Catrice Crushed Crystals 04 Oyster & Champagne and small haul

Aka: I swear I only went there to buy the nail base..

The backstory is kinda funny, because I stopped at Coin before an university lesson to buy the nail base that I had finished, but as soon as I saw the new Catrice products I freaked out a little and investigated everything, neglecting the Essence display. So I forgot to buy the base.
I did get, however, a sand polish, Oyster and Champagne of the Crushed Crystals (sand effect) line and a lip polish. The eyebrow lifter was intriguing and so one of the new palettes, but I decided to stick to these 2 for the moment.
You'll find the review of the Catrice polish at the end of the post, for the moment let me tell you that the lip polish (in Megan Fuchsia) is amazing. It really stays a lot, not 8 hours if you eat a main meal, but after lunch I still have a pleasant fuchsia stain on my lips, so the effect doesn't completely go away. It's not lip drying at all, it's soft as a lip gloss (but not sticky) and extremely pigmented. Recommended!

Today I went to OVS to get the nail base. They didn't have any new stuff, but Essence products were on sale and sadly there weren't any pigments left. I still got the base (yay!) and another sand effect polish, this time Essence 165 Here's My Number, which was on sale.

Catrice 04 Oyster and Champagne is a really pretty golden-rose liquid sand effect polish. It contains hex rose microglitter; it looks as if the base was soft gold and rose micro- and standard sized glitters have been added to it. It's very pretty, and discreet too. It shines beautifully under the light, so of course this morning was cloudy when I wanted to take the photos. I can't tell you anything about duration yet, but application was easy (I recommend 3 coats or a rose base) and it dried quickly, so no complaints!
It reminds me of the gold and pink polish of the Maybelline Brocades LE, the colors seem very similar, but since I couldn't find the Maybelline one anywhere, well, at least I have this.


Tried anything new from Catrice/ Essence? Bought anything on sale?

TAG: Vorrei ma non posso / I want that! But I can't...

A tag that definitely suits me, created by Make Up Pleasure here , that focuses on products we'd love but we can't afford. Here's my answers:

A skincare product:

I am not a skincare expert, but I've got the small size of this Sephora cream that is the best one I've ever tried, so if money wasn't a problem I'd get the big size. I love how it absorbs nicely on my skin without that oily side effects.

A make up product for the base (concealer, foundation, powder, primer...)

I am still looking for my holy grail of foundations and haven't found it yet even in high end brands, so i am going for a concealer instead: Urban Decay concealer pencil in CIA. I've tried it on my hand and it's exactly my color, I've reads words of praise in the blogosphere, but I'm still not ready to spend  16.50 euros on this.. (image source: here)

A contouring product (blush, bronzer, highlighter..)
Does it even need an explanation?

 A Mascara:
 Is it really as awesome as they say? I may never know.

 Eye pencil or eyeliner:
They're like Pokèmon: I just wanna catch them all. But then again, they aren't cheap. I have Lsd, Uzi and Invasion and the quality is outrageously high (Lsd stays 14 hours on me without smudging..). Shown here is Mainline, the next one in my wishlist. But really, if I won the lottery I'd probably get like 10 of these at least.

An Eyeshadow or Eyeshadow Palette:
The fact that I already own two matte eyeshadows from Concrete Minerals that are similar to the blue and the green one doesn't stop me from sighing in front of this Sugarpill palette. The packaging is awesome, I love pressed eyeshadows and those are just my colors (it's like a collection of my favourite colors). 

A Lipstick or Lipgloss:
Short answer: something by MAC pretty please.
Long answer: I should probably focus on a MLBB, but I don't like the concept, and I like to go boldly when it comes to lips, so I'd love to own this beauty, Cyber. If I have to dream, I might at least dream big. (Image source: here)

A Make Up and/or Face Care product:
More brushes!I have Emerald Shader of these, but I'd love to have them all. And if I can't have them all, can I at least get Mint Tapered?

A Body product:
This is a bit weird, because I am going to include two frangraces here, and I haven't even tried them...but from what I know, they both should fit my tastes. (And yes, I am unconsciously aiming for every beauty product that has the word cyber in it). I know that Cyber Garden is a man's fragrance, but I don't really care.
The first one is a tribute to the atmospheres of Weimar Berlin, and it would be great for the days in which I feel a bit nostalgic and more drawn to the atmospheres of the past.

A Nail Polish:
It's either a color changing nail polish (I'd love one of them!) or Coffe Love by Layla! (for the image source, follow the watermark). It has been in my wishlist for a lifetime...

Well, at least I know what to buy if I win the lottery. I tag everyone who wants to do it!

Something About Me nail art

Better late than never, I whisper to myself as I try to finish the "Something About Me" nail art.
At first I was a bit puzzled, because as much as I genuinely wished to participate, I kept thinking about the many things I liked. Hot tea? Postapocalyptic fiction? Sci-fi? History?
I went with history, and specifically, with Empress Theodora.

I've chosen her for many reasons:

• She's one of my favourite historical figures. I recommend you to read more a bit about her on wiki. She rose from the humble ranks of actress until she became empress- a femme fatale and an intelligent, pious woman at the same time.
• A painting depicting her is also my avatar! I tried to stay with the similar, warm color scheme of the painting for the whole blog. She isn't the subject of the painting in the banner, but I think it fits with the atmosphere. She devoted a lot of her time to her beauty too, and I like to think as my blog as my small beauty corner where I can take care of myself after a long day.
• I wanted to do something more elaborate compared to my latest nail arts, and some of my latest polish acquisitions just fit the theme (Catrice Bronze-Deco mostly).
• The last time I went to see this mosaic I was with a group of friends, and it had been a really great day, so i can commemorate it!

Each nail represents a detail (her cup, headdress...). And since I did it in the evening of the 23, sadly I don't have the time to take sunlight photos.

I've seen the mosaic in Ravenna more than once and let me tell you, it's a must see.


The polishes involved in the process were: China Glaze Charmed, I'm Sure, Catrice Bronze-Deco, Kiko 629, 328, 294 and Sinful Colors Snow Me White.

My new white base

A quick post to show you my latest purchase, Sinful Colors Snow Me White.
I always wanted a white polish with a bigger (not like the small one for french tips) brush, and this one suits me nice. My other white polish was also almost finished, so I decided to try Snow Me White.
A classic white creme, not the easiest in application (a bit streaky) but of great opacity, almost an one coater!
Definitely recommended if you are looking for a good white base.
I covered the tips with Max Factor Dazzling Blue.

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!

Maybelline Color Show Brocades 224 Rosy Rosettes

The first time I saw this LE, I didn't get anything. What a mistake. Weeks after, I went searching for the gold/rose polish, not finding it anywhere. I searched it in every shop I knew had Maybelline products, and I gave up after my last hope (a Target-like shop near my parent's house). Some pieces of the collection were still available, and I surrendered to my second choice, the pink/red one. I honestly remembered this as red, I'm glad it's more pinkish or the effect would me too Christmas-like.
The finish is a beauty, it's like Shaka Burlesque on a darker base and loaded with glitter. Shines beautifully under the light (if only it hadn't been raining for weeks you'd see it under sunlight).
I had read reviews on how the pieces of this LE were pretty but not long lasting, on this one I have no particular complaints, it lasted 3 days before chipping on my index... could be better, but also worse.

I haven't seen anything like it, and I really love it. Vote: A-

Kiko Boulevard Rock swatches and first impressions

my hand looks very graceful here

 When I first saw the preview of the Boulevard Rock LE I was honestly disappointed. As much as I loved the Dark Heroine and the Digital Emotion, this one, as it often happens with spring and summer LEs, left me a bit meh. Some of the products look identical to the ones of the Fierce Spirit of last year ( the cream blushes/ lipglosses), and I really dislike the overall design. The rock theme could be interesting, but I have the problem that I dislike denim and never wear it, so the whole denim-themed packaging and inspiration is for me a turn off. It also feels old, and not in a funny '80s way, in a '90s way that reminds me of my childhood.
The nail polishes seemed a huge disappointment too: on the website they look like boring cremes with a hint of shimmer.

Is this true? Well, yes and no.
On my hand you see: 464 Essential Sky Blue, 463 Evasion Lawn Green, 465 British Jeans, 466 French Charcoal, 462 Tribal Purple, 461 Art Poppy Red, 460 Ink Pink, 459 Woodstock Cream.
They aren't mere shimmers, but have a suede/demi-matte finish. I'm thankful for this, at least Kiko put some effort in it, even if given the rock theme I would have appreciated something with a leather effect.
466 is the prettiest one, under sunlight its shimmer is the most visible, and I appreciate 459 too, which is almost a nude. 460 is more salmon than pink and 462 is way lighter irl compared to the website colors.
My opinion: The quality seems good, over the tape they were all one coaters and dried very quickly, however there's nothing to die for here. No groundbreaking color or finish. I doubt I'll get anyone of these.
You could achieve similar effects by simply adding a matte top coat to polishes you already own.

I had planned on trying the mint green cream eyeshadow, but it didn't seem so pretty and minty irl, so I tried 102 Revolutionary Burgundy and 105 Adrenaline Lime: 102 is very pretty and has brown-to-burgundy shimmer similar to UD's Delinquent pencil. 102 looks more like a banana than a lime, and here is unfortunately a bit smudged, but it could be very nice to highlight and to be worn alone too. It's the only thing of this collection I'd like to get, but I'd probably wait for the sales.

And you, did you see this LE? Opinions?

White and teal french

A simple nail art I did the evening before an exam. The dark teal is Deborah 55 Blue Lagoon and the white is Kiko 203, a white for french... and it is the first time I used it for its original purpose.
On the photo it looks like there's a white-ish stain on the left side of the nail, but I blame the lights for this, on my nail is not visible.
I really wanted to do something simple since I was tired, and I have achieved what I wanted.

My Top 5 "It's exam time!" products.

No, it's not one of the Top 5 launched by Drama, but since it's still exam time for me (I have one on thursday) I decided to share with you which products I use on an exam day. While with written exams really nobody cares how you look like, I wouldn't wear bright red lipstick to an oral exam.
The "proper" factor matters only in a certain way, if the professor is a female she really wouldn't care even about red lipstick or dark smokey eyes. My point in exam make up is that it should be long lasting and smudge-proof, so you can wait and sweat and get caught by anxiety in the hours before your turn in the corridor next to the professor's office.

I didn't include the primer and the setting powder because I always wear them and they're always the same whatever makeup I wear (The primer is the one by Essence and the powder is E.L.F.'s Complexion Perfection).

Foundation: Maybelline Fit Me! foundation in 105. As I've already written, it's the foundation closer to my skin tone I've ever found. Still a bit too yellowish, but it's hard to notice. A good base always gets me in a good mode.

Blush: from the old Kiko Colours in the World LE, Marine Coral 100 is probably my favourite blush ever. Easily blendable, has a natural effect, smells very nicely. And it's insanely long lasting, despite touching my face a lot it's always still there when I come back home.

Eyeliner: Concrete Minerals matte eyeshadow in Bulletproof. Someone might argue that a blue eyeliner isn't that sober and classy. Let them say whatever they want, because this beauty is an essential part of my routine: it's incredibly beautiful and longlasting, it sets like a tattoo and doesn't smudge. I also think this color looks extremely good on me, and feeling confident is important.

Mascara: here I show you Essence's Get Big Lashes, but it really doesn't matter which mascara, as long as it's a mascara. I haven't found my holy grail of mascaras yet and I still like trying new ones, so it wouldn't probably matter if I did.

Lipgloss: Essence Marble Mania lipgloss 4. A cold toned lipgloss that compliments my lips nicely and has a soft effect. When it fades away it still leaves a berry stain on my lips that looks quite natural and even.
It doesn't belong to the old LE with the same name, it was released alone (with other colors) only abroad according to the Essence website but I still managed to find it in Italy (!).


Tell me, fellow university students, what are your exam makeup secrets?