Maša M blog
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What’s in my beach bag?

Hopefully, by the time you are reading this, I’m either on my way to my well-deserved vacation or possibly already lying in the sun. Either way, I needed to do some packing and I thought I’d bring you along for the ride.



This is most likely just a part of everything I will be hauling to the beach every day (and by that, I’m sure you can tell I really mean that my hubby will be the one at risk of a spinal injury). I will add tons of books, magazines, some temporary tattoos, fruit and water, phone, tablet and other bits and bobs I pick up along the way. But in the beauty sense, these are the main things that absolutely need to come with me.

My bag was a freebie from Max Mara Weekend a couple of years ago and I love it. It’s a lovely boho-chic bag that doesn’t look too fancy and I don’t really care if it would get dirty (or worse, stolen). I can easily pack it away in the suitcase since it’s very soft.



Inside the tote, I always keep a smaller bag – this one is another freebie from Decleor and I really like it since it can be pulled out and sealed (see the pink part), but when tucked in, it can also act as a large wallet & phone holder when you want to go get a drink at a cafe whilst at the beach.



Of course, SPF is the bare essential when going to the beach. I normally keep two large bottles at hand. First one is for the first days when I’m still pale as a ghost – it’s the Nivea Sun Kids Pure&Sensitive lotion with SPF 50. The other one comes in handy when I get a bit of tan and I don’t risk getting sunburned as much anymore – that’s the Garnier Ambre Solaire with SPF 15.

Naturally, we mustn’t forget about the face. I got this Decleor Aroma Sun Expert with SPF 30 this year and I’m hoping it will do its job well. View Post

Review (and rant): Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Palette

I am not ashamed to admit that I buy many products based on the recommendations of other bloggers and YouTube reviews. Some are good, some are OK, and some just don’t work for me. Today, I want to talk about one of those.

This is my Anastasia BH Contour Palette in the shade Light to medium.

The instructions in the back suggest that we can use the 6 powders to highlight and contour, »expertly emphasize our eyes, cheekbones, nose and jawline«. The product is cruelty free.

As you can see, I’ve used it quite a lot. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get it any nicer for the photos, because the palette itself is made of a cardboard and similar to some other palettes, you’ll find that the matte outside will get pretty dirty, and so will the inside. The palette uses a magnetic closing, which is quite nice and practical. I also like the fact that the individual pans can be replaced if needed.

The top row has 3 powder highlighting shades: Vanilla, Banana, and Sand. Only Sand is shimmer while others are matte. The bottom row has 3 powder contouring shades: Java, Fawn, and Havana. Basically, just looking at this, it’s a great palette with a nice variety of shades. Each of the pans holds 3 grams of product. View Post

Gerard Cosmetics Color Your Smile Lighted Lip Gloss: Candy Apple


This lip gloss was one of the things I ordered for myself on my b-day. I was browsing randomly through Beauty Bay and it looked so pretty I couldn’t pass it up.


Now let me tell you, it gave me quite a fright. Once I received the package, I went into the bathroom to apply it and see how it looks. I brought the tube up to my face, and then, this happened.

I dropped the entire thing into the sink, but luckily, it survived. I really need to pay more attention to what I’m ordering and not only look at »alll the pweeety colors«.

The whole packaging is really sturdy. I like that the tube is rectangular, so it doesn’t slide around. As you can see from the photo, the wand has built-in LED lights which make for an easy and precise application, be it daytime or night time. It does look slightly tacky, but I personally do like it a lot. Also, it’s new invention – several companies have come out with similar packaging before.

The tube also has a small mirror on one side. It’s not the best mirror I’ve ever seen, but it does come in handy when you only want to bring your lipgloss with you.

The applicator is doe shaped, which is my favorite. It’s really easy to apply and doesn’t run, but for the darker shades, I would recommend using a lip pencil with it, just to make for that perfect, sharp edge.

The color Candy Apple is stunning – a true red with a hint of a pink undertone. The gloss is very pigmented, so I only apply this color in one layer. It’s not as sticky as some other lip glosses I own, but naturally, it’s not going to be as dry as a normal lipstick.

Going for 20 EUR, this is not the cheapest lip product out there, but you can regularly spot special promotions on Beauty Bay for this particular brand.

What’s your favorite lip gloss for the summer months?

Until next time, stay beautiful (and out of the sun!)

The best and worst of my primers

 

I have talked quite a lot about primers in my previous posts, since I really do believe that they make a difference to a) what your skin will look like with foundation and b) how good it’s going to wear throughout the day. I have included some primers in my recent favorites as well, so go check those out if you are interested.

So currently, I have quite a few primers that I use on a regular basis. I thought that the best way to go about this is from my least favorite to my personal favorite primer, something that we already did with mascaras (click here and here to view those posts).


6th place: MONU First Defence Illuminating primer with SPF 15

I got the deluxe sample of this primer in the Look Fantastic Beauty Box and I’m almost out of it. It says it’s suitable for all skin types, but I feel that he is somewhat responsible for the breakouts I’ve been having recently. It’s also quite drying, which could be expected for a mattifying primer, but I feel that it sticks to the dry patches on my face a bit more and thus makes them even more apparent. I’ll give it a point for the SPF, but that’s about it. The full size costs a whooping 40 € of Feelunique website.

5TH place: New Baby Skin Instant Fatigue Blur (Warm Apricot)

First of all, I need to talk about the smell. It’s absolutely horrible, like the 1 € apricot ice cream you’d get from a store that had never seen a real apricot in its life, but had rather been smothered with tons of chemicals and additives.

It is light orange in shade, so it’s supposed to really be color correcting and good at hiding your dark circles etc. I personally don’t see any difference in that area. Similar to the original Baby Skin primer, it’s silicone base so it does a good job at preparing your face for foundation, but really, it’s nothing special. You can get it from Asos for about 11 €.

4TH place: Bourjois Happy Light Matte Serum Primer

This primer has been a favorite of mine for quite some time, until it got cooler in the winter time. It says that it’s best for normal to combination skin, promises airbrush action and pore minimization – which it really does. But in the winter, I felt that it really tug on my skin, which is probably due to the mattifying effect it promises. My foundation does look nicer and holds longer with this one, so I will not chuck it, but it’s certainly not one of my favorites. It sells on Lookfantastic for about 11 €. View Post

THE BATTLE OF BLENDERS – Real Techniques vs. Beautyblender

 

Now, obviously the first thing that pops to mind when we talk about the differences is the price. The Real Techniques sponge for example sells on Licila.si for about 8 € and you can get the Beautyblender on different pages, like the Beautybay for a hefty 20 €.

When dry, the Beautyblender looks absolutely tiny compared to the RT sponge.

But as any other sponge, both of these give the best results when they are wet. While the size of the RT sponge doesn’t change much, the Beautyblender actually increases to almost double the size. Also interesting – when completely dry, Beauty Blender shrinks to its original size. View Post