New in #136 - Mateja's Beauty Blog

NYX PROFESSIONAL Makeup Bare With Me Concealer Serum

Fair

Most of my concealers are old, (nearing) empty and discontinued, so I can’t repurchase some of my favourites and I was on a hunt for a new formula that fits dry skin. This appears to be popular and I have to agree with the hype. It’s one of the nicest concealers I’ve tried so far. It doesn’t really feel like a traditional concealer, instead it’s more like a foundation for dry skin. It layers well, it melts into the skin, looks natural, yet covers quite a lot for such a lightweight formula. I’d say the coverage is about medium, it’s not full, but it covers circles well and red spots reasonably well. I quite like this for blemishes because it looks a lot less cakey than pretty much all concealers I’ve tried, though it doesn’t stay on as well as matte formulas and it can slide off. I got the lightest shade Fair and it fits me well. The packaging has a pump dispenser which is very precise and can squeeze out the smallest amount.

TARTE Shape Tape Ultra Creamy Concealer

This was another recommendation for dry skin, but I’m not sold on this one as much as on the NYX one. The coverage is better, close to full and formula is creamy, however, I need a either a rich moisturiser or a glowy foundation, otherwise this doesn’t blend well on my dry skin. It can quickly look very flat and too matte on me. It covers a lot, but it can look cakey, especially on the spots. From the formulas in my drawer, this is closest to L’Oreal Infallible More than Concealer. By the way this is supposed to the Shape Tape version for dry skin, though they have another called Radiant. I picked the lightest shade because there’s no useful comparison pictures online, so I went with the lightest because that’s what I always do. It turns out it’s actually too light for me, but I don’t mind. It’s one of the lightest shades I’ve tried so far.

NATASHA DENONA Glam Mini Palette

I’m sure you’ve heard the raves about the quality of Natasha Denona’s eyeshadows, how they are supposedly the best ones you can buy. Admittedly I bought this also because I wanted to see if it’s true. I find they don’t stand out among good eyeshadows. The much cheaper Colourpop’s to me feel the same – actually their mattes are more creamy and pigmented than the two mattes in Glam palette. I’m not saying it’s a bad palette at all, but it’s so hyped up and my expectations were really high and turned out they do the same as the cheaper (fantastic) formulas. I did a test with one eye with ND and the second with Colourpop’s Going Coconuts palette and they both looked equally intense on the eyes, both blended so smoothly and both lasted all day like freshly applied on my never-oily eyelids (with no primer, just leftover concealer and powder to take away the tackiness of the concealer). It’s a new palette, so maybe when I get through the top layer it may become a more stand out performer – we’ll see. The palette is deceptive in term of colour. I expected old gold shades, but the whole look ends up warm and coppery on me – something that happens with classic gold shades on my skin tone.

RARE BEAUTY Soft Pinch Liquid Blush

Grace

There is such a hype about these blushes and I waited for ages for shade Happy to be in stock on Feel Unique, but now that they are apparently closing soon, I picked the shade that was most similar and that was Grace. This shade is way too pigmented for me – I don’t know if that goes for all shades, but I find this shade so hard to work with. I can only apply a micro dot if I don’t want to look silly. Since I can only work with such a small amount, it lacks creaminess and it doesn’t blend as easily as I’d like. It’s entirely possible that on deeper skin tones that can apply a regular swipe of blush, this formula performs admirably, but I prefer my Essence Stick blush for 3 € that I can layer slowly. I tried mixing it with a foundation/concealer and using fluffy brush, but it’s still not enough to make the pigment manageable on my pale skin. Grace is a medium pink when swatched, but on my cheeks it ends up warmer, which I didn’t expect.

RARE BEAUTY Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil

Hope

I regret buying this. It’s the same as Essence’s Tinted Kiss lip tint and it’s not worth the splurge. Formula is nothing like a lip oil, at least the good ones I’ve tried (Catrice, Essence, A’Pieu). It’s a thin, liquid formula that doesn’t really feel like it will stick on the lips like a gloss and it indeed doesn’t last long glossy. It dries eventually and leaves to me an awkward-looking stain because the lips aren’t nourished and it overly tints dry parts. The lips don’t feel nourished after it dries and they look chapped. Hope is a medium peachy pink.

*MAX FACTOR 2000 Calorie Lip Glaze Plumping Lip Gloss

000 Melting Ice, 005 Honey Crème, 010 Cotton Candy, 050 Guava Flair, 075 Pink Fizz, 105 Berry Sorbet, 150 Caramel Swirl, 170 Nectar Punch

New collection of lip glosses by Max Factor. They’ve always known how to do a good formula, I’ve loved their lip glosses since trying Silky Gloss which was my first ever. I’m not sure if their Honey Lacquer and Colour Elixir Cushions still exist, but Lip Glazes are similar. It’s another super comfortable, balmy formula that feels amazing on the lips. The only difference that I can see is that they are either thicker or the big applicator allows for a thicker application, in any case you end up with more product on the lips. They last well for lip glosses, though not like Catrice’s Lip Oils (those set the bar quite high). I got 9 shades that are sold here, but they didn’t have any name labels, so I’m guessing the names. I’m 90% sure all are right:

000 Melting Ice: a clear gloss with shimmer.

005 Honey Crème: a clear gloss with golden shimmer. Reminds me of a shade of Clarins’ Lip Oils.

010 Cotton Candy: an essentially clear gloss, though it looks light pink in the tube. Cream finish.

050 Guava Flair: a light peachy-pink with more peach tones – the colour in the tube is deceptive at this one when my skin tone is concerned. This one is close to fully opaque. Cream finish.

075 Pink Fizz – a coral with gold shimmer. Sort of opaque.

105 Berry Sorbet – the deepest shade, a pink-purple/berry shade. For full opacity it needs to be applied in a thick coat, but it’s hard to make it even. Cream finish.

150 Caramel Swirl – a medium brown, cream finish.

170 Nectar Punch – a brown orange with gold shimmer.

000 Melting Ice, 005 Honey Crème, 010 Cotton Candy, 075 Pink Fizz, 050 Guava Flair, 105 Berry Sorbet, 150 Caramel Swirl, 170 Nectar Punch

CATRICE HEART AFFAIR Highlighter

This is a limited edition for Valentine’s day, so it won’t be available long if it’s not already sold out. I bought it for the packaging, but the product is one of the nicer Catrice’s highlighters. It’s not as subtle and natural as Glow Lover, but it’s one of the less intense formulas so it looks very nice on the skin and not over the top. Shimmer is fine and the colour a light champagne.

PRIMARK Glow Up Highlighter

Rose

This was 1 € and I got it as a toy, so not for me to use. There’s a reason why it was this cheap. Formula is hard and it takes off the foundation if you swipe it on directly. Pigmentation isn’t brilliant with a swipe, but it can be build up. The worst thing it that they put large glitter particles in an otherwise nicely fine shimmer. It has a light bronzey tint, which blends out.

PRIMARK Liquid Blush

Light Pink

This is very similar to Rare Beauty liquid blush – of course based on performance on pale skin with a small amount. This is another super pigmented formula, so again I need to use the tinniest amount. I wore them side by side, one of each cheek and at the end of the day I found the Primark side looked more intense. The colour is a proper baby doll pink. I think there was one more shade available.

PRIMARK Lipstick

Brown Berry

Another product that was 1 €. Formula is like lipsticks were in the past, before all pretty much all brands started making high quality lipsticks. It’s a thick formula that feels harder than modern formulas and it doesn’t glide on the lips with particular ease. Colour is almost opaque and the shade a medium brown that is likely a great nude shade for medium skin tones.

*ORIFLAME The One Smart Synch Lipstick

Marvellous Mauve, Smart Red and Cherry Plum

A new collection of creamy lipsticks. These have great intensity, are fully opaque with one swipe, have a moderate shinny finish and feel very comfortable. Staying power isn’t amazing like at Oriflame’s The One Ultimate Fix formula, but that one is matte and drier, while this one is more suited for dry lips. They don’t survive eating, so after a meal I reapply them. Marvellous Mauve is a medium brownish-mauve, Smart Red a neutral-warm vibrant red and Cherry Plum a deep burgundy.

NYX PROFESSIONAL Makeup Butter Gloss

Éclair

I put this in the cart solely because it was either pay 5 € for shipping or get something for those 5 € and have free shipping. Cult Beauty doesn’t have a big selection of stuff under 5 € (one of the reasons they never truly won me over), so I picked this, after checking the swatches online. It’s such an unflattering colour on me. It’s a mix between a cool pink and lavender, which just drains all colour from the face and makes the teeth look even more yellow than they are. Formula was probably ground-breaking when these launched years ago, I remember these being hyped up in the past, but I’ve tried many similar balmy lip gloss formulas, so this formula isn’t special, I actually find it thin compared to Catrice’s Plump it Up or Max Factor’s 2000 Calorie.

TERRA NATURI Highlighter Drops

Beige Gold

My favourite Oriflame liquid highlighter has gone off and I can’t repurchase it because it out of stock or gone forever, I don’t know. So I was looking for a replacement and there aren’t many, especially in the drugstores. I found this in Müller and it didn’t have a tester, but I still took a risk. I wish I hadn’t, especially since when I got home I saw the news Essence is releasing their liquid highlighters soon. The first thing that hit me when I opened the bottle is a unlikeable scent of maybe rancid oil. It’s so strong and I think smelled this scent at other natural brands, possibly Alverde. Both Alverde and Terra Naturi put me off the brand when it comes to non-powdery products a long time ago. This formula is greasy and too liquid, so it’s not pleasant, especially since it stays greasy for a long time. Glow is ok, it’s not as nice as Oriflame’s and there are some large glitter particles, but from far away it looks passable. I’m going to look for something better.

GISOU Honey Infused Hair Oil

A ridiculously overhyped product. I’ve been seeing this brand everywhere and so many praise the fragrance of this brand – it’s bland. I don’t get it. It smells like a fabric softener with some orange notes from the start. It’s very soft, barely detectable and forgettable – mostly because it disappears so fast. Formula is again nothing special, it’s a classic silicone-oil and there are so many that are exactly the same for a cheaper price. If you ask me, buy Orofluido if you want something that has an amazing scent, the same formula, effect and is much more affordable. Moroccanoil is the only that I find stands out a bit because it helps the hair dry faster, but overall silicone-oils are mostly all the same, though some are thicker/richer than others. This one is one of the thicker ones like Moroccanoil, Orofluido, Macadamia Natural oil, Precious Argan and Joico K-Pak. It adds the final touches, meaning shine, it detangles and it hides dry ends. This is a mini 20 ml bottle, so it wasn’t that expensive, but the full sized 100 ml’s price is unreasonable at 77 € – shocked this is a best seller.

REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo

A repurchase. Notino had a set with all three products for the price of two. This is one of my favourite shampoos because it feels so rich and produces a thick foam, which is nice to see in a sulphate free formula. I’m not sure it does much on its own in terms of hair health, as shampoos just wash off, but my hair has improved in the last months, but was probably due to other things. I didn’t notice a reduction in breakage.

REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Conditioner

Since I liked the shampoo, the conditioner was next on the list. It’s nicely rich and thick, the way I like my conditioner/mask formulas, however, it feels like a silicone-free conditioner and my hair had no slip when I was rinsing it off. It’s a formula I’d mix with Pantene Repair conditioner or Gliss 7 Sec to avoid that “bare hair” feeling. I haven’t used it without my usual army of leave-ins to see if it’s hydrating enough on its own, but it felt ok, I just miss the slip their Extreme conditioner has.

REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-in

Redken’s best seller that like the other two is supposed to combat damage – it makes big promises, but I’ve tried enough products to know what to expect in reality. It doesn’t feel that special. It’s a just a creamy leave-in that isn’t that heavy, but it’s thicker than their Anti-Snap. It’s not as hydrating as Moroccanoil leave-ins, nor does it help with the frizz alone, but it is a heat protectant too. I have yet to use this whole line long enough to see if it’s capable of making a real change on bleached hair, but so far I haven’t noticed a reduction in split ends or breakage.

SOL DE JANEIRO Bom Dia™ Jet Set

I love the original Bum Bum Sol De Janeiro scent and feel lukewarm about the Beija Flor one. This is the third one I’ve tried and I got it based on rave reviews, but it didn’t win me over. I know I’ve smelled this fragrance before, I just can’t place it. Notes include plum, black amber, cassis, orchid, jasmine, vanilla, woodsy notes and musk. It’s a floral fragrance with lots of warm notes. It’d be a nice creamy, cosy fragrance if it weren’t for some overly sweet, green note that doesn’t sit that well with my nose. I get the fresh sweet plum scent from the start, then I think what bothers me a combination of orchid and cassis, while the base is a nice creamy mix of vanilla, amber, woods and sandalwood. The cream has the best version of the scent, just like at the Bum Bum Cream.

The Bom Dia Bright Body Cream is described as a retexturing and brightening formula with exfoliating fruit AHAs and Vitamin C. Considering the fragrance is very high on the list, those ingredients must be in low percentages. The AHAs are from banana and mango, vitamin C is in the Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate form. The texture feels very pleasant, it blends so easily and sinks in fast, leaving a silky coat on the skin – the feeling of this cream makes it worth it, despite not being a fan of the scent. The fragrance lasts a while.

The Bom Dia Bright Clarifying AHA BHA Body Wash has salicylic acid and lactic acids aside from AHAs from fruit extracts. Formula is nothing special, just a standard shower gel and I expected something more luxuriously creamy.

The Cheirosa 40 perfume mist has a less creamy and less vanillary-ambery-woody scent, so the focus is more of the floral notes. It doesn’t last long on the skin, I can’t smell it after an hour, though it stays on clothes. The cream’s scent lasts longer.

PACO RABANNE Pure XS

Eau de parfum

This is the 30 ml size so it comes without the gold snake, which might make this bottle more recognizable to you. Black XS was my fragrance in the past and this barely shares any DNA with it, but it was love at first smell when I tried it years back in the shop. To me Pure XS is what I wanted Olympea to be – it starts with this amazing salty popcorn note that makes it so unique. Then I most smell orange blossom, but it quickly becomes a soft vanilla scent. The rest of the notes include coconut, ylang-ylang, peach, white musk, ambrette, sandalwood and amberwood.

HIPP Body and Hair Cleansing Gel Sensitive

(Haut und Haar Waschgel Sensitiv)

For some reason they stopped selling Mixa Atopiance Oil Cleanser here, which I’ve been using for years and it suits me. So without a drop left and with fresh news that the shops don’t carry this anymore, I stood in front of the kids cosmetics shelves and tried to pick a soapless replacement. I picked this which also has almond oil. I’m not a fan. It doesn’t clean as well as Mixa and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. At least it doesn’t irritate my eyes.

NIVEA Anti-perspirant Pearl & Beauty

A repurchase of my regular deodorant. It protects me well and smells powdery. Like all such stick deodorants it leaves white marks.

PALMER’S Coconut Oil Formula Coconut Hydrate Body Oil

I wanted to repurchase Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Hair Oil that I use at every hair wash on my ends and it makes such a difference in how long my ends stay hydrated. Feel Unique didn’t have it in stock, so I picked this one, hoping it’s as good. I don’t like the scent. It’s a typical coconut cosmetics scent, but I find those artificial and not sweet enough. Formula feels somewhat lighter than the Cocoa version, but I tried it on the hair and it has the same effect. On the skin it absorbs quick enough for an oil, but not like dry oils.

ALVERDE Pflege-ől All-in-One

I picked this oil mostly for hair care, as a pre-wash treatment because it’s main ingredient is canola oil, the same as in my favourite Palmer’s Cocoa oil that I have to order online. It’s not particularly greasy, though it’s not like a dry oil. I’ve used it for body and it’s ok, not overly greasy. Another reason I picked this is because it has a dropper, so I can get close to the scalp, to treat my dryness (and hopefully somewhat reduce dandruff this way too). Compared to Lazartique hair oil, this is much heavier, so not something I’d use a lot of on my ends when they are dry, but as a pre-wash treatment it’s nice. It has a gentle, sort of vanillary scent, but it’s more bland than that. Alverde says it’s a scent of coconut and almonds. Apart from canola oil, it also has shea butter ethyl esters (my hair loves shea), vitamin E, coconut oil, sunflower oil and almond oil + some fragrances. I’ve already used up 80% of the bottle and I might repurchase, though it’s not really helping with my scalp problems, just with the dryness of my hair.

A repurchase. It’s a tinted hair mask that matches my natural hair colour pretty much perfectly (dark brown with a cool undertone), so I use it to hide my highlighted hair, since I have massive roots and I don’t want to use a permanent colour. I’ve tried a lot of brown tinted hair masks and this one is the darkest, so pick it if you colour your hair dark brown to refresh faded colour, as the rest I’ve tried fit more light-medium brown hair. Formula is hydrating enough for my very dry hair. I can’t tell you how long it lasts as I always refresh it before it looks too faded, but it’s a mask that washes off the slowest of all I tried. One wash barely gets any colour off (after four washes, my hair is light brown and a lot of the colour is still on)..

BALEA Exotic Passion Rasiergel

Just a standard shaving gel that I always buy in the current LE scent. I’ve praised it for years, but I also found in the last year that Aveo’s (Müller’s house brand) is the same.

EBELIN Polierfile

A regular repurchase. This file polishes that nail so it’s glossy like I just applied a clear nail polish.

CHARLOTTE TILBURY Magic Foundation

I noticed only after taking the picture that this is discontinued. I don’t know why they are even giving out samples (Feel Unique).

ARMANI Luminous Silk Foundation

One of the most popular foundations for years now. I got a sample of a shade much too dark for me, 4 medium, so it’s not easy to test, but based on the sample, I’m on the fence about it. I think I may like it more in the summer. I always imagined this being very different, something like Double Wear, so a matte, high coverage formula that my skin dislikes. But it’s lightweight and has a soft glowy finish without being a moisturising formula for dry skin. 4 Medium is so dark it’s hard for me to say what the coverage is, but it’s lower than I expected. The thing that makes me want to splurge on it is that it doesn’t emphasize my smile lines, but it’s a formula that doesn’t feel hydrating and my skin needs a bit more. I’m not sure if there even are light enough shades for me. Maybe n.3 or 3.75.

PRIMARK Mini Nail Polishes

I didn’t know if I should even mention these. They are at the kids department and 12 of these cost 2 € with a discount. They are much better than expected, thought at some the colour changes when they dry. These are some of the nicest peel off formulas I’ve tried. They all came off in one piece easily. Staying power is poor though, but who cares. The bottles are so tiny with only 2,5 ml per bottle.

PRIMARK Minie Lip Glosses

These were also 2 €. They are almost useless, with barely any shine and a thin formula. Each has its own scent, but most are very artificial. As toys they are ok, though the complaint I got was “these have no colour”, so they are a boring.

*PR products.

New in #136 – Mateja’s Beauty Blog

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