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Essence

Beauty

ADVENTURE AWAITS

4. 5. 2018

img_0069img_0085img_0125img_0144Essence has been spoiling us with fantastic summer limited editions for years. The packaging of their new collection Adventure Awaits is so trendy and chic, lots of pink, pastels and golden details (a very Coachella-inspired theme!). This time I got the opportunity to test out the Collect moments, not things! bronzing eyeshadow palette full of of earth-toned shades. I’m not a huge fan of their eye shadows, but I decided to give them a try as I haven’t tried them out for several years. There are two light shades for applying into the inner corner of the eyes, two transition shades and two deeper eye shadows that are perfect for creating some definition in the outer part of the eyelid. I love earth-toned eye shadows and this palette will be a nice addition to my makeup collection!

The first three shades (and the first three swatches) have quite a chunky glitter, so you can expect some fallout. The first one is also very bright and almost white, a bit too much for me and I also feel this type of glitter would irritate my eyes. However, I love how easily all the other shades blend together and obviously, you don’t need to use all of them at once (have to admit, I adore applying just one eye shadow from time to time)!

The entire limited edition is already available in stores, I look forward to browsing though their new makeup items. The bronzer looks very intriguing and so do the golden tattoos, shiny body lotion and higlighting blotting paper. Is there anything you’d like to try from the new Essencce LE? :)

Beauty

GIRL SQUAD AND GLITTER

18. 3. 2018

img_9717img_9714img_9740img_9774Hi, my lovely ladies! My lunch is in the making (coconut curry with veggies and basmati rice, my favorite!) and I want to take the opportunity to share my thoughts about four Essence products that I received not long ago. This is a highly important post: I’m obsessed with their quality and all of them are so useful – especially if you’re planning to go on any kind of music festival this summer. Believe me, these events require a bunch of arrangements months in advance, my best friend told me everything abot that ;)

First of all, I received two makeup brushes form their Girl Squad limited edition. To be honest, I was never particularly interested in their brushes, but these looked promising on the internet. They are shaped as ladies in the front and at the back, so cute! The first one is called Soft Sophie, such a funny name! It’s an all-around face brush and I like to use it for applying my loose powder on the under-eye area. The second one, however, is called Contouring Carla and has a different shape. This one is meant to use for contouring and highlighting, but I’m not particularly keen on this one. I just think it’s so difficult to use! I usually just dab the top into my highlighter and use it like that, but would probably work well with a bronzer in a gel or stick form. Nevertheless, the quality is decent for the price and they have 9 brushes to choose from, which is also great.

Last but not least, I also received a Glitter Primer and loose star glitter from their Get your glitter on! collection. And this is what I’ve been talking about at the beginning. If you’re planning to go somewhere special in the summer (or you’re already planning your Christmas and NY’s Eve makeup look like I am – this may sound excessive, but I’ve looked everywhere in December to find some loose glitter and couldn’t find it anywhere!), go take a look and you may find some interesting glitters or pigments. They offer 11 glitters and 4 pigments as well as a Glitter Primer. So far I have only tried it with the stars on my hand as there are not many occasions to wear glitter stars nowadays, but they stayed put until I took them off about an hour later. The primer has a beautiful rosy sheen and I’m sure it creates a nice transition into the glitter or pigment. It may even turn out to be an amazing eye shadow primer, but I have yet to find out. I think this whole line will be part of their spring/summer offer so I hope they aren’t sold out yet. As I said, I want to make sure I find some amazing glitter that will come in handy when the right occasion comes :)

I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! 

 

Beauty

BEST OF CATRICE AND ESSENCE IN DECEMBER

28. 1. 2018

img_8973img_8989img_8996img_9008img_9028Catrice and Essence surprised me with some of their limited editions in December. Unfortunately, they are probably not available anymore, but I’m sure there will be similar ones available in the future. All of these have quickly become my staples and I still love using them, although the holiday season finished weeks ago. My favorite product of all is the Catrice Cosmic Body Sparkle Fluid. It comes in the prettiest matt bottle and looks very minimalistic. The fluid itself looks like a dry oil and contains the most beautiful shimmer ever, I applied it on my hands, arms and décolletage for every single occasion in December and it looked amazing. I know it will look gorgeous in the summer when I’m slightly tanned, such an amazing item! Next is the Make Me Special prismatic lipstick topper with silver glitter. In my opinion, the glitter is too big to be worn on its own, but works pretty good when I apply it over a matt lipstick that needs some dimension. Another interesting product is the Counting Stars magic mirror effect nail pigment in shade 01. I’ve never used anything like this before, but I love how it worked out. You apply a small amount of the pigment over a slightly dried coat of nail polish and rub it until the surface is shiny, and then top it off with a top coat. I applied it over a red Catrice nail polish and it looks very pink with a blue undertone. However, I couldn’t take a nice picture of it, but there are plenty on the internet :) It’s done very quickly and looks very nice, so I’m looking forward to using it over other shades of nail polish as well. Last but not least, I also received the Be My Highlight eyeshadow palette with four pastel metallic shades. They look so pretty and gentle on my face, and you can also use them as a highlighter! All in all, I love their limited editions, but the only downside is that they the products are gone pretty quickly. I have some amazing goodies by L.O.V. Cosmetics, cannot wait to share them with you! :) Take care!

Beauty

New releases by L.O.V., Catrice & Essence

8. 8. 2017

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In July I received four products that were part of new releases by L.O.V., Catrice and Essence. I’ve never tried L.O.V. products prior to this and my mind was blown when I tried their nude FATALmuse liquid matt lipstick in shade Secret Obsession. Its texture has such a luxurious feeling on the lips, very creamy with a matt effect. What I also love is that after a few hours the lipstick gradually wears off, but doesn’t leave any weird stains. This a great characteristic as other matt lipsticks dry up and crumble off your lips every time even after a tiny a sip of water. I also got a green EYEtracction magnetic loose eye shadow in shade Magnetize Me, such a funny product to use! The bottom of the jar must have some sort of magnet attached that attracts the loose eye shadow and when you use it, all the particles jump straight back to their place to form these lines. I applied it with a wet brush, but I wasn’t too amazed at how it turned out. I have hooded eyes and it’s hard to apply a bright eye shadow in such a way that would actually look great, haha! And it’s not as visible on the photos as I wanted it to be – I probably should’ve blended it a bit more, such a shame!

I also got the CUBANITA baking & banana powder by Essence that is great for baking those parts of the skin that you wish would stay put longer. I applied it under my eyes and on my T-zone area over my foundation and concealer. Let me tell you, I am impressed with the result! It literally melts with other products to create a porcelain-like finish and covers my pores perfectly. The under-eye area looks fabulous even after a whole day! However, I have to be careful with applying it around the nose as it looks slightly cakey, everyone wants to avoid that! The undertone is quite yellow which suits me perfectly, but be careful if your skin tone is on the fair side.

And finally, I got my hands at a bronzer that suits me perfectly! The Sun Stripping Bronzer is part of the Soleil d’Été collection by Catrice and has everything that I want in a bronzer: opacity, a completely matt finish and a deep bronzy shade. It perfectly matches my complexion and it seems perfect to use in the winter, too.

So, have you tried any of these or other products from the collections? Soleil d’Été is an extraordinary line, all makeup enthusiasts are impressed with these items, especially with the highlighter – too bad I have so many to use up already! Take care 

Beauty

I WANT CANDY!

7. 7. 2017

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Essence and Catrice have yet again released several lovely limited editions and I had the opportunity to test out a few of their products. First of all, how cute is the idea of candy-flavoured and candy-scented makeup products? The I Want Candy collection is already in drugstores offering a wide range of makeup items with Chupa Chups scent. Although it’s been ages since I had my last lollipop, this scent takes me right back to my childhood!

The first item I received is a scented lipgloss palette, a set of four lightly coloured and very tasty-smelling lip glosses. The first on the top left has a very glossy finish and is great as a lip stick topper, whereas the other three are a bit more shimmery and opaque. My favorite one is the pink one at the bottom right, it has a gorgeous tiny golden sheen to it, so lovely! The next product from the same line are scented blush shimmer pearls. Another lovely combination of pink and peachy shades that will give you a summery flush of color on your cheeks. They are quite pigmented so I always dab my brush onto my hand before applying it to my face. Oh, and have I mentioned both products smell like a real lollipop?! :)

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The last two products are by Catrice. The Cool and Matt lipstick is from the Travelight story collection and the name says it all! This gorgeous red lipstick in shade C01 Refreshed Red will leave your lips so fresh and minty, I was so surprised after trying it for the first time. I mean, you cannot go wrong with this item: the shade will give you an elegant kick, the matt formula is surprisingly great and will last for hours, and above all, you will feel refreshed all the time. Last but not least, I I also got the Nail Paint To GO nail polish pen, this is literally a felt-tip pen and instead of a permanent marker there is a nail polish! I have it in a classic bright red shade C06 Tomato Red Rush. Well, this was a real challenge for me: I managed to paint my left hand decently, but had a bunch of problems with applying it on my right hand! I’m right-handed and I found this much more difficult than with a regular brush. However, the whole experience was so much fun, but I will apply a base coat beforehand because it can be quite runny on dry nails.

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So, are you a fan of new approaches in beauty like me or do you prefer to stick with regular, well-tested techniques? :)

Beauty

Essence & Catrice spring releases

19. 5. 2017

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catrice-provocatriceimg_0821img_0826img_0831img_0837Essence and Catrice released two of their new limited editions in Slovenia this week! I couldn’t be more excited as there are plenty of trendy and summery products to choose from at their drugstore stands.

Catrice is offering us two of their new gorgeous lines. You can take a peek at a rather elegant Provocatrice section where you will find a number of exciting makeup products. Options are endless, everyone can find something to their taste: subtle Eye Palette eye shadows, a transparent Scented Powder (which I have to get my hands on!), wonderful Gradiation Blushes, Volume Lash Dust to treat your lashes with some volume, Nail Lacquers, and two Cushion Powder Lips. I got the opportunity to try out the Cushion Powder Lips lipstick in shade Raspberry Belle, a gorgeous pink powder lipstick that creates a silky matt finish. I don’t love it just because it is so radiant and looks amazing, but also because I love its cushion formula (the lipstick is actually inside the lid!)!

Catrice also released a separate nail polish line, ICONails Gel Lacquer. There are so many shades to choose from, but I had to choose the most classic and elegant red there is, It’s All About That Red. I think it goes well with any type of clothes and always looks amazing.

On the other hand, Essence brought us a completely summery collection Next Stop: SUMMER that will instantly make you feel summer is already here! Airbrush bronz & glow face and body spray, sun protect lip conditioner, colour changing lipsticks and sun glow top coat are just the products I would love to try out – I have to visit Müller very soon! There are also a dry & wet eyeshadow & eyeliner palette, matte blotting paper and some other cute items that are worth checking out.

Big thanks to Dominur for these two products and a gorgeous Essence Notebook! Essence is celebrating its 15th anniversary already, I cannot believe it as it feels like it was just yesterday that I bought my first Essence product. Keep up the good work! #15pinkyears

Beauty

Glitter In The Air and Victorian Poetry

8. 11. 2016

In November, essence and Catrice are releasing several of their limited editions which I’m pretty excited about. My problem with new releases is the same every single time. I realise they are in drugstores days after the best products are already sold out! Not this time, because I got the opportunity to try out four products from collections Glitter in the air and Victorian Poetry.

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The main shades in the Essence Glitter in the air llimited edition are rose, green and plum with a metallic and glittery touch. This makes them perfect for all kinds of events we will be attending in December.

There are so many products to choose from! You can create an entire New Year’s Eve look with gorgeous metallic eye shadows, two diamond-shaped lip sticks as well as a blush and shimmer drops to round up your festive look. Essence did not forget about your nails, there are a grey and a rose as well as two glittery shades available in their nail polish limited edition. One product I would be eager to try out is the ultra strong nail polish remover, glittery manicure will surely be much easier to remove when time comes considering how difficult it is to take it off!

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On the other hand, the make up items in the Catrice Victorian Poetry limited edition are pretty extravagant and subtle. Colors vary from apricot, nude and grey to berry and the eye palette is much more captivating as it offers all of them! You can top your perfect eye look with a gorgeous grey matt powder liner AristoMATTic. If you’re a highlighting fan as myself, you should try out the highlighting pebbles Queen Victoria Is AmusedFor a pop of color you can apply an always-trendy deep red lipstick, such as Berry British.

What about the products I’ve tried so far?

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As I already mentioned, I got the opportunity to try out two products from the Glitter in the air collection by essence. The first item is the strobing blush and highlighter powder When in doubt, add glitter. This gorgeous lilac blush, or a blush topper even, will give you a soft flush of color and you don’t even have to add any highlighter to it, isn’t this great! I also received the eyebrow pomade pen in shade make your brow wow. I think this is such a versatile shade, it fits my brows very well. The thing is, you don’t have to be that precise with the pen as you can easily brush through and set everything in place.

The first item from the Catrice Victorian Poetry limited edition are the highlighting pebbles Queen Victoria is amused. They consist of rose and creamy pebbles which form a pretty rose glowI also received a lip stick in shade Berry British which I adore! At first, it seemed to be a usual burgundy red, but then I realised it has a lot of brown undertones. It looks amazing and perfect for this time of year. However, it does look uneven after an hour or two, so I have to monitor the situation all the time – but I’m willing to do that for gorgeous lips!

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All in all, both Glitter in the air as well as Victorian Poetry offer a wide range of products. I’m pretty sure everyone can find a few items to suit their needs and these four products will nicely fit into my current make up routine. Personally, I would love to give the grey matt powder liner a go and I’ll purchase it if I manage to find one at the drugstore. What about you, which products do would you like to try out?