New in #122

TOO FACED Born This Way Foundation 

Swan

I never looked at this foundation closely because I wrongly assumed it's a matte high-coverage foundation, so the type my skin isn't fond off (they did release a matte version after this one), but it caught my eye when I was watching Youtube videos for a recommendation for a good high-end foundation in a pale shade (I started out by researching the new Nars Light Reflecting foundation, Charlotte Tilbury's Beautiful Skin and renewed Makeup Forever HD, but due to lack of available pale shades and swatches, ended up buying this). Swan is one of the shades that I believe was added latter and Cloud is even lighter, but I thought the latter may already be too light for me, since it looks almost off-white on swatches. Swan is a tiny bit darker than my skin tone, so it's not ideal, but blends in ok. I've only worn it with my summertime skin care (which is glowy + SPF), but so far I find the name fits this foundation. It's got a good amount of coverage, about medium, so I only need a tiny bit of concealer under my eyes and on an old blemish mark, but despite the higher coverage, it looks like skin, it's smooth and very natural. It wears nicely through the day without flaking or making my lines very obvious. It also looks beautiful on pictures. Finish is glowy in a very nice way and it doesn't feel heavy or greasy. It feels like a high-quality foundation and it fits my normal-dry skin. 

COLOURPOP Shadow Palette

Stone Cold Fox

One of still rare cool toned palettes by Colourpop. I have two of their 9-pan ones, That's Taupe and Going Coconuts, which impressed me enough to want to own more of Colourpop eyeshadows despite being kind of a mixed bag in terms of quality (Going Coconuts is the better of the two). There are 30 shades in Stone Cold Fox, ranging from mattes to metallic with a mix of neutral, cool and rosy tones. When I was watching reviews and comparison swatches, some said that Colourpop tends to repeat their colours and if you don't own any of their cool toned options, there's everything in this palette - I actually disagree, as That's Taupe differs from this one, specifically the shimmers. I love this palette. Quality is overall better than the two 9-pans ones, particularly when it comes to shimmer shades. Pretty much all colours have excellent pigmentation, they are so smooth and blend with ease. There's many taupe shades in various depths and the shimmers can easily be picked up with a brush (unlike in That's Taupe) and don't need much layering on the eyelids. They last ok on my eyes, but I don't have problems with oiliness. I like this one more than Bare Necessities, which is hardly surprising and it has almost everything I need, though it lacks those green-golds I love to wear. The palette packaging is so nice. It's made from this almost rubberised-feeling material and it feels high quality. 

I got it when it was 30% off, but it's about 30 €.

COLOURPOP Shadow Palette

Bare Necessities

I didn't plan to get this one, unlike the Stone Cold Fox, which was on my shortlist for a new neutral palette, but Colourpop has free shipping over 60 $, so I added it to the cart, since it's was 30% off and still looks very wearable from my stand point. It's a warm counterpart to Stone Cold Fox, though there are many neutral shades in it and I can create the type of look like, so not too warm, but even when shades look almost the same in the palette as in SCF, on my skin they look warmer. I was most drawn to that bronze looking shade Genie, but my skin tone makes it an orange toned, which is what happens with 99% of gold shades on me. Quality of eyeshadows is the same and SFC, all blend lovely, have a good colour payoff and last well. I'm happy with both palettes and the packaging has the same nice feel as SCF.

COLOURPOP Pretty Fresh Tinted Moisturizer

Fair 1 N

This has a lot of good reviews and I was drawn to it because it's supposed to be very hydrating, which my skin needs. Colourpop has a lot of shades and I wasn't sure if their lightest one might be too light for me. Apparently everyone has stopped normal blogging and there's few comparison swatches between different brands of shades that would help the poor woman trying to buy a foundation online, but I picked the lightest nonetheless, hoping for the best. It ended up being ok, but actually since it's a tinted moisturiser and the coverage low, it doesn't matter that much if you miss the shade. Fair 1N is a very pale colour with a neutral undertone, it's one of the lightest in my collection. Coverage is as I said low, though buildable, but it doesn't look like a proper foundation and it just evens out the skin. Due to that it looks natural, an actually no-makeup makeup look. Having said that, mine has these white beads in it. I don't know what they are, either the product isn't good quality or the formula wasn't blended well, but they are noticeable when I apply this to the face. Strangely enough in time they disappear, almost like they melt. It's a mystery, but it makes the whole product off to me. Finish is glowy and this is indeed a hydrating formula. Honestly, I could live without this in my collection. I thought I'll like the low coverage, but strangely for me I wish it had a bit more. 

COLOURPOP Blush Stix

More is More

I realised a few months ago that there are almost no cream blushes in drugstores among cheap brands here. I used to love Bourjois ones, but it looks like they were discontinued a while ago. There are several shades of these available, but Colourpop has no swatches, so I had to rely on bloggers and it was hard to pick which might work well for me. I thought this one is a standard peachy pink, which is usually universally flattering, but it's a bright warm pink with gold shimmer. It's quite pigmented and I don't need much for my cheeks. Usually I swipe it on the back of the hand and slowly build it up on the cheeks with fingers. 

BENEFIT Wanderful World Blushes Powder Blusher 

Shellie (mini) and Willa

These are new and Benefit quite unusually for them released a whole collection, instead of just one blush at a time like the used to do. I own an absolutely ancient Coralista, which used to be my favourite and most used blush, but it's too old now to use. It looks like they discontinued it along with all other blushes, except for Dandelion, which is a part of this line too. Coralista was excellent quality and after a string last year & this year's drugstore stuff I bought and got, I decided it's time for some high end purchases, which I hoped would impress me more and they did. I picked Shellie which looks closest to Coralista and Willa, which is the type of muted pink I wear most often. They have two sizes available, travel and regular, but not all shades are available in travel size (Willa isn't). I actually ended up with two Willas because the first came completely smashed in the post (Cult Beauty quickly sent a replacement with no fuss). I ended up fixing the first broken one with alcohol and it completely changed the colour of it into deeper pink, while the Willa that came whole is a muted pink shade that ends up more warm on my cheeks. Odd, but both are good quality in terms of pigmentation and staying power, they are just a different shade now. These are insanely pigmented. I only need to touch them with my fluffy blush brush and it's enough for me, though I am very pale, so most blushes show up easily on me. Formula is smooth and blends ok, though like I said these are very pigmented and I need to apply a very small amount, so it's not like blending a less pigmented blush that I apply gradually. Willa is a muted pink shade with some glow, but since I apply so little, the glow isn't strong on me. Shellie is very similar to Coralista on my cheeks, a coral that on me leans more to orange than I want, but it's still a peachy-pink shade that brightens up the face. I'm very interested in getting a shade or two more of these, my first choices are Dandelion and Pom Pom. Since these are so pigmented, a mini will last me forever and the opening isn't too small so brushes fit ok into the packaging. Both shades have a fragrance that is the same as Coralista had, a sort of a fruity floral. 

NARS Mini Orgasm Blusher

This was actually my first even blush. Obviously in a full size, this is just a gift with purchase I got on Look Fantastic. When I was buying my first makeup product, there wasn't a lot of them in our drugstores, certainly very little good drugstore ones, so my first blush was the most sold and recommended blush at that time that I got online and it's still on the best-selling lists, so that should tell something. It's a peachy-pink with gold shimmer, very often duped by other brands, but to be honest I don't think many come super close to it, especially when it comes to quality and staying power as well as the golden shimmer that adds a glow. I also had Deep Throat, which is similar, but more pigmented, so I used it to do makeup on those with a deeper skin tone than mine. This one is less pigmented than I remember, maybe it's just the top layer, but I need a dense mini brush and a few layers, but it's creates a beautiful peachy-pink flush with a gold glow. 

URBAN DECAY All Nighter Setting Spray Travel Size

A repurchase. I had this years ago, but I never repurchased it because I bought a lot of other sprays to try and apart from Catrice one which has a bad spray pump, this was the only one that prolonged staying power of makeup really well from the stuff I tried up to then. I recently got sent the new Revlon's ColorStay Lock spray and Milani's Make it Last, which have both proven themselves to be as good as this one. Most of my makeup lasts all day with Urban Decay with the exception of blush. It's almost the same as the other two sprays (Revlon & Milani) and I kind of trust it most because it's high-end, but on one occasion I have noticed some flakiness on my nose, so it can be drying due to the alcohol content. I got a mini size back then and another again, since I don't often use such sprays because I forget.

URBAN DECAY Eyeshadow Primer Potion Travel Size

Another repurchase. This was my first eyeshadow primer many years ago and again I never repurchased it because for one at that time the packaging was terrible, since it was made from a hard plastic in a unique shape and there was so much left in the tube and you couldn't get to it without cutting the tube and it's also expensive for something I so rarely use as someone who doesn't have oily eyelid anymore. But I recently had Artdeco one in a pot and I was so disappointed when it dried out so fast, with most of the product still in the pot. I've actually been using Etude House Proof 10 one, which is really nice, but I wanted to give the good old UD another go. I realised that Etude House and this one are dupes on me in every respect - formula feels the same: a creamy liquid that has some tackiness to it for a while, but when it sets it's a smooth base. Neither have any colour, but UD comes in more versions. Applicators are the same, a doe foot one. I got Etude House for 5$ on eBay a while go.

LA ROCHE-POSAY Anthelios UVMune 400 Invisible Fluid SPF50+ Sun Cream

I like my Garnier Ambre Solaire Fluid SPF50+ , Nivea Dark Spot Control Luminous 630 SPF 50 and Shiseido Urban Environment Age Defense SPF 30, but LRP has a new state of the art filter Mexoryl400 in this sunscreen and since I tend to spend quite a lot of time in the sun, I thought this may be a good investment to make. It's a replacement for their Shaka Fluid, which was in the same packaging. It's nice, it can make my skin look yellow. The cream has a faint yellow tint and I guess my skin is so pale that it shows. Otherwise it's similar to Garnier's Fluid, so very liquid and light, but less elegant and has a shine that lasts on the skin - I make it even worse with a vitamin C serum (I'm currently using the less shiny SVR Ampoule Anti-Ox instead of Afrodita's because of that) and Balea's niacinamide day cream. 

JOICO Defy Damage Protective Shampoo

A repurchase. I use this at almost every wash and my first shampoo. It's got proteins, aminoacids, peptides, oils, a protective lipid, so it's great for damaged hair. It foams well, the foam is dense (not like Olaplex, but it beats regular shampoos), it's a bit nourishing and doesn't leave that squeaky clean feeling I dislike (because my hair is so dry).

JOICO K-Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor

A repurchase. I talk a lot about this one and it's one of the best ever hair products I've found. This is the first part of my ultimate saviours duo, which so far has never failed to return my hair from feeling stiff and hard to properly moisturiser after I bleach it. I find them better than Olaplex, but only when used together. Reconstructor is a protein treatment and it doesn't leave my hair feeling soft, since it's dry, so I need to balance it out by using K-Pack Intense Hydrator which adds moisture and makes my hair more soft again. After I use K-Pak combo, the rest of the hair care starts to work much better. Hydrator works fantastically on its own too, but after bleaching I need to combine them. 

OLAPLEX No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo

A repurchase. Currently my favourite shampoo. This produces such a thick, rich foam. I find that together with Joico Defy Damage they help my hair. I have the purple version too, which I also like, but it's less thick than this. 

OLAPLEX No.5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner

A repurchase. It's not the most amazing conditioner in terms of visible results, so I use Pantene Hair Rescue mask either over it or after it so I get that slippery silkiness when I'm rinsing it off and it's a nice combination. The mask is better, but this has 250 ml and probably about the same percentage of bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate.

OLAPLEX No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask

A repurchase. I love this a lot more than the no.5 conditioner even though it's thinner, but it has superior results on my very dry hair. But the packaging is shamefully small and unlike no.3 a small amount can't be applied to a large area, so one bottle doesn't last many uses. I keep it for emergencies when my hair desperately needs some repairing care, while I mostly use the n.5 conditioner.  

OLAPLEX No.6 Bond Smoother

A repurchase. It's a creamy leave-in with hair repairing bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate. I love the texture of this, which I can use on both dry and damp hair. On damp hair is helps my hair dry smoother with a hair dryer, while on dry hair it smooths down flyaways. The recently changed the bottle to include a pump like on the n.8 mask, but since I got this in a 3 for 2 offer, I guess they were getting rid of the old stock. But I really don't like the old packaging.

OLAPLEX No.9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum

The latest Olaplex product, this one is a leave-in, which is not a cream with silicones like no.6, but a gel-ish liquid and I liked it straight away. I own all Olaplex products, but I'm still missing a spray leave-in among their offering, though this is close enough or even better. It's the first step I apply after rinsing off the mask or conditioner and before my "army of usual leave-ins" (Joico K-Pak Liquid Reconstructor, Moroccanoil All-in-one leave-in conditioner and Palmer's Hair Oil) and I find my hair dries smoother. Formula is light and a small amount can be applied to a large area, so I don't have to use more than a pump or two. I quickly became a big fan of this..     

THE INKEY LIST Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Scrub 

I have The Ordinary Glycolic toner that breaks me out when I use it on the face, so I had an idea to use it up on my scalp, however, it made my hair so sticky. I decided to get the hair version by The Inkey List, but idiotically didn’t check neither how it’s used or the concentration. This was a stupid purchase because it's the same as The Ordinary for the face - same concentration of glycolic, so only 7%, which is too weak for me and it leaves the hair sticky, so it needs to be washed off. I can’t use it as a leave-in, like a scalp toner as I planned and 10 minutes of 7% glycolic is a joke to my skin. I should have bought a 30% face version from any of these similar brands instead and give it a try that way.

COLOR WOW Travel Dream Coat Supernatural Spray

This was my second time buying it, but the first time Look Fantastic realised they don't actually have it in stock after I already paid for it and they gave me my money back. Then a year passed before I decided to finally give it a go. I wasn't sure if I really want to risk to try it because I kind of don't like it makes the hair waterproof and I worry it might be difficult to get off completely and it may block conditioner from hydrating, but there are so many great reviews that it's hard to resist not falling for the hype. It's an anti-frizz, taming and smoothing liquid that on some I've seen can create that glass hair effect, but I doubt it will work as well on mine. I actually have a good anti-frizz routine, but I can't help not being curious. I quickly encountered a problem with this - it can't be used with silicones or oils, so the cornerstone of my routine. Colour Wow offers its own shampoo and conditioner duo that is free of those things and works with this product, but I just have a gnawing feeling they would leave my hair too dry and breaking due to that. So I used it with my regular routine and I indeed didn't get my hair that smooth, though it did dry more straight (comparable to my anti-frizz routine). Effect should last 4 washes, but my hair got puffy already on the second day. At least I didn't notice it being difficult to wash off. I might try their mini shampoo and conditioner to see  how it goes, but with my silicone and oil rich routine, this product doesn't show its full potential. I was told you need a lot of product, basically soak the hair with this and I was generous. Spray is really good and helps it get to as much hair as it can quickly .

ICOSIGN Lash Lift Eyelash Perming Kit

I mentioned this a sometime at the start of the year in my wishlist part of monthly favourites and I finally ordered it. It's any an at-home lash lift kit so my perpetually straight, stubborn lashes. Reviews are in general good, but this might be extremely dumb doing at home and alone, but I'm not one for visiting any beauty or hair salons. Set contains 5 different sizes of lash pads, a few plastic tools for combing the lashes and application, a lash glue, a perming and a fixing solution, cleanser and a nutritious care product. There are a few things missing, like shield pads for lower lashes, so you still need prepare more stuff before setting on "home experiments". I'm still gathering the courage and also trying to find the time to try this, but I'm hoping for the best. This is the most sold version of lash lift kits on Amazon.de, but I got it on eBay because it was cheaper with shipping. 

Posted in: Skincare