New Bits and Bobs from May – review

Two weeks ago, I published a post with all the new products I bought or received in May (*click* to view the original post). Now, it’s time for short and quick reviews of the products – if you want a more detailed review for any of the products, let me know in the comments!

The L’Oreal Make-up remover says it’s not greasy, but it definitely is. I don’t mind it as much as I thought I would. It removes my make up great, even the waterproof mascara, so I’ll continue using it.

I quickly realized that I really cannot and should not be using anti-perspirants, no matter how badly I want to be sweat free. I didn’t like the Garnier InvisiCalm since it made my skin really sticky and weird feeling, so I threw it away.

I’ve rambled on and on about Nivea Protect&Refresh line already and I am a big fan. I’ve been using this sunscreen on every sunny outing so far and I am a big fan of the cooling effect.

The Mirati face wash gets a big thumbs up as well – it is a soft cooling gel that makes my face squeaky clean. I haven’t had any bad reaction to it and my skin is looking pretty great, if I say so myself. I’ve noticed that I only need the smallest amount to make it work, so this tub will last me ages. View Post

Some of my favorite online stores

I love shopping online. It’s quick, easy, and convenient and luckily I’ve never had a single bad experience with any stores regarding delivery, data protection or payment. I also find that I spend less this way since the amount of money adds up as we go and I am able to hold my horses a bit better than in a regular store. The prices are often lower and I can also get products that are not available in Slovenia. All of the above is why I figured that you might be interested in the stores I like the most.

Let’s start with the stores that I most commonly visit to check out their offer of cosmetics. As this is the category that I most often shop for, there are quite a few of my favorites. Where I can, I will do a price comparison for a couple of products among stores.

ASOS (*click*)

While it’s best known for their wide selection of clothing and accessories, Asos also holds quite a large beauty department (*CLICK*). If you scroll to the bottom you will find daily offers (for instance, today’s offers are 20 % off Barry M, Korres, Yes to and 50 % off Nip & Fab body lines).

Although they only ship some brands (like Benefit and NARS) only to UK and Ireland, they still hold a bunch of brands that I like (NYX, Bourjois, Lord&Berry, Maybelline, Pixi, Rimmel, Yes to etc.). The prices are not necessarily the lowest but they really stock up on new arrivals and you can get things here literally years before they hit Slovenian drugstores (if they ever even do). However, I rarely shop here for products I can also get in Slovenian drugstores where I can usually find a better deal. View Post

Sephora (and MAC) haul

I know that some of you take offense when I’m writing about things that are not easy/next to impossible to get in Slovenia (or, to be honest, in Europe), but still I got some positive feedback from others, saying that you like such posts, since they make you either have them shipped/buy them on your travels/order them from friends that are traveling etc.

Well, I do realize that writing about products that you cannot just go out and buy isn’t exactly productive, but just keep in mind this one thing – if you dream it, you dreams can come true. And please, don’t only apply it to make-up shopping 🙂

Anyway, my Sephora basket wasn’t as extensive as it was about a year ago, but my wishes have gotten much, much more specific.

First of all, I was on the hunt for a full coverage foundation. This Kat Von D Lock it tattoo foundation does seem dark for me in the bottle (shade 54 – medium), but for some reason it’s the perfect shade – if I were to buy it over the internet, I would go much lighter and completely miss the target.

I literally just need one tiny pump of this foundation to cover my entire face, and boy oh boy, does it cover every single thing. I wouldn’t say this is an everyday foundation for me, but it’s great for when I will need my complexion to look fabulous. I would not wear this every day since it does feel quite heavy and I have a feeling that it does crawl deep into my skin and settles there. It cost 35 $ at Sephora.

 Next is an absolute must and a palette that has probably been review by every beauty blogger (and their mother) on this planet, but as always, I’m late for the party. It’s the Anastasia Contour palette (mine is in light to medium). View Post

Last e.l.f. haul for a while…

If you follow me on Instagram (you don’t? Go now – it’s @low_maintenance_beauty) you might have noticed my posts about the shutdown of e.l.f. (Eyes Lips Face) UK online store. Apparently, it will make a comeback in a couple of months, but I still stocked up on some things I like and afforded a bit more, since everything was on massive sale.

By the way, the sale is still going on – there’s not a lot of stuff left but you can still check it out if something catches your eye.

Anyway, this is what I got.

Yes – those are three identical Mineral Eyeshadow Primers back in the corner. These primers are absolutely best value for money (with the exception of Wet’n’Wild Fergie primer which I can’t find anywhere in Europe). They have a soft yellow tint to them which is just enough to cover the veins and spots on the eyelids even if you’re not wearing any eyeshadow. So I stocked up.

e.l.f. Smudge Pot – Hit the town
Keeping with the eye theme, I got another one of the Smudge pots in color Hit the town. I bought one of these (Gotta glow – a nice light gold shade) a few months back and I like to use it as an accent for the middle of my eyelid when going for a bolder look. Since they are wet (kind of similar to Maybelline Color Tattoo’s, but in reality more appropriate for base), they have a bit more staying power than a normal eyeshadow. Hit the town is a blue-gray shadow that looks absolutely beautiful and I will definitely use it as a base for creating a smokey eye. View Post

A very OLD Make-up Haul & Mini Reviews

So the thing is, my clients obviously ganged up and tried to see how much I can take before I crack under pressure. I’m still alive, though, so they’ve been doing a poor job so far. But the thing is that I spent every free second of my days sleeping and recovering and wasn’t really up to blogging. It also explains why this post was originally supposed to be just a haul, but now it’s going to be a haul with reviews, which is just as well or even better I guess.

Because, let me be tell you one thing. I can be dead tired, but my make-up will be great nevertheless. Just so we’re clear on that front.

Anyway, this is what I picked up since end of December until the middle of January.

As you can see, we’ve got a little bit of everything. Let’s start with face and eyes, shall we? I picked up two Real Techniques sponges – one for me and one for my friend (and one of the very few people in my life who know about this blog). I’ve had the last sponge for about 6 months and it was really time to get rid of it. This costs about 8 € on Licila.si, but they always have special deals you can take advantage of.

Next, I really, really needed a new foundation. This L’Oreal Infallible was on sale in DM for about 9 €, so I picked it up since I remembered using a similar one from L’Oreal before and being satisfied with it. But, alas, I completely missed the mark on the shade – I got True Beige when I should have gotten Natural beige, a couple of shades darker. So now I basically look half dead before I apply my setting powder. It’s an OK foundation, nothing special. What I really want to know, though, is about the primer from the same line – have any of you beauties tried it yet? What do you think about it?

Last thing in this package is the NYX Powder Blush in Taupe. Now I’ve been obsessing over my bronzers for the past few months ever since I hit pan on my beloved Tarte blush (which I’m now saving for special occasions – is this something you do as well with your beloved products?). I learned that this is supposedly a perfect contour color, since it’s not too dark and not too brown and has grey undertones. As I understand, the bronzer used for contour is not supposed to be brown but rather grey-ish, since that’s the color that the shade on your face produces. View Post