Drugstore Challenge: What Makeup Would I Buy with 50 €

Years ago I did a challenge: what makeup would I buy with 50 € at the drugstore? It was a fun task, but a difficult one because things aren't exactly cheap around here. I still stand firmly by my choices made back then and go check it out to see a different version of this challenge, but I wanted to make a new one that would include new products I've tried since then. In my 2013 version I included my favourite foundation, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum as well as Maybelline's the Eraser and I would still pick both, but they are very expensive for drugstore products at 15 € and 10 € respectively, so they eat a huge chunk of the budget. Essence Stay Matt Lip Creams were discontinued, which broke my heart, so I had to choose a worthy replacement for those as well. I had nine products in the first challenge and in this new one I have twelve. Most of the products are from Catrice and Essence simply because they are the cheapest brands here and they have some excellent products that I use every day, while the rest are just getting more and more expensive.

FOUNDATION

CATRICE Nude Illusion 

7.69 €

I chose this foundation not just to switch it up from my previous selection, but also because it's half cheaper than Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. Nude Illusion is a wonderful foundation in the drugstores and the cheapest one in my top 5. It's gives about a medium coverage, has this lovely luminous matte finish and lasts very well on the skin.  

CONCEALER

COLLECTION Lasting Perfection Concealer

4.19 £ (currently 5.8 €)

This category got a bit tricky because in all these years, I still haven't found a decent concealer that I could just pick up in our drugstores. I could choose Bourjois' 123 Perfect CC Eye Cream, but the coverage is only medium, so it's best suited only for under the eyes, plus I have this huge issue with the fact there is only 1.5 ml in the pen. So I said sod it and chose one of my favourite concealers, the famous Collection's one, even though it's hard to get here in Slovenia (try eBay or Boots International). It has full coverage, comes in light enough shades and can be used on both spots as well as dark circles. 

MAYBELLINE Fit Me Concealer

6.8 € (Salma)

So I cheated and added this one as a replacement for Collection's one since that one is hard to find. It's a euro more expensive (price is from Salma, where it's cheapest that I could find) and it's again not sold in Slovene drugstores, but at least it's sold online and in neighbouring countries. It has less coverage than Collections', but it's less thick and better suited for under the eyes. 

BLUSH

CATRICE Defining Blush

3.79 €

Whether you're on a budget or not, these blushes are a fantastic drugstore buy. They have excellent pigmentation, they apply and blend nicely, plus they have great staying power. Their shade range is lovely, but the one shade I recommend you to try is Rose Royce.

HIGHLIGHTER

ESSENCE Soo Glow! Cream to Powder Highlighter

2.99 €

I never talk about this, but this is a pretty good highlighter. It's very glowy for what I'm used to, but I love a good cream highlighter. The formula is indeed cream to powder, well at least in a sense that it dries fast on the skin. There are two colours of this, I got the pink toned Bright up your life (similar to Benefit High Beam).

POWDER

CATRICE Colour Correcting Mattifying Powder

4.69 €

I admit I haven't tried a ton of powders from the drugstore, but the one thing I know is that I dislike the Essence all about matt! fixing compact powder despite the fact it's a euro cheaper. So I chose this one because I do use it a lot and it's a decent product. The colour correcting bit is a total lie, but it mattifies and sets the makeup without looking powdery and cakey.

MASCARA

ESSENCE Lash Princess Mascara 

3.59 €

I could choose pretty much any other Essence mascara because they do some really good ones, but I chose this one since it gives the most massive, voluminous and long lashes ever when it's new. It's not waterproof so it doesn't hold a curl on my lashes, but most of you don't experience such a problem anyway. Essence does have some good waterproof formulas if you need that instead.

EYELINER

ESSENCE Eyeliner Pen Waterproof 

2.79 €

Essence has a pretty good felt tip eyeliner for the price. It's nicely black, the nib is of a normal shape and it lasts quite well on the eyes. It dries out fast though and it's not as amazing as some other more expensive liners, but it's worth purchasing.

ESSENCE Big Bright Eyes 

2.20 €

Basically you just need this. I use it every single day. Every. Single. Day. Even if I'm not wearing makeup. This became such a staple to me and I much prefer it to the Max Factor Khol Eyeliner in Glaze that I mentioned in my previous version of the challenge. This is a super creamy eyeliner that transfers into the waterline with ease and it makes your eyes appear more wide and awake. My shade is called 01 Highlight it...Nude and it's a pinky toned nude. Amazing product.

EYESHADOW

CATRICE Absolute Palettes

5.29 €

Boy did Catrice did a great job at these, especially the Matt and Nude versions. They are very pigmented, apply nicely, aren't chalky and last well on the lids. Matt is an excellent neutral, matte palette that is great for a basic, "contoured" taupe look which is just such a classic, while Nude has a lovely collection of shimmery nudes that should suit just about anyone. Whichever you choose, you'll be set in the eyeshadow department for a classic neutral look.

MAYBELLINE Colour Tattoo 24hr

5.59€

I was deliberating whether to include Catrice's Contour Palette or this here, since I already put Tattoos in my previous version of this challenge, but they won again because they also work as an eyeshadow base, plus they are so easy and quick to apply. I put only On and on Bronze here because this is the shade I'd choose as it's so universally flattering.

LIPS

CATRICE Ultimate Colour Lipstick

4.29 €

These are amazing quality for the price. If I compare them to the a bit cheaper Essence or Makeup Revolutions ones, these are much better quality. They have an excellent pigmentation, lasting power, don't dry the lips, don't bleed and they are very smooth. Their colour range is beautiful, but shades are discontinued and new added often, so don't get too attached to one colour. 

ESSENCE Lipliner and Longlasting Lipliner

1.19-1.59 €

So I had some money left and I just threw these in. The reality is that it's almost impossible to walk out of the drugstore without one of these (queue exhibit A). I'm not a massive fan of their "regular" lipliners as they are too soft for my liking, but that's just my opinion and just about anyone I know utterly adores these. I'm more of a fan of the Longlasting range and I love the shades Lovely Frappuccino and Yummy Berry (you'll have to dig out some more change, if you want these to fit the 50 € budget). Both of these can easily be used instead of a lipstick and they don't feel drying at all, so they are a great way to experiment with colours. From the regular lipliners range I highly recommend you check 14 Wish me a Rose because it's a good dupe for Mac's Please Me (at least on my lips) and those who are a fan of the 90's trend, try Satin Mauve. It looks awful on me, but gorgeous on most I've seen. 

A grand total comes just shy of 50 €. The prices used are those that are set in Slovenia or online (in case of Fit Me concealer) and the price of Collection concealer is from Boots International. Some prices are either lower or higher depending on the country you're in.

LITTLE SNEAKY CHEATS 

MAX FACTOR Facefinity All Day Primer 

12.99 €

I couldn't resist cheating yet again, but I'd be a really bad blogger if I didn't mentioned this primer. I mean what if you have a nice discount or you decide not a buy a few of the products above and you have some spare cash from those 50 €? All Day Primer is an absolutely wonderful product that is very light, doesn't feel like your skin will suffocate under a layer of silicones, it prolongs your makeup and it mattifies. It also doubles as a pretty good eyeshadow primer as well. 

CATRICE Prime and Fine Professional Contour Palette

4.69 €

As I mentioned above at the Maybelline's Tattoo, based on your preference you can swap it for this palette. I've only tried the light version called Ashy Radiance, but it works for my pale complexion. The pigmentation is enough for me (it's more pigmented than NYX's Taupe, which would be another recommendation of mine here), it blend nicely and fakes a shadow pretty well. The highlighter is subtle, so if you like thing more glowy, I'd still buy that Essence one.

BOURJOIS Rouge Edition Velvet 

12.99 €

If you treat yourself with one thing, pick up one of these. These are so lovely, I'm a huge fan since day one and am dreaming of three more shades. These are liquid lipsticks with a matte finish and an excellent staying power. Grand Cru won't blow you away with its formula, though the colour is gorgeous, but I would definitely recommend you check shades Nude-ist, Frambourjoise and if you're feeling brave, Olé Flamingo.

So these are my choices for this challenge. My draft of course contained more products, but I tough decisions had to be made. So what would your choices be? I would love to see your version of the challenge. 

Have a great day!

Catrice Chocolate Nudes Eyeshadow Palette

When I first saw the preview for the new things that were launching in autumn, this was the thing I was most excited about. I've been craving a nice chocolate palette for a while and have both I <3 Makeup Naked Chocolate and Too Faced Chocolate Palette on my wishlist, but never got round to buying them. I'm a fan of these Catrice palettes and including this one, I currently have four, however, as absolutely gorgeous as the shades in this palette are, in terms of quality this disappointed me. It's of course not a total fail, but it's not what I'm used to when it comes to Catrice. 

I love the selection of shades - it's a half-half mix of matte and shimmery colours and it contains all the colours you need, from a matte skin tone base to a deep shade for outer corners. Surprisingly for Catrice, this time it's the matte shades that lack in pigmentation and quality, especially the third shade just isn't what I'm used to when it comes Catrice's eyeshadows.

First shade is a shimmery light champagne gold that I tend to use as an inner corner highlighter, but it looks lovely on the lid as well. This is one of the better performing ones as it's nicely pigmented. Second shade is a matte yellow-beige skin tone colour that serves as a base colour. It's more on the chalky side, but since it's a light base colour, this doesn't matter so much. But the next colour is very disappointing. It's dry, chalky and very difficult to build up as well as make it look even and blend. Otherwise the shade colour is lovely -  a matte, medium brown, but how this passed the tests to be included in this palette, eludes me. Shade four is a shimmery version of the previous medium brown shade and it's much, much better in terms of quality. Fifth shade is a gorgeous coppery-bronze shade that was just made to make blue eyes pop. It's the most buttery shade in the palette and it reminds me of some shimmery shades in the Makeup Revolution palettes. It still needs a lot of building up the colour, but I love the final effect. The last shade is a warm deep brown with a matte finish and it's the best matte colour in the palette, however, it still leaves something to be desired. For one I wish it were darker because now it doesn't add enough depth to the outer corners.

These perform better with a primer, but still several layers are needed for a decent look. The eyeshadow that you see on my look is that coppery one, even though I used all shades in the palette. the outer corners just can't be deepened enough with that last shade, so it all looks more like one eyeshadow. Staying power on the other hand, isn't' bad and these also don't crease on me. 

I expected so much more. Compared to other such palettes from Catrice, this just is not the same quality. I absolutely love the colours, so I'm gutted that the pigmentation isn't the best and I'm planning on getting a similar palette from a different brand. Absolute Matte is still my number one recommendation, closely followed by Absolute Nude. Absolute Rose lacks variety, but it's a lovely palette nonetheless. 

I got my palette in Tuš Drogerija for 5.29 €

Have a great day!

Catrice Prime and Fine Professional Contouring Palette 010 Ashy Radiance

High five to Catrice for finally taking the plunge and take on the contouring trend. I think that aside from Sleeks version, which is only available online here, the pickings when it comes to a taupe-ish contour shade are very, very slim with actual eyeshadows being probably our best option. So I'm delighted to see this in a permanent range and Essence will have their versions as well. The palette comes in two shades: this cool toned brown with a champagne-peachy highlight designed for pale individuals like me, while the other is darker and with a gold highlight.

The highlighter is more on the sheer side, which I actually like since I'm more of an subtle highlight girl, but it can be built-up to a stronger glow, though it takes several layers. The actual tone of the highlighter is lovely. It's a warm champagne, slightly peachy shade that doesn't end up looking too white on the skin, unlike like their newest Highlighting Powder in 010 Stardust. It reminds me of my favourite Jemma Kid Iced Gold in terms of shade, but not in texture, since this is a powder and that one a much glowier cream.

The bronzer/contouring side is nicely pigmented as far as my light skin tone is concerned and I pick up only a bit of the product at at time and build up slowly to avoid a random strip of colour on my face, but people with darker skin tones have said to me that this is too light for them. It's warmer and less taupe than NYX's Taupe as well as much more pigmented, but it still manages to fake shadows well. Ana Ina compared it to the Sleek palette in light and it shows how much more taupe-ish it is. The powder is quite silky, but it does dust/flake off, nonetheless it blends ok and doesn't look patchy on the skin. 

Staying power is nice as per usual when it comes to cheek products by Catrice.

I know I'll get this question: NYX Taupe or Catrice? I'd still go with Taupe for my skin tone, well at least in the winter when my skin matches the colour of snow. But I have a neutral undertone, so I can go either way. If you skin tone is pink, go for Taupe and if it's warm go for Catrice. Also pick the latter one if you're not as pale as me because Taupe is quite sheer compared to this one (by the way, my Taupe blush is quite old and I hear they have been messing with the shade since then. Petra recommends Essence I Heart Nude eyeshadow in 05 My Favorite Tauping instead).

I built-up both powders a lot for this picture, so my camera would pick it up. Normally I'm quite shy when it comes to contouring. 

This was a hit for me in the latest Catrice update. They managed to create a lovely taupe-cool brown "faking shadows" shade for super pale people like me, which is incredibly rare among the drugstore brands. The highlighter is more on the subtle side, which some will like and others not, but the tone of it is very pretty. In general it's a great budget buy. 

I bought it in Müller for 4.69 € and as far as I know, this is only available on the 3 m stands. 

What is your favourite contouring powder and highlighter? Have a great day!

New In #33

CATRICE Chocolate Nudes Eyeshadow Palette

010 Choc'Let It Be

This is such a gorgeous palette, I truly love every colour in it, however, the pigmentation is disappointing. I was so looking forward to this palette, but I think this time Catrice focused just on how it looks and forgot about the quality as this just isn't what I'm used to from their previous palettes. All shades need a lot of layering for a decent colour pay-off and even now that I've proper swatched it for the review, which took off the top layer, they are not much better. The third shade is particularly disappointing, while the fourth is the most creamy one and thankfully the pretties one as well. I so want to love this, but as much as I love the colours, I wish the quality was better. I had several people tell me that they are disappointed too, so I'm not the only one. I did a look with this palette here (I used a primer).

Tuš Drogerija, 5.29 €

CATRICE Eye'Matic Eyepowder Pen

050 Al Cappuccino

This was on my original wishlist I posted a while ago, but I then changed my mind when I saw swatches of these after German bloggers had the event. However, when I saw them in person, I just loved these. They are stick powder eyeshadows, with the colour in the lid and a sponge applicator. I got the shade that I predicted in my wishlist I'll like the most, Al Cappuccino, which is a shimmery taupe-brown that is just a classic everyday colour. They are sheer, giving you more of a nice shimmery wash of colour, but they are super handy to keep in your makeup bag.  

Müller, 4.29 €

CATRICE Prime and Fine Professional Contouring Palette

010 Ashy Radiance

Finally a drugstore brand that is available in Slovenia launched such a product. I was very intrigued by this ever since I've seen the press release, but at the same time I was concerned that I'll be too orange as it often happens to drugstore brands. I have to say I'm impressed. It's more brown than my old favourite NYX's Taupe, but its sculpting abilities are really good nonetheless. The highlighter is subtle, which some might not like, however, it's a nice champagne tone. I'm wearing both shades here. 

Müller, 4.69 €

CATRICE Lumination LE Powder Blush 

C01 Flushed-Fiction

I loooove this so much. This is what I wanted Max Factor's Creme Puff in Lavish Mauve to be. It's similar to Catrice's I'm Nuts About You and Rose Royce, but it has that actually glow on the cheeks. This needs to be added to the regular line. I did a review of it here.

Müller, 4.29 €

*MAX FACTOR Velvet Volume False Lash Effect Mascara

Max Factor launched a new volumising mascara that promises not to weigh down lashes even if you like to apply tons of coats. The packaging and the brush is very similar to the classic False Lash Effect, so it's a big plastic brush that defines every lash. It doesn't give much volume though. I'm waiting for the formula to thicken a bit, but for now it gives a very natural, defined effect. As far as weighing down the lashes goes, my lashes don't hold a curl for a minute with this mascara. This is definitely a mascara for those who prefer a very defined look and want more of a natural effect.

14.35 €

There is also a new eyeliner in this collection, but I haven't got a chance to try it. I am very intrigued though and I'll definitely buy it one day, though the price is a bit steep.

 10.55 €

*MAX FACTOR Smokey Eye Drama Kit 

02 Lavish Onyx

Also new on Max Factor stands are these eyeshadows quads. Mine contains a shimmery champagne shade, a shimmery rosy-taupe, shimmery dark grey with navy tones and a matte cool dark brown. I love this, well at least the quality, the colours are a bit of a half-half. These are sooo pigmented and  I did not expect to like this as much as I do, but that shimmery medium brown is gorgeous and I also like the darkest shade in the palette, though when blending, a lot of the colour disappears at this shade, so it needs layering.

I saw a nice bronze-coppery quad on the stands and I'm very interested in it.

12.99 €

ESSENCE Matt Touch Blush

10 peach me up! and 20 berry me up!

These two were a part of the preview collection and I grabbed both. I'm not a massive fan of Essence blushes, but these are matte, so I just wanted to check them out. I really like these. The quality is much better than at Silky Touch blushes because they are more finely milled, the apply nicer and have plenty of pigment, for my pale skin at least. These are quite hard blushes and unlike their Silky Touch blushes they don't dust/flake when you swivel your brush in them. Peach me up is a classic peach shade that brightens up the skin and Berry me up is a darker pink shade that gives a rosy-pink I-just-came-from-the-cold-flush.

Müller, 2.79 €

COLLECTION Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner

I just became that person that buys liners all the time. But actually, I love trying out felt tip eyeliners, even though I've already found my favourite. This one has such good reviews on Boots international and it was very reasonably priced, so I had to try it. However, I'm not blown away by it. It's similar to the Essence one, but not as black and the nib is thicker, consequently a bit clumsier. The formula seems more watery or at least not saturated enough, so it feels cheaper to what I'm used to, but on the eyes it's hard to tell that it's less black than others. It's not a bad liner, it still does its job very well, but there are so many better ones.

Boots International, £2.99

CATRICE CC Care & Conceal Nail Polish

04 Apricot Skin-Fit

This caught my eye on the Innen & Aussen blog (respect to Karin for swatching everything) and I liked it straight away because it's an interesting nude. On me it's more of a pastel apricot than a nude, but of course the darker your skin tone, the less apparent that apricot tone will be. Formula is a thick pastel one that requires two, sometimes three coats.  

Müller, 2.89 €

ESSIE Nail Lacquer

Fiji

My cousin got this colour, but found it too light for her skin tone so she gave it to me (thank you!). It's a very pale pink shade with that annoying pastel nail polish formula that Mint Candy Apple has.

DM, 9.90 €

BARRY M Speedy Quick Dry Nail Paint

Road Rage

I know what you're thinking - mint green Mateja, how original. Well, I just can't help myself. It's greener version of Mint Candy Apple and brighter that Kiko's Jade Green, but the formula is about as annoying as the previously mentioned Fiji's.

I have a few other colours from this range on my wishlist because they all look drop dead gorgeous. I couldn't manage to get shade Navy from the regular range because it was out of stock and that makes me a bit sad.

Boots International, £3.99

L'OREAL Elvive Smooth Intense Anti-Frizz Shampoo

Boots had a two for three offer and I found that they still have this shampoo that disappeared from our shelves just as I found it and fell in love with it. This is hands down the best drugstore shampoo ever (though basically the new Extraordinaire one is exactly the same) and similar to my all-time favourite Kérastase Oleo-Relax, but for a fraction of the price. I wanted to stock up on these, but either the site was glitchy or this was the last one(I seriously hate how problematic and difficult to navigate Boots International site is). At least I got the 400 ml bottle.

Boots International, £3.99

L'OREAL Elvive Smooth Intense Anti-Frizz Conditioner

I didn't even know this existed, but in the shopping basket it went straight away as I spotted it. I've used it a couple of times so far and I'm not blown away by it. It's a bit light for my hair, despite hearing it's very thick. I washed my hair and it looked nice for a short time, but my ends got dry by the morning. As far as frizz control goes, it works halfway. With a hair dryer the hair is noticeable sleeker, but the frizz pops back up fast. It's not a bad conditioner, just not enough for my super dry hair, but if your hair isn't like that and isn't as thick, give it a try if you can find it. It contains argan oil quite high on the list, plus it claims it contains heat protection.

Boots International, £3.99

L'OREAL Elvive Extraordinary Oil Oil-in-Cream
Dry, Rough Hair

I swear when I see this kind of new hair products my eyes glow like a Christmas tree. I saw this presented as PR samples on a few blogs and I straight away loved the idea as I was actually searching for something similar for a while (I had Kérastase and L'Oreal Professional's versions on my wishlist). It's basically a cream leave-in conditioner, but's it's not one of those that makes your hair all limp and weird with bits of unmelted cream lingering in your hair, rather it feels like there is more oil inside, but it doesn't make your hair greasy and it also doesn't leave that silicone felling on the hair. It has coconut oil on the second place among ingredients, which is pretty amazing considering we are talking about L'Oreal here. There are also some other extracts, but they are after the sixth ingredient, so there are probably minute amounts of them inside. My ends were so dry in this year's summer heat, plus I've been using mostly drugstore conditioners because I'm saving the good stuff too much (classic me *rolls eyes*) and this hydrated them so well as well as made them feel silky. Best of all, I can use this on dry and wet hair. It smells like the rest of the Extraordinary line, so a bit like cinnamon. I am liking this a lot.

By the way, there is also a version for normal hair, but neither are sold in Slovenia.

Boots International, £6.99

DOVE Style + Care Dry Shampoo 

I'll again say that my hair never gets greasy because it's so dry, so I can't properly assess how well this works on greasy hair, but even I feel like that the hair isn't truly refreshed like at for example Batiste. This of course doesn't matter to me because I use these just to quickly refresh my hair, but there is a reason why this has such polarising reviews. But the most important thing to me is the scent and this smells so good. It's kind of sweet, but a typically Dove clean scent. 

Boots International, regular price £4.59

CHARLES WORTHINGTON Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray

I actually have a ton left in my old bottle, but since I was already making a purchase on Boots plus there was an offer, I got a backup. I seriously love this, which might be obvious since I'm already bought another one, but I use this every time I curl my hair. It makes the curls look a bit better, it adds some extra volume, hold and it smells nice. It's very similar to VO5 as I've said before, but somehow there is so much more product in the can, which must be one of the greatest mysteries of the world, since VO5 claims there is 50 ml more product than CW.

Boots International, £6.99

THE LIBRARY OF FRAGRANCE Sunshine 

This was on my wishlist for a while, but I got it purely because I love the word sunshine. This brand is called Demeter Fragrances in its native USA. I'm not sure why the name change was necessary, but they have an impressive collection of interesting scents, ranging from one note fragrances like Peach, Green Tea and Lime to some very unique scents like Baby's Head, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Storm and even Pizza - their creativity appears to have no limits. Sunshine smells like much its name, believe it or not. Imagine yourself hanging the laundry on a warm sunny day. It's a warm and clean scent that I think nobody would be bothered by. The staying power is much better than I expected, but it's still not amazing, which is not that odd considering the notes and that it's a cologne spray.

Boots International, £15

BALEA Beauty Effect Eye & Lip Serum

I got so vain. A year ago I just woke up one day and noticed these two smile lines staring back at me in the mirror, so that's the reason I got this. I know it won't erase them, but I'd at least like them to stop deepening. It's a light gel that you apply on areas around the eyes and lips and if you rub it in, it kind of emulsifies a bit. It sinks in fast and hydrates the area, but I still need to apply a moisturiser over it. It has a gentle, classic moisturiser scent and the packaging has a handy pump, which I really appreciate. The main ingredient in this is hyaluronic acid and the ingredients of this in general  look really good. But does it work? I don't know yet as it's more of a long term investment product in my skin, however, I like using it.

Ingredients here.

DM, 4.29 €

BALEA Soft & Clear Anti-Mitesser Nosestrips

These are just classic blackhead removing nose strips and I notice no major difference between these are the Cadea Vera ones, except that in one pack of those, you get more strips. They are simple to use and they do remove some of the black heads, but not all of them. These have a strong, sort of chemical scent, but I don't dislike it.

Ingredients here.

DM, 1.99 €

L'OREAL Elvital Total Repair 5 Reparatur-Maske

To my horror someone nicked this mask and completely emptied it (I know who it was, since their hair was suspicious shiny and healthy looking that day), so I basically ran the next day to get a new one. I really like this (obviously), especially since I've seen what an effect it has also on other people's hair (seriously the shine was amazing). It's a great drugstore buy for dry hair and It's no wonder it's one of the most popular budget hair products.

Müller, 6.39 €

ESSENCE Rock Style Hair Dye Powder

01 pink punk and 03 bright blue

I got these after being seriously impressed with the hair chalk from the Arriba! TE and these were going to be discontinued anyway, so they were super cheap. I don't like the packaging of these, they are so much harder to use that that one from the Arriba TE. The colour pay-off is a little bit poorer, but I again use a sticky, wet hairspray as a base and it works great.

Müller, 0.99 €

ESSENCE Smokey Eyes Brush

These next couple of brushes were bribery for getting me to go on a quick trip and honestly I chose them because they are mint green. The size and shape is perfect for my hooded eyes and it works well with very soft and pigmented eyeshadows, but it's more of a brush that deposits a strong line of colour, rather than a brush that would also blend. It shows that it's very cheap, but it's not useless. I have a couple of smokey eye brushes from before, the "old" version that is (I think they still sell them) and they are softer, not so dense, therefore in my eyes better.

Müller 1.39 €

ESSENCE Make Me Pretty TE Precise Eye-shadow Brush 

01 eye to eye

Again it's mint green. And it has polka dots. I mean come on, did someone read my mind or something? It's another very dense brush, too dense in fact. You get an intense line of colour with this, but it's not designed to create softer looks or blend at least a little. I feel about the same about it as about the Smokey Eyes Brush.

Müller, 1.99 € 

ESSENCE Make Me Pretty TE Liquid Brush Cleanser

Against all my expectations, this works better than expected, but it doesn't make the brushes sparkling clean. You spray it on the brush, leave it for a minutes or two and then wipe it in a tissue or a cloth. It cleans well enough and disinfects the brushes, which is handy if you really need a decently clean brush fast. I wish the bottle was larger because 50 ml is such a small amount. Maybe Essence will include this in the next permanent line update, I'd certainly love to see that. 

Taya did a much more comprehensive review of this TE, including this brush cleansers, so have a look at what she thinks about it here.

Müller, 2.79 €

Have a great day!

* - PR products.

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Product

I got this way back for as a gift to myself for my birthday. As a hair junkie I was itching to try this because this is super popular and highly-rated in the US, so I really wanted to see what all the fuss is about. Much like the here more familiar Uniq One, it promises to do everything apart from iron your shirts and I must admit I'm always very apprehensive about such products, but rave reviews got to me. I have to say that my gut was right one more time, but it at least does the basic thing I expected from it and that is protect from heat. 

The texture was a surprise to me. I expected a regular liquid leave-in, much like Sexy Healthy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave-in Conditioner simply because it's a spray, but this one is kind of a mix of a light lotion and an almost mousse texture. It's still easy to spray on the hair, despite the thicker-than-usual texture for a spray pump. You can also spray it into your palm and apply it that way if you wish to. It smells pleasant, but I can't describe the scent well other than it's one of those hair salon ones.

Moving on to the promises, I was most looking forward to the promise of reducing frizz, but there are nine more. Let's go through them one by one:

1. Repairs dry, damaged hair - honestly it's way too light to really help with the dryness. It's nothing like Kérastase Nectar Thermique, but I guess it should help with moderate dryness.

2. Adds shine - I don't know, I guess so. My hair is very dark, so it obviously has plenty of shine on its own. Blondes could tell you more at this point.

3. Detangles - my hair isn't that tangly, but I haven't noticed a massive difference when using this. The conditioner does the job of making the hair easier to comb anyway.

4. Controls frizz - much to my disappointment no. Sebastian Professional Potion 9 is still the best for this job.

5. Seals and protects hair colour - I don't dye my hair, so I don't know about this.

6. Prevents split ends - I haven't noticed a reduction in split ends or breakage. So no, it doesn't work.

7. Stops hair breakage - As I said above, no.

8. Creates silkiness - my hair is naturally never silky because it's so thick and this makes it a bit silkier, but not a lot compared to Kérastase Nutritive line.

9. Enhances natural body - I have plenty of natural volume, but this doesn't give me more body like for example got2b Volumania Mousse or Kérastase Forme Fatale. 

10. Flat iron spray and thermal protector - yes and that's actually the only thing I'd categorize this as -  a classic, light heat protector. It's doesn't weight down the hair, it does its job and that it. Nothing fancy about it.

So was it worth tracking down? I wasn't blown away by it. The rave about it is huge, but for me this is just a standard, light heat protection. I do like it, don't get me wrong, I actually like having such easy products, but there are so many other ones that do that bit more for my hair. I haven't tried Uniq One to compare the two, but I imagine they are very similar. Both filled with promises that mostly fail to deliver, but if they described the product more modestly and state what it actually is, I'd be a lot more pleased. 

If you live in a place where this is readily available and don't mind paying 18 $ for a nice heat protection spray, then go for it. But for us who need to track it down on places like eBay, I don't think it's worth the trouble.

I got it on eBay for 13.33 € without shipping, which was obviously high. 

Have a great day!

The Lipstick Tag

I had a request to talk about my lipsticks and I have indeed planned to do so for a while now, as in my mountain of post drafts, I had not one, but two lipstick inspired tags. One is called The Lipstick Tag and the other the Lip Products Addict Tag. I decided to combine them in one post as some questions were basically the same. 

1. What was the first lipstick you owned? 

I sort of answered this in my Make Up Memory Lane Tag a few months ago. The question there was about the first makeup item ever and as a true lipstick enthusiast it was of course a lipstick. It was one of L'Oreal's Color Riche ones in a my-lips-but-better rosy colour and I was 13 when I got it. I lost it within a month (this is a different Color Riche on the picture, but the packaging is still the same). 

2. What is your favourite lipstick brand? 

That's a hard one. I have so many different brands in my collection and the one thing I've learned through the years is how good drugstore lipsticks have become. On my All-time favourites page I have Catrice's Ultimate Colours under the category of regular lipsticks because they combine a great formula, affordability and lovely selection of shades. But there are so many other excellent lipsticks and the ones I have to mention are Bourjois' Rouge Edition and L'Oreal's colour Riche.

Of course if I consider liquid lipsticks here as well, then my absolute favourite are Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet.

3. What is your most worn lipstick? 

I swap colour so very often and it's not uncommon that I change it several times daily, but a couple of years ago my answer would be Catrice's Ultimate Colour 250 Matt About Pink, which I wore almost every day (it's now sadly discontinued). I guess if I have to pick one that is my default shade that I just pick up when I'm in a hurry, or I need to look good without being too made up, it would be Bourjois' Rouge Edition Velvet in 07 Nude-ist.

5. What is your favourite finish?

Matte. Especially at bright and deep shades.

6. What was the last lipstick you bought?

It's been a while, so I had to check in my New Ins and Instagram, but it was Kiko's Velvet Mat Lipstick 612 Strawberry Pink that I got back in March . That's the one I bought, but since then I got sent several lipsticks and I believe the last one was Hot Shop Lipstick 01 from Born Pretty, which turned out to be way too orange for me.

7. How many lip products do you currently have in your bag?  

Technically five, but I have two bags. In the big one, where I also have an emergency bag, I keep Catrice Pure Shine Colour Lip Balm 070 I Don't Red It for a sheer red pout, a mini H&M lipstick in Perfect Red that is a gorgeous, super glamorous red and a Burt's Bees lip balm, which I literally never use. In my other smaller bag, which I carry most often, I keep Max Factor Colour Intensifying Balm 30 Redefined Rose for a no fuss pink and I actually reach for it very often, and I also carry a dinky sample of Avon Ultra Color Indulgence lipstick in Red Tulip which Petra (Adjusting Beauty) sent me for my birthday. 

Why I have so many reds, I don't know.

8. What is your favourite red lip colour? 

L'Oreal's Color Riché Pure Reds Collection Exclusive in Blake. People you need this in your life. I think that everyone deserves one fantastic red in their collection and this one is so worth it. It blows all other reds out of the water, including the old classics from MAC, which I have four including Ruby Woo and Russian Red.

9. How do you store your lipsticks? 

Basically all my makeup fits into two smallest drawers in my Alex unit and even those are a third empty. Some lipsticks are in the two makeup/lipstick organizer units that I got from Müller, while the others are in Ferrero Rocher plastic boxes (as you can see I eat a lot of that stuff). The lip liners are in a candle holder that I got years ago in Rutar.

 10. Which lipstick are you currently lusting after?

I'm currently on a search for a perfect warm red-purple, think Mac's Rebel like. I saw a swatch of La Splash Studio Shine Lip Lustre in Aurora, but I don't buy that the colour actually looks like that. I'd like to give Wet 'n' Wild Megalast Lipstick in Sugar Plum Fairy a try, to see if it looks the way I want.

I have a few others on my wishlist, which you can see here.

11. Favourite balm/treatment? 

For several years now it's Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Swivel Stick. It's basically the only lip balm I ever use, excluding the Labello's Fruity Shine Peach Lip Balm as that one is more of a gimmicky product to me since it's a tinted lip balm with little moisturising properties. But I must confess that my lips don't even need a lip balm any more. For some reason my lips are never dry.

12. Best luxury and best drugstore?

I haven't even tried that many luxury brands when it comes to lipsticks, but my pick would be Lancome Rouge In Love Lipsticks, however Bourjois Rouge Editions feel pretty much exactly the same on the lips. 

13. Best MAC lipstick? 

Without a doubt Relentlessly Red. It's bloody gorgeous and I never found anything similar. It's a bright red-magenta pink with a matte finish. I still only have a sample that I save like crazy, but one day I hope I'll get a full size of it.

16. The most disappointing? 

Not exactly disappointing, but lacking in quality - it's Makeup Revolution's lipstick. It just feels cheap. Their Iconic Pro didn't wow me either. I'm also not a fan of Essence Longlasting lipsticks. The formula is ok, but they last a total of 15 minutes on the lips.

17. Liner, yes or no? 

Oh, yes. I also love wearing lip liners on their own, especially light colours. My favourites include Bourjois' Contour Edition Lip Liner 02 Cotton Candy, Essence's Lipliner 12 Wish Me a Rose, which is a dupe for Mac's Please Me, the űber gorgeous Catrice's Longlasting Pencil 070 I got you Babel, Essence's Longlasting Lipliner 05 Lovely Frappuccino as the 90's lip colour that actually looks like one against my pale complexion and Kiko's Smart Lip Pencil in 709 Magenta because it's a stunning red-pink shade. When it comes to reds, brights and deep shades I almost always use a lip pencil to fix the outer edges.

18. Best gloss? 

That would be L'Oreal L'Extrodinaire Liquid Lipsticks. They are expensive, but so lovely. The formula is super creamy, comfortable and these have great pigmentation. They also smell like peaches which for me is a huge plus.

19. Something extra? 

Some of my other favourite shades. Mac's Peach Blossom as my choice for a nude, Shiseido's Glowing Matte Pk224 Sugar Babe for the perfect peach on my pale complexion, Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet 02 Frambourjoise because it's an amazing pink-red shade, L'Oreal's Colour Riche in Laetitia for the best ever burgundy shade, Mac's Dangerous for a bright, warm orange red. Revlon's Ultra HD in Rose for a classic, everyday pink that smells like Planica ice cream, Revlon's Colorbust Matte Balm in Unapologetic for a bright coral-pink that is a good dupe for Mac's Impassioned and Catrice's Ultimate Lipstick 360 MATraction for an amazing deep red-pink.

My entire collection, which I posted a while ago on Instagram:

 

And link to a Lipstick Tag I did four years ago here. 

I hope you enjoyed this picture heavy post and have a great day!