Maša M blog
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Best translucent powders (review & swatches)

translucent powders

At least once a month I get asked a question regarding translucent powders that are intended as the finishing touch over your entire make-up. These powders are supposed to mattify the skin and prolong the wear of your make-up while giving the skin a softer and flawless appearance. There are countless translucent powders in the market and the quality varies so I decided to write a short post about my personal favorite translucent powders which might come in handy.

translucent powders

Personally, I like the translucent powder to be very finely mild, mattify the skin and at the same time live up to the name translucent. Some (like the Trend It Up powder) leave a white cast over the face which can make you look unhealthy, even slightly gray. I try to stay away as far as possible from powders like that.

RCMA NO-COLOR POWDER (14€, 85g)

translucent powders RCMA No-color powder

I waited a long time to finally get my hands on the RCMA No-color powder. The texture of this powder is incredibly soft so it’s very easy to blend out and completely translucent when applied correctly. It gives the skin a nice appearance, blurs the fine lines and mattifies well. The price is great considering you’re gettting a hefty 85g of product. RCMA is the only powder in my collection that can compete with Laura Mercier translucent powder when it comes to setting the under-eye area. The only negative is the packaging – as you can see I’ve already broken the lid off mine meaning I can no longer travel with it.

LAURA MERCIER TRANSLUCENT LOOSE SETTING POWDER (33€, 29g)

translucent powders Laura Mercier translucent loose setting powder

This is a really expensive translucent powder, but worth every cent in my opinion. Because of its price, I only use it over the eyes (except for special occasions). With every use, I can be 100 % sure that the concealer won’t settle into my fine lines which is what I expect from this powder. It has a slight yellow undertone so it can slightly darken up any illuminating concealer, but the difference is negligible. If you’re looking to invest into a good translucent powder, this would be my recommendation. The packaging is simple – I turn the closed jar upside down, shake it once or twice, turn over again and open. There is just enough powder on the sifter for both under-eye area with that particular method of use.

PAESE COSMETICS RICE POWDER (18€, 15g)

translucent powders paese cosmetics rice powder

Paese cosmetics Rice Powder is the first rice powder I ever used so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The formula is dry and a bit crumbly, so it’s a bit more difficult to apply as the RCMA and Laura Mercier that are both more compact. Regardless, it gives the skin a nice finish and is easy to blend out. The sifter is a bit different than in other packagings – you can turn it around and literally close the entire jar, for example before traveling. That way, you can make sure you won’t find the entire 15g on the top of the sifter once you open it again. I would recommend this powder for normal or dry skin, but I have a feeling it could potentially bunch up on really oily skin.

AVON MARK HD FINISHING POWDER (5€, 9g)

translucent powders Avon Mark

Avon set a new high with the Mark line and their HD finishing powder is no exception to this rule. I use this powder daily for my under-eye area, but I normally don’t use it all over the face because it’s a bit more difficult to blend it out and can leave a slight white cast. The packaging is OK – it has the same sifter as Laura Mercier or Paese – just close it, turn it around, shake a couple of times, turn again and open. The powder should be waiting for you on top of the sifter. I prefer this way of getting it out as opposed to sifting it directly into my hand. I feel that would use up more product and create a big old mess.

translucent powders

If I had to use only one translucent powder for the rest of my life (and someone else would pay for it), I would choose the Laura Mercier translucent loose setting powder, but to be honest, each of the powders above will work almost as great. The best price-performance ratio goes to RCMA which you can get through Beauty Bay. Of course, there are probably other great translucent powders out there I don’t know about yet – do you have any suggestions? Until next time, stay beautiful!

Products I want to use up in 2017 ***** Izdelki, ki jih želim porabiti v letu 2017

I’ll admit that my make-up collection isn’t exactly tiny. And also, I don’t really like thinking about it as a collection. I have more make-up than the average woman so I can compare products when I review them, but I really don’t want to hoard my make-up to the point where I no longer have anywhere to put it. Consequently, I decided that for the first time I’ll try to use up some of the products in the upcoming year.

Priznam – moja zbirka ličil ni ravno majhna. In o njej nerada razmišljam kot o zbirki. Seveda imam več ličil kot povprečna ženska, predvsem zato, da jih lahko med seboj primerjam, ko jih ocenjujem, vendar pa si v resnici ne želim toliko ličil, da ne bi vedela, kam z njimi. Posledično sem se letos prvič odločila, da bom nekaj izdelkov namensko skušala porabiti do konca tekom leta 2017.


The first product is the Catrice Chocolate Nudes Palette – you can find the review and more photos *here*. The biggest issue I have with small palettes is there is always something missing – a light matte shade for under the browbone, a shimmery shade for the inner corner or a good neutral crease color. This palette has it all so I can use it alone, but I simply don’t remember about it often enough. Hopefully, I’ll be able to use up the whole thing since all the shades are lovely and well pigmented.

Prvi izdelek je Catrice Chocolate Nudes paletka – oceno in več slik lahko najdeš *tu*. Problem manjših paletk je, da jim vedno nekaj manjka – bodisi svetla mat senčka za pod obrvi, bodisi svetlikajoč odtenek za v kotiček očesa, bodisi dobra nevtralna barva za v pregib očesa. Ta paletka ima prav vse to, zato jo lahko uporabljam tudi samostojno, vendar se premalokrat spomnim nanjo. Upam, da mi jo bo uspelo porabiti v celoti, saj so prav vsi odtenki zelo lepi in dobro pigmentirani. 

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BLOGMAS #6: BEST OF 2016 – MAKEUP ***** NAJBOLJŠI IZDELKI LETA 2016 – LIČILA


The year is coming to an end and among other things, a post about my favorite make-up products in 2016 is an absolute necessity. I reviewed quite a few of these products during the year. Where such post already exists, I’m including a link so you can read about the product in detail.

Eden od letnih zaključkov, ki je vsekakor nujen, je takšna objava o mojih naljubših ličilih, s katerimi sem se srečala v letu 2016. Mnogo teh izdelkov sem tekom leta že ocenila – kjer takšna ocena obstaja, bom vedno dodala povezavo, da si lahko prebereš še moje podrobno mnenje.

I tried to choose one product in each category but had to leave some categories out (like bronzer) because I simply didn’t find a product that would amaze me in 2016. Since there are still a bunch of products I want to talk about, let’s get started!

V vsaki kategoriji sem poizkusila izbrati en izdelek, pri čemer pa sem morala nekaj kategorij izpustiti (na primer bronzer), ker enostavno letos nisem našla izdelka, ki bi me tako očaral, da bi ga danes želela deliti s tabo. Ker pa je ličil vseeno veliko, predlagam, da kar začneva.


Let’s start at the base. My favorite primer of the year is L’Oreal Infallible Mattifying base. It’s a silicone primer that was put on hold during the warm summer months, but in normal weather this primer creates a lovely base on my face, fills the pores and prepares the skin for the liquid foundation. In that category, I really enjoyed the Catrice HD Liquid Coverage which is a mattifying foundation. Dropper made sure that the application was simple and besides being mattifying, this foundation also excelled in coverage. I also have to mention the Cover FX Custom Cover Drops (review *here*) that truly amazed me this year. I mixed them with primer, day cream, BB creams and other liquid foundation. They always blended nicely and made my skin look nice and fresh. Last but not least I want to mention the Maybelline Affinitone concealer that is creamy and thick (more than I can say for most concealers I own) so I mainly use it to cover imperfections and not for highlighting under my eyes. It’s too heavy and creamy for that in my opinion.

Začniva pri osnovah. Moj najljubši primer leta je L’Oreal Infallible Mattifying base. Gre za silikonski primer, ki je v največji vročini sicer počival v predalu, vendar pa mi v normalnih temperaturah ustvari lepo podlago na koži, zapolni pore in kožo s tem pripravi na tekočo podlago. Med temi sem letos uživala predvsem v uporabi Catrice HD Liquid Coverage, ki je mat tekoča podlaga. Kapalka poskrbi za enostaven nanos, poleg matiranja pa se ta podlaga lahko pohvali tudi z dobro prekrivnostjo. Poleg te podlage dodajam še Cover FX Custom Cover Drops (ocena *tu*), kapljice, ki so me letos poleti resnično navdušile. Dodajala sem jih primerjem, dnevni kremi, BB kremam in drugim tekočim podlagam, s katerimi so se odlično zmešale in ustvarile lep, svež videz moje kože. Nenazadnje je tu še Maybelline Affinitone korektor, ki je bolj kremast in gost, kot je to značilno za večino korektorjev v moji last, zato ga uporabljam predvsem za prekrivanje nepravilnosti na koži, ne pa toliko za osvetlitev predela pod očmi, saj je za to po mojem mnenju pretežak in pregost. View Post

New Bits and Bobs from July – review


It’s that time of the month again. The day of verdict when I can tell you what I thought about the new products I bought or received in the month of July.

I must say that I really like the Biobaza make-up remover. I only need a single pump to remove the non waterproof make-up and another pump for the face. I also think this bottle will last me about a year, so the value is amazing.

The Verde Vera hand cream is nothing special, to be honest. It’s not very nourishing, it doesn’t smell that great – basically, it’s the kind of product you forget you own all the time.

I have used the Avon Sun Light Spray during the vacation, but as my hair is currently going through some kind of hormonal meltdown, I can hardly be an honest judge of it. I can say that it smells wonderfully, though.

I promised myself I would save this Victoria’s Secret Exotic Fragrance Lotion until next summer, but I cracked under pressure. It’s another great product, smells great, absorbs quickly and leaves my skin nice and soft. Not something I’d write home about, but a really good product nonetheless.

The same can be said for the Bath&Bodyworks PocketBac sanitizers. They are now evenly distributed throughout my purses and I’m set for at least one year. I am partial to the Cool Coconut colada, simply because… coconut!

Avon Nailwear Pro+ in Minty is one of my favorite nail polishes of all times – and I feel quite certain in saying that. It’s well pigmented, doesn’t chip very quickly and I’m absolutely in love with the shade. I can’t say the same for the Deborah Gel Effect polish which unfortunately doesn’t agree with my skin tone. I am also on the fence about the Kiss Vita base coat since it doesn’t seem to a) make my nails any stronger or b) prolong the lifespan of my manicure. I’ll have to find something better – if you have a good suggestion for a base coat, please let me know in the comments!


Now for make-up. First, there is the famous Benefit Cheekathon palette – you can read the review *here*.

I also wrote individual reviews about the Nabla bronzer in Cameo (*click here* to read it – it’s a great bronzer!), the Cover FX Custom Cover Drops (the review can be found *here* – it’s one of my all time favorite products) and the Golden Rose Longstay Liquid lipstick (the review is *here* – I wasn’t a fan). I also had a go at my Laura Mercier translucent powder which is quite OK, but the real test will come in the winter when the foundation and concealer get heavier and are more likely to crease. The Beautyblender is still waiting to be used, but I reviewed that so many times already that I probably won’t do it again. Last but not least is the Nabla lip liner which I totally missed the color – it’s much lighter than any of my nude lipsticks so I’m still thinking of ways to use it.

And that concludes the short reviews of the products I bought or received last month. If you want more information about any of the products, let me know in the comments below.

Until next time, stay beautiful!

New Bits and Bobs from May – review

Two weeks ago, I published a post with all the new products I bought or received in May (*click* to view the original post). Now, it’s time for short and quick reviews of the products – if you want a more detailed review for any of the products, let me know in the comments!

The L’Oreal Make-up remover says it’s not greasy, but it definitely is. I don’t mind it as much as I thought I would. It removes my make up great, even the waterproof mascara, so I’ll continue using it.

I quickly realized that I really cannot and should not be using anti-perspirants, no matter how badly I want to be sweat free. I didn’t like the Garnier InvisiCalm since it made my skin really sticky and weird feeling, so I threw it away.

I’ve rambled on and on about Nivea Protect&Refresh line already and I am a big fan. I’ve been using this sunscreen on every sunny outing so far and I am a big fan of the cooling effect.

The Mirati face wash gets a big thumbs up as well – it is a soft cooling gel that makes my face squeaky clean. I haven’t had any bad reaction to it and my skin is looking pretty great, if I say so myself. I’ve noticed that I only need the smallest amount to make it work, so this tub will last me ages. View Post