MAX FACTOR 2000 Calorie Mascara 

I already featured this in my last monthly favourites under "good first impressions" together with two other mascaras and this is the one that became my every day pick. It got even better with time and this is definitely the type of mascara I love most - not overly dramatic like Essence mascaras can be, but it still gives a good amount volume, plus I just love how it manages to put every one of my dishevelled lashes in its place. It never fails to fan out my lashes in a nice way and it's never clumpy not matter how many layers I apply. In terms of holding a curl it's not perfect, but none of the regular mascaras are, still it's similar enough to Beyu's Beauty Queen, which for everyday use is enough for me, but for special occasions or picture days I'll still pick Essence's I <3 Extremes waterproof. It's also so much easier to remove than Essence formulas which is a big plus because I don't like following with an extra remover after my usual routine. I think this is one of those mascaras that's also often on offer and it deserves a repurchase when it runs out. 

L.O.V. EYEttraction Magnetic Loose Eyeshadow 

N.510 METALfusion

I've been testing quite a few eyeshadows in the past year and this is the one that came on top. As far as my preferences go this is the best formula I've tried or at least one of the best (Milani's Gilded Desires is similarly amazing and I'd use that palette a lot if it had a cool selection of shades). I love the intense pigmentation, how fast I can apply it with fingers and I don't have to build it up to eternity, plus it blends easily with any fluffy brush I have at hand. This shade is also very wearable and classic, so I truly like this one a lot.

OROFLUIDO Beauty Elixir and Moroccanoil Treatment

I've always been one of those who has a clear division in my hair care routine between regular oils and these silicone oils. I considered the latter to be more or less just styling products with some (temporary) care properties. I use regular oils when my hair is very dry to nourish it and silicone oils when I want shine, a more polished look and to hide the frizzies. I've been using regular oils (mostly coconut) every day since I bleached and dyed my hair and by the next day my hair had absorbed all of it and I had to repeat the process. Then I randomly decided to apply a ton of Orofluido instead and I was amazed to see that my hair still felt fine by the next day and the effects were in general much more long lasting. This formula works wonders on very dry hair when applied in large quantities and it doesn't feel greasy or heavy. Moroccaoil is the same, the main difference is the scent and that at Moroccanoil my hair dries faster with a dryer, but overall these are very similar and yes, better than the cheap drugstore stuff - when your hair is so thick and coarse as mine you definitely notice the difference between the cheap stuff and salon products. Both of these smell amazing which is an extra plus. By the way, Macadamia Natural Oil Healing Treatment is also very similar to both of these and worth the purchase, I just was never a fan of the scent.

GARNIER Fructis Banana Hair Food

I don't like this mask for its "normal" purpose, so as a wash-off treatment after shampoo because it's quite light for me, plus it's got no silicones and I want silicones in my care otherwise my hair gets knotty due to not having any slip to it, though this one isn't so bad in that respect. The effect of drugstore masks lasts about a day on me, which is not enough, however, this is the only mask and/leave-in treatment  in one I've ever came across and it works much better as a leave-in conditioner for me and I've started using on some days in instead of coconut oil in the morning. It's got glycerine high on the list which is a humectant meaning it prevents water loss from the hair and then sadly only lower than the 5th place it's also got shea butter, olive oil, banana fruit juice, sunflower oil and very low on the list coconut oil. As a simple moisturising leave-in it's a lovely product that doesn't feel sticky or heavy and it doesn't leave any annoying residue on the hair. The banana scent is not my favourite, but it's nice candy banana/very sweet ripe banana scent which I know most people love. It also lasts on the hair which I actually appreciate because I like if my hair smells perfumey. For most people this should be a very good deeply nourishing treatment if you're looking for an affordable hair mask, but I'll stick to using this as a leave-in after using a more nourishing mask.

EVERY DAY MAKEUP

Since I don't have many favourites, at least ones I haven't mentioned enough in past months, plus I had no new makeup bits to test in a month meaning I could finally stick to a makeup routine using just my favourites, so I'm sharing it here as a part of this post. I've been using the same products every day because I keep these things in a plastic drawer that I can quickly grab in the morning.  

ESSENCE #insta perfect liquid make up 

10 #cool porcelain

This isn't my favourite, but it's a decent very light coverage foundation with a pale shade that fits me well. I use this one because I know I can easily get a new one when it runs out and since the shade fits me, I don't have to deal with lightening drops. But for days when I want to look good I always pick Milani Conceal + Perfect in 00A or Deborah City Defense. I'm saving Milani's one because I have to order it online otherwise I'd wear it every day. I always use a cheap AliExpress oval brush to apply foundation because it's so fast and blends perfectly.

LOOK by BIPA Matte Camouflage Concealer 010

I have many high coverage concealers that I rotate, but I stuck to this one this month. It's my favourite primarily because of the neutral pale shade, but otherwise it's about the same as Collection  Lasting Perfection, Essence Camouflage + Healthy Glow, and several other formulas.

MAX FACTOR 2000 Calorie Mascara 

Mentioned above. It's a wonderful every day mascara that give a nice amount of natural looking volume. 

CATRICE COSMETICS Liquid Liner 

010 Dating Joe Black

My standard for years now. I use this eyeliner every day as it's the super black, mat, it lasts all day and I like the applicator.

COLOURPOP Super Shock Shadow 

So Quiche (Ultra-glitter)

Not a massive fan of the formula, but I love this unique antique gold-green shade with purple shimmer. I always go with just one shade on the lids and quickly blended edges because with my hooded eye shape it's just a waste of time to bother with more shades.

L.O.V. EYEttraction Magnetic Loose Eyeshadow 

N.510 METALfusion

Mentioned above. A wonderful pigmented formula that's easy to apply with fingers. I blend with any brush I have at hand.

L.O.V. BLUSHment Blurring Blush 

n.30 beautiful minds empower other, n.50 yes she can and n.60 be the next She.E.O 

My recent new all-time favourites. I haven't put these down since I got them a month or two ago. I rotate the shades since I love all of them.

COLOURPOP Super Shock Cheek 

Flexiterian

Another one of my more recent all-time favourites. This highlighter has the most amazing glow with the tinniest shimmer. It works best if I apply it on still damp foundation. I also apply this with fingers.

LIPS

I swap my lip colours a lot more than my other makeup, but this month my most used shade was Bourjois Rouge Velvet The Lipstick in 02 Flaming Rose, which is a wonderful matte formula. I also often use Max Factor's Honey Lacquer in Honey Nude and their Color Elixir Glow in Enchanted Coral. My other every day favourites include Oriflame The One lipstick in Pink Flair and Revlon's Ultra HD Matte Lipcolour in Embrace.

UPDATES

THE ORDINARY AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution 

I've had this for maybe a year and I use it regularly hoping it will finally surprise me, but that day just won't come. This is so weak. I get almost nothing from it apart from slightly brighter and a bit more healthy looking skin, but not as much as I get from a non-AHA sheet mask. I get no tingling with this, so it feels like it's not working and my skin just doesn't feel nor look smoother with this, not even with regular use. I've been trying to fade three blemish marks on my cheeks that refuse to go away and this isn't doing anything. I'm just not impressed with this stuff and the physical exfoliator from Skinfood (Black Sugar) makes my skin feel so much smoother, albeit temporarily. I fear I'm a lost case when it comes to smooth skin and AHA's

ROHTO Melano CC Intensive Anti-Spot Essence

Another product I've been using for a year and I'm just not seeing the results I wanted based on reviews. It's not fading my blemish marks at all nor making my skin more even and I've been very patient with it. I like the dry oil texture and the packaging is great for protecting the product in inside as no air enter the tube, but that's about it. I ordered a new vitamin C product to try by Tiam.

HASK Argan Shine Hair Oil

I picked this up randomly at the same time I bought their argan masks (which will again be perfectly good for most people, but on me effects lasted a day and I had to co-wash my hair on the second day because it got too dry). This has the same three ingredients from the start as Moroccanoil plus keratin amino acids - an extra moisturiser and not protein, I believe. Before anyone get excited - they are not the same. Moroccanoil is thicker and feels better, but HASK is a very decent drugstore offering and good enough for most people. It's not overly light, yet not super thick which means it will likely suit all types of hair and as always it's not greasy since it's a silicone oil. It's a standard silicone oil that will do the job of giving shine and taming the hair, plus it smells of kind of like oranges so it gives some fragrance to the hair. This is the only version they sell which makes me feel like I'm buying a sample and it's only 18 ml, which is not the best drugstore buy, even though it's only 2-3 €, but it's a great size to carry in the bag and I'm one of those who always carries one of these around (currently I have Orofluido in one bag and Kerastase in another). Three other versions exist: Keratin complex, Macadamia and Monoi Coconut oil, I'm sure they are all about the same.

WISHLIST

LANCÔME Visionnaire Crescendo Progressive Night Peel - I know I'll never buy this because the price is just not acceptable for some irrelevant skin care product, but I heard amazing reviews about this and naturally I'm tempted. Ingredients look terrible though, with tons of alcohol. // LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask - I heard raves about this and though my lips are not often dry, I'd like to try it as a night treatment. They recently released more scents, but I'd like the original Berry. // MAYBELLINE Tattoo Liner Gel Pencil - I haven't bought a black eyeliner in more years that I care to remember and I always just use an eyeshadow in my waterline because I never know which one to pick in the drugstore, but this review by Gemma convinced me 100%. I hope we have it here. // MISSHA Time Revolution Night Repair Probio Ampoule (2019 Renewal) - I wanted this even before they changed the formula (they do that a lot I see) and I'd like to try something new in my skin care routine. It's hailed as a dupe for Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair which I loved in the past // OLAPLEX No. 6 Bond Smoother Reparative Styling Crème - I'm nearing the end of n.3 and I've already repurchased a bottle, since it's a must for bleached hair. Olaplex finally released a leave-in product too and I heard good things about it. If they had it in online shops where I usually order, I'd already be mine, but I guess I have to wait for a bit. // MATRIX Total Results Miracle Morpher Slim Down Lipid Smoothing Treatment - I've just shelled a ton for hair care and this was one of the products I saved for a later purchase. It's a regular conditioner-like hair treatment with good reviews and it comes in a 500 ml version which is a big plus. 

Have a great day!

Five shades of these More than Nude nail polishes exist, all promise a visible brightening effect, but not due to some whitening ingredient in the formula, but due to the tiny shimmer. Though I liked the look of these in the shop, seeing the price made me gasp for a moment. Not that's it's very expensive, but still this is a Catrice nail polish, pretty packaging or not.

Shade: Pearly Ballerina is a pale off-white pink with tiny blue shimmer that does indeed create a brightening effect. Together with the shimmer this shade looks pale lavender. Formula is sheer and three coats get you about 80% coverage. 

Packaging: The cap is in two parts, the rose gold cap is just a cover for a smaller handle that easier to hold. The brush is a wide one and the same as on Essence nail polishes.

Staying power: This lasts like most nail polishes on my nails, but I'm the worst example when it comes to staying power because I always get at least a week. I haven't heard much reports about these if they are fine for others too.

Price and availability: These cost 4.79 € and are sold in all drugstores.

If you like sheer nude and frosty nail polishes these are a good drugstore buy. Formula applies nicely, it does have the promised brightening effect and it lasts well. 

Have a great day!

*PR product.

These are my first blushes from L.O.V. and they were love at first try. These are some of the best blushes I've tried, among drugstore and high-end. Six shades are available and two (actually shades I have 50 and 60) are marked as online exclusive on L.O.V.'s website which sadly only ships to Germany, but I've seen them on Kosmetic4less where all shades are sold. Before I got these I was in a blush funk and kept using TheBalm Instain Houndstooth because it's a good neutral shade, but nothing special. However, since I got these, I haven't put them down.

Texture: These are baked blushes and they have the smoothest and most silky formula I've tried. This is the type of texture I expected from Max Factor Crème Puff blushes, which were heavily praised for having "the glow", but on me they have a saten finish (they are still great blushes and are worth trying). Shades 50 and 60 have tiny shimmer that looks like a healthy glow on the cheeks and it looks amazing. Pigmentation of all shades is great from the go, so no need to break through the top layer to get to the good stuff. They apply and blend evenly not matter which brush I'm using. Usually I need to adjust my brush choice to the blush formula, but here it's not the case.

Shades:

30 beautiful minds empower other

Shade 30 is a warm taupe-ish mauve, a strange looking shade in the pan, but it ends up a mute almost peachy shade on me. It has a satin finish and no shimmer like the other two. My fellow blogger Petra has this shade and it looks pinker on her warm undertone (mine is neutral).

50 yes she can

50 is a very pale warm pink and even though it swatches very pale, it's quite pigmented and I can get enough colour fast even with a fluffy brush. The glow this shade creates is absolutely beautiful. 

60 be the next She.E.O

60 is a warm pink or a coral pink that’s quite vibrant and gives a baby doll flush to the cheeks, again with a nice glow, but less intense than at shade 50. Here I have a highlighter on as well, L.O.V. theGLOWrious Deep Metallic Highlighting Palette.

Staying power: These last very well on the cheeks and I can get the whole day with these, including the pretty glow, but it also depends on the base under it.

Packaging: These are stored in quite a bulky packaging with a handy mirror. They could be smaller, as there is 6 g of product in them, which is 0.5 g less than in much smaller TheBalm boxes. I don't mind that much, but I have no place to store them nicely.

Price and availability: These are hard to come by now which is an absolute shame. L.O.V. stands have been taken away in all countries and the products are only sold online. I know of only two places, their official site that ships only to Germany and Kosmetic4less that has quite high shipping. Ličila.si (Pink Panda) sells L.O.V. but the selection is very limited. Price is an acceptable 9.99 €.

These are well worth investing in if you come across them. They have the smoothest formula and excellent pigmentation, as well as the glow that I wanted from the Max Factor blushes. I'd love to have more shades of these and I know that it'll take some time before I pick up a blush from another brand.

Have a great day!

*PR product

Following their fantastic matte Rouge Velvet The Lipsticks, which remain some of my all-time favourites, Bourjois launched a new range of lipsticks called Rouge Fabuleux. This is their newest creamy formula, which is different from their Rouge Edition one, yet the satin-creamy finish is pretty much the same. Contrary to Bourjois' usual shade range, this line features quite a few very wearable neutral, everyday colours which immediately grabbed by attention in the shop. I've always been more of a matte finish girl, so I hope they add some similar shades to their Rouge Velvets too. 

Texture: Formula feels exactly the same as Velvets at application, meaning it has that super slippery, buttery texture which feels so lightweight on the lips, however, unlike Velvets it leaves a creamy-satin finish with a moderate amount of shine. It's comfortable on the lips as you might expect from a creamy formula, but I wouldn't describe it as hydrating, meaning it won't dry your lips, however it also won't fix them like some creamier formulas do. 

Shade: 07 Perlimpinpink is a warm light-medium pink shade that against my pale skin tone ends up looking quite bright, but I suspect it will look less punchy on darker skin tones. Compared to 02 Frozen Pink from the Velvets line it's peachier and more vibrant.

Staying power: Velvets have a impressive staying power since they are matte, these one aren't as long-lasting since they are creamy and don't set. But the formula stays put and fades nicely, so you don't have to worry about and you still get several hours of wear time.

Scent: reminds me if cheap crayons, but it's not strong.

Packaging: is the same tube as Velvets except in black and with a plastic section in the shade of the lipstick at the bottom. The cap holds really tight, so some force is needed to open these.

Price and availability: These cost 12.99 € and are sold in drugstores.

This is just another in a long line of high-quality lip products by Bourjois. Formula is very smooth, pigmented and has a nice creamy finish without being too prone to smudging. The shade range is a big plus at this line because they are plenty of wearable shades to choose from, thought they also have some red, a raspberry and a deep shades.

Have a great day!

*PR product

I wear a black eyeliner every day and for a couple of years my choice for that has been Catrice's Liquid Eyeliner. Essence launched a cheaper waterproof version which I promptly compared to my favourite. It's a nice eyeliner, but doesn't really come close to Catrice's for me and it has some faults. 

Formula: this has a matte finish just like Catrice, but it dries even faster. Both formulas are very black, yet Essence's doesn't hold quite as much pigment, as at times I get some sheer patches that I have to go over again. But overall once properly applied, this looks very black and matte.

Applicator: This is where I have most problems with and it ruins this liner for me. It's much shorter, which I could live with, but it's also thicker and not as pointed. Drawing a thin line is hard with this one, it always ends up thick with an equally thick wing. It's also hard to fix mini mistakes, like smoothing the edges. The nib is made from felt, just like Catrice, yet it doesn't feel as soft.

Staying power: It lasts great for a drugstore liner, at least 10h on my normal, non-oily lids (no base), but it doesn't last as intact after that as Catrice's. It can look a bit cracked by the end, but it's not that bad. The promise of it being waterproof is close, but I wouldn't go swimming with it. I get no smudging with it and it doesn't get messed up badly if you touch it. I'm sorry, but I can't say how well this would last on oily eyelids. 

Price and availability: It costs 2.78 € and is available in drugstores.

For a cheap drugstore product it's not bad. Formula is really good and if you can get over the slightly clumsy applicator, meaning plan to go for thicker lines, this is a nice one to try. However, I'll rather stick to the more slightly more expensive Catrice one that tick all the boxes for me. For a euro more, you get a much more useful applicator and that's important to me. I went back to Catrice quite quickly and when it ran out, I picked this one again and I just couldn't handle the clumsy nib. 

Have a great day!

*PR product

I got this a while ago and I haven't worn it much because Max Factor's Color Elixir Gloss came in the same parcel and I love that one more, but this is also a good lipgloss formula, it's just a bit thicker. I believe this formula exists in only five shades and this is the lightest.

Texture: It's one of those glosses with a thicker texture than most, but that doesn't affect application one bit. It's a nice comfy formula with medium colour pay-off and like most new age formulas it's not sticky. 

Colour: Mystic Sand is a beige nude shade with a medium-full opacity. I prefer more pink nudes, but this is a nice shade for a warm skin tone. Shine is more creamy than a clear high gloss.

Staying power: Due to being a thicker formula than is usual from average lip glosses, it sticks better on the lips. It lasts longer, but it's not a massive difference. It doesn't survive drinking or eating. 

Scent: It's very faint and I can't notice on the lips.

Packaging: This is quite an elegant looking packaging. It's got a classic doe foot applicator.

Price and availability: Since L.O.V stands have disappeared from Müllers in Slovenia, we were promised this brand will be available on Ličila.si and Click2chic.si, but only the first included it on their website and it's only a few products. I don't know what's the situation with other countries, except it's gone from Austrian DMs too, but you can get it on kosmetik4less.de with worldwide shipping, which is quite high.

Have a great day!

*PR product