April Favourites, Update and Wishlist
There haven't been a lot of different lip colours I picked up this month, but on a majority occasions it was this one. It's one of my most worn lip products and though it's got matte in the name that's not quite true, as freshly applied it's a super comfortable fully opaque formula with a creamy shine. It's doesn't really set matte (Revlon later made another version of these which are properly matte), but in time it wears off to a less creamy version. Embrace is a nude peachy shade with some pink and it's not my ideal shade, but it's the most easy to wear from the nude shades they have at least on my skin tone.
I'm still very much into L.O.V. blushes, but I went though my stash so I don't neglect my other blushes and I picked up this one. TheBalm were my favourites before I found L.O.V. and I still consider them some of the best I've found. I got Houndstooth because it looked quite a unique matte mauve shade in the pan, but on my cheeks it's a simple pink that gives that classic warm pinky flush. Formula is smooth, plus it applies and blends nicely.
CATRICE Kaviar Gauche LE Highlighter
C01 Éclat D'Or
This was a LE years ago, so it's unfair for me to put it here, but in the last months I've wanted the glowy look that I hoped I could achieve with Hourglass Ambient powder, which doesn't look like that on me, while this is an absolutely stunning subtle highlighter in a champagne-skin tone shade with finely milled shimmer that looks like natural glow. I apply it all over the face in a thin veil and more on the tops of the cheekbones for an look that is quite luminescent, some would probably describe as too much, but my skin is normal-dry and I don't get extra shine during the day, so I'm enjoying a bit more glow right now. There is a dupe for this shade that is available in drugstores, it's the first shade in Catrice's Luminice Highlight & Bronze Glow Palette 020 Feel Gold, which has the same super fine shimmer that looks very natural and get you the same look, I just use my Kaviar Gauche one because it's absolutely massive. I also use my other "glow stash", but only because it was so expensive it would be a waste to let them sit in my drawer. They include Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, which despite the fact my skin got a lot better, still most of the time makes foundations applied on top patchy and it pisses me off because it's so expensive and Catrice has a good enough dupe that is better for my skin. I also use the previously mentioned Hourglass Ambient powder in Diffused Light, which I still don't get because it doesn't nothing special apart from on occasions blurring lines. So basically the Catrice highlighter beats both of those.
All winter I feared I made a mistake buying A'Pieu and not my usual Biore, especially after trying Missha's Aqua Sun Gel which I loved too, but I finally opened my tube and this is way nicer than I remember. It has gone through a reformulation I think or it was just a packaging change, but also my skin is drier now, anyway this is one of the nicest sunscreens I've owned so far. I can easily apply the right amount (3 fingers method), it sinks in completely within minutes, it's not irritating on my eyes and there's no sunscreen shine. It doesn't feel sticky or greasy on the skin, but it also doesn't feel completely dry like Etude House Sunprise, so it's a very comfortable formula for me. It also works nicely under makeup. This is brilliant for the price, I think I paid 6 € on eBay.
I use this because it's convenient, but I don't love it because it can be both shiny and somewhat greasy. I use it either to top up protection or on days when I didn't think I'll spend much time outside and I've either already got my makeup on, or I need something I can apply in seconds. I try to avoid the eyes because getting this on my lids and lashes results in a day filled with smudges on my glasses and it's the most annoying thing ever (I made the mistake of applying this before driving just once in my life). All minuses aside, this is so fast and easy, it gets the job done and I can apply it over makeup, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone with even a hint of oiliness, unless you carry your powder everywhere.
This has been in my bag all year round. It's a hand cream with the highest SPF I could find in my local drugstores/supermarkets. It's thick, yet doesn't take forever to absorb and it works for my dry hands.
L'OCCITANE 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream
This is a really old favourite and though Balea's Urea hand cream rivals it really well, I still pick this one often when my hands are very dry. It's very rich, yet takes under a minute to sink in, plus I love the shea butter nutty scent it has.
TIGI BED HEAD Blow-Out Golden Illuminating Shine Cream
I've been trying to find a product that would have a similar silicone crème texture of Olaplex n.6 or Dove Super Quench Crème Serum (discontinued) that I'm looking for and something that is reasonably priced, then I remembered I used to have exactly such a product - Tigi After Party. It was one of my first ever hair products, I used to own so much stuff by Tigi. This is After Party with gold glitter. Texture is the same, as is the scent, they just changed the name, colour of the packaging and added tiny shimmer (original After Party still exists. I got this because it was what they had on Spletična and I was just ordering a birthday gift). It's got exactly the texture I like, so a silicone cream that I can use on damp hair and dry hair because it doesn't leave the hair wet and it effective at taming frizz. Oils like Orofluido do a similar job, so normal people don't need more stuff, but I'm not normal and I find these types cream are sometimes more effective at taming the frizz for longer. It's tinted yellow, but it's not showing on my very blonde hair, however, also the shimmer isn't that visible on me, though this gives shine just like other similar products. The packaging is equally terrible as at AP. It's got a pump, but the vacuum pull does not work best, so it gets stuck and you can't get out anything. I resort to pushing it manually from the bottom and it fixes it, but man did it stir up memories. Plus it's so ugly, but that's my opinion. The product is lovely, so it's a shame about the packaging.
I rarely mention this, yet I use it all the time. It's not a brilliant hair oil for my hair type because it's too light, but I think on most it'll be a good one. I use it for a single purpose - as heat protection. I got it because it was the cheapest such serum per millilitre in our drugstores, since I use up a lot of this stuff at once to make sure the hair is sufficiently covered. It does the job and I don't have to wait for the product to dry before I start using heat tolls. It's not the type of heat protectant to use on thin hair, but for me such silicone oils work the best.
SUBRINA Colour Refresh Violet
I've spent the entire april in various shades of purple. This was the first shade I tried back in autumn when my hair was still a darker shade of blonde and because I got a very pink result, I promised myself to try this when my hair is very blond. This became my favourite Colour Refresh shade, not just for colour, but also for toning. I decided to go full out purple because I was always wondering if such a shade would suit me. I got the colour on the box with a 1:1.5 mix (colour vs. clear conditioner) and it was so intense. It's a pretty colour, the same as Subrina's Saten/Spectra 88 and the newest Butter Colour 880 if you're interested in a permanent version of this shade, but it's too much for me. However, with every wash I loved it more. I got to the colour I've dreamed for a while, a beautiful pastel violet shade and with further washing, so when only a small amount was left this works like a great toning shade. Diamond Blonde is blue-violet one that in a larger amount tones to a very ashy-grey shade, while this one looks more like their shade 20/2 or 1020 Pearl Blonde, so something like a sandy-beige light blonde. Personally I like this shade for toning more than Diamond Blonde, but you have to use the tiniest amount because this is so pigmented (I just got pictures of it working so well on dark coloured hair with a faded colour).
UPDATES
MAX FACTOR False Lash Effect Deep Raven Black
This was rubbish when I first opened it and I shared my first negative impressions here too along with Essence's Panda mascara, but I have to report this has improved (Panda didn't). It still doesn't hold my lashes up, so it's not for me, however, it has significantly improved in terms of volume. It creates a similar effect to Maybelline's Sensational mascara, meaning it separates beautifully, yet still creates enough volume and length. Due to my lashes dropping I barely see the results I get on my top lashes, but on the bottom ones it's creates a very pretty, almost doll-like effect. I still prefer 2000 Calorie, but this isn't too shabby, provided you give it time to thicken and dry.
MOROCCANOIL Hydrating Styling Cream
This was on my last wishlist and I imaged it being so different, more like that Tigi cream above, but this is actually quite light and liquid with none of the silicone feel though they are high on the list. I apply it on dry hair, but it disappears quite quickly leaving none of that smooth feeling like an silicone oil does, so I prefer to use it on damp hair right after washing. I'm no sure feel about this one yet. It's not in any way bad, just not what I expected. I think I'll have to go through the whole tube to make up my mind about it. Maybe it will grow one me more.
BALEA Bodylotion Urea
Last month I praised the entire Urea line and I said I plan to get the lotion too, which finally happened a few days ago. This leave the same silky smooth film on the skin as the hand cream, so I'm quite happy with it. I should have added it above under favourites, but it's only been a few days, so this is more like first impressions. Formula is medium thick lotion, similar to a Nivea Q10 one I have, so not as rich as BBW Ultra Shea. It's not a lotion for those who dislike when a product needs time to sink in and it needs extra buffing to get rid of the white streaks, but I use it at night, so I don't care. I've been using it every day since I got it, we'll see if it manages to do such a dramatic difference on my driers areas as the Nivea lotion did.
BALEA Professional Collagen Power Struktur Elixier
Since I haven't been in drugstores for months now, I've been scrolling through DM's and Müller's online shops (which don't ship here and don't have the all same things are sold here) and I found this Elixir has a high rating and surprising ingredients. This has hydrolysed proteins high on the list, so it's basically something along the lines of a poor man's Joico K-Pack line or Redken's Anti-Snap, but scaled down at least compared to Joico with it's Quadramine complex. I'm in no short supply of protein treatments at the moment (well, I only have Joico stuff, but several products), still I had someone pick this up for me a few days ago because I was curious if it's any good - who wouldn't want to know about an very affordable protein treatment and if it's any good. It's a silicone free formula with glycerine as one of the first ingredients, so it combines some moisturising action too with the protein. All proteins are in hydrolysed version which is the most effective one when it comes to adsorbing the empty spaces on the hair and they are quite high on the list. There also hyaluronic acid which benefits the scalp and supposedly hair too. Formula is like a thin gel-like formula and it's a leave-in product. It can be applied on damp or dry hair, but on dry hair it's similar to Moroccanoil Cream, so it sinks in and it feels like nothing. I've only used it once so far after washing and I let my hair air dry, which didn't result in silk smooth hair, it was my usual super frizzy mess (proteins don't fix that anyway, they make the hair stronger), but I have yet to use it with a hair dryer to see if it makes a difference it that manner of drying. I used a drugstore mask (Gliss purple one) and my hair was feeling dry straight after my hair dried completely, so I need to use a more moisturising formula with this. Basically it's a light leave-in treatment that's high in protein content and can be used on all types of hair even those that gets easily weighed down. I think those with damaged, coloured and thin hair might benefit most from this. I still need to see if it's good long term, but it doesn't have such dramatic results as Joico K-Pack.
BALEA Rasiergel
Iced Berries
I wanted the new peach version that I've seen on IG, but they didn't have it. I was sent a picture of the shelf and there were plenty of these and the regular ones here, so I guess this is the only LE here for now. I'm actually quite happy with the scent of this one. It's a very sweet candy version of forest berries, it's definitely one of my favourites they've made. I currently have the coconut one, which is so bland compared to this, I plan to finish it soon.
FA Invisible Sensitive 48h Protection Anti-Perspirant
Rose & Hawthorne
This was my first time trying Fa deodorants, so I was completely sure that it's going to work because my body gets used to a certain brand after a while and they stop working. But this worked only for a few weeks which makes it the worst performing one on me to date. Obviously this is a something that's specific to me and I'm sure it works perfectly for a lot of people. But even so I find this is a much thicker, less emollient formula than the rest.
WISHLIST
L'OREAL Dia Light Semi-permanent colour 9.12 and/or 8.1 - I'm currently sporting about 2-3 centimetres of dark brown roots though I'm not in any hurry to fix that yet, I'm looking for some semi/demi-permanent colour options, since my hair is bleached. In my local drugstores we only have Subrina Spectra, which exists in one blonde shade and I'm not sure Ice Blonde is for me. I'd like to have something a bit darker that looks more natural blonde and I assume these are similar to Exellence 8.1 and 9.1. I found these online on Notino as one of the rare semi-permanent options.
L'OREAL Casting Crème Gloss 801 & 910 - these are demi-permanent colours. We have this line in the shops, but I'm almost 100% certain that not these shades. I hope I'm wrong because it would be wonderful if there were easily accessible here. I've found 801 of Notino, but not 910.
GOT2B Bye Bye Babyhaar - I so hope we get this here. So far I've only seen in on meindm.at. John Frieda used to have this type of mascara that tames frizz and it worked so well. They're since discontinued it and there hasn't been anything like it here, so I have high hopes this is good and it arrives soon. I see this one has a plastic brush instead of the classic one that JF had.
NAJ-OLEARI - this is a brand I've merely glanced in Müller though this brand has been around for a while. It was completely revamped, but I don't recall hearing about it before we got a stand her. So far I've only found one blogger who wrote about them, but other than that no one talks about it. I don't know if the sell poorly or are just nothing to write home about, but I've checked their website and I find some things interesting. The packaging is also so pretty. I'm going to check this one a bit more when I can.
CV Cica Anti-Redness Beauty Shot and Pink Glow Serum & Primer - These must be new because I've only seen them on the website. Maybe they came here in the last month+ I haven't been in Müller. Cica cream has centellia asiatica which always worked well with my skin, so this is worth checking out. Packaging is only 15 ml, so it's likely something different than a regular moisturiser, but there's no ingredients state. The Pink Glow serum I'm not quite sure what is it, but ingredients look cool (3-O-Ethly Ascorbic Acid - a version of vitamin C, Betaine and hyaluronic acid high on the list) and it says it has shimmer. It might be nice.
BALEA Vital Konzentrat gegen Pigmentflecken (Anti pigment concentrate) - This has niacinamide as the third ingredient and a bit of vitamin C in a form of Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate lower on the list. Reviews are mixed, but based on what I see it's because people expect a bit too much and that this will erase pigment marks fast. I have none, so I don't care about that, but my skin loves niacinamide, so this is high on the wl.
MOROCCANOIL Smoothing Lotion - so I was expecting more smoothness from the Hydrating Styling Cream and it ended up not being the type of product I expected. This is next on my list to try. Reviews are very promising and apparently it's a stylist favourite. Blow Out Concentrate is also still very high on my wishlist.
BALEA PROFESSIONAL Kopfhaut-Balance Ansatz-Balsam und Spülung (Scalp balance balm and conditioner) - finally something for the scalp in our drugstores - provided it is here. Both are designed for sensitive scalp and promise to moisturise - I'm interested in the latter because mine is dry. They also have some keratin. I hope we have this here.
L'ORÉAL PARIS REVITALIFT Filler Tissue Mask, GARNIER SkinActive Hydra Bomb Night Tissue Mask and Schaebens Cell Therapy Hydrogel Maske - my sheet mask stash has reduced a bit and I actually never tried masks from these three brands. I'm most interested in Schaebens because it has niacinamide, allantoin, camelia extract, gylcolic and malic acid. I think I've seen Schaebens one here, but I'm not sure and I don't know about the rest.
SCHOLL Intensiv pflegende Fußmaske in Socken mit 3 Ölen (Intensive care sock foot mask with 3 oils) - I've had those chemical peel socks, but never moisturising ones. I've been trying to fix my dry with moisturisers, but it's enough. This is highly rated online and I've already sent someone to get me one, but we appear to not have it in DM, even though I found it on meindm. Maybe Müller has it.
Balea Verwöhndusche Bella Ciao - This should smell like pomelo. I'm currently into very fresh scents and I hope this one is ok.
BALEA Bodycreme Copacabana - this isn't 100% on my wishlist because I suspect that it's the same Balea thin pudding like formula that is too light for me - maybe I'm wrong as the ingredients don't look half bad. This is here merely to show what's new in DM. It doesn't take a genius to realise where they got their inspiration for their product, but I have strong doubts the formula is anything similar to the Bum Bum Cream or even if the scent is similar. One review says it's kind close, but more almond like, then another that's it's nothing like it - not that I know that the original smells like.
Have a great day!
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