The Balm

 Hello,

I don't have much from The Balm, I find their packaging interesting but not quite right for me. I found a set with these two products below plus a mascara which I will open when I am done with my current one. 

I have The Balm lip oil in Too slow, Mauve over shade and Oliver Dewy face drops in Golden Glow option.

Lip oil has a standard packaging with 7 ml of product while Golden Glow holds 28 ml of highlighter. I like the pump dispenser since it is more hygienic and it is precise.

Regular doe foot applicator and my shade is mauve with red tones. The scent is slight but there is more taste than smell. It does not smell like plastic but it is artificial and unpleasant. It is not super strong but just enough to bother me.

Here Too Slow, Mauve over looks a bit more red than in real life but it is like a thin oil. It spreads easily but also disappears quickly, think 15 min. I tried it on dry lips and it didn't heal them, when used on healthy and hydrated lips by the end of the day my lips were dry. I realised that this thin lip oil did nothing for my lips and the taste isn't the best. I am borderline thinking of getting rid of this product.

Golden Glow also has thin texture and spreads easily. I would use less on my whole face and neck that what I used on my swatch. It is not oily but feels like a moisturiser and I just wait a few minutes to sink in and there is this light glow on my face. I use it under my foundation so I think it comes out very subtle. I like it but it is definitely not essential in my make-up routine. If I am out of time this step is the first to skip so I don't know why I even bother buying liquid highlighters, probably because they look gorgeous and I like a bit glow but matte finish (powder on top to prevent my natural oils to mess up my makeup).

Out of the two (I know they are completely different products) I prefer the face highlighter and at first I was eying the Peachy shade but I will not be buying more lip oils from The Balm, just not worth it for me.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Wave

 Hello,

I was browsing the Asian online store and saw this palette and I started thinking about contouring again. I am not good at it and I usually don't love my face sharply contoured but when I saw the packaging it sealed the deal.

Here I have Judydoll 2 in 1 highlighter contour palette in Wave option (I think there are five, I picked up the coolest one but the one with the blush shade also looks interesting).

I love that the wave is translated also on the product inside. It has two highlighter shades (large one is matte and bottom one is shimmery), third pan is cool contour and under is warm bronzer.

Here is a closer look of the pattern and the pretty sparkle.

Matte highlighter is barely visible on my skintone (my face is paler so it just blends into nothing, I use it for setting my eyeshadow primer and under eyes concealer), next is cool contour, then warm bronzer which isn't orange but the tone is pretty neutral and just right for me. Last is shimmery shade which sparkles white and iridescent pink, not worm nor cool, pretty in the middle.

I had to build these finger swatches to even show up on my arm. When it comes to face products like these I prefer buildable pigment. For me it is easier to apply multiple layers because it is easier to add than to remove once it is on my face. 

They are also easy to blend and the two brown shades are just right for me.

Matte highlighter is a bit disappointing since it is just like face powder but if I turn it around then this palette is an all rounder because I can set concealer. 

Glow highlighter is a bit too shimmery for my taste to be used on the cheeks but on the eyes it looks super pretty, especially if I don't pack it up so much as I did on the swatch and it is a bit more subtle, I call it my everyday shimmer.

The three matte shades are multitaskers since I use them all over my face and my eyes. I have done a few looks with just this palette (I used foundation and concealer) but for everything else I used only these four shades. 

I think it makes my make-up subtle but put together, I hit the jackpot with the contour and bronzer tones, I love the shimmery shade and I found use for the matte highlighter. I can see myself using it a lot in the future and if something would happen to it at the moment I would get it again.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Caring Rose

 Hello,

here I have another pink lip product in the line. This one is not in a tube but in a rather traditional tube with the applicator.

It is Artdeco lip wonder serum in Caring Rose. Pale, sheer pink gloss with a doe foot applicator. This tube looks large but holds only 4 ml of product.

This doe foot applicator is larger than normally but to accommodate large tube it has to be like that. I can smell slight plastic scent and after reapplying it I can also taste it. It is not good, it is mild but compared to soo many products on the market which has wonderful scent and taste... I give it a negative in that realm.

It is just slightly milky pink and on the lips the shade is almost completely clear which I don't mind. Where this products stands out in a positive way is the glossiness. It looks shiny like a mirror, it smooths over all of my lip lines and makes them look fuller without any tingle or cooling/warming effect. It stays put, on the lips for about 30-40 min, I wish it would stay longer.

I like this serum, it smooths over my lips (they look less wrinkly and instantly makes them look and feel smoother) and I like the barely there shade. That makes me want to use it but when I do I get the plastic taste and I get turned away. 

I will use it up but will not be getting it again or in other shades.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Berry Cream

 Hello,

for me it is time for lip glosses and lip balms in tubes. Recently I only have eyes for those, especially pink ones.

I purchased Lumene lip glow oil balm in Berry Cream. My first thought when I tried it is that it does not feel like oil, more like lip balm/gloss.

Berry Cream is pink but on the brighter side, it does sheer out on the lips and it can be easily applied without a mirror. There is no scent but it does taste fruity, I guess like berries? I like it a lot :)

This shade of pink is lovely, I like the taste and it does nourish my lips, I only wish it would last a bit longer on my lips so I wouldn't need to reapply every 30-45 min. 

I think I picked up the right shade for me but there is also lighter pink called Sugar with shimmer that I am interested in.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Cherry, Cherry Baby!

 Hello,

this is a lovely hybrid between lip gloss and lip balm. I think they took the best from both when making it.

From the Essence So Cherry Happy collection I got this peptide lip gloss in 02 Cherry, Cherry Baby!, it is a recent buy and since this collection came out in late Spring I don't know if it didn't sell well or they just made so many of them. I would say the second because this is really nice.

Cherry, Cherry Baby! is pale baby pink gloss with liquid consistency, here I was seconds away from dropping it (I didn't, I was able to salvage it).

It is on the sheer side, especially on the lips where I didn't get to use this much at once. I actually prefer the sheer glosses over overly pigmented ones. There is also a very strong bubblegum scent and taste and I love it.

Gloss is visible, it makes my lips really juicy and full, just how I like it.

I love the sheer pink shade, for me it has a great scent/taste. I find it hydrating on my lips, it stays put for over one hour and I am even thinking of getting a second tube but this holds 10 ml of product and it will take me a long time to finish this first tube.

I was really positively surprised and I eneded up loving it. It is one of my favorites in my collection. I hope Essence comes out with more of these in the future.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Too Cool and Hakimi

 Hello,

these two products reminded me so much of Gege Bear solid lip glosses so I had to get them. These are a bit more expensive but after some more research I thought that I will like them enough to get two of.

They are Flortte special edition heart shaped lipstick in Too Cool (bunny) and Hakimi (kitty).

They feature fun animal stickers which looks like I made them myself since they look a bit homemade but I still like them :) I would also mention the packaging or the texture. They aren't smooth but they are like water, curvy and wavy with sparkles inside the plastic.

Here I accidentally turned them upside down to reveal buts instead hearts ;) They both have sparkles but Too Cool (pink) is more packed.

Hakimi is nude with barely there sparkles and Too Cool is deeper pink with sparkles but both are still pretty sheer so they can be applied without a mirror (I have to be a bit more careful with the Too Cool one but it is okay).

They are the glossies sticks that I have tried and I tried plenty. So far these are my favorites. They have no scent or taste, colors are sheer but I can still tell them apart if I apply them on the lips (on the lips they look different, Hakimi looks almost clear and Too Cool gives a deeper pink hue). They stay glossy for a good hour which is also the longest.

I am thinking of getting backups, I would get different shades but none are available at the time, but I can see that there are 6 shades in total.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day

Mood Changer

 Hello,

this product has a square bottle and my first thought was that it is a nail polish but I was wrong, it is a lip gloss.

 It is Heart Percent dote on mood top coating lip plumper in Mood Changer.

The wand is short (because of the short bottle) and the applicator is silicone. Very unusual and bendable. This product is meant to be applied on top of some other shades and it is nice that it can be wiped clean so it does not interfere with the rest of the product.

In the bottle it looks pretty dark but on the skin it sheers out into a sheer plum shade. On bare, pale lips it can look like I have been out in the cold but when my lips are red it tones them down. I really like the effect. It was meant to be applied over other lippies to tone them down and it work nicely without looking too artificial.

It has a slight minty scent but without any tingle, it is super glossy and juicy (texture is very liquid) and the shade is sheer but it works as a stand alone product or as a topper. I really love this cutie.

There is also a Cool Changer with a berry tint and two glitter top coats which also look interesting...

Thank you for reading and have a nice day