Review: Benefit They're Real! Mascara

I am always interested in hyped up products. Especially when it comes to a bit more expensive products. The price doesn't always indicate the quality, so I always want to try it out myself. When I was in Sephora, I saw that they had mini version of Benefit They're Real! Mascara and I decided to try it out. 


This is a mini version, but it has the same design as a full size. It comes in a grey plastic tube with black and orange writing. The top is silver. It's definitely not as flashy as most drugstore mascaras.

In mini version is 4 grams of product and it costs 12€.  Full size costs 26.50€ and in it is 8.5 grams of product. 


The wand is actually as big as in normal size. It's a silicon wand with short bristles. Bristles are placed in rows. At the end you get a sphere shape or a spiky ball, as I like to call it. I don't really like that. It is easier to coat lower lashes with it, because you often times can't get close to them with the whole wand, but it also means that you can easily poke yourself in the eye.  I didn't find it useful and there was always a lot of product stuck among bristles at the end. 



The wand is a bit too big for my liking. I like smaller wands with which I can come closer to my lash line to really tight line them as well and brush them through from ends to the tips.



This mascara promises dramatic length and volume, base-to-tip curl, visible lift and long-wearing results

I think it's a good average mascara, but it didn't impress me. Especially based on the price that this retails for. On my lower photo you can see my natural curled lashes. On the second photo is one coat of this mascara and on the third photo I applied second layer and one on the bottom lashes.

This looks best with one or two thin coats. The more you layer it, the more clumpy it can look. It doesn't look spidery, but it just doesn't have that definition when you layer it. With just one coat you get a bit of volume and definitely some length. The more you layer it the more volume you get, but loose definition. I also find that my curl drops just a tiny bit. Which to be honest, it does with most mascaras. All in all this holds the curl very well. It stays the same for the whole day.

Formula is more on the dry side. It almost reminds me of waterproof formulas, like some of the Essence mascaras, which I don't really like. If you apply more coats you may get some fallout. I sometimes find small dots on my under eye area at the end of the day. It's has nice basic black color.

It is definitely long lasting and it stays the same through the day. I always use regular mascara formulas, so I can't speak for those of you that have watery eyes or mascaras smudge on you. 


I think that the finish result is enhanced. You get some length and volume, but it is still not super impressive as I would have expected from such a price point mascara.





It's a good mascara, but it's not impressive. It gives me some volume, length, holds curl well and stays on my eyes for the whole day. Finished result is still pretty natural. I would like it to be more voluminous or more defining. I don't like drier formula and the wand is too bulky for my liking. In my opinion it's not worth the price. I wouldn't pay over 26€ for it, because I can get better drugstore mascaras at lower prices. 

Review: H&M Pure Radiance Powder Blusher - Rosy Brown

I've mentioned my adoration for H&M Pure Radiance Powder Blushers  a few times. I actually like everything from the packaging to the finish and color choices. A while ago I bought my third shade called Rosy Brown and I have a review of it now.


I like their honey comb designed black shiny plastic packaging with gold details. It's not the most luxurious, but it closes nicely and it's really thin which means great for travelling with. In each is 5 grams of product and the price is 7.99€





Rosy Brown is an interesting shade. In the pan it looks like a mix of warm pink and a bit of brown. On my skin tone however this looks very peach based. So on me it looks like a mix of pink, peach and brown. The lighter I apply it, the more peachy it looks. If I put on more, it becomes more pink, but it's still very warm. It also has that satin sheen that all of their blushes have, but the sheen is actually cool pink. I'm assuming it would look more pink on cool or neutral skin tones. It's my kind of pink, because I love my warm shades and it's not that typical girly pink. 

Unfortunately, you won't be able to see the sheen on my photos, because my camera just didn't pick it up.


It looks very similar to MAC Sheertone Blush in Pinch Me. Pinch Me is a shade or two darker and it has a lot more peachy base and it's also warmer. Compared to Rosy Brown, it looks a lot more yellow toned.


Texture feels a bit wet to the touch. Pigmentation is nice, but it's a bit sheerer in finish. I actually really like that transparency. It almost lets your skin see through and looks really natural. Obviously you can build it up as much as you want. It's very finely milled and you almost can't detect shimmer, because it's so small. It gives the blush more of a sheen opposed to actual shimmer shine.

It applies lovely on the skin with almost no fallout. On me it lasts the whole day.


I am loving this shade for the fall, especially pairing it with pink, red and berry lipsticks. I like that it's essentially pink, but still has that warm brown undertone that just seems to work with my warm skin tone. 




I swatches all of my H&M blushes next to each other for reference. Brown Sugar is the second lightest and is very much warm like brown. Apricot is the most powdery of these all and the lightest shade. It has that typical baby peach color. Rosy Brown is the darkest of these all and the most pink one, but still withing a warm family.


I can't recommend these blushes enough. If you like your blushes to look very natural with a satin finish, are buildable, last all day and have good variety of shades, than I'm sure you'll love these. I love all three shades that I got so far and will maybe even buy some more, if I have a chance to or feel the need.

Review: Catrice HD Liquid Coverage Foundation - 01 Light Beige

Buying new foundations is as stressful as buying pants. You can never find the perfect fit for you. That's why I rarely dive into these dangerous waters. But for some reason, I was intrigued by Catrice's HD Liquid Coverage foundation as soon as I saw promo photos. Their foundations were always sort of good and color selection wasn't that bad either.


Foundation comes in a heavy glass looking bottle. It's muted colored, suggesting that it contains a matte foundation. It's definitely luxuriously looking packaging.

In it is 30 ml of foundation and it costs 7.29€


It has s dropper that helps you to keep foundation as hygienic as possible. I like the dropper because it makes it easier to get the foundation out and it also controls the amount



Foundation promises high but natural looking coverage, ultra-light liquid texture and it should last up to 24 hours. You can choose among only 4 shades. Their range of shades is usually targeted only towards light to medium skin tones. 

Foundation is indeed very liquid, but it's still well pigmented. It has a lightweight feel to it and since it's water based it also feels light on the skin. 


I've heard from many that it oxidizes and at first I didn't notice this. I started using it in the summer while I had some tan and at that time it was even a bit too light for me. I'm using it now that my tan has faded away and I've notice that it definitely oxidizes on me. On the face it doesn't oxidize as much as on my hand swatches. It gets a half shade darker than what it looks like as soon as you apply it on the skin. I hope you can also notice the difference on my photo below.


Shade 010 Light Beige is the lightest shade in the range and it is a bit too dark for me for colder months. I find the shade fairly neutral although it blends well with my warm skin tone. 

Shade 010 is actually similar to Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 51 Light Vanilla. Light Vanilla is a bit more yellow toned and lighter. Revlon Colorstay in 150 Buff looks olive toned compared to other shades and it's also lighter. L'Oreal Infallible 24-Matte in 11 Vanilla is the darkest shade of them all and it oxidizes to a really orange yet cool toned shade. L'Oreal True Match in N1 Ivory looks very light as well, but has a more pinky undertone and it oxidizes to a slight orange tone which all L'Oreal foundations do on my skin. Missha Perfect Cover B.B. Cream in 21 Light Beige is the only shade that looks really grey and also on the darker side, but it blends into the skin well and it's actually really light on me.


It has a really nice coverage, but I wouldn't say high. To me it's more of a medium coverage, but you can build it up to a light high coverage. It's easy to build it up and it doesn't look cakey. It evens out skin tone and covers minor imperfections, but doesn't cover red patches or pimples. 

It also dries quickly to a very powdery matte finish. It's not a complete matte finish, because my skin still looks a bit luminous, if I use heavy moisturizer underneath it. I'd say it's more satin matte.

It doesn't particularly emphasize dry patches and it also doesn't minimize pores. It may settle into fine lines a bit if you're skin is very dry. 

This satin matte finish doesn't need powder on dry skin. I have more of a combination skin and I always powder over it. In the summer I get really oily T-zone and this foundation looks luminous and dewy by the end of the day. On very dry skin this can look really powdery. Water based foundations tend to evaporate water on dry skin and then all you're left with is a lot of pigment on the skin. So I'm assuming this is more targeted towards a normal to combination skin.



For that kind of coverage, it feels very lightweight on the skin. It also has a good lasting power. It's still on my face at the end of the day. Staying power is almost as good as with Revlon Colorstay, although that one is even more long lasting. 

It also has a subtle almost a bit creamy baby scent to it. I actually really like it. It's not strong and it shouldn't bother anyone.


Overall, this is a pretty good foundation. I like the packaging and the feel of it on the skin. It has good coverage, but is still lightweight and stays on the skin for the whole day. Finish is definitely not matte on my skin tone. It's perfect for me when I have a bit drier skin, but not too dry. Unfortunately, it's becoming too dark for me now. For the summer it is not matte enough for my liking. If you have fairly normal skin type or combination, would like good coverage, satin matte finish and long lasting foundation, then you'd probably love this one. 

You can also read Mateja's  and Tamara's review of this foundation.

Rosy Marble Nails

Recently, I've been seeing marble nails every where. It looked really pretty and easy enough to do. However, you know me, I am not a fan of cool colors and typical white grey marble looked too boring for me, so I decided to make it more rosy and warmer.


Firstly, I applied a base coat. Then I used rosy nude nail polish on all the nails except ring finger - Kiko Nail Lacquer in 372 Nude


I took a piece of sponge and applied darker mauve nail polish in random areas - Avon Nail Enamel in Mauvelous. If you take a more dense sponge, it will look more uniformed. Unfortunately, I had one with bigger holes and it didn't come out as I anticipated it to.


For the marble cracks and pattern  I used black nails polish - Maybelline Color Show 677 Blackout. If you want it to be more subtle and more monochromatic, I'd say use a dark grey instead of black. With the help of nail striping brushes I drew wavy lines. It should look thicker on some parts and thinner on others. I think that you can be a bit messy here. It doesn't need to be perfect.  



Then I took gold metallic nail polishes - Essence LE Lights of Orient Nail Polish in 01 Golden Gate To Orient and went over these black lines with it. I tried to make black lines thinner. Gold lines give it a bit more dimension and some sparkle. I also applied it all over the ring finger. 



I added a diamond shaped golden stud on the ring finger just to add something something. Marble usually has a high shine and I created this by using shiny top coat - Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. All finished! How do you like marble nails?