Polish empties

 Hello,

I haven't done one of these is a long time and even this post is long overdue since I finished them up a while ago. During this Summer I liked to wear barely there shades or muted blue with a spark of lavender thrown in the mix.

I'm still on the cream and blue kick so you can expect some more empty nail polish bottles in these colors.

First is this lovely bottle of L.O.V. nail polish in the shade Pure Expression. I remember when I first tried it out I complained this to be too sheer... now I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I didn't shake it enough and the pigment settled on the bottom so I wasn't getting the right results? With me anything is possible but with each use I liked it more until it become my favorite. It is a creamy and milky color which was super easy to apply (wide brush which hugged my nail beds perfectly), the formula was smooth and fast drying. No chipping or tip wear for a week and the color was super flattering on me. It was an all and all perfect nail polish but sadly this brand is no longer available here so now I will have to find another perfect cream color to replace this beauty.

Next is super duper old Essence Nail Candy varnish in the shade Soda Pop & Candy Shop (I bought a bunch of these years ago and now I have two full bottles left). This is similar to the first one except I need three coats at least for an even application with a hint of slight pink hue. It is less pigmented and looks more natural than the first one. Mostly I used it as a base coat under other nail polishes.

One of my favorite shades to wear on my nails is Lavender and this one was that perfect shade for me. It is Avon gel finish in the shade Lavender Sky. This is one of my favorite polish ranges and it applied smooth as butter. I will miss it but I have another lavender shade to go through.

The very last one is from H&M Beauty and it is called Slate. Lovely dusty blue color for whenever I felt moody :) I personally like shades like that (give me lavender, blue or gray or any kind of mishmash of these colors and I'm happy, especially if they are on the lighter, pastel range of color). It had super flat and wide brush, a bit too big for my pinky but for the other fingers  it was great, it made application super fast. 

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Empties

 Hello,

I'm back with some empties. A bit boring but the next one will be better, I'm planning on going through a few more lip products, so that should be fun.

First is Avon Skin So Soft mineral gems glamourous gold body wash which I apparently had for years. I don't even remember when this line of products got discontinued, all I know is that it is gone. This body wash had golden base but the glimmer didn't stick to the skin so I didn't exited my shower like a glowing goddess ;) The scent was nice, a bit creamy and a bit undescriptive, nice but also notinh too special.

Next is one of my holy grails and it is my beloved Catrice HD Liquid Coverage foundation in Light Beige (I did purchased a new one in a shade lighter and I think the new shade suits me better than this one). It gives me pretty nice coverage without putting too much on, it doesn't break me out and it is reasonably priced. Really, there is nothing negative I can say about it, even the pipete is working nicely with it, I'm very, very happy with it.

Another favorite of mine was this The Body Shop Almond Milk and Honey body butter. This smelled divine, very much like Almond milk with a hint of sweet Honey in the background. It was so nice to lather my body with it and then go to sleep, I always had nice dreams :)  I since bought the hand cream and the body lotion in the same scent, it is that good. 

The very last are the two L.O.V. LOVicious caring volume lip glosses in Tempting Grape and Addicting Rosewood. These two had lovely formula and the shades I picked out were perfect for me. Nicely pigmented and very glossy looking, I also can't complain about the moisturizing part. In my opinion very nice formula and I'm super sad that they discontinued them now :(

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Secret Apricot

Hello,

I have plenty of blushes in my stash. I could say that I discovered them pretty late in my make-up journey. That being said I also accumulated plenty of them and I haven't show you all of them yet.

This pretty unique blush shade (at least in my collection) is L.O.V heartful healthy glow blush in Secret Apricot. I purchased it when the brand was still available in our stores and my eyes gravitated to the most unusual shade on the shelf.

It is called secret Apricot but there is nothing secret about it. It is bright and vivid coral leaning towards orange territory shade.

I have to be careful because it is very pigmented but if you do it right (lightly) it looks gorgeous. It gives my cheeks that healthy color that radiates almost within.

Even though this collection is called healthy glow (I would agree with the healthy looking part) but glow gets me. Some of the shades I think had some sheen and some didn't. Mine is shine free, matte but not chalky dry. The finish is still very beautiful but since I'm a big fan of glowy cheeks I like to add some extra highlighter just to accentuate the color a bit more.

I'm super happy with this shade and I think it looks good on my pale face but it would look even better if I would work on some tan (I tried but with no avail).
Before they completely pulled out of our market I remember checking out their range for some more lovely blushes. Don't get me wrong, they were amazing but nothing too special, I felt like I already had all of the shades. Probably this will be the only blush I will own from them but boy, oh boy, it is a gorgeous one.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Nude Sapphire

Hello,

recent announcement from the brand that they will add more shades to this range inspired me to finally post my opinion of the product. Lately I have been very lazy and I have been slacking but when it comes to these amazing little products I feel like I have to spread the good word so people will know and try them out.

I'm referring to this Catrice Generation Plump & Shine lip gloss in the shade Nude Sapphire. I was super excited to receive it from the PR team and honestly I still am.

The doe foot applicator is standard and it carries plenty of product. It has a very faint cookie scent and I'm fine with it. I mean, I wouldn't be mad if the scent would be more intense but I guess less scented stuff appeal more people so they did a compromise.

I received it shortly after receiving one of the L.O.V. glosses and before that it wasn't too long since I purchase one myself. Quite quickly I ended up with three very similar nude glosses and while they look super similar in the packaging...

Here I think that the difference among the three of them is pretty clear. L.O.V. Lovicious caring volume lip gloss in Mystic Sand is lighter nude with peach tones, Addicting Rosewood also from the same L.O.V. line is darker more rose toned while the Catrice one looks more pink toned. Honestly the Nude Sapphire shade looks the most natural and therefore the most flattering on me (I'm eyeing also the coral and the pink shades). This formula is super comfortable and nourishing, I haven't experience any dryness while wearing it. It isn't sticky or gummy on the lips and if I tell you that I have already used up around one quarter of this product...
All in all I don't think I could decide which formula I prefer but since I can't get my hands on L.O.V. products anymore the answer is pretty clear. You can expect more Catrice glosses on my blog :)
P.S. They are about to launch three shimmery shades but I haven't made my mind jet, in essence I don't love shimmery lip products but since the formula is soo good...



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Lust of Quartz

Hello,

I can't believe I haven't talk about this beauty yet. I introduced its brother in the olive green shade here. In fact I liked it so much that I got the beauty below afterwards.

L.O.V. The Glacious stylo long lasting eye shadow in the shade Lust of Quartz is the second and probably the last shade that I will own from them (the brand is no longer available in my country).

Champagne pink with silver shift is the the best description of this color that I can come up with but just like the other shade that I own it depends from the light and it is a bit of a shade shifter.

This one has less shimmer and more of a glow but I can still just pat it for the simple glittery effect, I really like this double feature where I can wear it full on or with just a hint of it and it can look completely different but it is the same product.

I think that on this picture it looks more peachy but when the light hits you it shines more intensely and has more rose nuance in it.

The formula once again is amazing. Creamy so it is easy to apply but it dries and sticks for the entire day without any creasing. My lids are definitely on the oilier side but with a touch of the Artdeco primer underneath it doesn't budge.

Some more swatches and how different it looks when the light hits it. Seriously, it is one of those shades that you can apply all over and it looks like three or four different colors, it adds dimension without even trying. Simple application, all day wear, unique color (at least in my collection) and it makes me look like I tried much harder that I actually did makes this shadow a stunner and an absolute must in my stash.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Mystic Sand

Hello,

for today I have prepared some lip glosses. I have already tested the formula with two other shades so this is just a new color for me. It was kindly sent to me as a Christmas gift from the Cosnova team.

It is L.O.V. caring volume gloss in the shade Mystic Sand. I think they nailed the name as it really reminds me of a warm sand on the beach.

As mentioned I have two other shades, one is Tempting Grape (lovely pink) and Addicting Rosewood  (nude color pictured next to the Mystic Sand) which is shown next to the Mystic Sand. They are nicely pigmented and glossy, not sticky at all but do last a bit longer than some juicier glosses. For me this formula is really good and it is just a pleasure to wear, my lips are also never dried out when I wear them.

The first swatch is made with Mystic Sand and second is Addicting Rosewood. You can see that the MS is peachier and warmer than the AR, which appears cooler and a bit grey toned.
All in all the formula is amazing and I like both nude shades, At first I was a bit sceptical about the warmer MS but it turns out to be nice on me, it picks up my yellow undertone and looks very flattering. All three shades that I have are really perfect for me and that is why I'm a bit sad that L.O. V. is no longer available in SI, please bring it back.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Happy New Year

Hello,

yesterday I went to the post office to pick up my mail but was completely taken by a surprise by a large package. Familiar writing and I immediately know who sent me this bag. Nope, it wasn't my mom or a secret admirer but it was from my lovely PR lady from Cosnova. Thank you so very much for this lovely gift.

I just took products out of the package but haven't used them jet but some of the products I already own so I know their formulas and I know I will love them (magnetic loose eye shadow with velvet texture is nothing but amazing and the caring volume lip gloss is some of my favorite glosses lines and this is now already the third tube of it). In the new year I will have fun trying out the white superior strength & volume lash primer which promises stronger and more voluminous lashes after a month of regular use - very intriguing and at the top there are the golden highlighting drops which looks more champagne toned than gold and therefore more natural on the skin. I'm super excited to not only try the new products out but also very ecstatic because of this really nice gesture from them.

Thank you and have a very good New Year full of joy and hugs

Lunar Shine

Hello,

I feel like today is a good day to show some beautiful eye shadow. The one below is creamy and not something I'm used to it but the more I wear it the more I come around. Usually I use cream shadows as bases for my powders but this one is gorgeous on its own or as a topper.

L.O.V The Glacious long lasting eye shadow in the shade Lunar Shine.

It comes in a not so slim pencil but it is very creamy and a little pressure leaves a lot of color. I roll just a tip out to apply it (not so much as it is on the picture above) because I'm afraid that it might break.

In the store I thought that this one is pretty special and nothing in my collection (cream or powder) doesn't come close. The shade is cool toned bronze with an olive green tone and plenty of sliver shimmers. I rarely wear it so full on because I'm afraid that it will crease even though it doesn't. It has proven itself with a very long lasting formula and I'm someone with extremely oily lids.

Here is another swatch where it looks a bit more brown, it really depends from the light and base colors (if you decide put it on top of another shadow). Here it is not so very obvious but next to it is another swatch made with the same pencil and it is showcasing the silver glitter. In real life it reflex more and is more noticeable.
I like to put some base powder shadow first and then I rub my finger on the shadow so I have some glitter and color on my fingertip and just pat it on the lid to get a bit more attention  ;)

I like doing this so much, playing with glitter on my eyes makes me super happy and even on the moodiest day it makes me happier.

What about you? Does some sparkle makes you feel better?




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Tempting Grape and Addicting Rosewood

Hello,

on my blog you will rarely see long lasting matte lip products only because I specialize in lip gloss, lip balms and creamier shinier lipsticks. The crown goes to glosses which are my favorite and todays special is a good one.

L.O.V. caring volume gloss is the second one from their line that I own and that alone tells you that I love them. This one is named Addicting Rosewood.

It is a cool toned brown nude, it almost looks like it has some grey in, it is such a strange color but on the lips it works.

It doesn't have any shimmer just wet shine makes my lips appear a bit larger.

Tempting Grape is a shade I picked up first and it is a bit brighter medium pink while Addicting Rosewood calms down my natural coloring and whenever I use it I can play up on my eyes.

Tempting Grape has some small shimmer which is barely visible and like I said Addicting Rosewood is shimmer free.

The scent is barely there but it is more of a plasticky and nothing too sweet or pleasant, it fades away quickly so I don't mind it. I like how glossy and juicy they look and last a bit longer then the average glosses. These two have become some of my favorite ones unfortunately they are no longer available in my country. Essence Shine, Shine, Shine glosses comes close and they are still available, well some wonderful shades will say goodbye soon and I will have to stock up ;)



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

L.O.V. your tan

Hello,

as promised I'm back with some L.O.V. products. It looks like I'm celebrating their departure from our market in Slovenia but I swear I'm not. I'm sad that stuff didn't sell (at least that I think happened) but on the bright side GOSH is now replacing it (for a while now only one store in the capital carried GOSH and now the brand is more accessible).

L.O.V. HD matte bronzer in L.O.V. your tan shade jumped in my basket immediately (I have a thing with bronzers).

Inside you get a big mirror which seems fine (I had issues with their mirror in one of their eye shadow palettes) and again a beautiful print on the actual product.

It is warm with an orange undertone but not so orange that it looks fake from across the street. This shade works very well with my coloring. I personally prefer glowy cheeks so matte finish isn't a bonus for me but I can always add highlighter and 'fix' it.

At the end I decided to give it to my sister. I found one flaw with it and it bothers me so much that I know that I won't use it. I wear foundation every day and I set it down with a generous layer of powder and after that I proceed with powder cheek products. I have never had any issues until now. This one appears to cling on some parts and skip others completely so I end up looking all patchy and uneven. I gave it to my sister who doesn't use foundation and she applies it directly onto her cheeks and it looks perfect, no skipping and she is a bit paler then me and the color works for her too. You know what they say, right? Some products work, some does't you just have to find the 'right' ones. This bronzer and I just weren't meant to be.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Iconic Indigo & Clean Slate

Hello,

I wanted to do something fun and using two different nail polishes within the same color family seemed just what I was looking for.

L.O.V. Iconic Indigo is a deep blue which can look black in certain light and H&M Clean Slate looked like the 'perfect' dusty periwinkle blue that I was looking for.

I have already removed both and they wore lovely, even removing them wasn't too messy. Sometimes blues can be tricky like that but fortunately these two weren't. Clean Slate might look like a Spring shade and Iconic Indigo might gives you Winter vibes but I'm always in the mood for something blue no matter the season.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Radiant Ruby

Hello,

painting my nails has become a must for me like breathing. Nice polished tips with shiny color is what I like. Last year I tried bright red nail varnish for the first time in my life (I always preferred deep red) and I loved it but my sister loved it even more so I gave it to her (she doesn't have such an extensive collection of nail polish bottles like I do) but I have been missing bright hue so when I saw this baby on display I had to grab it.

L.O.V. Radiant Ruby stole my heart the moment I saw it. Elegant bottle design with wide brush combined with great formula... perfection.

My camera seems to hate bright red because I could not capture the true essence of it even though I took nearly one hundred photos.

Here it looks a bit too bright and warm but in real life is true red. Two coats are all I need, wide brush makes everything really easy and even removing it (I already wore it twice) doesn't cause too much of a hassle (red stained skin) like some other red varnishes do.

For now this is my only bright red polish and honestly I don't think I need more at least until I don't empty it  ;)




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Devoted to Nudes

Hello,

I'm still not done with L.O.V. products and I have quite a few more to show. For today's post I decided to pick the eye shadow palette. First of all it is the very unique packaging. It is rubbery and if you like to pick shadows with your fingers this packaging will tell but at the same time it is easy to clean so we are good.

L.O.V. Eyevolution Luxurious eye shadow palette in Devoted to Nudes color scheme.
From far it almost looks like an animal print but this unfinished circle is their emblem so I think it is very nice how they implemented it into the packaging.

There are more color options to choose from (some of them are online exclusives) and I think I picked up the safest option but hey, I know I will wear it.

Lately I have been digging murky green shades (I don't wear them that often but I still love them) and this one is a great one. A little cooler but still light enough so it looks day time appropriate.

Shade next to it I think is the most unique. It is so hard to describe and even photos don't do it enough of justice. It is a mix of green and silver, not too silvery and cool maybe a little taupe thrown in there. This one is definitely my favorite but all the others come close second.

The middle shade is peachy/pink and something a year ago I wouldn't touch but since I started experimenting more I figure it out that if this type of shade is shimmery and close to my skin tone it makes my eyes just a pinch more blue without looking to obviously. If I layer it over darker browns (like the last shade in the palette) it stands out more but if I use it alone it just gives a little bit of a twinkle on more casual days.

Second to last is a warm bronze shade which has a lot of orange in it. I do love my bronzes but I prefer them to be more neutral or almost cool toned for that reason it is fairly unique in my stash. It is the kind of color that makes green or blue eyes stand out even more but I noticed if you are as pale as me it can look a bit harsh against milk white skin but I learned to put a softer brown down as a base and then I just pop a little bit of this one in the center of the lid (a soft halo eye) and I still get that focus and bright blue eye without being too harsh or being too much.

The very last shade is a deep and neutral brown, it also has a different finish. All the other shades are very shimmery while this one is closer to the matte territory but still not completely matte. It is also very pigmented (bronze shade is also very intense) and I have to be careful not to apply too much.

You don't get any unnecessary brushes but you do get a big mirror. I'm not 100% if my mirror is fine, I can't even explain it but whenever I check myself in it my face looks weird like in one of those mirror optical illusions but it is not so extreme. I don't even know what it does but it does something, I think it is more obviously when I try to capture my whole face in it. It doesn't obviously distort my features but something looks off. Again I don't know if all of the mirrors are like that or I just got a weirdo.

Now on to some swatches. They are all very shimmery just the last one is a little less glowy but still on the shimmery side.

The first green shade isn't as green as I was expecting it to be. I still think it is pretty and maybe like that it is even more wearable. I definitely noticed that I reach for it more often than some other greens.

Second taupey silver shade looks a bit pale here but in real life it is gorgeous. I do like my eye shadows to be close to my skin so they aren't too obvious especially with this type of finish because when the light hits it they sparkle like second sun.

Next peachy/pink shade is almost lost on my arm but trust me it is there. It is great for some of those barely there make-up looks when I use something lighter in my inner corners and then just this one all over the lid and plenty of mascara. If I would show you this palette after one year of use I bet this third shade would be the most used one in the entire palette.

All of the colors are very pigmented no matter if I use them with my fingers or brushes.
This palette costs 15 € but I bought it on sale for 10 € and that is not a bad price for five shadows (when you break it down like that this palette is cheaper than five Catrice singles) plus I like all of the shades which is something rare. I know I will use the first three the most but the last two aren't to shabby and I can make beautiful looks mix  and matching all of them together.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Tempting Grape

Hello,

a while ago I purchased this lovely gloss (I think it was in the Autumn). I didn't forget about it but I wanted to use some older ones first until I would fully commit to it. I tried it almost immediately and then put it away but not because it would be so bad...

It is L.O.V.  caring volume gloss in the shade Tempting Grape. The color is brighter, warmer pink something I don't have in my collection.
The scent is barely there but nothing sweet or caramel like, maybe it is more plastic and weird but since it is barely noticeable I don't mind it.

It has the 'regular' doe foot applicator that feels nice and deposits enough product for my thinner lips, if you are blessed with fuller set you might want to go back in for more.

This particular shade has some golden shimmer but once it is on the lips I can't notice these little specks. Most of the shades comes without any sparkles so there are some options for shimmer free fans.

It carries volume in the name but if you expect some minty scent or cooling sensation you will be disappointed. I haven't noticed any volumizing properties but maybe they just meant like glosses in general make your lips appear a bit bigger because it reflects light in the center, nothing groundbreaking.

The formula feels nice, maybe slightly thicker but not sticky (I'm looking at you M.A.C.). My lips feel nourished and taken care off even without any balm underneath. I have also noticed that it lasts a little longer than a regular gloss and that makes me love it even more.
The color is a bit brighter than what I'm used to it but it is not so bright that I would need to touch it up every five minutes. I think it makes my face a little happier with just enough juicy color to look healthier and ready for Summer.
I think this line of glosses is becoming my favorite, it rivals my beloved Avon ones but I think L.O.V. put more effort into making them more long lasting (still they don't last for four or five hours) so I have to like them more ;)

P.S. Does this color remind you of grapes? To me it speaks more like Roses, anyone else?