Lotique Make-up (review & swatches)

Lotique makeup eyeshadow palette and volume mascara

Even though I’m technically on a spending ban until Black Friday sales, I had to break the rule in this instance. Since we don’t get many new brands in Slovenian market, I needed to try some products from Lotique brand. Today, I’m giving you my first impressions on two products – an eyeshadow palette and mascara.

Who is Lotique?

Lotique is a relatively new brand on the Slovenian market, only available in Europark Maribor and their online store. Shopping online in their store is easy, since it’s user friendly, easy to navigate and offers different methods of payment which is still very important in Slovenia. Lotique entered the market with skincare products in 2008 and only recently expanded their offer to make-up. They offer every make-up product you can imagine – for the face (primer, liquid foundation, concealer, blush, bronzer), eyes (individual shadows, palettes, mascaras), lips (lip gloss, lipstick and lip pencil) and a Flash line intended for teenagers, but in my opinion appropriate for everyone.

Lotique eyeshadow palette

Lotique makeup eyeshadow palette

Eyeshadow palette was the first thing to catch my attention while rummaging through the online store, especially since it looks different from most palettes I own. I’ve been trying it out for the past month and now it’s time to share my opinions with you. The palette costs 12,30€ and holds 12 shades meaning that each shade costs just a few cents over 1 Euro – you’ll be hard pressed to find a least expensive palette in the market.

Packaging

Lotique makeup eyeshadow palette

Unfortunately, the packaging is one of the worst things about this palette. Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting much more because of the low price. The entire case is plastic and very light. The lid gives me the impression that it will break of eventually. Hopefully, that won’t happen, but this is definitely not a packaging that would withstand some serious trials.

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Essence fall/winter 2017 – new products wishlist!

My my, how the tables have turned. I remember how I was lusting after Tarte and Too Faced products years ago, over excited by everything I was being told online by Youtube celebrities. Now, I’ve learned to look closer to home for good products. More often than not, I find them in the Catrice and Essence stands. This makes me super happy and my wallet as well. Let’s take a look at some Essence products that I’m most excited about – and stay tuned for the Catrice launches tomorrow!

Essence fall winter 2017 wishlist: eyes

Most of these are hitting the stands in our stores as we speak. Some of you already got your hands on them, but quite a few readers have been asking for my wishlist to see what they should get. I say – experiment. The products are really inexpensive so the gamble is low. But here is my wish list anyway.

Essence fall winter 2017 Essence moonlight eyes

I definitely need some of the cream eyeshadows Moonlight eyes (4 shades, 3,29€). These look like a much less expensive version of the Color Tattoos and I love those but the fact is they dry out fast and are not really inexpensive. I use them all over the lid and then just build the crease – my eye look is done in a minute. The lightest shade can also be used as a base for more vibrant colors.

Essence fall winter 2017 Essence Instant Volume Boost mascara

There are new mascaras hitting the stores – I’ve had some good experience with Essence in that department lately so I’ll definitely be getting the #lashes of the day volume mascara (2,79€) and the Instant volume boost mascara (3,29€). For that price, I can afford to test both and I’ll definitely report back!

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Avon Mark: top and flop products

Avon Mark

I am quite partial to Avon Mark line as you may well know if you’ve been following my posts for a while. I love the visual elements of the brand with the stunning black and white prints and combinations that look great both live and on the photos. Since I’ve tried quite a few of their products by now, I chose the top (and some flop) products to talk about today.

Avon Mark: lip products

Avon Mark Plump It Lipstick

Let’s start with the lipsticks since I already wrote about them *here*. Mark Plump-it lipsticks are absolutely gorgeous, soft and comfortable on the lips. They are also quite long wearing as I can usually get away with re-applying only once every four hours. My favorite shades are Divine Wine, Reddy to go and Rose Kisses.

Avon Mark Plump-it lip gloss

Unfortunately, I’m less impressed by Avon Mark Plump-it lip gloss which is supposed to give you a look of full and plumped-up lips. I wasn’t able to figure out the exact active ingredient (my money is on peppermint) but the tingling that comes with the use is absolutely something I don’t enjoy at all. The shade Mauve is gorgeous to wear independently or over a regular lipstick, but I don’t think we should sacrifice feeling comfortable just to look pretty – do you?

Avon Mark plump it lip gloss  View Post

My 6 open mascaras – review & photos ***** Mojih 6 odprtih maskar – ocena & fotografije

Every time I bring home a new mascara, I can’t help myself not to open it and try it out immediately. Naturally that means that I have way too many open mascaras so I need to write such reviews quickly before they dry up. I never us a mascara for more than six months – I prefer to throw them away even sooner than that. By that time, some are completely dry and some still perfectly fine, but I don’t dare to put them near my eyes for hygienic reasons.

Vsakič, ko domov prinesem novo maskaro, si ne morem kaj, da je ne bi takoj odprla in preizkusila. Seveda imam potem odprtih čisto preveč, trepalnice pa le dvoje, kar pomeni, da moram tudi takšno oceno, kot jo bereš danes, napisati kaj hitro, preden se posušijo. Nobene maskare ne uporabljam več kot pol leta – raje jo zamenjam kakšen dan prej, kot kakšen kasneje. Nekatere se v tem času popolnoma posušijo, spet druge pa so še v izvrstnem stanju, vendar jih že iz higienskih razlogov nočem blizu svojih oči.

Today, I want to talk about six mascaras that I am currently using – ranking them from worst to best. I only applied one layer with each mascara and didn’t curl my lashes beforehand. I also want to mention that my lashes are quite long so I’m usually looking for a mascara that will add volume and not too much length.

V današnjem zapisu ti predstavljam šest maskar, ki jih uporabljam trenutno – rangirala sem jih od najslabše do najboljše, pri vsaki pa sem nanesla samo en sloj in prej trepalnic nisem uvihala s kleščami. Omenim naj še, da imam dolge trepalnice, zato običajno iščem maskaro, ki bi jim dodala volumen in ne nujno preveč dolžine.

6. Avon Big&Multiplied Volume Mascara

I was not impressed with this mascara at all. It was very wet to begin with and it took a good two weeks for the formula to thicken up. The brush has very dense bristles so I expected it to catch each lash and coat it but it didn’t deposit nearly enough product on my lashes. I would say it added average length and not enough volume to satisfy my expetations. It didn’t flake at all, but that’s the only positive thing I can say about it.

Ta maskara me nikakor ni navdušila. Na začetku je bila zelo mokra in trajalo je kar kakšna dva tedna, da se je malo zgostila. Krtačka ima zelo gosto posejane ščetine, zaradi česar bi pričakovala, da bo lepo zajela vsako trepalnico posebej in nanjo nanesla barvo, vendar pa na trepalnicah po nanosu ni ostalo toliko barve, kot bi pričakovala. Rekla bi, da je dodala povprečno dolžino in vsekakor čisto premalo volumna. Ob nošenju s trepalnic tekom dneva koščki niso odpadali in se nabirali pod očmi, kar pa je pravzaprav njen edini plus.

5. Trend It Up Eyedorable Mascara (Volume Ultra Black)

I was quite impressed with many products from the new Trend It Up line (review *here*) but I can’t say the same for this mascara. The brush is very similar to the Avon mascara but in this case, the bristles are placed more evenly and not scattered around like with Avon. As name promises, the formula is super black which is a big plus in my book. Unfortunately, this mascara did not deliver on volume as well as it did with adding length. Plus: unlike most mascaras which have a shelf life of three months, Trend It Up says you can use this mascara for six months after opening.

Kar nekaj izdelkov nove Trend It Up linije me je precej navdušilo (ocena *tu*), vendar pa žal za to maskaro tega ne morem trditi. Krtačka je podobna Avonovi, vendar so ščetine razporejene bolj enakomerno, ne “razmetane”, kot pri Avonovi maskari. Kot obljublja že ime, je barva te maskare res zelo temno črna, kar je v moji knjigi velik plus. Na žalost je tudi ta maskara dobro delovala pri podaljševanju trepalnic, ni pa dodala obljubljenega volumna, zato ji več kot petega mesta ne morem pripisati. Plus: za razliko od večine maskar, pri katerih je priporočena uporaba tri mesece, Trend It Up za to maskaro obljublja kakovost do pol leta po odprtju.

4. Catrice Ultimate Lash Multimizer Volume Mascara (waterproof)

I don’t know who comes up with names for these mascaras but I swear they’re getting longer each year. I got this mascara with a magazine so my expectations were low, to say the least. I must say that I procrastinated using it once I opened it and saw the brush shape since I never had any good experience with such brush designs. Nevertheless, this mascara did an OK job, I wouldn’t mind leaving the house with my lashes looking like that. It performed worse with multiple layers because the formula thickened at the tops of lashes and weighed them down. It’s not the best mascara I’ve recently tried from Catrice – check out the review of Rock Couture Extreme Volume mascara *here*.

Ne vem, kdo si izmišlja imena za maskare, vendar pa prisežem, da so imena iz leta v leto daljša. To maskaro sem dobila zraven revije, zato moja pričakovanja niso bila previsoka. Moram reči, da sem s prvo uporabo kar nekaj časa odlašala po tem, ko sem videla krtačko, saj s takšno obliko krtačke še nisem imela dobrih izkušenj. Vseeno je maskara svoje delo opravila zadovoljivo – s takšnimi trepalnicami bi brez težav zapustila hišo. Nekoliko slabše se je odrezala, kadar sem nanesla več slojev, saj se je formula začela nabirati na vrhu trepalnic in jih obtežila. Ne gre za najboljšo maskaro, kar sem jih v zadnjem času preizkusila pri Catrice – oceno Rock Couture Extreme Volume maskare si lahko prebereš *tu*.

3. Avon Mark Spectralash Mascara

It was hard for me too choose only one mascara from the new line, but I ended up choosing this one since the name suggested “spectacular” lashes. This is the first time I ever saw a mascara with a dispenser where you can choose between three levels of volume. I must say that I don’t understand the concept very well – I think that we all want mega volume (or not, please correct me if I’m wrong?) and besides that, I didn’t notice any visible changes when I used the mascara on different “volume settings”. I can say that this mascara is very good despite the average looking brush – it lifts the lashes, gives them a nice curl and adds lots of volume. The only minus about this mascara is the flaking – I always find quite a few crumbles under my eyes at the end of the day.

Pri novi liniji sem se težko odločila za eno maskaro, na koncu sem izbrala to, saj mi je ime sugeriralo “spektakularne” trepalnice. Prvič sem na dnu maskare zasledila gumb za nastavljiv volumen s tremi stopnjami. Sama sicer tega ne razumem najbolje, ker verjetno vse želimo velik volumen (ali se motim?), pa tudi bistvene razlike ob uporabi na različnih nastavitvah nisem opazila. Na splošno lahko rečem, da gre za zelo dobro maskaro, ki kljub zelo povprečni krtački dobro opravi svoje delo – trepalnice dvigne, lepo uviha in jim doda veliko volumna. Edini minus pri tej maskari je slabša obstojnost, saj sem kar nekaj koščkov maskare ob koncu dneva našla pod očmi.

2. Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

Until quite recently, this used to be my favorite mascara of all times. Then, I received the full size from a friend for new year – I always used to buy the travel size myself. I don’t know if I’m wrong but it seems that the formula is a bit different, a bit more dry, to be exact. It’s still a great mascara that gives my lashes plently of volume, but it tends to clinge on them and make them heavier which means that they lose the curl quicker. The next time I’ll probably buy the travel size again, since I never had these problems with it and got tons of compliments about my lashes.

Do pred kratkim je bila to moja najljubša maskara vseh časov. Potem pa sem jo za novo leto od prijateljice prvič prejela v normalni velikosti, sama sem namreč prej vedno kupovala potovalno velikost. Ne vem zakaj, ampak zdi se mi, da se formula nekoliko razlikuje in da je ta bolj suha, kot pri potovalnih velikostih. Še vedno gre za odlično maskaro, ki mojim trepalnicam podari ogromno volumna, vendar pa se nekako obesi na njih in jih naredi težje, zaradi česar manj časa obdržijo privihanost. Ko jo bom kupovala naslednjič, bom spet izbrala mini verzijo, s katero teh težav nisem imela nikoli, dobila pa ogromno komplimentov na račun svojih trepalnic.

1. Sleek Full Fat Lash Mascara

I often neglect Sleek in my reviews even though I use tons of their products. If I had to use one mascara for the rest of my life, this is the one I’d choose. I bought it for the name, of course, and I must say that I was kind of intimidated by the shape of the brush which was totally unnecessary. The upper part is wider and helps curl the upper lashes but even more importantly, it’s extremely handy for bottom lashes because it’s much more precise. It combs the lashes, curls them, gives them plently of volume and this result lasts all day, not only a couple of hours. In the under 10€ range, it’s the best mascara I’ve ever used and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Sleek je znamka, ki jo pogosto prezrem v ocenah, kljub temu, da uporabljam cel kup njihovih izdelkov. Če bi morala celo življenje uporabljati samo še eno maskaro, bi izbrala to. Kupila sem jo seveda zaradi imena, tudi tu pa me je oblika krtačke kar malo prestrašila – a brez potrebe. Zgornji del, ki je nekoliko razširjen, lepo uviha zgornje trepalnice, izjemnno priročen pa je tudi za spodnje, saj omogoča lažji nanos. Trepalnice razščeše, uviha, jim podari zvrhano mero volumna, vse od našetega pa zdrži cel dan, ne le nekaj ur. V razredu pod 10 € je to najboljša maskara, kar sem jih kdajkoli preizkusila in jo nadvse toplo priporočam.

So these are the mascaras I tested out for you – now I can throw some away since they are just about ready to go. I must apologize for the difference in the photos of the lashes, but try to understand that it took me a good twenty minutes to get ready for each photo (mascara off, washing the area, applying foundation, concealer and the next mascara) and the daylight was changing rapidly on that particular day. My eyes were pretty sore for the rest of the day so I hope that it was worth it and you find this post interesting and helpful. If you want to see another mascara put to the test, let me know in the comments below. Until next time, stay beautiful!

To so torej maskare, ki sem jih preizkusila zate – nekaj od teh bo sedaj romalo v smeti, saj se jim življenjska doba vsekakor izteka. Opravičiti se ti moram še za razliko v fotografijah dejanskih trepalnic, vendar moraš razumeti, da je med eno in drugo fotografijo preteklo približno dvajset minut (prejšnja maskara dol, oprati predel okrog oči, nanos tekoče podlage, nanos korektorja pod oči, nanos nove maskare), zato se je tudi svetloba zelo spreminjala. Moje oči na koncu dneva vsekakor niso bile zadovoljne z mano, saj so bile precej vnete od vsega hudega, zato upam, da ti je bila objava zanimiva in ti bo v pomoč ob naslednjem nakupu. Vesela bom tudi tvojega komentarja, katero maskaro bi v takšni primerjavi želela videti naslednjič. Do takrat, ostani čudovita!

Artdeco Long Lashes mascara

Over the years I’ve grown a bit cynical about mascaras that promise to give long lashes. It seems like 90 % of mascaras on the market give that claim and than fail to deliver, at least in my (or better said, on my) eyes. So I wasn’t expecting much from this particular mascara, to be quite honest. I did however love the look of it the first time I took it out of the box – it’s one of the prettiest things in my bathroom right now.


I however quickly changed my opinion about the performance the first time I used it. It gives me incredibly long and voluminous lashes in a single coat but without clumping. The color itself is one of the darkest black I’ve seen in a long time, if ever. The formula is quite thick which is another reason why a single coat does the job. It has no smell I could detect which means it’s probably good for more sensitive eyes as well. View Post