February Favorites.

Finally a monthly favorites post! I haven't done one in a while because to be honest I didn't have any favorite products to show you. I haven't been wearing make up that often and since I got some new products within the past month I wanted to start using them for a while and decide which ones I like the most and include them in my February favorites.

 Benefit It's Potent! Eye Cream
If there's only one skincare item that I've been loving a lot these past few months it's definitely the It's Potent eye cream from Benefit! It's hard for me to find the best eye cream, it has to be moisturizing but not too greasy because my concealer will crease like crazy, and I don't like thinner eye creams because they do not moisturize my undereye area at all. This one has just the right texture, not too thin and not too thick, it moisturizes really well without being heavy and the concealer just sticks on top really well.

Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream
I don't know why but I was never into BB creams, lately I'm just sick of using foundation as a base whenever I want to do my make up, it's just too much for an everyday look to go and run some errands or just go for shopping, and that's why I got this BB cream in the first place. It's not the perfect one for sure because I do get oily really quick but I just love how fresh my face looks with this on, and I don't mind if I need to blot my face a few more times throught the day.

Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Serum Primer
A primer is also a product that I rarely use, because the majority of the ones that I've tried in the past had that silicone texture which after a few hours made me look even more oily. This one has a totally different texture, it's like a moisturizer that dries up on my face really quick. It gives a fresh luminous look that you notice only after you put your make up on, and the best part is that it doesn't make me oily, even though it says that it's for dry and normal skintypes, it's definitely better than Benefit's Porefessional when it comes to oil control.

Benefit Dallas
I rediscovered Dallas in my make up stash recently and I wanted to start using it as a bronzer again. It's not the typical brown or peachy shade of bronzer, it has rose undertones, and because of that I skip blush sometimes and I only wear this. The quality of this powder is just perfect, it's so finely milled and highly pigmented and that's the main reason why I wanna try Hoola sometime in the future.

Maybelline Babylips Peach Kiss
Recently I went to a Maybelline event for the launch of their new products here in Greece, including the very famous Babylips and I was very happy that they gave us all six of them to try out. The one that I instantly fell in love with is the Peach Kiss one, as I do with every single peachy lipstick or lipgloss or balm! It's not the most moisturizing lip balm I've ever tried, they're not creamy and waxy they're more glossy, for sure they cannot beat my beloved Liposan (Nivea at other countries) but the peachy taste and the light beige glossy shade it gives on my lips are the two things that I love with this one.

NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee
I haven't really been wearing the NYX Butter Glosses at all since I got them, mainly because the Mega Shine lipgloss in Beige stole my heart, it's the only lipgloss that I've been wearing for months. But I wanted to start using the Butter Glosses too so I saved the Apple Strudel which is a summerish color for the spring and summer and now I use the Creme Brulee. It's a beautiful kind of nudish beige-pink shade, if that shade decription makes any sense to you, it has mauve undertones but it's not cool toned, it's a neutral shade that goes with every make up look. Also it makes my lips look really plump and full with no shimmers in, my kind of perfect lip gloss!



Non Beauty Favorites

Sleepy Hollow is a new tv series, I watched the whole Season 1 in just a few days, well it's only 13 episodes, but anyway it's actually really good! At first I refused to watch it, I thought it would be a silly "Sleepy Hollow" knock off (you know the 1999 movie with Johnny Depp) but it has nothing to do with that one, it has its own unique plot which gets better and better in every single episode! If you like supernatural tv series you should definitely watch it!

Lately I've been obsessed with Drop Dead Diva, I watched all 5 seasons within a month and I wonder why I never watched this show before! It's so cute and funny, very well written and Jane is such a goddess! I read that the upcoming 6th season will be the last one and if that's true then I will be really sad, because I think that it's the perfect summer tv show, I hope that it's not true.

And for my music favorite, it's of course Beyonce's new self-titled album! It was such an amazing surprise when she released her album in December out of nowhere, with no promo, and each song comes with a video. The songs that I love the most are Partition, Drunk In Love, XO and Flawless. Out of all her five albums I think this one is my second favourite after her first one, which will always will be my top one. And if you haven't heard this album yet, what are you doing with your life? Just go and do it!



So these were all my favorites from the previous months. Have you tried any of the products that I mentioned? Did you like them? I wanna know!

My Concealer Collection.

I don't know about you, but I'm obsessed with concealers, they are my weakness! I like to try different ones quite often, I have really bad undereye circles so I'm never quite satisfied with the ones that I use and I always reach for the next big one, so that's why my collection has grown so big this past year! I'm going to tell you all the pros and cons about them and which ones are hit or miss for me.
So let's start!

 Mac Studio Finish Concealer
I'll start off with all the concealer I have from Mac, I've tried lots of Mac concealers in the past, almost every single one from their line, but I'm going to review the ones that I have right now in my collection. My oldest and my most favourite one is the Studio Finish, I have it in the shade NW25, which is a little too orange but it doesn't look bad under my eyes, it cancels really well their dark brown shade. It's a thick creamy concealer that provides high coverage, the perfect concealer for blemishes, redness and spots, but I also really like using it under my eyes, it's not that drying as I thought it would be when I first bought it, and I have dry skin under my eyes, but I always use an eye cream underneath. If I apply it really well and blend it out with my fingers it doesn't crease and it stays on for hours. Because I got it a long time ago I can't really remember what its price is, but I think I got it for 17 euros.

Mac Pro Longwear Concealer
When I got this concealer I was really excited because I read all these amazing reviews about it, I don't know why but I decided to buy it in the shade NC20 and not NW20 or 25 and that was a huge mistake! I originally wanted to use it for underneath my eyes but the shade is too light and yellow and it makes my undereye circles look awfully grey, and it doesn't look good at all. It also has one more problem, at least for me, I find it to be really drying, it looks really patchy under my eyes even with a good eye cream underneath. So as you can see I really dislike this concealer for underneath my eyes, but as a face concealer, for spots, marks etc. it's really good because it stays on for hours and I don't have to worry about re-applying concealer on the spots, also the NC shade works better with my face skintone rather with the shade of my undereye circles. I'm not so sure about its price but I think it costs 18 euros. I know lots of people love this concealer, but it just wasn't for me.

Mac Mineralize Concealer
After my dissapointment with the Pro Longwear concealer, there was one Mac concealer that I hadn't try and I read that it is more hydrating than the rest of Mac concealers, the Mineralize one, so  got it. First I'll talk about the texture, I thought that it would have more of a liquidy texture but it has a thick gel texture and it needs to be blended really well otherwise it settles in fine lines and dry patches. Unfortunately it's not moisturizing enough for my undereye area, it's not drying like the Pro Longwear but it definitely needs an eye cream underneath. The coverage is really good for undereye circles but not for spots and redness, I find that it dissapears really quick whenever I apply it on spots. I got the shade NW20 which is a way better shade for my undereye circles than the NC20 but it's still a bit light, I think I needed the NW25. I'm not so sure about the price, but I think I got it for 20 euros.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
A read quite a lot of good reviews about this drugstore concealer, I also read that it's one of the most moisturizing concealers out there so of course I had to try it. I have to say that all the reviews are right, it's one of the most moisturizing concealers I've ever tried not only from the drugstore but even from high end brands and it's really cheap, it costs only 8 euros. It's the perfect concealer to use when you have really dry undereye area, I don't even have to use an eye cream with this one. I have the shade 20, which is really yellow, I wish it was a bit more pinkinsh or beige toned. But there's one problem, it dissapears of my skin really quick, within just a few hours it's gone, even when I set it with a powder. Also the coverage of this concealer is very sheer, but I don't really mind because it really brightens my undereye area. Overall it's a good concealer for those who want a good moisturizing concealer and don't need a lot of coverage, but for my needs I wouldn't repurchase it again.

Seventeen Ideal Cover Liquid Concealer
If you read my blog long enough, you propably already know how much I love this concealer, it's the one concealer that I've repurchased the most in my life. It has the perfect liquid texture, it's not super liquidy like the Maybelline Fit Me and it's not thick as the Mac Mineralize. It doesn't settle on fine lines or dry patches that I have under my eyes and it blends out smoothly. It doesn't have the amazing coverage but somehow it manages to make my undereye circles more bright and not so visible, I use the shade 06 Caramel. One thing that I forgot to mention is that it has tiny shimmers in, but I can barely see them on my skin. The only bad thing I have to say is that the tube contains only 3 grams and it costs 12 euros but other than that it's my most favourite concealer until now, and I would repuchase it again and again.

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer
I got this set of the Boi-ing concealers in #2 and #3 with a Benefit kit back in summer. I never thought that I would like this concealer as much as I do, because I always thought that it's a very drying concealer, but I was wrong. It almost has the same consistency with the Mac Studio Finish but the Mac one is a bit creamier. Boi-ing can be drying for the undereye area, I like to use it sometimes under my eyes because of its high coverage, it covers the darkness of the circles amazingly well, but I make sure to apply lots of eye cream before. Now as a face concealer is hands dows the best one I've tried, it covers redness and pimples really well and it doesn't settle on dry patches making them look really dry, it melts onto the skin and it blends out like a dream. For my skintone I think #2 is the best, but lots of times I like to mix them both. It is quite an expensive concealer, it costs around 25 euros but in my opinion it's worth it.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
When I visited London last spring, this concealer was on the top of my wishlist of beauty products that I wanted to buy from the UK. It's such a famous and cult product because of its high quality for such a low price, it costs only 5 euros. I got the shade Light 02 and it's a really good match for me, maybe a little more pink that I wanted it to be but that's ok. It has a very creamy and thick texture, not like a gel but like a thick cream, and it blends out onto the skin really well. It's not moisturizing but I never had problems with it settling in the dry areas of my face or under my eyes. I'm really impressed with the coverage it gives, it covers pimples and redness really well, but I noticed that it doesn't stay on for many hours. Overall it's an amazing concealer, especially for the price, if I lived in the UK I would definitely repurchase it.

Sephora Smoothing & Brightening Concealer
Last but not least the Sephora Smoothing & Brightening Concealer, which is a mix of a highlighter and a concealer in one. Don't expect a good coverage with this one because you will be dissapointed, it's perfect for those who want a brightening effect underneath the eyes, it will make you look more awake that's for sure. I got the shade 05 Medium, which is a salmon-peach shade, it's perfect if you have brown undereye circles, but they have plenty of shades for everyone. The texture is really moisturizing and satiny and it blends out really well. It's the perfect dupe for those who like or wanted to try the YSL Touche Eclat, I used to have the Touche Eclat years ago and it definitely doesn't worth spending 40 euros, the Sephora one costs only 14 euros and it does an amazing job, I dare to say that is even better than the Touche Eclat. I'm saving it for the summertime because I like using that type of concealers when it's summer.



Here's a picture with all the concealers swatched on my arm, they look really dark and yellow but it's because the skintone of my arms and my body in general is much paler than my face, also I took the picture in direct sunlight which made my arm look really pale.

from L-R: Benefit Boi-ing 02 and 03, Mac Studio Finish NW25, Mac ProLongwear NC20 Mac Mineralize NW20, Seventeen Ideal Cover 06, Collection Lasting Perfection 02, Maybelline Fit Me 20, Sephora Brightening & Smoothing 05



Sorry if this post was too long but I wanted to review some of my concealers for a really long time so I decided to do one long post comparing all of them together, I hope you enjoyed it.
Let me know if you've tried any of these concealers, and what's your opinion about them.

Small Collective Haul (The Body Shop, Maybelline, Bourjois)

I haven't done a haul post in a really long time, well it's a long time for me anyway, because I haven't really hauled anything the past month except a few things that I'm gonna mention in this post, so unfortunately this is going to be a small one. Anyway let's start.

 First of all I got a few things from The Body Shop, because they had a 20% off, so I decided to try a few products from their Aloe skincare line, which I wanted to try for really a long time. I got the Aloe Soothing Day Cream, which is a very good hydrating day cream. I've been testing it out for about a week now, and I have to say that it's a little too hydrating for me, because my face do get shiny right after I apply it. I really like it as a night cream or when I don't have to use make up that day, because it can be heavy underneath foundation. In my opinion it's a great day cream for those who have more of a normal to combination skintype, otherwise it can be a great night cream.

I also got the Aloe Calming Toner, I've used it only a couple of times but I'm really impressed, it's very cooling and soothing on my skin, and it's also hydrating, so whenever I don't feel like using a moisturizer I can just use this one. I'm not a toner person, for many years I've been purchasing only one toner, the Clinque Clarifying Lotion #2, but I don't use it all over my face, I use it only as a treatment on pimples whenever I break out, because it's very strong and contains alcohol. It's nice that I've found a toner that gives a cooling sensation on my face without drying it out. 

 One more thing that I got from The Body Shop was a Born Lippy in Raspberry, I don't know what possesed me in purchasing it, maybe I felt really nostalgic because it used to be my HG lip balm when I was a teenager many years ago. It's a gel type of lip balm which is very glossy on the lips, it's not the most hydrating lip balm I've ever tried but I really like it and I think I will use it a lot in the summertime because the taste and texture screams summer to me.

From the drugstore I got a BB cream which is very strange for me because I never use BB creams. I got the Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream for oily skin, which also contains 2% Salicylic Acid. I'm not an expert in BB creams so I went for a drugstore one that it's also good for oily skins, I remember that I purchased the Garnier BB cream for oily skins a long time ago, but I didn't really have the chance to try it more than a couple of times just because I didn't really like it back then, well actually I didn't like BB creams at all, so I must have thrown it away, but I really wanna retry it in the future. So back to the Maybelline one, it has a really nice texture, it's not liquidy like the Garnier one, it's more of a a creamy one, and the Light shade has pinky-beige undertones but it adapts to the skintone really well. I love how fresh it makes my skin looks, but I have one problem, it gets shiny really fast, I mean within an hour. I don't mind blotting my face, I'm used to it anyway, but it will get shiny again within half an hour and I have to repeat the blotting process again and again, so I don't really recommend it for oily skins. I will do a full review in the future if you want me to.

A few weeks ago I purchased from Asos, the Bourjois Happy Light Luminous Primer for only 10 euros, here in Greece it costs 15 euros so it was a good deal. After I received it I realised that it contains only 15 ml of product which is half the amount of what other primers contain, so in my opinion this is a very expensive drugstore/high street primer. I got the Luminous primer because I didn't read the best reviews about the matt one, and everyone keep raving about the luminous. So far I've tried it three times and I never thought that I would like it that much, I'm really impressed because even though it says luminous it doesn't make my face look shiny or oily at all even after many hours of wearing it. Don't expect it to be like a liquid highlighter because it's not, I can't see any illuminating effect on my skin, but right after I apply the foundation on top I can see a difference on how my face looks, it looks more awake and the foundation just sticks to it really good and it lasts for hours! I think that everyone should try it, especially the ones that don't wear primers , because I'm not a primer person either but this one just changed my mind.

Well that's everything that I hauled, I hope you liked it. Let me know if you've tried any of these products, or if you want to try any of them in the future.