domenica 28 luglio 2013

Make Up Moments: My Brushes


Brushes are important for make up, so lemme show you mine!
I tried three E.L.F. brushes first a long time ago, the first three ones, the Complexion Brush, the Small Precision Brush and the Eyeshadow "C" Brush. I had a great experience with those: they're soft and I've cleaned them with marseille soap for more than a year and they've never lost a bristle or their shape.
Months ago my sister gave me the Blush Brush as a gift, I really needed it since I suck at applying blush with my fingers (at least the cream ones). Recently I ordered more brushes, you can see the Angled Contour Brush, the Contour Brush and the Small Angled brush. I only tried the last one and it works perfectly for cream eyeliners.
And the other brush you see under them is a H&M brush: I used to think I didn't need an eyelashes/eyebrow brush but mascara clumps are annoying...

Overall i definitely recommend E.L.F brushes, have I mentioned they are ridiculously cheap for the quality? They should be 4.50 euros each, but their website has sales very often, so you can get them for half the price quite easily.

Vote: A

venerdì 26 luglio 2013

Essence 01 Ben & Cherries- Me & My Ice Cream LE

I had almost lost all hope to find something from the Me & Ice Cream LE, since I could check the shop only weeks after the LE. Yet, there still were the eyeshadows and 2 polishes. I bought the one I already wanted, 01 Ben & Cherries. No, ok, let's be fair, I wanted the green and the orange one too, but this seemed the most interesting one.
The color is very pretty, but the application is a disaster. Yeah, it's greatly pigmented, more than a standard pastel polish, but it's so streaky! It would probably look better with a white base. Also the shimmer that was more visible in the bottle it's not so much visible on the nail...

Vote: A for the color, C for application.

mercoledì 24 luglio 2013

I am Loki of Asgard...

and I am burdened with glorious nail art!

 Polishes involved in the process: Kiko 629, Shaka Emerald, Pupa 209 & Essence Stamp me! Black.

I swear, this is all Tom Hiddleston's fault. He did a magnificent appearance at San Diego Comic Con that made the geek world go insane. And I also have a friend who's obsessed with Loki and she posts a lot images of him, and that was surely an influence. No, I am not a Tom Hiddleston/Loki fangirl, but he surely does a great job playing Loki. Plus, I've always been a mythology geek and when I studied germanic philology at the uni we talked about the Marvel comics as well!


martedì 23 luglio 2013

Kiko Sugar Mat 644 Sea Blue





A blue that seems indigo under artificial lights, Kiko 644 was one of the Sugar Mat polishes that were in my wishlist. And for 1.50 euros, well, I couldn't resist it. To be honest, I am a bit disappointed. I was expecting something like Poppy Red, super shiny and glittery and impossible to ignore. Although this is indeed shimmery, there's nothing that makes you go woah. I applied two coats and on the third day it was already chipped on both indexes, so I recommend more coats. The color is nice but not a must have.I don't regret the purchase, I was just expecting something else. Now, let's think if I need something else from Kiko...

Vote: B

sabato 20 luglio 2013

More Kiko sales

Kiko polishes are now at 1.50 euros! Including the Mirror ones and the Sugar Mat ones!


I already wanted the blue one so badly... and then there was the pink one...I can't wait to try the blue one!

p.s: here, these are the polishes I have here now that I'm at my parents...such a hard selection!


First experiments with Essence's Tribal Summer Tip Painters

Since those are really the first experiments, i did some clean up but kept the non exactly precise and accurate lines, so to show you better how it works for me.
The pigmentation is better than I expected, the brush is super tiny, like the nail art brushes usually used for lines, and it works nicely.
The color selection is also nice, I wish they made more of them among the regular products.
I don't have much to say since I just started using them, but I definitely don't regret the purchase.
(Although it is true you could just use a small brush and use the colors you prefer, here what helps is also the pigmentation. And generally, it's practical.)

The basis is Deborah 55 Blue Lagoon.

venerdì 19 luglio 2013

Matchpoint, Tribal Summer and Me & My Ice Cream

My sister was kind enough to phone me a week ago when she was in a Coin store, and for a good reasons: they had just put out the latest Catrice and Essence LEs and she asked me if I wanted something. Of course I did!

I remembered well that I wanted the shimmer pearls and the tip painters, then I added the lip balm because it seemed gorgeous. First impressions: the shimmer pearls smell like candy and the tiny box is so pretty, if I finish them I'm gonna keep it; the tip painters are going to be super useful, the lip balm also smells nicely and the color is very promising.


I'm not surprised Catrice went straight from Candy Shock to Matchpoint, but I really hope I find some Glamazona stuff, I definitely want the crocodile gold top coat and perhaps something else. Anyway, I'm so glad my sister found this stuff, especielly considering how many people wanted the shimmer pearls, I wasn't even hoping anymore to find them!

giovedì 18 luglio 2013

Deborah 102 Top Coat 3D Tech


Long time without posts, I know. I was on holiday in an internet-less place, then I had problems with blogspot... anyway, here's my holiday nails!
The basis is Essence Nail Art Twins Chuck 07, an indigo blue creme, and over it, a couple of coats of the Deborah top coat. The top coat base is slightly violet, and it contains flakies that go from light blue to violet, such a beauty! It was in my wishlist for a while, so finding it for 1 euro was definitely great.
Overall this mani lasted for more than a week, I'm impressed!

Generally speaking, I'm spending the summer in a place where there's just Kiko (and Sephora) and I miss my routine checks at the Catrice & Essence displays... I wanna do some shopping!

giovedì 11 luglio 2013

Essence 02 Queen of My Cloud Castle- Fantasia LE


With the help of my sister, I managed to get the other polish of the Fantasia LE I found interesting. Basically, it's a shrimp/salmon/coral shade, lighter than Catrice's Pimp My Shrimp and with a pink shimmer.
The pink shimmer is far more visible under direct sunlight. To be fair, the polishes of this LE look very... weird together. As in, Queen of My Cloud Castle and Elves Like Liliac have a similar finish and quality, even if the shimmer in ELL is more visible. But Take a Ride on Pegasus is completely different, and from what I could see from the bottle, the nude one is just pearly. What a weird assortment.
Anyway, the quality is also better, compared to TaRoP, I've been wearing this for three days (no topcoat) and still no tipwear yet.

It's quite a girly and spring shade, but it's undoubtedly a funny polish to have.

Vote: A- (not a must have, but good quality overall. If the shimmer would have been more evident it would have been amazing)

mercoledì 10 luglio 2013

Kiko sales haul

I also have a nail polish related post to show you, don't worry... but since Kiko sales are great and things tend to disappear quickly, I thought a small review of my latest purchases was in order.



I bought the blush in 100 Marine Coral and the cream eyeshadow/eyeliner in 02 Sunset Coral. Corals everywhere! 


Let me start with the blush, because it's ironical that I love so much a blush part of a summer, tan-centered LE. I first saw this blush when the sales just started, and I liked it but wanted to think about it a little bit. Then I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I bought it.
 It's suprisingly soft and perfect for pale skins. It's a bit dusty, the first time I applied it with a brush I was kinda worried, but it doesn't affect the use. The colors seem very shiny and glittery but are very soft on the face, definitely not something exaggerate and I love this fact. You can use all the colors together or pick just one or two, the colors are big enough for you to choose just one. I use the two darker colors together then apply the lighter one to soften the effect and correct mistakes. The lighter shades makes also a great highlighter. I love the effect of this blush, it's soft, doll-like.
I've read reviews that depicted it as very easy to break, and I sadly think it's true. Not the packaging, but the product itself. I'd recommend care when travelling, besides that I'd say it's a must have.

Vote: A

From left to right: lightest shade, pink shade, peachy shade and the three blush shades mixed, eyeshadow.

As I was saying before, when Kiko stuff goes on sale and you're looking for something, you better search in different shops. A shop might have plenty of a product that's finished in other shops, and I saw this eyeshadow/eyeliner for the first time on monday, when I went there just for the blush. I tried it on my wrist, and so did my boyfriend... only to be horrified by how it spreaded and seemed impossible to remove, and acted like an astronaut who just touched an Alien egg. This eyeshadow really stays and stays and stays and really, you need a make up remover that's effective on waterproof products to remove it. The color is super pretty, a pink/golden duochrome... also, my first cream eyeshadow! I will probably use this mostly as eyeliner...mmh, I'll see. I haven't tried it on my eyes so I can't give it a vote.

venerdì 5 luglio 2013

Radiation Green






I hope you have your hazmat suits ready, because this green is truly radioactive! And in those times of postapocalyptic fiction, who isn't ready for that?

Ok, that's enough sounding like a cheesy commercial. The green is deborah 45 Green Fluo. Seems like a normal green but under sunlight it shows all its neon-ness. I applied it over a white base, the black is Pupa 209.
I love this kind of fluo effect, and it makes me think of some weird chemical, especially those of James Bond villains and sci-fi videogames. Neon colors are also great for cyberpunk, so what else can you ask?

It's also good quality, I've been wearing it for 3 days without topcoat and there's only some minor tipwear.
I know this is neon season, and even if i can't stand those acrylic cheap fluo dresses, I think neon colors are great for subtle accessories (no, giant plastic necklaces don't count). The problem with neon colors is that it must be worn with extreme caution, because there's a fine line between "just a touch of neon" and the Rex Power Colt effect.

Remember, girls, unless you're leather-clad postapocalyptic survivors, hackers, street samurais, don't go full 80s. You never go full '80s.

Oh, still wondering who Rex Power Colt is? Look no further!



mercoledì 3 luglio 2013

Make Up Moments: My latest...


Just when I wanted to do another post about make up, I found this lovely post and decided it would have been fun, so, here it is!

 But first... the rule says to open the post with the image of an owl. So here's your owl!





 01) Latest foundation (bought or received)?

Essence 2 in 1 make up powder.  I bought it months ago and it has become my summer essential: it's my color, it has a nice coverage and it's cheap!

02) Latest compact powder?

Essence Mineral Compact Powder. I found it in a OVS store just once, then I never found them again in other stores that keep Essence products. It's supposed to be a new product... 

03) Latest concealer?

My sister gave me this Kiko concealer. I'm not exactly enthusiastic, the packaging is a pain in the neck, usually a lot of product comes out, far more than I'd need it. I'm still faithful to my E.L.F. concealer.

04) Latest bronzer?

I don't use any, nor I intend to.



05) Latest blush?

Here things get complicated: I recently bought the single eyeshadow Watermelon by Neve Cosmetics that can be used also as blush, lipstick, everything. The latest blushes of the family were Lolita and Creamy, always by Neve. A bit too glittery but with some powder over it they're fine and long lasting. Did I already mentioned how much I love Neve products?

06) Latest highlighter?

Catrice multicolor highlighter "Vanilla Love" of the Candy Shock LE. It would probably look better on warmer, darker skintones. On me it's barely visible. The upside of this: it's a perfect everyday product, as promised on the website it gives a subtle glow. Probably I'm the only one who can see that glow, but I don't really care, hah.

07) Latest lipgloss?

 Essence marble mania lipgloss in Mix'n Mauve. There was an old LE called Marble Mania so I was afraid that the product I had found was just really old, but apparently it's not: Essence is launching those new lipglosses, and they can be found in the english Essence website. I love this lipgloss a lot: nicely pigmented, not sticky at all, and even when it fades a bit it leaves a nice stain covering the whole lips ( a regular stain, not like those products that leave those weird signs on lips). The final effect is that your lips look is if that shade was their natural color, and I really like it.

08) Latest lipstick?

Deborah lipstick in 13, months ago. I don't use lipsticks in the summer that much so I haven't used it in a while, but it's nice, a classic color. And it was on sale, how could I resist it?

09) Latest pencil?
Eye pencil: Sephora nano eye pencil in azur blue. Super pigmented and long lasting: it's so long lasting that if I wear it at 8 am, leave the house to have an exam at the uni and come back at 7 pm, it's still there. Surely, the primer helps, but it's a really good product.
Lip pencil: Neve Cosmetics lip pastels. The contouring lip pencil seems something you'd never use but trust me, when you have it you appreciate it. The other one is a nice salmon shade.

10) Latest eyeshadow?

The aforementioned Watermelon by Neve Cosmetics. I love using it as eyeliner mostly, it has a nice cyberpunk effect.
 
11) Latest eyeliner?

 Essence I love punk jumbo eyeliner pen. I usually go for pencils, but I decided to try this so maybe I could learn how to apply eyeliner nicely and not just use the pencils to intensify the eye make up. It would be a much greater product if it were more pigmented... I mean, you can apply it, wait until it dries and apply it once again to intensify the color, but since it's meant as an eyeliner for dummies, that way you kinda miss the point.

12) Latest mascara? 

Bought: NYC Sky Rise mascara. For being a cheap product, the quality is definitely good, it really has a beautiful effect on lashes.
Received: Deborah Mascara full color in 02 costa smeralda sea. The color is actually a bit greener irl.
What can I do, I love colored mascaras...


13) Latest eyebrow product?

 I actually don't used anything... I tried but I don't like the effect.

14) Latest primer?

 Essence I Love Stage eye primer. It's really good and effective, especially if you have oily eyelids.

15) Latest face care product?

 Garnier Crème Bienfaisante for normal/combinated skin.Works nicely and feels fresh on the skin, i like the formula. I also tried the "sorbet" cream for oily skins and found it... oily O_O I don't know, this kind of stuff depends a lot on your skin type I guess.

16) Latest body care product?

 Helan Rosa-Rosae silky moisturizing cream. Eeeh, I love this one. I was given a sample, tried it and fell in love with it. It really gives your skin a pleasant silky effect and the subtle rose smell lasts for a couple of days...



17) Latest hair care product?

I only use standard shampoos and such, no particular care products... I don't really need anything special, I have really short hair, no split ends, etc.

18) Latest accessory (brushes, false lashes...)?

 The Sephora empty eyeshadow palette, when it still costed 50 cents. I'm really glad I bought it.

19) Latest nail polish?

 Coming soon on this blog, Deborah 45 Green Fluo. Can't wait to try it!

20) Latest perfume?

I don't used perfume, I only have a old Lush solid perfume. It's supposed to be expired but it still smells deliciously. I am awfully tempted by Shaka solid perfumes, however.


 Whoa, I exceeded the blogspot tags limit. I tagged the products but not all brands.


lunedì 1 luglio 2013

01 Elves Like Liliac- Essence Fantasia LE

Why is this january LE in stores even now, I don't know, but I don't complain!






The image is slightly out of focus, but it was the only way to make the blue shimmer pop out. It's gorgeous in sunlight! Unfortunately the formula isn't top quality, just as in Take A Ride On Pegasus, so I'm starting to think it affects the whole LE. And the day after it already shows some tipwear (no topcoat).
The color is however super pretty, I have nothing like this. It's also a good way to remind people to take the advertising pics on the Essence website with a pinch of salt, what seems a "boring" creme in the image may be a shimmer or even a duochrome polish.

If this LE is back in your town (it could be, it was found in 2 different towns at least, so check your friendly neighborhood store that keeps Essence) I'd still recommend you the polishes. Yeah, I wish the quality were better, but considering the price ( a little more than 2 euros) I really can't complain.

Vote: A-