October Favorites 2015

It's time for October favorites once again. Even though the month passed by so quickly, I'm quite happy about it, because with every passing day we get closer to the festive December.

This month was absolutely chaotic, especially in the beauty department, because I attended the 1st Slovenian Beauty Conference, where we were given an incredible amount of various different products. Testing them all will demand quite an organized approach, and I had to restrain myself to test out only a few this month. 

Besides attending a beauty conference, I also did some shopping on my own. When H&M released their enormous beauty range, I had to check it out, and of course got a few bits to try. Starting with the H&M products, they have me completely in awe.

H&M MAKE WAVES CURL CREAM Anti-Frizz Structure + Shine

Quite contrary to my usual behavior, I was first drawn to the hair range. A slightly retro, but high-end looking collection really spiked my interest, and one of the products I couldn't leave behind was the Make Waves Curl Cream hair cream.

Skeptical, but at the same time interested in the results I started using it this month, and it completely revolutionized my hair-care routine. Instead of heat-drying my hair after washing, I brush them through, and apply the cream from the bottom to the middle of my hair. When it dries, I am left with beautiful loose waves, and the ends of my hair look healthy and sleek, without any excess frizz.

Once the hair dries, you can't actually feel it in the hair, it doesn't weigh it down and causes no problem with my grease-prone hair. It probably helps that my hair has a natural tendency towards curling, but achieving loose waves without any curling tools makes the product a total winner in my eyes. Even when you want more defined curls, using this before curling will help you achieved longer lasting and more polished looking do.

H&M COLOUR ESSENCE EYE PENCIL in Copper Bullion

The other H&M product that made it into this month’s favorites is one of their eyeliner pencils.

The copper obsession hit me hard. Nothing even slightly copper is safe from me and with the help of my (very hard to obtain) spray paint, I'm slowly painting my life copper.

When I found this line eyeliners, I was immediately hooked by how soft and easy they glide on the skin. An almost gel-like texture works great as a liner, smudged for a shadow or under eye definer. The shade I chose was (obviously) Copper Bullion and it is a gorgeous color with lots of golden shimmer. It works lovely with brown eyes and helps to create a bronzed, sun kissed look, but also compliments green eyes beautifully, helping them to stand out and brightly shine.

The lasting power is great, but you may end up with a shimmer or two on your cheeks at the end of the day. It's not sharp enough to create really defined lines, but works amazingly in every other aspect.

*LANCÔME HYPNÔSE VOLUME-à-PORTER MASCARA

For the longest time, a Lancôme mascara represented a state of utter luxury in my mind. Even though I found quite a few amazing mascaras at the drugstores, my eyes (and mind) always kept wandering to the high-end counters, where Lancôme mascaras reigned as the crème de la crème of the beauty world. Sooner or later, I would own one, that was a given, but I reserved the occasion for the times when my income wouldn’t be a sum of irregular student jobs. 

Knowing all that, imagine my excitement when I realized that this beauty was included in the goody bags we were given at the beauty bloggers conference.

Since the intro to this product was miles long, let the review be quick: It’s simply amazing, the formula is just smooth enough, the brush thin and precise, but still manages to coat all the lashed and the staying power simply impeccable, while really easy to remove at the end of the day.

What puzzles me is the name, because while the mascara definitely adds a fair amount of volume, it’s most impressive feature is, without a doubt, the lengthening effect. The lashes look defined and fluttery, very look but still natural. Performing great, on both the top and bottom lashes, this mascara is an amazing all-rounder that can be build up to a higher intensity for a special occasion.

*MELVITA DAMASK ROSE FLORAL WATER

This is a product I’ve heard a lot about before, and was really excited to find it in the goody bags. It quickly became an essential step in my skincare routine.

After I remove my makeup and thoroughly cleanse my skin, it often feels a bit dry and agitated. Using a few spritz of this water, and waiting for it to completely sink in before applying any serum or a cream, revitalizes my skincare routine completely.

The mist immediately sooths and calms the skin, restores some of its moisture and prepares it for absorbing any other product I add on top.

BOURJOIS AirMAT FOUNDATION

Finding the right foundation can be one of the trickiest steps in makeup, and at the time when a healthy glow seems to be all the rage, a good matte foundation (especially one from the drugstore), can be quite tricky to find.

This one came out quite recently and it completely blew my mind. It quickly became one of my absolute favorites, and you can read more about it here. 

*ORIFLAME TRUE PERFECTION EXFOLIATING RENEWAL MASK with pomegranate enzyme

Face masks have always been my thing, but I always kept it fairly simple and stuck with the single-use pouches from different brands at the drugstore. I’ve heard about masks with enzymes before, but to be honest, they sounded way too scary to actually buy them. 

When I found this mask in one of the beauty bags I decided to take the plunge and venture out of my comfort zone. This applies nicely, like a slightly tacky gel, and a small amount of product is enough to cover the whole face. While on the skin, you can constantly feel a little bit of a tingly feeling. The mask should be on the skin for about 10 minutes and after that rinsed off with water.

Truth be told, I didn’t expect much, my skin is quite stubborn, and a serious manual scrub is usually needed to get rid of the dead skin cells. This mask however, made my skin feel soft as never before. After use my skin looks young and revitalized, fresh without any dry patches or dull spots and feels amazing. The product doesn’t dry the skin at all, but only removes the dead parts, and makes any makeup applied afterwards slide on effortlessly and seamlessly.

This was my first time trying out anything from Oriflame, but judging by how impressed I was with this product, it won’t be the last!

AVON CLEARSKIN PORE PENETRATING BLACK MINERAL MASK with 0,5 % of Salicylic Acid

Before sitting down to actually write this post, I didn’t realize that I actually included two different face masks (-when preparing for a favorites post, I simply go over my beauty stash, grabbing anything that I reached for the most during the month).

When working with relatively oily skin, I find an essential part of the skincare to be a good clearing face mask. Using makeup daily and all the other effect can have quite big impact on the skin, and my pores (especially around the nose area) quite easily get clogged. Using a mask with adsorbing properties on a weekly basis keeps my skin cleaner and helps to prevent any breakouts.

This mask works perfectly for my skin. It’s gentle and smooth, but gets the job done, after it dries and I remove it with a wet flannel, my skin looks and feels cleaner and smoother. With its budget friendly price tag, and great performance, I have no doubt that this will become a staple in my skincare routine. 

*LE COUVENT des MINIMES EAU AIMABLE COLOGNE Botanical Cologne of Love

One of the best smelling stands at the beauty bloggers conference was in my opinion the Le Couvent des Minimes table, where a harmony of absolutely gorgeous scents kept inviting you to slather yourself with every single product available. It was after thoroughly sniffing and testing of the products displayed that we were also presented with a lovely goody bag that contained a bottle of the Eau Aimable Cologne and a lip balm with the same scent (which is, by the way, also really incredible, absolutely a must in the colder days!). 

The cologne combines a gorgeous array of citrus scents, my untrained nose recognizes mostly the orange and mandarine. It is, at least to me, a perfect winter scent. Oranges and other citruses always remind me of the colder months, and peeling one always sets me in a festive mood. 

This cologne manages to combine the citrus scents, while presenting them in a way that makes them seem sophisticated and mysterious. Never before in my life was I complimented as much on a scent, but this one really seems to be a crowd pleaser. The lasting power is amazing, and even though you get quite used to the scent while wearing it, people notice it even after a whole day, which is absolutely amazing.

This cologne really impressed me, and I will, without a doubt, get myself the Botanical Cologne of the Morning which stole my heart at the beauty conference.

Let me know if you'd like to see a detailed review of any of the products!

Thanks for reading and see you in my next post!

Rawr, 

your Beautysaur

*products were given to me for reviewing purposes