Product of the Week #18

This is the second February in a row that I'm all over this body spray. I'm talking, of course, about Victoria's Secret Coconut Passion and it might surprise you to learn that it doesn't actually smell all that coconuty at all. This is not a scent I'd wear to the beach or associate with summer. Not at all. This is actually a very warm and snugly scent that's more appropriate for winter. I tend to change my fragrances a lot depending on my mood and I sprayed this very liberally one day just because it was the nearest thing around me. I then started writing another post and all of a sudden I started smelling home-made cookies. You know those yummy vanilla crescents? Sniffing the air thinking that some miracle occurred and someone brought me cookies, I then realised it's me that smells so good. I smelled just like cookies. Which is cool in my book and I don't care what anyone says. It usually smells a bit sharper on me, a more perfumey vanilla with a hint of coconut, but on that day, my chemistry and this spray really got along. Coconut Passion is also a great fragrance for layering, particularly with Yves Rocher's Noix de Coco or L'Occitane's Ambre (that's how I wore it last winter) This is a strong scent and it lasts long on the skin, so the fact this body spray comes in a 150 ml bottle, means it should last you a while. 

I got this off eBay a while a go, but if you're from a country that has Victoria Secret shops, I'm sure it's easier for you to get a hold off. Slovene girls that can't order from abroad should check Salma if they have it in stock, but they have a ton of stuff there that aren't even available at the moment.

Have a great day!

Product of the Week #17

Back in the days, when I went through the enough-with-the-black-eyeliner phase in my teens, I discovered this gem - Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Stash. You know something achieved the coveted holly grail status when you're using it since secondary/high school. Stash is an olive green old gold shade with gold shimmer that just works so well with my grey-blue-green eyes. It's dark enough to give a sufficient amount of definition while not overpowering the whole look by looking too harsh, but it also gives you a bit of colour. I wear it either on the top lashline, waterline or on the lower lashline, it works everywhere.
I have a few of these UD's 24/7 eyeliners and all are amazing quality - so pigmented, creamy and smooth. They don't tug on the eyes, there is no need for a million swipes to show up, they really stay on and most importantly, they don't go hard after a while (looking at you Max Factor Liquid Effect Pencil. I'm sorry to inform you that our romance is over). Despite the heavier price tag, these are absolutely worth the money. The black one, called Zero, is my favourite black eyeliner. 

Here is a comparison of Stash with L'Oreal's Infallible eyeshadow in Bronze Goddess (bottom).

What's your favourite non-black eyeliner?
Have a great day!

Product of the Week #16

I've mentioned before that though I'm not much of an eyeshadow person (UD's Naked Basic sort of changed that), I wear black eyeshadow close to the lash line to create the invisible eyeliner effect. Recently, I dug out from my stash L'Oreal's Super Liner Carbon Gloss eyeliner because I wanted a more intense line (I would use my Essence gel eyeliner but I discovered it had dried up). I do not have the steadiest hands or any proper eyeliner skills really, but even I can do a pretty decent job with this liner. I like the applicator which is a semi-soft felt tip that provides a comfortable application, but it's not super thin which means really fine lines are a bit difficult to do, but not impossible. I had Essence's Black Mania version before and that one felt clumsy and a bit scratchy, so I wasn't a fan of it. But I've had L'Oreal's Super Liner for a really long time and the applicator hasn't lost shape. It has a deep carbon black formula that has excellent pigmentation, glides smoothly and leaves no gaps during application. And it's very long lasting too. Provided I don't rub my eyes during the day, it can last all day without smudging or flaking. One thing that does bother me is the glossy finish it has, so I put some black eyeshadow over it to make it matte. It costs about 10 € in any drugstore and I will repurchase it when it runs out.

Washed out crappy picture, I know. This is before mascara, I have no eyeshadow on, only the eyeliner:

What is your favourite liquid eyeliner?
Have a great day!

Product of the Week #15 and Some Pictures from my Trip to an Amusement Park

Get ready for me gushing about Essence Stay Matte Lip Cream again. I'm a massive fan of these, in fact, they are my absolute favourite formula of any lip product. But this week, one of them, Smooth Berry, passed the ultimate test with flying colours. I went on an all day trip to an amusement park (anyone from this part of Europe will know which, Gardaland), wearing this lip colour. It survived all day, with barely any need for retouching. This includes 10 hours of driving, me chatting (mostly to get through the at times awkward silence of a long drive), sightseeing, going on rides, eating and drinking. I reapplied it on two occasions, even though there really was no need to because most of the colour was still there except in the corners. It was more just to refresh the colour. Yes, I was very impressed, especially since these cost a reasonable 2.19€. I never felt like my lips were dry, nor did I use a chapstick. I think this colour works so well for me, but I would still love to see Essence bringing more colours to the range. There are only four and Smooth Berry is a dark rose-magenta shade. You can find the original review here (though this is a better swatch of itˇ).

And some pictures from that day taken with two different phones, not exactly top notch pictures, but they're have to do. The scenery is just stunning, especially the Aladin Palace, Fuga da Atlantide and Abu Simbel replica (Ramses: Il Risveglio).

 And me wearing my fun Halloween handband with "scary" pumpkins. They are super bouncy.

 Have a great day!

Product of the Week #14

It seems that Balea has a knack for making delicious smelling shower gels. On my recent trip to DM, after weeks of searching, I finally came across Balea Dusche & Creme Cocos & Nectarine shower gel and let me tell you, it smells divine. Remember those Hubba Bubba peach favoured chewing gums (which I believe are unfortunately discontinued, but they were my favourite when I was a kid)? This smells exactly like it - like a very sweet peach bubble gum.  I adore it. I don't get any coconut, just the juicy bubble gum note. If you are a fan of such scents, have a sniff of it when you're in DM. The price is the usual 0.85€ and I believe it's permanent. 

I also have the deodorant Cocos & Nectarine, but unfortunately it doesn't smell anything like it. That one is a soapy version of creamy coconut and nectarine scent. 

Have a great day!

Product of the Week #13

Recently, I have been skipping foundation/BB's entirely. Not just because of the heat, which makes any foundation feel suffocatingly heavy, but primarily because my skin got a lot better since I completely revamped my skin care regime. So I've been only using just a bit of concealer. But not just any in my collection. I used Maybelline's Instant Anti-Age The Eraser Eye. Why? Because it blends seamlessly into the skin and looks incredibly natural while covering circles and any other redness. I have raved about this it extensively in the past and it remains firmly at the top of my favourite concealers. It has medium coverage, but covers my circles completely and can handle some small blemishes. I just swipe a bit under the eyes, around the nose and on the nose (it's darker than the rest of my face). It doesn't require much blending, because believe or not, the sponge actually works. I blend where needed with fingers or RT brush if it's handy. The result is pretty much flawless (at least in my eyes). I sure hope my skin stays as good, because I am loving the minimalism, even though I sometimes I like applying foundation even when I don't need it. Since my T-zone is oiler than usual, I apply a bit of Mac's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. For anything that needs more coverage, I still resort to Collection 2000 concealer, which covers everything, however, doesn't look as natural as the Maybelline one. 

I'm using the shade Fair, which is very light and pink toned. I have another in the shade Light, which is a bit darker and yellow toned. I have comparison swatches of both here.

For some unfathomable reason this drugstore gem is not sold in Slovenia, so I have to resort to buying it in our neighbouring Croatia and Austria. There is still eBay, though. Currently there is a set available in our drugstores with the foundation version of this, but I hear the formula is a lot lighter and not that good. Honestly, if this concealer would be a proper foundation, it would be one of my absolute favourites and definitely my favourite higher coverage ones.

Have a great day!

Product of the Week #12

I wasn't particularly thrilled by this mascara when I used it the first few times. I found it very decent, but too clumpy for my taste. I didn't use it for quite a while, it was my back-up mascara and was sitting in my drawer untouched. I started using it again about a week ago and I've been reaching for it every day since. I guess time has made it a lot better. As a result of becoming drier, it's far less clumpy. It still gives more length than volume, but it makes my lashes look just the way I want - big, long and defined lashes that still look natural. Basically, the look I'm striving for is like my natural lashes are pretty and not plastered with a ton of mascara. I still think the packaging is so "high school", but it's prettier than that hideous yellow tube of my preferred Maybelline's the Colossal.  It's a worthy competitor to the Maybelline one and I'll probably repurchase it in the future, but leave it open for about a day, so it will become drier.  The original review is here.

Have a great day!

Product of the Week #11

Coralista is my go-to blush and I tend to neglect the rest that I own at lot, but this week decided to dust off my (almost) forgotten Lancome Blush Subtil in Miel Glace and start using it again. If you only knew how long this has been hiding in my make up storage. It was actually my second blush, the first one being Nars Orgasm and I bought it because I wanted a nice, very natural looking blush that would go with everything. It was blooming expensive as is everything by Lancome, I believe somewhere around 35-40€ in Müller a long time ago (btw, the same product costs almost half the price in the USA - so unfair!).

It came so highly recommended by the pale members of the beauty community, citing it as the perfect natural blush for those who wish to avoid their cheeks looking overly red. It's a very natural, warm, light beige-pink-peach shade with delicate shimmer, which gives a soft flush to the cheeks with a subtle glow. It's almost like a light mix of a blush, highlighter and bronzer in one, adding just the right amount of warmth to the cheeks. Despite it looking very beige in the pan, it actually looks more pink on the cheeks.

As far as the quality goes, you really get what you're paying for. The texture is just right, not too soft nor too hard and the pigmentation is also nice. One or two swipes are enough to get the colour going and you can slowly build it up to get the desired intensity. I am really pale and I can apply too much if I'm overzealous with the blush application. I actually like the brush that's included, it works just fine for me. The compact also has a nice size mirror that comes in really handy.

People with sensitive skin might find it a bit irritating because it has quite a perfumey scent (typical Lancome flowery scent) and even after years it hasn't faded away much.

I know it's not the best quality picture, but I hope you can see the delicate flush this blush gives.

I'd love to hear about your products of the week if you have one. Thank for reading!

Product of the Week #10

I've liked Fame by Lady Gaga fragrance since I first tested it, but I only got it recently because it had a nice discount in Müller. I've been really enjoying wearing since I got it, mostly because it has honey in it, loads of it and I love honey. However, this is not a full-on honey scent, but rather a lovely honey-floral fragrance with a strong fruity note in the beginning and a hint of smokiness from the incense. A new "push-pull" technology was introduced in this fragrance instead of the "regular" pyramid structure and the notes are belladonna, incense, apricot, honey, saffron, tiger orchid and sambac jasmine. 

It starts with a sweet fruity note, apricot, but to me it smells like grape juice. My family owns a vineyard and this is how freshly squeezed grapes smell to me. Almost immediately the sweet honey makes an appearance and takes the dominant role, while the floral notes and apricot are in the background, however, they are still quite strong. To temper the sweetness of honey and the fruity note, there is a smoky note, incense, which differentiates the scent from the rest of the celebrity fruity-florals that mostly have vanilla, caramel and/or amber notes, but in its essence it's still a typical celebrity scent.

Staying power is quite good, I'd say moderate as is the projection. It's an eau de parfum, which makes it more concentrated, however it's not too strong. 

I find the bottle so beautiful. I really like the design of the cap, even though it's plastic, but it sure looks cool. It looks like something an evil queen from a fairytale would have on her vanity. The liquid is black, well more of a really dark purple if you look towards the light, but it doesn't spray black, however I still wouldn't spray it too close on light clothes. 

Have a great day!

Product of the Week #9

Something different for the product of the week today, a simple homemade face mask that I've been using not just this week, but for a while. It requires three ingredients which I'm sure most have at home: 

• a lemon 
• honey  
• baking soda

I just eyeball the amount needed, there really is no rule. It's simple, add some freshly squeezed lemon juice to the baking soda. It will fizz for a while and when that is over, I add a bit of honey and apply it on your face.  I mix all on my hand, so I can just apply it straight away and there is no extra mess with other pots or containers.

Because of the lemon juice, it does tingle from the start and for that reason I wouldn't recommend it to someone with very sensitive skin, because it could be too uncomfortable for them. I leave it on for 20 minutes and then rinse it off. Of course, you can leave it on for less time, again there is no rule, however, I wouldn't leave it longer. 

Lemon juice makes your skin look brighter and fades marks, while baking soda exfoliates the skin. Honey is antibacterial and contains loads of nutrients, minerals and vitamins, leaving your skin moisturised and supple. It can be a bit drying without the honey, but you can skip any ingredient if you don't have it at hand. 

I started using this mask, when some blackheads appeared out of nowhere on my nose (I've never had them before in my life!) and this worked brilliantly. It removed them in the first go. It's an easy mask that anyone can whip out at home and works for every skin tone (except perhaps on very sensitive one). I did a post on other homemade recipes I'm using here.

Thanks for reading!

Product of the Week #8

This tropical LE by Balea finally reached our DM shops. I'm a sucker for tropical scents and have been patiently waiting for this LE to arrive from the moment I saw the picture of it on their facebook page (I borrowed the second picture from there). I decided to get two shower gels for now, one is Hawaii Pineapple and the second Brazil Mango. The third Fiji Passionfruit, which I was most excited about because I adore passion fruit scents, isn't sold in my nearest DM (Did anyone see it anywhere else in Slovenia?). There are also three body lotions, a deodorant Brazil Mango (also wasn't in our shop) and a body spray in the same scent.

Hawaii Pineapple smells like straight up Pina Colada from the bottle, but smells more like fresh pineapple in the shower. The gel is coloured green - very pretty. The body lotion has the same scent, but I didn't get it because I have enough body moisturisers to get through. 

Brazil Mango smells like candy, I'll be very specific - the white Haribo gummy bear in the gold packaging (my favourite colour, I always eat those first. It's pineapple flavour). The gel is bright yellow.

This might be the best Balea's LE ever. The packagings are gorgeous, they bring a bit of Summer into the bathroom. If you love tropical scents and lucky enough to live in a country with DM's, give it a go. These shower gels cost 0.85€.

Product of the Week #7

I put Balea Bodycreme Sunny Peach in my recent wishlist post and I got it at the first opportunity I had. Which was a Saturday. At 8 P.M.. Late night shopping anyone? Anyway, the pot is huge. There is 500 ml of product for a super cheap price of only 1.95€. Nope, I didn't mix the numbers, it's that cheap. Normally, you'd expect something pretty rubbish for such a price, but we are talking about Balea. Those folks usually deliver and they did it again. The texture is light. It's still a cream, but very light, almost airy and perfect for hotter months. It is nicely moisturising and it sinks in relatively fast, but you'll be slightly sticky for a while. Now about the scent which is obviously the reason I got it. I'm very, very picky about peach scents. My favourite hands down is the TBS Vineyard Peach, the rest didn't really impress me apart from shower gel, again from Balea, a LE called Traum Geschöpft (post about peach scents here). It is a pretty good peach scent. I'd describe it as a ripe peach meets its yoghurt version mixed with a typical cream scent. Quite nice really. It's not strong, but it does linger for about an hour. All in all, if you like peach scents, this a nice body moisturiser for a bargain price.

Product of the Week #6

I've been waiting for Alverde Aroma Pflegeöl Kokos to arrive in our DM's and I finally spotted it in their "new releases display". It smells like a coconut creamy dessert or a coconut muffin, basically a mix of coconut and vanilla, but not too heavy or excessively sweet. It's not my favourite coconut scent, but it's ok nonetheless. I love using oils and I use them for body, hair, taking off makeup, etc. This is quite a light oil, but still greasy, it's a lot like their Argan Mandel hair oil. I really like using it for hair, because it works the same as the Argan one, but this is a bigger bottle and you get more product for the price . It's a nice body oil, because it sinks in relatively fast for an oil. It comes in a glass bottle with a pump and costs 3.95€ for 100ml.

Ingredients

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil*, Glycine Soja Oil*, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Parfum**, Cocos Nucifera Extract*, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil*, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil 

*ingredients from certified organic agriculture

**from natural essential oils

Product of the Week #5

My first ever blush was this little gem, Nars Orgasm, which is probably the most popular blush in the last decade, I'm guessing also partly because of the cheeky name, and is the origin of the peachy pink trend. Many companies attempted to create a similar shade, but you can be the judge of how successful they were. I used to wear it every day during high school, after all it was my only blush for a long time, but has since been gathering dust in my blush drawer. I admit Coralista has steered me away into more coral toned blush territory for a while, but this week I dusted off my old friend and wore it every day. I am at my palest right now and this gives me a subtle, more pink than peach flush with finely milled golden shimmer that adds a bit of much needed radiance to the cheeks in the gloomy winter months. I have another Nars blush with a brazen name which itself makes you blush, Deep Throat, however that one is more pigmented and I need to use a light hand to pull it off.

Product of the Week #4

I found this little gem, while searching for something else. I probably shouldn't put something that has been so long discontinued in my Product of the Week post, but it just enraptured me and brought back so many memories. I've been a L'occitane costumer for a long time and they had this amazing vanilla fragrance called Eau des Vanilliers. It is the best vanilla fragrance I ever smelled and I wore it throughout my high school years, all up to the point when they discontinued it. By the time I discovered it's not sold anymore, all the bottles were gone from the shelves and I couldn't buy one last bottle. 

I've completely forgotten that I have the solid perfume somewhere and I was so happy when I found it hidden in some drawer. I dab a small amount on my wrists and I keep sniffing them. It is such a comforting scent of oriental vanilla with some flowery notes (predominantly orchid). I wish they would still sell it, or at least do a LE with some of their discontinued products.

If you are familiar with L'Occitane and you shop there, you mostly likely noticed their tendency to discontinue products. I get the whole deal with their shops being small and they need to discontinue a line to make room for a new one. But do they have to stop selling all their best products? Apart from that vanilla fragrance, I also loved their Sweet Honey Lip Gloss (which was a LE, but one of the best lip glosses ever), Foaming Jelly Shower Gel (amazing honey scent), Honey Creamy Lip Balm, Lavender Matte Face Lotion (the best mattifier I ever used and didn't dry out the skin) and Red Rice Ultra Matte Face Fluid (similar to and a replacement for the Lavender one). I might be the only one that feels this way, but I just had to get this off my chest. Well, at least they still sell the Almond Shower Oil, which one of my favourite products ever.

Ok, enough with my lament. Do you have a favourite vanilla fragrance? 

Product of the Week #3

Ok, I'm cheating here because it's not a single product but a product line. Balea (brand sold in DM's) always manages make some super cool products and they did it again. Sweet Wonderland is their current LE that smells like a cup of Nesquick cocoa. Yummy! Unfortunately, for some reason they don't sell the shower gel in Slovenia  (I got mine in Austria), but mini deodorant and lip balm are available in our DMs. If you love chocolate scented products this will be right up your alley. Too bad it's LE. By the way, it is the same scent as at Balea's Bademomente Sinnesfroh bath salt in Kakao.

Product of the Week #2

My skin went bonkers this week. It just dried up like a Sahara. The tops of my cheekbones and the center of my forehead could be used as a sandpaper and the skin is ridiculously flaky there. The only moisturising enough foundation/BB I own is Holika Holika Peach Girl BB cream and it works like a treat on such skin. As much as it was to heavy for usage in the Summer, it's great for Winter months. It doesn't emphasise any dryness, but it creates a smooth canvas to work on. I use a heavy moisturiser underneath, usually one of my oils that I use for my night routine. The coverage is pretty flawless, but it doesn't scream I'm wearing a heavy foundation. It does leave your skin tacky for quite a while, though. The lasting power is very good, it lasts all day on my skin. Original review here.

Thanks for reading!

Product of the Week #1

This Ombia Botanica Argan oil (100% pure oil, 30ml) was 45% off in Müller and it had to come with me. You can't tell from the picture, but I've used a lot already and I only bought it a week ago. I use it for everything: mixed in my home-made pre-wash treatment, on my dry ends and as a face moisturiser (in combination with Ombia Hylaruron gel and Nuxe dry oil). It doesn't have any particular scent. I quite like it so far and my skin looks a bit nicer, but will see how it performs long-term.

What is product of the week? It's a post featuring a product I either loved, just bought, rediscovered or was simply impressed by it recently, but I don't feel like it needs or it's to early for a whole review. I'll probably do more than one such post on some weeks.