Category: Beauty Products

REVLON Colorstay Suede Ink Lipstick

001 Gut Instinct, 002 No Rules, 005 Hot Girl & 008 That Girl

LAZARTIGUE Huile de Reves

I repurchased this recently and while I was without it, trying to use up my other oils, I was really missing it. It’s quite unique, as it’s very light for an oil that contains just proper oils and no silicones, and it has an effect that resembles silicone oils. It’s got a dry oil texture and it’s the lightest such oil I’ve tried, so I can use more often than other regular oils before my hair starts feeling like it needs a wash. It also doesn’t it start smelling rancid on the hair in the following days like some other oils do (like coconut). I either use this as an overnight treatment or in the morning to tame nourish dry hair and tame the frizz. It’s so expensive, but I’ve grown to really love it in the years I’ve been using it.   

REVLON PROFESSIONAL Orofluido Elixir

Last month I “rediscovered” Sebastian Professional Dark Oil and this month I picked up Orofluido again. It’s an ancient favourite, but I have so many similar products to use up, I’ve neglected it. It’s one of the best silicone oils I’ve tried, Moroccanoil is the other one, but that one is so expensive. I apply a lot of it on damp hair after washing and it helps my hair stay nourished longer. It’s also great on dry hair where it adds the final touches – tames, pull it all together and adds shine. It smells so great with the notes of amber and vanilla. The packaging is different now and they sell 50 ml bottles too. 

SVR Topialyse Huile Lavante

Anti-irritation lipid-restoring Anti-itching cleansing gel

I liked this the moment I tried it. I didn’t expect it to be an actual oil, as I’ve tried a few such shower gel oils and they are all regular gels, but this one is a lot more like an oil and turns into a milky emulsion with water. It’s not as rich as L’Occitane’s, but better than the thin Balea shower oil. It’s designed for sensitive, itchy, dry skin and can be used for anything. I love it for the body, it’s nice on the face too (but it doesn’t take off makeup and it’s not as kind to the eyes as I’d expect from a product like this), while for the hair I surprisingly find it makes my hair too squeaky clean. It’s nourishing on the skin, but for my hair it’s too stripping – odd. It’s fragranced with a gentle warm clean scent (I’m guessing the fragrance they used is hypoallergenic). I don’t know if it helps with itching, but the skin feels comfortable after washing.

SCHWARZKOPF FA Fiji Dream Shower Gel

I picked this one only because it was on offer and after a few days of using it finally hit me why it smells so familiar – it smells so much like Bath & Body Works Champagne Apple & Honey, one of my favourite scents from them. It’s a lovely sweet fruity scent, more like apple than watermelon or ylang-ylang. Formula is nothing special like at most drugstore shower gels, but it foams ok. 

WISHLIST

CATRICE Soft Glam Filter Fluid – clearly an attempted dupe of Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Filter (or the E.l.f. version). I have the Hollywood one, which I find is nothing special for the price. This one comes in many shades which makes me hopeful it has more coverage than CT one. I might get it.  

CATRICE Soft Glam Filter Powder – this vaguely reminds me of Guerlain’s Meteorites, as it has three colour correcting colours green, violet and pink. It promises a naturally radiant finish and a soft focus effect. 

CATRICE Cheek Affair Blush & Highlighter Palette – a blush-highlighter duo. 010 looks like a nice pink shade.  

CATRICE Highlighting Hero Duo Pencil – a combination of a matte and shimmery pencil. Looks nice for using in the waterline (matte) and in the inner corners. 

ESSENCE blend & line eyeshadow stick – could these finally be a replacement for the long discontinued and great such crayon eyeshadow pencils Essence had years ago?   

CATRICE Marble-licious Liquid Lip Balm – tinted nourishing lip glosses. There are five shades. 

CATRICE Magic Shaper Contour & Glow Stick – Cream contour & highlighter duo. They already had a similar product in the past, which wasn’t super impressive (especially compared to the discontinued powder version). Maybe this one is better. There are several shades. 

CATRICE Iconail Gel Laquer Stargazing and Purple Rain – new shades. I always look for a nice “starry sky” shades and Stargazing has potential. Purple Rain is a plum. 

CATRICE Endless Pearls Beautifying Primer – a radiant primer. Catrice doesn’t have swatches, but I think it’s subtle, or at least less glowy that the Soft Glam Filter.

CATRICE Tinted Lip Oil – There’s several colours available, I saw them swatched and at least three have that (to me) annoying pH changing tint. Since I’m still interested in the formula I might get one of the lighter shades. Though their previous lip oil version wasn’t nearly as nice as Essence’s Cranberry oil.  

ESSENCE love is in the air blushlighter – a glowy blush. Essence has no swatches and I’m not sure this will be sold here, as it’s not on Slovene website, but I hope we get it.  

MAX FACTOR Facefinity Universal Primer – I saw this is new on DMs website. It’s described as a mattifying, pore minimizing primer, so it’s likely best for oily skin. 

Healthy Mix Radiant Foundation (2023)

50C and 56W

 I’ve worn both the old version and the new one side by side and the new one thicker, it’s has a lot more shine, in fact it’s verging on greasy-looking (tested in the summer) and it doesn’t set. The old one had that perfect level of glow, so it’s a shame they felt the need to change that. I can deal with this change, since my skin is normal-dry and most foundations turn matte on me in time (this one is getting less shiny on my skin since it’s already cooler outside), but those that considered this their winter foundation and have combination skin, may feel disappointed. I’ve certainly read enough complaints about the new formula on Bourjois’s website. It still looks good on the skin, perhaps for a while less natural as it’s very glowy in the summer, so it’s more like you’d apply a shiny moisturiser (when I tested them side by side in hot summer the difference in finish was very noticeable). It’s still one of those foundations that doesn’t look like heavy makeup and blends into the skin seamlessly. 

It still has the same fruity scent and staying power is the same, which was never impressive without some help from other makeup (primer and/or powder and/or setting spray). 

I see there is a new shade 49.5N, which might be the light shade I was waiting for. 50.5 still exists with the added N, I’m guessing for neutral. Sadly I don’t have the old shade 50 to compare it with the new 50C. I got another deep shade 56W, which probably corresponds to the 56 shade in the old packaging.  

Formula is a thin, liquid formula in a sort of a light grey shade – it’s completely clear on the skin. There no big visible shimmer in it, yet it leaves a lovely glow on the skin. Even after the primer becomes dry to the touch, the skin has that shine. I have no idea how they managed that or I’m just not seeing the shimmer because it’s so fine. It start of slightly sticky, but then sets to a dry-to-the touch finish. Currently I’m sporting shiny SPFs, so I don’t need such a primer in my routine, but it may be very handy in colder months to add some life to matte-looking dry skin. There’s no blurring at this formula and I don’t find it particularly smoothing, so it just adds a glow while leaving the texture and skin tone like it is. 

Left with primer and right without.

It contains a small amount of panthenol (B5), vitamin E, vitamin C (Ascorbyl Glucoside), a weak version of vitamin A (Retinyl Palmitate), hyaluronic acid and some extracts. It has a typical Healthy Mix fruity scent.

Aqua/Water/Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Propylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Magnesium Sulfate, Lauryl Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum/Fragrance, Caprylyl Glycol, Talc, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Lecithin, Punica Granatum Fruit Juice, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Juice, Retinyl Palmitate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Sorbic Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, BHT, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Butylene Glycol, Sapphire Powder, Palmaria Palmata Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hexylene Glycol, [May contain +/-: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)]

Healthy Mix Anti-fatigue Concealer

52

Healthy Mix Naturally Radiant Powder

04 Golden Beige

This powder is more described as a powder foundation as it mentions medium coverage. It claims it has a luminous matte finish and anti-fatigue blurring capabilities. I always wanted to try this, since I saw someone praising it in her empties, but sadly this is again in a shade much too dark for me, it’s basically a bronzer. It makes me look so unevenly tanned, so I can’t wear this. It does have a sort of a luminous matte finish, as it takes away a lot of the shine from SPFs and foundations (I don’t have oily skin) and there is still some glow left.  In a thin coat it doesn’t take away much of the shine from the very shiny Healthy Mix foundation and concealer combination, so yes, it leaves the skin naturally radiant. Applied with a sponge, it takes most of the shine off and doesn’t look flat, but it did make my foundation look flaky when looked up close on my chin. Based on how tanned it makes me look and swatching, it looks like it has some coverage, but again I can’t really test these dark shades properly.

Like Physicians Formula packaging, this one has a bottom compartment with a sponge and a mirror. 

Even though it adds a great amount of volume and looks good before my lashes drop, I just don’t like it because it’s a greasy formula and my glasses are constantly smudgy when I wear it – this problem (likely) won’t affect you, so ignore it, but I just can’t deal with this formula. Lashes stay reasonably soft with several coats of mascara. 

Healthy Mix Nail Polish

125 Very-generose and 300 Greant’Ddictive

These two have such different formulas for the same line. 

The light pink 125 is a thick, but sheer shade with first coat and opaque with a third. It’s a beautiful shade that reminds me of a better Essie Fiji. It lasted a normal amount on my nails, comparable to other brands (everything lasts over a weeks on me). 

300 is opaque in one coat, a lovely gel-like smooth formula. Shade is a marsala brown-rosy red

Skin Booster Serum Foundation

3 Medium

A foundation that claims to have skin care benefits, combining a serum and coverage. This one has a bit of vitamin C in a  3-o-ethyl ascorbic acid form, which is by now nothing special and it can’t compare to some foundations or BB/CC creams that have a ton of skin care ingredients – but it doesn’t matter, what’s important is how it looks on the skin. This one claims to have a “second skin effect”, a lightweight formula, an illuminating effect and SPF 15. I got sent a shade much too dark for me, so I wore this for a short while before I took it off and there was no full day test.

Scent: Foundation has a strong floral scent.

Shade: There are a only 5 shades, 4 are sold here. 3 Medium is something like Revlon’s 300 shades in terms of depth, undertone looks cool. I tested shade 1 Light in the shop and it’s not for very pale skins, so there is no match for me in this range. 

Packaging: Glass bottle with a pipette. The formula is too thick for such a packaging, so the pipette has a hard time picking up product. 

If you’re one of those lucky ones who can find a match in this very limited shade range, it’s a foundation worth a try, as I think it’s better than Catrice’s Nude Drop and Maybelline’s Superstay Serum. 

Packaging is thinner than at Hi-Tech and it doesn’t have an added brush (the one at baked blushes is useless anyway). 

Red Touch Lipstick

Nude Bouquet 01

Nude Bouquet looks lighter when freshly swatched than how it oxidises on the lips. It ends up a medium beige-brown on me, quite dark. On the swatch on my arm it’s fully oxidised. 

Gel Effect Nail Enamel

20 Soft Pink and 130 Chic Violet

I think these were just repackaged, as I had several shades in the previous bottles and these feel about the same. However, these two have quite different formulas. 20 Soft Pink is almost clear with one coat, second also doesn’t get you full opacity and at third the tips are still visible. It’s not my favourite nail polish when it comes to application, the formula is thick and I need three layers, so it ends up a bit too much for my liking. But it’s a good neutral shade. 

130 Chic Violet is a medium violet with a smooth formula that needs almost just one coat (tips are minimally visible), but I always apply two. Staying power of both is good on me, but most nail polishes last well on my nails.

20 Soft Pink

Texture: It’s a classic liquid foundation, creamy enough that it doesn’t run when pumped out of the bottle. It blends so nicely into the skin, leaving it natural-looking. It’s similar to how Bourjois Healthy Mix looks, so like there’s no foundation on.   

Coverage and finish: Coverage is light to medium at most. I need another layer under the eyes, but applying more on spots still isn’t enough. So this is a formula for those that don’t mind the coverage isn’t perfect. Finish is glowy-dewy in the summer, while now it’s already less shiny, but it’s still very healthy looking. It’s definitely a foundation most suited for dry skin.

Staying power: Most foundations last ok on me, or at least I don’t pay much attention to where it fades as my skin isn’t that uneven, but this is a light coverage, hydrating glowy foundation which never last as long as matte ones. 

Shade: Lightest shade Porcelain is one of the best matching shades I’ve found, so I appreciate this foundation even more because of that. It’s about the same depth as Revlon’s 110 Ivory and undertone is cool-neutral.

On this picture MasterCreation is very old and has turned darker. Originally it was about the same shade as Porcelain.

Scent: It has no scent. 

Packaging: This comes in a premium-looking bottle with a gold cap. The latter is of course plastic. Pump is precise at dispensing. 

Catrice sells this as a 3-in-1 product. It can be worn (1) on its own and they mention subtle coverage or (2) as a primer or (3) as a liquid highlighter (it can be found among foundations, primers and highlighters on their website). It is available in several shades. So far I’ve only seen two in drugstores here, 010 and 020. The lightest shade on the website is 002. I got sent a shade that’s much too dark for me and thought this is a sheer product, when I apply it, my face looks kind of dirty/uneven, so just because of that, I find it hard to like. I went to check a lighter shade, which looks better, but I didn’t get because I already have a similar product from Charlotte Tilbury and I’m not going to buy a product just for a review, especially when it’s not as good as a primer and highlighter than the more expensive option I already own.

I compared it to Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Hollywood Filter, which isn’t my favourite product and I rarely use it, when I do it’s mostly as a highlighter. At Catrice the glow is quite a lot more subtle than at the super glowy Hollywood Filter and difference is especially visible when they are worn alone. Catrice’s version looks better when used that way, as Hollywood Filter is way too shiny and makes me look greasy, while Catrice’s glow doesn’t feel as over the top. In fact, I find that since my skin is dry, it looked more similar to a moderately shiny (tinted) moisturiser and not as a liquid highlighter/glowy primer. As far as coverage is concerned, I got a shade that’s too dark, so the depth of the shade provides some coverage, but I think just like Hollywood it doesn’t really cover anything. 

Since it’s not as shiny, Soft Glam Filter is not the best as a liquid highlighter, as it’s weak (for my taste and I’m also dealing with an bronzer-like too dark shade). I might have a different opinion if I had a shade that matches me, who knows, but it’s not as glowy as CT. 

Worn on its own. Camera picks up less compared to CT Hollywood.

I wore the Catrice and CT version side by side with a (matte) foundation on top to properly compare them. Foundation applies nicely over both and luckily the foundation covers the mismatched shade. Catrice’s glow is slightly less intense, but surprisingly although they look much different on their own, with a matte foundation on top, the level of glow is similar enough. But there are other differences at which you can see that drugstore doesn’t quite match high-end in this case. On the side with Catrice, the smile line looked deeper and foundation started slipping into pores. Hollywood side looked better, however, neither are massively impressive in my eyes, as Hollywood doesn’t hide/blur pores either, in fact without foundation and primer I can’t see them, but with makeup on top, creases appear and pores are on display. 

So in short, yes it’s similar to Hollywood in terms of glow when used as a primer, but not as a liquid highlighter and it’s even less good at blurring/hiding pores are lines. I also feel that the side with Catrice looks more flat despite a similar glow level because the skin looks less fresh.  

I had high hopes for this after I saw a before after on Catrice’s instagram. Of course I didn’t get the same result. In theory it should be great – a mix of peachy, green and violet tones that colour correct the skin tone, so all very reminiscent of the Guerlain Meteorites. It also swatches beautifully, subtly glowly, but not shimmery. However, on the face it’s looks flat. It’s more matte than what the swatch promises and the foundation just doesn’t look as nice with it. 

It says the shade is universal, but it swatches white and I think it leaves a cast, so it may just be for pale skin tones only. It makes the pores less visible on the pictures due to a mattifying effect, but in person they don’t look minimised. On my chin it makes the foundation look textured. For a slightly blurring and glowy powder, Physician’s Formula All Day Rose is still my first choice. 

It has a strange scent that might bother some. I find it’s not too strong for me. 

Melted Sun Cream Bronzer

020 Beach Babe

A creamy bronzer that gives me “Chanel Bronze Universel vibes” (not that I had it). Its pigmented creamy formula is more on the silicone-dry side. Finish is nice, natural and the bronzer looks like “it melted into the skin”. Pigmentation is opaque when swatched, but it sheers out on the skin, which is a good thing, as such things should be applied gradually. It blends beautifully with a brush, but with fingers it needs some effort since it’s a thin formula with not much slip. 

Shade is leaning to orange on me, so I’m not loving it as much as their bronzer from the Holiday Skin Bronze & Glow Palette. It swatches much cooler than it ends up on my cheeks.

To sum up – great formula, not the best shade for me. 

Curl it Volume & Curl Mascara

Glossin’ Glow Tinted Lip Oil

010 Keep it Juicy and 030 Glow for the Show

The gamechanger in lip care: The CATRICE Glossin’ Glow Tinted Lip Oil combines the high-gloss finish of a lip gloss with the intensive nourishing properties of a lip balm. The texture reacts to the natural pH value of the lips – for a unique, soft pink finish. The formula with cherry and pomegranate oil provides an ultimate nourishing boost.

There are five shades and based on Catrice’s swatches three of the shades are those pH reacting one and those include the pink 010 Keep it Juicy, which starts of clear and then turns pink. Once it wears off, the lips stay pink. Shade 030 Glow For The Show is orange and it looks a bit orange on the lips – not the best look IMHO. They have a sweet, candy scent. 

Max it Up Lip Booster Extreme

010 Spice Girl and 030 Ice Ice Baby

The Spicy Plumper is a clear gloss with a tingly effect. Both don’t have anywhere near the level of shine of Lip Oils and don’t last as long either.

010 Milky not Guilty and 040 Fluffy Cotton Candy

Dream in Soft Glaze Nail Polish 

010 Hailey Baby

Create trendy nail looks in no time with the pearlescent CATRICE Dream In Soft Glaze Nail Polish. Thanks to the long-lasting formula with a “soft glazed” effect, the nails are perfectly styled and ready for the day!

A nail polish for that glazed donut manicure that was popular for five seconds. It’s a frosty white shade and it’s has more coverage with one coat that the two Sheer Beauties shades, but it works as a topper. It’s closer to opaque with three coats than Sheer Beauties and looks similarly elegant on the nails. Formula is smooth at all coats.  

Dream in Jelly Sparkle

030 Sweet Jellousy