Drugstore Guide to Brands Available in Slovenia

Slovenia is not known for it's great selection of (drugstore) make up. By my count we have about 12 brands that are available in most drugstores, but it is getting better. It's about the same range of brands as is all countries of central Europe (the influence of Műller and DM is really dominant here), also in other European countries. Of course we have less brands and even those carry limited ranges (I'll explain more in individual descriptions).  I set on doing a post that features the products I own from individual brands, my experiences in general with the brands and maybe to help some make up addicts who intend to visit our little country and are interested in what our drugstores have to offer. There are three mayor drugstores: Müller (the biggest), DM (most common) and Tuš Drogerije (I actually only been in the one in Kočevje, so I don't know what brands they carry, if someone can fill me in it'd be much appreciated). E.Leclerc also carries some brands, as does Boutique (Maximarket), Limoni, Nama, Ilirija and some bigger Interspars and Mercators. I'm not sure what happened to Douglas. I did a post about favourite drugstore products here and here is a post on drugstore disappoitments.

Alverde

Is a brand available only in DMs. They pride themselves on offering a range of make up based on natural ingredients. It's fairly cheap, I think I paid 3€ for their baked eyeshadow. Since it is a more natural line, some products contain a lot of denaturised alcohol, like their liquid blushes. This results in quite an odd scent of some products that not everyone would like. I love their eyeliner brush (it cost less that 2€, my favourite brush for gel eyeliner) and their baked eyeshadows. I hated their gel eyeliners, but I believe those were just a part of LE collection. A Müller equivalent of a natural brand is Terra Natura (Thanks Taya) in the same price range. 

Bourjois

Without a doubt one of my favourite drugstore brands. They have amazing foundations (Healthy Mix), lipsticks (Rouge Edition), lip pencils, eye pencils and lip glosses. My cousin loved their mascara Volumizer (with 2 steps). I do, though, dislike their blushes and bronzer, but some people swear by them. It's not the cheapest brand, Healthy Mix foundation costs 14€, but you get what you pay for. It's also one of the rare brands that carries shades of foundations that are appropriate for us Snow Whites. It's available in most DMs and Müllers, also in Leclerc, Nama and Tuš Drogerija.

Catrice

 It's a fairly new brand here, but a great one. I think most were really excited when Müller finally started to carry this brand here (also sold in DM and Tuš Drogerija). They have awesome lipsticks, eyeshadows (cream and powder), nail polishes and those are the products I've tried so far. So far I haven't been disappointed by them, well apart from Lashes to Kill mascara, but it's not bad, just average. Eyeshadows and nail polishes cost around 2-3€, lipsticks are 3-4€.

Deborah

This is the only brand I don't own anything from right now. My mum loves their Atomic lipstick in 09. It's the only lipstick she's repurchased so far and it's the only thing she wears. I used to have their bronzer, but it was too orange and their blush, which was quite nice. Their lipsticks cost around 9-10€. It's available in most DM's and Müllers, also in Nama and Leclerc.

L'Oreal

Is everywhere. It's probably the most intentional brand, closely followed by Maybelline. But we only get a fraction of what's available in the UK or US. It's one of my favourite drugstore brands. I mean it is expensive, but most of their product are really good quality. I love their Infallible eyeshadows, mascaras, Lumi Magique primer/highlighter, lipsticks, Super Liner and there is probably some more. Unfortunately, they don't carry foundations that are light enough for me, so I don't know how they perform.

Essence

A lot can be said about Essence, but to sum it up in a few words: affordable, innovative and colourful. I own a pile of stuff from them, both from regular lines and from numerous trend editions they release. It's one of the most fun brands available. I love their nail polishes (cheap, great range of shades), Stay with Me lipglosses, Stay all Day eyeshadows, gel eyeliners, Sun Club blotting sheets and much more. I did a favourites post here. Their lipstick are more like glossy tinted moisturisers, which are great for those who are afraid of wearing more pigmented lipsticks. I don't like their eyeliners, lipliners (some love them, though), eyeshadows and foundations, also I find their mascaras quite average. It's available in DM, Müller, Tuš Drogerija, Ilirija, Leclerc and larger Mercators.

Manhattan

A brand that doesn't get much attention, but I adore their lip creams. It's the brand I used to buy almost everything from when I was in my early teens. It used to be the cheapest brand here, before essence of course. I bought my first mascara and lipgloss from them, also quite a lot of nail polishes. They have very pigmented lipsticks, good lipglosses, nice single eyeshadows, but bad trio eyeshadows. Lipliners and eyeliners are average. Sold in DM and Tuš Drogerije, it might be sold in some Müllers as well .

Maybelline

One of the easiest brands to find, however, and there is a huge however, the range of products available here is severely limited. Most of their, in my opinion, best products never reach our drugstores. For one it's one of my favourite concealers Instant Anti-Age Eye Eraser. It's available in Croatia, but not in Slovenia. What's the deal with that Maybelline? Another example: their Dream Touch blushes, available in most Carrefours in France (something like Interspar here), but not in Slovenia. Bonkers - the only appropriate word for this. Apart from blushes and concealer I also like their mascaras and lipsticks. I didn't like any of their foundations so far, also most of them are too dark.

Max Factor

I believe Max Factor is like an equivalent for Cover Girl, hence the similar products. They have fantastic eyeliners and I liked most of their mascaras (all of the ones with plastic brushes). They have nice lipsticks and foundations (most don't have a shade light enough, though Liquid Illusion has one). It's available almost everywhere. Oh, and if you're looking for their cream blushes, so far I've only seen them in Nama. It's in the Bourjois/L'Oreal price range.

Misslyn

The newest brand available here. I've never heard about it until about a year ago, when it appeared in Müllers. They have an impressive range of products, everything you need from regular things like lipsticks to a wide range of falsies, lash curlers, etc.  So far the only thing I bought from them are individual false eyelashes (size 2, no glue included), which are too short for me. Prices are very affordable, somewhere in the Catrice/Manhattan range.

Revlon

Available in Müller and Illirija, it's finally picked up after a rather odd era of nothing new coming in and now there is actually quite a current selection of their makeup sold here. I used to own their Colorstay foundation, but the lightest shade was too pink, I hated the strong alcohol scent and there was no pump. I love their Luxurious eyeliner in the shade Antiqued Gold and their Lip Butter are nice as well. I used to live next to Illirija  (Vič, Ljubljana, Tržaška cesta, by the factory and next to the petrol station, opposite of Mercator, you can't miss it. Take the number 6 city bus) and there were some awesome deals, eyeliners for a 1€, the lightest shades of Colorstay and Photoready for 2€.

S-he Stylezone 

Is only available in DM and (this is just my opinion) I honestly find it a bit lame. I like their huge nail polishes range, but the rest is just blah. They have a big colour range of lipsticks and almost all of them I find completely unwearable for me (it's like a festival of weird frosty shades. I hate frosty finish). There are a few exceptions, though. I like their mono eyeshadows (great quality), but their liners and quads are terrible. It's in the essence price range.

Müller also carries Isadora, Artdeco and Make up Factory; some Müllers have Pupa, however, they are too expensive to be considered drugstore brands. 

Brands that disappeared from our drugstores are Wet'n'Wild (try nonpareilboutique.com or eBay), Rimmel (but available in every other country. I suggest a visit to Croatia, Austria or Italy, if all fails try feelunique or Asos), Margaret Astor (Austria), Nivea (doesn't exists anymore), Gosh, Miss Sporty (I'm not sure if it's still sold in Tuš Drogerija).

Update December 2013: Limoni has left Slovenia and there is no drugstore department in inside Leclerc any more, but makeup is still sold there in a small shop across it.

I hope this was useful. Thanks for reading!