January 2017 Favorites

January was a busy month in some ways, but also a very relaxed one. I had my birthday in January, which is always fun. I also got a few new products to test out and some already made it into this months favorites.



Avon Senses Sensual Dream Dark Chocolate & Coconut Shower Cream

This was a pre-order and I think it comes out in next Avon campaign. If Avon does something good, it's definitely the scents. Their Avon Senses shower gels usually have the best scents and when I saw combination of chocolate and coconut, I had to try it. I don't notice much coconut. It's more like a chocolate pudding scent with cookies. The scent is to die for and if you're on a diet, I advise you to stay away from it. It even has a bit thicker formula that almost reminds me of cooked pudding texture. It's definitely my favorite scent from their shower gels and a lovely treat for colder months.

Alpstories Cleansing Gel Sage & Mint

One of those cleansing gels that I fell in love with and that's a rare thing for me. It's perfect for colder months and sensitive skin. It has a thicker gel formula that foams well when it comes in contact with water. It doesn't make your skin feel squeaky clean and there's no tightening feeling afterwards. It also doesn't leave behind any greasy residue. I love to use it for morning cleanse or for the last step in my cleaning routine (double cleanse). It has a fresh herbal scent to it that I've grown to love.


Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask - Green Tea and Bamboo

I've been sick this month and my skin has gotten a bit drier. Sheet masks are the best products for adding some moisture back to the skin. I've been loving these from Innisfree. They are extremely saturated with serum, fit well on the face and nicely hydrate my skin. I love the fact that there's a lot more serum left in the bag, so I usually use this in place of a serum for the next three days. It's slightly sticky, which means it grabs onto the skin well, but feels very lightweight and hydrating. Green tea is my favorite scent, because I love green tea in general. Bamboo has a bit fresher herbal scent that is also very soothing. They both make my skin softer, plumper and hydrated.

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5

I bought The Ordinary products as soon as I found out about the brand (I also have niacinamides). This is my second bottle of hyaluronic acid. At first I thought that this isn't doing much for my skin. But when I used up my first bottle and was without it, I noticed that my skin was becoming drier. After getting another bottle, I can say that this definitely helps to keep moisture in my skin. But I always use this as a base and then put lots of other moisturizing products on top of it. Hyaluronic acid is supposed to attract to the moisture in your skin and keep it there, so essentially, if you're skin is dry as Sahara, this may not be the best product for you. I heard some say it may make your skin even drier. Especially now in colder months and central heating. It's transparent, slightly thicker liquid that soaks into the skin really quickly and feels lightweight. 


Zoeva Caramel Melange Eyeshadow Palette

I am not even gonna talk about it anymore. I've already wrote a review of it here. It is still a staple in my makeup routine and I just can't get enough of these shades. Liquid Center is my weakness. As you can see this is already well used.

Catrice Slim'matic Ultra Precise Brow Pencil - 020 Medium

I've searched for Anastasia Brow Wiz kind of product in Korean makeup and found one. But Korean brow products are usually very warm toned, so I was ecstatic to find out that Catrice has come out with similar slim brow pencil. So far I love shade Medium. It's very natural grey toned brown. Pencil has a super slim tip with which you can draw hair like strokes and just fill in where you feel like you need to. It's also long lasting and has really nice pigmentation. 


Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Moonstone

I also won't loose words on this products. I've already mentioned I adore this highlighter and ever since I got it, I can't put it down. It's perfect for winter time and looks natural, yet gives a lovely sheen. You can read a review of it here.

Wet'n'wild Coloricon Blush in Apri-Cot in the Middle

I got this as a gift from Mateja and she sure knows me well. I immediately fell in love with the shade. I thought that this would look really dark on the cheeks, but actually goes on really light. You can obviously build it up, but I prefer just a very light wash of it. It's that kind of muted peach shade with gorgeous gold shimmer that gives it lovely sheen. I absolutely adore it. It's very similar to Milani Luminoso, but has even more sheen to it and the sheen is golden, while Luminoso looks more cooler in terms of a shimmery sheen.

Essence Eyeshadow 15 Hazel Me Not!

This is my favorite shade that I use to contour my face with. Most contour products have red undertone to them which I hate, because it makes me look flushed. I much prefer something light and grey based. I love that this eyeshadow is very light and you can actually apply a very light, almost unnoticeable, contour. You can build it up too, but I like my contour very light. It's also perfect for nose contour, because it doesn't have a lot of color payoff.


Catrice Lip Foundation Pencil in 030 Addicted To Cafe Au Lait

Another new launch from Catrice. I assume these lip pencils are suppose to match your natural skin colour of the lips and it should look like nothing on the lips. This shade is still darker than my natural lip colour - because my lips have almost no colour. It's almost like a peachy brown nude shade and I adore it. It's so hard to find nude lip pencils that aren't pink toned. I've been wearing it a lot, ever since I got it. It's that kind of neutral shade that you can cheat your natural lip line a bit and it won't look fake. It's nicely creamy and not too drying. The finish is matte and it stays well on the lips.

Avon True Supreme Nourishing Lipstick - Nurturing Nude and Revitalising Raspberry

I've been testing Avon True Supreme Nourishing lipsticks and I love the formula. It's a very nourishing and comfortable. There's no chance of drying out your lips. It almost feels like a mixture of lip balm and lipstick. Nurturing Nude is the most neutral in the range. It's like a mix of pink, peach and brown. One of those really wearable nudes that would suit many skin tones. Revitalising Raspberry is like a a mix of pink and red. It's light and one of those effortless pinks to wear with most looks. I'll have a review of the whole range on my blog this week.


Transparent Plastic Drawers

I got this as a gift from friend Sabina and she definitely hit the spot. I've been wanting to get these drawers for a really long time, but couldn't find the right sized anywhere near me. She found them in Primark for those that are looking for them too. I love how pretty these look on my table and it definitely looks like a great decor, but it's also useful. So far I keep in them some products that I'm currently testing. The drawers are well made, but don't slide out with the utmost ease, which is to be expected. It's plastic after all. But I love the look of these and am really happy that I got them.


Good Morning Gorgeous Mug

I have to include this one in my favorites, because it turns out to be one of my new favorite props for blog photography. This is a blank mug and my cousin decorated it with sharpies and baked it. It looks so pretty and fun. I use the mug for storing my eye brushes in it and it's a lovely decor on my table.


Master's Degree Event

I got my Master's degree in July, but this month we had the official ceremony of getting all the papers of Master's degree and just taking the last step into our faculty. I am still unemployed and this sucks the life out of me, because I don't care what anyone says, no one wants to sit at home and do nothing (even though I do a lot at home, I just don't get payed). I studied media communications and trying to find a job in that field in out part of the country is mission impossible. Considering the fact that there aren't any big media companies here. I had fun going to this event with my friend and fellow colleague Sabina. It's a definite end of a certain period and it's nice to celebrate it.

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Review: Holika Holika Wonder Drawing Skinny Eyebrow - 02 Dark Brown

I have been on a search for a brow product that would offer me something precise with which I could draw on individual brows. So far, Holika Holika Skinny Eyebrow turned out to be a good choice. It was extremely hard to find super slim brow pencil in our drugstores. Thankfully, Catrice recently came out with Slim'matic Ultra Precise Brow Pencil. I also both that one in two colors, so expect a review soon and comparison with Holika Holika.


The packaging is a slim plastic pencil form in the color that it's inside. Mine is 02 Dark Brown. There are two sides, one with a spoolie and one with an actual pen. They both close really securely, but also not too tight. I also like the fact that both sides have different length of caps and only fit on one side, so you can't get confused or ruin the product by putting it on the wrong side.

In it is only 0.05 grams of product and it costs 7.98$ on Jolse. Looking back at it, I must have been crazy to justify this price for such a small amount of product. The pencil is so thin that you can't expect a lot of product, but there could still be more in it.



Spoolie is quite basic and not too hard, but definitely not soft to the touch. I find that it brushes my brows well. It's also not too long.


Pencil side is really small and slim. I would say it's around 1-2 mm wide. It comes with a straight cut tip, but with use usually gets rounded. You can definitely draw on hair like strokes with great precision. 


Shade 02 Dark Brown is what I would describe as a medium brown, but it has an obvious yellow undertone. It actually suits my hair color well, because I usually color my hair in medium warm brown that has golden sheen to it. So for that, it suits me, but I would still prefer a more natural grey toned brown as it would be more like my natural brow color. I've noticed that most Korean brow products have yellow undertone and this might be a turn off for all of you looking for something natural, more grey based.


I compared it to my favorite brow pencil - Catrice Eye Brow Stylist in 020 Date With Ash-ton. Catrice is a lot more grey based, even though it still has some warmth to it. They are both a medium brown, but Holika Holika is actually really pigmented and can quickly look darker if you apply more.


The texture of pencil is medium hard. It allows you to draw on hair like strokes. Depending on how much pressure you put on, that's how dark it will be. You can also make it lighter by using light hand when drawing. It doesn't feel greasy or waxy in any way. 

It has a matte finish and good pigmentation. It's also really long lasting. On my brows it stays through the whole day without any touch ups. 


I wanted to compare size of its slim pencil to my other pencils. Essence LE Lights of Orient Eyebrow Shaper in 01 Sunkissed Beauty is the largest pencil, but it's in fact a normal eyeliner pencil size. Next to it is Trend It Up Ultra Slim Kajal in 020 which is as small as Holika Holika pencil. 


Here are more photos of how spoolie and pencil look on the brows to give you an idea how big they actually are.



On my left side is my natural brow. As you can see, my natural brows are very grey toned. I also have a few gaps which I want to fill in with a color that would be dark enough, but would allow me to apply it in short strokes instead of filling it all in like a coloring book.

On my right side I lightly applied Holika Holika pencil. My brows looks more defined with it, slightly darker, definitely warmer and fuller. But it still doesn't look like an Instagram brow which I really dislike. 



Compared to my warm hair color, this shade of pencil doesn't look off and it actually works on me.


Holika Holika is my first skinny or slim brow pencil and I am definitely in love. I love how precise you can get with it, the fact that it has good pigmentation and that it stays on my brows through the whole day. The shade is still not what I'm looking for. I want something that is more greyish and closer to my natural brow color. Because this one is so warm toned I have to fill in my entire brow otherwise it looks weird. I want something that I can just fill in the gaps and it looks exactly like my natural brows, but just a tad bit warmer and I think I found that in new Catrice brow product that I'll have a review up soon. Catrice's pencil is also cheaper, because paying that much for 0.05 grams is too much for me. 
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Review: Zoeva Caramel Melange Eyeshadow Palette

I've expressed my love for Zoeva eyeshadow palettes many times. So far I find them to be the best eyeshadow palettes out there and they are still not as expensive as some other brands, although they constantly raise their prices. When I saw that they came out with two more palettes, I knew I had to get Caramel Melange. It's the warm variation of shades that I'm lacking in my collection.


As with most Zoeva eyeshadow palettes, this one too comes in a paper box packaging. I find it sleek and great for storage, but not the best for traveling with. It also comes with a sleeve that you put over the palette to keep it securely closed and tight.

Caramel Melange has combination of warm chocolate brown and metallic gold print. It seems similar to Cocoa Blend, but a lighter and warmer variation which is also what it essentially is on the inside.

In it is 10 eyeshadows with 1.5 grams of product in each eyeshadow. Price on Zoeva site is 22.50€. I usually get it from Douglas site (Austria) where they cost 21.95€ and if you wait for a descent discount, you can get it even cheaper.


Caramel Melange is definitely a warmer addition to classic Cocoa Blend. It has 6 matte shadows and 4 shimmery. Actually 3 shimmery and one is almost metallic looking. There is a lot of light and medium warm neutrals and also some warm pops of color. 






Wax Paper - warm matte light beige shade. It's yellow toned and perfect for all over the lid for fair skin tones or as a matte inner corner highlight.
Universal Delight - warm matte light tan shade. It's the best blending shade for fair to light skin tones, because it's really light.
Aftertaste - warm matte medium orange toned red. Perfect shade to warm up the look or use it straight on the lid. It looks intimidating in the packaging, but looks soft enough on the skin.
182°C - warm shimmery light orange with gold shimmer and gold sheen. Gorgeous light orange for the lid.
Liquid Center - warm shimmery medium metallic copper shade. It almost has a bit of rose gold tone to it. It's my absolute winner. This looks like a proper liquid metal on the eyes. 


Alchemy - warm matte medium red toned brown. Yet another one of those medium shades that is perfect for warming up the crease and defining it.
Start Soft - warm medium orange toned brown. This one is similar to Alchemy. Alchemy is redish brown while Start Soft is orange brown. It's again my favorite crease shade for a warm look.
Finish Sensual - warm medium cocoa brown. It's the most neutral looking brown in the palette, but it still has a definite warmth to it. Perfect for a more neutral crease,
Almost Burnt - warm shimmery light yellow gold. One of those shades that can almost look metallic, but not as metallic as Liquid Center. It's a great pop of color on the lid.
Edible Gem - warm matte dark purple brown base with sparse gold shimmer. This looks much more purple in the packaging, but on me it looks like a slightly purple tinted brown. It's still warm toned. The shimmer in it is really sparse and I don't get why the shimmer was necessary. 


In general all these shades have a slightly wet texture to them, which makes them really buttery with almost no fallout. All matte shades (Wax Paper, Universal Delight, Alchemy, Start Soft, Finish Sensual) except Aftertaste have a really lovely buttery formula. Aftertaste it's the only one that feels drier once you swatch it which also means that you can build it up or sheer it down.

182°C and Almost Burnt both have very buttery formula and amazing pigmentation. Liquid Center is the most buttery shade of them all. It almost feels creamy once you swatch it and it has the most incredible pigmentation. Edible Gem is again on the dry side of matte shades like Aftertaste. It has the most fallout, but good pigmentation.

In general these all have amazing pigmentation. Matte shades are definitely comparable to matte shades from Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette. The only difference is that sometimes some Too Faced mattes feel even more silky buttery to the touch. Shimmery shades are a lot more pigmented than those from Too Faced. Liquid Center reminds me of Colourpop Super Shock Shadow in Game Face. They almost have the same texture to it, but Liquid Center is opaque in one swipe while Game Face needs to be build up because of sheerer formula.

They are really long lasting. I can wear them for the whole day with no getting into the lines and very minimal fading. I should state that I always use eye primer underneath. Otherwise my lids get too oily for any eyeshadow.

I also compared some shades. 

Wax Paper (Zoeva Caramel Melange) - Bitter Start (Zoeva Cocoa Blend)

Essentially they look identical. Wax Paper is a bit lighter and more yellow toned while Bitter Starts is just slightly darker and more rose toned.

Starts Soft (Zoeva Caramel Melange) - Substitute For Love (Zoeva Cocoa Blend)

Starts Soft is darker and more redish orange based while Substitute For Love is lighter and more yellow toned.

Alchemy (Zoeva Caramel Melange) - Freshly Toasted (Zoeva Cocoa Blend)

I wanted to compare these two, because they both looked red toned. It turns out Alchemy is a lot lighter and almost more orange red based while Freshly Toasted is a lot darker and a lot more brown but with a warm undertone.

Almost Burnt (Zoeva Caramel Melange) - Pure Ganache (Zoeva Cocoa Blend)

Almost Burnt is a very yellow gold while Pure Ganache is light copper gold and therefore more orange based.

Liquid Center (Zoeva Caramel Melange) - Game Face (Colourpop Super Shock Shadow)

Liquid Center looks more like a real copper shade with a bit of rose gold in it while Game Face is brown based copper and looks more orange toned. It also looks darker.

Finish Sensual (Zoeva Caramel Melange) - Mousse (Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar)

These two also look really similar, but have different undertones. Finish Sensual looks warmer and slightly more red toned while Mousse looks cooler and slightly more yellow toned. 


Here are also some looks made with this palette to give you a better idea how these look like on my NC15 skin tone. 

Gold

All over: Wax Paper
Crease: Universal Delight and Finish Sensual
Lid: Almost Burnt
Inner corner: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Moonstone

Eyeliner: Clio Kill Black Brush Liner
Mascara: Maybelline Lash Sensational
Lips: Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor - Devotion





Orange

All over: Wax Paper
Crease: Universal Delight and Start Soft
Outer v: Aftertaste
Lid: 182°C
Inner corner: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Moonstone

Eyeliner: Clio Kill Black Brush Liner
Mascara: Maybelline Lash Sensational
Lips: Avon 3D Plumping Lipstick Cantaloupe





Matte

All over: Wax Paper
Crease: Universal Delight and Alchemy
Lid: Aftertaste
Inner corner: Wax Paper

Eyeliner: Clio Kill Black Pen Liner
Mascara: Maybelline Lash Sensational
Lips: Avon 3D Plumping Lipstick Truffle and Trend It Up High Shine Lipgloss 150






Smoky

All over: Wax Paper
Crease: Universal Delight and Finish Sensual
Lid: Edible Gem
Inner corner: Wax Paper

Eyeliner: Clio Kill Black Brush Liner
Mascara: Maybelline Lash Sensational
Lips: Essence Lipliner 06 Satin Mauve, Avon 3D Plumping Lipstick Mad For Mauve and Kiko 3D Hydra Lipgloss 27 Pearly Lavender





Copper

All over: Wax Paper
Crease: Universal Delight and Start Soft
Lid: Liquid Center

Eyeliner: Clio Kill Brown Brush Liner
Mascara: Maybelline Lash Sensational
Lips: Avon 3D Plumping Lipstick Cantaloupe






If you're searching for the right Zoeva palette for you, you can also read my reviews of other two palettes that I own.

Zoeva Cocoa Blend
Zoeva Mixed Metals


I can't recommend you Zoeva eyeshadow palettes enough. The price is still much better than other high end brands and you get an amazing quality of shades. It's just the matter of choosing the right shade combination for your taste. I am really satisfied with all that I own and use them a lot. Cocoa Blend was my most used before I got Caramel Melange. Caramel Melange is warm lovers dream and an absolute must have to get if you already own Cocoa Blend because these two compliment each other well. Cocoa Blend is for those that prefer warm tones, but not all the way. It's also very neutral as far as shades goes. Mixed Metals is for you if you're searching for pops of color, but already have enough of neutrals.

My absolute favorite shade from Caramel melange is Liquid Center. The perfect metallic copper. I also adore Universal Delight, because it's one of my lightest warmest crease shades for blending. Starts Soft is my favorite for the actual crease, because it's warm and more orange toned. Finish Sensual is perfect crease shade for when I want something more neutral. I also adore 182°C and Almost Burnt as the perfect pops of color for the lid. The only shade that is unnecessary in my opinon is Edible Gem. I would much prefer a darker matte brown in its place or another great pop of color.

Amazing pigmentation, long lasting, great choice of shades and finishes and reasonable price. I highly recommend you to try one, if you're looking for good palettes that you'll use on daily basis.
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