L.O.V – Feel the Color

 

L.O.V brand has been in the Slovenian market for a while now and I’m still getting around to testing more of their products. In the past year, I was quite happy with their brow pencil which I completely used up. This year, I received a PR package full of L.O.V products which I happily tested and can now report back on. All of these products are available in Muller stores around Slovenia and other European countries.

Znamka L.O.V je na našem trgu že kar nekaj časa in sama se z veseljem spoznavam z njo. V preteklem letu me je najbolj nadušil svinčnik za obrvi, s katerim sva se družila do njegova žalostnega konca, v letošnjem letu pa sem prejela nekaj novosti, ki so na police prišle to pomlad in jih lahko najdeš v vseh Muller trgovinah po Sloveniji in v drugih državah Evrope.

Let’s start with the PERFECTitude 3in1 Prime&Fix spray (10,99€ for 50ml). This spray is enriched with coconut water which is great for locking in moisture in your skin. I used it as a primer and as a fixing spray and it definitely worked as both, although I did prefer it to fix my make-up in place. Just using this spray as a primer didn’t do much, but it did replace my Melvita rose water in my *routine* and worked very well. L.O.V gets and extra point for the pretty and elegant bottle without propellant. If you’re looking for a product that would help with moisturizing your face and extend the wear time for your make-up, I would definitely suggest this spray.

Začniva s PERFECTitude 3v1 fiksirnim sprejem za obraz (10,99 € za 50ml). Ta pravzaprav ne bi smel nositi imena “fiksirni”, saj se poleg utrditve po zaključenem ličenju lahko uporablja tudi kot podlaga za ličila ali samostojno za osvežitev obraza tekom celotnega dne. Obogaten je s kokosovo vodo, ki je odlična za zadrževanje vlage na obrazu. Sama sem ga preizkusila kot podlago za ličila in kot zaključni sprej in prav v zadnji vlogi je deloval najbolje, saj je po mojem mnenju res podaljšal obstojnost ličil. Samo sprej mi kot osnova ni bil dovolj, lahko pa je v moji rutini (oglej si jo *tu*) nadomestil Melvitino rožno vodo, ki jo nanesem pred primerjem. Dodaten plus L.O.V dobi za stekleničko, ki je lepa, elegantna in brez potisnega plina. V kolikor torej iščeš nekaj, kar bi ti pomagalo pri vlaženju kože in pri podaljševanju obstojnosti ličil, je ta sprej dobra izbira.

Among all products I tested I was most excited about the single eyeshadow (shade 351 – Merlot Divine, spring collection also includes turqoise 360 – Lagoon Escape, both 5,99€). I depot most, if not all, my single eyeshadows as soon as I find the time and place them into one of my magnetic palettes. That’s the only way I can ensure that I actually think of them and use them. I can guarantee that won’t be the case with this L.O.V eyeshadow because there’s no way I could forget about it and the packaging is great – sturdy, with compact closing and a mirror. I don’t care much for the applicator which I never use and will probably lose sooner or later. The eyeshadow is extremely pigmented. It’s a metallic formula that looks a bit different under different angles – purple, pink or even green-ish. A really unique eyeshadow that every color lover should have in her collection.

Izmed vseh izdelkov, ki sem jih preizkusila, me je daleč najbolj navdušilo enojno senčilo (v odtenku 351 – Merlot Divine, v spomladanski kolekciji lahko najdeš tudi turkizno 360 – Lagoon Escape, obe 5,99€). Nad večino mojih enojnih senčil se kaj kmalu spravim z različnimi orodji, da jih spravim ven iz njihove embalaže in dam v eno od svojih magnetnih paletk – le tako se namreč spomnim, da jih uporabljam. Z gotovostjo lahko trdim, da se tej L.O.V senčki to ne bo zgodilo, saj ne vem, kako bi nanjo lahko pozabila, pa tudi embalaža je super – trdna, z močnim zapiranjem in ogledalom. Aplikator bi zaradi mene lahko izpustili, saj ga nikoli ne uporabljam in ga bom prej kot slej izgubila. Senčilo je izjemno pigmentirano, gre pa za kovinsko formulo, ki pod različnimi koti odseva različno – včasih bolj vijolično, včasih potegne bolj na roza, včasih na zeleno. Res unikatno senčilo, ki bi si ga morala privoščiti vsaka ljubiteljica barv.

I am less impressed by the L.O.V DUALeyes 2-1 contouring eye pencil (100 – Deep Dialogue, 7,99€). The thicker side has a great shape and is very pigmented but the formulation of the product is too soft and it broke quite a few times when I was trying to create a nice liner. Beside that, keeping a sharp point is almost impossible. The thinner side which would be absolutely perfect for tightline is unfortunately not nearly as pigmented – it comes off nearly gray, rather than black so it’s barely noticeable once applied.

Nekoliko manj sem navdušena nad L.O.V DUALeyes 2-1 konturing svinčnikom za oči (100 – Deep Dialogue, 7,99€). Debelejša stran, ki je sicer super prirezana za ustvarjanje lepega linerja in močno pigmentirana, je žal za moje pojme nekoliko premehka in se mi je kar nekajkrat med nanosom zlomila. Poleg tega je ohranjanje tenko zašiljene konice skorajda nemogoče. Tanjša stran, ki bi bila perfektna za t.i. tightline (nanos na zgornjo veko med trepalnicami, ki ustvari videz gostejših trepalnic), pa je žal precej manj pigmentirana in dejansko bolj siva kot črna, zato se jo ob nanosu komajda opazi.

I also have a mixed opinion on the L.O.V. PERFECTitude Color Correcting Stick (10,99€, 010 – Even Affair, also available in a pink-purple combination in 020 – Bright Secret). The pink side meant to cover the blue in my under-eye area worked very well. The formula is quite light so I had to repeat the application and pat in the product but I don’t mind that with color correcting products because being heavy handed can quickly turn into a disaster. On the other hand I couldn’t even tell if I applied the green side of the correcting stick to my areas of redness because the color doesn’t seem to agree with my skin tone. I would recommend this color corrector if you have smaller imperfections to cover up, but if you have larger problem areas I would advise you to invest in the Catrice color correcting palette which has a more creamy and thick texture.

Tudi o L.O.V barvnem korektorju v stiku (10,99€, 010 – Even Affair, na policah lahko najdeš tudi roza-vijolično varianto v odtenku 020 – Bright Secret) imam nekoliko mešano mnenje. Roza stran, ki je namenjena prekrivanju podočnjakov, je pri meni delovala zelo dobro. Formula je res lahka, zato je treba nanos ponoviti večkrat, vendar me pri barvnih korektorjih to ne moti preveč, saj pretežka roka pri nanosu hitro izgleda precej smešno. Po drugi strani pa se zelenega korektorja, ki naj bi nevtraliziral rdečico, na mojem tenu kože skorajda ne opazi in tudi ni prekril rdečice, ki mi nagaja okrog nosu. Ta barvni korektor bi priporočila, v kolikor imaš manjše nepravilnosti, ki jih želiš zakriti, v kolikor pa so tvoje nepravilnosti bolj izrazite, bi te napotila k Catrice stojalu, kjer boš našla celo paleto kremnih barvnih korektorjev, ki so bistveno bolj prekrivni.

In the last weeks, I have tried and failed to finally get to a Muller and see the new L.O.V stand in person, because I have quite a few products on my wishlist – the new nail polish (which promise high shine up to seven days and application with a single stroke), Color&Care lip pencils and the other eyeshadow, already mentioned Lagoon Escape. I feel that I had a bit of bad luck with the products I received in this P.R. package. L.O.V is a high-end sister brand of Essence and Catrice, brands I absolutely love and always have products that work great for me so I must admit I expected a bit more from L.O.V. Consequently, it only seems fair to test out a couple more products before I firm a final opinion on the brand.

Žal mi v zadnjih tednih še ni uspelo priti do Mullerja in prenovljenega L.O.V stojala, vsekakor pa so na mojem seznamu za nakupovanje še novi laki za nohte, za katere pri L.O.V obljubljajo visoko sijoč zaključek do sedem dni in nanos z eno samo potezo, Color&Care svinčniki za ustnice ter še drugo senčilo za oči, že omenjen odtenek Lagoon Escape. Zdi se mi namreč, da sem imela z izdelki, ki sem jih prejela v temu P.R. paketu, kar nekaj smole. L.O.V je namreč višje pozicionirana sestrska znamka Essence in Catrice, znamk, ki jih imam izredno rada in pri katerih vedno najdem kaj zase, glede na cene pa bi vsaj v tem trenutku od znamke L.O.V pričakovala nekoliko več. Zato se mi zdi pošteno, da testiram še kakšen dodaten izdelek, preden oblikujem dokončno mnenje o znamki.

If you want to read more about L.O.V products, check out the post by Ana at *Mad About red* blog – she tried the fixing spray, a lipstick and a nail polish. Until next time, stay beautiful!

V kolikor želiš preveriti še ocene drugih izdelkov, pa se lahko napotiš k Ani na *Mad About Red* blog – Ana je poleg fiksirnega spreja testirala tudi šminko in lak za nohte. Do naslednjič, ostani čudovita.

 

Essence SS 2017 and other new products (review&swatches)

Essence has been bringing it lately – really following the latest trends while at the same time making sure that the quality of the products remains solid. And as I mention every single time – with Essence, you really can’t beat the price. I think that the latest SS 2017 release got me more excited than any other I’ve seen before. I noticed a new (and full!) stand in Muller and of course grabbed a couple of products and the next day, Essence Slovenia kindly sent me a couple of bits and pieces as well. If you’re interested to see what I’d recommend, keep on reading!

Essence zadnje čase res pozitivno preseneča – sledijo najnovejšim trendom, obenem pa še vedno skrbijo za dobro kakovost izdelkov. Poleg tega je pri znamki Essence pomembna tudi cenovna dostopnost. Mislim, da se še nobene spremembe pri Essence nisem tako razveselila kot nove linije pomlad/poletje 2017. Novo (in dobro založeno!) stojalo sem opazila v Mullerju in hitro izbrala nekaj izdelkov, naslednji dan pa sem od Essence Slovenija prejela še paketek z nekaj novostmi. Če te zanima, kaj ti vsekakor priporočam, beri naprej!

Essence Instant Matt super long-lasting foundation (4,40€, shade Ivory) unfortunately isn’t for me. It really is a mattifying foundation which doesn’t sit well with my dry patches. I tried to wear it with a silicone primer but unfortunately it caked really badly everywhere where my skin is dry. It’s a medium coverage finish and available in three colors – Ivory (rose undertone), Sand (warm undertone) and Vanilla (dark). I would recommend this if you have oily skin and need something to keep that in check.

Essence Instant Matt super long-lasting foundation (4,40€, odtenek Ivory) je tekoča podlaga, ki pa na žalost ni primerna za mene. Ima srednjo prekrivnost in res lep mat zaključek, vendar pa se je meni prijela na suhe predele obraza in se tam vidno zgostila. Priporočam ti jo, v kolikor imaš mastno kožo in želiš to težavo odpraviti. Podlaga je na razpolago samo v treh barvah  – Ivory (roza podton), Sand (rumen, topel podton) in Vanilla (temnejši odtenek).
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