How I managed to miss this gem in the recent flood of liquid lipsticks is beyond me, but at least I know of it now. When I first got the Matte Me Ultra Smooth Matte Lip Creams, I expected them to be what lip creams usually are - thicker glosses with a semi-matte finish - but instead, they surprised me with a velvety consistency and a proper matte effect. 

Upon the application, they are slightly creamier, but the right kind of creamy, the kind where the product doesn't go all over your face and is instead easy to apply precisely, which is what you need when you're dealing with bolder shades. It dries down very quickly, into that non-moisturizing but non-drying consistency that is completely comfortable to wear, and most importantly, turns truly matte. The only annoying thing I've noticed with regards to consistency is the slight stickiness when you press your lips together. If you're not constantly rubbing your lips together like I am (I really need to get rid of the habit), you probably won't even notice it, though. 

L: Vino Tinto, R: Velvet Slipper

I usually apply two layers. The lighter shade, Velvet Slipper, doesn't streak at all, while the darker Vino Tinto does tend to get slightly patchy, so make sure your lips are exfoliated. They both wear well throughout the day and are actually super long-lasting on condition you don't eat or drink. Otherwise, the product does disappear from the inner side of the lips. Having said that, it is fuss free to touch up. It's the removal part that requires a slightly heavier approach. While micellar water can do its job just fine, it's way way quicker if you grab an oil-based makeup remover and get it off gently. 

I have to give a huge thumbs up to these Sleek MakeUP numbers, especially since Velvet Slipper has now crawled onto my all-time-favourite-lip-products list. And with them being only £4.99 a pop, you really can't go wrong. You know what? I don't even want to try the Kylie Jenner Lip Kits anymore. I'll take these Sleek lip creams instead any day! The only thing that's left for me to do now is to give the lighter shades a go as well. Have you tried any? 

I don't normally buy beauty products before reading at least a couple of reviews first, but when I was looking through the shelves of dm during my stay in Berlin, there was a stand of nail polishes that immediately caught my attention. The selection of shades was impressive and so were the prices, with €1,25 or €2,25 per bottle.

I have to admit, I don't keep up with the lastest European releases anymore since moving to London, so I had no idea about 'trend IT UP', dm's own, new-ish beauty brand. I'll definitely be paying attention to it now, though. My first experience was great and more than exceeded my expectations. 

I ended up purchasing two nail polishes. They had quite a lot of different effects and finishes available, but me being me, I went for the classic - shiny - and the shades I always gravitate towards during this time of the year. A lovely lavender grey, number 070 from the Double Volume & Shine range, and a deep burgundy stunner, 110 from the N°1 line.

'070' comes in an 11 ml large bottle with a considerably wide brush, which I personally love, while '110' comes in a 6 ml version, with a slighty thinner but still great brush. I have nothing bad to say with regards to consistency, application or wear. Both of them are creamy and neither too liquidy nor too goopy. They apply evenly, require two coats and last for three or four days on my nails before they start chipping. That is with my number one bae, the Seche Vite Dry Fast Topcoat, which I always apply on top. 

I'm so impressed with them I have already decided to pick up a few more shades when I go home to Slovenia for the holidays. Man, I love a good nail polish that doesn't break the bank! Don't you? If you've tried any trend IT UP products yourself and you feel like I might like them as well, PLEASE leave me suggestions below. I already have my to-buy list right in front of me, ready to be written on. 

It's been two months since I last wrote a beauty review here or my blog, so I thought it would be time to finally write another one! Today I'll be talking about essence's liquid lipsticks. Liquid lipsticks have been all the rage for about a year now, with Bourjois and Anastasia Beverly Hills taking the centre stage, but I just couldn't justify spending my precious money on them, knowing I probably wouldn't wear them very often. I only tested out the ones available in my online store (it's in the job description), but that doesn't mean I didn't or don't want to try more. I mean, I'm a makeup addict after all!

I got really excited when I saw that essence was coming out with what it looked like a budget version of Bourjois liquid lipsticks, and luckily, I got my hands on two lovely, bold shades - 04 show off! and 06 make a statement. But before you get too excited, I need to let you know that these are not proper liquid lipsticks. At least not in my book. They aren't long-lasting and don't stain your lips, which are the two main characteristics of liquid lipsticks, so I think pigmented thick glosses would be a more appropriate way to describe them. 

As mentioned, they are very pigmented. One swipe is more than enough. In fact, I would keep away from adding extra layers and rubbing your lips together too much, as the product doesn't really settle and tends to move around and gather in certain areas when there's too much of it on your lips.

The gloss isn't too sticky and has a comfortable waxy smooth finish, but as with all heavy lip formulas, it tends to wear off unevenly, with the product disappearing from the middle of your lips first and leaving a line inside the edges. I don't see it as a huge problem, though, because the fact that it doesn't stain your lips means that you can quickly touch it up. When it comes to staying power, I would say it's average, lasting a couple of hours before the gloss wears off. 

Packaging is not something I normally pay a lot of attention to, but I just have to mention it this time. I think it's freakin' amazing. Not only is it functional, showing through the actual shade of the product, but it's also inceredibly sleek for such a cheap product. Essence have really been stepping up their game recently when it comes to their lip products, don't you think so? 

You know when you discover a product you love so much you eventually end up getting it in every single shade? It's happened far too many times to me, especially with lipsticks, and I think it's happening again. I currently own three shades of Wet n Wild MegaLast Matte Lipsticks, but there will be many more joining the collection, that's for sure.

What I love about these is that they're matte yet moisturizing, and last ages on my lips. They survive meals - yes, really, even the moist ones - and when they do eventually wear off, your lips stay stained evenly, so you really don't have to worry about checking yourself in the mirror every five minutes when you're wearing one of the bold shades. Woohoo! 

I'm getting a lot of wear out of Mauve Outta Here right now, as I believe is the perfect transitional shade for the warmer months ahead of us. Have you tried any yourself? If not, you can get them here, in my online store, for €3,95 a pop. And between you and me, there's plenty of MAC dupes in the collection. Sugar Plum Fairy is basically MAC's Rebel, for example. Just a whole lotta cheaper. 

Hello lovelies! How have you all been? It's been a while since I last wrote on here, but I think I'm now officially back? I don't want to jinx it again, though. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that this post marks the end of my unexpected blogging break. I'll be updating you on everything that has been going on in my life for the past month, don't worry, just not today. It's been a crazy stressful ride, and it requires a lengthy explanation I will be writing up or possibly filming in days to come. Today I'm here to talk about a more lighthearted topic - makeup. More specifically, The Hot Shop's Matte Lipstick in shade number 10 from Born Pretty Store.

If you feel like you've seen this packaging before, you might not be completely wrong. It screams Topshop, doesn't it? And the fact that the 'brand' is called The Hot Shop leaves no room for coincidence. I think it's safe to say someone had zero imagination when trying to create a dupe. 

Dupe or not, I can't make any comparisons, because I don't own any Topshop lipsticks. No, scratch that. I actually do own one but never wear it because it doesn't suit my skintone at all. Or so I thought when I tried it on a few years ago. Maybe I should dig it out of the drawer and give it another go. Anyway. The Hot Shop lipstick is presented as matte, but I wouldn't say this is 100% true. When you first put it on, it has a slight shine. Having said that, the shine eventually fades and you are left with a proper matte finish. The pigmentation can't be faulted. The colour payoff is great. You don't even need to layer the lipstick to get the bold effect and once it rubs off, you're left with a nice even stain. Unfortunatelly, it doesn't last a whole lot of time on my lips like matte lipsticks usually do. Although it does stain your lips, as already mentioned. The main con for me would be how the formula feels on my lips. It's one of those annoying ones that start to dry out your lips as the time goes by, which I am not a fan of. 

The drying out part aside, I think this is a decent $6,68 lipstick. I don't see myself wearing it on a regular basis, as it's quite bright for every day and, like I mentioned, a little bit too drying  for my taste, but it's definitely a nice addition to my collection. I feel like I'll get more use out of it once spring arrives.

P.S. If you're planning to get anything from Born Pretty Store, you can use the code ' SANH10' and get a 10% discount. 

Being a self-proclaimed lip gloss hater, I never thought I would grow to love them, but things change and so do I. Lip glosses have become less sticky and free of chunky glitter since my elementary school years, which has definitely helped me embrace them. Clarins Lip Perfectors and NYX Butter Glosses even got their permanent spot in my handbag, but now, I have another one to add to the collection - Makeup Revolution's I Heart Makeup Wow Gloss in 'Too Cool for School'.
It comes in the cutest packaging with a flat doe foot applicator. I love how unique the shape of the tube is (wide + slim). It looks pretty bulky at first, but it's actually very sleek.



The light pale pink shade is right up my alley. The pigmentation is just perfect and I love the milky effect. The lip gloss is comfortable to wear, doesn't have a particular scent and isn't sticky. Yay for that! I think it's perfect for everyday activities such as school or work. I actually used the lip gloss in my 'Back to School Makeup Tutorial' video in case you haven't watched it yet. 

I have to say, Makeup Revolution has pleasantly surprised me once again. I'm already adding new items to my wishlist. Which products should I definitely check out?

Hi there! Do you still remember me? I've been a bit MIA from the blogging/youtube world for the past few weeks, but fear not, I'm back. I'm back with a NOTD post that I haven't posted in what it seems like ages. I've recently been gravitating towards the same old shades or have not been wearing nail polish at all - I know, shocker! - so NOTD posts had to take a backseat. However, my sister's recent purchase broke my streak. China Glaze's Too Yacht to Handle caught my attention right away (turquoise, *cough cough*). The shade is stunning and perfect for the summer time, but keep in mind that the above photograph is misleading. My camera failed to capture the right undertone, so I suggest you to check out this photo I posted on my Instagram for the true representation. Think less bright and light. Ok, you all know about how much I love the colour, but what about the formula? I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan. It goes on a little sheer and streaky. Seche Vite's Dry Fast Top Coat manages to conceal most mistakes, but I still find a few streaks peeking from the bottom. And the fact that China Glaze nail polishes don't have the biggest brush is not helping the situation. Oh well, what can I say. Essie, Essence and Sally Hansen spoiled the heck out of me, haha. I still love the shade, though. :)

It's never been a secret that I am not a particular fan of applying sticky formulas on my lips, but when bloggers started claiming that Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector is a lip gloss even non lip gloss lovers fall head over hills with, it sparked up my interest and I immediately put it on my 'maybe one day' wishlist. The fact that this products costs anywhere from twenty to thirty euros (depends on where you purchase it) made me very reluctant to buy it. I feel like the price is very steep for a lip gloss, and considering I'm not the biggest fan of them, I just couldn't justify the splurge. Months went by and I was still resisting the purchase, but then I saw a travel exclusive gift set of two for the price of one at the airport and decided to finally give it a go. 

The product comes in a very lovely looking tube that is girly, fancy, well made and functional at the same time. The product doesn't leak out of the tube even if you squeeze it really hard, which makes it a perfect for just throwing it in your handbag. The applicator is very convenient as well. There's a soft sponge attached to the tube from which a product comes out when you squeeze it. The amount of squeezed out product can be controlled, so there are no excess lip gloss nightmares going on, and it also applies evenly. It is a perfect on the go product and I'm glad that it is, because you have to re-apply it constantly, since it disappears from the lips rather quickly. 

The product itself is supposed to be a hybrid between a lip gloss and a lip balm, and claims to nourish, repair and protect lips. I personally feel like it is more of a lip gloss. I can't comment on any of its nourishing properties, because I haven't had problems with chapped lips for quite a while, but it does feel ok on my lips. I feel like it sort of creates a film on my lips and doesn't dry them out, so I guess this is where it gets the nourishing claims from. Having said that, I don't have a feeling that it is particularly hydrating, and I also have to mention that it's a little bit sticky, which I'm not too fond of, but it luckily isn't sticky to the point where it would drive me mad. I have two shades - 01 Rose Shimmer & 02 Apricot Shimmer - which, by the way, smell pleasantly sweet. As you can see in my lip swatches below, they turn out pretty identical from far away. Up close and side by side, you can spot the difference, but the deal is, these are very poorly pigmented products. I'm kind of undecided about how I feel about this. On one hand, I wish they gave a tiny bit more colour considering how much you pay for them, but at the same time, I really like the outcome on my lips. I always have problems with finding nude lip shades for me because nothing seems to suit me, but these two are right up my alley. They make it very easy for me to pull off a nude lip, give my lips a nice milky finish and make them look juicy. 

To be honest, I don't know whether or not to recommend you these. I do like wearing them on days when I fancy a nude lip or just don't want to be bothered with a lipstick, but I'm not sure if they're worth the hefty price tag. I would probably only repurchase this product if I found another airport deal. How do those of you who already gave it a go yourself feel about it?

SHOP THE POST

Please check out my lovely sponsor DressLoop.co.uk for amazing party, prom, wedding and bridesmaid dresses.

Today I'm here to review another lip product I bought back in January when I was in London. It's called Cream Puff Moisturizing Lip Cream and it's from a company called Collection, which by the way makes the best drugstore concealers. At least in my opinion. But today we're not talking about those. The star of today's show is Cream Puff in the shade 'Cotton Candy'. 

Cream Puff is a creamy type of lip product that I've really grown to love during the past few weeks. It applies very evenly, feels velvety on your lips and dries completely matte. On the bottle, it says that it's moisturizing, which is a statement I can't really agree with, but I'm happy to say that it doesn't dry out your lips either. Just make sure that your lips are exfoliated before you apply it, because it does tend to accentuate dry patches. 

As far as the pigmentation goes, I normally apply two layers, because I feel like two layers look better than one, but if you want the shade to look more subtle, one layer should do. The product stays on my lips for about two to three hours before I need to re-apply it and survives through drinknig. It literally sticks to your lips, so you don't have to worry about it sliding off at all. Oh, and it smells like vanilla! Just thought I would throw it in there, haha. 

All in all, I think this product is an absolute bargain. It truly delivers, but costs only three pounds! I really wish I picked up 'Fairy Cake' as well. That shade would be perfect for spring! 

*******************************************************************************************************

Please check out my lovely sponsor DressLoop.co.uk for amazing party, prom, wedding and bridesmaid dresses.

I'm still picking my nail wear from the blue spectrum, but this time, I went for a shade that is more me. Turquoise is a colour that I wear most often on my nails, however, I've never owned such a deep shade before. My other ones are either pastel or bright. Well, technically speaking, this isn't even my nail polish. I brought it back from California as a present for my sister, but the truth is, we share our nail polishes, so I consider it mine as well, tehe. 

Essie is always spot on with the consistency of their nail polishes and 'Naughty Nautical' is no exception. It is not to thin and not too thick, it applies evenly, requires two coats for full opacity and stays chip free for almost a week. A+ for the quality! The shade itself is fabulous as well. Not only does it look exactly the same on the nails as it does in the bottle, but it also has a twist to it. Tiny little silver glitters! I myself am a big fan of the cream finish and am always sceptical about shimmer when it comes to nail polishes, but this shade won me over completely. It just looks right. Especially when the light hits it! It kind of reminds me of the glittering turquoise sea... Ahh, who wants to take me to the Maldives?

For a person who is convinced that blue nail polish doesn't suit her, I have far too many of them. A few months ago, I went through the so called blue period. Whenever I saw a blue nail polish shade, it landed in my shopping cart. But when it actually came to me wearing them, well, let's just say that it never happened. There were always other shades that won me over, so my blues have been patiently sitting on the shelf, waiting for me to start feeling sorry for them. About a month ago, it finally happened. I put them in line and started wearing them, one by one. Unfortunatelly, I'm still not feeling most of the shades - pastels are of course an exception - but if we overlook my 'blue nail polish doesn't suit me' idea, they are far too pretty on their own to not share them with you. I'm sure at least some of them will catch your attention. 

The first 'blue' I have to show to you is Essence's 'If I Were a Boy'. I took the advantage of today's sunny weather and snapped some photos of it outside with my new camera. Yay for spring! Anyway, back to the nail polish. I have to say, I was very impressed with the formula. I only needed one thick coat to get it opaque, but I ended up putting on two. Why did I think that was necessary? I have no idea. I guess I did it out of habit. Luckily, the mani looked good even with two coats. There was no streakiness in sight, even though the application might seem a bit wonky when you take a close look at the photo. I swear, it's not this nail polish's fault. Blame it on the crappy old top coat I've splattered on top. I regretted the deision right away, but at that point, it was too late to fix the mess... 

Since I don't know what else to say about this nail polish other than it's great, I shall end this post here. Let me know how you like the shade and if you feel a bit weird wearing certain nail polish colours on your nails as well. Oh, and one more thing! Would you mabye be interested in me doing a blog sale? I'll be moving all my make-up into another room in about a month (more on that later), and I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to go through my beauty stash and give the products that don't get the love that they deserve from me a new home. 

I first saw this nail polish on Maja's blog, and it was love at first sight. I'm usually not attracted to purple shades, but for some reason, Warm & Toasty Turtleneck caught my attention. Maybe it's because the shade is sort of muted and has a taupy undertone? I don't know. There's definitely a twist to it and I like it. I don't think I need to mention how awesome the formula is, because we all know by now how OBSESSED I am with Essie. But just in case you don't have a clue what I'm talking about, I'll quickly sum it up. The formula is awesome. Oh, you want a more detailed description? Ok, it isn't streaky, becomes opaque with two coats and stays on for ages. I've had mine on for five days and there's not a single chip in sight. Gotta love Essie!

P.S. The ring is from my online shop Destination Pretty. You can get it here. :)

I've been avoiding cream blushes like nobody's business, because I always had a feeling that they would go on patchy and too pigmented and that I wouldn't be able to blend them out nicely. But then I tried Essence's 'Run, run, Rudoplh!' blush stick from their Happy Holidays collection and all my fears vanished into thin air. 

This cream blush is seriously amazing. Even though it's super pigmented, it blends out like a dream. I am using Real Techniques' Stippling Brush to pick up the colour from the stick, and then I just dab it on my cheeks and blend it out. It goes on very smoothly and I don't experience any problems with patchiness. It is actually way better than my powder blushes and works beautifully on my dry skin. 

But the formula is not the only thing I love about this blush. The shade itself is pretty fabulous too. It looks very terrifying when you see it in the stick or swatch it on your arm, but once it is blended out, it looks perfect. Especially for this time of the year. I'd never thought red shade would suit me, but it somehow looks just right, and I always get compliments whenever I wear it. This particular blush also contains tiny glitters that add a beautiful shine to your face, so you don't even need to use a highlighter with this one. 

In case you want to see how it looks like on my face, you can check out any of my 'The Ultimate Christmas Tag' videos. I just love it! How about you? Do you like the look of it? Has it maybe made its way into your makeup collection as well? Ohh, and please let me know if you have any favourite cream blushes that you would recommend to me, because I'm hooked and would love to try out a few other ones now. I have my eyes on the Illamasqua cream blushes... I've heard they're pretty amazing. 

A few days ago, I finally managed to try out Essence's 'Let It Snow!' snowflake topper from their 'Happy Holidays' collection. This was one of the products I became most excited about at the Essence event I attended a few months ago, but after seeing a bunch of negative reviews, I somehow lost interest in trying it out as soon as possible. 

The nail polish looks super pretty and Christmassy in the bottle, just like a snow globe, but I have to agree with other bloggers who say that the application is not the most enjoying. You can still achieve a nice look with all those tiny multi-colored glitters and white flakes, but it takes you ages, because you literally have to scoop out every single flake and place them on your nails one by one. So, yeah, I don't know whether I'll be wearing this topper a lot, but I definitely know that I'll keep looking at it a lot, haha. I mean, c'mon, isn't it the cutest?!

P.S. The nail polish I've used as a base is '347' from Kiko. I've reviewed it here, and here you can see me wearing it with the world's most amazing gold leaf topper. I'm obsessed with that combo!

Ohh, one more thing! I'll soon be revealing my secret project, but while you are waiting for my announcement, I thought we could play a little game. Leave me a comment down below letting me know what you think my secret project is, and if you guess it, you might be the winner of a secret surprise package. :)

If you have watched my 'November Beauty Favorites' video, you probably already know how this review will go down. But if you haven't, well, I'm just gonna say it. This Catrice 'Rockby' Lip Balm Tint is flippin' amazing! I've been wearing it tons in the past few months and I don't see myself breaking up with it any time soon. 

The shade is totally right up my alley, and the quality is equally amazing. I don't know if you've noticed, but there are two names describing this product - lip balm and tint. In my experience, these two formulas usually can't be found in the same product, because lip balms tend to be on the sheer and shiny side, while tints scream for matte, bold and long lasting. But when it comes to this product, the description makes total sense.

Catrice 'Rockby' Lip Balm Tint feels very creamy and moisturizing on my lips, but it also has a very strong colour payoff and lasts for ages on my lips. If I haven't convinced you yet to pick up this miracle in a pencil yourself, let me just tell you that this is the first bold lip product I actually wore outside my house and wasn't freaking out about it drying out my lips or getting smudged all over my face. I just love it! Unfortunatelly, I don't think it is still avaliable in the stores, because it was a part of the Matchpoint Limited Edition, but you can still get it online here.  

Last week I got some 50% off coupons for Essie product from our drugstore in the mail, so of course I had to take an advantage of the opportunity to go pick up some pretty bottled colours! Essie is by far my favourite nail polish brand, so I always have tons of their shades on my wishlist, but unfortunatelly, our local drugstore didn't have any of the shades I wanted to get. I didn't want to waste the coupon, though, so I decided to pick up a few others instead. The one you can see above is one of them. It's called 'For the Twill of It', and I think it came out as a part of this year's fall collection. I am not really a fan of a metallic finish when it comes to my nails, but since this was one of the very few unique colours on the stand, I just decided to go for it. The shade really is lovely and different, but let's just say that I think I'll stick to my usual cream finish from now on. Even though Essie nail polishes tend to last up to a week on my nails, this one is no different than any other metallic nail polish I've tried so far. It started chipping in only two days, and I also don't like how it accentuates my nail ridges. What do you think about this shade? Yay or nay? Are you loving the metallic nail polishes or are you on my team? :D

Baby Lips Lip Balms are probably the most hyped up beauty products of 2013. Every beauty blogger has written about them, so it was only a matter of time before I would pick up a few myself. I got these four when I was in the US and wanted to blog about them months ago (hence my tanned arm in the last photo), but then I completely forgot about them and didn't even tried them out until fall arrived. So yes, this is a very long-overdue post, and now these lip balms are even avaliable in my country! You can get them at Müller, but not where the Maybelline stand is. I found them at the lip balm section. 

The thing with these lip balms is... you're either gonna love them or love them. Nope, that was not a spelling mistake. I wrote 'love' two times. I haven't really read any negative reviews about these products, the only thing that half of the people are bothered about is that they too hyped up. Which doesn't mean that the products are bad. So, which group do I belong to? I'm kind of in the middle. Yes, there is nothing revolutionalry about these products, they're only tinted lip balms in a cute packaging after all, but I LOVE them! They are the most buttery and hydrating lip products I've ever tried, they smell amazing, and they give such a nice tint to your lips. You can see the swatches of the ones I have (L-R: Pink Punch, Quenched, Cherry Me, Pink Shock) below. As you can see, the colour payoff looks pretty ok for a tinted lip balm, but they actually look even more pigmented on my lips. Minus Quenched. That one is clear, so don't expect any miracles! ;)

I am a big fan of these and I think they're great handbag products that instantly make you look a bit more put together while keeping your lips moisturized and protected (they contain SPF 20) throughout the day. So, what are your thoughts on these? Do you love them, think they are overhyped or maybe even hate them? I would love to hear what you think!

Girls, I think I found a dupe for China Glaze's Sweet Hook nail polish that I featured in my last wishlist. I don't have the China Glaze one, so I can't say this for sure, but Essence's Hello Marshmallow! looks pretty similar to me. Hello Marshmallow is a really pretty lilac shade with a pink undertone, which is sadly not really visible in the photos, but it definitely is in real life. In the bottle, I can notice a bunch of blue and pink tiny little glitters, but they are not visible when you put the nail polish on your nails. Also, in these photos, the nail polish looks very similar to Essie's St Lucia Lilac that I blogged about here, but when you compare them side by side, they look quite different. The Essie one is a lot more muted and has a grayish undertone, while the Essence one is more pinky and vibrant.