Best Buys Under 5 €

It's actually not that easy to find a good product that is under 5 € and I admit I struggled to get a nice bunch of products for this post. I have loads of products that I love which are just above the price mark (literally a few cents more), but I won't cheat and I plan to show them in a another drugstore favourites post. I selected 11 products that are available either in drustores or online or even in larger supermarkets and all are nice cheap thrills. So here is my selection.

CATRICE Absolute Eye Colour Mono

2.89 €.

Yes, I could select a lot of products from Essence for this post, but you know what - I don't find them that thrilling and I much, much prefer Catrice, especially when it comes to quality. Although L'Oreal's eyeshadows are my uncontested favourites in the drugstore ranks, Catrice's are a close second. I love the colour range, there are some gorgeous neutral shades as well as a few brighter colours and you can create a selection that rivals any combination in the popular neutral palettes. The pigmentation of these is great and they blend really well, even the matte shades are excellent quality. If you're looking for some inexpensive fun products I highly recommend you check them out. My favourite is a taupe shade called 350 Starlight Expresso.
By the way, I just quickly swatched the new velvet matte eyeshadows by Catrice and they are fabulous as well. 

CATRICE Defining Blush

3.79 €.

I just can't shut up about these blushes. The formula of these won my heart - it's just perfect - smooth and pigmented, these blend so well, but foremost they actually manage to stay put on my cheeks a lot longer than any other blush I tried, except Benefit's Coralista. My favourite shade is Rose Royce which is an amazing rosy-neutral shade that goes with everything. 

MAYBELLINE Color Tattoo 24 HR

4.95 € (might be more expensive depending on where you buy them).

These really are so good! They boast with a lovely creamy texture that is super pigmented, blends well and once it sets stays put for hours. I tend to use them for a quick eyeshadow look or, my preferred way, as a base. There are a lot of shades to choose from, but Permanent Taupe, a matte taupe, is without a doubt my favourite cream eyeshadow as well as one my favourite colours in general.

LABELLO Fruity Shine Peach

1.85 €.

These could easily be described as the most convenient product to satisfy the craving for a cheap trill. Everyone needs lip balm, you use it all the time and they are usually in every grocery shop at the registers. Fruity Shines are one of the most fun ones with is a nice selection of tinted balms with juicy scents. My favourite is peach and I find it has one of the best peach scents out there as well as a lovely natural peach tint. These aren't the most moisturising lip balms, but they are nice for everyday use. 

EBELINE Blending Brush

2.95 € , only in DM (not in Slovenia, sorry).

I never expected such a brilliant brush for such an affordable price. It's an excellent super soft blending brush that I use also for applying a gentle wash of colour in the crease or on the lids. Basically, I can do almost an entire eye makeup with it, though due to its softness it's more for subtle looks and it performs best with high quality eyeshadows. 

E.L.F. Studio Flawless Concealer Brush

£3.75 (4.7 €), E.l.f. website.

I love how dense, yet still soft this brush is and it's just feels so well made. I use it for so many things from blending concealer, applying setting powder under the eyes and around the nose, applying a base eyeshadow colour all-over the lid, blending and even contouring. Truly a versatile brush.

INELL Eau Micellaire

2.29 €, only in E.Leclerc.

Micellar waters are a part of my everyday routine when I'm removing makeup, so I use a lot of them. This one is incredibly affordable and just as good as the rest drugstore versions. As most micellar waters it feels super light - like water and it removes makeup effectively, leaving the skin clean and refreshed. 

INELL Mousse Nettoyante Hydratante

1.51 €, only in E.Leclerc.

This is such a wonderful, gentle cleanser that is also really fun to use. It looks like those whipped creams in a can and the mousse actually resembles whipped cream a bit due to the super dense texture. It also smells so lovely and it really makes the morning cleanse an enjoyable experience.

DOVE Nourishing Shower Gel

2-3 €.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was another version of this lying somewhere in the house - I think our house might be the fan central of Dove Nourishing shower gels. These are seriously so good - incredibly creamy and luxurious feeling due to a thicker formula, they are especially loved in my household because they are nourishing and don't leave the skin feeling dry or itchy. I love the scent of these, all three actually: the classic original Dove scent, the sensuous coconut milk with jasmine one and the sweet almond with hibiscus one. If your skin is dry, give them a go.

BATISTE Dry Shampoo

£2.99 (3.7 €), online on Boots International and Asos.

Though my hair is far from greasy, I don't shy away from dry shampoo on days between the washing. I've tried a few so far and Batiste is my favourite. It properly refreshes the hair, giving it more life and body as well as makes it smell nice, it's like an additional fragrance. When it comes to dry shampoo, for me the most important features are that it doesn't leave the hair white and that it smells nice. My hair is dark brown and Batiste can leave a white cast if I spray too close, but it's easy to blend it in. However, what I really appreciate is the large selection of scents and Wild is my current favourite. It has a lovely oriental scent, I smell notes of chocolate, vanilla, musk and wood that combine into a nice perfume version of a scent rather than gourmand one, like the Tropical version has.

TONI & GUY Sectioning Clips

3.08 €, eBay this seller.

These are so awesome. I could never find decent sectioning clips for a reasonable price here, so I ordered these from eBay and they are so good. They feel so professional and well made with the matte rubberised texture, you'd never think they were so cheap. I use them all the time when I blow-dry my hair to clip the hair out of the way or to create volume or curls - just brilliant stuff. 

Do you have any recommendation for great affordable products? Have a great day!

New In #12

 Kérastase Forme Fatale Voluptuous Blow-Dry Gel

I bought a few Kérastase products as a treat for myself. Nobody talks about this product and it's not like I need volumising products, but Forme Fatale caught my attention and after watching this video (just look how shiny her hair looks!) and days of pondering, it landed in my shopping cart. The number of reviews of this from someone who actually bought it for themselves it pretty much zero, so this was really a blind buy. I liked the idea of a styling product with good hold and heat protection in one, and I'm hoping that this will have a better control of my frizz compared to got2b Volumania mousse. I just got it in the mail, so I hadn't had the chance to try it, but there will be a full review.

21.40 € on HQHair.

Kérastase Elixir Ultime Sublime Cleansing Oil Shampoo

I wanted to try this shampoo for at least a year, basically ever since I slowly fell in love with Elixir Ultime. I still have a bit of Oléo-Relax shampoo left (the best shampoo ever!), so I won't use this one yet, but there will be a full review once I test it thoroughly.

19.28 € on HQHair.

 Kérastase Chroma Sensitive Caressing Cleansing Balm

There is this hair trend called co-washing, where you use a conditioner (preferably a silicone free) instead of a shampoo. This brought a new form of hair cleansers on the market, Wen being the most known, and Herbal Essences recently launched their affordable version (which is not available in my country of course). Kérastase has their version as well in their line for coloured hair. It's a cleansing balm that is sulphate, paraben and silicone free, and it's supposed to be used alone every other wash. The idea is that it has no harsh cleansers and it conditions the hair at the same time. It doesn't foam, which reduces frictions of the hair fibres, therefore the hair colour should stay last longer. I haven't tried it yet, but there will be a full review. 

I got it as a gift with purchase, but a smaller 200 ml version with a pump costs 19.69 € on HQhair.

 Lee Stafford Dehumidifier

Does anyone like mini sizes as much as I do? I love how Lee Stafford has these sample sizes to try out or keep in the bag. I decided to try dehumidifier which is supposed to help prevent frizzies and other hair disasters in humid weather. I already tested it, however, I still have a review to write, but just as a preview: Dehumidifier = got2b Öl-La-La Styling Öl-Spray. 
Mini size is 2.79€.

Lee Stafford Dry Shampoo Original

I don't use dry shampoo for it's intended purpose since my hair almost never gets greasy, but I do like using them for refreshing the hair. This one has a super strong scent and in general hasn't wowed me, but more about it in a future review.
Mini size is 2.45€.

 Lee Stafford Hold Tight hairspray

I ran out of the mini version and all of the rest of the hairsprays I had (well most of them), so I purchased the full size version of it since it's my favourite so far. It has a nice flexible hold without being sticky and doesn't feel crispy or stiff at all. The scent is a bit strong, but I can tolerate easier than Elnett's.
250 ml is 7.49€ in Müller.

  L'Oreal Studio Line #TNT Excess Volume Texturizing Spray

This recently landed in our Műllers and I was a bit surprised when I found it was sold here. It was on my wishlist since I read this post (doesn't she have fabulous hair?), where it says it's a more affordable version of Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Finish. I really wanted to try a texturising spray since every one seems to have one, either Oribe or Bumble and Bumble. I must admit I don't really get along with it (perhaps yet?) and I'm not impressed. I'll keep trying to make it work and report again in a proper review.

I paid 6.29€ in Müller.

 Vichy Dercos Anti-Dandruff Sensitive Treatment Shampoo

This is a sulphate, paraben and colour free shampoo for treating dandruff. So far I can say that it's ok, but really nothing special and I don't like the fact it's sulphate free in this case because it hardly foams. However, I've only been using is for a couple of weeks, so I'll report in a while how I get along with it.
13.05€ in a pharmacy.

  Toni & Guy Hairdressing Sectioning Clips

I didn't expect these to be as good as they are for something I got off eBay. They feel so professional with the matte rubberised texture. I've been looking for something like this for ages in our drustores, but they only sell individual ones for some idiotic prices. Now I have twelve fantastic sectioning clips, which I use so much, mostly when drying my hair (I do it like this, if anyone is interested).
3.08€ on eBay from this seller.

I bought a few samples of fragrances from Salma.si and Mexx's were free. Two of them aren't sold in our drugstores, but I really wanted to test them, so I like the idea of having samples available to buy.
I know it's weird to buy samples, I actually don't mind paying for them (and I love samples), it's not like they are given here happily (in Slovenia, obviously). I feel like most sales assistants think of it as some form torture to give actual samples (L'Occitane being the notable exception. I bought most of their stuff based on my experience with a sample). 

Aquolina Pink Sugar eau de toilette sample

This is ridiculously popular abroad, but not sold in Slovenia. I smell a mix of caramel and licorice notes, but mostly cotton candy and there are also some fruity notes in the background. It's nice, however, a bit generic, as if someone tried to make a shampoo that smells like cotton candy. I much prefer Fantasy, Can Can and even Wonderstuck Enchanted.

Ellie Saab eau de parfum sample

This is super floral. To my nose the loudest note is jasmine which hits you like a truck and not african orange flower as most say. There is also a bit of honey in the background that gives it some sweetness and I detect patchouli as well. It reminds me of Lush's Lust, but classier.

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy sample

I wanted to try this since forever (it's not sold in Slovenia to the best of my knowledge). It's a lot softer than I expected, gently sweet from the caramel and praline notes, but with a larger emphasis on floral notes particularity tuberose which is similar as in Britney Spears Radiance. It's quite a warm scent also because of a hint of vanilla, but nothing like in Fantasy for example. It reminds me a lot of Gucci's Gorgeous Gardenia. It's nice, but I don't get the hype. It smells kind of generic to me - floral, sweet and warm, but I wouldn't not call it a gourmand scent

Mexx Woman eau de toilette sample

I like this. It's soft and feminine, a bit citrusy sweet, but mostly woody-floral. It's strangely comforting, despite the lack of vanilla.

Mexx Fresh Woman eau de toilette sample

I like this as well. It's freshly sweet and floral, generic, but in a nice way. The staying power is very weak.

Have a great day!