Showing posts with label nyx. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nyx. Show all posts

New In #10

My first solid cleansing balm and I absolutely love it. The scent is so weird, but the texture is perfect and after a month of use my skin looks great. Just to warn you, they only offer a 30 ml pot and that is why I bought it, to dip my toes into the solid balms pool first. This small pot costs 10€, but after a month I still have about a half, maybe a bit less left. I'll do a proper review.

I was on a search for a dark berry matte lip cream and though this isn't matte, it's the perfect colour. This is such a great autumn/winter shade that will appeal to fans of deep colours such as Kate's matte lipstick in 107. Review with swatches will be posted soon.
It cost 7.49€ on Feel Unique. You can find a review and swatches of another shade called Stellar here.

I needed a lip liner to match Rimmel's 107 and this looked closest on swatches I found online. It's not the prettiest colour as it is too brown for my liking, but it works nonetheless. Again, swatches will be posted.
 It cost 3.74€ on Feel Unique.

I got this as a gift in December from my cousin (thank you) after it was on my wishlist for over a year. It's a stunning, brightened pinky-coral that is in the same colour family as Bourjois' Fraise Remix and Maybelline's Shocking Coral. I also love wearing it as a stain (I'm wearing it like that here). The quality is, as expected, excellent. There will be a full review of this.

L'Oréal Super Liner Perfect Slim Intense Black
I just got it and I already love it. Talk about precision - this eyeliner has such a thin and fine felt tip that allows me to draw the thinnest line if I want to. The formula is super black and it lasts all day on the lids without smudging or fading. It's very similar to the L'Oreal's Super Liner Carbon Gloss eyeliner, but with a matte finish and a more precise applicator. My one concern is how long will it take to dry out. I'll do a proper review and report about that after a couple of months of use.
It was 7.86€ on Feel Unique. This isn't sold in Slovenia (Obviously. I wonder what pathetic excuse they have this time).

Since I was seriously impressed by the Think Pink shade, I got another more neutral one. It's less pigmented, but still such a lovely blush. I'll post swatches, but you can find a review for Think Pink here.
These cost 3.79€ in Müller.

One of the lipsticks that is about to be discontinued. I already reviewed it here.

Essence Pure Skin Purifying Nose Strips
Years ago I tried the Nivea's version and apart from the feeling of ripping your face off, I found them useless. I heard some good things about these strips from Taya, so I decided to give them a go. The principle is the same - you stick them on clean, wet skin and leave them to work for 10-15 minutes before removing them. They smell weird, like that red stick glue everyone had in school (Pritt, I hated it). The instructions say to re-wet the strips before peeling them off, but instead of pulling the blackheads out, it separates and leaves sticky blue goo on the skin that needs to be washed off. In terms of results, I didn't notice any effect at all.
They cost 1.89€ for three nose strips in a pack.

I finally got this after one pot got lost in the mail the first time I ordered it. I haven't tried it yet, but the pot is only 3/4 full. I used to use the old Oatmeal & Honey shampoo and conditioner (I was buying the 750 ml sizes) and they were some of my favourite hair products. They were repackaged as well as reformulated (I heard for the worse. For shame!) and they added the mask, but as far as I can tell so far at least the scent is still the same. It smells like Christmas - gingerbread, cinnamon, honey and clove. I'll do a review when I test it out properly.
I paid 13.08€ for 200g on Feel Unique.

John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Hydrating Conditioner
My standard repurchase, but this time I went for a salon size 500ml that comes with a pump. My review is here.
It was 11.24€ on Feel Unique, which is a bargain.

Dove Intensiv Reparatur 1 Minute Kür-Spülung a.k.a. Intensive Repair
I've used up most of my conditioners this month, among them Dove's Oil Care mask that I've repurchased numerous times. This time I decided to try the blue version for a change. It's a bit lighter than the gold one and it also doesn't have the two colour "toothpaste" look, yet it's still a thick and creamy treatment. It has similar results, maybe it's a touch less moisturising, but it really is a minute difference. It has the typical Dove-ish scent, though I find the gold version smells better. It's a great drugstore treatment, though I'll stick with the Oil Care one, but if they didn't have it in stock, I wouldn't dismiss the blue one.
It cost the same as the other one, 3.99€, in Müller.

Joico K-Pack Intense Hydrator
Another repurchase. This is my favourite conditioner ever (and as that featured on my All-Time Favourites page). The texture is creamy and it has a bit of an odd scent that is difficult to describe in any other way than chemical. It truly hydrates the hair and I can feel it when I'm rinsing it off that it's not just that silicone coat. The current colder conditions along with the central heating being on all the time are causing my hair being even drier than usual and this does the job of keeping it moisturised, especially the ends don't dry out as fast.
It's not the cheapest hair product at 20€ for 250 ml, but if you have really dry hair, give it a go.

Herbalife Hand and Body Gel 
I have this in a generous 50 ml sample size that I got for Christmas. It's a very creamy shower gel/hand wash that foams nicely despite being SLS free and smells like fresh apples. The texture reminds me of Dove showel gels, but more gel like. It's quite nice actually, just don't ask where you can get this because I haven't got the foggiest.

La Petit Marseiliais Peche Blanche & Nectarine
As a fan of anything peach scented, I couldn't resist grabbing this in E. Leclerc despite the very retro packaging. It's supposed to be for dry skin, but I think the formula is too thin and not particularly moisturising. It smells like fresh nectarines from the bottle and under the shower it develops a slight artificial sweet note along side the nectarine. If you like peaches and nectarines, this is nice.
It was a bit over 2€.

Rexona Clear Pure Crystal Dry Deo Stick
I've never repurchased a deodorant in my life and I'm not sure if I had this before, but it smells so familiar. I immediately liked it. It smells great (fruity), but not overpowering and has a nice texture. I works for me and keeps BO at bay, but I don't sweet much. One thing that does bother me is that it leaves white marks.
It was about 2€.

Nyx Butter Gloss
I got these as a gift for my cousin. I didn't try or swatch them, but I did snap a few photos before giving them to her (she doesn't mind). The three colours are Peaches and Cream, Apple Strudel and Maple Blondie. I saw them swatched on my cousin's hand and they all look pretty much the same to me, especially if taken into consideration that they are glosses. I was updated that they are really good and smell amazing.
I got them on Cherry Culture.

Have a great day!

Why Waste Perfectly Good Pictures

I take a lot of pictures and some never make it into a post. Because it takes a lot of time to edit them, I don't want them to go to waste, so here they are.

The first is a nail polish by Catrice from the Neonaturals LE and it's called Mrs. Brightside. It's one of my favourite colours, but I always forget to take a picture of it when it's on my nails. It's kind of pointless anyway because it was LE, but it's a bright pink with some coral and just stunning in person.

Essence Colour & Go 109 Off to Miami is an orange-coral shade, which I wore only once. I don't really like how orange it looks on me, I expected something more coral. I'm wearing it here in the first picture where I'm holding the lipsticks. I'm looking for a colour that would look exactly like this on me, but most corals turn out to be too orange on me. Any recommendations, apart from Essie Cute as a Button, which is on the picture? 
Real Techniques Core Collection - I use the buffing brush and contour brush everyday. I did a review here.

I got Catrice Prime and Fine Smoothing Refiner a while ago, but I really don't like it. It's feels too greasy and doesn't leave a smooth enough finish. As far as primers go, my favourite so far was Clinique's Pore Minimizer Instant Perfector, which works great on oily/combination skin.


Dove Hair Therapy Oil Care Nährpflege 1 Minute Kur-Spűllung or Nourishing Oil Care Express Treatment Conditioner, it depends on the country how it's called, is my favourite drugstore hair treatment and I've used up at least a dozen tubes of it (review here and here). However, I bought the version that comes in a pot a couple of months ago and it's not as good. I'm almost done with the pot and I won't repurchase it, the tube version is much more moisturising. 

I already talked about my experience with Mavala Double-Lash here, but here are more pictures of it that I was keeping for a review. Since I wasn't impressed by it, I won't review it in detail. The applicator is a mascara wand, which isn't particularly handy when you're trying to get the product to the root of the lashes, so I used an eyeliner brush.


I got the Cherry Culture lip balm in Chocolate for free as a gift with purchase. You can pick your own scent/flavour at the checkout. It smells like coffee and I really dislike anything that smells like coffee, so I gave it to someone else. 

Nyx Black Label lipstick in India was a gift for my cousin, but I did snap a few photos of it (she agreed of course). It's a peachy nude shade that is very similar to MUA's lipstick in 15 Juicy.

Thanks for looking.

Nyx Blush Taupe


It's difficult to find a contouring shade for pale skin. Bronzers look too orange or muddy and plainly just unnatural as a contour. Nyx Taupe is a cool taupe shade, so a brown with grey tones. It imitates the natural skin colour in the shade and is therefore perfect for us pale Snow Whites (NC 15-20 or paler). It's more suited for those with cool or neutral skin tone, but plenty people of different skin tones say they love it. There is no warmth in this shade, it's definitely not a bronzer type of shade and it won't make you look more tan. I also tried it when I was much tanner (I wore Bourjois BB cream in 21) and it looked too cool in a sense that it was a bit too grey and draining, because my skin tone was much warmer than normal due to self tanning.

The texture is averagely soft and it's finely milled. Pigmentation is medium, however, it's better if you apply it gradually, slowly building it up, otherwise it can look too obvious, but you can really build it up. Finish is completely matte, making it perfect for contouring. It a really nice colour as a neutral eyeshadow.


Honestly, I not really convinced about contouring yet. I have been wearing Taupe every day for the past month and I'm not sure it contributes much to my look (or, you can tell me, based on the last picture). Granted, contouring can look amazing, however, I think it looks much better on darker skin tones, because you can really play with the light vs. dark to shape the face.

There are so many tutorials, but there are rare ones that focus on individual face shapes. I do contouring, highlighting and blush according to this picture I found on Pinterest, which is one of the rare ones that shows how to contour based on your face shape rather than just some general contouring instructions.

Source: http://data1.whicdn.com/images/117146246/original.jpg

My face shape is the second in the top row. I use Taupe to contour my cheeks bones, a bit under the jaw and on my forehead to make my face look less long. I don't contour my nose, because it makes it look really weird. I use the Real Techniques Contour brush which is perfect for such a task. I do a subtle contouring, so it looks like a natural shadow and you can see it more as you're moving and from different angles, rather than just have a dark streak on my face. I applied a lot in the following pictures for the purposes of this post, because I had such a hard time showing it up in the pictures, I do it much more subtle normally. This was my third attempt at trying to get a good picture where is would show up, so forgive the a bit fed up look.


How do you feel about contouring? Do you use contouring to shape your face? Thanks for stopping by.

Edit: I just wanted to share a review of my fellow Slovene blogger Petra (Adjusting Beauty), who has a warm (yellow) undertone and she's also fair. Nyx Taupe looks very brown on her and she can't wear it as a contour. This confirms my assumption that this is a shade best suited for those with cool or neutral undertone.

NYX Rouge Cream Blush Natural

Nyx cream blushes receive much love on MUA and a few reviewers describe them as close to Mac blushecremes and the shade Natural as a dupe for Mac's Ladyblush. I don't know about the dupe part, but I get why these are so popular. The texture is very creamy and soft. If I compare them with Maybelline's Dream blushes, Nyx version feels greasier and not as siliconey. Don't be fooled by the demure look of Natural in the pan, because it is very, very pigmented. I need the smallest amount, even less that is on my finger in one of the pictures, because it can be too much very quickly, especially since I'm so pale. It blends ok, but it is missing that silicone slip that the Maybelline's one have. I like to use fingers or Real Techniques stippling brush to apply it. The finish is satin and very natural, however, it's not as glowy as I expected it would be (maybe because I have to apply so little and blend it well due to strong pigmentation). 
Natural is a warm light pink. It gives a nice, almost baby doll pink flush with exception that it's warm rather than cool toned. The colour is very similar to E.l.f.'s mineral lipstick in Runway Pink and Mac's Creme Cup, especially on the lips. I am wearing Natural on my cheeks and lips in the last picture.

I am the worst person to comment about the staying power, because every blush apart from cheek stains and Coralista disappear from my cheeks in an hour or two. Even if I pile Natural on, it lasts only two hours on my cheeks.

I got mine on Cherryculture for 4.90$ (currently about 3.7€).

New In April

Just a quick post, focused more on pictures because I intend to do full reviews for most of the products.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Permanent Taupe  
Maybelline finally started selling these in Slovenia. I got only one but I have On and on bronze on my wishlist (it's much more stunning in person than on swatches). I'll post a full review on Permanent Taupe soon. 

Catrice Ultimate Color Matt About Pink 
A stunning peachy pink lipstick. I already have the pictures and I'll post a review probably sometime next week.

Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Plus
My first Japanese mascara. I got it because I heard that it holds curl well. I got it two days ago and I can say the claims are true, but I need some time to get used to the brush. I'm not sure when I'll post a review, I want to test it thoroughly first.
    Essence Frame 4 Fame lash glue 
    The cheapest lash glue I could find. I don't wear false lashes often, but I have Misslyn's individual lashes and I just ordered Ardell's Demi Wispies from lookfantastic, both don't have the lash adhesive included. I could splurge for Duo, but for now this is ok. It's too liquidy and I can't get much of product on the false lashes, but it holds very well. I've only tried it with individual lashes so far and none fell off before I took my make up off. Edit: I tried it with Ardell's Demi Wispies and it held well for about 8 hours, but then the lashes started to pop up on both corners, however it held in the middle until I took my make up off. So in short, it ok for individual lashes, but I would get something else for strip eyelashes.

      Balea Young Zucker Schnute Deo Roll-on
       I needed a new deodorant and this one was the cheapest, so I just put it in my basket. I really don't like it. Considering it has sugar in the name, the sugary part of the scent is very faint. It smells like a generic deodorant scent with a hint of lemon sweets. It works though.

      Balea Hawai Pineapple shower gel
      Smells like pina colada and fresh pineapple. Review here.

      Balea Mango Brazil Shower gel 
      Smells like the white Haribo gummy bear. Review here.

      Batiste Tropical dry shampoo 
      I got the absolutely huge can (400 ml) from Asos. Review soon.
        This is an old picture of my purchase from Cheeryculture, but I didn't want it to go to waste. Reviews for Nyx blushes and Milani eyeliner will be published first so keep your eyes peeled.
        • Milani Liquif'eye eyeliner in Gold 
        • Nyx Black Label lipstick India - I got it for my cousin, but I did take a few pictures and a quick swatch. Pictures will be in an upcoming post.
        • Nyx Rouge Cream blush Natural 
        • Nyx blush Taupe
        • Cherry Culture lip balm chocolate - smells like coffee and I hate the smell of coffee. I got it for free as a gift with purchase.

        Garnier Ultra Doux Heritage Provence Apricot and Almond shampoo 
        I got it for my family and of course, I tested it myself. It's great for my dry hair as it doesn't dry it out at all. It smells like ice tea (Ledeni čaj brusnica od Sole) and bubble gum. One of the best drugstore shampoos for dry hair. It's paraben and silicone free, you can see the ingredients here.

        Fructis Fruity Passion shampoo
        Another shampoo I got for my family. The scent is absolutely brilliant, a proper sweet passion fruit scent, I adore it. It did dry my hair out, but I will be using it as a shower gel occasionally, because I love the scent. Ingredients here.

        Garnier Ultimate Beauty oil 
        Review here.

        John Frieda Brilliant brunette moisturising conditioner 
        A drugstore conditioner that I repurchased numerous times. This is the only conditioner/mask after which my hair smell nice for days, because normally my hair never retains the scent of the conditioner or shampoo I use. It smells amazing, like a mix of coconut and caramel. It's one of the best drugstore conditioners for dry hair. Picture of the ingredients here.
          Some more pictures because too much work goes into them to waste them. Click on them to see a larger view:

          Drugstore Make up Favourites

          FACE PRODUCTS

          Foundation 
          Bourjois has some of the best foundations among drugstore brands and their Healthy Mix Range is my favourite. We, pale ''Snow Whites'' in Slovenia, are terribly overlooked in the drugstore foundation market. There is a handful of foundations available in shades that are appropriate for (in Mac terms) NC15 or lighter. Bourjois Healthy Mix range is one of those. Shade 51 in both original and serum version is light enough, though perhaps a bit too yellow, but thankfully Bourjois realises that not all pale people have pink undertones. I love both versions. Serum has light to medium coverage, while the original foundation has medium coverage. Both look extremely natural, feel very light on the skin and leave a lovely dewy finish. (I did a review of the serum version here.)

          Concealer 
          I've already done a post on drugstore concealers (here), but the one that stands out is Maybelline Instant Anti-Age The Eraser. It has a light formula, but offers a lot of coverage. It manages to look very natural on the skin and basically undetectable.

          Highlighter/Primer
          L'Oreal Lumi Magique is definitely my favourite everyday highlighter. It gives a really nice glow without looking too shimmery. I much prefer liquid/cream highlighters and this one comes in a nice sleek packaging with a very precise pump, so you are not wasting any product. Review here.

          Blush 
          I favour cream formulas over powder ones. They are just easier and faster to apply plus they look more natural to me. Maybelline Dream Touch are really creamy, pigmented and apply like a dream. The shade range is very limited though, there are only four shades in total. I have two, Peach and Berry. There is another, previous version, called Dream Mousse blush, which I think is discontinued, but I love the shade Peach Satin. Review and swatches here and here

          EYE MAKE UP

          Gel eyeliner
           Essence has a great quality gel eyeliner for the price. It's really pigmented, applies nicely and lasts all day without fading or smudging. Honestly, I don't notice any difference between the much more expensive Mac one and this one. Review here

          Cream eyeshadows 
          Essence Stay All day eyeshadows win this category. They are very pigmented, apply nicely without looking patchy and last brilliantly on the lids. Another honourable mention with a similar formula, but just a touch more expensive are the Catrice one's. Reviews of both here and here

          Eyeshadows 
          A definite winner for me is the L'Oreal Color Infaillible range. I already own 6 shades and I want more. They are extremely pigmented and last so long on the lids. At about 9€ a pop they are quite expensive for drugstore eyeshadows, but the pots are big and you get a lot of product. My favourite shades are 21 and 24, which are probably my most worn shades. My preferred method of application is with fingers, then I blend the edges with Mac 217. I only wish there were more shades, preferably some matte. Review and swatches here, here, here and here.
          I also can't get pass Catrice mono eyeshadows. They are really cheap (only about 2€), pigmented, lovely quality and have the best colour range in drugstore. There are shades similar to Mac's Copperplate, Satin Taupe, Patina and Retrospeck. I highly recommend you check them out.

          Eyeliner 
          Max Factor has some of the best eyeliners in drugstores, both in terms of quality and shades. It's the only drugstore brand available here in Slovenia that, to my knowledge, carries a flesh toned shade called Glaze. I wear it almost every day. I also own a white and a brown shade from their khol line. Their newest range called Liquid Effect is just amazing. The pencils are so soft and long lasting. I have the shade Brown Blaze, a dark coffee shade, which is the perfect everyday replacement for black. I wear it everyday on the top lash line. Reviews and swatches here and here

          Mascara 
          As far as mascaras go, there are several mascaras I like, but if I'd have to go for one brand, it'd be L'Oreal. I liked most of their mascaras I tried. Volume Million Lashes Carbon Black is fantastic, another great one is Lash Architect 4D False Effect Black Lacquer. Voluminous Carbon Black is also nice. Currently I like Maybelline the Collosal Volumin' Express. I did a drugstore mascaras comparison here, more reviews here and here.

          LIP PRODUCTS

          Lipgloss 
          I don't like wearing lipgloss too much, but the ones I really like are the Essence Stay With Me. I have almost all colours now. They are not too sticky, there is no annoying shimmer, the colour range is beautiful, they smell great and are nicely pigmented. Reviews and swatches here and here.

          Liquid lipstick
          I know I might be cheating a bit by adding this category, but Manhattan Soft Mat Lipcream and Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream definitely deserve their place in my favourites. They are full coverage matte liquid lipsticks that last exceptionally well on the lips and don't transfer once they dry. I love matte lip colours, so these at the top of my list. Reviews and swatches here, here, here and here.

          Lipsticks 
          Catrice have great lipsticks in drugstore range, especially for the price. They are really pigmented with a good staying power, apply nicely and they have one of the best colour ranges. I believe there are no annoying mega shimmery, frosty shades in their Ultimate Colour range and there are also some non-shimmery creamy shades in the Ultimate Shine line (like 210 Kiss Kiss Hibiskuss, also a supposed dupe for the famous Mac Impassioned). Swatches here
          Another line that deserves praise (even though we can only order it online) is the E.l.f. Mineral lipstick range. The two shades I own, Runway Pink and Natural Nymph, are matte and look great on my skin tone. An ancient review and swatches hereBeautyUK is also a brand we can only get online. I own the shade called Passion and it's so pigmented, long lasting and the colour is just gorgeous. Review and swatch here.

          NAIL POLISH

          Essence Colour & Go line offers a great selection of shades of great quality for an affordable price. They recently revamped this line, the bottles are different, there are new shades and the brush is a bit wider. Swatch and picture of one shade from the new line here. There are also a lot of Trend Edition shades released throughout the year. 
           Catrice and BarryM have inexpensive and really lovely quality nail polishes too.

          TOOLS AND RANDOM

          Brushes
          I use E.l.f. Powder brush for applying and blending foundation. It's so soft, dense and doesn't shed. A really nice and inexpensive brush.
          Ecotools range is widely available here in supermarkets. Bronzer brush is fantastic quality, so dense and soft. I use it for applying powder and bronzer. Eyeliner brush is one of my most used eye brushes and the eyeshadow brush, though quite big, is nice for applying eyeshadow all over the lid and also blending. More on my favourite brushes here.

          Eyelash curlers 
          I can't imagine my make up routine without Tana eyelash curlers. I actually have two, I had one at home and one in Ljubljana. These are the best curlers I ever had. I never pinched myself or got any eyelash ripped out (this happened to me a lot when I had other curlers). I got mine in Műller (they are in a dark blue/white box). Highly recommended.

          Lip balm
          This is kind of a random category, but since I apply lip balm under lipstick or use tinted lip balm instead of them, I'll do it anyway. My absolute favourite lip balm (which is not technically a lip balm, but a multi-task product) is Palmer's swivel stick. It's the most moisturising and soft lip balm that doesn't feel waxy like a lot of lip balms do. I love it. I also like Rosal Milk and Honey lip balm. It smells nice and moisturises well. Best tinted lip balms are Labello (or Nivea, depends on where you live), in particular the taste/shade/version with dragonfruit. I've bought several in a row.   

          So this completes my favourites ramble. There will also be a post about drugstore disappointments and probably one that is going to be a sort of a guide thought drugstore brands in Slovenia and my experience with their products in general (if anyone is interested in reading about that).
          Thanks for reading!