Favorites Archives - Nothin' Fancy. Really

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush VS Buffing Brush

14Apr

By ŽivaNo Comments

Favorites, Makeup

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush VS Buffing Brush

I\\'ve been meaning to write a comparision post on these two Real Techniques brushes for ages, but somehow never got around to doing it. Today, I found these photos which I took weeks ago, and am finally getting around to talking about the Expert Face Brush and the Buffing Brush from the brand. I thought I\\'d do a comparision for all those interested, because I wasn\\'t sure whether I needed both and how they compare. I hope this post is helpful!

Let\\'s start with the Buffing Brush (Slovenia, International), which I had first. I got this last year for my birthday in the Core Collection and so I\\'ve been using it for almost a year. My thoughts? It was absolutely my favourite brush from the collection, I love it. Ever since I first applied my foundation with this brush, there was no going back for me - I used it every day. It\\'s incredibly soft and applies makeup beautifully (I use a mixture of buffing and stippling). You can use it for pretty much any face product - for me, it works with liquid foundation, pressed powder, bronzer and blusher. Haven\\'t tried it with a mineral foundation, because I don\\'t think it\\'s dense enough. The only problem I have is the fact that the hairs tend to get very tangled up - like a knot. It may be because I don\\'t wash them as much as I should, or because I use the brush every day. I might have to get a replacement soon. I also just realized you can only get this brush in the Core Collection, which is a real shame as I don\\'t like the rest of the brushes from the set nearly as much. The kit costs around 25€.

Next, the Expert Face Brush (Slovenia, International). This is a relatively new addition, but it has taken me by storm. A much more dense brush, shorter as well and more appropriate for buffing. Again, it can be used for any face product, I find it works the best with liquid foundation, but also really great for pressed powder, blusher, bronzer ... Might even work with mineral makeup if you don\\'t own a kabuki. No tangles in this one yet, but it does get dirty very fast, which is logical albeit slightly annoying for someone as lazy as I am. Price is around 10€.

How do the two compare? Since I have both, I use the EFB for liquid foundation, and apply pressed poder with BB. I find it gives me a really nice finish. Both are brushes I love, and I would love to have more than one of them, because they\\'re basically all I need, face-wise. I would say you can make use of both if you use a few face products, they are very versatile. But if you insist on only getting one, I would say to pick the Expert Face Brush, because it\\'s better value as you can buy it by itself, and it\\'s better at applying liquid foundation, which I think most of us use!

What is your favourite makeup brush?

Shampoo & Conditioner Reviews (Dove, Satinique)

14Apr

By ŽivaNo Comments

Favorites, Haircare

Shampoo & Conditioner Reviews (Dove, Satinique)

As you may have noticed, my blog has had a little makeover! I hope you like the design as much as I do - I love the new look. That aside, today I wanted to talk a little bit about the hair products I\'ve been using. Recently I\'ve noticed my hair is really, really demanding. Almost every shampoo I try does not work for me, so I\'ve just been sticking to a tried and tested favourite - Garnier. But I have a few new things in my shower and thought I would review them.

A few weeks ago I was in our local drugstore, and I picked up the Dove Pure Care Shampoo & Conditioner. Each of them cost around 3€ on sale and I immediately thought of Lauren Conrad. Ages ago, I read in a magazine that she loves Dove haircare and now that it\'s finally more readily available here in Slovenia, I remembered that and just bought these two. I loved them at first. My hair was silky soft when I used them, smelled amazing and didn\'t get greasy for two days. But then something happened that has been going on with every shampoo I\'ve been using - after about a week of using them, my hair got worse and worse. As soon as I dried it, it was already greasy! I have no idea why this is happening - I can use the conditioner, but the shampoo just messes with my hair. So, thumbs down on this shampoo. The conditioner however, I love. It smells lovely, makes my hair soft and really nourished.

Let\'s move on to Satinique. I attended an event for the brand back in the summer and hair been faithfully using their Anti-Hairfall Shampoo and Conditioner ever since. I really enjoy these two. The scent is gentle but lovely at the same time and I love the effect of the products. I\'m not sure if they had any effect on the hair loss part, but I love using them, especially because no other shampoo seems to work for me. I had no problems with this one, which is great. These are a bit more expensive though, around 14€ for each on amway.si. I really like this brand, though, and I want to try more products from them, because my hair seems to approve.

My foray into the world of shampoos is semi-successful. It just seems like something in the shampoos others love doesn\'t work for me. I\'m not sure if it\'s SLS, or parabens, or something of the like, I need to do more research. But so far, the only shampoo that works for me is either Garnier or Satinique. Conditioners work great, but shampoos are another story. Do you have any advice for me? I really have no idea what I\'m doing wrong!

What shampoo & conditioner are you currently using?

14Apr

By ŽivaNo Comments

Favorites, Haircare

REDKEN ALL SOFT SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER

I\'ve been a part of the E-tail PR blogger network for a while now, but I never took advantage of it as they mainly send out clothes to bloggers, and as we all know, I\'m not much of a fashion blogger as it is. But when I noticed they had a campaign for Hairtrade, I applied immediately and requested a shampoo, since I\'ve recently been loving the Redken Extreme Anti-Snap Leave-In Treatment. I was incredibly happy to receive not only the shampoo, but the conditioner as well, both available on their website. Let\'s discuss the products. The Redken All Soft range is meant for dry, brittle hair, which mine definitely is, however my fringe tends to get very greasy because I have oily skin and the two are constantly in contact. The shampoo promises to moisturize and has both argan oil and keratin in it. What do I think? I find it very, very hard to find a good shampoo. Conditioner is not as big of a problem, but shampoos I really struggle with ... The Redken shampoo works well, though it is not my favourite of all time. It makes my hair feel very soft and definitely not squeaky clean, but instead very nourished. I only worry that, with too much use, it might prove to be too heavy for me. The conditioner, on the other hand, is really lovely! The name All Soft has not been given to this shampoo without reason and it truly makes my hair incredibly soft, not silky, but touchable and beautiful. See for yourself!

I think these two work nicely for me, though they are quite expensive products (though currently on sale for around 10 pounds each, shampoo here, conditioner here). My hair looks very shiny as well when I\'m done, and today I actually sat in front of the mirror admiring it, because these two products made it so shiny and look like it has golden threads woven through it! I love this effect.

I would recommend both of these, not to girls with oily hair though. I think someone with curly or wavy hair would enjoy them a lot as well, because they make hair really manageable and soft. That being said, my overgrown ombré locks are in need of a change and I have a hair appointment in a few days, so I\'d love any tips on haircuts and coloring!

What kind of haircut should I get next?

14Apr

By ŽivaNo Comments

Fashion, Favorites, Haircare

DRUGSTORE DUPE FOR REDKEN ANTI-SNAP

Let's chat hair care!

I've been using the Redken Extreme Anti-Snap Leave-In Conditioner for the better part of a year now. I even mentioned I stopped using it for a while, and this is definitely one of those products that you notice is missing - does that make sense? When I didn't use it, my hair was dry and kept getting tangled up, but when I do put it in, my hair is softer & silkier. While I've had my bottle for a long time, I have to say this is a pretty expensive product. You can usually get it on some kind of offer, but the price is still around 20€. I've been trying to find a dupe for a long time, but it seemed pretty much impossible ...

Enter John Frieda.

I've used a lot of their products over the years, but somehow managed to forget about them after a while. A few weeks ago, I was sent two of their new products and the Frizz Ease Daily Miracle Leave-In Conditioner immediately caught my fancy. This product is a little different than the Redken one. While Anti-Snap is kind of like a liquid cream with a pump, Daily Miracle is in a spray bottle and feels like thick water. You spray it on your ends (don't use too much or your hair will get crunchy), and it works a treat! I noticed it significantly cut down the time I need to dry my hair, and it made it much softer and less prone to tangles. Usually, I need to comb my hair every 2 hours because otherwise it gets these insane knots, but with this, I can easily do it 1-2 per day. A great improvement for me. Best of all, the product only costs around 8€, which is half the price of Redken. I apply it to towel-dried hair (a small amount, way less than Redken) and either air or blow-dry. In case you are interested, Redken has 250 ml of product, and John Frieda has 200 ml, which I'm totally fine with - I like changing up my products and had Redken not worked so well, I would've gotten tired of it at this point. I've really been enjoying it and I would definitely recommend it if you have hair like mine - very long, prone to knots, damaged.

What is your favorite leave-in conditioner?

P.S. I am totally in love with my new background, which my father-in-law made for me, how sweet is that? I feel like a proper beauty blogger now, hehe.

ARTISTRY SIGNATURE COLOR LIPSTICK REVIEW

14Apr

By ŽivaNo Comments

Fashion, Favorites, Lipstick, Makeup

ARTISTRY SIGNATURE COLOR LIPSTICK REVIEW

Long time no see!

I'll admit, I've been feeling really out of the loop lately. Being so busy with my job and trying to write a blog at the same time is not easy... But hopefully I can ease myself back into the blogging process. So today I have a review of the Artistry Signature Color lipstick, as well as a giveaway for my Slovenian readers at the end.

I've tried a few Artistry products before, and have been impressed time and time again by their beautiful quality. You can really tell they do high-end, their products look & feel expensive and are really high quality. I received two of their lipstick for review, and was once again impressed by Artistry.

These lipsticks are sheer, and great for everyday use. They're lightweight and not oily/heavy at all, feel pleasant on the lips and are not drying at all. They're quite glossy and have a great shine to them.

The pink shade is called Pink Quartz and is something I would wear daily (and I actually wore it yesterday). It's a nice light baby pink color which doesn't look unnatural on my lips.

Sandstone is more of a neutral shade, a tan color with brown undertones. Now if you're like me and have been obsessing over these kinds of 90s colors, you might just love it! It doesn't give you a splash of color, but it goes with absolutely everything, and it feels light on the lips. These colors have no shimmer/glitter, which I love.

The lipsticks surprised me with beautiful packaging, really nice and weighty with a luxurious feel. They open with a click and look just beautiful... Something you'll be excited to pull out of your purse.

And finally, a little surprise for my Slovenian readers! If you head to my Facebook page, you can enter to win Sandstone! Good luck ladies!

What's your favorite fall lipstick?

14Apr

By ŽivaNo Comments

Favorites, Skincare

Artistry Hydra-V Cleanser & Gel Review

Are you ready for some light winter hydration?

Having combination to oily skin, I find it quite hard to find a winter moisturizer that isn't too heavy. It seems like every product meant for winter is heavy and just too overwhelming for my skin type. So I was really excited to try the Artistry Hydra-V range, which is specifically meant for oily to combination skin (but they also have a line for dry to normal skin).

Hydra-V Fresh Foaming Cleanser

I love cleansing my face with a product like this one. It doesn't foam up too much, it's very gentle and what I love most, it doesn't irritate my eyes. Instead, it's really fresh, leaves my skin feeling soft and subtle, and feels gentle on my skin. I was also pleasantly surprised by the price, as Artistry is quite an expensive brand, but this cleanser is priced reasonably at about 23€ on the Artistry website.

Hydra-V Refreshing Gel

I love skincare targeted to oily/combination skin, but they often include a mattifying effect, which I'm not a huge fan of. I much prefer something like this light hydrating gel. Again, very gentle, non-irritating, fresh and soothing, a product that would work, in my opinion, for problematic skin as well. I really enjoy using it both in the morning as well as nighttime, and I've noticed my skin is less oily throughout the day and when I wake up. This really helps keep my oily skin at bay and doesn't make my skin feel tight or uncomfortable. It's a bit more expensive at about 41€ - maybe something to wish for under your Christmas tree? Available here. If you're looking for a nice moisturizer that will work any time of the year, I'd definitely recommend the gel, and the cleanser is lovely (even for use on my eyes, and I wear contacts). Thumbs up from me.

As a side note, I'm thinking about doing Blogmas. Would you like to see a new post every day in December?

ZOEVA ROSE GOLDEN LUXURY SET VOL. 2 REVIEW

14Apr

By ŽivaNo Comments

Favorites, Makeup, Skincare

ZOEVA ROSE GOLDEN LUXURY SET VOL. 2 REVIEW

Introducing... the most beautiful brush set of all time!

It's been a few months since I purchased this stunning brush set from Zoeva, and I thought it was about time I wrote a review for you. I hope this is useful for you and I tried to go in detail with every brush along with general opinions about the set. Let's see what we have...

The whole set

In general, I can't say enough good things about this lovely set. The brushes are great quality. I adore their color, a light powder pink with rose gold accents. I'm so pleased I got the set as it comes with this lovely makeup bag, which I keep getting compliments on. The price is 65€, which is steep, but worth it. You can purchase the set here. For me, it's just the perfect combination of brushes and a really essential set. There's not one brush here that is useless or annoying, they're all amazing. If I had one wish it would be for Zoeva to include a powder brush with this, or maybe a concealer brush. But I'm probably biased because I don't really wear eyeshadow... Let's go more in detail about the brushes now.

104 Buffer

I've been using this brush for my foundation religiously. It's very soft and not too dense, but thick enough. It's easy to wash and keeps its shape as well as function despite me washing it frequently. It applies liquid foundation beautifully, there are no streaks when you buff it in and just looks so natural. I've used this brush with all kinds of coverage and different products and it has always excelled. You can purchase it separately here for 14,80€.

109 Luxe Face Paint

I love this brush so much I actually have two of them. Before purchasing the set, I'd already bought the brush by itself and it's my only double Zoeva brush - I just love it so much. It's amazing for contouring with both cream and powder products. I personally suck at contouring, but this brush makes it so so easy, I also use it for blusher at times and it's just wonderful! It's not that dense, but it has a great shape. It can get a little scratchy if you don't wash it enough and it loses its shape, but I still love it. You can purchase it separately here from 12,80€.

126 Luxe Cheek Finish

This is probably the most boring brush in the collection. Can be used for powder, bronzer, blush, highlighter... Personally I use it for blusher. It's a great brush, but nothing extraordinary. I'm not very picky when it comes to blush brushes, I just think the 126 isn't great for powder as it's too long and not dense enough (unless you're doing a light dusting). Not a must-have, but good to find in the set. You can buy it separately here from 12,80€.

226 Smudger

A nice eye brush. It works for smudging, but I mostly use it to pack color on the lid. Dense and short, it's great when you want to add a lot of product. I haven't used it for smudging yet as I don't really wear smokey eyes, but it would be good for the bottom lashline, judging by the shape. Purchase is separately here from 7,80€.

228 Luxe Crease

This crease brush is absolutely lovely. Very very soft and long and bendy enough to use on hooded lids, too. My old favorite was a Sigma blending brush which is still great, but a bit too short for my liking, so this is perfect. You could also use it for highlighter. Available here from 7,80€.

234 Luxe Smoky Shader

I kind of disagree with the name of this brush. It's supposed to be a smoking brush, I just prefer to use it for packing on color. In my opinion, possibly a little unnecessary in this kit as you already have a great brush for that - 226. However, I still find uses for it, so it's not wasted... Just wish they'd substitute either the 226 or 228 with a powder brush. Purchase it here from 7,80€.

317 Wing Liner

Whether you use gel liner or khol, this is pretty much a must-have brush in your makeup collection. Personally, I use liquid liner, but I still found a great use for the 317 - I like to use it for concealer to really sharpen the edges of my liner and brows, and it works great. I love that this brush is in here, and it's really become a part of my routine. Available here from 6,80€.

322 Brow Line

This brush is a total must-have for me. I prefer it to RT's eyebrow brush, it's softer and more defined. The Real Techniques brush is too dense for me. The 322 is perfectly angled and works with both cream, wax and powder products. Would recommend, this is such a staple in my collection. Purchase it here from 6,80€.

Makeup bag

Shh, this was kind of the reason why I got the whole set. I have to say, the makeup bag really is stunning and such nice quality, too. I don't think it's real leather, it must be faux, but it's so very soft and pleasant to the touch. The color is a stunning rose gold and it's just so beautiful! I'd even wear it as a clutch... Just great part of this set, unfortunately you cannot buy it separately. All in all, this set comes with my thumbs up. I really love it and am so glad I have it - been using most of these things every day. If you're looking for a great face & eyes kit, look no further. All I'd add is a concealer and powder brush, otherwise you're all set!

What is your favorite brand of makeup brushes?

Drogerie Markt Visiomax Contacts & Eye Products

14Apr

By ŽivaNo Comments

Favorites, Makeup, Skincare

Drogerie Markt Visiomax Contacts & Eye Products

A bit of a different post today...

Ever since I head that Drogerie Markt was coming out with contact lenses, I was super excited. When I finally saw them in store, I had to get a few products. I know this isn't my usual post, but maybe it will be useful to some of you who have been wondering about Visiomax - is it worth the hype? Let's see...

Visiomax Lens Case

There's really not much to say about this one! It's a standard lens case, but I do love the option of purchasing these separately as the ones that come with a lens solution tend to get grubby over time. I think they were around 2-3€, so not too bad.

Visiomax Eye Drops

I really like Bepanthol eye drops, but unfortunately, they're only good for six months after you open them. I don't use them too often, so I really love this brand's offering which lasts up to 2018. The drops are great, but then again, I'm not very demanding. They just have to moisten my eyes and I'm good. Not irritating, pleasant & they contain hyaluron. A winner in my book, and a good price, I think about 4-5€.

Visiomax Contact Lenses

This is what you all want to know about, right? Well... I have mixed opinions on these contacts. My eyes are semi-sensitive, more normal than anything else. So for wearing during the day, the lenses are ok - as long as you take them out and wear glasses maybe 2 days out of the 7 of the week. I made the mistake of sleeping with them (I really wanted to try them out, because I'm totally ok if I fall asleep with my regular Acuvue contacts), and it made my eyes SUPER irritated, red and uncomfortable. They're kind of... itchy isn't the right word, just uncomfortable. It feels like they're really dry and have edges that cut into my eye, which isn't exactly pleasant. But the main reason I wanted them is the price - they're like 3€, which I thought was great... Until I found out you get only one lens per pack. They're monthly, so that adds up to 6€ per month. My Acuvue contacts come in a pack of 6 for 18€, I need 2 packs for a month ( though I've worn them for way longer), so the price is the same per month. I just so prefer my old contacts. I won't be repurchasing these, but it is nice to know I can get them in the drugstore if I ever run out. But not a great purchase for me.

Overall thoughts

So, there's definitely some split opinions on these. I've heard some mixed reviews on them and I have to agree - while they're not completely love it or hate it for me (there's good and bad sides), I won't be repurchasing. I'm sticking with my Oasis Acuvue lenses for now.

Again, my apologies for a slightly off topic post, but I do hope it was helpful. And I'd be really curious to know how many of my readers wear contacts! So tell me...

Are you a glasses or contacts wearer?