Maša M blog
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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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Benefit Cheekathon (review & swatches)

I have wanted this palette from the second I first laid my eyes on it at the Sephora website. So when opportunity arose (thanks, Urša!), I made sure to have it join my collection.

The packaging is quite sturdy and closes with a magnet. It’s also super pretty, if you’re into such girly things (sure you are, just admit it). When opened, you’re facing five full size Benefit face products and a brush with natural bristles. There are four blushes: Dandelion, Dallas, Coralista and Rockateur, and the Hoola bronzer.

Dandelion is very nice baby pink blush, that kind of pink that everyone can wear. However, the pigmentation simply isn’t there. The same goes for Dallas blush that is a dusty rose color. Again, absolutely beautiful, but it does not show up on my skin tone. I am however completely in love with Coralista (the name says it all – a coral color with a bit of shimmer). Rockateur is a very shimmery rose blush that I simply cannot use as a blush, but it works great as a highlighter now when I’m a bit more tanned than usual. I probably won’t be able to use it in the fall and winter months.  

The problem with Dandelion and Dallas is the pigmentation. But I also have a beef with the Hoola bronzer (which, BTW, is great for my skin tone). It is so finely mild that it becomes buttery and makes a real mess with any brush but the brush that is actually included in the palette. I thought that the trick was to use a natural bristle brush but when trying others in my collection I noticed they were destroying the pan and quickly gave up. I don’t remember having this problem with my Hoola single, but unfortunately I’ve passed it on so I can’t really compare. 

Having a brush is very nice but truth be told, you cannot use it for more then one product – I think that mixing blushes and the bronzer could end up in disaster. 

Apart from that, I can also mention you get an instruction leaflet included – if you’re the kind of person who likes to be told how to do their make-up, you’ll probably get good use out of it. I just threw it in the trash. 

 

All in all, I would say this is a good product. But it’s just good, when I expected much more from it. At the $58 price tag (for a $145) value I would have probably been better off investing a few more dollars and getting another palette (like the Hourglass Illume Sheer Color trio – isn’t it just amazing) but it is what it is. I’ll continue to use it, of course, but unfortunately it’s not something I would highly recommend. 

Until next time, stay beautiful!

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Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour Palette

I’ve been promising to do a review of this palette for ages, since it’s my go-to contour palette which I use on a daily basis. You can also tell from the photos below it’s being well loved. So I decided that I’ll do a quick review with swatches on a Friday, since this palette is absolutely a favorite of mine.

The palette is unfortunately hard to come by if you’re from Europe. It’s sold at Sephora for 46 $ which is a reasonable price IMO considering the amount of product you’re getting (it’s about 2,3g of lighter shades and twice as much for the darker ones).

The packaging itself is a cardboard one with the famous Kat Von D lettering. It has a magnetic closing system all around the palette. I find this palette brilliant for traveling, since there is no way it will break on you. I also love the huge mirror inside. On the downside, the cardboard gets quite dirty so if you hate to clean your make-up all the time to keep it pretty, that’s one thing to keep in mind. View Post