June favourites, updates and wishlist

MELEM lip & Cheek

Dreamy Rose

Such a convenient product. It’s pigmented like a classic moisturising lipstick, but the formula feels like a lip balm and it smells so nicely creamy, similar to Nivea. It’s great for when I do my makeup in a hurry or on the way. It’s a shade that works on the lips and on the cheeks – Dreamy Rose is coral pink on the cheeks and on the lips it’s a pale warm peach that’s leaning to pink. Pigmentation is good (my skin is pale) and I need one or two big swipes on the cheeks and colour shows up on the lips fast too. I’m tempted to get the darker Magnolia shade too. 

Another lip colour I can rely on surviving everything. It’s a two-step product with a semi-opaque liquid lipstick that by itself lasts a long time. The second sealer part adds shine and locks the lipstick in place. Despite the great staying power and the fact it eventually turns matte, the glossy sealer makes sure that it doesn’t feel dry.  

I’ve been wearing this one so much, not just in the last month. It’s a shade I use to shape my lips. It’s not a perfect match like the discontinued Essence’s Big Proposal, but it’s good a natural defining shade too. The pencil is nicely soft, pigmented and precise since the tip doesn’t get blunt fast. The pencil is longer that most liners, so you get a lot of product, but it’s not cheap. Antique pink is a medium pinky-mauve.

ESSENCE Gel Nail Colour 

Lucky to have Blue

This looks less pretty in the bottle than how it ends up on the nails. That stormy pale grey is a light blue/mint green shade on my nails – given how I like anything mint green it’s obvious this was going to  be featured in this post. The formula is a nice smooth one that’s pigmented with one coat. 

REVLON ColorStay Grip Matte Primer, Blot Matte Setting Powder and Lock Setting Mist

I use Blot a lot, since it’s one of my favourite powders, but I tend to keep the other two in my drawer since these are matte and my skin is dry. But with hot weather these can get their chance and they are impressive. Grip primer creates a nice smooth base for the makeup to stick too. Blot is an excellent loose powder that doesn’t make my foundation look obvious, is super fine and mattifies without making the skin look flat. Lock mist is another of my favourite – I prefer it to the famous Urban Decay and Milani mists because it makes the foundation and makeup look a bit better. The combination of all three kept my makeup like freshly applied for over 12h on a day with 33°C. 

BIORÉ Aqua Rich UV SPF 50

I found this in a local Müller, which is pretty much a miracle. I used to order these from Japan, but since we got much better and light-as-Asian-formulas sunscreens here too, I haven’t repurchased in many years. It used to be hailed as the lightest sunscreen formula and I remember it as quite watery with a dry-to-the-touch velvet matte finish. Biore changes their formulas often, so this is not the same anymore, but it’s still one of the lightest formulas. This one is creamier than in the past. It still has that dry-to-the-touch smooth primer finish, but not in a two finger amount. In that way it stays a bit tacky on the skin and has a pretty, non-greasy glow. It has a lemony scent like in the past. 

SUBRINA Oil Shower Gel Good Vibes

A new scent in the already massive family (14 by now). I like a great majority of scents, only Moroccan Treasure isn’t my favourite and this new version comes at the top with Cherry Blossom, Rose Garden, Fresh Elder and Perfume Drops. It starts with a note of pineapple, but it’s what comes after I love even more –  a brilliant powdery scent, similar to the Cherry Blossom and very familiar to me, but I can’t put my finger on it (something like Yankee Candle Soft Blanket). Scent lingers on the skin for hours like a perfume. 

GLISS 7 Sec Express Repair Treatment Split Ends Miracle

The third version I’ve tried and I love it too. These are amazing – truly one of the best things I’ve discovered for my very dry, easy to tangle hair. Normally I have to leave a conditioner on for 20 minutes on my thick hair to have a proper effect, but these actually work in the shower in seconds. I also use them as a type of co-washing, so when my hair is dry I just use these without shampoo. Split Ends Miracle works the same as the black Repair and yellow Oil Nutritive versions, so it doesn’t matter which you pick up. These are liquid and transform into a rich emulsion when massaged on wet hair. They are silicone-free, yet make my hair feel like I used Pantene, meaning silky smooth. 

UPDATES

WELLA Color Fresh Mask 

Chocolate Touch

BOURJOIS Healthy Mix Foundation

I got send the new Healthy Mix foundation and initially I though they only changed the bottle, but when I tried it, it didn’t feel like the foundation I’ve loved for years. I’ve tried the old vs. new, one on each side of the face and the new formula has clearly been tweaked. The side with the old formula had that lovely perfect level of natural dewy glow, while the new one is more shiny, verging on too much. It is currently hot here and SPFs don’t help, but the difference between the two in the same conditions was obvious. Formula is thicker now, but still blends invisibly into the skin. The scent also stayed the same, though I think the coverage has improved, but I still need a concealer under the eyes. I don’t mind the change that much because my skin is dry and it’s only going to be drier in cooler months, so this will suit me, however, this change won’t please those that have oilier skins and this was their winter formula. I’ve already seen their French website littered with complaints, so clearly this change bothers people. I saw there is a new shade called 49,5N (on the French website), which could be lighter than 50C and N, but even 50C blends ok into my skin, even though it looks like it will be off when I start applying it. Price skyrocketed to 19 € – I remember being annoyed in 2015 when the prices went up to 15 € and I think the original price was around 13 €. Ridiculous, especially since they made it less nice this time. 

WISHLIST AND WHAT’S NEW AT THE DRUGSTORES