the ordinary Archives – Maša M blog

Best skincare products 2017 Blogmas

This Blogmas is not exactly off to a flying start, so today you’ll be enjoying more… artistic photos. But hey, we’re here to discuss skincare, not just look at it, right? Anyway, I apologize in advance ~ if it bothers you terribly, you can always click out of the post. If not, stick around and check out my top products in facial skincare in the past year. I’ll also link any previous related posts so you can catch up on any products you find more interesting.

Best skincare products 2017 – face cleansers

Best skincare products 2017 Blogmas Pixi + Caroline Hirons Natura Siberica

I was always the one to try and save money on face cleansers and in early 2017 I said – no more. My biggest investment so far was the Pixi + Caroline Hirons Double Cleanse and let me tell you, it was worth every cent. I’m totally buying this again! It’s a two sided cleanser with solid cleansing oil (which I use to remove the make-up) and a cleansing cream (used for second cleaning) in one. You only need a tiny amount of each as this jar lasted me almost four months. It doesn’t sting my eyes, removes all the make-up perfectly and is overall fantastic. A definite winner of 2017. Another winner is the Natura Siberica Moisturizing Foam Eye Make-up remover. This was my first time trying out Natura Siberica product and I was very pleasantly surprised. This cleanser will remove most of your make-up (but not a waterproof mascara), will not sting your eyes (99 % natural) and will leave your face nice and clean. I really like that it comes out as a foam which is easily distributed all over my face. I need to do a proper post on this product but again, an absolute favorite.

Best skincare products 2017 – toning and serums

Best skincare products 2017 Blogmas The Ordinary

Our face is now clean, so let’s balance out the PH levels with the Bocassy Clean&Tone Tonic. This is my third bottle and I absolutely love it ~ you can read more about it *here*. Next, we need to give our skin some extra help to make it look young and beautiful. I use all kinds of serums, acids and so forth, but I really want to mention just a few that really work really well for me. First is The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2 % + B5 ~read more about it * here*. I don’t think skincare comes any less expensive then this. I’m sure you’ll be able to find better hyaluronic acids out there, but for just over 5 €, this works great for me. From The Ordinary, I also really enjoy their Salicylic Acid 2 % Solution. I apply this over any breakouts happening on my face and I swear that the healing process is a bit shorter then usual. Last The Ordinary product I want to talk about is the 100 % Plant-derived squalene. It creates a nice barrier on my skin, giving me that extra hydration I really need throughout the night. Along with these, I also enjoy my L’Oreal Revitalift Laser Renew. It’s an eye serum which has a cold metal applicator used to massage the serum into the skin. I don’t know what works better – the serum or the applicator, but on the nights I remember to use it, my under-eye area definitely looks plumper and less sad the next morning.

Best skincare products 2017 – oils and moisturizers

Best skincare products 2017 Blogmas L'Oreal Revitalift

My fave oil remains Yanumi ~ read more about it *here*. It’s cold pressed, 100 % organic and Slovenian, which I’ll always support. For moisturizers, I’m going back and forth between two of them. For daytime, I really like the La Roche-Posay Hydreane Riche moisturizer for sensitive skin. It doesn’t leave a film on my face and absorbs really quickly. That cannot be said for the L’Oreal Revitalift Laser Renew which is a really heavy night-time cream. And that’s exactly why I like it. I really want my face to be hydrated to maximum before I hit the sack and that’s one way to do it. This Revitalift cream has an interesting gel texture that is really pleasant on the face as well.

Best skincare products 2017 – mask, SPF and skin prep

Best skincare products 2017 Blogmas L'Oreal Mask Yanumi

I’m really partial to sheet masks right now, but I talk about them all the time, so this time, I wanted to mention the only “normal” mask in a jar that I really enjoy using. This is my second jar of L’Oreal Pure Clay Exfo Mask. It’s intended to exfoliate the skin and improve skin texture. I only apply it on the parts of my face where I can afford some more serious skin exfoliation and avoid the really dry areas, like the one around my nose and between my eyebrows. I can really see a difference after using this mask.

Best skincare products 2017 Blogmas Serozinc Mommy UV Gel

Best SPF of the year goes to Mommy! UV mild Gel SPF 30 which is alcohol-free, silicone-free and sinks into my skin effortlessly regardless of the moisturizer I’m wearing underneath. I really like the weightless feeling and the fact I don’t need to wait 10 minutes for it to dry enough for me to apply my make-up. Another winner in my book. Last but not least, I have to mention the La Roche-Posay Serozinc that I’ve been loving for the past month or so. It really makes a beautiful base for my make-up and I cannot imagine my life without it. You can read more about it *here*.

Overall, these are all products I’d highly recommend and I am really happy that I found them in 2017. I’ll continue using them until I get new products I need to try out, but I’m happy to know that I can fall back on these anytime if I’m experiencing skin issues and want to get my facial skincare in check.

Now, as the last order of business ~ I owe you the winner of the 10 products in my DIY advent calendar. The lucky winner who will receive 10 great Essence products is: PATRICIJA VIDMAR. Patricija, congratulations, please send me your information. The rest, thank you for participating. New Blogmas giveaway is coming very, very soon! Until then, stay beautiful!

autumn beauty products

Today, I’d like to share 10 beauty products that are entering my skincare routine this autumn and that I’m personally very excited about.

SKINCARE

autumn beauty products Vichy The Ordinary

Heating takes its toll on my skin and I often notice it becoming more dehydrated and the pores getting more and more enlarged – almost as if they’re trying to suck all the moisture out of the air? This year, I’ll be battling the dehydration with The Ordinary 2 % hyaluronic acid. This acid is normally present in our skin but we can replace it when we feel that our body cannot hold enough moisture. Don’t forget to lock it in place with an oil based product, be it a cream or a pure facial oil – my favorite right now is Yanumi! I’m also bringing back the Vichy Pore Purifying Clay Mask that comes in this nifty two-use packaging. It contains two mineral clays and I always feel like it sucks the impurities right off my face. I usually buy my Vichy products at the pharmacy.

BODY CARE PRODUCTS

autumn beauty products L'Occitane Terre de Lumiere L'Oreal Mythic Oil

L’Occitane is always present in my skincare. In autumn days, I prefer heavier scents and oily shower gel since I fell they give more moisture to my skin. This fall, I’ll be using the L’Occitane Terre de Lumiere shower gel that comes from the perfume line Terre de Lumiere. The perfume itself is a bit strong for me, but the shower gel and body lotion have a more gentle smell which is very pleaseant. Another product that is always in my routine is the L’Oreal Professionel Mythic Oil. I always apply some to my hair while they’re wet. Ocasionally, I’ll warm a few drops between my fingers and apply them to the ends of my hair when they feel particularly dry. After use, my hair are soft and shiny.

NAILS

Catrice Brown Collection autumn beauty products

If you haven’t had enough of the Catrice Brown Collection polishes on my Instagram, here they are again. These are not colors that I’d wear in the summer but the earthy tones are perfect for fall and winter. I have three out of five shades in the collection – left to right they are 01 Fashion Addicted, 03 Goddess of Bronze and 02 Sophisticated Vogue. The formula is quite thick so one coat will do. I like that because it usually means my manicure will last a bit longer.

FACE

autumn beauty products Golden Rose Paese, Trend it Up, Physician's formula

I like my make-up to be a bit softer in the colder months. Although the Physician’s Formula MuruMuru Butter Bronzer smells like coconut and reminds me of summer, it’s still lighter then most of my bronzers and gives me that slightly sunkissed look. I’ll also be reaching for Golden Rose highlighting stick (Bright gold). This cream highlighter is really soft and blends out beautifully. If I’m going for a more striking look, I’ll apply it twice, but otherwise two gentle sweeps on top of the cheekbones will do the job. Don’t forget – always apply cream products before setting your face, otherwise it can look quite unnatural.

In the summer, I barely use any blush, but now the Trend It Up powder blush (020) is making a comeback to my everyday make-up routine. The formula of these blushes is great, very gentle and blends out nicely. On top of that, the price is great as well. Last but not least, let’s not forget about a good primer. I usually stay away from silicone primers in the summer (since they do nothing for wear time of my foundation), but I tend to like them in the colder months. Paese make-up base is the first one on my list. Paese is a polish brand that’s been impressing me with their products lately and this primer is definitely one of them!

autumn beauty products

LIPS

autumn beauty products autumn lipstick colors

When speaking of autumn lips, I think of darker colors, but I also like to include at least one shade that I can just pop on and leave the building. This time, this will be the job of Avon lipstick (Extreme Mauve) which is a nice pink shade but not too crazy to wear around the office. Among reds, I chose the NYX Gloss (True Red). For special occasions and walks around town, I’ll go for the Catrice by Dawid Tomaszewski in the shade C01. These are great lipsticks for a great price!

autumn beauty products autumn lipstick colors

These are the products that I’m going to be using for the next couple of months. Have you tried any of them yet? I’d also love to hear about at least one product you cannot imagine autumn without. Until next time, stay beautiful!

summer makeup routine

I hate nothing more than the feeling of my make-up sliding up and down my face in warm summer days. Unfortunately, this feeling is often confirmed once I take a look in the mirror, but this only happens when I don’t do my summer makeup routine when applying make-up. Today, I’m introducing a couple of tricks on how you can make your make-up last longer throughout the day, regardless of the heat!

summer makeup routine The Ordinary high adherence silicone primer

I won’t go on and on about moisturizing the skin and applying a layer of SPF – surely, you’ve memorized the importance of that by now. I start my routine with a primer. I get so many questions about The Ordinary high-adherence silicone primer (which I already wrote about *here*) that I thought I’d show it to you one more time. In short, it’s not my favorite primer, but it does make for a good base before foundation application and somewhat prolongs its wear time. If you choose a primer without silicone, your make-up will last that much longer. I also apply an eyelid primer – currently I’m using the Avon primer which is quite soft and can be blended easily all over the eyelid. It also covers up discoloration and minor imperfections at the same time.

summer makeup routine Bell Hypoalergenic liquid foundation

I follow the primer with Bell Hypoallergenic Mat & Soft liquid foundation (more about it *here*). My skin has been looking better for the past couple of weeks meaning I don’t need a full coverage foundation. I like Bell liquid foundation because of the slightly matte finish – if I want my skin to look more dewy, I can apply highlighter or liquid illuminator later on. Time permitting, I apply the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye waterproof concealer. The formula is thick and quite dry so I need more time to blend it properly without any visible transitions, but I know that it. will. not. budge the entire day.

summer makeup routine L.O.V perfectitude 3in1 prime and fix spray

Naturally, you then apply all other make-up products such as bronzer, blush, maskara and so forth, but don’t forget to lock your foundation to prolong the wear time! For the past few weeks, I’ve been reaching for Paese transparent powder focusing the most on the under-eye area since the concealer tends to sink into my fine lines. It’s a really great product, very soft and fine which means it blends out nicely, not leaving a gray hue over the face as some other powders do. After completing my look, I give my face a couple of spritzes with L.O.V Perfectitude 3in1 Prime & Fix spray (more about it *here*) which really makes my make-up stay in place. For a cheaper alternative, I can also recommend Avon Mark fixing spray.

Sometimes, even all of these steps won’t help and you’ll need to freshen up your make-up during the day. I tend to blot my face with some blotting sheets (the best and cheapest are made by Essence) and then apply a new layer of a translucent powder that’s always in my purse. My favorite is the Rimmel Stay Matte which you can find in any drugstore. I hope this post helps and your make-up will look great all summer long thanks to this summer makeup routine. Until next time, stay beautiful!

BLOGMAS 2017 #3 Best skincare products 2017