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Lotique Make-up (review & swatches)

Lotique makeup eyeshadow palette and volume mascara

Even though I’m technically on a spending ban until Black Friday sales, I had to break the rule in this instance. Since we don’t get many new brands in Slovenian market, I needed to try some products from Lotique brand. Today, I’m giving you my first impressions on two products – an eyeshadow palette and mascara.

Who is Lotique?

Lotique is a relatively new brand on the Slovenian market, only available in Europark Maribor and their online store. Shopping online in their store is easy, since it’s user friendly, easy to navigate and offers different methods of payment which is still very important in Slovenia. Lotique entered the market with skincare products in 2008 and only recently expanded their offer to make-up. They offer every make-up product you can imagine – for the face (primer, liquid foundation, concealer, blush, bronzer), eyes (individual shadows, palettes, mascaras), lips (lip gloss, lipstick and lip pencil) and a Flash line intended for teenagers, but in my opinion appropriate for everyone.

Lotique eyeshadow palette

Lotique makeup eyeshadow palette

Eyeshadow palette was the first thing to catch my attention while rummaging through the online store, especially since it looks different from most palettes I own. I’ve been trying it out for the past month and now it’s time to share my opinions with you. The palette costs 12,30€ and holds 12 shades meaning that each shade costs just a few cents over 1 Euro – you’ll be hard pressed to find a least expensive palette in the market.

Packaging

Lotique makeup eyeshadow palette

Unfortunately, the packaging is one of the worst things about this palette. Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting much more because of the low price. The entire case is plastic and very light. The lid gives me the impression that it will break of eventually. Hopefully, that won’t happen, but this is definitely not a packaging that would withstand some serious trials.

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MY TOP 5: BEAUTY YOUTUBERS – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

Today, I’m in the mood for something different. This is a very popular topic in the beauty community – which Youtube beauty vloggers do we watch, who has the scoop on the newest items in the market, who is lying and who is telling the truth, whom do we trust and why. I don’t like repeating myself too often so here they are – my top 5 foreign beauty Youtubers. I’m also planning a post about my favorite Slovenian beauty Youtubers very soon. Hopefully, you’ll find someone new to enjoy in my top picks.

5th place: Zabrena

This beautiful redhead provides great make-up looks, especially ON POINT eyeshadows. She also provides I believe are honest reviews of trendy make-up products. You should also check out her Frugal Fridays series for some great tips to save money. Zabrena’s videos are never too long and rarely exceed 10 minutes, so she’s often my little make-up fix while I’m waiting for the pasta to cook.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N7IDG5zxb0[/embedyt]

4th place: Gothamista

Gothamista is nothing but serious when it comes to skincare. She had problems with skin in her youth and since then, she’s been on the hunt for the best (luxury and drugstore) skincare products. She’s the one I trust the most on reviews for new skincare and Korean beauty. Throw a bit of DIY in the skincare department in there and voila – you’ve got a channel you should definitely check out before investing in that 70€ moisturizer.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1TZwTDlzw4[/embedyt]

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Essence Hello Happiness!

essence hello happiness

I know, I know – I’ve been posting so much about Essence lately that I really should just go and sleep in one of their stands, right? Well, the thing is that they’ve come out with so many new cool things I’m excited about that I really want to share them with you. So – I promise this Hello Happiness introduction is the last Essence post for September, but I think it’s worth reading.

As most beauty bloggers, I’m an avid brush collector. I own brushes that cost 20 € per piece and I own brushes that cost 1 € per piece. I have stupidly expensive brushes that aren’t good at all and I have inexpensive brushes that are great. Hopefully, I’ll find some like that in the new Essence Hello Happiness line (LE) that’s coming to drugstores in about two weeks time.

What is Hello Happiness?

Hello Happiness is a line of seven different brushes with synthetic bristles and some fun additional products to make your life a bit easier. The prices range from about 1,5 € for a lip brush to 4,5 € for a short kabuki. They should be available in your local drugstores from 20.9. onward.

What kind of brushes can I get?

hello happiness essence brushes

Pretty ones. No, for real. Essence Hello happiness brushes all have a soft pastel design that looks absolutely adorable. In the collection, you can find (left to right): a lip brush (1,59€) and a duo eyeshadow brush (2,79€) which is flat at one end and rounded at the other. Honestly, the latter is probably the one I’ll skip because I don’t have a good way to store dual-ended brushes and they always get damaged. Next, we have a corrector sponge (2,49 €) which I’ll definitely get because I don’t have a sponge brush yet and I’m curious as to how it performs. There are also a blush brush (3,59€), strobing brush for highlighter (3,59€) and a contouring brush with longer bristles (3,59€). The pièce de résistance of the line in my opinion is the flat powder kabuki brush (4,39€). If it’s as dense as it looks in the photos, it’ll be perfect to apply liquid foundation or really pack in translucent powder under the eyes!

Anything else about Essence Hello Happiness I should know?

hello happiness essence brush rollWell, yes. I’m a big, big fan of the Freedom Brush Bath (read about it *here*) but I’ll naturally try the Essence brush cleansing soap (2,79€) as a cheaper alternative to see how they compare. I’m also quite tempted by the brush roll with seven spaces for larger and smaller brushes (3,29 €). For those who don’t own anything like this, I think it’s a great option. I also love the design which is perfect for traveling!

I won’t be buying all of these Essence Hello Happiness brushes since I really don’t need them, but I’ll probably get two or three – most likely the corrector sponge, blush brush and flat kabuki. I just hope I make it to the stand in time – these limited editions seem to just fly off the shelves, don’t you agree? Which one out of the bunch is your favorite? Until next time, stay beautiful!

Catrice fall winter 2017 – new products wishlist!

Yesterday, I wrote all about my wish list from the new Essence launches – find that *here* – and today, I want to repeat the process and focus on the new Catrice products. Catrice is a sister brand to Essence and the prices are a bit higher. I must say that I don’t necessarily find the quality of the products to be better, but the packaging is usually a bit prettier and sturdier. Personally, I find Catrice to be targeted at a bit older generation while Essence also speaks to those who are only getting acquainted with make-up.

All EYES on you

Catrice fall winter 2017 Catrice art couleurs paletteEssence brought the make-your-own palette concept to the market about six months ago and I was assuming something similar will happen with Catrice. The palette for four shades Art Couleurs (2,89€ for the palette and for each individual shadow) looks sexy and has that great click-in mechanism, meaning that you can swap the shadows when you please. I’ll get to choose among 15 different matte and shimmery shadows and three highlighting shadows. Seeing that I’m always struggling to find transition shades, I’ll probably go for matte 020 – MATTastic beig and 040 – Wild Ginger, paired with two darker shades such as 100 – Parisiens Lifestyle and 140 – Secrets of Le Chrome. But these are my guesses, I’ll have to see the palette in the flesh.

Catrice fall winter 2017 Catrice precious chrome palette

There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll buy The Ultimate Chrome Collection eyeshadow palette (5,29€) which is filled with metal and holographic eyeshadows. I don’t own a palette like this and most Catrice palettes have been really good to me lately.

Lovely LIPS

Catrice fall winter 2017 Catrice liquid lip powder

Among the new launches, the Metal Matte liquid lipsticks (4,69€) caught my eye first. They look a bit less agressive than the metallic liquid lipsticks from Essence that I talked about yesterday. They are supposed to leave the lips looking like they were dipped in metal dust but also promise a matte finish. The combination sounds interesting so I’ll definitely have to try them. I’m leaning towards the shads 020 – Frame of Roses and 040 – Blogger’s Favorite (obviously).

Naturally, I can’t go without classic liquid matte lipsticks so I’ll probably try the Ultra Matte liquid lipsticks (4,29€). Hopefully, they won’t be too heavy on the lips and they’ll have good staying power. I’m still sticking to the classics when it comes to the shades, so I find 070 – Cafe Americano, Please and 090 – Spotted on Pink-erest the closest to my liking.

Fabulous FACE

Catrice fall winter 2017 catrice prime and fine drops waterproofI probably spend more than half of my money with Catrice on face products. They have great liquid foundations, finishing powders and concealers which are a must in my collection and have been for years. This time, I’ll definitely try two new products. The first – Prime&Fine drops for liquid foundation – waterproof (3,79€) are supposed to transform the foundation from regular to a waterproof version. The second, Prime&Fine drops for liquid foundation – wake up (3,79€) are supposed to create a fresh face look when mixed in a foundation. It sounds promising enough to try out!

Catrice fall winter 2017 catrice strobing blush

In fall and winter, I tend to reach more into my blush drawer so I’ll probably afford myself another blush from the Strobing blushes (4,29€), most likely in the shade 030 – Mrs. Amber Brown (bottom right) since I don’t own a blush in those shades yet. Blushes are my guilty pleasure since I love buying them but most of the time look at them rather than actually use them.

Iconic NAILS

Catrice fall winter 2017 Catrice Brown Collection

It’s no secret that I absolutely love the new ICONails nail polish line – read about it *here*. I always feel like I have way too many nail polishes in my collection so I avoid buying similar shades. I’ll have no problem this time since I don’t own anything like the shades in the Brown Collection (3,29€). I can’t even pick one as my favorite since they all look great. The chance that they’ll all end up in my collection is consequently quite large.

This is it for the quick update on the new Catrice and Essence lines. I tried to be as quick as possible with posting these so I hope you’ll find them useful before you head out and buy a ton of make-up for yourself. Keep your eyes open for the first reviews – they’re not far away! Until next time, stay beautiful!

Essence fall/winter 2017 – new products wishlist!

My my, how the tables have turned. I remember how I was lusting after Tarte and Too Faced products years ago, over excited by everything I was being told online by Youtube celebrities. Now, I’ve learned to look closer to home for good products. More often than not, I find them in the Catrice and Essence stands. This makes me super happy and my wallet as well. Let’s take a look at some Essence products that I’m most excited about – and stay tuned for the Catrice launches tomorrow!

Essence fall winter 2017 wishlist: eyes

Most of these are hitting the stands in our stores as we speak. Some of you already got your hands on them, but quite a few readers have been asking for my wishlist to see what they should get. I say – experiment. The products are really inexpensive so the gamble is low. But here is my wish list anyway.

Essence fall winter 2017 Essence moonlight eyes

I definitely need some of the cream eyeshadows Moonlight eyes (4 shades, 3,29€). These look like a much less expensive version of the Color Tattoos and I love those but the fact is they dry out fast and are not really inexpensive. I use them all over the lid and then just build the crease – my eye look is done in a minute. The lightest shade can also be used as a base for more vibrant colors.

Essence fall winter 2017 Essence Instant Volume Boost mascara

There are new mascaras hitting the stores – I’ve had some good experience with Essence in that department lately so I’ll definitely be getting the #lashes of the day volume mascara (2,79€) and the Instant volume boost mascara (3,29€). For that price, I can afford to test both and I’ll definitely report back!

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