Two of my favorite Essence Limited Editions have to be their Christmas or December edition as well as summer edition. This year Essence decided to go with a Cuban vibe named Cubanita, which I am very pleased about. I would actually love to visit Cuba. The vibe seems so fun and chill. Fun fact, I also understand a lot of Spanish language. I actually learnt it through watching telenovelas for years when I was in school (I still watch some here and there) and I would love to go to Spanish speaking countries. My salsa dance ain't that bad either.

Limited Edition Cubanita is giving us tropical products with tropical designs and fun colors. I really wanted to get a highlighter, because I knew it was going to be good (Essence makes one of the best drugstore highlighters) and I was also intrigued by that banana powder. We've probably all heard of Ben Nye banana powder (a crowd favorite) and now many more brands do these variations. 

Cosmetic Bag - 01 La Banana Cubana

The collection also has this cute small makeup bag. It looks kind of small, but can actually fit a good amount of products. I could fit all my daily essential touch up products in it and more. These kind of makeup bags usually end up in my bag with additional makeup products and some touch ups.

It has a canvas feel to it and it reminds me of linen, but it's more like a thick durable cotton. It has cute banana on it and the writing livin' la vida banana!

The price is 3.29€.

Baking & Banana Powder - 01 Livin' La Vida Banana

This is a soft yellow mattifying loose powder that is perfect for concealer baking or used as a banana powder to set matte highlights. 

It comes transparent plastic pot with black plastic lid and yellow writing. It has a small puff inside that is actually very soft and not too fluffy. I often times apply powders with a puff, especially in the summer, because it gives you a lot of coverage and my skin tends to produce a lot more oil in summer. 

It has a plastic layer on top and small holes through which you can shake the powder out. The puff is also nice to keep inside, because it prevents powder from spilling all over.

Powder has a very light yellow tone to it. It's finely milled and feels like nothing on the skin. It blends into skin without a trace. The texture is not too wet, but also not dry. It has a matte finish, but doesn't keep my skin matte for long time. At least not any more than usual powders, especially now in summer, when my skin gets a lot oilier. 

It's very lightweight and fine, so it doesn't look cakey on the skin. It sets makeup well and gives it a matte smooth finish.

I tried to bake with it under my eyes and it worked good. I don't usually practice baking, because it can make me look too matte and the dryness accentuates my fine lines. 

As you can see on the left photo I applied a very light concealer and on the right photo I applied a heavy amount of banana powder. The right side looks darker after the powder and it has a bit of yellow undertone to it. The powder is by no means dark, it's actually suitable for fair, light and even light to medium skin tones. On darker skin, this would probably look ashy. 

Because of the yellow tone to it, it will neutralize those purple tones under the eyes. 

I mostly just use it all over my face. I have about NC15 skin tone (although now I'm probably more NC20 with darker foundations) and the yellow tone to this powder actually turns my neutral foundations just slight bit more yellow toned, which I love. I have a lot of yellow undertone in my skin naturally and most of my foundations can look more neutral toned. 

Yellow powder could also be nice for those of you with lots of redness or pink tones that you'd like to cover. It's just a very subtle veil of yellow tint on top of other makeup products.  I need to touch it up through the day in the summer, although I feel in the winter this would stay on my skin for the whole day. 

As you can see on the photo bellow, I don't look particularly yellow, because it's a very subtle effect.

In it is 7 grams of product and it costs 3.99€.

Jumbo Highlighter - 01 Mi Corazon

Highlighter comes in a black plastic packaging with transparent plastic lid. Essence describes it as golden highlighter with intense metallic shine. They also say that it has summer-like coconut scent, buttery soft texture and that it applies very nice.

The shade 01 Mi Corazon is light gold champagne. It's that perfect light gold shade with slightly peach toned base. The shimmer in it is very small and it gives it a metallic finish. 

Texture is more on the wet side, which also means it has nice pigmentation. You don't need to scratch it off to get color payoff. 

It actually has a good staying power. I still see it on my face at the end of the day, although it sort of melts into my skin and it definitely fades. 

The scent is nice, although not coconut. It smells more like something tropical, but not fruity nor coconut like. It's very subtle and almost not that noticeable. So, if you're trying to get it only because of scent, don't.

This really is a jumbo highlighter, because it's huge. In it is 20 grams of product (which should almost last you a life time) and it costs 3.99€. 

Essence Cubanita Jumbo Highlighter vs. theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

I also compared it to theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer. If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen the swatches and my photo saying that these are dupes and I still stand by what I said.

Dupe is different for everybody. For me dupe is something that has very similar color (because let's face it, you're not gonna find the exact same shade) and similar texture. 

They are both gold toned champagne shades. The tinniest difference is noticeable once you apply several layers as a swatch. Then you'll notice that Mary-Lou Manizer has a bit more peachy undertone, but looks a lot more metallic and is in general more pigmented with just one swipe. Cubanita is just slightly more yellow toned and can look a tad darker, if you apply several layers, but it has the same tone and is just a bit less metallic. The shine isn't as strong. 

Saying all that, once you apply both on each side, you can't really tell a difference. They both look the same on the skin. 

If you've always wanted to try theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer, but you can't because it's too expensive or you can't get a hold of it, I definitely recommend you to get this one from Essence. For the price and amount of product you really can't go wrong. Obviously Mary-Lou Manizer has even better texture, pigmentation and metallic sheen, but that's what you would expect from an expensive products.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer has 8.5 grams of product and it costs around 20€.

Essence LE Cubanita 01 Mi Corazon Jumbo Highlighter has 20 grams of product and costs around 4€.

I also compared it to some other highlighters. As said before theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer is very similar, only more metallic and has a bit more peachy base. Essence LE Metal Glam 01 Gold Digger is my favorite Essence highlighter ever. It's even more metallic than theBalm's. It also has a very light white based gold shade. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Moonstone is also a light yellow gold shade, but it's actually darker than Metal Glam. 

Since I got all of these products for review purposes and I already bought one of the highlighter before, I now have two. So I've decided to give one away to one of you. All you have to do to enter is that you have to follow me on Instagram here and like my Essence LE Cubanita photo. Under the photo on Instagram comment which is your favorite highlighter of all time. 

The giveaway is opened to Slovenian residents only and it will end on 20th of July 2017.

Limited edition is already available in Müller.

The Cubanita Limited Edition did not disappoint. I love all the products. The bag is just cute and perfect for carrying around with you in small bag. I have these kind of makeup bags with me all the time. 

Banana powder is really nice, because it's so fine, lightweight and has that smooth finish with yellow tint to it. If you're like me and struggle to find light yellow toned foundations, you'll use this all over your face. If not, this is great for extra coverage and correcting under the eyes. 

Highlighter is the closest cheaper dupe to theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer I have ever seen and you get a huge amount. I love the champagne gold tone to it, it has nice shine, wet texture, stays on the skin well and it will last me for the rest of my life. If you like gold toned highlighters or are a highlighter freak like me, you'll want this one in your collection.

*PR products

You might have noticed a new brand in our drugstores. Actually, it's not that new anymore. It's called L.O.V. and it's a more luxury brand sister of Essence and Catrice. I haven't tried anything from them so far, but I got a few brushes to test out. The brand offers a variety of makeup products for all parts of the face and in May they also added makeup brushes to their range. They also have some Limited Edition seasonal products, although not as often as Essence and Catrice. 

I got their LIPlure Lip Brush, HIGHLYconfidential Concealer Brush and EVENelegance Foundation Brush. The names are quite fun to read. All of these come in a black boxes with gold details and a transparent plastic corner that let's you see what's inside. 

The brushes have a black handle and gold (with a hint of rose) design that is simplistic. I like it. The bristles on all brushes are black, synthetic and in general quite soft.

L.O.V. EVENelegance Foundation Brush

This is a basic straight cut buffing brush for your foundation. It's actually my favorite type of brush for foundation. I love short bristles, which are usually denser and you can really buff the foundation in or thin it out.

It reminds me a lot of Essence LE Bloom Me Up! blush brush which was my favorite for a while (and has started to fall apart). I bought a fake Zoeva 104 Buffer Rose Golden Vol.2 which also has a similar shape. But the difference with both is that these all have longer hairs and less density.

The bristles in this foundation brush are black, short and quite dense which makes it good for really buffing the foundation into the skin. By tapping it you can get a fuller coverage, but in general it's great for sheering out the coverage by really buffing it into the skin in circular motion.

It can leave stripes on your face, if you don't make sure to blend it out well. I usually buff it in and then use a tapping motion to go over those areas that can look a bit undone. 

L.O.V. HIGHLYconfidential Concealer Brush

I will say that I am not too keen on concealer brushes in general. For some reason I feel like I can blend concealer better with sponge or just my fingers under the eyes.

This one has a short round cut bristles that are a bit denser, but can still blend the product fairly well. I love to use it with cream concealers. I usually apply my Catrice Camouflage Cream in Wake Up Effect with it, because it picks up just enough of that creamy product and it sheers it out under my eyes, so I don't have a thick base under my usual concealer.

For blending out liquid concealers this can look a bit unblended. I find that the bristles move the product around, but don't actually make it blend into the skin. The bristles may be a bit too stiff for blending. I like to apply concealer with it and spread it, but I blend it in with my fingers. 

It's small enough that it fits well into smaller parts of the face like inner corners of the eyes, around the nose and such. I like that I can apply light layer of concealer in my very inner corner of the eye, which is usually dark and harder to reach with finger or sponge.

L.O.V. LIPlure Lip Brush

This brush looks pointed on that first photo. The bristles were a bit stuck together, because they were new. On the bottom photo you can see that it actually has rounded tip of the bristles. It's quite short, but just long enough to glide around the edges of the lip. The bristles are densely packed together which gives you a good coverage.

I actually love the shape of it. Usually, I've had straight cut lip brushes which were harder to apply lipstick on the actual cupid's bow. Some brushes have round tips as well, but they are too thin. This one is just wide enough for you to get a really nice rounded out edge. 

It doesn't give you full on coverage at first. You have to go over it with a brush a few times. I love the fact that you can really sheer the lipstick out with it, especially on the edges. I don't really use a lip liner with most of my lipsticks. The slightly sheered out effect on the edges of the lips, makes the application look a lot more modern and effortless. 

It costs 6.99€. 

Here you can see how my face looked like after I applied most of my products with these brushes.

I've cleaned all the brushes a few times and didn't experience any fallout of the bristles, except one that was sticking out of foundation brush. But it might just be a faulty one. In general, if you dry them upside down and make sure to not keep them on hot surfaces, all brushes should keep their bristles. Unless the glue is really crappy.

I also got this lovely promotional gift and it was L.O.V. fragrance which is sadly not for sale. It comes in a transparent glass bottle with black and red details. A good size to travel with.

It has a very soft floral scent to it and it reminds me of some perfume that I must have already smelled, but I can't figured out which one. Unfortunately, I am of no use at figuring out the notes by myself. But it's very subtle, gentle and kind of smells floral. 

To be honest, I didn't expect these brushes to be any good. For some reason I think black brush bristles are tough and scratchy. Don't ask me where I got that idea - maybe because cheaper brands had these kind of brushes a very long time ago. But these L.O.V. brushes are quite nice. I am loving foundation brush and recommend it to those that like to sheer out the coverage of thicker foundations or just want something that applies makeup really quickly. The concealer brush was a bit meh. I like it, there's nothing that much wrong with it, but I just use it more with cream concealers, as it blends those out better. For liquids I still prefer fingers or sponge. I also really liked lip brush. In my opinion it has that perfect shape that makes applying lipstick on the edges so much easier.

In Slovenia you can buy L.O.V. products in Müller. In Germany you can get products online here. 

*PR products. 

It has been really hot month in Slovenia and I've been looking for products that are easier to use, since I don't always feel like I want a ton of makeup products on my face. What's the point, it's all going to melt down sooner or later. So if you're someone that likes product that can do a few things in one, you'll definitely want to read a review of these Avon Glow Bronzing Pearls in Radiant Glow. 

Bronzing pearls come in a brown plastic pot with gold writing. You actually get a sponge on top of the pearls, so that they don't crush into each other and damage. It's also good to keep it for travelling. 

In it is 22 grams of product and the regular price is 13.70€. Don't be alarmed, they often have these 50% off and more, so just wait for a good offer. 

Pearls in the shade Radiant Glow have three different colors. Pink, light peach and mauve bronze. They all have small silver shimmer in it which gives it a nice sheen to the skin, but doesn't actually look too shimmery.

Pearls have a sweet flowery scent to them and it's a lovely surprise whenever you open them up.

Avon Glow Bronzing Pearls in Pink Bronze is a very light peachy shade with silver shimmer. It's much more shimmery than Radiant Glow. Radiant Glow looks like a perfect combination of a peachy toned bronze shade and a pink. The shimmer in it is more subtle and has a silver pinkish sheen to it. I compared it next to MAC Sheertone Blush in Pinch Me which is a more redish peach shade with no shimmer. H&M Pure Radiance Blusher in Rosy Brown is a dirty brownish pink shade with pink cool sheen. theBalm Hot Mama! is a lot more radiant pink shade with golden sheen to it. I also swatched Wet N Wild Coloricon blush in Apri-Cot In The Middle which is a lighter peachy shade with golden sheen. The base of it looks very similar to Radiant Glow, but it lacks that bit of pinkiness and bronze to it to be the same. If Wet n Wild and MAC Pinch Me had a baby, it would be Radiant Glow with a warm sheen.

The pigmentation is really nice. I usually apply them with a fluffy brush, because you can pick up quite a lot of color with just one swipe.

Formula is not too wet nor too dry to the touch. It applies evenly and gives you a pinkish bronze look with a nice sheen. If you apply it lightly, it gives you a pink toned bronze shade that is suitable for fair skin tones as well as light to medium. If you apply it heavily, it can look a lot pinkier, almost like a blush.

So I apply a light layer where I would usually apply bronzer and then I apply it heavier on the apples of the cheeks to make it more pink. I can almost skip the highlighter with this, because it has such a nice natural sheen. The pinkish tint to it gives it a natural sun burn look. Most people usually have a tint of pink to their skin, if they've been on a sun for too long.

On the photos below you can see my face just with foundation and powder on the right and then with the bronzing pearls on the left. As you can see the bronzing pearls really lift up my complexion and give it more dimension.

It actually looked a lot stronger in person, but my camera just refuses to pick up blush shades.

I also find that the shade lasts on my skin for the whole day. It might fade a bit, as with all products, but it's definitely still there in the evening. 

I also have bronzing pearls in the shade Pink Bronze, which I use more as a highlighter when I'm tanned or as a shimmery blush. These have a light peach shade to them with cool silver shimmer through it. 

Bronaste kroglice za obraz se nahajajo v rjavi embalaži z zlatim napisom. Na vrhu kroglic je gobica, ki preprečuje, da bi se kroglice med sabo drgnile in po možnosti poškodovale. Jaz gobico obdržim tudi za potovanja.

V embalaži je 22 gramov izdelka in redna cena je 13.70€. Naj vas to ne zmoti, ker ima Avon kroglice pogosto znižane za 50% ali več. Samo počakajte na ugodno ponudbo.

Kroglice v odtenku Radiant Glow so treh različnih barv. Roza, svetlo marelične in vijolično bronz. Vse imajo majhne srebrne bleščice, ki koži dajo čudovit sijaj, vendar ne izgledajo preveč svetlikajoče. 

Kroglice imajo sladkasto cvetličen vonj, ki je čudovito presenečenje vsakič, ko odprete embalažo.

Avon Glow bronaste kroglice za obraz so svetlo breskvastega odtenka s srebnimi bleščicami. So veliko bolj bleščičaste in sijoče kot Radiant Glow. Radiant Glow izgleda kot odlična kombinacija breskvastega bronz odtenka z dodatkom roza. Bleščice so bolj nežne in imajo srebrn sijaj. Primerjala sem jih z MAC Sheertone rdečilom za lica v odtenku Pinch Me, ki je bolj rdečkasto breskvast odtenek brez bleščic. H&M Pure Radiance rdečilo v odtenku Rosy Brown je umazano rjav roza odtenek z hladnim roza sijajem. theBalm Hot Mama! rdečilo je bolj živahnega roza odtenka z zlatim sijajem. Primerjala sem tudi Wet n Wild Coloricon rdečilo v odtenku Apri-Cot In The Middle, ki je svetlo breskvast odtenek z zlatim sijaje. Osnova tega izgleda precej podobna Radint Glow kroglicam, čeprav ni tako roza in bronz. Če bi Wet n Wild in MAC Pinch Me združili, bi dobili najbolj podoben odtenek Radiant Glow kroglicam z zlatim sijajem. 

So dobro pigmentirane. Sama jih nanašam z mehkim čopičem, ker lahko z bolj gostim hitro pretirate z nanosom barve. Že z enim potegom dobite dobro pigmentirano barvo.

Formula ni preveč suha, niti preveč mokra. Nanaša se enakomerno in da koži roza bronz izgled z lepim sijajem. Če ga nanesete zelo lahko, boste dobili naraven zagorel ten z dodatkom roza odtenka, ki je primeren za zelo svetlo polt kot tudi srednjo. Roza obarvanost kroglic koži da tisti naraven izgleda zagorelosti. Večina ljudi dobi roza odtenek koža, če se rahlo opeče na soncu. 

Na fotografijah lahko vidite moj obraz samo z podlago, korektorjem in pudrom v prahu na levi strani in potem z dodatkom kroglic na desni. Kroglice dodajo moji koži malo barve in dimenzije. 

Odtenek se obdrži na obrazu ves dan. Mogoče malo zbledi kot vsi izdelki, ampak še vedno je na obrazu tudi ob koncu dneva. 

Imam tudi kroglice za obraz v odtenku Pink Bronze, ki jih uporabljam bolj kot osvetljevalec, ko sem malo zagorela ali pa kot sijoče rdečilo za lica. Te imajo svetlo breskvast odtenek z hladnimi srebrnimi bleščicami.

Všeč mi je enostavnost uporabe kroglic. Zame je to tri v enem izdelek. Bronzasto roza odtenek lahko da obrazu malo definicije (če ga uporabimo kot kontur), toplino (kot bronzer) in roza odtenek na ličkah (ki izgleda kot, da ste preživeli popoldne na soncu in če jih nanesete malo bolj na lička, bo izgledalo rot roza rdečilo na ličkah). Pigmentacija je dobra, nimajo preveč bleščic, nanašajo se lepo, se dobro obdržijo na koži in imajo zanimiv vonj. 

*Izdelek mi je bil poslan. 

Sheet masks are fairly new to me and I'm slowly trying out more brands to see which ones I prefer. I started with Innisfree sheet masks which were nice basic moisturizing and soothing masks. Definitely better than most of those in our drugstores. Because I heard Etude House also has nice ones for affordable prices, I bought a pack of six. I've already tested both versions and here are my thoughts.

Etude House has many different lines of sheet masks. I got two from their 0.2 Therapy Air Mask which has 15 different types of masks. I got Hyaluronic Acid for the obvious moisturizing claims as well as Ceramide which is also mainly for moisturizing as well as nourishment. 

In each is 20 ml of product and I bought them on Jolse for 4.78$  for which you get 3 sheet masks of one type of mask. They often have discounts on Etude House and you can get them for about 20% cheaper. You can also search for these products on Ebay. There are a few of Korean sellers.

Etude House 0.2 Therapy Air Mask - Ceramide

Both of these masks have a very thin 0.2 mm mask. The mask is very saturated with milky white essence. It's extremely wet and sticks to the face really well. You can do your daily activities with it and it won't drip down either. 

Here is the ingredients list. 

It has a gentle scent which is somewhat artificial and I can't really describe it, but for some reason it reminds me of dough, better yet yeast - like a pizza dough. It's not in any way unpleasant. 

Milky serum is very moisturizing. It makes the skin super moisturized, soft, plumper looking and gives it a healthy sheen. It can borderline look a bit greasy, if you're skin is not dry or dehydrated. I also feel like it's very nourishing on the skin. Milky essences usually have a bit more than just a basic moisturization to them, they make the skin look nourished and healthier looking in general.

Etude House 0.2 Therapy Air Mask - Hyaluronic Acid

The sheet is the same as with the Ceramide, very thin and fits well. It's very tight around the eyes and I like that, because it means my under eye area gets moisture, but if you don't like that, keep in mind that it is a bit tight. 

The ingredients list.

The essence of it is transparent and not as milky looking as with ceramide mask.

It has a soothing scent to it, which is also a bit artificial, but actually smells nice. 

On the skin it feels very refreshing, soothing, moisturizing and hydrating. My skin looks plumper, well hydrated and almost a bit nourished. It has amazing glow to it and it's kind of sticky at first, but that goes away after it all sinks into the skin. 

If you're skin is in need of good moisture and hydration, I'd say go with a Hyluronic Acid one. This one is also great for dehydrated skin in general as is mine - since I otherwise have a combination type of skin. If you're skin is on the drier side and you need a bit of extra nourishment, I'd go with a Ceramide. The milky essence feels more nourishing, although it's also nicely moisturizing. 

I like both of these a lot. The fact that the masks are so thin, it makes them easier to wear around the house. They are soaked in essence and there's a lot of it left in the bag for future days. It also fits well on my face and definitely makes my skin look healthier and more moisturized. I'll definitely repurchase these both and maybe even try some other versions in this range.