry ones, which can only mean I have either the worst luck in the world (believable) or this is just a rubbish formula. I couldn't even do a proper review with pictures of this on the eyes because I couldn't even do a line. I think that the swatch picture says everything there is to know about this liner and I'm still pissed I paid 10 € for it.

Positive review: Meteo Beauty 

ARTDECO High Precision Liquid Liner

This liner is infuriating. The worst flip flopper I owned. If you've read my review, I've seen the problem with it - the formula is simply drying too fast for a decent application. Most of the time I get barely anything out of it and then on rare occasions it works almost perfectly. It was very expensive, so despite its occasional good behaviour, it deserves a place in this post.

Positive review: Anaviglam

L'OREAL Studio Line #TXT Excess Volume Texturising Spray

For a time this was the only such product available in Slovenia, but now I've seen a few new interesting ones. When this first came out, I've heard some great reviews about it, later also a few bad ones and my experience falls into the latter group. It's a strange product that on my hair either does nothing when used in moderation and when I increase the amount, I get a very sticky, my-hair-hasn't-been-washed-in-ages result that doesn't terribly please me. This is like a very weak, sticky hair spray that just doesn't work for my hair. I much prefer the VO5's one as well as the Charles Worthington's.

Positive review: Katie's Beauty Blog.

GOT2B Volumania Volumising Hairspray

When I discovered that my favourite hairspray apparently isn't sold in Slovenia any more, I decided to give this one a try because I love the mousse and the styling spray from this line. I hated this from the first spray. I was so spoiled from the Lee Stafford one, which feels like nothing on the hair that having a sticky, wet residue after application was a bit of a shock to me. It also didn't perform in the hold department, certainly not on the level of Lee Stafford's one. For me this felt just too noticeable on the hair and technology has come far enough to leave such 90's feeling hairsprays in the past. 

Positive review: Chérie 

GOT2B Sprüh Kleber a.k.a Freeze Haispray

I got this because I wanted something that would hold my natural/heatless curls that I love so much, but they drop within a half an hour (such a shame). It didn't perform as I expected. This has a very high rating on Makeup Alley and people said this holds like nobody's business. Apparently just not on my hair. I saw no difference in terms of hold between Lee Stafford's one, however, this is very sticky as well as heavy. I don't like noticeable hair sprays, so this isn't for me. That being said, when I do hair on other people, they almost always request this hair spray because they like to feel that there is something on the hair, I guess they are so used to the idea that the hairspray must be sticky to hold. I used this on a girl with very thin hair when I curled her hair for a special occasion and she said her hair drops really fast - as far as I'm concerned this hairspray  didn't perform all that well because she came home with her hair almost flat.

Positive Review: I Covet Thee

PHILLIP KINGSLEY Elasticizer

This was one of the biggest hair disappointment for me. Glowing reviews convinced me to shell out for a 75 ml size that I knew won't last many uses on my long hair. It's a pre-wash treatment that you apply either for 20 minutes or overnight on slightly damp hair. This didn't pretty much nothing, certainly nothing comparable to other expensive hair treatments like Masquintense or Intense Hydrator. Money down the drain this was, nothing else. 

Positive review: Amelia Liana 

PHYTO 9

Another product I got based on highly praising reviews on Makeup Alley and one I disliked from the first use. My hair is very dry, especially in the days after washing, so I had hoped this would be a nice silicone-free nourishing leave-in to fix my hair. This is such an odd product, it's like applying a face moisturiser on the hair and it leaves these white dust-like dots on the hair, which is not attractive when you have dark hair like mine. But the greatest disappointment was the fact that it didn't even work. I noticed no significant nourishment, certainly nothing comparable to Orofluido Sahara, which is one of the best quick-fix products to treat dryness that I found. 

Positive review: Makeup and more

ARGAN OIL Hydrating Hair Mask

This is utter, total crap. By far the worst product in this selection. It ruined my hair by making it look and feel like straw, people genuinely couldn't believe that a masks could do this when they touched my hair. I saw this whilst exploring the never ending treasure that is Leclerc's beauty department. It caught my eye because it's very cheap and the ingredients looked decent (argan oil on 7th place plus even a bit of keratin). Though it's a thick mask, it has zero moisturising properties, my hair felt awful when I was rinsing it off and I couldn't even run my fingers through my hair when it was dry, that's how tangly it was. Horrible, horrible stuff. If you see this in Leclerc, just ignore it. 

I can't find a positive review about this and I'm not surprised.

I LOVE… Honey Almond Shower Gel

Yeah.. this is basically liquid. You know when a shower gel or liquid soap is running out and you can't get the last bit out, so you pour water in the bottle to get it out. Well, this is like it. A diluted soap. It's impossible to wash with or least make foam without a mesh sponge. It smells nice, but that's it. 

Positive review: Parokeets

BALEA Fantastique 5-Klingen Rasierer

I bought a female razor after possibly 7 years or more. I used to have a Venus one, but I completely switched to male razors because if it's good for someone's face, it's good enough for me. Sweet lord are female razors rubbish compared to male ones! What's with the annoying, bulky strips that prevent you from reaching places. They make it so clumsy. I already have a good shaving gel and an oil, why do I need a moisturising strip as well? Also I think it kind of broke after first use because it bent 90°degrees and stayed like that. Odd little thing. In all years of shaving, I don't recall many occasions when I cut myself, but with this one, I was shocked to see bloody shins when I came out of the shower. And I don't mean on one single occasion, I mean every time I used it. Once I had four cuts on one leg alone. I'm sticking to my Gillette Fusion Proglide. Yes, the replacement blades are so expensive, but the razor does its job the way it's supposed to, plus it has an additional blade in the back. Male razors rule, people. Just saying.

Positive review: Julia's Beauty Blog 

Any big disappointments you encountered recently? Have a great day!