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Natura Siberica Northern Collection for dry and sensitive skin

Natura Siberica Northern Collection

In the past year, the offer of  new brands in our drugstores expanded beyond my wildest dreams. These new brands offer variability that we so desperately needed – now everyone can find the products most appropriate for their skin. I recently tested products from Natura Siberica Northern Collection for dry and sensitive skin that are already available in our drugstores. In this post, I’ll tell you all about the new micellar water, cleansing butter and face mask from the line that is mainly based on active charcoal, different herbs and oils. They also offer a white line, made with white clay, which is more suited for normal skin.

Natura Siberica Northern Collection

I won’t be listing all of the ECO certifications that were awarded to Natura Siberica – that list would be far too long. But I am excited that each of the products contains a large share of ingredients from ecological farming. I think that with time, that will require more and more of our attention. I’m not denying the fact that I also use products that don’t follow that specific idea – especially in the area of products with “hardcore” active ingredients. But if I can get through basic cleansing and nurturing of my skin with natural products, that makes me really happy.

Natura Siberica Northern Collection – black cleansing butter

Natura Siberica Northern Collection

Let’s start with the product that impressed me the most – black cleansing butter. I’ve mainly been using only oil-based products for first cleanse for some time now, since they turned out to be the most efficient. Formulated with activated charcoal, flax seeds, various and various oils, it makes for a really quality product. I scoop some butter out with my finger – you don’t need a whole lot to get your entire face clean. I apply it to moist face, gently rub it around and use a washcloth to take it all off. It also works well to remove eye make-up, but there I recommend applying it to your eyes and waiting for about 20 seconds before removing with a washcloth or cotton round. That way the butter will really do its job and you won’t have to be rough on your eyes.

Natura Siberica Northern Collection

Active charcoal in the butter certainly does it job but it’s also quite stripping, meaning that I really have to apply a bit more hydration to my face after using it. But this cleansing effect is important in battling impurities so it definitely serves a purpose.

The pot is massive, contains 120ml of product (14,90€) and I’m sure it will last me a good three, four months. I like that the consistency is actually buttery, meaning I can get out exactly the right amount and not waste any product. Comparing it with Clinique Take The Day Off Balm, I prefer this texture. With the latter, I often get out chunks that are way to big and therefore waste some every day, which adds up. The price is also much more consumer friendly.

Natura Siberica Northern Collection – Black cleansing mask

Natura Siberica Northern Collection

This mask is formulated with activated charcoal and rosemary. I was quite surprised when I first used it since it has a warming effect to the skin which starts happening almost immediately when you put the mask on. The first time I used it I didn’t enjoy it at all, since I feared that the mask will drip from my face. Well, that didn’t happen – the formula is thick enough that it stays in place. The main benefit of this warming effect is that the mask doesn’t dry up at all and hence keeps actively working all the time while it’s on your face.

Natura Siberica Northern Collection

I don’t expect miracles from such masks like rejuvenated or significantly different skin, but masks have been and remain an important part of my beauty routine. I will probably be using this mask more in the winter months – right now, with the current temperatures, I don’t really enjoy the warming effect. There are 80ml in the bottle for RRP of 9,90€.

Natura Siberica Northern Line cleansing micellar water with activated charcoal

Natura Siberica Northern Collection

I can’t deny the interesting look of this micellar water – once you shake it up, it turns dark gray because of all the charcoal in it. But I was least impressed with it out of all the products. I think that for 9,90 €, it’s just not that special. It didn’t remove all my make-up and didn’t feel like much for second cleanse. I now use it for cleaning my face in the morning but I don’t notice much difference from other, cheaper products. I personally wouldn’t purchase this product.

If you’re one of those looking to include more natural products with ecologically produced ingredients into your skincare, I suggest you look into Natura Siberica. If you want to try one product first, I suggest starting with the cleansing butter since it’s really excellent and does it job superbly.

Until next time, stay beautiful!

Does beauty really require pain? I’m testing the Cougar Beauty Active Derma Roller and facial oil

Cougar Beauty Active Derma Roller

I don’t count myself among people who are the first to test new and revolutionary skincare products immediately when they hit the shelves. I prefer to wait, read about the new trends a bit more and then decide if it’s something I want to try at all. The story is similar with the case of dramatic derma rollers – I waited for expert opinions and now I want to try it for myself as well.

Together with the online store Licila.si, we decided that for the next few months, I’ll be testing the Cougar Beauty Active derma roller (see more *here*) and the Cougar beauty oil with hyaluronic acid (there are several different oils available, read more *here*). Today, I want to show you how derma roller works and at the end of the summer we will see if it produced the desired results.

What is Derma rolling?

Cougar Beauty Active Derma Roller

Active Derma Roller has hundreds of small titanium needles. These pierce the top two layers of the skin when you’re rolling it across your face. The skin immediately reacts to this damage and starts producing collagen and elastin to rectify the damage. The same process takes place with every skin injury, but with derma rolling, the damage we’re doing is controlled. I won’t say that I can’t feel any pain at all when using the derma roller, but the pain is – at least to me – minimal. My derma roller has 0,3 cm long needles and such derma rollers are recommended for home use. They use rollers with much longer needles in salons, but I think that that requires an expert and I wouldn’t recommend trying anything like that at home. I also don’t use the roller directly under the eyes and anywhere where I have any active acne.

What do I expect from derma rolling?

Cougar Beauty Active Derma Roller

I’m only using the derma roller on half on my face and will continue to do so because I want to see what the difference will be. I don’t have any major wrinkles with 30+ years old, but I’m interested to see if even the small wrinkles will be diminished. The main goal is to see if derma rolling can reduce my pigmentation – mainly caused by my very unprofessional agression toward my pimples before I started taking care of my skin a bit better.

What I don’t expect from derma rolling?

I certainly don’t expect any miracles, like derma roller erasing all my wrinkles or rejuvenating the left side of my face by ten years. Every product has its limitations and personally, I like to have rational expectations.

How does derma rolling work?

Cougar Beauty Active Derma Roller

I really imagined I will have to drag the derma roller around my face for at least 10 minutes but that’s really not the case. First, I give my Derma Roller a good disinfection – after all, it will be piercing my skin! I set it to a certain point on my face and draw a star with it – up and down, left and right and in both diagonals. I repeat that three times. Then, I find another spot and so forth until I have done the entire half of my face. It takes me about three minutes in total. I also remember to disinfect after use. At the moment, I’m using the derma roller twice a week, but perhaps I’ll be using it more often as time passes.

How about Cougar Beauty oil with hyaluronic acid?

Cougar Beauty Active Derma Roller

Another advantage to these “injuries” the derma roller causes to the skin is that all products used on the face after rolling absorb much more effectively than they normally would. Now, I’ll be trying out the Cougar oil with hyaluronic acid as the first step after rolling. The ingredients give me much hope that it will turn out to be a good product for my skin, but as usual, I will report back.

This is my first time using The Cougar products so I’ll be watching for other new additions from the brand on the Licila.si website. If you’re interested in derma rolling or have any other questions about it, ask away and I’ll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability. Until next time, stay beautiful!

Finish six by summer Project pan – finale!

Finish six by summer project pan

For the past three months, Sandra from Keep Calm and Wear Lipstick and I shed sweat and tears over six products we wanted to finish by the first day of summer. Well… it wasn’t that bad, to be honest, but it makes for a more interesting read, right? Well, today I wanted to show you all the products I used up and the ones that gave me a hard time. If you want to read the introduction to this project pan, you can find it *here*.

Finish six by summer #1: The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Mist

Finish six by summer project pan The body Shop grapefruit mist

I had no trouble getting through almost a whole bottle of this body spray and I’ll definitely repurchase on of these The Body Shop sprays in the future. They are a nice refresher – I most often used it in the afternoon when I slipped into something more comfortable after work, took off my make-up, redid my hair and so forth. That way the scent followed me around all afternoon.

Finish six by summer #2: Illamasqua Gel Sculpt (Silhouette)

Finish six by summer project pan Illamasqua gel sculpt

Another product I didn’t have any major troubles with is the Illamasqua Gel sculpt. It’s a cream bronzer with a cooling effect. I used it up to the edge of the plastic rim. I could probably get more out with a brush, but I decided to call it done. My biggest problem with cream products is that I usually apply the finishing powder right after liquid foundation and completely forget about cream products. After that, it’s too late. That’s the main reason why I wouldn’t repurchase this particular item again.

Finish six by summer #3: Marc Jacobs lip liner (deluxe sample)

Finish six by summer project pan Marc Jacobs lip liner

If you’re looking for a lip liner that won’t budge for hours, this is the right one for you. I used it all the way and quite quickly, I might add. This means that the price for a full size liner would be quite hefty. The formula is very drying and it’s not too pleasant to use, but that’s the price you pay for a really long-lasting liner. I wouldn’t repurchase it though, partly because of the price and partly because of the uncomfortable wear.

Finish six by summer #4: Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector

Finish six by summer project pan Clarins lip Perfector

This tube still has a couple of uses in it, but I think I did great. I’m really bad at using lip products since I completely forget to apply them if I’m not going to a meeting, out with my girls or something along those lines. I took this lip gloss to work, placed it right next to my mouse pad and consequently remembered to use it two or three times a day. I have two more tubes of it since I bought in a set, but I wouldn’t repurchase it. It’s really not that special for the price tag.

Finish six by summer #5: Essence Hip Girls Wear Blue Jeans illuminating face gel

Finish six by summer project pan Essence illuminator

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful illuminating face gel was gone in less then a month. I usually applied the gel all over the face. With liquid foundation over it, it gave my face a great, fresh finish. I’m really sorry to see it gone and I’m already looking for something to replace it as it was a limited edition item.

Finish six by summer #6: Essie nail polish

Finish six by summer project pan Essie Double Breasted Jacket

Even in advance, I felt like this was the one item in my project pan I was bound to fail at. I like testing new products as it is and having one nail color all the time bothers me even more then using the same palette, for instance. Essie Doublle-Breasted Jacket also isn’t the most appropriate color for a busines environment. But with that said, I used it about ten times and it looks like the line went down a little bit. The formula is quite thick making it more difficult to use but I’m used to this from other Essie polishes. All in all: this Essie is about to get trashed.

So how did I do? I completely used up five out of six products, giving me a total of about 73 € that were not thrown out the window in the shape of expired make-up. As I often said, I’m constantly facing a much too large make-up collection and I try to use those that I really like and enjoy. Often, it’s difficult to get them in with all the new products I’m testing, but I’m doing quite well on my 2018 project pan as well. Just how well, we’re yet to see in December.

Don’t forget to check out Sandra’s progress over *here*. I can also tell you I’m just starting a new project pan which you’ll hear about very soon! Until next time, stay beautiful!

My top 5 beauty products: Catrice

My top 5 Catrice

Lately, I’ve been noticing I’m being really unfair to the products I use all the time and love the most. These mostly only come up in my monthly or yearly favorites and in empties, but they never really get the same spotlight the new products do. So today, I’m going to rectify this injustice by writing about my top 5 products from one of my favorite brands, Catrice.

My top 5 #1: Catrice Prime and fine Make-up Transformer drops  – lightening drops

My top 5 Catrice Prime&Fine transforming drops posvetlitvene kapljice

Lightening drops are a must for all of us who use SPF throughout the year. In Slovenia, we also seldomly get the lightest shades of foundations so some mixing is often necessary. These Catrice Prime and Fine drops have a yellow undertone so you probably won’t like them if you have a pink undertone. You will need quite a lot of them to really transform the shade completely, but I prefer that to having a liquid foundation slowly dying in my drawers because it’s too dark.

My top 5 #2: Catrice HD Liquid Coverage foundation (010 – Light Beige)

My top 5 Catrice HD Liquid Coverage

This HD Liquid Coverage foundation is a typical example of a foundation I wouldn’t be able to use without lightening drops. It makes a lovely matte finish on the skin but is not too heavy and doesn’t give the skin that cakey look. It’s applied with a dropper, which I can appreciate, and you’ll be getting a ton of foundation for your money. On the other side, there are only four shades available and they do oxidise to a certain extent, so make sure to try it out first before you buy it. Still, the perfect finish on the skin makes it one of my favorite foundations of all times.

My top 5 #3: Catrice Ultimate Matte lipstick (From Rose with Love)

My top 5 Catrice ultimate matte šminka

Before trying the Ultimate Matte Catrice lipsticks I’d easily say that I’ll always choose a liquid lipstick over a classic lipstick. Well, now I have changed my opinion. The formula of this lipsticks is light on the lips, really opaque, has a 100 % matte finish and really good staying power for a classic lip. It wears down evenly but needs to be refreshed once every while like every other lipstick does. All further applications are not an issue as the formula wears down very evenly over the lips.

My top 5 #4: Catrice Soleil D’Ete bronzer

My top 5 Catrice Soleil D'ete bronzer

Do I feel guilty for including a limited edition item into my favorites? Yes, I do, but I have a good reason for doing so. I’m simply including this bronzer as a tip that you definitely should look through powder face products if you’re ever near a Catrice stand. This bronzer is super pigmented so it will probably last me for years to come. The shade is perfect for everyday bronzing if you’re not too tan, because it’s not too orange. Personally, I find it a close dupe for Tarte Park Avenue Princess bronzer.

My top 5 #5: Catrice Prime and Fine Smoothing refiner

My top 5 Catrice Prime and fine primer

Catrice Prime and Fine Smoothing refiner is a silicone primer. I have about ten of these in my drawers but this one is special because it really fills in the small imperfections and textures. This is especially important on the cheekbones when I apply a heavier blush or a liquid highlighter that draw out imperfections even more. It makes a lovely satin finish and the liquid foundation applies like a dream. Not convinced yet? Perhaps you will be by the fact that this is my third jar of this primer and I have three back-ups on hand (just in case).

I could go on an on about products I love with catrice: the IcoNails nail polishes (review *here*), blushes and mascaras (*read more here*), eyeshadow palettes that are super affordable and so forth. But these top 5 products are really the ones I would continue buying over and over again. What’s your favorite Catrice product? Tell me in the comments below and also don’t forget to mention other brands you’d like me to do this Top 5 post on. Until next time, stay beautiful!

10 PR products I’d buy with my own money

PR products best PR products

On this sunny Monday, I wanted to share a nice upbeat post. I went through my beauty stash and chose 10 PR products which I would  definitely buy myself. Basically, they are all really great products I enjoy using and will continue to use. I will also probably repurchase many of them.

PR product #1: La Roche-Posay Serozinc

PR products La Roche-Posay Serozinc

La Roche-Posay Serozinc has been helping me calm my skin after shaving or going at small pimples on my face. It also works great under make-up. I already almost used up one bottle and I already have a new one in stock. You can read my opinion and opinion of two of my readers about it *here*.

PR product #2: L’Occitane Terre De Lumiere eau de toilette

PR products L'Occitane Terre De Lumiere

L’Occitane Terre De Lumiere line is inspired by morning dawn. Personally, I find this to be a fresh and gentle fragrance very appropriate for upcoming spring and summer days. If you prefer stronger and more exotic fragrances, I suggest you check out the perfume from this Terre De Lumiere line.

PR product #3: Dr. Organic purifying shampoo with activated charcoal

PR products Dr. Organic shampoo with activated charcoal

I recently tested the Dr. Organic shampoo and balm with tea tree oil and really liked it a lot. Right now, I’m testing the entire line of Dr. Organic products with activated charcoal. I’m most impressed with the shampoo that really cleans my hair really well (you know that squeaky feeling that really clean hair get?) and prolongs the time between washes from two to three days.

PR product #4: Vichy Slow Age daily moisturizer

PR products Vichy Slow Age daily moisturizer

The Vichy Slow Age inspires me with the slow life philosophy which tells us to live happy and healthy. At the same time, they say it doesn’t mean we have to look the same at 25 and 45 years, like some other brands try to convince us. With my Slow Age daily moisturizer, I take some me time in the morning, apply it to a clean face and drink my lemon water while I wait for it to absorb. The cream is rich enough to feed and protect my skin during the day and still appropriate to wear under make-up. I won’t even start talking about the jar and the colors – beautiful, right?

PR product #5: Melvita L’Or Bio golden oil

PR products Melvita L'Or Bio golden oil

Melvita L’Or Bio golden oil has been a staple in my beauty routine for quite some time now. I use it on my face, hair, on my dry feet and elbows, to soften up the cuticles… there are almost infinite options of use. Besides the great texture and rich formula with five different oils, it never stops surprising me with the lovely fragrance. You can read more about it *here*.

PR product #6: L.O.V powder brush

PR products L.O.V make-up brush

This L.O.V powder brush convinced me at the moment we met. Not only does it look beautiful (which is less important but I still like looking at pretty products first thing in the morning), it’s also really soft and great at picking out any powder product. It’s large enough to use all over the face but I also occasionally use it for bronzer or blush.

PR product #7: Paese mattifying make-up base

PR products Paese mattifying primer

Paese mattifying base for about six months now and I’m slowly running out. With all the primers in my collection, this is another proff of how special this product really is. When applied, it creates a soft, velvety feeling to the skin and works great with almost all foundations. I apply the majority of the product on my forehead where I get the most oily. This primer does a great job of controling that.

PR product #8: Avon Mark Magix HD finishing powder

PR products Avon Mark Magiq HD powder

Avon Mark Magiq HD finishing powder is one of those products that have become a staple in my beauty collection. The formula is very light, clings well to the brush, mattifies the skin and doesn’t leave a white cast like some other finishing powders. It gets extra points for not having any smeel. I get quite artistic when applying my finishing powder and with the dust flying everywhere, this is an important topic for me.

PR product #9: Max Factor Lash Crown mascara

PR products Max Factor Lash Crown mascara

Today, I’m showing you this particular Max Factor Lash Crown mascara for the last time. It’s been six months since I started using it so it’s time to throw it away and go buy a new one. I think it’s the first mascara I ever completely used up before it dried up. This innovative brush makes sure that I don’t apply too much formula. The small brush on the other side makes it easy to coat the bottom lashes and the smaller lashes in the inner corner. You can read more about it *here*.

PR product #10: L.O.V Lipaffair Color&Care Brave Nudes lipstick (Angelina’s belief)

PR products L.O.V Brave Nudes Angelina's Belief

It’s only April but I already suspect that the L.O.V Color&Care Brave Nudes lipstick in the shade Angelina’s Belief will end up being my favorite bullet lipstick of 2018. It’s a strongly pigmented lipstick that feels very light on the lips. It has good staying power for a classical lipstick but doesn’t dry up the lips at all. This shade is pink with a slight coral undertone. I think it would look good with any skin tone.

These are the 10 PR products that impressed me so much I would happily buy them myself. Did you try any of them already? Until next time, stay beautiful!