Maša M blog
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Holiday wishlist

Yes, I know, December and Christmas are still far, far away, but somehow the Christmas spirit always catches me unprepared way before it is supposed to – and once I get overall excited about something, it’s hard for me to stop obsessing.

In the past weeks, I have seen some Youtube videos and read some blogs about the Christmas or »Holiday« editions from several high-end companies like Urban Decay, Benefit, Stila and so forth. These are normally value sets tricking you into buying them by saying you’re only going to pay something like $45 for $200 value. Now i KNOW it’s not true, but that reasonable part of my brain somehow goes on vacation in December. I did not care last year, but I definitely do care this year. And since I’ve just booked some plane tickets to visit a country that has Sephora stores in December, I know that I’m not going to be able to resist picking up at least a few products. Hence the wishlist. But this wishlist also includes some items that can be bought over here or in EU stores (hinting heavily to my most loyal reader of all). 🙂

Number one on my list is definitely the Sephora Favorites – Superstars. It contains many of the items I have been wanting to try for sooo long and some that I have tried and absolutely love.

It is priced at $75 and apparently worth $225. I did my own calculations based on the number of full-size products and deluxe samples and came to $222 so yes, the calculation is legit. It contains the Anastasia Brow Wiz (full size – 21 $), Benefit POREfessional (deluxe sample – about 10 $), Benefit They’re real mascara (deluxe sample – about $5), Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray (travel size, about $15), Chloe Rollerball (full size – $25), Formula X Nail color in Ignite (full size – about $11), Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted lip treatment (deluxe sample – about $12), Josie Maran 100 % Pure Argan oil (travel size, about $16), Nars blush in Orgasm (full size – $30), Smashbox Camera ready BB Cream (full size – $40), Stila Stay All Day liquid eye liner (full size – $20) and Urban Decay eyeshadow in Sin (full size – $18). I am excited about just about everything in this package, I think the colors would all work for me and I am getting my hands on this one! There are so many brands in this set that I haven’t even tried yet that I’m sure it is well worth the money.

Another set I really, I really want is the Josie Maran Winter Dream Argan Skincare Collection. This is not a steal as the Superstars, it’s priced at $39 with $68 value so I’m not even going to calculate this one to extensively.

 

 

It contains everything you could possibly need for your skincare routine – cleansing oil, hydrating treatment, pure argan oil (which I use and is absolutely fabulous), intensive creamy oil, daily moisturizer with SPF of 47 and as a special bonus, a hand creams. This brand is all natural and I would love to try the products.

The third set that I will most likely be tempted to snatch in Sephora is the First Aid Beauty – Cheers to fab skin set, priced at $48 for $100 value. I did my calculations on this one and again came to a very similar number, so I am satisfied 🙂 I have purhcased a few items from this brand on my last USA trip for my mother and she absolutely loves them so I really want to give them a go as well. View Post

Too many opened mascaras…

Fact #1 – I love mascaras. Fact #2 – when I buy a mascara, I really, really want to open and try it straight away. And fact #3 – this means that I always have at least 3 mascaras opened at the same time, consequently waisting them. Oh well, I’ll do better in the future.

These past 2 months have been particularly bad in this sense – I have no less than 5 mascaras that I have been using and most of them I need to get rid of because they’ve gone dry. But before throwing them away I can do a quick post about them. I will go from the worst to the best one by my personal opinion. The fact is that the likeability of mascara depends on what you want from it. I personally have quite long lashes to start with and am consequently looking for mascara that will add volume. So it really is a personal preference all around, as it is with most mascaras. There are two photos for you – one with the product closed and one with them opened so you can see each of the wands.

#5 : GREAT LASH by MAYBELLINE

You know, how drier mascaras have the tendency to flake? Well this mascara is so wet that I can feel this wetness for several minutes after applying it, but it still somehow manages to leave my undereye area looking like the Halloween came early It clumps the lashes into long, spider like legs. I’m not a fan of either the wand shape or the packaging itself – it really looks quite juvenile. Even though it’s drugstore, it could still be a bit classier.

If you’re looking for length, are willing to comb through your lashes and you don’t mind the panda look, go for it. Otherwise, run away as fast as you can. Would I repurhcase: no way!


#4 : BETTER THAN SEX by TOO FACED

I’m usually a fan of Too Faced products, but this one left me cold. Thankfully I didn’t purchase the whole size but got a deluxe sample in one of their trial kits. Also, what’s with the name? I know that Too Faced isn’t exactly a PG rated brand, but let me just say that this statement is not true 😉

Anyhow, when I opened this mascara I was expecting a hell of a lot from it. The wand has super dense fibers of different lenghts which looked like they will hug every single lash and give it length and volume. Well, the mascara is not bad, but it’s not great either. Completely opposite of the Great Lash it has a very dense formula which tends to flake a lot. So while it does give you long and bold lashes, especially if you apply more than one coat of it, you will have to check under your eyes every hour or so. Would I repurchase: no – it costs more than $20 and I think there are better mascaras out there for that price.



#3 –Voluminous Waterproof mascara by L’OREAL

This again is a mascara with quite wet formula but it dries much faster than the Great Lash so it’s not too much of a problem. It has a very standard wand which many of us have probably used with this or that mascara so that’s not really what’s appealing. But trust me – go out and buy it, if you can. It leaves you with long and dense lashes, it doesn’t clump, smudge or flake and it holds to its promises. I’m putting it in 3rd place only because I bought the Waterproof version which is such a pain to remove that I have to brace myself before starting the process every evening. Would I repurchase: yes, but the regular one, not the waterproof.

#2 – Volum’ Express Colossal Cat Eyes – MAYBELLINE

Probably the mascara with the longest name out there 🙂 It wasn’t an instant love affair with me and this mascara – I had a hard time getting used to the curved wand and I didn’t find it that impressive. But when I took my time and really tried out what different parts of the wand to to the eyelashes, I fell inlove. When using this mascara I don’t even curl my eyelashes before – the wand does the trick by itself. So it curls, lengthens (to the point when I need to stop applying it because my lashes are touching my browbone and leaving tiny black dots) and adds volume when adding one or two layers to the primary one. Would I repurchase: absolutely, especially for this price. View Post

Labello review + my first GIVEAWAY!

Last week was kind of special. It was the first time that a company contacted me and offered to send me some products. When I started writing this blog I promised myself I will never receive a free product in return for a good review, so I was happy when this company guaranteed me they don’t even expect me to do a post about the products. But here I am, doing it, because I think that this brand is a staple in all of our lives and it deserves a review of its own. 

So the brand we are talking about is Labello which, as said, is a brand we all probably grew up with and I don’t think that there are many ladies in this country that don’t own at least one Labello. Now as you probably remember, there used to be only the one, blue Labello, that smelled kind of like Nivea which wasn’t too tempting, but was great for your lips. Well, things sure have changed. Labello has come out with loads of new, exciting products and I have been more or less of a fan my whole adult life. The products that I received are the Lip butter in Coconut, the Fruity Shine in cherry flavor and the Repair & Beauty. 

I was most excited about the lip butter because I haven’t been able to get my hands on it even though I have searched for it before. It’s a great soft formula with an intense coconut flavor (on a side note – if you have cats, you will get a bunch of kisses from them wearing this – my cat was beyond excited and tried to steal it away from me several times in the past few days) and it really hydrates your lips a bit more intensely than I could claim for other Labello products. I like the tin packaging by itself, it looks fresh and summery, but with that being said, I am not a fan of applying products with my fingers. In the age of touch screens, I like my fingers to be clean or at least not have some sticky content stuck on them. So with that said, I would prefer this to sit in my bathroom to use in the morning, on my nightstand to use before bed or take it to the beach, but I wouldn’t use it on a daily basis on the go. 

The Fruity Shine in Cherry is mmmm… delicious. It’s like eating cherry candy or chewing on a cherry flavored gum. A special bonus as far as I am concerned is the fact that it doesn’t have that Nivea under-flavor to it, which many of the Labello’s still have. It leaves a very slight pink shine to your lips but you can easily get away with putting it on without a mirror at any time. If you miss a spot and go over your lips it hardly shows up at all and only leaves a very slight shine, almost like you’re wearing illuminator. So no worries there – it’s another great flavor by Labello which I’m sure we would all enjoy.

Last up, we have the Repair & Beauty which I was the least excited about, to be completely honest with you. I expected it to be a slightly vamped up version of the classic Labello, but boy oh boy, was I in for a surprise! Although it’s pink in color it only adds a tiny bit of that to your lips – so it’s kind of your lips, but better 😉 And I was so curious to learn what the white center of the product did! It turns out that’s where they hid the mint – so although the products might feel a bit heavy the moment you put it on you will be instantly rewarded with that freshness the mint brings along. I absolutely love this product and I expect it to be my staple during the winter months when my lips get particularly chapped. 

As I said, I received these products for free. And it hardly seemed fair for me to get free stuff and not share them with you, my lovely readers 🙂 So I went to the drugstore and I got a lovely set of products which I will be giving away to one of you. 

It contains a brand new make-up bag, which I think is in the perfect shades for autumn and winter  – I actually bought one for myself as well 🙂 Next up, you will get the chance to try not one, not two, but all three of the current Labello Lip Butter flavors – the Coconut, Raspberry Rose and Vanilla & Macadamia. I also picked up two of the Fruit Shines in Peach and Cherry, so as far as lip balms go, you’re about set for the entire year. And just because I feel that beautiful lips don’t help much if you don’t have a lovely smile to compliment them, I got you my absolute favorite chewing gum – Chicza, which is completely natural & organic – in 3 different flavors. 

Since I don’t expect a million of you to enter this giveaway (which also gives you a greater chance of winning), I am doing it the old fashion style. To get a chance to win, you have to:

1)      Like my page on Facebook (you can find the button on the right hand side at the top of the page)

2)      Share the post about Labello and this giveaway from my Facebook page to your newsfeed and

3)      in the comments section of the post on Facebook or here on the blog, write at least one beauty product (it can be absolutely anything you can think of) you would like me to do a review on.


The giveaway will end on Sunday, 19th of October and the winner will be contacted through Facebook private message. I really hope you are as excited about this as I am and that you enter this giveaway!

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!

My NYX Glosses – quick review & swatches

About a month ago I treated myself to some NYX glosses. These glosses were so highly recommended by many beauty bloggers and YouTube beauty gurus that I was sure they will end up costing an arm and a leg. Imagine my surprise when I found them on Moja drogerija for less than 3 € each. I’m not a big fan of the design of the tube, but you really can’t beat the price on that one. So yes, I did end up buying more than one and let me tell you, it was not an easy choice to make – there are more than 10 colors available and I would purchase each and every one of them given the money and the space to put them 🙂



Overall I can say I really like these glosses although I’m usually partial to lipsticks, simply because I don’t love having my hair sticking to something sticky on my lips. But anyway, these glosses have a relatively nice smell and are reasonably pigmented, especially in the darker colors.

The colors I got are Amethyst, Apricot and True red. I won’t go on a lot about Amethyst, because I’ve talked about it already in my September favorites. But let’s just repeat that it’s a nice copper-ish color which in my opinion isn’t very summery but will be perfect for autumn and winter time.

The Apricot color is a nice subtle color which is not very pigmented and is the least long lasting out of all three. It is however nice to put over a brighter lipstick (I love wearing it over my Matte Lip Paint by Barry M lipstick in Sunset) but almost unnoticeable by itself. It’s also the only one that won’t leave stain on your lips.

Last but not least, we have the gloss in True red. This is by far the most pigmented out of all three colors. It looks dark red, almost burgundy, in the tube, but has a pink undertone to it. I can’t get away with wearing it by itself; I have to use a lip liner with this one. It’s also the most difficult to apply in terms of not exaggerating with the color – I tend to put the want to the bottom lip first and then pick up the residue from the bottom lip to put on the top lip. The best result was however achieved when I actually made an effort to use a lip brush.

All in all I love these glosses and will probably get some more.

Do you have any shade that you only wear in the colder months? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!

The Balm products review

 

I admit I have been spending quite a lot of money lately. One of the brands that really caught my eye was The Balm, which is available throughout USA in most drugstores and in larger EU online stores, but guess what – you can also get most of the products in Slovenia through Licila.si. So I picked up three products, all of them for my face – Sexy Mama Anti-shine translucent powder, Bahama Mama bronzer, shadow & contour powder and Mary-Lou Manizer.

The first thing I can say is that the packaging of all three products is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Both Sexy Mama and Bahama Mama are in nice cardboard packages which I was quite anxious about, but it turns out they are very sturdy. There is a magnet in the lid, but I’m still not convinced it could take a lot of travel. But they will probably spend their lifetime in my bathroom so it’s OK by me. The Mary-Lou Manizer comes in a plastic compact with a nice big mirror and it closes up really well, so I wouldn’t worry about its lifespan.

First up, let’s talk about the product I have wanted to get for quite some time and also mentioned it in my Highlighters and illuminators post – the Mary-Lou Manizer. First let’s just sit back for a moment and admire how beautiful it looks (don’t mind the speck on the mirror though – it didn’t really show up in real life but looks kind of horrible in the photo).


When I first swatched it I was afraid it was going to be a bit too shimmery but in fact it’s easy to put on (either tap it with your fingers along your cheekbone or use a brush) and even easier to blend in to the point where it’s more or less invisible except for the slight illumination.

This is definitely not a highlighter and can’t be used all over the face (well, it can, but I wouldn’t do that if I were you). I must say that I’ve gotten used to the liquid highlighters so much that it’s quite different to use a powder – the Mary-Lou Manizer is so pigmented that you barely have to touch the brush to the pan to get enough for one side of the face. This means that this product will be with me for a long, long time.

Next, let’s take a look at the Bahama Mama bronzer. As said, the packaging is cardboard and I’m not too crazy about the orange color around the mirror to be quite honest.

This definitely is a product which will be more appropriate for summer season because it’s darker than any other bronzer I own and so pigmented it’s not exactly simple to get it right. It did take me quite a few tries to get it perfect – in the end I opted for a smaller, less dense brush and it came out looking ok, whereas before I only looked like I was rolling in the mud. I don’t think I could get away with using this as an everyday bronzer because my skin is quite fair, but it’s a perfect contour as far as I’m concerned.

Last but not least, let’s discuss the Sexy Mama Anti-shine translucent powder. For some reason, I thought this would also act as a loose powder and not be just a setting powder, but whatever.


Again, the packaging is super cute and it’s a product I would gladly bring along with me during the day to touch up whatever party is happening on my face. But guess what – I don’t have to. I’ve had a few very stressful days and although I was running around like crazy this powder kept me looking like a sexy mama all day (well – except I don’t really think of myself as sexy, and I’m not a mama, but still). So not a shiny spot in sight, which basically means the product does what it promises to do and that’s good enough for me. At least I’ll be able to reach for my e.l.f. HD powder less and consequently maintain my bathroom in better order, but that’s a case for another day and time. View Post