Sunday, July 29, 2012

July Collective Haul ( Mac, Revlon, L'oreal, Artdeco, Maybelline, etc).


 This is my last post before I leave for my vacation, it's a haul I did within the whole month of July, which is also my birthday month, some of these I got them on my birthday.











Vera Wang Princess Eau de toilette
Such a cute and light fragrance, I wanted to buy it for such a long time! I think it's perfect for summer and wintertime as an everyday perfume.
L'oreal Professionnel Play Ball Beach Fizz
I wanted to try a salt spray for the summer, so I can enhance my curls (I have naturally wavy hair) and it does a pretty good job, way better than Bumble and Bumble's Surf spray which I've tried years ago and I really hated it!

Sephora Lemon Verbena Eau de toilette
I love lemon and citrus beased perfumes for summer and it was hard to find one that smells exactly like lemons, but this one does and it's so refreshing! I only wish it lasted longer.

Maybelline Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara
This is the newest mascara from Maybelline, which isn't yet released in Greece so I ordered it through Ebay. I've tried lots of  Maybelline mascaras but most of them dissapointed me, but this one is something else! It has such a light unique formula, like a mousse, and it gives me amazing length and volume!

Mac Bronzing Powder in Refined Golden
A very famous bronzer, I wanted to try a new bronzer and I decided to go with Mac this time since I've never tried any of their bronzers all those years I'm into make up. The shade is really good for my NC25 skintone, it has a few golden shimmers but they're unnoticeable on my face. I'm still not sure if I like this bronzer or not.

Mac Cleanse Off Oil
I got the mini version because I wanted to try it first before I buy the full bottle. I used to be into cleansing oils as a face make up remover a few years ago, but now I use only micellar lotions. The Cleanse Off Oil has a very different texture from the ones that I've tried, it's a little too thick, but I haven't really tested it so I can have a full opinion yet.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Cherish
I really wanted to try these new Revlon stains but we don'thave them in Greece so I ordered it through the Ebay. I don't know why I picked up this color because it's so not me, I never buy these kind of pinks, I thought it would look awful on me but I was clearly wrong! Yes it's cool toned but somehow it works well with my warm skintone, and it looks amazing with summer looks. I love the texure, it's not drying at all and it stays for a long time.

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
I was in the hunt for a good cuticle cream for a long time, and I saw that this one is very famous in the beauty community so I decided to order it from feelunique. It has a very different texture from an actual cream, it's a balm, and it really works, much better than cuticle oils.

Artdeco Blusher in #05
I haven't bought an Artdeco blush in ages, and I don't know why since they're very affordable! When I saw this shade at the counter it reminded me so much of Mac's Peaches, and when I swatched I was right, it's an exact dupe with only 8 euros, I had to get it! I just love it, the perfect matte tangerine blush for the summer! I'm not sure but I think it's a limited edition shade.

Chine Glaze Beach Cruise-R
From this year's China Glaze's neons I wanted to try a neon shade that I didn't have before, so I got this one which is a straight purple. I'm not sure if I like it yet, but for sure I prefer it as a manicure shade rather as a pedicure one.

Essie Off The Shoulder
From the whole Essie 2012 summer collection, this shade was the only one that really caught my eye. It's such a pretty light to medium cream pink. I'm not sure if it's warm toned or a cool toned pink, I would say something in between.

L'oreal Color Riche  in #106 Versailles Gold
This is a sandy-gold nail polish, a shade that I was looking for a long time. A little too metallic for my taste though, but with an amazng texture. I think I'll be getting more of these Color Riche polishes in the future!

Poshe Fast Drying Top Coat
I'm not sure how many bottles I've used from this stuff, but it's the best fast drying top coat in the market, for me it's better than Seche Vite.

Mac Lingering Eye Brow pencil
The best brow pencil for light brunettes hands down! It's a neutral brown, not too cool toned and ashy neither too red (which I absolutely hate at brow pencils). The only negative thing is that it lasts me only for a couple of months.

Mac lipsticks in Venus and Pleasureseeker
Both of these shades were released with Mac's Heavenly Creatures collection, and I B2M for both of them. Pleasureseeker it's actually a repromote from the Neo Sci Fi collection back in the summer of 2008, I had it but for some reason it turned bad really quick, I don't know why. Pleasureseeker it's a very sheer light peach shade, great for everyday use. Venus is a medium pink with cool and warm undertones. I'm actually really surprised on how much I like this lipstick.



So tell me, have you try any of these products?? Do you like them?
And since I'm going to be away for a while, I want to wish a happy summer to all of you!!!

Sophia
xoxo

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Summer Lipglosses: Peaches & Corals

This is the second part of my peach and coral lip products for the summer. In this one I'm showing you some of my favorite peach and coral lipgosses!




1)Lancome Juicy Pop in Cyber Coral
This is an old Lancome Juicy Tube lipgloss, it's actually called Juicy Pop, propably because of the bright color. It was limited edition back in 2008 with the Lancome's summer collection. It's a non shimmery neon coral pink shade. In the hand swatch it looks more pigmented than it looks on the lips. It's so pretty and unique! I don't see ofter neon lipglosses, even if they're sheer.

2)YSL Golden Gloss in Golden Peach #50
This is my first YSL lipgloss, it was released with their 2012 Spring Candy Face Collection. It's a true peach/tangerine shade, with no pink, highly pigmented with gold flecks. It reminds me of the Mac Dazzleglasses but the gold flecks are more gritty. It has an overpowdering  mango taste which I don't like.

3)Mac Perennial High Style Lipglass
A limited edition shade that it was first released with Mac's Liberty of London collection in the spring of 2012, but I'm pretty sure they had rerelease the same shade with another collection. A highly pigmented coral pink shade with cream texture, no shimmers at all, my favorite texture for Mac lipglasses! And this one is actually one of the few Mac lipglasses that I really enjoyed using, because most of the times Lipglasses are very sticky.

4)Essence XXXL Shine lipgloss in Sparkling Papaya
A beautiful tangerine shade with silver shimmers with a watery non sticky texture, yes since it's watery it's also sheer but you can see the tangerine shade on your lips, and it's perfect on top of lipsticks, especially peachy ones. It also has a nice fruity taste, not overpowering like the YSL Golden Glosses. In my opinion it's a very affordable lipgloss, and a good opportunity for those who haven't try any peachy lipgloss to try that shade, without paying lots of money.

5)Radiant Professional Lasting Lip Shine in #66
Radiant Professional cosmetics is a greek brand, not exactly a drugstore or a high end one, I would say something in between, and they have a good variety of lipgloss shades. This one was released with last year's summer collection (not sure if it's a limited edition shade), it's a peachy/orange shade with a small hint of pink, highly pigmented with golden micro shimmers. The only thing that I don't like is the taste, it smells a lot like crayons, I hope Radiant will change the taste in the future!

6)Bourjois Effet 3D Gloss in Corail Idyllic #52
A beautiful coral pink shade with silver shimmers, and medium pigmentation. It has an amazing texture, the thickness of the gloss is just perfect, not too thick nor too watery. Bourjois lipglosses are the best lipglosses I've ever tried from a drugstore or high street brand. Actually it beats lots of high end brands too! It's a limited edition shade, it was released with the Sweet Paris Spring 2012 collection, but I'm pretty sure you can still find it in the stores.

7)Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Peony
The Revlon Colorburst lipgloss packaging looks a lot like a high end lipgloss packaging. It's so pretty with a very long sponge tip applicator, like Chanel's, with a unique shade that glides on the lips nicely! Peony is a soft beige-tangerine shade with lots of golden shimmers, and with no taste at all, which is a plus.



Swatches:
from left to right: Essence Sparkling Papaya, Revlon Peony, Radiant #66, Bourjois #52, YSL Golden Peach, Lancome Cyber Coral, Mac Perennial High Style



So do you have any favorite peach and coral lipglosses for the summer? Let me know!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Summer Lipsticks: Peaches & Corals

After my post about peachy and coral blushes, I wanted to make one more about lipsticks and glosses from the same color family, which happens to be my favorite!




1) Clinique Buttershine in Poppy Love
More of a soft nude bronze beige peachy shade with gold shimmers, with amazing glossiness. Actually it's the most glossy lipstick I've ever try. It reminds me of Mac's Tendertone lip balms!

 2)Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Liberte
An orangey peach shade with subtle gold shimmers, you can go from a sheer to a more intense look.Although it looks glossy at first after a while it dries out my lips.

 3)Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Natural N36
A coral pink shade with a satin finish that feels super light on lips, the color payoff is intense but with a light hand it can look sheer. But it can be drying because of it's satin finish, so I like to use a balm under it.

 4)Mac Razzledazzler
An old fave of mine, which happens to be limited edition, like most of the Mac lipsticks that I like! It's a true cream coral peachy shade that leads to orange with a small hint of pink, non shimmery and glossy.
  
5)Mac Ever Hip
Another limited edition Mac lipstick, but I think they have repromoted quite a few times, that means it's a popular shade. A sheer coral pink with a little orange in, no shimmers and it's not as glossy as the Razzledazzler, because it's a Cremesheen while Razzledazzler is a Lustre.

6)Essence I'm Sailing
I got this Essence lipstick last summer, it was released with the 50's Girls Reloaded collection. As you can see the packaging is almost identical to a Mac lipstick. The shade is what I call true peach! No pink, more on the orange side but not too much, it doesn't have any shimmers and it's quite glossy. Too bad it was limited edition, but I got a back up since it was so cheap!

7)Dior Addict lipstick in 343 Miss Dior
A soft beige peachy shade with silver and gold shimmers, with sheer coverage,  actually too sheer to be called a lipstick, it's more of a balm lipstick but I like that texture a lot especially for  summertime!


Swatches:
from left to right: Chanel Liberte, MUFE N36, Mac Razzledazzler, Mac Ever Hip, Essence I'm Sailing, Dior 343, Clinique Poppy Love





Do you like peachy and coral lipsticks? Let me know what are your faves!
 Stay tuned for the second part with the glosses!




Monday, July 16, 2012

Make Up Forever Black Tango Collection For Fall 2012






I know we're in the middle of the summer, and if you're in Greece like me a very hot one, but it's also the season when make up brands present their fall collections. Make Up Forever's Black Tango collection includes rich vampy colors for eyes, lips and nails.
 
Black Tango Palette
Four new Aqua Cream dark shades with subtle glints, like precious stones, hidden in an extremely feminine limited edition compact. Inside hides a large mirror decorated with lace and a professional brush.
  • Red
  • Green
  • Blue
  • Ivory


Nail Polish
Dany Sanz has created three Nail Polishes for incredibly feminine appeal. Thanks to their deep colors – black with red highlights, black with green highlights, black with blue highlights – they perfectly echo the intense and sensual world of BLACK TANGO.
  • Black Red
  • Black Green
  • Black Blue





Aqua Rouge Lipstick
Make Up Forever launches Aqua Rouge, a long lasting waterproof lipstick. Highly glossy, concentrated lipstick that combines two applications in one:
  • Step 1: the liquid lipstick delivers intense matte color.
  • Step 2: the top coat provides a vilyl finish and protects the color.
For the Black Tango look Dany Sanz has chosen the Aqua Rouge in no.11 Dark Raspberry.



So what do you think of Make Up Forever's 2012 fall collection? Are you excited for any of the products? I know I am for the nail polishes, since I am a vampy lover when it comes to nails I think these shades will be fabulous for the fall!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

June Favorites.

It's time for my monthly favorites post, even though I'm a little late. I can't believe June is over and we're almost at the middle of the summer!! But hey vacations are on the way, I can't wait!! I didn't have many favorites for this month, it's been so so so hot here and whenever I wore make up I was using only a few basic products!




Benefit Hello Flawless powder foundation, ELF Powder brush
I actually stopped using a liquid foundation, I can't stand it when it's too hot, and I've been loving like crazy this powder foundation, I've purchased it at the beggining of this month. It's an amazing powder foundation, it gives you a medium coverage, it doesn't look cakey at all, it stays on without transfering around my nose and chin for at least 5 hours without a primer. I'm using the shade Champagne and it's a good match for my NC25 skintone, also it hasn't broke me out. I've tried many different types of brushes to apply it, Sigma's F80, Sephora's Mineral Powder foundation brush, but the best one is the ELF Studio Powder Brush  If you're using powder foundations, or mineral powder foundations in general try this brush, it's amazing and also very cheap.



Seventeen Ideal Cover Liquid Concealer
When it comes to choose a concealer at summertime, I always prefer the ones with liquid consistency. Seventeen is a greek brand, I wouldn't say a drugstore brand since the prices are not that cheap, but they're affordable, it costs 13 euros. I first bought this concealer last summer and I went through an entire bottle within 3 months! For some reason they do not write the quantity of the product on the packaging, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't contain much! I really like it though, I love the sponge applicator, so easy to use, it has a yellowish shade and it covers well undereye circles and blemishes, I use the shade 06 Caramel. I like to apply it with a Mac 217 brush. The only problem is that it contains shimmers, they're not too visible though, but some people might not like that.





Mac Razzledazzler lipstick
This is the only lipstick I've been wearing the whole month. I have it for some years now but I wasn't wearing it that much, I don't know why because it's an amazing color! It was released with the Raquel Welch collection back in 2007 if I remember correctly, and it was limited edition. It's a true coral peach shade with no shimmers, the texture can be a little thick but with a little lip balm under the problem is solved. It looks amazing on tanned skintones, Jennifer Lopez was wearing a similar color at her "I'm Gonna be Alright" music video.





The Body Shop White Musk Breeze
The Body Shop every summer releases a new White Musk limited edition perfume, this one was released in the summer of 2010, and it doesn't smell like the original White Musk perfume at all, that's why I like it! It smells so fresh and citrusy. Very summerish! I hope Body Shop will release more citrus based perfumes in the future, one of my all time faves was Zestini but they discontinued it several years ago, fingers crossed they will re-release it sometime in the future.






The Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream
This is a basic non SPF moisturizer for oily skintypes. Most of the times I've purchased a new skincare item it broke me out, so when I purchased this one I was pretty sure it would break me out, but after using it for more than a month I'm happy to inform you that it didn't! It has a gel consistency, that leaves your face refreshed with a cooling sensation, it's not super moisturizing but it does the job for summertime. Unlike other gel type of moisturizers this one keeps me truly matte, it's a great base for foundations, and my face doesn't become oily after an hour or two, I had that problem with Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. I can't recommend it enough to oily girls that cannot find a moisturizer that  keeps you matte. And it's not expensive at all, it costed 14 euros.





DIY Face Scrub with Sea Salt and Lemon
I've tried quite a few face scrubs in the past, and the only one that really worked for me was Mac's Microfine Refinisher but it has been discontinued for years now and I couldn't find one that worked the same. It had that small particles for exfoliation it felt like sand. After paying all that money for just a face scrub I decided to make one of my own and it really did work! I wanted to use incredients that are targeted for oily skins so I searched on the internet and I came up with a very simple recipe: 2 tablespoons of fine sea salt, juice of half a lemon and one tablespoon of sugar, I mix them all in a small bowl, you want to make a thick paste not too runny. Please use fine sea salt otherwise you may hurt your skin. The fine sea salt and the sugar exfoliate really well without irritating my skin, and I have sensitive,acne prone skin. The lemon really helps with the oiliness. I massage it gently into my skin, and then I let it sit for couple of minutes before I rinse it off. Everyone can try it, I'm sure you all have those ingredients in your kitchen.




Have you tried any of these products?? Do you like them? Please let me know!