Gel manicure by Essence

Let’s continue with Essence today. I wasn’t very happy about the Sally Hansen gel manicure; you can read in my previous post why, so let’s see if this one is any better.

Price: base coat and top coat cost 2,69€ each, the colour nail polish 1,69€.

Colours: I bought 10 True love which is darker wine colour almost identical to nail polish n. 870 from Color Riche line by L‘Oreal.

Texture and application: the brush on base coat and top coat is thinner than on the colour nail polish, still all three nail polishes are easy to apply. The colour nail polish is well pigmented so you can sometime get away even with one layer, two layers are pretty looking. The layers dry quickly so you can do your manicure within 20 minutes or less.

Look on the nails: the nail polish is shiny and looks really like gel manicure.

Longevity: it doesn’t last longer than my favourite regular drugstore nail polishes (nail polishes by Flormar and Color Riche by L’Oreal) and that is 3 days. I was disappointed by the longevity, on the other hand the nail polish finish and shine is beautiful, it dries quickly so I’m going to use it as I would my regular nail polish.

Miracle gel manicure by Sally Hansen

I noticed that some drugstore brands came up with gel-like manicure products promising finish and longevity of real gel manicure without using an UV lamp. Of course I was curious to see how they perform. I tried duo of products by Sally Hansen and trio by Essence. Let’s start with SH first, about the Essence one next time.

Price: individual nail polish costs 7,99€, the duo with top coat polish 13,99€.

Colours: I bought 310 Shock wave which is medium Barbie pink and 240 B girl which is light turquoise. The colours are not bright as the Sally Hansen says on the packaging they have rather pastel feel.

Texture and application: both nail polishes have wide brush so the application is easy. The texture is not the best, first 1-2 layers have streaks so sometime you have to put even the third coat. That means longer drying time. It can take up to an hour to get the nail polishes to apply and dry.

Look on the nails: the nail polishes are not extremely shiny which is disappointing since they are supposed to mimic gel manicure. Moreover from closer look you can still see streaks here and there, especially if you have uneven nails like me.

Longevity: Sally Hansen promises up to 14 days of bright colour and shine. Well as mentioned in previous part, it is not super shiny and the nail polish started to chip after 5-7 days. While it doesn’t stay on my nails for 14 days, 5-7 is still a lot for me, so I don’t have problem with longevity. On the other hand the nail polishes look quite bad so I don’t want to have them on my nails for that long.

Battle of primers – part 4

Even though these primers don’t share the same texture they share the skin type they are suitable for – dry skin. Let’s see what the differences are.
Side note: all primers were applied under Lasting perfection 16 hour wear foundation by Collection which I reviewed previously.

PRIMED PORELESS BY TOO FACED

Price: I got mine in a kit, similar to what French Sephora has now (“Beauty expert darlings set” for 15€). Regular price for 30ml is 30€.

Texture and application: it has similar texture and colour to the Porefessional by Benefit (thin silicone based gel) but blends a lot better that the Benefit primer. You can actually use a brush for the foundation application, not just a sponge. It blurs bigger pores quite well although not as much as primers with thicker consistency.

Performance: it kept my skin matt for 4 hours, and then the skin got little bit oily. I didn’t see any breaking down of foundation or exaggeration of dry patches, the foundation only faded away from my T-zone (after 7 hours).

PORE REFINING SOLUTIONS BY CLINIQUE

Price: 15ml for 26€ which makes it almost the most expensive primer (only Hourglass beats it).

Texture and application: it has similar texture and colour to the Porefessional by Benefit and Primed Poreless by Too Faced. It doesn’t blend into the skin as nicely as primer by Too faced but still better than primer by Benefit (I recommend using a sponge for foundation application). It slightly covers bigger pores and acne scars but not to the extent of thicker consistency primers.

Performance: it kept my skin matt for 5 hours, after that slightly oily for another 3 hours. The foundation didn’t break down but faded away around the T-zone. This primer is my personal favourite although I’m not very happy with price.

SMOOTHING PRIMER BY SEPHORA

Price: 15ml for 10,95€ but it is very often on sale.

Texture and application: it has medium thick gel-like consistency (silicone based as all the primers) that blends ok into the skin so you can use brush or sponge for the foundation application. It doesn’t hide acne scars or bigger pores the best but it smoothes skin beautifully.

Performance: it kept my skin matt for 5 hours, shiny for another 3 hours before the foundation started to fade away. I noticed that the skin looked glowy like in the photo shoot where they use Vaseline to attain that wet look. I actually like that look as my skin looked quite healthy.

MINERAL VEIL PRIMER BY HOURGLASS

Price: 9ml costs 18$ (available only in US or UK).

Texture and application: it has thin creamy consistency that blends well into the skin. You can use brush or sponge for foundation application. It is not comparable to primers by Rimmel, Revlon or Max Factor that I reviewed in part 3 since it blends very easily and doesn’t require working in section. Side note: it has SPF 15 so at least little bit of sun protection.

Performance: it kept my skin matt for 7-8 hours, the foundation faded away only around T-zone later during the testing day. I didn’t see any dry patches to stand out so that is why I think it is suitable for dry skin. However I’ve seen lot of Youtubers to mention that it is suitable only for oily skin so if you have dry skin like me buy a smaller size to test it before buying the full size.

Related posts:

Lasting perfection 16 hour wear foundation by Collection review
Battle of primers – part 1
Battle of primers – part 2
Battle of primers – part 3

Battle of primers – part 3

In this post I wanted to regroup primers that are very similar in basically everything. Keep on reading if you want to know how they perform.
Side note: all primers were applied under Lasting perfection 16 hour wear foundation by Collection which I reviewed previously.

Price: Max Factor primer costs 10,99£ (30ml), Revlon primer 12,99£ (27ml) and Rimmel 5,99£ (all bought in UK during my last trip).

Texture and application: all of them have slightly thicker creamy consistency (not as thick as regular blue packaging Nivea though). They don’t blend easily into the skin, it’s better to blend them in each section of the skin separately. The less you use the better for you. The same goes for the foundation application. The primers are sticky so you better apply your foundation in section as well. Use minimum of it and blend well. I think the best tool in this case is flat brush or fingers to really blend the primer and foundation. They don’t hide bigger pores as good as other silicone based primers. Side note: Max Factor primer has SPF 20 which is quite a nice sun protection in case you don’t have any it in products you apply on your face.

Performance: these primers kept my skin matt for 5-6 hours than I noticed that the foundation got caky in some places and the skin didn’t look its best. I don’t think they are suitable for oily skin, nor would I recommend them for dry skin as they make skin look worse than without. I think they are suitable for normal skin although due to the problematic application I would rather go for Garnier, The Balm or primer by Gosh (see the Battle of primers part 2).

Related posts:
Lasting perfection 16 hour wear foundation by Collection review
Battle of primers – part 1
Battle of primers – part 2
Battle of primers – part 4

Battle of primers – part 2

Let’s continue today with primers that are more suitable for normal to oily skin. In last post the primers didn’t get the best reviews so let’s move to better ones.
Side note: all primers were applied under Lasting perfection 16 hour wear foundation by Collection which I reviewed previously.

PERFECT BLUR BY GARNIER

Price: 30ml for around 12€, depends on where you live.

Texture and application: it has thicker consistency (silicone based), similar to Magic Blur by L’Oreal but I find it easier to blend. It sticks to the skin well and you can use brush or sponge for foundation application. Due to its thicker texture it hides well bigger pores and acne scars.

TIME BALM BY THE BALM

Price: 30ml for 14,99€ in DI drugstore in Belgium.

Texture and application: it has thin consistency (but thicker than the primer by BareMinerals); it blends well into the skin so you can use brush or sponge for foundation application. It doesn’t blur imperfections like scars or big pores as well as thicker primers.

VELVET TOUCH LINE PERFECTOR BY GOSH

Price: 12,99£ in Superdrug drugstore in UK, you can find it cheaper in Germany or Austria.

Texture and application: it has thicker white cream (silicone based) texture, that blends well into the face so you can use either brush or sponge for foundation application. It blurs imperfections (acne scars and bigger pores) quite well.

Performance of the primers: all these three primers perform the same. They keep my skin matt for quite a long time (7-8 hours) and the foundation breaks up around dry patches. Therefore they are good option for oily to normal skin, not so great for dry skin. If you have acne scars or bigger pores and you want to get the best deal, choose a primer by Garnier.

Related posts:

Lasting perfection 16 hour wear foundation by Collection review
Battle of primers – part 1
Battle of primers – part 3
Battle of primers – part 4

Battle of primers – part 1

I recently reviewed Lasting perfection 16 hour wear foundation by Collection that didn’t work on my skin at all. I have dry skin but this foundation triggered oil production and I looked like a disco ball. Before throwing it away I got this idea that I could actually test out all my primers that promise to keep the skin matt and the staying power of a foundation longer. I realised that I have quite a lot of them so I’m going to review them in 4 parts.

THE POREFESSIONAL BY BENEFIT

Price: 22ml for 34,50€ at Sephora (you can buy smaller size for 10€ to test it out for yourself).

Texture and application: it is silicone base primer with thin consistency. It also has light nude colour and is recommended to put either under or over the foundation. When I applied it, it didn’t set or blend into the skin so I recommend a sponge for applying the foundation in order not to move the primer around.

Performance: it kept my skin matt for 4 hours and kept my foundation together for another 2 hours. After that, the foundation started to fade away. Compared to other primers I tried it is not the most effective so I don’t recommend it for oily skin.

REVITALIFT MAGIC BLUR BY L’OREAL

Price: 13,99€ in DI drugstore in Belgium, price will depend on where you live.

Texture and application: it has thicker consistency than Benefit primer; it blends quite well into the skin yet I found that a sponge wsa better for a foundation application. The colour is white which is invisible once blended into the skin. Thanks to its thicker consistency, it managed quite well to hide my bigger pores and acne scars.

Performance: the primer kept my skin matt for 4 hours and then the foundation started to break up on several dry patches. This is not a primer for dry skin, if you have normal to oily skin I would give it a try (when you see it on sale).

PRIMETIME BY BAREMINERALS

Price: 30ml for 26€, I got mine in a small trial pack with the price only 10$.

Texture and application: it has very thin, gel-like consistency that doesn’t set on the skin. I let it dry for 10 minutes and it was still moving. You definitely need a sponge for a foundation application.

Performance: it kept my skin matt for 4 hours than the foundation broke up and clanged to dry patches. Moreover since the primer moved, the foundation settled in my fine lines and it looked really bad. This primer is actually one of the worst I tested.

Related posts:

Lasting perfection 16 hour wear foundation by Collection review
Battle of primers – part 2
Battle of primers – part 3
Battle of primers – part 4

Recent nail polish purchases

My nails are soft and uneven so it is hard to find nail polish that lasts on my nails longer than 2 days. As I don’t feel like going for gel nails, I’m constantly looking for nail polish formula that would last longer. When I’m testing new brand I always get light milky type of colour and fuchsia or red. These two colours seem to always have different formulas and therefore look and performance on my nails.

PURE NAIL COLOUR LACQUER AND FRENCH MANICURE NAIL LACQUER BY KIKO MILANO

Price: the pure nail colour lacquers cost 3,90€ but they go on sale quite often. Similar price goes for French manicure nail lacquer.

Performance: 

French manicure (n.209): the formula is quite liquid and transparent. I had to apply several layers to hide streaks that showed after first one or two applications. The nail lacquer lasted on my nails approximately for 3 days.

Fuchsia colour (251 Peony Pink if I remember correctly): the formula is not as transparent and liquid as in case of French manicure; I needed 2 coats to get a nice application. It dried reasonably quickly so no complain in this category. It started to chip already after 2 days so I’m not very happy with it.

LASTING COLOR NAIL POLISH AND LASTING COLOR GEL NAIL POLISH BY PUPA MILANO 

Price: both colours were under 6€.

Performance:

Light colour (n.202): it is a lot more opaque compared to French manicure colour by KIKO, I needed 2 layers as well but it didn’t look streaky. The colour lasted about 3 days, so not too bad. The shade has pink undertone so it may not suit warm tone skin girls. The brush is quite thin so it may give difficult application to some people.

Fuchsia colour (n.021): I got nice opaque look out of 2 layers. The colour lasted about 3 days on my nails so it is better than KIKO but I know there are nail polishes that last longer than that. The brush is wide and the application is therefore easy and quick. It dried reasonably quickly so no complain in this category.

NAIL POLISHES COLOR RICHE BY L’OREAL

Price: these nail polishes cost little bit more than is usual for a drugstore, the cost can go up to 8€ depends on where you live but they are quite often on sale.

Performance:

Light colour (n.850) and Light wine colour (n.870): both nail polishes perform the same, they are opaque sometimes even after one application, they apply easily thanks to its wide brush, they dry reasonably quickly and last on my nails up to 4 days. They are one of my favourite drugstore formulas, I only prefer more nail polishes by Flormar and that is because they cost less, about 3-4€. You can get them only in Germany so I tend to go for L’Oreal more often.

Makeup wipes by Sephora, Yves Rocher and Evoluderm

I like to test makeup wipes to have the best and cheapest ones possible for my travel. On the day to day basis, if I’m not testing, I like to use either micellar water or regular cleanser that takes everything off. Here are 3 wipes I tested and used up recently, I still have another 3 wipes to test and hopefully I find a winner for this summer travel time.

MAKEUP REMOVER WIPES BY EVOLUDERM

Price: 1,99€ for 25 wipes in DI drugstore (Belgium).

Scent: it has light sweet almond milk scent.

Performance: unfortunately the wipes didn’t have enough liquid, they were on the dryer side and I couldn’t get my eye makeup off. I ended up using them either on my face or for swatches.

Makeup wipes by Evoluderm

PURE CALMILLE MAKEUP REMOVER WIPES BY YVES ROCHER

Price: 3€ for 20 wipes on sale, otherwise 5,90€.

Scent: fresh floral scent.

Performance: the same as Evoluderm, I couldn’t get my eye makeup off, I used them for face and swatches. I remember trying regular makeup removing milk from the same Calmille edition and that one was even worse because it stung my eyes like crazy. I feel like Yves Rocher is not doing good job with their makeup removers. I tried other wipes and micellar water and it also performed poorly.

Makeup wipes by Yves Rocher

EXPRESS MAKEUP REMOVER WIPES BY SEPHORA

Price: 3€ for 10 wipes in Sephora.

Scent: I cannot identify the scent but it is quite nice, something between clean and floral scent.

Performance: the wipes take face and eye makeup off without problem. On the other hand, they are very small, for complete makeup removal I needed 4 of them. For the price 3€ for 10 wipes that is not a good deal!

Makeup wipes by Sephora

Fail makeup products volume 3 – hair products

Here comes another episode of fail products, this time in hair category. To be sincere I liked the packing and that’s why I bought them. It’s a pity that the products themselves weren’t as nice as their containers.

GARNIER FRUCTIS OIL REPAIR SPRAY

Price: 5,59€ in L’Oreal outlet store in Parndorf (Austria).

How it’s supposed to work: the product promises to nourish your hair and keep it moist for 48 hours. You can spray it onto the hair after your regular conditioner and quickly wash it off. It has liquid texture and fruity scent.

How it worked: the spray nozzle was awful. It was hard to spray so I ended up unscrewing the top every time I used it. I used quite a lot of it but it didn’t condition my hair at all. In fact the hair felt dry and was hard to detangle.

Oil repair spray by Garnier Fructis

NUTRITIVE SHAMPOO AND HAIR MASK BY LOVEA

Price: both products were under 5€ in DI drugstore (Belgium).

Shampoo: it is a clear shampoo with nutty smell. It says on the bottle that it contains Shea butter and is suitable especially for dry hair. Well, I have dry hair and dry scalp but I got totally different effect from it. It dried my scalp and I got quite dandruff from it. At the same time I felt like it didn’t clean my hair enough, some time I had to use it twice to get my hair clean.

Nutritive shampoo by Lovea

Hair mask: the same story as with shampoo. It is designed to combat dry, damaged or frizzy hair. I used quite a lot of it but I still felt after washing it off like I gave no nutrition to my hair. It didn’t feel like I used any hair mask at all.

Nutritive hair mask by Lovea

My Coastal scents hot pot eyeshadows palette

The Coastal scents brand has been famous for big eyeshadow palettes and it is one of my first brands that I started with when I became makeup fanatic. The palettes are cheap so you can try and play with different colours for small price (the quality of these is average). Around last Christmas I discover that they have hot pot eyeshadows which you can buy separately and create your own palette. They were on sale so of course I bought some.

Hot pot eyeshadows by Coastal scents

Hot pot eyeshadows by Coastal scents

HOT POT EYESHADOWS

Price: normal price is 1,95$ for the eyeshadow and 9,95$ for empty 28 eyeshadow palette. I got it on sale, eyeshadow pots for 0,98$ and the palette for 4,98$.

Scent: the eyeshadows have a chalk scent; I think it is due to higher amount of talc ingredient in them. If you are allergic to talc I would probably buy one eyeshadow to test first.

(from left to right) Elven Gold, Canary Diamond, Midas Gold, Caramel Ice, Light Pink, Redwood and Violetta

Colours: Coastal scents offers lot of colours in different finishes so you can really go crazy and choose anything from nudes to bright colours. I went for neutral and purple shades: Mai Tai, Caramel Ice, Light Pink, Elven Gold, Canary Diamond, Deep Grape, Profound Plum, Little Grapette, Edgy Eggplant, Antique Lilac, Vibrant Plum, Ash Grey, Burnished Brunette, Light Taupe, Timeless Taupe, Harvest Brown, Chamois Nude, Burnt Umber, Deep Roast (unfortunately I bought 2 pots), Cloud White, Brownstone, Kokomo Café, Midas Gold, Violetta, Redwood, Midnight Blue, Bermuda Sand.

(from left to right) Antique Lilac, Little Grapette, Vibrant Plum, Deep Grape, Edgy Eggplant, Profound Plum and Midnight Blue

Pigmentation: almost all eyeshadows are well pigmented. The only one that I was really disappointed with is Little grapette.

Performance and longevity: the eyeshadows are blendable and easy to apply; I recommend them especially for beginners. With an eyeshadow primer they last all day.

(from left to right) Cloud White, Chamois Nude, Kokomo Cafe, Light Taupe, Harvest Brown, Burnt Umber and Deep Roast

My verdict: I really like these eyeshadows. Apart from the scent that says that they are cheap I cannot complain. I think they are great if you are looking for very affordable eyeshadows but you don’t want to lower you expectations quality wise.

(from left to right) Mai Tai, Bermuda Sand, Timeless Taupe, Brownstone, Ash Grey and Burnished Brunette (last colour in the palette is again Deep Roast) 

CUSTOM PALETTE FOR 28 EYESHADOWS WITH CLEAR LID

The palette is made of plastic with clear lid which is big plus if you own more of these palettes. It is bigger than Z palette or Custom palette by Sephora by 2 cm, on the other hand it is half thinner than both of the palettes.

Does MAC eyeshadows fit in it? Yes and no. They fit in the palette (they have the same diameter) and since they are magnetic they also stay and don’t fall out of the palette. The MAC eyeshadows are in deeper pan though so they will be visible (the eyeshadows will be slightly outside the palette). At the same time, you can still close the palette and therefore it is just a question of your preference and budget.

Micellar water and makeup remover wipes by Corine de Farme

After the popularity of Micellar water by Bioderma and the craze in the beauty community, especially on Youtube, lot of brands came out with their own version of this product. I’m planning to review some of them, available mainly in drugstore. I already wrote about the Micellar water and wipes by Yves Rocher, I wasn’t really a big fan of them so of course I continue to look for better ones.

Micellar water and makeup remover wipes by Corine de Farme

MICELLAR WATER 

Price: 5,99€ for 500ml in DI drugstore (Belgium).

Scent: light floral scent.

Performance: it removes makeup from the face and eyes without problems. Even when I put more water than needed my eyes don’t burn so I find it very gentle and suitable for sensitive skin. When I used Bioderma’s micellar water and put too much of it, my eyes burn little bit so I definitely prefer Corine de Farme water. Plus, the price is unbeatable, 500 ml for 5,99€ instead of 20€ that I paid for Bioderma, what a bargain!. I already used up 2 bottles and it is really my favorite micellar water. Once I stop testing other products in this category I’m going back to this one (unless I discover something as greater and cheaper).

Micellar water by Corine de Farme

MAKEUP REMOVER WIPES

Price: I cannot find my receipt but the price is around 3,50€ for 25 wipes in DI drugstore.

Scent: the scent is the same as for Micellar water – light floral scent.

Performance: when I first opened them and smelt them I thought that they were soaked in my favourite micellar water and that they would perform the same way. Unfortunately the wipes were not saturated and effective enough to remove my eye makeup, I used them only for the face makeup therefore I’m not going to repurchase them. I need wipes that can remove everything so that I can take them on my trips as my only makeup remover product.

Makeup remover wipes by Corine de Farme

Dry shampoos: Trend it up and Extra Fresh by Balea and Refresh and Care by Dove

It’s been long time since I reviewed some dry shampoos. I was using up all I had in stock and got to new shampoos only last 3 months. Here is a short review of what I think of them.

DRY SHAMPOO TREND IT UP BY BALEA

Price: 2,79€ for 200 ml in DM drugstore (Slovakia).

Scent: it has light floral scent.

Colour and performance: it is white powder as it is in case of most dry shampoos, so you have to be careful how you spray it. If you apply it from distance and you brush it out, it is invisible. It cleans hair quite well although it is not heavy duty like for example dry shampoo by Schwarzkopf.

Dry shampoo Trend it up by Balea

DRY SHAMPOO EXTRA FRESH BY BALEA

Price: 2,19€ for 200 ml in DM drugstore (Slovakia).

Scent: floral scent mixed with baby powder scent.

Colour and performance: the powder is less visible than the powder from Trend it up shampoo, so you can be less careful and spray it from closer distance. It cleans hair the same way as Trend it up but it gives it little bit of volume, so if I should choose between these two Balea dry shampoos I would go for this one, the Extra fresh dry shampoo.

Dry shampoo Extra fresh by Balea

DRY SHAMPOO REFRESH AND CARE BY DOVE

Price: 4,99€ for 200 ml in DM drugstore (Slovakia).

Scent: sweet floral scent, it can get obnoxious by the time the bottle is finished.

Colour and performance: it is almost colourless so absolutely user friendly. It cleans hair about the same way as Balea dry shampoo BUT it gives it the biggest volume from all the dry shampoos I’ve ever dried.

Dry shampoo Refresh and Care by Dove

Final verdict: out of all dry shampoos I’ve ever tried I prefer Dove one because of its volume effect. Plus, it is invisible and cleans well enough my hair. Since the scent can get obnoxious after one bottle I may switch it from time to time to either dry shampoo Extra fresh by Balea or any dry shampoo by Batiste. In any case it became my most favourite and I’m definitely stocking up once I go to Slovakia for summer vacation.

PROJECT 20 PAN vol.2 – finished!

It wasn’t that easy to finish all the products and as last time, I finish quite a lot of makeup that wasn’t on my list but couldn’t get rid of the one the list. Let’s see how well I’ve done:

1. SuperShock eyeshadow base pot by Avon - DONE
2. Brow gel by Anastasia – little bit left, I will use it during the summer
3. Eyeshadow pencil in colour Champagne Toast by Milani – still about one week of use, I will use it during the summer
4. Eye pencil in colour Bronze by Bourjois – still about 2 weeks of use, I will use it during the summer
5. Lip pencil in colour Nude by NYX - DONE
6. Prep & prime face primer by MAC - DONE
7. Airbrush concealer by Clinique- DONE
8. Lumi Magique foundation by L’Oreal - DONE
9. 4 eyeprimer samples by Urban Decay – 2 samples left, I will use it during the summer
10. Mascara by Makeup Atelier Paris - DONE
11. Lipstick in Lush for blast by Color whispers Maybelline - DONE
12. Prep & prime face powder by MAC - DONE
13. BB cream Sublimist by L’Oreal - 10ml left (I put it in a little pot), I will use it during the summer
14. Eyeliner pen in colour Brown by Miss Sporty – didn’t use it, I will use it during the summer
15. Eyeliner pen in colour Black by Miss Sporty – still working (after 3 months!)
16. Eyeliner pen in colour Blue by ARTDECO – it transferred on upper lid so much that I didn’t use it, it’s going to trash
17. Lipstick n.02 by Dermacol – still quite a lot left, I will use it during the summer
18. Lipgloss n.020 by Catrice – little bit left, I will use it during the summer
19. The Porefessional face primer by Benefit – didn’t use it in June as I was testing other silicone based primers, I will use it during the summer
20. Eyebrow highlighting pen by KIKO – didn’t use it all, going back into the drawer

Altogether I used 8 products, 1 is not usable, 1 is going back to the stash and the rest, 10 products, I’m going to use during this summer. Apart from products in this challenge, I also used up another 8 items:

1. Eyeshadow n.551 by ARTDECO
2. Eyeshadow n.?? by ARTDECO (the number wore off, it was shimmery light pink)
3. Cashmere wear bronzer in colour Ligh by Physicians Formula
4. Define a brow pencil in colour Dark blonde by Maybelline
5. Base coat by Revlon
6. Top coat by L’Oreal
7. Nail polish n.89 by Sally Hansen
8. Nail polish n.228 by Flormar

All in all, I used up 16 products! Not bad! I decided to give myself a break during the summer and use whatever I please without focusing on using up lot of things. I’m going to use up only products from this project and the rest we’ll see what I use. I will definitely let you know in September what I used and hop on new project 20 pan.

Lasting perfection 16 hour wear foundation by Collection

I was browsing Superdrug (UK drugstore) for brands that we don’t have in continental Europe and Collection is one that caught my eyes. The foundation looked promising, especially as we are coming into warm weather now.
I have dry skin so to find a foundation that doesn’t dry it more or makes it looking dry and at the same time that lasts for long time is quite a challenge. This foundation surprised me yet it didn’t make it to my favourites.

Lasting perfection 16 hour wear foundation in colour n.2 Ivory by Collection

Price: 5,99£ for standard 30ml in Superdrug (UK) - cheap foundation.

Shades: there are 6 shades, I bought n. 2 Ivory. It is light warm tone shade that suits me quite well although I prefer more yellowish foundation.

Scent: it has foundation - paint like scent.

Texture and finish: it has thick creamy texture that is quite easy to blend (you can use a brush, a sponge or fingers). First I used 2 pumps but that was way too much, I could still get good coverage when using just one pump. The foundation is visible on the skin; it is definitely better for evening than for day wear.

Coverage: it has medium to full coverage, it really makes skin looking flawless.

Lasting perfection 16 hour wear foundation in colour n.2 Invory by Collection

Longevity: here is where I got surprised. As I mentioned before I have dry skin and last time I saw my own oil on my face was at high school. I never get oily. With this foundation I was a disco shiny ball after 4 hours. Something in the foundation triggers my oil production and it doesn’t look good. Even when using primers the longevity didn’t get to 16 hours as the foundation promised.

Final verdict: I don’t like this foundation at all. It makes me oily and after sometime the face looks cakey. This is the first time that this happens to me and I tried to make it look better by wearing different primers but it is so bad that nothing helps (I tried about 10 primers, stay tune for battle of primers!).