Neve Cosmetics Mistero Barocco eyeshadow palette

I have ten minutes to spare (I am a busy woman) and I miss regularly updating this blog. So here's a review of NC's Mistero Barocco eyeshadow palette. NC is seriously becoming my favourite brand.

This palette is no longer available on their website, but single eyeshadows are, and you could still find it in brick&mortar stores or other retailers.
The packaging is pretty awesome, white with the golden symbol, it's definitely going to rank high you your list of awesome packaging cosmetics.
It's not much different than a smaller regular palette (like the Duochrome, the Scurissimi and so on), it's in plastic and holds four shades: Crinoline (warm shimmery gold) Ember (pure matte red), Obscure (dark brown, matte with some really subtle shimmer) and Ornament (shimmery antique pink). No primer here, just swatched on bare skin.

Crinoline is very pretty, it's not just a warm gold, to me it has hints of orange and it's extremely beautiful. Highlight the inner corner of your eyes with this, or just use it as a regular eyeshadow. I know many gold eyeshadows but this one really is different.
Ember is a pure, simple matte red with cold/neutral undertones. I have used this as eyeshadow, eyeliner and blush. As blush I recommend caution because it's extremely pigmented. It doesn't look too much Heid-ish once you learn how to apply it.
Ornament is a personal favourite. Like, if you can only get one of these please get Ornament! It's not only a ridiculously beautiful eyeshadow (if you do neutrals this is your new best friend) but it's also a great blush! I used it more as a blush I believe, and it really looks wonderfully ... natural on me, the shimmer doesn't highlight the imperfections of my skin and it's extremely long lasting.
Obscure is a pretty beautiful brown, not that unique but still good and useful, you could use it in your brows as well if they're dark enough. NC suggested you to use it as bronzer as well, but it depends heavily on your skin color. On mine it would be way too dark, and would need a lot of work and blending. You can still use it as eyeshadow or eyeliner, the color is very pretty after all.

The pigmentation varies a bit, Obscure is much more buildable than the others, but that's a good thing in my eyes.
So, any of you got this or plan on getting it? Personally I am quite in love with it, it's extremely multitasking (you can do eyes, brows, face...)!

Catrice Viennart LE 04 ARTful Red

blurry, but you can see the color nicely

This is the first nail polish review that I write in my new room! It feels weird and nice...
And today I show you ARTful Red, the result of a shopping afternoon and the lucky finding of an untouched Catrice display.
The color is a wonderful red (rosso mattone, diremmo noi), a brownish red with cold undertones. An extremely elegant color. It's a shimmery polish opaque in 2 coats, but here you can see three of them.

 

 As you can see, it would be a perfect color for Christmas (and a perfect gift too - it's what I call a mom friendly polish) and I think I will use it again for a Christmas mani.
The polish lasted a good 4 days without chipping, and it chipped because of something I did so if you're a bit more careful it'll last longer.
It's very shiny even without the Seche Vite.
So, do I recommend it? Yes, it's quite an unique color, I don't have many reds but this was quite a pleasant surprise and I'm very satisfied of my purchase.
Did you find this LE? Got anything?

Color Spotlight: Red

I thought I had already done this...but apparently I haven't! So here's red, the color of passion, danger, and many other things...

...like my Ikea Lack table.
These are my favourite reds. Overall, I don't own many red polishes at all. I have such a little amount of reds that I included a China Glaze polish that is a black base with red glitters. I did it because it's awesome.
From L to R: Orly Red Flare, Pupa 620 from the old China Doll LE, China Glaze Lubu Heels, H&M Super Red and Deborah Shine Tech 13.
Red Flare is a wonderful, classy red with cool undertones. If you're into reds, you can't miss this. Two coats of it makes you instantly flawless and fierce. Unless, of course, you prefere Pupa 620 which is still the best red polish on the planet. I have yet to find a polish that can top it, it makes me feel like a femme fatale and I love it. China Glaze Lubu Heels is an interesting polish, a sheer black base with red glitter. The glitter really pops out and is veeeery pretty. H&M Super Red is really... a super red. No, really. Almost a crelly, it shines like a gel polish and has a wonderful duration. Deborah Shine Tech 13 has more of a cool undertone, compared to Super Red, and it's another beautiful red creme.

And here's my favourite reds in terms of makeup.
The eyeshadow in the palette (Sleek Lagoon) is a pretty neon matte red, and I used it a lot as eyeliner. I also appreciate as eyeliner Neve Cosmetics Watermelon, a single eyeshadow that I love. I've used it on my lips too, but I prefer it as an eyeliner/eyeshadow.
And three red lipstick. The matte red is Catrice It's a Matt World, I haven't worn it for a while, since I'm currently in love with dark, violet/plum/berry shades, but daamn, it's a beautiful red and I should wear it more.
The same for Kiko Latex Like Lipstick in 04 Plastic Red. A pretty, shiny cyber red that guarantees you a stunning look. This was from the Dark Heroine LE and I am really glad I bought it because it's pretty awesome. The other red is Kiss of Life from Rimmel by Kate, another matte red, but softer tha It's a Matt World and a bit more lip drying.
And that's all for now! What are you favourites when it comes to red?

China Glaze Lubu Heels

Look, some sunlight! It allows me to show you China Glaze Lubu Heels, another Cosmoprof purchase.
I was afraid it might be a bit sheer, but look at this, this is two generous coats (no black base!) and I'd say it's enough. The glitters give it a "rough" surface so I recommend adding a top coat.
A sheer black base with red glitters, Lubu Heels is a lovely polish, a bit gothic perhaps and in the best possible sense. The effect is undoubtedly elegant.
The glitters are very small, and it could be mistaken for a plain black polish... until the sun hits it.
I wonder how it could look with an extra coat of red glitter above it.
Overall I am extremely pleased with it! (I've been wearing it for a few days and it shows only minor tipwear).

Stamping and gradient over Essence 182 Hello Rosy

The gradient is barely visible here, but under sunlight the yellow/gold particles of Kiko 640 really pop out! I stamped a nice geometrical pattern with Kiko 328 and it kinda looks aztec/pre-colombian to me, it reminds me of The Road to El Dorado. It's the first time I stamp over a sand effect polish and I am not disappointed at all, it was easy. The only downside is that you cannot fix your design with topcoat.
I love this pattern, the only problem I have is that the design on the plate is much bigger than my nail (not only longer, it's wider too) and it's hard to restamp always the same portion of the design. Ah well, it's still a nice mani so I wont complain.

My Valentine's Day Manicure

A quick post with my Valentine's Day mani: I really wasn't in the mood for pink and hearts, but I still wanted something nice to wear for my evening out with my amazing boyfriend. I mattified Orly Red Flare and added a (non-matte) french line with Pupa Black.The contrast is scarcely visible here but far more irl. And I'm afraid that's all for now! Have fun, wheter you've got a parner or not!

Taupe and red chevrons

The awesome thing of this kind of mani is that it doesn't take much time and no tape at all, it's a freehand design. Effective and great if you don't have the time or the energy for something more detailed.
And I had promised myself I would have used my Kiko 638, my first sugar mat polish ever a bit more, so here it is. It is definitely less rough, as a texture, compared to its other fellow of other brands. The other polish is Kiko 226.

Christmas Nail Art

A quick post to show you my Christmas nail art while Trading Places ends... I did the same for the other hand, except I inverted the nail art (red accent). The base is Shaka Emerald, a wonderful festive metallic green. I stamped with my Gals stamping plate some Christmas trees with Pupa 620 and Kiko 628. The Pupa polish stamps nicely, but is not much visible over the dark green, which is a pity. It's still pretty, so who cares? and my fellow nail bloggers have done far more complicated stuff, but with the mince pies to bake and my niece around, well, I didn't have much time... Merry Christmas to everyone!
(I told you this post was quick..)

Rainbow Challenge Day 3, Yellow Nails

Or "I had no idea leaves could be so hard to draw" nails. I wanted to do something different besides the usual bees and lemons that happen at day 3, but those falling leaves didn't come out as I expected. It's still a funny mani, imho.
The base is my favourite yellow, Essence's Little Miss Sunrise, now discontinued, and the red is Orly Red Flare. Why is Essence even discontinuing that color, it is so pretty.
Sorry for the short post, I just came back from a Krav Maga lesson and my wrists and arms hurt (along with many other body parts).

Pupa 620 Lucky Red

Instead of showing you what i bought with the Pupa promotion (my 1 euro polish), or of doing my rainbow challenge organge nails...I'll show you this old polish, from the old China Doll LE.
I was going to do the orange nails, but I had forgotten one of the colors I needed at home.
So I put on my favourite red nail polish evah: Pupa 620 Lucky Red. Excuse the tipwear, I had been wearing this for 3 days, and no topcoat.
Here it seems almost christmas red, but the red is more...neutral irl, not too cold, not too warm. I think it looks great on every skintone. Let's face it, it's a great shade of red, that really is reminiscent of China: you know, those varnished little boxes...the dresses...

This is my femme fatale red,  the most seducing red I own. I still remember the happiness of the moment when I first tried it..

Rainbow Challenge day 1, red nails: Pizza nails!

I decided to do the rainbow challenge, since I wanted a quick challenge that might be fun. I'll try to post this as regular as I can..I already have some nice ideas.

And monday evening, eating pizza for the second time in 2 days I thought of something really beautiful that also happens to be red. Pizza!
This was ridiculously fun to make. The red is Deborah 13, the white is Kiko 203, the green is Kiko 296.
Let me know what you think!

OPI Are We There Yet?

Gorgeous, isn't it? A pretty warm salmon shade with pink/golden and, under direct light, I'd swear green shimmers as well. Application was also good, nice coverage (almost an one coater) and formula.
I was afraid it might be similar too Essence's Queen of My Cloud Castle, but the Essence one is "pinker" and cooler, and only has pink shimmer, so, no dupes! A very nice summer shade, definitely recommended!

Vote: A

Corset Nails v2 and a gift from Argentina!

I redid my old corset nails! It went so much better than the other time... I used Essence's tip painter in black from the Tribal Summer LE. Those tip painters are damn useful, the design came out very precise this time.

My cousin went to Argentina for an art exhibition and brought me a nail polish! The shade is Are We There Yet?, a brick rose with gold/pink shimmer. I can't wait to try it! She said she chose it because it reminded her of the place (the color of the houses, and so on).

Orly Red Flare

I wanted to keep this for the beginning of the university lessons, especially since it's a serious, fall/winter color. But I could not resist, it's my first Orly after all!
I must say, there's a great difference from cheap Essence polishes. The formula is just great and has good coverage, almost an one coater. It's also very shiny.

The color is a bit darker irl, the bright daylight makes it look lighter. 
It requires, however, super smooth nails since it makes the nail "lines" very visible.
I'm very happy with this purchase, it's a beautiful shade of red with a retro, serious look.

Vote: A. If you're a person that wears mostly red and "adult" colors (no glittery, only nudes and dark colors...) you should consider purchasing this. I can't wait to see how long it lasts on my nails!

Kiko 372 is on my ring finger, and I'm going to use this as a base for nail art.

Back from the holidays..

I haven't had proper holidays in years, you know, the kind of days you spend visiting cities and monuments with friends trying to see a great number of things in a short time... so I ended up being pretty tired!
I still had time to buy a couple of polishes:

The Orly polish was on sale, and I always wanted to try that brand. The color is a bit darker irl.
The S-he polish is for my sister, but I'd still like to try it.
I will not do a full mani with Orly Red Flare right now, because I already have an idea for another nail art. Plus, Red Flare is a fall/winter color, imho.

L'Oreal 304 Spicy Orange

My sister was here for the holidays so I tried one of her polishes, I had never tried a L'Oreal polish before.
I must say, my experience was nor great nor bad, only.. meh. The formula doesn't cover that much, if I hadn't attempted a half-moon cleaning it would have looked even worse. True, it is shiny, but if I have to buy a shiny red I am going to use my trusty H&M one that is shiny and has great nail coverage.
The color isn't that bad, but nothing worth searching for, imho, but that's maybe just me, I'm not that much into reds. And when I buy a red, it has to be a special one..

Vote: B- (But maybe it's not just my cup of tea...)

Review: Kiko 640

Now that's a pretty polish! A gorgeous orange/mandarin color (why is it even called poppy red in english, poppies are darker..) with a shiny shimmer finish paired perfectly with the liquid sand effect.
It brightens a summer day, but can be perfect in autumn and in every other season, it's such a great color!
It was the first time for me to wear a liquid sand polish on all my nails, I thought it would have felt weird... but it doesn't.

Considering that this polish (along with his Sugar Mat fellows and the Mirror ones) is now on sale, I think it's almost a must have!

Vote: A

Quick post: Kiko haul

It's no mystery that Kiko polishes are now on sale for 2.50 euros..
But now the polishes from the Mirror and Sugar Mat LE are on sale! What a pity, said no polish addicted ever.

My picks: 640 Poppy Red ( I can't wait to try this one!) and Sky Blue 624, for my stamping needs!
They also look nice together...

Holo and red

Phew, it's exam time at the uni and I have lots of stuff to study! But that's not going to take my nail art time away, just to reduce it, I guess.
I just needed an excuse to wear Deborah Shine Tech 13 again, such a gorgeous red.

I added kiko 400 on the tips. Holos and cremes really match, I wish I had bought the other two kiko holos that were in that LE. Those are supposed to be sunlight pics, but there isn't much sunlight since it's raining, sigh.

Stamping on Deborah 13

This polish is part of my birthday gift from my sister: the gift was a bunch of make up and nail polish related stuff, hehe.

One of the gifts was a box by Deborah containing this nail polish, a red lipstick and this fluffy tickler. There was also one with lacy gloves, black polish and nude lipstick. I don't wear nude lipsticks, or I would've bought that too. Why? well, those sets were on sale for 4.90 euros! Probably they were inspired by that horrible book, you know, fifty shades of badly written porn. But who cares, the lipstick is great and so is the nail polish!
A beautiful, outrageous sexy red  with cold undertones, fast drying and shiny, practically a classic you can't miss. A must have for all femmes fatales.
I tried some red-on-red stamping with Pupa 620 from the old China Doll LE. It stamps perfectly, but I should have picked a bigger design, it's a bit hard to see.
The Deborah polish vote is definitely an A. Good quality, and I love the big brush.