BEYU Beauty Queen Volume Mascara

After a sting of merely okay-ish mascaras that I was trying in the past months I repurchased this one despite the high price for drugstore and I'm so glad I did because this is such an amazing mascara. It creates exactly the type of lashes I like, so with a nice amount of volume and with every lash separated, plus it keeps them lifted. It's definitely one of my favourite mascaras ever, especially out of those with a non-waterproof formula.

THEBALM Instain Blush

Houndstooth

I bought this recently, but it's not my first TheBalm blush, so I know they always deliver when it comes to quality. This is another excellent one with a smooth, easy-to-blend formula that's got a good pigmentation, but not too strong that I would need to be careful with it. Staying power is one of the best I've seen and it stays like freshly applied for a really long time. I got Houndstooth because it looked like such a unique shade in the pan, a muted mauve pink that I've never seen in drugstore ranges where I usually pick my blushes, but on my skin it ends up looking a simple wearable warm pink and I'm fine with it. 

COLOURPOP Lippie Stix Matte X

Cami

I'm become very boring with my lip choices as I've been sticking to the same shades for months now (Revlon Ultra HD Embrace, Max Factor Honey Lacquer Nude Honey, TheBalm Meet Matte Hughes Sincere and Lancome Matte Shaker Vintage Rose), but I dug out my Lippie Stix stash and started wearing Cami again. The formula of these is so smooth and so pigmented, they are similar to Bourjois Rouge Velvet the Lipsticks, but even better because they are a bit thicker. Cami is a rosy-brown shade that's a bit darker than my usual summer choices, but it just looks so nice on the lips.

KIKO Nail Lacquer 

345 Jade Green

I've been neglecting my mint green shades in favour of my typical nudes (mostly Essence Pure Beauty) and reds (always Catrice Bloody Mary to go), but this month I've worn Jade Green for most of the time. Pastel mint Green shades tend to be annoying to apply, but this one has one of the easiest formulas and it's a slightly more muted shade, which makes it a bit more modern.

YUMMY Shower Gel

Rhubarb & Orange

Do you have a shower gel that just puts you into a better mood? Well this is mine. I never talk about this mostly because I forget due to the volume of other shower products I'm always trying, but it's one of my absolutely favourite shower gels and has been a constant in my bathroom for three years now. It's not the formula that's impressive because it's pretty basic in that respect, but I adore the scent of it. It's so fresh and sweet, plus a little bit bitter, so it smells like a refreshing bitter-sweet orange fizzy drink. I don't recall any similar scent, though shower gels with lemongrass have that bitter freshness. I recently repurchased two bottles, which are 500 ml, so it should last me a while. 

LUXURIOUS COCONUT Repair Hair Mask and Hair Oil

Honestly I fully expected to hate this. It's drugstore, which is mostly never enough for my hair and it's a random brand and I could think of a hundred other reasons (like the fact Precious Argan made by the same company does nothing for my hair), but damn it, it's actually very decent for the price. Especially the combination of hair mask and oil make my hair smooth and shiny when I'm blow-drying it, which is something that hasn't happened ever since some stupid shampoo completely wrecked my hair and it's in worst condition that ever (seriously, I'm suffering here). Unfortunately my hair still ends up dry within a day or two, which is normal when it comes to drugstore hair care and my hair, but still these two are much better than 90% of drugstore stuff I've tried. Considering how dry and thick my hair is, it's possible the mask could be too heavy for most (they have a lighter conditioner), but if you need something thick and smoothing, this is nice. The scent of the mask is not amazing as it's a somewhat sour coconut, but the oil is has a decent coconut scent. 

UPDATES

The lovely Sandra from Keep Calm and Wear Lipstick blog knocked my socks off when she sent me a ton samples of a brand I'm currently very eager to explore - Bath & Body Works. I'm rather envious of her collection and I'm so grateful she gave me a chance to see what the scents are like and what I'd consider purchasing. She also remembered I was interested in a couple of The Ordinary products which she also included a samples of in her parcel. Thanks again, Sandra. 

BATH & BODY WORKS Body Mist Bali Blue Surf

I had this on my wishlist in the last monthly favourites and though initially I wasn't sure about it, I kept reaching for it in the past week and now I just love it. It's such a fab summery fresh scent. There's very little of coconut, in fact I can only detect it in the seconds after I spray it, while later it's this fresh salty scent. It's the scent of seawater breeze and the smell of a beach without any trace of sunscreen scent that most such mists have. If you'd like something that smells a bit like the ocean, this is a great non-masculine smelling option.

BATH & BODY WORKS Body Mist At the Beach

I'm less enthusiastic about this one. It's mostly frangipani, so a warm floral scent that to me smells boring. The coconut here is creamy and somewhat artificial, though not plastic and the rest of the base has that laundry detergent clean quality. I find it's boring compared to Oahu Coconut Sunset and Bali Blue Surf.

BATH & BODY WORKS Body Lotion Sensual Amber

A deep sultry scent with berries and patchouli, while amber only forms a barely noticeable smooth base. It's a scent I've smelled a hundred times as everything from Paco Rabanne Black XS, Gucci Guilty Absolut and James Bond 007 for women smell so similar, mostly due to the spicy patchouli note. So if you're looking for something that smells high-end and is long-lasting for a cheap price, this is worth it, but I was bored just opening the sample. It was on my list to try, so I'm glad I got a sample first. 

BATH & BODY WORKS Body Lotion Wild Madagascar Vanilla

A sweet spicy vanilla scent that's very strong and definitely something for colder months. Fruity notes here are pear and apple, but I don't detect any freshness or that crispy character, instead it's smells more like sweet berries were mixed in it. It's another mist that I'm sure would work as a perfume because of the strong notes. 

BATH & BODY WORKS Body lotion Winter Candy Apple

If you ever owned Tigi After Party you'll recognise the scent because it's exactly the same. It's not an obvious apple scent, instead it's more artificially fruity, but regardless of that it's nice. It's my favourite lotion from the samples, but I'd still pick Country Apple instead of it. I suspect the lotion must smell different from the mist, as the notes of that mention apple in combination with cinnamon, neither of which I detect here.

BATH & BODY WORKS Vanilla Bean Noel

A smooth and creamy cookie vanilla. If you want to smell like a cupcake, this is it, but it's nothing particularly special. 

All lotions have the same light, yet nourishing texture, but if you're buying stuff from BBW I highly recommend you take the Ultra Shea versions of body moisturisers instead because those are amazing.

BATH & BODY WORKS  Golden Sugar Scrub Cashmere Glow

The texture of this is exactly the type of scrubs I like, meaning one of those harsh sugar ones like Soap & Glory makes. The scent is nothing like I expected, as it's mostly fruity with a strong very sweet peach note on a warm base of vanilla, sugar, sandalwood and musk.

BATH & BODY WORKS Shea & Sparkle Scrub Sugar Plum Swirl 

This is not impressive as a scrub because the scrubby bits are small and there's not enough of them for my taste. The scent at this is so complex. At first it just smells like a simple sweet-tart plum, but then it follow by this wave of warm and sultry notes. 

THE ORDINARY 2% Salicylic Acid

Almost a gel type of product that I have been applying on my spots (came at the just right time because I got spots after several months). I think it helped cure them a lot faster making this so far the most impressive TO product I've tried.

THE ORDINARY Azelaic Acid 10%

I did not expect the texture of this to be so thick. It's difficult to include it in the routine because it's like a rich moisturizer. It's supposed to help make the skin more even and reduce spots, though I'll have to see how it works with further use. Despite the high percentage of acid I didn't feel tingling.

USING UP/USED UP

MANHATTAN Easy Match Foundation

I dedicated this month to using up this foundation and I still hate it, so I'm very glad it's gone. I have the old bottle, but this still exists in a glass bottle with a white cap. It's exactly the same as Rimmel's Match Perfection down to a T. It's got light-medium coverage and it never sets on my skin, so it stays consistently tacky and gross. I did not enjoy it at all, but the shade was pale and fit me fine.

REVLON Colorstay

Next on my list to use up. Mine is again an old bottle, as now it finally has a pump. I don't think I like this anymore to be honest. After trying Milani Conceal + Perfect I find it a far superior medium-high coverage foundation, while this one just seem so fake and heavy on the face. It might just be because mine is a few years old. The shade is a nice one for me, a very pale cool toned shade.

BALEA Fuss Butter Lovely 

I don't know why I'm including this here, it's not sold anymore and now there's a tea version, but mine changed scent, though the texture appears fine, so I'm trying to use it up as quickly as I can and I'm using every day. It used to have this amazing minty orange scent that is perfect for summer (now they have miny melon). Texture might be similar to the current one - a thick texture that needs extra time to sink in.

WISHLIST

I finally manged to visit The Body Shop in Ljubljana and I have to say I'm very impressed at how well it looks. I only had minutes to explore a bit and of course I fell in love with two scents. I already had Pink Grapefruit about 10 years ago and I forgot how amazingly refreshing it smells. It's better than Satsuma, so I really should pick up either a body butter or a mist. I don't remember liking Moringa the first time I tried it years ago, but now I find it an amazing smooth floral scent. I think I now pretty much love every scent from TBS. I also loved the Shea Butter mist, it smells better than the body butter, as it's smoother and less masculine.

Have a great day!

Color Therapy Nail Polish 

180 Chai on Life

This became one of my most worn nail polishes very quickly because the shade is absolutely perfect for my toes. It's a warm toned beige nude that is better suited for warm skin tones because it's got some yellow in it. 

Formula is infused with argan oil which should make your nails healthier. Whether that's true I can't say because I have strong nails anyway, but when I take my nail polish of, my nail are in nice condition. Formula is very liquid, which makes my usual type of application very messy as I have a tendency to apply a thick first coat and this formula just spills around the nails. It's better to be patient with this one and do three thin applications instead of two and have a clean up later. It's pigmented enough to be a standard two coater and the brush is a nice rounded shape, but the formula doesn't allow it.

If you're looking for a nude, this is a nice one to check out. Everything always lasts ages on me, so I can't say how the staying power is on weaker nails, but it's average in that respect on my nails.

Miracle Gel Nail Polish 

550 Hunger Flames 

Hunger Flames is a more bold shade and something for all who love purples. It's a purple that changes its tone depending on the thickness of the layer applied on the nails as well the light. In a thin coat or warm light, this looks very pink purple, while in a thick coat and natural or cool light the frost is more apparent and it's a cool/blue violet shade. 

I've tried several gel formulas so far and this is nothing like it. Usually such formulas are thick and require one coat, but this feels like a regular nail polish that needs at least two coats, but it's best to apply three so you get the full effect of the frost.

Again I have nothing much to say about the staying power apart from that it lasts average on my nails and the brush is the same as at Color Therapy, so of medium width and with a nice rounded cut.

I saw these in my local DM for about 10-11 €. Bottles are larger than most and contain a generous 14.7 ml. 

Have a great day!

*PR products

These come in to me three rather strange shades for highlighters, all were inspired by precious bars of metal. There's a stark silvery white inspired by platinum that would possibly look too white even on me, there's a very yellow looking gold bar that would suit dark skin tones and mine is a rose gold one with a strong pink tone. This is the second highlighter than impressed me from Makeup Revolution (first was Unicorn Heart). It appears they learned how to do finely milled glowy highlighters in the past tries rather well. 

Texture: Formula is very buttery and pigmented, though you'll get that almost opaque super metallic look only if you apply it with fingers. Even with a brush you get a strong glow, I tend to use a thick big eyeshadow blending brush because I like a noticeable glow. It's a similar type of formula they use in their shimmery/metallic eyeshadows and as you can see on the picture where I'm wearing the highlighter, along the edge where I'm picking it up with a brush a crust has formed just like it happens at their eyeshadows. The shimmer is fine, so there's no chunky glitter in this and the effect is a really nice glow. 

Colour: Rose gold is you would expect a rose gold shade meaning on my very pale skin the pink undertone is visible, so it's almost like a blush shade for me. It's best suited for light-medium skin tones, preferably with a cool undertone. It's not that obvious on my picture where I'm wearing it because the glow is obscuring the pink toned base in the product, but it's definitely pink. I do however, appreciate how neutral the shimmer in it looks and that it's neither gold nor duochrome violet-pink that's usually in pink toned highlighters.

Staying power: Though the staying power is good and it manages to last at least 8 hours on the face, as it's wearing off, it does somehow ends up on most of the face and that's the only minus I can say about it.

Packaging: This comes in a bland pan which works completely fine, but for 7 € I'd expect something a bit prettier. Still I'm glad they put quality of the formula before the packaging. 

Price and availability: It can be bought on Ličila.si (Pink Panda in some other countries) for 6.99 €, maybe also in Tuš Drogerija and DM (I didn't check) and Makeup Revolution's official page. 

I'm impressed by the buttery formula, finely milled shimmer and excellent pigmentation. It truly is a wonderful highlighter, but I'm not a fan of the limited range of three (unusual) shades. If it were a light gold/champagne shade I've wear it every day, but now it's a  bit too dark and pink for me, though I still reach for it occasionally. If you have a light-medium skintone, you'll like this a lot. 

Have a great day!

*PR product

Young girls these days were going gaga and jumping over the bandwagon of the lip tint craze, one good example is my 10 year-old cousin who took home my collection of lip tints. To tell you honestly I only have a few and I reach for it whenever I want a kissable yet natural lips.

Using it as a beauty staple has been around for more than a decade and aside from the fact that it's long wearing and transfer proof, it gives the most natural shade on your lips. No wonder youngsters can wear it in school without their teacher noticing, unless they applied too much.

The rise of liptint fame on younger generations surely came from Korean pop stars and through watching too much Korean drama. Even elementary and high school students have tried to sneak it inside their bags, and those who already mastered to blend it well on their lips were never caught.

I feel grateful for receiving a special gift from Yors Cosmetic Collection's Organic Lip and Cheek Tint. I got mine in Intense Dark Red and I'm already excited just by looking at the bottle.

I did mention earlier that it's organic and vegan, and upon opening it there's no strange or funky smell since it's all natural and skin friendly. There's a roller ball applicator that even massage your lips and cheek upon application.

Yes the bottle says it's an intense dark red but it's just a tint so don't be scared. Applying it lightly just gives me a healthy flush. I blend it using my fingers and it lasted for about 5-6 hours minus eating. There are two ways in which you can wear it, full lips or gradient lips.

Gradient application

Full Color on Lips

Gradient lips is when you apply it in the middle part of your upper and inner lip and spread it outwards using your ring finger. The concentration of the tint will be on your inner lip. It might look "just bitten" or possibly the most natural rosy flush.

Full lips is when you swipe it all over your lips, or even reapply it for full color.







I'm recommending it to every vain and lippie lover chick and even to young girls who want to use it in school and please do not buy those lip tints that are sold for only 20 pesos, you have no idea what its even made of.

This product is only 180 pesos and will surely last for more than 6 months. Since it's organic be careful when using it and try to avoid contaminating it since organic cosmetics have shorter shelf life than those with more preservatives.

There's a zero chances of allergic reaction when you know you are using an all natural product.

As far as my experiences go, up until I tried this formula, liquid eyeshadows were mostly a bust. Essence currently has super pigmented new ones, but they are so difficult to blend, I could hardly consider them as a product to slap on in a hurry. I've always been a stick eyeshadow fan (Kiko's are very impressive), but these Bourjois ones are a pleasant surprise. Several shades exist in this line, I got two easy-to-wear every day shades.

Texture: Unlike Essence ones, these don't have full opacity with one coat, instead at least two coats are needed for good colour pay-off. It ends up looking so nice, more like a natural tint on the lids. Blending needs to be carefully done, I tend use fingers for the first layer, while the top layer can already be blended with a brush and it's not removing the bottom layer or messing up with the blended edges. It's not as quick as stick eyeshadows, but I like the effect. Once it sets, the formula doesn't move, smudge, flake or crease.  

01 Beige-Seller

Beige-seller is a pale gold shade and honestly it's not my favourite because it's quite bland. But it's a shade that almost every brand has in their stick eyeshadow form, so I guess it must be popular.

03 Mauve your Body

Mauve your body is a brown-taupe shade that is in the same colour family as Mac's Satin Taupe and it's the type of colour that suits most people. I really like this one for an easy everyday makeup.

Staying power: The promise is 24h hours, but I didn't sacrifice my sleep to test how right they are. However, I can say that they lasted intact for at least 10 hours, which is impressive, though my lids are never oily.

Packaging: These come in the same tube as their Rouge Velvet Liquid lipsticks and some other products. It's a simple square tube with a doe foot applicator and it works fine.

Price and availability: These cost 10.49 €, which is a bit steep for me, but I do have their old gold shade 07 Or du commun on my wishlist when there's a good offer around. 

I find these lovely liquid eyeshadows, in fact they are the most impressive ones I've found so far. 

Though they aren't the most pigmented ones around, they do have such a lovely finish on the skin and they have impressive staying power. Still if you're fussy about how quick eyeshadows are to apply and blend, stick eyeshadows will be more your thing, especially those from Kiko.

Have a great day!

*PR products

Wow! I'm stunned by my laziness that my last blog post was dated 5th of December! 

6 months hiatus for the win! How's that? I wonder what my excuses are..

Checking my drafts I got more or less 30 unpublished and unfinished articles.

I think I should update my blog as often as I can this time. I have even totally forgotten I have one.

I lost my interest in everything for two years, and hell I think I'm back. Sort of.

Anyways starting my FIRST (omg) blogpost for this year!!! I got my hands on Koko Kollection Liquid Lipstick by Kylie Cosmetics.

But first, my Koko x KUKTW Story

I still remember those times I used to spend time watching the whole season of Keeping up with the Kardashians and how I wish I could still get those idle time from the past. Watching them while having a sleep over and binge eating at midnight with my cousins during our younger days was one of those moments I wish I could relive again. As soon as we got busy with our lives (Me and Nikki got married, and she flew to Nevada while Shane and Kim are now working) we couldn't keep up with the Kardashians anymore. Sometimes we try to talk about how they changed and how bizaare it is that Bruce is now Caitlyn, and how we're still stuck with Khloe-Lamar love team, the young Kendall and Kylie and just everything that was still in 2012. I only have time to keep up with every cosmetics they release, no wonder why my Kylie Cosmetics Collection is growing.

When it comes to brilliant choice of shade selection, I love how Khloe can pull it off and how she makes some nude shade, peaches and bronzers seem perfect for fair skinned girls. In my case I just cannot pull off perfectly the other Kylie Lip Kits I own. I think I need to get a tan first coz even the shade Candy K is too dark on my lips. I finally got my hands on Koko Kollection and look how gorg the packaging is.

The wonderful glossy box contains 4 liquid lippies: 3 mattes and one gloss. 
Shades were named Damn Gina, Khlo$, Okurr and of course Gorg. 

Just when I thought I will only like Khlo$ (khlo-money) for its wearable peachy brown nude shade on me, Okurr and Gorg stunned me. It looked freaking great! Swatching it at the back of my hand didn't give them much justice. Here's how it looks on me. When I wipe off Damn Gina, it left a lot of glitters that you can still even see white dots on my lips. Since the rest were long wearing mattes, I had to rub it off with my Mac Cleanse off oil and left my lips dry.

Damn Gina is like the usual hue of Khloe's lips when she prefers glossy lippy. Nude, voluminous and sparkly. I've had So cute and Literally gloss and they lasted for a couple of hours just don't eat anything and be careful when sipping any drinks. Just like what I've said there's so much pink and silver glitters that will possibly be left on your lips. It definitely lives up to its claim of leaving a brilliant glossy look. Unfortunately, gone are the days when I was into lip glosses. I don't like it that much.

Khlo$ is the main reason I bought this collection. This peachy brown shade's perfect for my everyday go-to look. I love pairing it with my Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette, Kat Von D Rust Eyeshadow or just a mono eyeshadow look with Makeup Geek eyeshadow in Mocha.
 

Okurr reminds me of Mac's All Fired Up Lipstick. It's a bright pink-red and I thought I wouldn't pull it off but I ended up loving it. Too bright for daytime and perfect for pairing with just shimmery eyes or sunset hues.

Gorg. I have a love and hate relationship to it. I love that it's a dark red with an equal tone of brownish and purplish. I hate that it takes a long time to build up the color, a bit patchy when applied once. the shade's like a combo of Leo, Vixen and Kourt with a tinge of fuchsia pink as a base tone.

The formulation of this collection is as smooth and pigmented as my other regular Kylie Lip Kits, and just like the regular ones, they smell like cupcakes, which I still dig. I prefer sweet smelling lippies over unscented or musky, floral or fruity ones. The number of my Kylie Liquid lippies were fast growing, but I love using it more on my clients more than myself. My only staple in my kikay kit is Khlo$.

As promised, I will try to post at least once to 3x a month if possible. :)

Next blog post: Yors Collection Lip and Cheek Tint in Intense Dark Red