This is exactly my type of foundation: light-medium coverage, very lightweight on the skin and with a natural, non-foundation look. I have to use powder with this one, since it can get shiny during the day despite my currently dry skin, but it's manageable. It wears nicely, it doesn't look bad over pores or uneven texture, so it reminds me of Fit Me Matte + Poreless, though there are differences. The shade is a total win for me, 095 a very pale neutral-pink that matches me perfectly. Maybelline foundations are worth it for the pale shades alone.
I bought several foundations at the end of the year and this was my pick for the medium coverage formula with a satin-matte finish. It stays long on the skin and wears well without becoming patchy or too obvious during the day. I got shade 008 which is a nice pale shade with a neutral to cool undertone.
CLINIQUE Even Better Refresh Hydrating and Repairing Makeup Full-Coverage Foundation
0.75 Custard
I've never been a fan of high coverage foundations because they look so obvious, but this one I can get along with. Despite the name I wouldn't necessary consider it as for dry skin oily, as it's not overly dewy and it doesn't slip into creases. It's got more of a satin finish and a medium-full coverage, it still looks natural enough, it doesn't emphasise pores and it has the best staying power I've seen at foundations. Shade 0.75 is very pale, though with a more intense undertone than Maybelline and it's yellow, but it's not like Nars' Siberia and it fits my neutral skin.
NOTE: None of the three knock MAYBELLINE Fit Me Matte + Poreless off its throne. That foundation still looks best on me.
HONOURABLE MENTION:
MAYBELLINE Instant Anti-age Eraser Multi-use Concealer 00 Ivory - Not a new product to me, but a new shade. 00 Ivory is a very pale shade that's a great match for my skin tone.
I've been skipping powder for years because all I've tried looked so odd on my skin making my foundation obvious or patchy. I got this one because people mentioned it works for dry skin as well. It's not a natural looking powder, but it sort of perfects the skin and makes final finishes to the makeup. It's matte without being too much, it doesn't highlight dry patches or make them worse, it smooths the texture of the skin and blurs the lines and pores to a certain degree. I've tried the famous Laura Mercier powder and they perform the same on me.
What else is going to be in this post than these. I've worn them almost every day since I got back early in this year. These are definitely some of the best blushes I've tried so far. They always look so smooth on the skin, they blend well, have plenty of pigmentation and they last well. I particularly like shade 50 because it has this fine shimmer that gives a glow to the cheeks without looking glittery or like an obvious streak of a shiny blush. I've recently seen Notino started to sell L.O.V. so they should be available in several European countries.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
ARTDECO Anti Pollution Spray - that fine mist! So worth having for that alone.
PIXI Glow Mist - great ingredients.
For years I assumed this is one of those too wet mascaras that weighs down the lashes, so it's not for me - I was so wrong. This one really impressed me for a regular formula. It's not amazingly volumising, but I love how it separates and combs the lashes creating a natural looking effect of great lashes. Also no matter how much I apply it never looks clumpy. Though the formula is not very wet, it still doesn't manage to hold up my lashes, but at least it doesn't weigh them down. It's one of my favourite regular formulas.
Another impressive regular formula. The brush reminds me of Essence <3 Extreme waterproof, as it's the same type of a regular wand with very densely packed bristles. This results in about the same effect, nicely separated, "multiplied" lashes with a fanned out effect. Formula isn't gloopy or wet which is a big plus, as because of this it's not a messy mascara and it doesn't drop the lashes. In terms of holding a curl it's as good as a regular mascara can be, so it holds them up half way, which is good in my books for such a formula
The best eyeliner for the waterline I've found that's also easily available in my nearest drugstores. It's very similar to Avon's Supershock in terms of formula - intense black, very pigmented, soft and transfers with ease into the waterline. This lasts all day my waterline - not smudged between the lashes like all liners like to end up after an hour or two, but on the actual waterline. It's seriously good.
Winners for my favourite eyeshadows. Just like the Blushement blushes these have been pretty much the only eyeshadows I've worn since I got them. These are so pigmented, so easy to use and blend. I almost always wear just one shade at once (in general) because of my eye shape on which it's useless to try with elaborate looks and these make it so easy. I just apply them with fingers, I get plenty of colour quickly and just blend the edges either with a brush or with a finger if I can't be bothered. They are this interesting hybrid between a pressed-loose eyeshadow that behaves almost like a cream eyeshadow. They last well on my non-oily eyelids, even with no base. I also love all the colours I have, which is usual because I tend to like just one or two in eyeshadow ranges, but all of these are so wearable and pretty.
This recently became my most worn shade and my goes-with-everything pick - actually it's the only shade I feel comfortable with right now given my experimenting with hair colours. It's a great nude shade that's neither too warm nor too cool, but it's more unique than a regular nude for my skin tone (Oriflame's Pink Flair is more of a classic nude). This formula is Catrice's best yet. It's very lightweight and comfortable with a finish that can in fact be best described as demi matte.
This is praised for a reason. It not a heavy, balmy sticky texture, yet it somehow manages to last on the lips until the morning and it leaves the lips properly nourished. Since it's not heavy and actually has a pretty glossy shine, I can wear it during the day too. I can't say how effective it is on very dry lips, since mine are never very chapped, but reviews are rating it high and my lips look nicely nourished with no dry patches in the morning.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
ORIFLAME The One Colour Stylist Ultimate Lipstick in Pink Flair and Cranberry Blush - two gorgeous colours.
I've been looking for an affordable oil cleanser that wouldn't break me out for years and this is. It's got a nice rich oil texture which emulsifies into a thick emulsion that removes all makeup, though (the only minus I can say) it can't quite handle every waterproof mascara (Essence's are so stubborn). It doesn't irritate my eyes or make my vision foggy, there's no annoying scent, it washes off completely leaving no filter behind and unlike a lot of oils it doesn't break me out. One pump is enough for my face, so I use it much less than Biobaza I used before and it's also cheapest per millilitre from the oils that suit me. If I didn't have to order online it'd be perfect, but it doesn't take that long to arrive from Japan.
My skin looked its best when I was using this and Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse. I then gave other vitamin C products a try and some retinols, but since I finished my first bottle, it's been downhill. I'm currenlty going through a case of "retinol uglies" and it's even impossible to wear makeup right now, so I can only remember fondly how good my skin was with this and hope I get through bad skin days soon. This is by far the nicest vitamin C product I've used, also most effective and a great product in general. This contains 10 % ascorbic acid, yet it works more effectively on me than the 20% Tiam, it also has no alcohol and it contains glycerine, squalane and hyaluronic acid. he emulsion is very lovely - it's a nice smooth liquid formula that applies with ease and feels moisturising. Eucerin recommends to mix this with your moisturiser, but like I use it on its own as the first step, leave it to absorb for at least 15-20 minutes and apply other care. I mentioned when I reviewed this that it took two weeks for the effects to start showing, but after than my skin was looking its best. It was always properly nourished, it started to become more even, healthy and I had zero breakouts. One thing that sucks is that bottles are very small with only 7.5 ml of product and it's not cheap, but it's the best such product I found so far for my skin.
My favourite moisturiser. It has niacinamide is 4th on the list and it also has hyaluronic acid, adenosine and plenty of extracts. It's my night moisturiser because it takes a bit longer to sink in, though it's not a heavy feeling formula, it's a gel-cream one. It works for my skin and keeps in in check.
I wanted this for so long because I had a generous tester once and this oil really suit my skin. It's the thickest oil in my collection, so I use a few drops as my first oil, then used Palmer's or Nuxe over to do my facial massage. This works for my skin and leaves is nourished/normalised with a healthy glow.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
OLAY Regenerist Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream Face Moisturizer with SPF 30 Broad Spectrum (a.k.a. OLAZ 3-Zonen Tagescreme LSF 30)
NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Florale - I've been using the original for 6-7 years, this is just a new scent.
There were only two hand creams with a decent SPF I could find here in shops, both from Neutrogena and this one is with the highest SPF. But I don't like it just for the sun protection, it's also a nice formula. It's a medium-thick cream, but it doesn't take too long to absorb, though it leaves a noticeable moisturising film on the skin which is not slippery.
I got this a while ago, but only recently really started to appreciate it properly. My skin became incredibly dry for a period, so much that it was flaky all over and no cream keep it moisturised for long. This was my saviour. I kept reapplying in a thick coat, so like a sleeping mask and my skin regularly absorbed it completely within two hours, but after a day I saw a big improvement. It contains a high percentage of glycerine and 5% panthenol which is designed for assisting regeneration and repairing of targeted areas, so it was perfect for the task. Formula feels similar to Bepanthen, but feels smoother to apply and easier to spread. The only thing that bothers me is the packaging because it felt empty and I couldn't get anything out anymore, but when I cut the tube in half and there was so much still left.
A miracle in a tube - I think I said this plenty of times. It's not a new product to me, but the last time I had it was a long time ago before blog, while I praised the Intense Hydrator from this line a lot in the past years. Together these two are an unbeatable duo. One use and my hair feels like it was never bleached. Both are amazing products for making hair feel renewed even if you abused it to oblivion. I prefer to use the two together, though both Reconstructor and Hydrator can be used on their own, but Reconstructor which is an intense protein treatment leaves the hair kind of hard to the touch which is true for protein treatments in general, so you have to use something moisturising after to give the hair back that pliability and Hydrator works best with this, though I could use another hydrating conditioner or mask. I'd love to have massive 1 litre bottles of both.
My third product from the K-Pack line and it features the same Quadramine complex. Formula is very similar to Orofluido, Moroccanoil and Macadamia Natural Oil, meaning the same thick texture that fits my hair best, so obvious I loved this from the moment I tried it. It tames the hair as it should and it deals with the dryness, at least for a while. This is one of the best oils I've tried.
Pantene Repair conditioner and other formulas are the discovery of the year. After years of avoiding this brand because of the common internet myth that these are bad that kind of stuck in my subconscious even though I know so much more about hair care now than before blogging, I finally gave this brand a go and it seriously impressed me. All of these work about the same on me, the Repair mask and Hair Superfood conditioner are richer, but all leave my hair nourished, a bit softer and shinier. I just keep buying these. One is missing, the 3 Minute Miracle which is equally good. Every now and then I get a message from people telling me that they tried it and they are impressed.
I have the famous number 3 which I use a lot too, but at that one I don't see an amazing effect, while this reminds me of one of my favourite discontinued products. It's a creamy leave-in formula that is not wet, so it can be used on damp and dry hair. On dry hair it tames frizz and it doesn't pop back up when the wet part of the conditioner dries. It also nourishes the hair and untangles. On damp hair after washing it's amazing. In combination with Pantene Intensive Repair conditioner makes my hair so soft and silky (I said many times, my hair is rarely soft due to its coarse, thick texture). However, I hate the packaging because it's hard to squeeze and it's not a precise one to dispense.
I can always rely on this making my hair look more polished and shiny in an instant. It's a lightweight silicone oil in spray form and it's like an instant perfector that creates that healthy shiny hair look. I use it as any time I'm a pinch to make my hair more presentable, especially since my hair gets drier the longer I don't wash my hair, so I need a shine spray that doesn't contain alcohol and one that masks dryness.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
A high quality bleach and developer that left my hair with no damage. I've gone through a few bleach sessions this year, slowly lightening my hair and these did their job without leaving my hair feeling like a rats nest. I picked Blondme after an extensive research because it has an added bond builder, meaning something like Olaplex that prevents the bonds between keratin plates from being dissolved, therefore prevents significant damage. It doesn't smell like bleach much (it actually has a floral scent) and it got on my skin numerous times and it felt like nothing, so this is definitely a bleach I'm very comfortable using.
Since I became a blonde I also got an opportunity to finally play with colours and these are great. These are hair masks that act as temporary colour, which you can use either to colour blond hair or to refresh your existing shade. These are so simple to use, I just use them as a hair mask (but make sure to apply them all over the hair), they don't stain anything, they don't leave my hair dry, they are super pigmented, so I never need to use them straight from the tube, but I can mix them with a conditioner (or their version Clear) and they always wash off completely. I had so much fun using these. I've recently tried one from another brand and it's so infuriating (messy & refuses to wash off, so I'll have to do bleach bath) that if I started with that one, I'd never touch a temporary colour again.
This is what I call a spicy clean scent. It's like a super fancy fabric softener or a fabric softener mixed with a nice spicy fragrance. I think the "clean", soft part I'm smelling is a mix of gardenia, coconut and musk, while the spicy bit all the top notes, so ginger, cardamom and pepper. After all these years I still find it so unique among fragrances, there just aren't many clean yet spicy scents, they always drag patchouli into spicy scents which I hate. It also lasts so long on the skin.
Top notes: ginger, cardamom, pepper
Heart: orange blossom, peony, gardenia, coconut
Base notes: sandalwood, musk, amber
Usually I don't fall in love with the scent instantly, not even in my beloved Twilight Woods, but this was different. It's a much, much nicer, but equally posh version of Elie Saab le parfum (at least to my nose), except it omits the jasmine note, so the orange floral stands out a lot more here. This is so warm and cosy, but a floral on a woody-vanilla base. It lasts well too, better than other Oriflame scent by a mile. I've tried their praised Amber Elixir, but that one has nothing on Gold Essenza Sensuale. It doesn’t have a classic spray, instead it has a applicator with which you dab the fragrance directly on the pulse points, which I quite like, as it gives me that vintage feel.
This reminds me of a younger, sparklier version of Calvin Klein Sheer Beauty. It's sweet and warm with that sparkly champagne character, like eating almond macarons while drinking champagne. Some describe it as a scent perfect for the festive season, but to me it nice everyday scent.
This was love at first spray, it's so good. BBW says that it smells different on every individual, which I supposed is somewhat true for most fragrances, though maybe at this one the differences are bigger, creating more unique scents. It's a type of fragrance I've never smelled before, this fantastic clean, yet not typically "laundry detergent" clean scent. The notes are well blended, so I can't pinpoint any of the notes mentioned in the description of this fragrance (iris, cedarwood & pink pepper), but I often get a strong scent of pears on me even though it's not mentioned among the notes. This is definitely one of the best scents BBW made.
Links to previous such annual posts are at the end of All-Time Favourites page.
Links to previous such annual posts are at the end of All-Time Favourites page.
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