L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick 201 Rose Symphony

Lip gloss is something I pushed aside years ago in favour for the non-sticky, more long-lasting lipsticks. However, recently I have found myself very impressed by the latest L'Oreal's offering - L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipsticks. I know the name suggests they are lipsticks, but they have a glossy finish and poorer lasting power than the real thing, ergo it's a very pigmented lip gloss and I have been thoroughly enjoying wearing it from the moment it first touched my lips.

This such a creamy lip product and I would describe it as lip balm/pigmented gloss hybrid. It's almost fully opaque upon application and you get a nice punch of colour if you layer it, but it wears off to a semi-opaque shade after a while. I have to say I am slightly in love with the creamy gloss shine finish it has and I in general do not like glossy finish on me, though  after a while the shine disappears and all it's left is a sort of a creamy stain. The formula of it isn't at all sticky, though it is thick.

Rose Symphony is a mix of rose, warm pink and a hint of coral with a touch of gold shimmer. There is  something about this colour that makes my eyes appear more blue. I love this shade for any occasion really, even if I'm having a no makeup day, I love wearing this on the lips because it just looks so damn good.

The scent of it is amazing - it smells like peaches! Specifically like Haribo Peach jellies, which are some of my favourite sweets. I adore it.

Since it's a lip gloss type of product, don't expect an amazing staying power, though this particular one manages to cling on quite well and after a couple of hours you are still left with a stain on the lips, of course provided you didn't have lunch.

I find the packaging quite pretty and I'm fond of the gold tube with a little window where the colour is visible, even thought is collects fingerprints like nobody's business. The applicator is a soft larger flat doe foot one and it's easy to use.

I bought mine from Boots, but I hear they are available around Europe and I'm guessing the rest of the world. I'm sure people at L'Oreal were very busy scouring for young girls at the world cup to be their new faces only to fire them two days later  (hey, I don't appreciate 17-year-olds brandishing rifles either), but surely now that is over, someone might find the time to launch these lip products on Slovenia's market. It would be greatly appreciated. But for now I think the closest places where they are sold is in Austria and Italy (keep in mind that the shades name are probably different).

Well colour me impressed. It was love at first swipe. As a hardcore lipstick lover, to have a lip gloss excite me is quite an accomplishment and I wouldn't object to owning more of these. Though I would love to give Maybelline's and Dior's versions a go. Could it be that my interest in lip gloss is rekindled? Well see what the future holds.

Have a great day!

Max Factor All Day Primer

My experience with primers has left me rather indifferent to them and it's been a long time since I used a proper primer on a daily basis as memories of unsightly flakiness that Clinique Pore Minimizer tended to cause were just too painful and Garnier's Perfect Blur performance was very mediocre on me. However, you may have noticed that I included this primer in pretty much every favourites post recently. It was for good reason. I've been trialling this gem for a month now and I'm nothing but impressed. 

Texture: It's a thick lotion which has a strange sort of a "glue-ish" texture that seems like it should be sticky, but it isn't at all. The application is a breeze and it just glides on the skin, leaving behind a nice light and even coat of primer that doesn't flake. The finish of it is matte, but not in a drying way and I'm especially happy about it not emphasising dry patches. The skin feels smooth and dry to the touch, but the primer doesn't disguise pores, though it doesn't promise to do that. It feels super light on the skin, I pretty much don't even feel it, so it kind of reminds me of a thicker version of L'Occitane's Angelica Ultra Matte fluid. 

Does it actually work?: It promises to prolong the staying power of foundation and it definitely does. I notice a massive difference at the end of the day and even Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum lasts surprisingly well. There is a lot more foundation on the cotton pad when I'm taking my makeup off at the end of the day as opposed to when I don't use this primer. My skin is normal, but I can get a slightly oilier T-zone especially in the summer and I think this primer helps keep oil at bay quite well. It has SPF 20, which is nice as far as I'm concerned, since it means I have an additional layer of sun protection and a completely clear, light-feeling SPF for winter months. 

It also works wonderfully as an as an eyeshadow base and keeps the makeup fresh longer.

Scent: This might sound strange, but it smells like a pool, so chlorine, though only if I put my nose to it.

Packaging: The primer is stored in a nice heavy glass bottle with a pump. The dispenser is very good and easily pumps out the desired amount. The only thing that is out of place is the plastic cap, which for some unknown reason looks already heavily used and it did even right after I removed the plastic slip around it. 

Strangely this has no ingredients on the bottle. There is no peel off label or anything, which I'm not sure that a company is allowed to do. Basically, this is supposed to be the primer part of the Facefinity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 foundation. I'm positive that it's a silicone primer, but it doesn't feel like one meaning there is no thick slippery coat of silicones on your skin (as at Garnier's Perfect Blur for example) and it's as if the skin can breathe. It doesn't clog my pores at all.

Price and availability: I got mine in Müller for 12.99€.

What can I say, I am very pleasantly surprised. It's a lovely primer that leaves a nice smooth finish, feels super lightweight, makes the application of foundation easier and it actually does what it promises - prolongs the wear of foundation and makeup. This is one of my favourite discoveries of late and I have to say I really missed it when I loaned it to someone for a few days. I've been using it almost everyday since I got it as it also prolongs the staying power of my tinted sunscreen. It truly is a drugstore gem.

Have a great day!

Something to Commemorate a Million Blog Views…

How did we even get here? A million views?! Mind. Blown. 

I might be making a too big of a deal out of this, but I am sensing a great deal of pride at the moment. My blog is my happy place, the spot where I unleash my creativity, speak about the things I love and share my interests with fellow makeup enthusiasts. I have to say I'm very happy with my blog, especially in the last year and I occasionally "flip through" the pages feeling a bit proud and very pleased with how well it looks - man, that sounded a bit self absorbed, didn't it?

I want to thank all of you who are subscribed or just passing by for taking the time to visit my blog, read my work or just check out the pictures. Thank you for every comment, Bloglovin' like, repin on Pinterest and links to my blog, believe me I treasure every one. You are awesome, every one of you. 

I feel that this occasion calls for a bit of retrospection: 

Most Popular Posts in Each Year of Blogging

2014 - Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet 08 Grand Cru

2013 - MAC Lipstick Samples from TheBodyNeeds

2012 - (Mostly) Drugstore Concealers - Favourites and Really Good Ones

2011 - Essence Stay With Me Lip Gloss

And they were discontinued this year, would you believe it? They were my favourites. A tip for all of you: never fall in love with any essence product.,they have a market life span of a fruit fly due to their frequent product lines updates.

2010 - Revlon Matte lipstick 002 Pink Pout

Most popular page -  Blogs I Heart

My favourite posts

10 Current Drugstore Picks

How to Curl Stubborn and Difficult-to-Curl Lashes

Best from Pharmacy Brands

My Tips for Dealing with Dry Hair

This is also the most repinned post.

Colours of the Rainbow Tag

I so enjoyed making this post.

I've been blogging for four years now and I'm striving to improve with each new post, so I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it. I write about what I want, when I want, there is no schedule and I've never felt like I desperately need to appeal to as much readers as I can nor am I focused on getting as much subscribers as possible - I do it my way and that's why I love doing this.

Here is to the next million views! Cheers!

Products worth the splurge #2

 DIOR Diorskin Nude BB Creme

I am a fan of bases that give that skin-like finish and Dior's BB does exactly that. The coverage is light and it looks like you have no foundation on your skin, but it still blurs imperfections as well as somewhat diminishes the circles. My favourite bit is that it's immediately dry to the touch meaning it sets super fast to a semi-matte finish. It goes on so smoothly and blends so well that it's one of the best products to apply in hurry. Rather surprisingly the lightest colour is actually pale enough for me, which is a rarity especially when it comes to shades selection in my country, although 001 is pink toned. Basically, this just is the best BB I've tried.

 NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

Snow Whites like me know how ridiculously hard it is to find pale shades of foundation and concealers. Chantilly is the lightest shade I ever found and it's actually neutral, so it fits me perfectly when I'm at my palest. The formula is super creamy and the coverage is almost full, so it can be used under the eyes as well as on spots. It's no wonder it's one of my favourite concealers.

BALANCE ME Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm

Whatever is in this stuff is just amazing, since out of all cleansers I've tried so far, this is the one that makes my skin look its best. Since I started using it, I had zero dry patches and before they were my perpetual nemesis. It's a balm cleanser, but one with small oatmeal scrub particles that provide gentle exfoliation, and it removes all but "industrial strength" waterproof mascara while leaving my skin feeling clean yet moisturised.  I'm currently trying some more affordable cleansers and I'm already missing this one.

 OROFLUIDO Beauty Elixir

This was the first silicone-oil that I tried and despite trying loads of the competition, it still remains firmly at the top of my favourites. What I love about it is that the texture is quite thick, which really works well for my thick, dry, coarse hair and I need to use only a small amount, so the bottle lasts me ages. I use it on damp as well as on dry hair and it tames flyaways, gives shine and in general makes the hair more manageable. It also smells bloody amazing, I'd describe it as a rich oriental vanilla-amber scent, but I have notes of the fragrance posted in my original review.

 THE BODY SHOP Body Butters

My love for TBS body butters began at 16 when I visited the shop for the first time during my stay in Berlin. I remember feeling very overwhelmed at the bountiful selection of differently scented products and I quickly grabbed one of the premade gifts for Christmas that included bits from the Shea butter line. Since then I may have developed a sort of an addiction and I've tried quite a few scents. They really are so good. I haven't come across a scent I wouldn't like, the texture of them is so lovely (though it depends on the version) and they are so moisturising. My favourite is Vineyard Peach, which I bang on about all the time. Also currently in my stash is the one from the Honeymania collection, which has a spectacular texture. I highly recommend you try one the next time you're around their shop.

Have a great day!

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets Frambourjoise and Olé Flamingo

After being seriously impressed by the gorgeous matte finish of 08 Grand Cru, two more Rouge Edition Velvets joined my collection. I've often spoken about Velvets in my recent posts and they were featured in several favourites, so the time has come for me to finally post the swatches of the other two. 

I won't go into too much detail about the formula, since I already covered that at length in my review for the shade 08 Grand Cru and it's pretty much the same one. However, 02 Framboujoise and 05 Olé Flamingo do indeed have a much smoother and more pigmented formula, yet they still need two layers for an opaque and even finish. Again it takes about 15 minutes for them to set to a velvet-matte finish and both have the same fantastic staying power as Grand Cru, so they can last very long provided they don't come in contact with anything greasy.

I had such difficulties swatching Grand Cru again, but on the lips it's much easier to build up the colour.

02 Frambourjoise

This is one of my favourite shades at the moment, I seriously flippin' adore it. It's a rose-red-pink that is a perfect mix between a fun and a glamorous colour. Unlike the other two shades, it never fully dries to a matte finish, rather it stays a bit creamy.

05 Olé Flamingo

Is a super bright, fuchsia pink with a warm undertone. As far as I can tell it's a very similar shade to Pink Pong, except that one has a blue undertone. This shade has without a doubt the best formula out of the three. It's smooth, very pigmented and dries to the perfect velvet-matte finish.

Like I said in my Grand Cru post, applying these needs a bit more effort and they require time to set, but the finish is beautiful. As I suspected Grand Cru is the hardest shade to work with and others have a much better, smoother formula. 

These cost about 12€ in drugstores. For those who can't get them in their country they are sold on Feel Unique, Boots International and Asos.

Have a great day!

Green Line Clear Active Micellar Cleansing Water

The micellar waters fad is not yet over and Green Line released their version recently, which I was kindly offered to test, and I tell you, it's surprisingly good. For those unfamiliar with Green Line, it's actually a Slovene brand.

Texture: Similarly to the rest of the micellar waters, it has a light almost water-like texture, though this one feels closer to a toner than the rest. 

Effectiveness: In short - it performs very well. I wore a full face of makeup with SPF underneath and a good primer to give it a good test and it removed the base in pretty much the first go, but it needed extra pads for the eye makeup (black eyeliner and eyeshadow) and Bourjois Velvets on the lips. It took three pads to get my face clean which is the same as with Garnier and L'Oreal's version. Much like other micellar waters, it won't remove waterproof mascara, but I tested its removing powers with a regular version (which I had to borrow, but it was essence I <3 Extreme Crazy Volume mascara) and it did its job. It doesn't irritate my eyes or skin, however, neither do any of the other micellar waters I've tried.

Scent: This might be a nuisance to some, but unlike other micellar waters I've tried, this one is scented with what I presume is the scent is of orange flower water and I've grown rather fond of the fragrance. Personally, I don't mind scented skincare, in fact, I prefer it, but people sensitive to fragrance might find it problematic.

Packaging: This is where I won't be too kind, but I'm certain that during the rich human history we have invented  these things called flip top caps, which have made our lives much easier by not needing to screw the caps off any more. What I'm trying to say is that a flip top would be much more practical. The bottle doesn't spill or waste product, for which I'm very grateful since I had the displeasure of being continuously annoyed by the L'Oreal's bottle. The bottle holds 200 ml, which is not an impressive amount especially compared to some of the competition and the packaging could use a more modern update, but that's just my preference.

I think it's a great micellar water and it's a nice budget offering. It removes makeup well and leaves the skin feeling clean, refreshed and not at all tight, but very comfortable. I really been enjoying using it the past month. The plain looking bottle might be the reason you'll miss it in the drugstores, but it's a worthy buy nonetheless, especially for those you found other drugstore micellar waters irritating and need something new. 

I've already seen it being sold in DM for about 4.5 €. I'm not sure in which countries Green Line is available, but I'm guessing it's available in the Balkans.

V poplavi micelarnih vodic se je na trgu pojavila še ena in to domače znamke Green Line, ki sem jo imela priložnost preizkusiti in me je precej pozitivno presenetila. Kot praktično vse druge micelarne vodice je lahka skoraj kot voda, čeprav je že malo bolj podobna toniku. Ličila odstrani učinkovito in hitro, po mojih izkušnjah so dovolj tri vatke za dokaj močan makeup, ampak vodoodporne maskare ji pa ne uspe odstraniti. Meni ne draži oči in kože, čeprav moja koža ni niti malo občutljiva. Vodica ima še kar močen cvetlični vonj, ki je meni kar všeč, lahko pa je problematičen za tiste, ki so na dišave občutljivi. Glavno pomankljivost zame predstavlja pokrovček, saj bi namreč z vidika lažje uporabe želela takšnega na poklop. Micelarna vodica je na voljo v količini 200 ml, kar ni ravno presunljivo veliko še posebno v primerjavo s nekatero konkurenco.

Vsekakor gre za dobro micelarno vodico, ki dobro odstrani ličila in pusti kožo osveženo ter ne neudobno zategnjeno. Videla sem jo že v DM, kje stane okrog 4,5 €.

* I was sent this to review / Izdelek mi je bil poslan v oceno.

Have a great day!

Beauty Tag - You can only pick one

I was tagged a while ago by the lovely Živa from Nothin' Fancy. Really. to do this post and even though I so rarely do tags, I actually love this one, so here it is. This tag was originally created by Rebecca from Autumn Leaves and you basically just have to pick one item or brand for each category.
I know several things were also in my recent posts, but forgive me for talking about them so often.

 Low End/Drugstore Brand 

Without a moment of hesitation my choice is Bourjois. I adore their foundations, lipsticks, cream blush, Poudre de Riz and their new velvets. Yup, it is an awesome brand. I still haven't tried any of their mascaras, but the new 1 Second one is high on my wishlist.

 High End Brand 

Now this is a difficult one. Those years of me experimenting with high-end makeup have passed and now I only have a small amount of more expensive makeup, but the one brand that stands out is Lancôme. It's pretty much the only brand I have several items from. I love their Hypnôse mascara in waterproof formula, Rouge in Love lipsticks, Blush Subtil in Miel Glace and their Color Ideal foundation.

 Primer 

Max Factor All Day Primer. It really does what it promises and feels like there is nothing on the skin. 

Highlighter

I'm adding a category because I was deciding between two primers, however, I use Max Factor's as intended and L'Oreal's Magique Lumi Primer as a highlighter. I'm not a fan of obvious shimmer on the cheekbones and this gives me a lovely subtle radiance. 

Foundation/Face Product

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. I love it and it's been my favourite foundation since I first purchased it three years ago. 

Concealer 

I'll go with NARS Radiant creamy concealer because it's a great all-rounder, but if there were separate categories for concealer under the eyes, I love Maybelline's the Eraser.

 Bronzer 

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Soft Matte Bronzer. It's the only bronzer I found that fits my neutral, super pale complexion. 

Blush 

Catrice Defining blush in 020 Rose Royce. I adore this blush because it goes with everything, it's super pigmented and long lasting.

Powder 

Bourjois Poudre de Riz which is the only powder I've found so far that doesn't make my foundation look cakey, rather it makes it less visible and just better.

Setting Spray 

I haven't tried any yet (does Balea's water in a can count?), but I plan to start with UD's.

Eyebrow Product 

I don't do eyebrows nor do I care them. I don't pluck, fill them or use brow gel. They are just there in their natural state and they are perfectly fine. I must be the only person who's into beauty and doesn't notice anyone's eyebrows or thinks that filling them makes such a big difference.

 Eyeshadow/Palette 

My obvious choice - Urban Decay Naked Basic Palette. I love matte eyeshadows and this palette has exactly the colours I use on a daily basis. I adore it.

Eyeliner 

L'Oreal Perfect Slim. It's a felt tip liner with a precise, thin applicator and even an idiot like me can draw a nice line. Also the formula is really black and stays on the lids well. Great stuff.

Mascara

Lancôme Hypnôse waterproof. An amazing mascara that gives me tones of length, some volume and most importantly holds my lashes curled all day. 

 Lip Product 

What, do I have to pick just one? Now, that's mean. Colours-wise I'll go with MAC's Relentlessly Red because I love that shade on me and I always wear it on special occasions. Regarding best formula, I'll go with the new Bourjois Velvets because of the fantastic matte finish and pigmented non-drying texture. 

Nail Polish 

Essie Cute as a Button. The colour is spectacular as well as the formula.

Beauty Tool

What would I do without my eyelash curlers, so this place goes to Shiseido The Makeup Eyelash Curler.

If you're interested in doing this tag, I encourage you to do so. I tag Petra, Maja, Sara, Taya, Sanja, Sandra and every blogger on my Blogs I Heart page. 

Have a great day!