Showing posts with label Monthly favourites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monthly favourites. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

September Favourites


As a newbie in the setting spray world, I sure picked the winner as my first one to try. It's undetectable on the skin and has no fragrance, but basically it's like a hairspray for the face and keeps everything in check. I've included pictures of my makeup after ten hours in the review and it proofs how remarkably well it prolongs the staying power of makeup . 

I've always been more of a dewy finish foundations fan as matte finish often looks so cakey and draining, however, Nude Illusion showed me how luminous matte finish is done right. Although, I wish the lightest shade were lighter, I really appreciate they went with a neutral undertone (a rarity among pale foundations), which fits me very well. Its staying power is great and it wears so well that even after several hours the skin is still matte, but in a healthy-looking way.

This is one of my favourite concealers ever, however, due to the difficulties of acquiring it before Boots International launched, I was admittedly very frugal with it. In my opinion, there is very little difference between this and the NARS' Radiant Creamy Concealer except for the shade. It covers so well and has great staying power - basically it's excellent.


I must rave about this eyeshadow at least one more time, it is, after all, one of my favourite beauty discoveries lately. It's a beautiful matte taupe shade, exactly my type of shade that I wear daily in the crease. The texture is spectacular especially for a drugstore matte eyeshadow, actually it's the best matte eyeshadow I ever had the chance to try (yes, that includes UD and MAC). It's soft, really pigmented and blends like a dream. Brilliant stuff.

I admit that I neglect this blush, even though it was my everyday choice all throughout the high school years (it was my first ever blush). It's a great colour for us pale ladies as it gives a really lovely, peachy-pink flush with gentle gold sheen that makes you look healthy and radiant. The quality of NARS blushes is great as is to be expected from the price tag and the hype it surrounds them is fully justified.


Without a doubt my most long lasting lip product and a great autumn colour. I wore this on a night out and it lasted amazingly well. It pretty much survives everything. Don't let the strange mousse texture turn you away when you swatch it in the shop, it actually transfers well on the lips. I recently featured it in my Autumn Picks post.

107 was my ultimate autumn shade last year and I wore it to death well into winter, so this year it's having its second round. It's a classic burgundy-berry matte shade that just screams autumn and looks so polished with either minimal or smoky makeup.



Oh, my word is this spectacular! This is my special occasions treatments because it's very pricey, but it never fails to completely transform my hair into incredibly silky and soft loveliness that isn't that far from ads-pretty. I've recently attended a wedding, so I used all of my good hair stuff (Instagram picture here) and my hair felt better than ever. Amazing stuff.

I'm always emphasizing that my hair is almost never greasy, but I still love using dry shampoo to refresh the hair since I wash it twice or even just once a week because it's dry. This is one of my favourite styling products as it's a dry shampoo and a volumising powder in one and I really like that it doesn't come in a can as those accumulate in the trash way too fast, while this bottle should last me ages. I just sprinkle a bit of the powder close to the roots and even a bit on the length of the hair, give it a bit of a tousle and I have tons of volume. It also smells amazing to me, peachy-floral, I just wish the scent lasted longer.


Again a scent I identify with autumn. It's such a lovely scent for those who like sweet scents. It starts syrupy sweet, but then gets some deeper notes of amber and musk, but not vanilla or chocolate as most celebrity scents have.

CHANEL Le Vernis Nail Colour 481 Fantastic (Fall 2008 LE)
Lets not get into the fact that this is six years old, the formula is still ok, but I love this shade and I've actually never found a dupe for it. It's a deep magenta-purple shade with a tiny bit of blue frost that just looks so glam on the nails, I have a picture of it on the nails here. 

As promised here is the official introduction of the Blogs of my Readers page that I created as a part of my forth blogiversary and that will be in my sidebar. I promised you a free place to advertise your blog and a few took that opportunity, so head to the page to check out their blogs.


Have a great day!
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Saturday, August 30, 2014

August Favourites


I didn't expect this to be one of my favourites as it is quite a subtle product, but I was quite amazed at what a noticeable difference it makes when I was doing the before and after pictures for the review. Even though the formula is super light and doesn't offer much of actual coverage, it illuminates the skin and by that reduces the appearance of dark circles. It's not a stand alone product to use and it needs at least a concealer underneath, but it just gives that final touch to the look.

My hero product as of late. I've fully embraced the liner look and I wear it on most days, even without mascara if I'm having a super lazy day as I think it's the product that does the most to make my eyes look less blah and makes them stand out more. I'm a huge fan of felt tip liners in general because they take so little time to apply and are super precise, but L'Oreal's liner is my favourite due to its great lasting power and the fact that it doesn't dry out as fast as the others. 


The name completely fits this coral-pink shade - it really is cute. I love Essie nail polishes and time and time again they surprise me with their quality, but the formula of this shade in particular is unbeatable as the application is so smooth and even, as well as it has superb lasting power.


I call these two my super spot fighting duo. Whenever my skin starts behaving badly, I include them in my night time routine and by the morning everything calms down considerably. Queen Helene is actually very drying for my skin if I'm not careful, so I only use it on my T-zone and individual spots, while REN is a great product with AHA acids that really helps when my skin feels congested.


This is the ultimate lazy girl moisturiser - just spray it, there isn't even much of a need to rub it in due to the fine mist it sprays and you're done. It's not too greasy because it's a dry oil and it smells lovely. Fab product.

I had a quick holiday in Croatia this month, luckily at the time when the weather was really behaving and this sunscreen was just one of the things that went with me (post with all my favourite things at the moment that I took with me is here, it's like an extended favourites post). I know I've raved about this sunscreen a lot already, but my admiration for this product just deepened. It's a fantastic sunscreen that is tinted (so no white marks), it's not sticky and it's super light. I hadn't had a single sunburn in sight, though I rarely get burned, but it works great especially for the price.


I doubt there is a cheaper micellar water per litre anywhere, but despite being dirt cheap, it performs just the same as other drugstore versions - from Garnier and Green Line to L'Oreal. It's a great super light makeup remover that just does it's job. The only problem is that it's only available in E.Leclerc.

I've finally found the perfect morning cleaner and for a ridiculously cheap price. The dense, fluffy mousse feels so lovely on the skin and I find it not at all drying, which is a rarity since most mousses cause dry patches on my skin. I also adore the scent of it, which is a big plus for me.


For me the most important feature of a dry shampoo is the scent, since due to the dryness of my hair, I only use them to occasionally refresh the hair in the morning. This may well be my favourite scent of a dry shampoo to date - it's so warm and sexy with notes of vanilla, chocolate and musk - it's very perfume like. The scent is actually quite strong and lingers for a long time, which appeals to me greatly. 

I've been spraying this on the beach not just to smell like a tropical cocktail, but also to cool me down a bit. It smells amazing to me, however, the staying power of the scent is unfortunately very poor.


Have a great day!
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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

July Favourites

Undoubtedly the winner of this month's favourites, Rose Symphony was on my lips almost every day. Even though, as I've said it a million times, I'm not a lip gloss girl, I find this one is so amazing that I have been truly enjoying wearing it. It's super creamy and pigmented, the colour is spectacular and much to my delight it smells like peaches. It's pure love and I'd love to try more colours.

It really isn't summer without a pastel mint green nail polish gracing your nails at least once or almost all the time when it comes to me and though there are many dupes, Mint Candy Apple is still the quintessential such shade. In a typical pastel nail polish manner the formula is not the easiest to work with, however, it is all worth it for the beautiful shade.

Summer is here (well, kind of as far as weather in Slovenia is concerned) with bare legs on display, so for us who can't really be bothered to self tan regularly or have simply forgotten to, Airbrush Legs is the product that offers a quick fix when the need arises. Granted, it's not the easiest product to apply evenly and it needs a bit more work, but it transforms the ghostly pale complexion into a nice, believable tan colour. For me its greatest downside is the lack of actual coverage which it promises, but it's the best such product I've tried so far.  

The products I've been using for my base have been pretty much identical as the last month, but I replaced Rimmel's foundation for Dior's BB due to a more matte finish. There are so many BB creams on the market and for me this one stands out as the best one. It offers light coverage and is pretty much undetectable on the skin, but the texture is very light for a BB cream and it's instantly dry to the touch - a fact I appreciate greatly. It's one of the easiest bases to apply and blend, hence why I love it for times when I'm pressed for time. 

Who doesn't own at least one Labello's (a.k.a. Nivea) lip balm at any given time? As a massive fan of peach scented products, I really couldn't say no to this Fruity Shine edition as it has one of the best peach scents out there. As far as the quality and moisturisation goes, this one is as average as it gets, but my lips are almost never dry and I don't need intensive care.

I honestly did not expect to be blown away by such an affordable brush. I can do almost an entire eye makeup with it, but it excells at blending and applying a gentle wash of colour in the crease. I so wish I had purchased a couple of back-up, since sadly it's not available in my country.

I've been an fan of Alverde oils for a long time now and used up a few bottles already, but this is the first time I've had this version. I believe I have found my favourite scent of these oils as I just love the refreshing, lemon-citrus candy scent. I must again praise the packaging - though it is glass, I find the pump very practical and well made.

Confession time: I rarely buy cosmetics from Slovene brands because I just assume they aren't as good. I know, I'm terrible. Well I was proven very wrong and this micellar water is pretty damn good. It effectively and quickly removes the makeup while leaving the skin refreshed and clean. It's not exactly Bioderma, but believe me it's not that far away, though it could do with a packaging update.

 CALVIN KLEIN Euphoria eau de toilette
Years ago this was my favourite and signature scent. I actually have three versions of Euphoria (eau de parfum, eau de toilette and blossom) that's how deep my love for them was. This is the fragrance that so many people say: "Damn you smell so good. What are you wearing?" Do not get discouraged by the initial sharp note that might remind some of bug spray because it swiftly begins to transform into this sexy, creamy goodness with notes of orchid, mahogany, amber and musk. It's probably the most grown-up scent I own and is anything but the generic candy scents I usually wear.
Have a great day!
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Sunday, June 29, 2014

June Favourites

 The Perfect Base:
I've found the perfect combination of products for these today-it's-summer-tommorrow-not-so-much days and I've been wearing it pretty much every day, even on special occasions. The following four products are my gold team at the moment.

With each use I'm more in love with this primer. It does exactly what it promises - prolongs the wear of foundation, so for example even the awesome, but lacking in staying power Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum holds on almost until the day is over. The primer feels super light on the skin and also helps in the oiliness department, so it actually reminds me a bit of the lovely L'Occitane mattifying lotion (all versions were the same, Angelica Ultra Matte is the current one). Oh, and I love using this as an eyeshadow primer, it really does a great job.

I've told you I have a neutral skin tone, right? I haven't found a neutral foundation yet in anything that isn't ghost pale, so at the moment I mix the more yellow-toned Bourjois CC, which is a bit too dark for me, with the much paler pink-toned Rimmel MP 010. I am really loving this combo because of several reasons: the created shade is an exact match for my skin tone, the finish is beyond natural and it gives me a nice light level of coverage. While I love the CC on its own because of the satin-matte natural finish, I'm not such a fan of Rimmels MP, so this the only way I tend to wear it, by mixing it up with other foundations to create my perfect match.
Powders were never something I liked, but this one completely changed that. It's a fabulous powder that unlike any other I've tried, actually makes my foundation look better, it adds a bit of natural-looking radiance to the skin and sets the makeup to last. This has become a staple in my routine.
I wouldn't recommend this to oily gals, though.

 MAC Blush Pinch O'Peach
 (sheertone)
Every month I try to use a different blush and this time I dusted off this one. Despite its not so cleverly thought out name, it's a neutral pink matte shade that has a sheer formula, but it's still easy to get colour on my cheeks. It gives my cheeks a soft pink flush that looks very cute and girly. I bought this eons ago and used it a lot (it actually has a quite a deep dent, though it's not visible in the picture), but you know how it goes, you just get distracted by new things. I never swatched it, but I'm sure I will in the future.

Summer means bronzer time, so again this year my trusted EL bronzer got its turn. This is the only bronzer I've found that works with my skin tone because it has a reddish undertone instead of the orange/yellow one. It actually creates a very believable tan colour and love that it's matte. It was quite an investment, but it was worth every cent and it's the only bronzer I've been using for years.  

After my frequent ravings about Manhattan's lipcreams years ago, they have been more or less pushed aside, but that doesn't mean I don't love them anymore. These are exactly the same as the NYX or Collection 2000 ones, so they feature a feather light, very pigmented formula with a lovely matte finish. 53M is a light everyday coral shade that is perfect for summer and great for the days when I want something less bright on my lips than usual. These smell like vanilla ice cream and are in general one of my favourite drugstore finds since I started this blog, even though I don't talk about them much any more. 
Perhaps I should reswatch them.

This is one of the most beautiful shades ever and hardly anyone talks about it. It's a gorgeous rose-red-pink that is a perfect mix between a fun and a glamorous colour. It was a serious contended when I was deciding what do wear for my graduation ceremony. I've already raved about the spectacular velvet-matte finish of these as well as their staying power (this particular one survived teeth brushing since I've completely forgotten to do that before I applied makeup in the morning, however, for some reason it doesn't survive eating ice cream well), but this one is easier to apply than Grand Cru due smoother formula, though it still needs two layers to get the most out of it. 
I promise to the swatches soon, though I have to retake a few pictures. I'll do Olé Flamingo in the same post.

(retro matte)
This is a stunning bright pink with some coral and a great matte finish. I find it one of the most unique colours in my collection primarily due to the warm red-pink mix, but also because it's a matte shade. It's my favourite lipstick I own, even though I only have a sample. I actually wore this on my graduation ceremony because I wanted to wear something I truly love and not something boring to comply to the rules of "less is more" for such occasions. 


No surprises that this is here, right? This is one of my favourite drugstore finds of late in the skincare department, even though I'm not amazed by its scrubbing abilities (I like mine harsh). It's the texture that sold me, since it's something quite unexpected for a product that is so affordable. For me this a luxurious-feeling every day body wash and it starts of as a gel with sparse scrubby particles which then transforms into an oil-creamy foam. So basically it feels lovely to use, smells great and it's affordable. Win-Win. 

You know every time I use this, I realize how amazing this is compared to any other body lotion/butter/cream I've tried. It's so nourishing and really does wonders on dry skin, but the best thing is of course the yummy peach scent, which is one of my favourite thing in the world.

I recently had my hair cut (after a year *coughs*) and for the first time ever my hairdresser was amazed at in what good condition my hair is. I will admit, I sensed a great deal of pride, though I acted all humble as she was complimenting how soft and undamaged my hair is. Though part of that could be attributed to my rigorous hair care routine as well as Kérastase Nutritive line, I firmly believe the main reason behind the complete transformation of my hair from a sorry dry mop is due to this leave-in. I've been using it every time I wash my hair on damp hair after rinsing off regular conditioner. It's incredibly light, but gives my hair an additional moisture boots, tames the frizz to a certain degree and keeps the hair moisturised longer. This truly is a holy grail product for me and I couldn't be without it.
I wholeheartedly recommend this to all girls with dry hair. By the way, you can find my tips on dealing with dry hair here.

Imitation of Lancôme La Vie Est Belle 
A wonderful scent for someone with a sweet tooth like me. It smells like an expensive box of pralines with a fruity filling, but not completely gourmand because of the floral notes and patchouli. I've been wearing it every day since I got it, which means something for someone like me who likes to change their fragrance daily. 

 Have a great day!
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Thursday, May 29, 2014

May Favourites

 NYX Angel Powder Blush
This is a really, really old blush that I bought back in secondary school and though I used to use it a lot, new blushes took it's place, so it lay forgotten in my drawer. It's a matte, dusty baby pink shade that gives that cute, rosy-blushy look to the cheeks (sorry, I have no swatches of it). The quality is nice, especially for a drugstore matte blush, but I hear this shade was reformulated, so I'm not sure if they sell the same thing any more. I'd like to get more Nyx blushes, they are not as good as Catrice's, but I love the colour range, especially Peach and Apricot attracted my interest.

I should just kick myself repeatedly for not buying it earlier. It's so fluffy and soft, perfect for applying a light veil of finishing powder. It's also a nice size and shape for applying bronzer and more pigmented blushes. Such a lovely brush!

I always loved this shade, but until recently when Boots finally started shipping to my country (yay!), I was super frugal with it. Beehive is light, soft milky pink that is not too pale and looks really good on the lips (and this is coming from someone who dislikes glossy finish). I think this is one of the best nude shades out there with an amazing glossy finish and it goes with everything from a dark smoky eye to a no-make up look. I've said before that Mirror Shine's are my favourite lipstick-lip gloss-lip balm hybrid formula, though the staying power is poor as at all such products. I have the pretty, old teal packaging, but they changed it into a black tube with a mirror.

Spring 2014 LE
This is the perfect peachy nude nail polish, exactly the shade I've always wanted to have and I love it so much that it's all I've been wearing for the past three weeks. It doesn't look like much in the bottle and I wouldn't give it a second look if I hadn't seen swatches online first, but trust me it's pretty.

 SunDance Getöntes Sonnenfluid SPF 30 
Tinted sun protecting fluid
After my enthusiastic review I'll say it again - this is the best sunscreen I've ever tried and I love it. It's super light, not at all sticky or heavy and due to the sheer tint, there is no white cast whatsoever. Amazing product for the price.

This is a brilliant product that helps taming frizz and is a lovely leave-in conditioner which helps my hair stay hydrated longer. It really makes a noticeable difference on rebellious hair and helps tame it, but it's light enough that you don't feel in on the hair. One of my favourite new discoveries lately.

Described as a dry shampoo-volume powder and style extender in one, it's a powder, which smells amazing like peach/cherry blossom and peaches that refreshes the hair, works well as a dry shampoo, gives volume and texture. It's a great product if you want to do a braid or an updo.  

I really like the smell of this version. I'd describe the scent as chocolate-vanilla-musk-woody one in a perfume version, so an oriental type of scent. But otherwise, it's a standard Batiste dry shampoo, which is one of my favourites.

VO5 Give Me Texture Dry Texturising Spray
I haven't done a review for this yet since I'm still in testing phase, but so far I really like it. This is how I imagined a texturising spray would be. It's like a dry shampoo on steroids, meaning it gives a lot of grip and a bit of hold, so imagine it as something as a dry shampoo-light hairspray hybrid. I really like using it just as I washed my hair and curled it, it just makes it look better. I'm not sure about it on the following days yet, but it will all be in my review.

Orofluido Sahara
Whenever my hair gets super dry, I always turn to this and it fixes the problem. It's a light oil in a spray that smells amazing, gives tons of shine and most importantly really moisturises the hair. A little saviour for those with dry hair.

Ok, this isn't exactly my favourite scent in the world, but I did wear it most of the month. It's a mix of fresh bamboo, juicy apple and floral notes (gardenia, freesia) with subtle sweeter notes of coconut and vanilla that get more prominent with time. Actually it's developing much different on me now than a couple of years ago when I first got it. Then I didn't smell any coconut or vanilla at all, but now I do smell very subtle notes of that. I think the bottle is so adorable, through I feel odd when taking the head-lid off because it's like I'm decapitating the poor thing.
Top notes include peach, forbidden apple, gardenia and green bamboo; heart is composed of jasmine, pink freesia, and Bulgarian rose; and the base notes are vanilla, creamy sandalwood, white amber, coconut and musk. 

Have a great day!
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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

April Favourites

  Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in 009 Rich Sable
I've had this eyeshadow for more years that I care to remember, so I'm not sure if it's still sold any more. Rich Sable is a matte cool deep brown that I love wearing in the outer V of the eye to give it definition. The shade is similar to Faint in Urban Decay Basic palette only a bit darker and more cool toned. It's super pigmented and blends surprisingly well for a drugstore matte eyeshadow.

This is one of those perfect natural looking crease colours that every girl with a pale skintone should own. It's a cool medium brown with a matte finish that blends wonderfully and gives the crease subtle definition without looking like you're wearing a lot of makeup.

The season calls for coral shades and my first pick this month was Rose Boudoir. It's a vivid pinky-coral with a creamy finish that is a proper spring colour and it brightens up the face. It's actually very similar to Bourjois Rouge Edition 11 Fraise Remix if anyone is interested in a cheaper dupe.

I so like this shade on me. It's a colour I've searched for years - that perfect light coral that doesn't look orange on my pale skin and just goes with everything. The formula is one of those shiny lipsticks that is not my cup of tea since I'm more of a matte girl and it doesn't last long on the lips, but the shade is worth it.

This is my favourite scent in any tropical/summer edition by Balea. It's so juicy-sweet yet refreshing and similar to a grapefruit scent. They should make it permanent. 

Every time I put this shade on I'm astonished at how perfect the formula and the colour are. The application is always impeccable and the shade is the perfect pink-coral that doesn't look orange on me as most corals do.

It shouldn't be too surprising that this is in monthly favourites since I just raved about it in a review. It's another great base by Bourjois with a light-medium coverage and a satin/matte finish. I'm a fan of light covering foundations that look like you're not even wearing makeup rather that your skin looks so great and this CC cream ticks all the boxes.

I've had a craving for honey scents again and this in combination with Lady Gaga's Fame is divine. This body butter has a floral-honey scent that I've really grown to love and the texture of it is one of the best I've tried. Why do the best thing always have to be LE?

As I said, this is perfect in combination with Honeymania BB. Fame is a honey-floral fragrance with a strong apricot note in the beginning (which smells like grape on me) and a hint of smokiness from the incense. In combination with the body butter that honey note stands out even more making a super cosy, sweet combination.

Have a great day!
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Monday, March 31, 2014

March Favourites

 NARS blush Deep Throat
When it comes to Nars blushes, there are two colours that are probably most popular, one being Orgasm and the second Deep Throat (try not to chuckle at the names). I've had both for ages and though they are both peachy-pink shades, Orgasm looks darker in the pan, while on the cheeks Deep Throat is the one with stronger pigmentation and is less shimmery. It's a very flattering shade on so many different skin tones. I love it on super pale skin and this is the blush I use on other people most often (this looks so cute on someone that wears Healthy Mix 52-53 (NC20-25) - a peachy-baby pink).

I've never been much of an eyeshadow wearer, but I'm striving to use them more. Patina is a very old favourite of mine. It's a neutral shade that I believe is very popular, but when it comes to describing the colour you realize how difficult it is. It's somewhere along the lines of a light antiqued gold that has this cool taupe tones in it. I know, complicated, but what's important is how great it looks as an all over wash on the lids. It's not particularly pigmented and it takes a bit of effort to get it properly build up even on my Snow White complexion, so it's not the eyeshadow you'd slap on in a hurry, but the final look is so pretty.

I loved this in combination with Patina. It's a dark warm chocolate brown, similar to L'Oreal's Infallible Endless Chocolat, but less shimmery. It's a another lovely shade for those who like neutrals. 

I'm more of a Naked Basic kind of girl, but I've dusted off the queen of neutral palettes and vowed to used it more. My favourite combinations are Sin all over the lid with Naked and Buck in the crease and for a more smoky look I like Smog all over the lid with Darkhorse in the corner. 

I'm not the one to wear a bright, fuchsia shade on my lips as I find them too cool for my skintone, but I really like this shade on me. The formula is a pleasant surprise - it like a very pigmented lip gloss-lip stain hybrid which just from definition I should dislike, but in this product it just works so well.

This has one of the most perfect matte finishes ever. The formula is hard to work with due to a strange mousse-like texture, but the final result is amazing. The colour is such a beauty and it's the prettiest deep red ever. Just to give you an indication of how great the staying power is I should tell you that people were really surprised when I came home from a diner at a restaurant with my lip colour almost intact. 
My hair is drier at the moment due to a product I've been testing (you'll learn more about it in an upcoming review) and this oil has been saving the current situation. It's a multi-purpose dry oil with stunning gold shimmer that can be used on the body or hair. It's light enough that is doesn't weigh down my thick hair, but still moisturisers it well, helps the dryness and tames it. It also gives this wonderful shine to the hair because of the shimmer. Used in the body, it's quite a stunning highlighter that even gives a very subtle tan to my ghostly pale skin. 

Just a classic medium red that I've been enjoying wearing this month. A colour you can't go wrong with.

I'm ashamed to admit that since I bought it over a year ago, I only wore it once, which is ridiculous because that's one of the prettiest pink nail polishes I own. It's bright pink that has the tiniest hint of coral in it, so it's a nice warm shade that goes well with my skintone.
Have a great day!
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