Too many opened mascaras…

Fact #1 – I love mascaras. Fact #2 – when I buy a mascara, I really, really want to open and try it straight away. And fact #3 – this means that I always have at least 3 mascaras opened at the same time, consequently waisting them. Oh well, I’ll do better in the future.

These past 2 months have been particularly bad in this sense – I have no less than 5 mascaras that I have been using and most of them I need to get rid of because they’ve gone dry. But before throwing them away I can do a quick post about them. I will go from the worst to the best one by my personal opinion. The fact is that the likeability of mascara depends on what you want from it. I personally have quite long lashes to start with and am consequently looking for mascara that will add volume. So it really is a personal preference all around, as it is with most mascaras. There are two photos for you – one with the product closed and one with them opened so you can see each of the wands.

#5 : GREAT LASH by MAYBELLINE

You know, how drier mascaras have the tendency to flake? Well this mascara is so wet that I can feel this wetness for several minutes after applying it, but it still somehow manages to leave my undereye area looking like the Halloween came early It clumps the lashes into long, spider like legs. I’m not a fan of either the wand shape or the packaging itself – it really looks quite juvenile. Even though it’s drugstore, it could still be a bit classier.

If you’re looking for length, are willing to comb through your lashes and you don’t mind the panda look, go for it. Otherwise, run away as fast as you can. Would I repurhcase: no way!


#4 : BETTER THAN SEX by TOO FACED

I’m usually a fan of Too Faced products, but this one left me cold. Thankfully I didn’t purchase the whole size but got a deluxe sample in one of their trial kits. Also, what’s with the name? I know that Too Faced isn’t exactly a PG rated brand, but let me just say that this statement is not true 😉

Anyhow, when I opened this mascara I was expecting a hell of a lot from it. The wand has super dense fibers of different lenghts which looked like they will hug every single lash and give it length and volume. Well, the mascara is not bad, but it’s not great either. Completely opposite of the Great Lash it has a very dense formula which tends to flake a lot. So while it does give you long and bold lashes, especially if you apply more than one coat of it, you will have to check under your eyes every hour or so. Would I repurchase: no – it costs more than $20 and I think there are better mascaras out there for that price.



#3 –Voluminous Waterproof mascara by L’OREAL

This again is a mascara with quite wet formula but it dries much faster than the Great Lash so it’s not too much of a problem. It has a very standard wand which many of us have probably used with this or that mascara so that’s not really what’s appealing. But trust me – go out and buy it, if you can. It leaves you with long and dense lashes, it doesn’t clump, smudge or flake and it holds to its promises. I’m putting it in 3rd place only because I bought the Waterproof version which is such a pain to remove that I have to brace myself before starting the process every evening. Would I repurchase: yes, but the regular one, not the waterproof.

#2 – Volum’ Express Colossal Cat Eyes – MAYBELLINE

Probably the mascara with the longest name out there 🙂 It wasn’t an instant love affair with me and this mascara – I had a hard time getting used to the curved wand and I didn’t find it that impressive. But when I took my time and really tried out what different parts of the wand to to the eyelashes, I fell inlove. When using this mascara I don’t even curl my eyelashes before – the wand does the trick by itself. So it curls, lengthens (to the point when I need to stop applying it because my lashes are touching my browbone and leaving tiny black dots) and adds volume when adding one or two layers to the primary one. Would I repurchase: absolutely, especially for this price. View Post

My first ever empties

I will not make any excuses about the lack of posts. Life happens, and sometimes it can also be nice.

But without any further rambling on this subject, here are my first empties. They are in no particular order, but they are all completely and utterly just bits and pieces of my trash I’d like to share with you.

First up, we have the L’Occitane hydrating body gel. This stuff was a present from a friend two years ago. Yes, two years ago. And with my current philosophy of using up products I actually went for it and tried to use it up. Needless to say, products have expiration dates for a reason. Although the scent and the softness of the product was still there, it was flaking off my skin like you’ve never seen before. So in the trash it goes (and I get to open another one, yay). Will I repurchase? Probably not, it wasn’t that good compared to some other L’Occitane products I’ve used before, especially all with the almond milk, which I adore.

Next up, we have 3 packages of make-up tissues – one by Essence, one by Müller’s own CV brand and one by Garnier. I will not go into these too much since I have another post planned about them.

We also have two nail polish removers – I tend to go through these like crazy in the summer months when I’m out and about and my nail polish is chipping like crazy. In the last desperate attempt to be the “low-maintenance beauty” I bought the Aveo remover (again, the Müller brand) in berry scent. I was not crazy about it, I think my all-time-favorite, Afrodita chamomile (which is another empty) does a much better job. Will I repurchase? Afrodita yes, Aveo probably not.

We also have two oldies-goldies – the Avon Daily Shine leave in conditioner, which I already talked about in my Avon haul. This stuff is magic and I will continue to use it until the day they stop producing it. But it’s obviously one of Avon’s staple products since it’s been on the market for years – the packaging has changed some, but the product hasn’t. The other favorite that I keep and keep repurchasing and always have some in stock just in case is the Axe Anarchy for her. I had quite a hard time finding a deodorant that can keep up with my pace and at the same time doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Last up, I got through my first tube of Maybelline Baby skin instant pore eraser. As some of you may remember, I did not buy one, not two, not three but four of these babies on my USA trip. I will however not be starting a new tube right away since I have two other primers that I want to try first. But that’s a case for another post.

Have you used any of these products? What are your opinions on them?

Until next time, stay beautiful, stay awesome!

Five product face

Although I would have never chosen this tag for myself at this because I am currently in the “more is more” mode when it comes to make-up, simply because I have sooo many new items to try. But as luck would have it, I got tagged to do it by Mateja from Fancy and schmancy. This really got me thinking back to the times when I could literally get really in 5 minutes and I still thought I looked all right. Would I use the same products now as I have before?


Probably not. Before, I would have gone for heavy foundation, big eyes and lips. Today however, the story has changed. So here are the five products I would wear on a minimal make-up day. Disclaimer: camera still down, mobile photos awful, so here are some generic photos for you, sorry for that… 🙁


So I still haven’t got the face that would need no concealer, to be sure. But I’d prefer to go for a lighter coverage just in the areas where I need it with my Maybelline Instant Age Rewind eraser.



It’s just the right shade for covering all the spots that need coverage (which is especially true for my under eye circles) and at the same time light enough to do some very basic contouring. The formula is super smooth and I love the feeling of having that little on my face. I also often apply it on my chin and it’s the one thing that doesn’t seem to brake me out. Super happy I picked this one up, but at the moment it’s not available in Slovenia as far as I’m aware of. Surely, this will change by the time I use it up?

I debated for quite some time if I would choose a bronzer or a blush, but in the end I feel that the blush can come naturally during the day, while the bronzed effect cannot. So I would go for my Tarte Amazonian Clay bronzer, which is light enough to be used as a bronzer but can also be a useful contouring tool when needed.



It doesn’t require a heavy dusting to reach the desired effect, it’s not heavy on the skin and doesn’t have an unpleasant scent to it. Overall, this is my favorite bronzer up to date, not available in Slovenia.


One thing that I would have never, but never, picked for my 5 must haves a couple of months back are eyebrow tools. But what some proper brow maintenance and sculpting can do with my face has been the discovery of the year, hands down. I would go with my NYX Eyebrow cake powder which you can buy here in Mojadrogerija.si . This product has all that you could need for some basic brow work and is at the same time super small and compact. I’m absolutely loving the effect that full eyebrows give to my face and I never leave home without using it. It was already included twice in my blog, also in my July favorites so I won’t bore you with another photo of it.


Maybelline Volum’ Express The Falsies is also quite a new find for me and my absolutely favorite mascara of the past years. I tried some pretty heavy duty (a.k.a. expensive) mascaras in my life, simply because it was the one thing I always made an effort to use no matter what. Well, they all fail in comparison to the Falsies.



This is an absolute favorite of my and even though I’m also trying out new mascaras all the time, this is the one I go back to whenever I need to be sure my lashes will stay long and hold their curl throughout the day. Buy the Falsies here at Salma.si or at most drugstores. It comes in regular and waterproof version so make sure you choose the right one for your needs. I would definitely go for the waterproof version in the summer, but stick to the regular otherwise only because the waterproof mascara is a SOB to remove.


Last product I would choose on a light make-up day is something for my lips. Here, I cannot go without the Catrice Pure Shine Color Lip Balm in #60 Go Flamingo Go or #30 Don’t think just pink. I mean don’t you just love these names? But I love the moisturizing effect and the lovely colors of these sticks even more.


Third from the left – Don’t think, just pink. Third from the right – Go flamingo, go.

Buy them here at Catrice.eu or in the biggest Slovenian drugstores. They mostly have a shiny finish and also smell quite nice, which cannot be said for some other drugstore lip products from drugstore brands – yes, L’Oreal, I’m looking at you.


So that’s it for my five product face – I daresay I would be willing to go out and about by only having these 5 products on my face, although to be honest, these days it’s more like 20 products with 15 different applicators, but that’s OK – more reviews coming your way any day now.


What are the 5 products you absolutely need to give you that skip in your step?


Until next time, stay beautiful.