Beauty Archives - Page 8 of 22

Beauty

Venturing into high-end natural skincare

10. 9. 2017

To me, Annemarie Börlind has always been a synonym for high quality cosmetics. I can still remember my mom having one of their face creams in my childhood and I was sure this brand is intended for grown-up women who have everything figured out. Funnily enough, I’ve been an adult for quite some time now but only managed to get my hands on two products from the Annemarie Börlind Combination Skin line this August. In recent year I’ve become much more aware about what type of products I use, particularly when it comes to skincare. For this reason I went for the Cleansing Gel and Light Day Essence as these are the products I use twice a day and really want them to do my skin good on the long term.

I can say without hesitation that these two items are the best skincare purchases I made so far. Their Cleansing Gel is a very gentle yet one of the most effective cleansing products in my skincare stash. It removes all impurities so nicely and leaves a gentle feeling without drying the skin out. I also used it on my summer holidays as a makeup remover and you wouldn’t believe how effectively it removed my waterproof mascara and foundation, even better than my micellar waters! I would never expect such a gentle product to be so effective, especially considering it is based on natural products, such as witch hazel and chamomile. There is no foaming involved, you just apply the gel on a damp face and rinse it off. And it has a divine fresh, natural scent, can I get a fragrance version, please?!

And don’t get me wrong, the Light Day Essence is not behind! This fluid really surprised me as it comes in a creamy form, not something I’m used with fluids. Nevertheless, the skin absorbs it quickly and it doesn’t leave any oily residue, which makes it perfect as a makeup base. Some of its ingredients are sea algae extract, green tea and vitamin E as well as jojoba oil, all of which moisturize and protect the skin. I only need a small amount for my whole face and can already see both products will go a long way.

Although these products are on the pricier side, I do think they are worth the money as they give a completely different, more natural feeling on the skin. All in all, an amazing purchase and I will definitely check out other products from their Combination Skin line!

♥

4 Comments

Beauty

Happy anniversary, Ličila.si!

3. 9. 2017

In August Ličila.si celebrated their 7th anniversary and surprised Slovenian bloggers with amazing packages on the occasion! If you don’t already know, Ličila.si is one of the most successful Slovenian online stores, and with a good reason. They are retailing nothing but cruelty-free cosmetics and beauty products that are available both to those who do not wish to spend tons of money on cosmetics as well as those who like to treat themselves with good quality vegan makeup. I’ve ordered products on their website on several occasions in the past 7 years and it truly is a delight to see a website with such an amazing work ethic grow so quickly!

The most exciting item is certainly the Makeup Revolution London PRO HD LUXE eyeshadow palette. There are 35 different shades to choose from ranging from beigy mattes to dark and earth-toned shimmers. Those light shimmery shades on top can be used as a highlighter, too, which makes this palette highly versatile. You can create a neutral daily look or go for hot smokey eyes for a night out, all just in one product! As always, all shades are very pigmented and easy to blend. I already have several Makeup Revolution palettes in my makeup stash and they have never ever disappointed me, so this will be a great addition to my collection. ♦ The second little gem is the Iconic Matte Nude Revolution Lipstick in shade Wishful. Although I’m not a huge fan of neutral lips (at least on me), I’m slowly getting into it season by season. This slightly rosy nude is very creamy and has a matte finish, surely I can make good use out of it in the next few months! ♦ And the last item is the I Heart Makeup Unicorns Heart A Rainbow Highlighter (made by unicorns), how intriguing is that name?! This is basically an insanely intensive highlighter with a rainbow of colors, literally. In my opinion, this would work out if there were only several shades. The blue and the green are just too intense when I apply it on my cheekbones. However, the yellow and orange tones are great so I usually just swirl the brush on that side of the heart and it works just fine.

Thank you Ličila.si for the gift and I wish you many successful years in the future! You can also benefit from a free-shipping code MURFSH in Slovenia, a great opportunity worth taking!

♥

1 Comment

Beauty

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

8. 8. 2017

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 ♥

4 Comments

Beauty

Protecting my skin

25. 7. 2017

Although I love strolling around during the day in the summer, I know how dangerous it is to expose your skin to the sun. And since there is so much controversy when it comes to some of the ingredients in sunscreens, I figured why not try a more natural alternative for protecting my skin. Lush is always my first choice when I’m looking for such products and I was very excited when I bought Powdered Sunshine and The Sunblock in early spring. This means I’ve had plenty opportunities in the past few months to test these two items out.

Powdered Sunshine is a loose powder with SPF 15 and I was really skeptical about how it would turn out. As I’d been using sunscreen creams since I can remember, I could never imagine that a simple powder would protect me against UV-rays, but my worries were completely unfounded! It contains a bunch of good ingredients, such as sesame oil and cocoa butter to nourish your skin, and lemon, lime and patchouli oil for a nice summery and oriental scent. The powder is really easy to use and I mostly apply it in the morning or in the evening when the sun is not that strong. However, I don’t feel like using it during the day or when I’m at the beach, so this is when The Sunblock with SPF 30 steps in. Although the instructions say that it is best to use in the shower, I usually use it as any other Lush massage bar. As most of the product consists of cocoa butter, it easily melts to the touch and creates a relatively thick layer that has a very calming scent of chamomile, rose, eucalyptus and limonene. And not to mention both products really work great, I have a beautiful tan and did not get sunburnt at all, mission accomplished!

If you’re interested to know what real experts think about sunscreens, you should definitely visit http://www.reviews.com/sunscreen/. There you will find the most recent findings about the efficiency of sunscreens, which ingredients to avoid and which formulas will work the best as some are apparently more tricky to use than the others. They also analyzed 135 products and chose top five to help you out. All in all an interesting research worth reading!

Take care! ♥

Beauty

I WANT CANDY!

7. 7. 2017

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?! :)

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.

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

♥

1 Comment

Beauty

Vanilla & Jasmine

1. 7. 2017

… and it’s finally mine, one of the best vanilla and jasmine fragrances in the world! Last week I celebrated my birthday and my sister surprised me with Vanillary, a fragrance by Lush that has been on my wish list for quite a while. Sweet notes of vanilla blend with tonka absoulte and jasmine to create one of the most warm perfumes out there. Although Vanillary is a completely vegan product, I can assure you its longevity will take you by surprise. Just a few sprays on my neck and hair are enough for the whole day and I keep noticing the scent on my hair up until the evening, I love it! Because of its warm, sweet notes it’s absolutely wonderful to use in the autumn and winter, but I’m still using it on the summer days that aren’t too hot. Oh and I almost forgot to mention, if you generally don’t like vanilla scents you get in drugstores, you should give this one a go because it’s definitely something special!

♥

2 Comments

Beauty

Matte Me

4. 6. 2017

I’m very much into bright matte lips and got really excited when I took a moment and browsed through the Sleek stand in Müller. I was intrigued by their Matte Me Ultra smooth matte lip cream collection pretty much instantly so I went and read a few blogs on the internet which had mixed reviews. I remember that a few Slovenian bloggers already mentioned them months ago and I know some of them didn’t like the applicator, but really liked the formula so I decided to give these two shades a go.

I chose a bright, classy Rioja Red and a hot pink Fandango Purple. I mean, these two shades were literally speaking to me when I saw them, both are insanely intense and pigmented. However, the colors are practically the only thing I love about them.

Firstly, the doe-foot applicator is the most difficult to use, it is so stiff and long that I always manage to ruin everything. There is no place for mistake so you can forget using it when you’re in rush. Secondly, although the lip creams seem long lasting at first sight, everything starts to crumble away soon after my first sip of water or, god forbids, a bite of food. Thirdly, the lip stick is hard to remove when you manage to smudge it during the application, but doesn’t leave any stain on the lips. This means that when the cream starts to fall off, your lips are completely visible and you have to touch it up if you don’t want to look silly.

All in all, I’m very disappointed with the purchase, especially because each of them costs around € 8. I would much rather get several matte lipsticks by Golden Rose or Essence for that price although I don’t like really like them either. Maybe I was expecting too much, especially because I tried Matte Shakers by Lancôme several times and they really set the bar high. I will probably get one of those as well, just to have a matte lip product that I would actually like using on a daily basis.

Nevertheless, I really like Sleek for their eye shadows and my sister loves their lip sticks, which means that they offer good products. They also don’t conduct animal testing, which is amazing and always worth supporting. I will give these two Matte Me lip creams a few more tries before I give in completely! :)

♥

Older Posts

Newer Posts