30 July 2018

Get picture ready!

Hello,

this one is long overdue I know, I know but the palette is too good not to share. I remember I got mine a month or two before they announced it's leaving the range and when it was just 99 cents I got another one for my sister because I liked it and she ended up loving it.


It is Essence get picture ready palette with seven neutrals with a twist inside.


I really love all of the shades which is rare and I feel like I can do so many looks with it plus it has a big mirror and double ended brush. Sponge tip applicator actually comes handy for applying lighter colors on the inner corners or to pick the fifth glittery shade (most of the larger particles are only on the top of the pan, the deeper you go the better it gets). The brush on the other side is small so patting the shadow all over the lid with it would take ages so I also use it for my inner corners when the sponge is dirty.


First three shades are all lighter and very similar on the skin which you will see on the swatches. I use all of them as my inner corner illuminators or the trick is to put them over darker base and then you can see the different undertones and their beauty really comes into eyesight.

Fourth shade is a perfect taupe. It is neutral rather on the cool side than warm and it is nether brown or grey which I think is great for such palette where you have warmer and cooler tones.


Fifth shade is the warm bronze with intense glitter but only on the surface. Glitter tends to fall down so sweeping the cheeks is mandatory or you can do the rest of the face later.

Second to last is a very unique and gorgeous shade in my opinion. This mauve with a purple undertone is so unusual and at first I was sceptical about it but all of my worries faded away the minute I used it. Now I can't get enough of it. I bought that single from Trend it up in 110 shade which is matte but still not so close or Terra Naturi Rosewood blush. They are close but at the same time so far away. I need to get a dupe for it before I ran out of it, any suggestions?

The very last shade is the only matte and it is actually really nice and it ties all of the shades nicely together. It is very deep espresso brown which I use to line my lid to get some definition.


Here the first three looks very similar and almost dull but I can assure you that they are the most light reflective ones.


I tried to capture the first three for so long and this is the best I can do. On a direct sunlight they shine like jewels and you can't see anything so I had to snap them in the shadow so the glow doesn't show up but at least the colors do and now you can at least see the difference.


Fourth shade has a little less obvious shimmer, more of a sateen finish and the fifth bronze one is a glittery bomb next to it.

My favorite (sixth one) is looking so pretty with that coloring and lovely sheen.

The very last is almost boring but the palette wouldn't be complete without it.

I remember checking this palette out several times before purchasing, the main reason why I was so hesitant was the selfie theme. You see I grew up back in the days when other people took photos of you to capture where you have been, what have you seen or experience not to capture perfect make-up or good hair days. This and the whole social media is not 'my thing' so a palette that is promoting this seemed like a pass for me but I decided to open up and try more things. Taking selfies is still not my strong suit but I guess I will have to learn some basics because when this post will go up I will be for the first time on a vacation by myself. All alone, without any friends or family members, it feels a bit scary but if I won't tried it I will never know if I'm capable of, right?



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

28 July 2018

Tempting Grape and Addicting Rosewood

Hello,

on my blog you will rarely see long lasting matte lip products only because I specialize in lip gloss, lip balms and creamier shinier lipsticks. The crown goes to glosses which are my favorite and todays special is a good one.


L.O.V. caring volume gloss is the second one from their line that I own and that alone tells you that I love them. This one is named Addicting Rosewood.


It is a cool toned brown nude, it almost looks like it has some grey in, it is such a strange color but on the lips it works.


It doesn't have any shimmer just wet shine makes my lips appear a bit larger.


Tempting Grape is a shade I picked up first and it is a bit brighter medium pink while Addicting Rosewood calms down my natural coloring and whenever I use it I can play up on my eyes.


Tempting Grape has some small shimmer which is barely visible and like I said Addicting Rosewood is shimmer free.


The scent is barely there but it is more of a plasticky and nothing too sweet or pleasant, it fades away quickly so I don't mind it. I like how glossy and juicy they look and last a bit longer then the average glosses. These two have become some of my favorite ones unfortunately they are no longer available in my country. Essence Shine, Shine, Shine glosses comes close and they are still available, well some wonderful shades will say goodbye soon and I will have to stock up ;)



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

27 July 2018

L.O.V. your tan

Hello,

as promised I'm back with some L.O.V. products. It looks like I'm celebrating their departure from our market in Slovenia but I swear I'm not. I'm sad that stuff didn't sell (at least that I think happened) but on the bright side GOSH is now replacing it (for a while now only one store in the capital carried GOSH and now the brand is more accessible).


L.O.V. HD matte bronzer in L.O.V. your tan shade jumped in my basket immediately (I have a thing with bronzers).


Inside you get a big mirror which seems fine (I had issues with their mirror in one of their eye shadow palettes) and again a beautiful print on the actual product.


It is warm with an orange undertone but not so orange that it looks fake from across the street. This shade works very well with my coloring. I personally prefer glowy cheeks so matte finish isn't a bonus for me but I can always add highlighter and 'fix' it.


At the end I decided to give it to my sister. I found one flaw with it and it bothers me so much that I know that I won't use it. I wear foundation every day and I set it down with a generous layer of powder and after that I proceed with powder cheek products. I have never had any issues until now. This one appears to cling on some parts and skip others completely so I end up looking all patchy and uneven. I gave it to my sister who doesn't use foundation and she applies it directly onto her cheeks and it looks perfect, no skipping and she is a bit paler then me and the color works for her too. You know what they say, right? Some products work, some does't you just have to find the 'right' ones. This bronzer and I just weren't meant to be.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

26 July 2018

Project Polish

Hello,

it is that time again when I'm getting rid of of some nail polishes.
This time around I used up one and gave away two bottles.


Essence My wish list is a pale opaque pink which I fell in love with and I need to find a dupe.
Avon Gunmetal is super old but the formula is still surprisingly good but I decided to give it to my sister because I have a lot of grey varnishes.
Dusty lavender Manhattan 61V is also still in a pretty good shape, it is not as old as the Avon one but still. I also gave it to my sister because she loves Manhattan formula and I have plenty of lavender ones that I just like better.


 My wish list comes across as a off white color but it is in fact pale pink and very chic looking on the nails.

Gunmetal is shimmery and very pretty, I had zero issues with it. Avon varnishes really do last.

The very last Manhattan is also cream with a lot of muddiness in it, I prefer my lavenders to be brighter and more cheerful.


I'm glad that I have a bit less bottles in my stash and I hope I will continue with this pace till the end of the year.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day



25 July 2018

more glow with Essence

Hello,

let's glow with Essence, shall we? Even though this collection was a while ago it is still relevant and the highlighters that they came out? Gorgeous. You could find something for every taste. I actually accumulated quite a few of items, one of the palettes and the liquid one are in my stash.


This time I have the Essence Glow setting powder ... like a jewel on the crown (the only available shade) and one out of the three individual baked metallic highlighters in the ... like you're doing what you love shade which has a bit peachier base.


Baked metallic highlighter in the ...like you're doing what you love is simply gorgeous. It is just stunning and definitely not for the shy people, it is very intense and it is hard to make it subtle if not impossible.


Setting powder ... like a jewel on the crown has this beautiful marbled design which is completely irrelevant but oh so pretty to look at.
In the pan it doesn't look shimmery but on the skin I can spot some random golden particles which aren't too big.


On all of the swatches the highlighter is first and second is the setting powder.


Highlighter is glowing, it is very reflective even in a subtle light while the all over the face powder is more muted but it gives the skin some golden sheen and some random sparkle.


I use the baked highlighter with a light hand on my cheekbones while the setting powder is a tad too much for my taste. On the photos the sheen doesn't show but in real life I would look crazy if I would use it all over my face so I use it as a subtle golden highlighter.


The peachy tone makes the base not so overpowering and more 'natural' looking while the shimmer does the talking.
Next to it is blended powder but you can still see the golden tone on my skin. In real life I could see it even better with some golden sparkles.


I really tried to capture the true beauty of the setting powder but with no avail, my skin on the photos just looks a bit more golden and airbrushed.


Here you can see the contrast even better between the two cousins.


In a different light they both come alive and make my skin look brighter and more illuminated.

Like I mentioned I will use both of them on my cheeks as highlighters but the more showy one is definitely my favorite. The setting powder is gone but the collection wanted: sunset dreamers which is out right now have something really similar. There were no samples so I couldn't try it but the packaging, marbled design and tones looked exactly the same. If you are curious check it out.




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

24 July 2018

Trend it up shadows

Hello,

Trend It Up brand is present for a long time now and still I haven't tried a whole lot from them. The prices are similar to Essence or Catrice which are two of my favorite brands anyways. So far everything that I have tried from this German brand was great and the eye shadows I will discuss today are something I would recommend anytime.


These are the most 'basic' ones that they make (the more 'special' you can find here and here) but they still pack a punch.


Brown one is 060 and golden one is named 010. They are the most neutral and very basic looking but that is what I like so picking them was natural for me.


The 070 is a very special silver and 080 is silver/blue. Both of them are very hard to describe, when you will see the swatches you will see it too.


Dark brown with red undertone is 067 and matte mauve is 110. For these two I went really out of my comfort zone and I'm glad to report that we are getting along just fine.


Here they are in all of their glory. The first four have some shimmer, second to last is matte and the very last one has rather unique finish. The color itself is almost matte but when you apply more you can see it is metallic and it shifts red, very beautiful but unfortunately I don't pack my shadows so much because I prefer lighter, softer colors so this sheen is not seen on my eyes.


The bronze shade 060 looks warmer and more orange toned on my complexion it is not my favorite tone but it does stand out in my collection.
The other neutral 010 color is a bit more yellow that I expected, I prefer my golds to be less yellow but I still like it.

 
The 070 here looks more greyish brown, cool toned brown and is very unique and special.
080 pulls almost purple next to it and is also very very beautiful. I figure it out that I use these two guys the most out of them and it is all because of their interesting coloring and beautiful shimmery finish.


Mauve 067 don't swatch that well but I swear that on the eyes it is lovely (applied with a brush over a primer), I love using it all over the lid and blend it up in the crease when I don't want to wear typical brown or grey. This baby is also in a fast rotation.
The last one is 110 eye shadow which is dark with a nice warm undertone. Like I mentioned I don't pack it on like I did for the swatch and with a lighter hand it is more of a medium brown, nice to warm up the look.


They are not particularly powdery and apply nicely. For my looks they are pigmented enough and I like to use them. So far they have been a real success and I can't wait to get some more, I'm eyeing the crystal ones...




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

23 July 2018

Wanderlust Feeling

Hello,

Adventure Awaits was a TE from Essence and it was a marvelous one. I haven't been so very excited about their collections lately until this one blew me away (now I'm anxiously waiting for the assortiment change which is going to be a good one).


There are two 'blushes' in the collection and I got the lighter one which doesn't even perform as a blush on my skin tone.


Wanderlust Feeling has beautiful embossment and it pulls slightly peachy.


This is how it looks on my skin when I applied it heavily with my finger, when I use it with a brush and sweep my cheeks with it the color is even less obvious but it leaves them beautifully highlighted and so I'm counting it as a highlighter.


Here you can see the sheen a bit better and it is so very good that the world print in the center is nearly gone.


I feel like this product on top makes all of my looks better and I love wearing it. To me it has become one of my favorites and among all of the Essence highlighters I seriously can't choose my favorite. They have so many good ones and they are about to come out with even more...




Thank you for reading and have a nice day

16 July 2018

Empties

Hello,

if we are particular I'm already one day behind but since July has more days I think I'm okay. Anyways, no matter the day it is time to get rid of some empty products.


First is La Petit Marseiliais Peach and Mandarin body wash. It was more on the liquid side so I used it up pretty fast. In the past I had Lavender and Peony scents and I liked them better. This one had a bit of plastic scent thrown in the mix and it wasn't so enjoyable but sill good enough to use it up.

Alverde Mint and Berry lip balm was very average balm for me. The scent wasn't minty enough for me and moisturizing  properties were very low. The texture was light so I had to rub it a couple of times to cover my lips with it and even then I had to reapply every thirty minutes. Not worth it, I had better ones for as cheap as this one.

Avon TTA Today for him after shave conditioner was part of a set (perfume and body wash/shampoo). In the past I loved men colognes on myself and this one smelled so nice when I rubbed the scented page. When it finally arrived I was a bit disappointed since it doesn't smell so awesome on me and since I completely forgot about it. I decided to go through this lotion and massage it into my body, the tube only holds 100 ml and it was done pretty fast. I used it on my freshly shaven legs and it didn't burn so I guess it is also okay to use on the shaven faces but I'm not trying that  ;)

Next is Neutrogena visibly clear face wash. I liked the pump and the texture is perfect for it. One pump however was enough to wash my entire face but some make-up was still there so I had to use coconut oil first and then this one to completely remove my 'mask' but in the mornings it was okay to use it on its own. I liked it but I have some others that I need to go through (Himalaya Neem foaming  wash is in the current rotation and this bright green liquid removes everything without any irritations).

Skin 79 V.I.P. Gold BB cream is an oldie but such a good BB. The color is great for my complexion, it stays a bit dewy and the coverage is superb (in my opinion even better than the more popular hot pink sister). I'm trying to use all of them up before buying more since they are getting old and I don't use them as much as I used to, they have been replace by matte L'oreal foundation that I like even better but on more casual days I like to use BB creams.

Neutrogena visibly clear face cream is my staple. I don't remember if this is my third or fourth tube already. I love the light texture which absorbs into my skin fast and hydrates it very well. It leaves almost matte feeling on the skin and it is great for oilier skin types. I will buy it for as long as they will have it.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day

10 July 2018

more Trend it up

Hello,

I feel like I haven't done one of these in a long time. Splurging on make-up, not so much on the high price tag but I mean more on the quantity. I definitely didn't need all that but I wanted and that was good enough for me ;)


I don't have a lot from Trend it up and the latest LE caught my attention plus some discontinued/older products hooped in my basket.

Electric Valley is the most current collection and I wanted quite a few products but I managed to hold myself back a bit.
First is oh so gorgeous baked blush in the 010 shade, there is also darker one which also looked great but maybe a bit dark, there were no samples so I couldn't test it out.
The periwinkle 030 nail polish is just the color I was looking for but this one has some golden shimmer in it, I'm curious how it will turn out.
The last item from this collection is one out of the four cream lipstick. I decided to get the warm red 010 shade which will be great with some tan (which I don't have yet but I hope I will get some ;).

The other two items were on sale. The glittery  nail varnish is also called 030 and the blue sparks demanded my attention.
The very last item is radiant highlighter and try to guess the shade. Yep, 030. It is pink toned and very different from all the rest that I own plush it was still pristine so I had to take it.

This new bunch of make-up will be featured in details very soon. I can't wait.



Thank you for reading and have a nice day