Kisses from Havana

Hello,

have you spotted Cubanita TE from Essence and did you buy anything from it? I really like the color scheme of the collection but only to look at, I'm not very adventurist when it come to applying color to my face so I wanted to skip on this one altogether until the Essence team surprised me with a couple of products,

This is Essence Cubanita wet look lip lacquer in the Kisses from Havana shade. It is highly pigmented and very wet looking lip gloss.

It comes with a flat doe foot applicator that makes application quite easy but you still have to be careful because the color is so highly pigmented.

It is very opaque and has zero shimmer (those little reflections are just my arm hairs, opss).
The scent/taste is different than any other lip product that Essence has, it is fruitier and sweeter, if that makes sense. I like it a lot and even after the shine is gone (around two hours) you are left with a nice even stain and the taste is still there is you lick it.

The color is purple with pink undertone, it is quite similar (pigmentation, high shine and after a couple of hours when the gloss wears off the stain ramains) to the shine, shine, shine gloss in the Runway, your way, except that one is even darker and more plumy looking but the formula feels very similar.

This gloss is also very moisturizing and comfortable to wear. I wish it would be a little less bright because whenever I wear it I'm always looking for shiny surfaces to check if it smeared or got on my teeth. So far that haven't happened but the racing heartbeat is always present. I like the formula, scent and how it feels but I would make it a little less pigmented and in some neutral color.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Coral me maybe

Hello,

I bought this blush a while ago, when it wasn't in the process of being discontinued. I have the other two colors and I love them so much that they are in my top five blushes but this one feels a bit different.

It is Catrice Illuminating blush in the shade Coral me maybe, is it just me or anyone else can hear 'the song'?

It looks beautiful with it's zig zag pattern and I have a soft spot for peachy/coral blushes so I predicted that I will love it even before I spent my money on it but I was left disappointed a bit or maybe I should say that it is not what I expected to be.
Yes, this blush too has some random shimmer particles but they don't bother me since I like some glow on the cheeks, it is the color that surprised me.

First swatch is made with mixing both colors together, second one was hard to get because of the placing in the pan but I tried and manged and the last, barely there stripe is made only with the middle color.
As mentioned I love the other two shades (I'm nuts about you and La vie en Rose) but this one felt a bit flat. When I swirl my brush in it very little product gets on the brush and I just end up dipping my brush in it for at east three times for one cheek, I like less opaque blushes so I have more control but this one is just a tad too sheer plus the color is barely there. All I see on my cheeks is a golden glow, it looks like a highlighter on my skin (third swipe). It is not bad, it actually look nice but it is not what I expected, I spent my money on a beautiful looking peachy blush instead I got golden highlighter that actually looks nice but I already have around five other highlighters that gives me the same effect.
I hope this doesn't come across as a rant because it is a lovely product, it is just not what I was expecting. Did you ever buy something that looked completely different when you used it?




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Wish I was a Mermaid

Hello,

I know, I know, this one is old but I still wanted to expose it here. Some smaller drugstores can't sell everything and it happened to me that I found some pieces one year after they were released. If you are lucky you can find them too and maybe this lipstick is worth the wait.

Essence Next Stop: Summer TE Wish I was a Mermaid lipstick. 

Don't let the soft green color fool you, it does not look like that on the skin. At first it is actually pretty sheer and after a couple of minutes it starts changing into peachy pink color. It is not as intense as the other shade Little Miss Sunshine (I gave it to my mom and she loves it so much that I bought her a back up of it).

This is how it looks on me. Photo was taken after a couple of layers so the color is visible and I took it right after applying fresh layer so it looks a bit glossy but that shine goes away after about 20-30 minutes and you are left with a stain. I like to feel some product on my lips and after it dries I feel the need to reapply constantly, thankfully this color doesn't build up that fast and I can actually take it with me to work and use it without a mirror.
It has a nice fruity scent that makes me feel like I'm on a vacation.
I think this is a nice hybrid between a lip balm and a stain but I wish it would be more nourishing and that the balmy texture would stay on for longer, other than that I like it a lot. I'm not as crazy about it as my mom is but I'm still not passing it to a friend and considering how many lip products I have that means a lot.

Thank you Essence team for letting me try this.




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& the lovely little things

Hello,

today I received another parcel which was ripped open just outside of my post office. I had enough decency to close the car doors so I wasn't too obvious. Don't judge, you would probably do the same.

I got one out of the three eye shadow palettes (the other two are neutral, one consist of all matte and the other of all shimmery shades, they seem more like 'me' shades but Essence team decided to gift me the grey one) named & our secret date at midnight. I probably wouldn't pick it up myself but I'm glad that I got it, it has a major throwback for me. I remember when I started wearing eye shadows which was in high school and I only had a couple but they were all ether silver or gray. It doesn't come with a mirror but it does have a double ended brush with one actual brush and on the other side is a sponge tip applicator.

Next is super duper cute lip balm & we kissed with intoxicating fruity mango scent. I haven't tried it yet but I have a feeling that I will buy some backups just because the scent is so great. The pink one is supposed to smell like strawberries which sound just as delicious.

The last item is 2 in 1 nail file. I usually don't buy these type of sand paper files but I guess they can come handy if you travel (it feels super light and you can take it with you on a plane). I haven't use one of these in a really long time so it will be interesting to see if they are any better quality, than what I remember them to be.

Thank you Essence team for sending this package my way, I really appreciate it.





Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Nude Metal Mood

Hello,

in my previous post I presented beautiful eye shadow palette and for today I have a lipstick from the same limited edition.

It is Catrice Soleil d'ete Nude Metal Mood lipstick in a beautiful golden case. I have to admit that I love limited edition packaging because that way it is much easier to spot it and also you don't get sick of it since every tube is different.

It is nude with some pink undertone and peachy shift to it. In the tube it already looks like a molten metal, right?

So glossy and juicy, some of the shine translates to the lips as well, especially because of the shimmer. It gives you that 'metal look' and I remember women wearing this type of colors and frosty finish when I was a kid in the 90'. It makes sense since fashion and trends rotate. Back then I was too young to wear make-up but even now when I'm older 90' trends just don't rub with me. I still tried it on and it doesn't look good on me or at least I don't think it looks good.

In the video you can see the insane shine that it gives and remember bigger lips give more reflection. Mine are thin and the undertone somehow clashed with my skin but I liked the fruity/sweet scent and taste. I almost kept it because of that but I wasn't selfish and I passed it on to someone who will appreciate it and wear it with a smile.

Thank you Catrice team for sending it my way, my sister likes it a lot.





Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Metal Muse

Hello,

Catrice is currently offering this beautiful golden collection called Soleil d'ete. I was lucky enough to receive this palette and if I'm being completely honest I probably wouldn't pick it up myself. You get five different shades in it but some of them don't really look like my cup of tea...

So, Catrice made Soleil d'ete LE and this palette is called Metal Muse. It is housed in beautiful golden case with big mirror inside.

Inside you get shadows with different finishes but none of them is a flat or chalky matte.

Top one is cream with a pink shift, unfortunately you can't see it on my photos but in person it is obvious. That color is borderline one for me. I typically don't wear pink on my eyes because I think it makes me look sick but this one isn't straight in you face pink so I did accumulated it into my looks and it looked fine. It is my least favorite from the palette but I know I will use it.

Second rose color looks like it would be matte but it has some minor shimmer. I was scared that it will be super pigmented and it will give me an effect of a pinky eye but thankfully it is actually pretty flattering. I wear it all over the lid or rather as a transition color.

Third and the darkest color also appears to be matte but it has some sheen to it and I love it (I rarely wear matte on my eyes anyway). If I wear it in my crease I have to blend it well because it is a bit dark but it is worth it, sometimes I even use it all over my lid for a darker look. I know we are in the middle of the Summer but at the moment I like to wear darker looks, I think this palette started this trend.

Second to last color is shimmery bronze color that is not too warm or orange toned. This type of shimmer goes very well with my taste and as soon as I saw this palette my eyes gravitated towards it and it was the first one to try. I love it all over my lids and how well it attracts attention and makes my eyes appear more blue than grey.

The real star has to be the last one or in the palette it can be found in the center. It has a smaller pan and it makes me think that it is meant to be used on top of other colors to add some shine. Well, I also wore it alone and I loved it just as much. The formula feels different. I always apply it with my finger and it feels like a cream to powder. It is weird but in a good way. It has peachy base with big silver glitter particles that reflect light like nothing else. I wish they would sell it in a single form and create different colored bases, I would buy all the shades.

This palette got me unprepared. I really didn't think I would like it as much as I do, I was even planing to do some swatches and wear it once or twice and then give it to my sister but after just one use I changed my mind. I'm keeping it but I spread the word to my sister and she might pick it up for herself as well. catrice gets two thumbs up from me for creating this beautiful palette.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Essence haul

Hello,

judging from the photo below you would think I splurged a little but all of these items were on sale because Essence decided not to make them anymore :(   There are some of my favorites going away so I had to buy backups of backups, some are new to my collection and some aren't even for me but I still wanted to include them here.

On the top left corner there are three invisible kiss transparent lip liners in Multitalent Wonder. I had the previous version which came in a wooden form and I loved it so when I saw they are discontinuing them I had to get as many as possible (the rest were all broken, what a shame).

Even bigger bunch of extreme lasting easy glide &waterproof eye pencils in the shade Rockin' Taupe. I already have one and it is amazing, so amazing that I bought another one for my sister and she loves it as much as possible. When I informed her that they will be gone soon she ordered me to get as many as possible and so I did. I visited two stores and picked up all unused ones and we will split them.

Also, all of these aren't for me. My sister wanted to try the famous lip oils and she wanted to get the expensive ones from Clarins. I convinced her that it is smarter to try some low budget ones first to see if she even like the feeling. I personally have the ones from Catrice (all three shades and one is already used up) and I hope these Preetifying lip oils will be similar. They definitely smell better, while the Catrice ones don't have a scent these smell sweet. The yellow one is called I care for you, honey, pink is named First help, pinky and the last red one is SOS, my heart.

I picked up two powders to try and break the routine (the one I'm consistently using is Essence all about matte fixing powder). The one on the top is get picture ready pore refining powder in Selfie finish (even though it is the only shade available) and next to it is color correcting mattifying powder in the lighter version Beautiful finish. I don't believe in color correcting products if the colors are all swirled together, how does the color know on exact which spot to jump to color correct my skin and make it look even? The reason behind picking it up was the mattifying claim and that it actually looks light enough for my skin tone.

There are also two lipstick. Top one is longlasting lipstick in the beautiful neutral shade Natural Beauty (I already have one shade which is not my favorite but I love the finish). I would pick more but I saw that they will come out with revamped line that looks very very similar to this one, so I will just wait for the new ones and pick one up when they will arrive to compare.

The other one is from Sheer & Shine line and I already have three shades. This line has to be my favorite from the brand if not the best formula that I have tried for my dry lips. My mom agrees with me because she loves it too, she declared this one to be her favorite. We both own this exact shade which is Candy Love and it is beautiful soft pink shade that glides so effortlessly on the lips plus the shade looks so good no matter how I do my make-up. I was only able to find one and this one will go to my mom because I have way too many lipsticks of my own but if I will find one more I will keep it.

Chubby pencil is 2 in 1 eye shadow & liner and I got it in the shade Rosy Happiness. My oily lids are usually against cream products so even though it looks amazing I didn't get it for myself but only for my sister. She was asking about it but then she couldn't decide if she should pick it up so I will surprise her with one that I think will look lovely on her. 

The metals shadows looks gorgeous on the swatch and I had a wish to own at least one ever since they came out but I just never really pick them up. This time I stocked up with two lovelies. First is Patina Glow in olive green shade and the other taupe color is Frozen Toffee.

Right now I'm using just regular dark grey eye shadow to fill in my brows but it is slowly coming to an end so I was thinking ahead when I purchased this duo. It is make me brow duo eyebrow powder in Mix it brunette! but I think only the darker color will be suitable for my caterpillars above my eyes but after a closer inspection and natural light this color looks brown not grey. I hope it will appear grey and that it will match me otherwise I just bought two more eye shadows.

Me and my sister fell in love with this taupe shimmery number from the my must haves line and it is in the shade All I need, there are two other colors getting discontinued but we didn't care for them. I can't wait to start playing with it since it looks so lovely.

Second to last product is smokey eye set in Smokey Day. This wasn't on my list but when I saw it in person I changed my mind. The colors maybe don't look interesting but the bottom shimmery color looks fantastic, it is slightly darker than the single one above but they both contain small shimmer that makes it glow and that is what I like.

And the very last palette is get picture ready 1,2,3, smile palette with 7 different colors, big mirror and a decent brush. I already have mine and review will follow soon, this particular one is for my sister because I have a very strong feeling that she will love it.

Now, I just have to find time to play with all that new make-up, it will be tough because we are heaving a real heatwave and all my make-up is melting away.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day