Essence Archives – Maša M blog

Project pan 2018

Here’s the story. I tried project pan last year and failed miserably. Why? Because I chose products I mostly hate. Nobody wants to apply such products to their face every single day, right? So this year, I’m doing it differently. I chose 10 products that I like but which have been in my collection way too long. I’m not including any mascaras, because I have never used up a mascara in my life – I only toss them once they dry out or don’t work properly anymore, which is usually around the six months mark.

Project pan 2018 SHELF LIFE

These days, when every beauty vlogger on YouTube is boasting their huge collections, it’s important to remind ourselves that make-up actually expires and we have to use it up while it’s still good. Expired products can give you skin issues or even cause bigger complications, especially those which are used on the eyes or the mouth.

Five of these will be a piece of cake. Five of these will not. But I will try my best. I’ll update you here after six months and every month or so on Instagram – don’t forget to follow me there. So without further ado, here are my 10 products that I’ll try to use up in 2018. I’ll start with the easiest one and work my way up according to how difficult I feel each product will be.

Project pan 2018 #1: Essence Fresh&Fit primer

Project pan 2018 Essence primer

I use primer on a daily basis and I really like this one, especially for spring and summer as it gives me some extra glow. I normally use up quite a few bottles of primer each year so this one should be a piece of cake.

Project pan 2018 #2: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation

Project pan 2018 Chanel Vitalumiere aqua foundation

This foundation has been in my drawer longer than I care to admit. It’s a lightweight foundation with light coverage so I’ll probably wear it around the weekend. I usually prefer medium coverage for workdays. It’s hard to tell from the bottle, but I think there are about three quarters left in there. Goal for the product: use it up completely.

Project pan 2018 #3: Collection contour kit

Project pan 2018 collection contour kit

I bought the The Collection contour kit in Ireland over two years and it’s getting a bit tired. I don’t care for the highlight, but the contour color is really good because it’s dark and neutral. Goal for this product: use up the entire contour pan. I don’t think it’ll be that hard, to be honest

Project pan 2018 #4: Trend It Up Contour & Glide lip liner – 400

Project pan 2018 trend it up lip liner

This is one of my go-to lip liners for many of the lipsticks I wear on everyday basis. It’s a great nude color with the tiniest hint of pink undertone. This Trend It Up lip liner doesn’t have the best staying power, but I like to wear it with lippies or alone combined with a lip gloss. I don’t think it will be a problem to use it up entirely in 2018 since it’s quite soft and consequently goes down much quicker then a regular pencil liner.

Project pan 2018 #5: Lancome Juicy Shaker – Mangoes Wild

Project pan 2018 Lancome Juicy Shaker

This juicy shaker is another product I’ve been carrying around for a while now. I feel like I’ve used it quite a bit, but when looking at the level in the bottle, I’ve actually used only about a tenth. Consequently, I’m not buying the matte shaker until I’ve used this one up. And I really want the matte Juicy Shaker, so that’s the deal I’m making with myself. Goal: use the entire bottle. View Post

The post you’ve been asking for over the last couple of weeks – best make-up of 2017! This year, it’s exclusively drugstore (although some prices are pushing over to the high-end side) and to be honest, I’m really happy about that. I don’t think that things we enjoy should cost and arm and a leg so I’m happy if I can find inexpensive products that are awesome. Enjoy (and also, get yourself some wine and popcorn, because it’s a long one).

Best make-up 2017 – great base

best make-up 2017 foundation

It was easy to choose my favorite foundation for the year 2017. It’s Paese Liquid Powder Double Skin Aqua – lightweight and moisturizing foundation (mine in the shade 20A). Their foundations have 4 squares on the side. This particular foundation has 3 filled up which means medium coverage, so I’m guessing all four would mean full coverage. Easy way to find the foundation you’re looking for. The application with the doe-foot applicator is easy and although it tends to oxidize on me the tiniest bit, it’s nothing compared to other foundations. I’d say this one would be great for almost any skin type.

best make-up 2017 foundation Paese

It’s primer galore in my house and I’ve tried many great primers this year, but again, I have to go for the same brand. Paese mattifying make-up base (for oily and combination skin). It’s a silicone primer which will make your foundation look beautiful. I don’t think it would do any favors to super oily skin though – silicones tend to slide right off it. In combination with the foundation mentioned above, it looks stunning.

I’m not a big believer in BB creams but Vipera BB Cream (02 natural) that reduces redness and evens out the complexion totally changed the game for me. To be quite honest, I don’t even see it as a BB cream but a medium-coverage foundation which covers up all imperfections quite well. I enjoy using it when I don’t want to worry too much about my foundation. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re still on the hunt for a good BB cream.

I’ve tried perhaps a dozen concealers this year – both high-end and drugstore – and haven’t been impressed at all until I bumped into Catrice Liquid Camouflage high-coverage concealer. My first one – I don’t know how I’ve never come across it before. I don’t apply it directly on my under-eye circles directly because it’s quite fair and would make them stand out even more. First, i cover them up with a concealer closer to my skin tone and then I apply this concealer to brighten up the area. Also use it to carve out my eyebrow when I feel like it. Great full coverage concealer for less then 5€? Sold!

best make-up 2017 finishing powder

For finishing powder with some extra coverage, I can’t say enough good words about Bell Hypoallergenic Mat Powder (I think 04 – I’m a bit annoyed it doesn’t say anywhere on the packaging itself). I’m on my second one, and I’ve got a back-up as well. It’s not exactly lightweight, but applied over a light weight foundation, it gives you that extra coverage and makes your skin look beautiful. Low Maintenance Beauty approved! Read more about it *here*.

best make-up 2017 finishing powder

2017 was definitely a year of translucent powders. Out of all I tried, the price-performance ratio was the best with Avon Mark Magix HD Finishing powder. Why yes, I do also pay attention to the price. If I’m going to recommend something for 40€, it better be worth it (which it usually isn’t in my opinion) and the same way around – if I’m going to find a powder for a couple of Euro that works (almost) just as well as the one for 30€, I’ll recommend it to you. The Avon Mark magix powder is very finely mild and will definitely keep the shine at bay! You can read more about it *here*.

Best make-up 2017 – adding some color to the face

best make-up 2017 contouring

Powder highlighters are my nemesis as I’m drawn to them like a moth to a flame. My absolute favorite this year has been Essence Cubanita Jumbo Highlighter
(unfortunately, LE but perhaps you can still find it somewhere). A beautiful golden shade and powdery formula, this highlighter is super simple to work with. The size promises at least a couple of years of use so I’m in love.

Liquid highlights are also tempting, but I’m hard pressed to find ones that show up well and are at the same time not difficult to blend out. L.O.V LOVglow Highlighting drops meet both criteria. I like that they aren’t too difficult to work it and not over-pigmented, so I can easily control the level of shine on my face. They come with a great easy to use dropper which is perfect for liquid products. Don’t forget to always apply liquid products before you set your face, otherwise it will look unnatural! I did some swatches *here*.

best make-up 2017 contouring View Post

December is FINALLY here and with it, here is the first post in my Blogmas series. I will be posting every other day, 16 posts in total. We’re also looking at 5 great giveaways, lots of “best of 2017” posts, some DIY and more and more. I’ve been planning Blogmas for months and I am so excited to start!

Today, I want to show you how to make a really simple advent calendar. I know that not everyone can afford to buy one or perhaps you just didn’t find one that would suit your taste. Why not make it yourself – for you, your loved one, your mother, best friend, child? You can include all kinds of different things in it ~ beauty products, candy, DIY supplies, candles or even different tasks, whatever you heart desires. I made a 10-day calendar which can be used in any given 10-day range in December.

To make an advent calendar, I used: a hot glue gun (you can also use superglue, obviously), some bags, small decorations, washing pins, some paper and ribbons, marker, scissors and a clothes hanger. Instead of the latter, you can also use a tree branch, pin them to a board or arrange them in any other way you wish.

First, I decorated the clothes hanger with some pieces of wood and wood stars. You can also use ribbon, glitter or anything else your heart desires. I really like the idea of a hanger because you can literally hang it anywhere in your house. Plus, it’s a wooden one so it fits nicely with the entire idea.

Next, I decorated the 10 bags. I used gold and red bags, but you could also use nice paper bags (or put some stickers on regular paper bags). I like these because they can be re-purposed once you’re done with your calendar.

Next are the numbers. I did a really simple gold paper and just drew the numbers on there. I used the wooden clothes pin to put them on the little bags, but you could also use a safety pin or glue them on.

After that, there’s nothing left to do but to hang the bags on the hanger and fill them up!

Do you like it? Well, it can be yours! In these bags, there are 10 brand spankin’ new Essence items ~ both from new collection and from limited edition collection. How to win?

1) Like my Facebook page Low Maintenance Beauty

2) Comment under this blog post what you’d like to get for Christmas this year.

3) You can earn one extra entry by sharing this post on your personal page, but this is optional (you can do it to earn 2 entries and increase your chance of winning).

Giveaway is open for Slovenia only. Giveaway will end on 5th of December 2017 and one person will receive all 10 items in the secret giveaway. This person has 3 days to send me their information, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. The winner will be declared in the blog post on 5th of December. This giveaway is not sponsored by Facebook and Facebook is in no way, shape or form connected to this giveaway.

Good luck everyone. Until next time, stay beautiful!

Essence bootiful nights all products

Essence Bootiful nights is a collection that’s quite different from anything I’ve ever spotted on Essence stands. It’s all about halloween and this year, more dramatic than ever. There are quite a few products in this trend edition that’s coming to Muller on 4/10. Here are my favorites.

Essence bootiful nights nail polish

There are three different nail polishes in the Essence Bootiful nights collection that sport a lovely witches hat – quite different, don’t you think? Shades are: black (I witch you were here), white (let’s go boo-gy-woogy) an violet (Dawn of the red).

Essence bootiful nights glow in the dark top coat

If you want to be extra, I’d suggest this Glow in dark top coat (2,19€) in the shade of a pumpkin. It’s appropriately called Witch of the night. It will make your nails pop, especially if you’re going to some halloween parties with LED lighting!

Essence bootiful nights liquid lipstick

I think that both these liquid matte lipsticks (2,79 €) could be worn throughout fall and winter months – if you’re brave enough. They promise to be longlasting and really dry down matte. The shades above are Where did I park my broom (left) and You make my heart go boo (right). View Post

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 roll Well, 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!

Project pan 2018: Products I want to use up in 2018

Blogmas #8: best make-up 2017