Maša M blog
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Recent beauty disappointments

As you probably know from your own experience, not everything in sunshine and rainbows in beauty land – every once in a while we all encounter products we expected a lot from but didn’t perform as we hoped for. And since I like to write honest reviews about the products I use, it’s only fair that I also talk about the ones I didn’t like. I will say that I love these brands, just not these products, and while the products did not work for me, you might like them – I am just stating my own personal experience.

Starting off with deodorants which is a frequent topic (read *here* about the two I didn’t get along with recently) on this blog, I am also not in love with the Dove Maximum protection (original clean) anti-perspirant deodorant cream. The formulation is incredibly thick and I can literally feel it clogging my skin up. An anti-perspirant? Sure. Good for me? Most likely not at all.

I heard great things about the Balance Me brand and I was happy when I received the super toning body polish in my Look Fantastic beauty box. The product itself is actually more of a peel than a polish which looks and smells like perfumed walnuts. While it does the job well, my skin is incredibly dry and feels quite damaged after I use it.

Another product from a LF Beauty Box is the Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! deep conditioning mask without parabens, silicones or phalates – so goo free, basically. It promises to reduce breakage for up to 81 % after 3 uses. I must say that I used it more then three times and I don’t see my hair getting any better, or better said, I haven’t noticed any difference at all.

Moving on to make-up, I found another mascara I’m not a fan of, which is quite a common occurrence. It’s the Manhattan Long&Swing mascara. As you can see from the wand shape, it really does curl the lashes nicely, but the formula is quite thin so the curl doesn’t hold. I have quite long lashes so I prefer some volume which unfortunately is not something this mascara was able to do for me.

I also didn’t enjoy the Avon Outstanding eyes dual-ended kohl eyeliner. As you can tell from the swatches, both are quite patchy and the pigmentation is simply not there. I like the idea of dual-ended products, but I would like it to perform a bit better.


 


 

Sadly, I also cannot vouch for the Artdeco strobing fluid from their new line. You can see it in the photo above- unblended and blended. Again, this goes on quite patchy and is a pain to blend out, but once blended, I literally can’t even tell I put anything on my face at all. I was expecting a radiant shine, but found it lacking. I would suggest their strobing powder though, it’s simply amazing and highly pigmented.

That’s it for the recent disappointments. Until next time, stay beautiful.

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick review

I’ve been dreaming about owning one of these lipsticks ever since I first saw them online. I didn’t know anything about the formula, but I was simply enchanted by the bullet.

So when opportunity arose, one of these beauties (there are 39 shades available!) found a home with me. Meet Lolita, a lovely chestnut rose shade which comes across slightly lighter than it looks in the bullet.

The Studded Kiss lipstick is very soft, almost velvety on the mouth. The formula is quite thick so it definitely is a single layer lipstick but with the thickness, it causes a bit of a tug on the lips so they need to be properly moisturized beforehand. It’s not as long lasting as I would like, but I can still have a drink and kiss my boy without any transfer. However, it does not pass the salad test 🙂

As most Kat Von D products, these lipsticks are 100 % cruelty free and vegan.

The lipsticks are available from Sephora or Kat Von D online store for 21 $. If you are on the lookout

Product empties

I haven’t emptied my trash can in a long while – too long, I might add, so I was presented with a pile of used products that you now get to view for your own pleasure 🙂 I’ll try to write short reviews, but you know how it is with me – short posts are definitely not my forte. 

Starting off with hair products, I am done with the Aussie Repair Miracle shampoo and conditioner for damage control. I found these two OK, but after using them for a long time I noticed they did make my hair a little bit heavier and they got greasier a bit quicker. I will not repurchase. 

I also finished up the Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner for dry and damaged hair. I love the smell of the Fructis products and the thickness of the conditioners which really sit on my hair and don’t leak all over the place. These two made my hair nice and soft. I will repurchase in the Fructis line in general. 

Sadly, I’m also done with my Batiste Dry shampoo (clean&classic original). You can read my detailed thoughts about it *here*. I will definitely repurchase.

I’ve also been burning up deodorants like crazy. Both of  the Garnier antiperspirants were a huge miss. I like the idea behind the new version of Garnier Neo since the new spray format really distributes the product nicely. But it left white patches on my skin and I think that about half the bottle evaporated into nothing – I wasn’t using it at all and then, all of a sudden, the bottle was empty. Definitely not a repurchase which also goes for the Garnier Mineral InvisiCalm Post-Depilation antiperspirant. My skin literally hurt after I applied this. I honestly don’t know why I bother with antiperspirants at all since they obviously mess up my body chemistry. 

My life saver in the beginning of the summer was the Bionsen deodorant. It’s intended for sensitive skin and without aluminum and parabens. It works like a charm, but unfortunately I would like the scent to be a bit more prominent for a summer deodorant. Will repurchase as a back-up. View Post

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

Buzzfeed make-up?

If you don’t know Buzzfeed, you probably live under a rock. The hugely popular website presents us with videos ranging anywhere from 1 minute to 15 minutes (but usually quite short) about various topics. I love watching a few before going to bed every night, they usually put me in a good mood and today, I want to share with you some of my absolute favorites that revolve around beauty.

#1 What’s the best way to clean your Beautyblender?

We all have our own struggles keeping our make-up sponges clean so I think this is quite a useful video. I use my Freedom Brush Bath with good results, but I have tried a few of these before myself…


#2 Facts that will make you throw away your make-up

I wrote about expiration dates on make-up past Thursday (*click*), but jokes aside, we all know this isn’t a laughing matter. Check out some good tips to keep your skin safe.

#3 If cosmetics ads were honest

How often are you convinced to buy a product simply because what you see in an advertisement? I know I’m a sucker and fall for it every time even though I work in the industry and know how things roll around here. But either way, here are some clips of reality.

#4 Which lipstick lasts the longest?

This is a really good test of different lipstick brands. If you’re on the market for a new lippie (don’t lie, of course you are), then you should take a look at the video below.

#5 Which mascara lasts the longest?

A video similar to the one above, but way funnier. These mascaras were really put to the test in the Mascara Olympics!

#6 Man wear make-up for a week

Last but not least, I wanted to include a funny video. But the coolest thing about this video is that it really shows how make-up can make anyone feel better!

Do you have a favourite Buzzfeed video I should go and watch?

Until next time, stay beautiful!