Daily Beauty tips

Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in 107 I'm digging the dark lips look at the moment and I wore this burgundy lip colour either as a stain, full-on or something in between on most days since I got it. It's quite a statement shade, but I think it really suits my colouring and more importantly it makes me feel that little bit better when I wear it. It has one of the most comfortable matte formulas I've tried, though the staying power could be a bit better. I still need to find a lip liner that works with this shade because it is a difficult colour to apply straight from the tube. Urban Decay Naked Basics palette I'm not much of an eyeshadow person, but I used it every single day since I got it and I actually use every colour in this palette which is unheard of for a two-tops-eyeshadow-girl like me. It's such a gorgeous combination of matte shades that are great quality and can be used for natural, everyday look or a more intense, smokey eye. If I would be allowed to ow...

African Black Soap has supposedly been used for centuries to treat eczema, blemishes, psoriasis ans oily skin. I don't really suffer from any of those "ailments", but there is a little hype behind this soap and since it's really affordable, I decided to get one for myself and use it as a morning face wash. It looks like a regular bar soap , but bigger, black and with bits of oats. The scent is fantastic - it smells like fruity bubble gum.  It is the creamiest bar soap I've ever tried, lathers so well and forms a thick, velvety and soft foam that feels so good to massage into the skin. And it's all rainbows and unicorns until you need to wash it off. Then that awful squeaky clean feeling appears - my pet peeve. Also, if the tiniest drop of soap gets in the eye, it hurts like a * insert bad word here *. Though it's black, the foam is not that dark and washes off completely with no residue. Surprisingly, my skin doesn't scream for a moisturiser afterw...

Cuticle Care is my first product from Badger and such product in general. I've never ventured into specialised nail care as I never had any particular concerns about my nails and cuticles, and I was quite happy using regular body/hand creams or just a regular chapstick. I have very healthy and hard nails, but about a month ago my cuticles became painfully dry, so I decided to give Badger's little helper a go.  The balm is solid , actually very hard from the beginning and becomes much softer once the top layer is gone. Under the heat of fingertips it melts into an oil, but it's a thick oil that   doesn't absorb quickly , so I prefer to apply it before going to sleep. I wasn't blown away by results. Honestly, TBS Honeymania body butter helped a lot more with dryness, which has now thankfully gone. Badger's Cuticle Care did leave my hands more moisturised, but it wasn't quite enough for my cuticles no matter the amount I used and it didn't help prevent any...

This was actually my very first red nail polish years ago. It's an interesting red because I notice it changes colour depending on the light. Under artificial (indoor) yellow lighting it looks deep wine-burgundy with more purple hues (leaning to vampy territory, but still not too dark), while under natural light it's a more medium cherry red. It used to be my most worn nail polish, but my bottle is ancient by now so the consistency has changed. From the beginning the formula was a pleasure to use, despite that it needed two coats for full coverage (it has a more jelly finish). The brush is wide, but still comfortable to use on my narrow nails.   Have you ever tried this shade? Have a great day!

Xen-Tan Dark Lotion One of the best self tanners I've tried. It's a very natural looking tan that is quite deep with the first application and lasts about 4-6 days. The lotion has a sweet marzipan scent, however, the older the product gets the more it gets that typical self tanner scent. I like that it's a lotion and quite moisturising, though this means the skin remains tacky for a while. I did an in depth review and comparison with St. Tropez mousse here .  Repurchase : Yes and already did. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula A thick body moisturiser that smells a bit like chocolate cake. It sinks in fast, however, I noticed that  sometimes it start to flake off the skin. My only real complaint though, is the annoying packaging. It gets really difficult to get the product out towards the end, however, I have seen that they sell the pump version as well. Repurchase : I'm not sure . It's a good product, but it didn't leave much of an impression on me. I prefer Do...

Get ready for me gushing about Essence Stay Matte Lip Cream again. I'm a massive fan of these, in fact, they are my absolute favourite formula of any lip product. But this week, one of them, Smooth Berry , passed the ultimate test with flying colours. I went on an all day trip to an amusement park (anyone from this part of Europe will know which, Gardaland), wearing this lip colour. It survived all day, with barely any need for retouching. This includes 10 hours of driving, me chatting (mostly to get through the at times awkward silence of a long drive), sightseeing, going on rides, eating and drinking. I reapplied it on two occasions, even though there really was no need to because most of the colour was still there except in the corners. It was more just to refresh the colour. Yes, I was very impressed, especially since these cost a reasonable 2.19€ . I never felt like my lips were dry, nor did I use a chapstick. I think this colour works so well for me, but I would still love t...

Are you familiar with imitation fragrances? You know, the ones that are duping famous fragrances for a fraction of the price? There are conflicting opinions about them, but I have been buying them for years. I wrote about individual scents here and there, mostly in my monthly favourites, but it's time for a proper post. I have to admit, I really like them and I notice no difference between the original and imitation, apart from the pretty bottle and, of course, the price. Sure the bottles are really plain, but hey, at least they're cheap. They nozzle sprays a fine and even mist, plus I can easily throw a bottle in my bag without the fear of breaking or any spillage. Though, you do need some sort of a labelling system if you own more than one. Over the years my collection has grown quite a lot and all I own are in the smallest 15 ml bottles. I'm a person that rarely sticks to wearing one fragrance for a longer period of time and at times I switch my fragrances daily, so thes...

I think it's safe to say that this blush is the prettiest in my collection, at least as far as appearance goes. The pink hearts certainly give it much appeal and I bet it wasn't just me who bought it because it was adorable. It's also supposed to be infused with a special "Happy Boost Blend" that promotes happiness, but I'm sorry, I just have to laugh at such ridiculous marketing. How stupid do they think people are? They do realize it's just a blush, right? I digress... Colour : It's a light-medium warm pink. I see no shimmer and it's leaning more to matte, though I noticed a slight sheen when I looked at the swatch in the sun, but it's not visible on my cheeks. Perhaps satin finish might be the best description. It gives a typical I-just-came-from-the-cold flush and I find it works best with pink, red and wine shades on the lips. I actually have nothing similar in my collection. Pigmentation : I'll be honest: it's nothing to write hom...

If someone had told me a couple of years ago that I'd be wearing a dark burgundy shade in public, I'd tell them they're completely bonkers. And yet I did. Oxblood lips trend was all the rage last autumn, well most autumns really, after all it is the colour that fits into this season so well. So this year I finally caved and purchased Rimmel's 107 that was on my wishlist ever since Rimmel launched a matte range. This is not the first dark shade I own, but it is definitely the darkest and most dramatic.  107 looks very dark wine/burgundy on me. It is the type of colour that can look great as a stain or applied to an intensity that is somewhere between a stain and full opacity, which I wear most. As a stain, it looks like a berry shade on me, while full coverage gets a more purple and dark brown hue to it. I love that it's matte as I find such shades so much prettier and also easier to wear when they're matte. This has one of the most comfortable matte  formula  i...

It's time for one of those post again, when I have a craving for a certain scent and go all bonkers for all the products (previous posts for coconut , chocolate/cocoa , tropical and peach ). This time it's honey.  Lush Honey I Washed the Kids   HIWTK is probably one of the most famous products by Lush. It's a bar soap and honestly, a pretty average one when it comes to quality. Though it's marketed for dry skin, I find it drying as any other much cheaper bar soap and it leaves that (for me) awful stripped, squeaky clean feeling. I got quite a big 200 g chunk of it because that was the smallest piece they had at the time, but I cut it in much smaller pieces to use. The top "honeycomb" part is essentially useless. It smells exactly like Honey Bee bath bomb, Soft Coeur massage bar and the already discontinued Ma-Bar bubble bar. I don't get any honey at all, rather a very gourmand, toffee scent, however, it is not one of my favourites (I do like it and everyo...