Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

I am the worst when it comes to face masks. I always forget to use them and then remember it's been a month(s) since I used one or I use them only when I need to treat something. Plus, as someone who wears glasses, I find the whole leave-for-10+-minutes-thing utterly annoying. Therefore, I have neither used many nor do I own a lot of them. For years my choice for a clarifying mask was Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2 in 1, which I still love, but I saw how cheap Mint Julep Masque was and I read some nice reviews, so I decided to give it a go.

Packaging: First off, the tube is huge. Massive. Think something like John Frieda shampoos and conditioners. There is 226.8 g of product in it, which I'll probably use up sometime around 2055. For comparison, the Neutrogena one has 150 ml. It has a twist off cap, but I would prefer a flip one.

Texture: This is super thick. I mean thicker that toothpaste and actually difficult to squeeze out. It wasn't like that from the beginning, but after about a month it really became a chore to get it out of the tube. Despite the thickness, it's not that hard to apply and spread on the face. It looks just like that stereotypical face mask colour from all the cartoons and films: a dark mint green and it dries to a much lighter green. I can assure you that you'll scare everyone who should see you wearing it, or at least make them laugh hysterically. It says to leave it on for 15 minutes. It semi-dries in that time and certain areas are still damp, while other areas get super tight. For it to fully dry, I find I need to leave it on for at least 25 minutes.

Maja from Pink Maskara did a comprehensive review including pictures of her wearing it here. That's dedication to a blog people! Click on the link and follow her because she really deserves it, also her skin is different than mine, so it will help to get another perspective. I actually bought the mask because of her. The same goes for Sanja and her version.

Scent: It smells all right. Minty, obviously and something like Orbit green gums. I prefer Neutrogena's.

Results: It's an average clay based clarifying mask. But that exactly what I expected for the price. I never notice much difference after using them since I skin is quite clear and healthy (I don't tend whine about my skin. Having someone in my family go through a horrible acne experience puts everything in perspective). Some reviewers report a drastic reduction in blackheads, but I don't notice any difference nor have I noticed a reduction in pore sizes. And I can't report about whether it dries up/heals breakouts as I haven't had any since I bought it. Clarifying masks draw out impurities and that's why it's nice to use it once in a while, even if your skin isn't oily or spotty and that's why I use them. I did find it too drying on one or two occasions, but mostly it was fine even for my combination-dry skin. Honestly, don't find it as nice for my skin as the Neutrogena one. The latter doesn't dry as much, but my skin still feels clean, more healthy and radiant. It is a but more expensive, but easier to get and better suited for someone whose skin is drier.

Price and availability: You probably won't get a better deal than this mask. 226 g cost less than 3€. Mine is from iHerb since it's not sold here, which means an additional 4$ (3€) for shipping. It's great for someone on a budget.

Clarifying masks are such a staple product no matter your skin type. If your skin is very oily and spotty, give this a go. Actually every one who is on a budget or just doesn't want to spend much on a clarifying mask might want to give it a go (and it's a lot cheaper than those in packets). It is basic and affordable, I can see why people love it and yet it is not my favourite.

Have a great day!

Beauty Wishlist #6

1. Tigi Catwalk Oatmeal Honey Conditioner & Mask

I bought several of these conditioners and shampoos before they were discontinued and they were definitely one of my favourites. They revamped the line and added a hair mask to the original shampoo and conditioner. I think I'll get the mask first as I need some heavy duty stuff from a salon brand. By the way, the products from the old line smelled like Christmas - like honey, gingerbread and cinnamon. I hope the new ones have the same scent.

2. Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 010 Light Porcelain

I want it especially because of the shade. 010 Light Porcelain is supposed to be very light and I would like to finally find the perfect match for my skintone (though, Missha BB in 13# fits me very well). It's only 6 € on Asos at the moment, so in the shopping bag it goes.

3. Lancôme L’Absolu Velours

A high-end brand that is easily available to me launched matte liquid lip colours. I'm super excited to see these in person! Essence's are lovely, of course, but the shade range is just too limited (you need to release more shades, pretty please). 

4. Real Techniques Starter Set Kit Eyes

Real Techniques brushes are a part of my every day routine and I almost can't imagine applying makeup without them. I always planned to get the eyes kit as well and I might get it soon.

5. got2b Glued Blasting Freeze Spray

After being very impressed by some of their products, I checked on Makeup Alley what other products from this brand people love. I never owned a product with a really strong hold and I'd love to try this one. 

6. L'Oréal Paris Dermo Expertise Skin Perfection Day Cream & Perfection Serum

I've heard so many good things about the new Skin Perfection line and it's available in a local drugstore, which is always a plus. I already bought the serum, but literally this morning, so I haven't tried yet (I made the pictures for this post yesterday). I'd love to try the moisturiser as well.

7. L'Oréal Paris Nude Magique Eau de Teint Foundation in 100 Porcelain

Some people love it, others don't, but I'm a fan of super light foundations and this fit the bill. I'm not sure if the lightest shade would fit me (I'd have to order it online, so no testers), but since it's a light coverage, I think it won't matter as much.

8. MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers

Another set of matte liquid lipsticks - my favourite formulas for a lip product and I'd really like to give them a try. The shade range is a bit disappointing, though. Funky looks interesting, but I'm not sure about the rest.

9. Essie Holiday Gift Set 2013

It will contain the shades Ballet Slippers, Chinchilly, Turquoise & Caicos,  Forever Yummy and Wicked. I saw the promo on Vanity Rouge, but I have no idea whether it will be available here (kind of doubt it really). I hope it will be available on Beauty Bay or something.

Have a great day!

Essence 113 Do You Speak Love?

I was looking for a nice dark burgundy shade for this autumn and upon checking every such shade in the drugstore, I decided on Essence's 113 Do You Speak Love? I was holding Essie's Burgundy and one S-he shade that I could tell you the name of the shade if I hadn't forgotten it a second later due to their stupid naming of the shades (sorry S-he, but what's with that?). I'm not sure if they are dupes, but they looked really close judging by how they appear in the bottles.

I've always been quite happy with the quality of Essence nail polishes and it's no different with this one. It takes two coats to get a nice deep colour, while one gets you a lighter red, but it doesn't look even enough for me. The closest shade I own is OPI's Malaga Wine, but that one is pinker and Do You Speak Love? is a truer burgundy.

I was hoping it would be darker, so if you have any suggestions for such a shade (that is easily accessible to me), please comment below. Also I'm on a search for a nice navy shade (along the line of Chanel's Blue Satin) if you have any suggestion for that as well. Thanks!

Have a great day!

New In: Drugstore Hair (Styling) Edition

It's all about drugstore hair products today. Got2b had most of their product either 30% off in my local supermarket or 50% off in DM (via the points system valid for November and December) and I decided to try some of their stuff. I was planning to get some other styling products, but I'm really glad I bought these. I think I'll try their Glued hairspray next and perhaps even some other bits. By the way, I had their Guardian Angel heat protectant a few years back and I hated it. 

It'll be a colourful post - I love colourful posts!

got2b Volumania Volumizing Spray Mousse

Probably my favourite product in the bunch. A mousse in a spray form - genius! It's so easy to apply evenly and I can really control the amount I want. It's not sticky, doesn't weigh my hair down and holds style so well. Both the mousse and styling powder smell like a raspberry drink (Dana's Malinovec), so pretty much delicious. I apply it all over the hair, concentrating on the roots. The spray makes it easy to apply it evenly to the roots and the length of the hair, however, you can spray it in your palm if that is what you prefer. I then do my regular thing: blow-dry with a round brush and put my hair in a high bun. I had tons of volume in the morning, like always, but this time my hair didn't drop in the next hour. I then curled it with a 2,5 cm (1 inch) barrel curler. It holds volume for a day, but the hair needs to be "refluffed" in the morning, which is pretty much standard with any mousse I tried so far. I was even more impressed how well my curls lasted as they still looked great on the third day. Having volume brings the necessary evil, the ever annoying frizz, and yes, also with this mousse, but it looks much, much better than Balea's Power Volume mousse. This is the best styling mousse I've tried to date, but I only had drugstore ones so far. I highly recommend it.

Regular price is about 6 €. It's widely available in drugstores and some supermarkets.

got2b Volumania Volume Refreshing Styling Powder

I'm not completely convinced about this product. I bought another one of got2b's volumising powders called Powder'ful about a year ago and while it definitely gives volume, it makes your hair feel sticky and a bit dirty, but what bothered me most was the fact the volume lasted about 15 minutes. So I wasn't impressed.
I sort of expected Volumania Styling Powder to be a similar product, but improved and in a spray form. It actually feels closer to a dry shampoo, but without the freshness. It almost feels like I'm not using anything at all and at first I wasn't sure if it even works in any other way than making my hair smell deliciously raspberrish. So I tried to "fluff up" my hair with and without the Styling Powder on each side of my head and it actually does make a difference, which is odd since it feels like nothing on the hair, nor does it give any type of hold or texture. It's not a necessary product, I actually think it can easily be replaced by a dry shampoo, but I do like using it to refresh the volume every day.

Regular price is about 6 € (5.80 € in DM). It's widely available in drugstores and some supermarkets.

got2b Öl-La-La Styling Öl-Spray 
also called Oil-licious Triple Oil Dry Oil Mist

Healthy hair and shine in a can. That's how I would describe this product. But mind you, I mean it just cheats the appearance of having healthy hair, it doesn't actually nourish it much. It's an innovative concept - argan oil in a spray can, even though it's the last ingredient on the INCI list and there are two silicones high on the list. Orofluido has something similar called Sahara, but this is much lighter. It gives an amazing amount of shine, just like using any of the silicone-oil hybrids (Orofluido, Morrocanoil,...) and helps fight the frizz, but without the fear of ruining the hairstyle or curls because of touching (my curls always drop if I touch them). I'm impressed got2b! Another very likeable product.
The scent is a bit out of place, especially after trying the Volumania products. It's far from fruity and it's more like a generic soap or lipstick scent. I actually quite like it. I can spray a ton of it on my hair and it doesn't weigh it down one bit, build up or make it oily, however, my hair is dry and thick. It think it would work for fine hair, but maybe used in moderation. But this is the best way for any of such girls to use an oil product.

Regular price is 6.99 €. I found it only in Müller.

Lee Stafford Hold Tight Hairspray

I really like this hairspray. It has a nice flexible hold without being sticky, doesn't feel crispy or stiff at all and I don't even feel it on the hair. I find it similar to Tigi Mastermind (only that it's cheaper and easier to get) and L'Oreal's Elnett extra strong, but without the Elnett scent that so many people dislike (I actually find it very similar to Chanel n.5). In fact, I tried L'Oreal's and Lee Staffords side by side and I notice no difference whatsoever. Hold Tight Hold Firm has a musky and sweet scent, which is apparently a signature scent of the Lee Stafford products and it reminds me a bit of Thierry Mugler Angel if I remember that fragrance correctly.

50 ml can costs 2.45 € in Müller. I don't know the price for the 250 ml can, but it's about 7-9€.

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Conditioner
also called Honey I'm Strong conditioner

I can't find the Hello Hydration hair mask anywhere (why?!), so I grabbed this instead. For the price it is actually quite good. It's thicker than the Hello Hydration mask and moisturises well even my dried up hair. Of course, I use it in a conjunction with a leave-in conditioner (Sexy Healthy Hair Tri-Wheat Leave In), which makes a massive difference by itself. It doesn't smell as amazing as the Hello Hydration line, but it's similarly fruity-floral with a hint of honey. It will be a part of my Top 5 drugstore conditioners post that I have ready.

Price 2.45 € in Müller.

I've used everything in this post on this pic. A rubbish pic of third day hair is in this post here. 

Have a great day!

Bourjois Cream Blush 01 Nude Velvet

This might just be my new favourite (cream) blush. Well, at least I'm certain it will be my most worn blush. Met Maybelline's Dream Blush in Peach (my most worn blush) cousin. Both are cream blushes which I prefer to powder ones because they are so easy and quick to apply. They have a very similar texture, except Bourjois one feels like it has more silicones in it, the finish is basically identical and even the colour is very similar. The main differences are that Bourjois comes in a better packaging, is smaller and has a mirror. I love my Maybelline blush, I actually own two colours, but the pot is not the best packaging when it comes to application, even though they feel well made.

The texture of Bourjois blush is a pleasure to use. It has a nicely pigmented, creamy and smooth formula that is easy to apply and blend. I tend to apply it with fingers because it's quickest, but brushes work as well. The finish is somewhere between satin and matte.

01 Nude Velvet is a light peach shade with some pink in it. It's pinker than Maybelline's Peach, however, I hardly notice the difference of the cheeks. It's a very natural looking blush and my favourite type of colour to wear on an every day basis.

It lasts the same as any other blush on my cheeks and I already said that no blush except Coralista lasts particularly long on me. The colour just fades from my cheek and disappears in a few hours (does that happen to anyone else?).

I tried to capture it on my cheeks, but no matter how much I applied, my camera wouldn't cooperate. This is the best I got. It's actually quite pigmented and shows up well on my pale skin. I'm also wearing it on the lips. It feels very dry as a lip colour and it looks peachy-nude.

Mine is from ASOS for 7€ (with a discount), while the regular price is about 10 €. As far as I'm aware these aren't and won't be available in Slovenia (I sincerely hope I'm wrong about the last part). I'm not sure about other countries apart from that it's available in UK and France. It's pretty much the same story as with Maybelline cream blushes.

This cream blush is fantastic and pretty much an improvement of my previous favourite. A better and more travel friendly packaging does it for me, even though it's 2 € more expensive than Maybelline's. If you happen to stumble upon them, I'd recommend both. I might get shade 03 Rose Tender as well.

Have a great day!

Product of the Week #16

I've mentioned before that though I'm not much of an eyeshadow person (UD's Naked Basic sort of changed that), I wear black eyeshadow close to the lash line to create the invisible eyeliner effect. Recently, I dug out from my stash L'Oreal's Super Liner Carbon Gloss eyeliner because I wanted a more intense line (I would use my Essence gel eyeliner but I discovered it had dried up). I do not have the steadiest hands or any proper eyeliner skills really, but even I can do a pretty decent job with this liner. I like the applicator which is a semi-soft felt tip that provides a comfortable application, but it's not super thin which means really fine lines are a bit difficult to do, but not impossible. I had Essence's Black Mania version before and that one felt clumsy and a bit scratchy, so I wasn't a fan of it. But I've had L'Oreal's Super Liner for a really long time and the applicator hasn't lost shape. It has a deep carbon black formula that has excellent pigmentation, glides smoothly and leaves no gaps during application. And it's very long lasting too. Provided I don't rub my eyes during the day, it can last all day without smudging or flaking. One thing that does bother me is the glossy finish it has, so I put some black eyeshadow over it to make it matte. It costs about 10 € in any drugstore and I will repurchase it when it runs out.

Washed out crappy picture, I know. This is before mascara, I have no eyeshadow on, only the eyeliner:

What is your favourite liquid eyeliner?
Have a great day!

Urban Decay Naked Basic Palette

I already said in my favourites that if I was allowed to own just one eyeshadow palette, this would be it. I'm not much of an eyeshadow person, mostly because my eyes are hooded and I see no point in applying anything else than an eyeliner, but Basic palette has been a part of my every day routine since I got it. For me this is the perfect palette, especially for an natural, polished every day look. There are several different possibilities of combining the colours, but my favourite way of using it is: W.O.S. as a base, Naked 2 on the lid, Faint in the outer corner, Crave as a liner and Venus in the inner corner. 

Excuse the lousy swatches, but the colours are accurate despite the blueish tint of the skin. The ones of the finger tips are better:

The quality of the eyeshadows is very nice. I'm a fan of matte eyeshadows and these are smooth, blend really well and are nicely pigmented. They remind me a lot of Catrice's matte shade I own called 350 Starlight Expresso, but they are less buttery than ArtDeco 551, which is a matte skin tone shade.

Venus is the only non-matte shade in the Basic palette. Both Venus and Virgin (Urban Decay Naked) are highlighting shades with an iridescent finish. Virgin is pinker than Venus, yet on the eyes the difference is undetectable and both are excellent shades for highlighting the inner corners. In fact they are best I've found so far because they are both quite subtle and nice for every day (though Mac's Vanilla pigmented is super lovely as well).

Foxy and W.O.S. are the two blending shades. I like how they included two such colours in the palette since I used them the most (I have mentioned in my everyday makeup post that I use MUA's 16 every day). Foxy is yellow toned, while W.O.S. is pink toned, however, the difference on the eyes is to my eye minute.
ArtDeco 551 is almost a spot on dupe for W.O.S., while MUA matte eyeshadow in 16 is pinker, but again the difference is not that visible on the eyes, after all, they are blending shades.

Naked 2 is a light taupe shade and my favourite. I've been on a search for such a shade for years, but most were either too warm or too grey.
Naked from the original palette is less grey and warmer, while the only other similar shade I own, MAC's Wedge is more brown and much warmer. All are excellent crease colours, however, I mostly use them as lid colours. 

Faint is a dark cool brown shade which is very pigmented.
Revlon's Rich Sable is darker and cooler, as is a similar shade from Sleek's Storm palette (the one next to black). Buck from the original palette is much warmer.

Crave is a matte black and very pigmented. I use it as a liner.

Nxy's Black is even darker, while the black eyeshadow from a Sleek palette is very similar to Crave. Creep from the original palette is a dark smokey grey with shimmer.

The packaging is great, well made and with a really handy big mirror. The palette is about the size of a smartphone, so a nice size to carry around. The only odd thing I noticed about the eyeshadows is the weird scent. I only notice it when I use the mirror in the palette because they are close to me, but it's not bothersome.

I got mine on Look Fantastic for 19.50 €, but regular price is about 23 €. I don't find it too expensive for such a great collection of quality matte eyeshadows that I used every day. I'm really happy that it's a part of my collection.

Have a great day!