Color Spotlight: Black

This month is an insane month in terms of stuff to do. So I haven't created any special nail art, which gives me an excuse to continue with the Color Spotlight series.
I don't have much to offer in terms of polishes. I usually use Pupa 209 as a standard black, and that's it. In terms of makeup, however...

I don't wear that much black, but I have a few essentials. The Kiko gel eyeliner was part of the Bad Girl LE, now they also have one in their standard line. At the beginning it was a bit hard to work with, too liquid, but after a month or so it has reached a much more gel-like consistency that makes it great to use.
It has a good lasting power and I tend to use it for my more graphic looks.
The Sehora black liquid eyeliner is a very good product, my other standard eyeliner. Works nicely, I have no complaints, I love the small tip brush that allows me to make thin and precise lines.
I don't use black eye pencils a lot, but those two (Pupa Multiplay and a Revlon one) deserve a spotlight. The Pupa one can be used as a kajal too, and while many pencils have a weird effect (meaning tears and pain and oh god I need to remove this) on my waterline, this works very nicely. I also own UD's Perversion black eye pencil. And it hurts, I can't use it on my waterline.
The other eyeliner pen is by Essence, the one I received with their new Princess mascara. I had a few doubts about it but it works well and is quite long lasting. I keep it in my travel beauty case for quick, nice looks when I don't want to use the Sephora one.
The black eyeshadow in UD's Naked Basics is my go-to black eyeshadow. I have nothing as pigmented, it's really, really awesome.

I am a firm believer that black lips are not for halloween only.
The black lipstick, Kiko 523, is a creme, which means it needs a pencil underneath to stay (and with such a bold color you've got to have flawless lips). And good look finding a lipsafe black pencil! I usually use the Revlon one, but I know it's not the best option. I've seen tutorials for black lips that were made using liquid eyeliner, meh, for some reason I can't bring myself to put black eyeliner on my lips... (maybe because you'd need a lot of it, while pencils are easier to work with).
The other product is by Topshop and is a Velvet Lips liquid matte lipstick in Black Velvet.
You probably have heard of Lime Crime's liquid matte lipsticks and how, in general, liquid matte lipsticks are a trend that is going to stay (also check Pretty Zombie Cosmetics lipsticks).
This one was a surprise gift from my boyfriend, and it's a great product. It has some micro sparkle if you look close to it, so if you don't want a 100% gothic look it may be your choice. Especially if you want to try something like LC's Velvetines but disagree with the company's shady past.
I've been wearing it quite a lot lately, usually paired with graphic blue eyeliner, and it looks very nice. Once it's dried, it stays on your lips forever. Definitely recommended
So, do you like black? Wear it a lot or not at all? Would you go for black lips on your average day?

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?

Color Spotlight: White

Welcome to a new episode of the Color Spotlight series! I originally planned to do white and black together, but I have enough white products for a post on its own. Black will probably go with grey when it will be its turn.
There are my white polishes: Kiko Rock Top 615, if it were less sheer it would be awesome, Sinful Colors Snow Me White, my tipical white polish, China Glaze Texture There's Snow One Like You, potentially awesome but not long lasting enough, I need to experiment putting it on a different base, Shaka Sugary White, a very cute (a bit sheer) super shimmery white, and Kiko Cupcake 647, a white sand effect polish with red/green/blue micro particles.

My white makeup products! (not including white eyeshadows that are part of other palettes)
Manic Panic Goth White is a multi-purpose white cream, it can be used mixed with foundation, as concealer, as highlighter if you're really pale (on me it works nicely) and, my favorite use, as an eyeshadow base. I purchased it online after having used my other Manic Panic products long enough to be enthusiastic about them.
The Kryolan white eyeliner doesn't mess around, it would probably survive the apocalypse, along with cockroaches and Nokia 3310 phones. Super long lasting and awesome, I don't want to use it as a base because I don't want to waste it (and because it would probablu glue my eyelid still), but as an eyeliner it's pretty amazing.
I also added my Neve Cosmetics Ivory eye pencil, I don't use it that often but when I do, the effect is really nice, my E.L.F. matte white eyeshadow (it's always useful to have a matte white eyeshadow) and my Shaka white lipstick, that also happens to be a great base for lip pigments.

Tell me people, do you like white? Do you use it often? I think it's a wonderful, underrated color.

Tag: The Lip Product Addict

I took this from Drama, I haven't posted anything for a while so I decided to give you something about my lip products..

Favorite Balm/Treatment

As a night treatment, I sometimes use Neve Cosmetic's Lip Nectar (not pictured here), but the lime flavored Baby Lips is what I usually keep in my bag. It's not perfect as the overseas bloggers depicted it, but it's not that bad either, plus, I love the smell and the packaging is super cute.

Best Eye-Catching Red

I haven't worn a red in quite some time, but Catrice's It's a Matt World is the one that looks best on me. It's matte but not lip drying at all, and looks stunning.

Best Luxury / Best Drugstore (And Best Mac Lipstick)

My best luxury... is also my best Mac, since I don't have any other Mac lipstick, and it's the luxury-est one I own. It's Rebel, and it's definitely worth the price. Stays all day, eve after meals, looks fantastic on me, doesn't dry lips at all. I love berry/violet lipsticks and this one is probably the best one in the world.

For the same reason, I included as drugstore product a Maybelline liptint with a great scent and great color payoff. The other liptint is Catrice's Megan Fuchsia, another recommended product. The color may seem excessively flashy, but it's actually an office-friendly shade.

Most Disappointing

Nothing! No real disappointments in my lip purchases.

Liner Yay/Nay

I don't usually use a lipliner (except when I wear a black lipstick), but the Perfettina transparent/white lip pencil is useful if I want a flawless look. The two Neve Cosmetics Lip Pencils you see, well, I use them alone as lipsticks. They're pigmented and not too much lip drying, but it's better to prime and scrub the lips because they'll highlight any little flaw.

Best Gloss

I have no doubt that this is the best lipgloss on the planet. It's the lovechild of a lipstick and a lipgloss, and it's INSANELY pigmented. Like, capslock-worthy pigmented. More than certain lipsticks. See that wonderful shade of violet (called Underworld Amethyst)? Well, this is exactly what will appear on your lips. A lot of violet lip products turn pink or pink-ish on my lips, this doesn't. I can't recommend it enough.

Something Extra

Kiko's black lipstick and Shaka's matte white lipstick. I am really upset by the fact that they aren't the norm as nude and red lipsticks are, because they can be quite great. Plus, the black lipstick looks fantastic with my hair, and it very pretty. Those colors don't have to be weird or goth, they can be worn with class, depending on the rest of the makeup and the outfit.

My picks from Kiko's Dark Heroine LE

Since it's sales time, I decided to do a small post about what I have ended up buying from the Dark Heroine LE-my favourite of this winter editions.

You've already seen the Laser Nail Lacquer, Venom Teal, and today I introduce you to his fellow, Strong Chocolate, bought today on sale and not yet tested. Seems very promising!

Surprise surprise, I got the Loud Night Bronzer! It's my very first bronzer, and I am very satisfied with it. I purchased the matte one, Silky Mat Tan. It's quite subtle and can be used satisfyingly even on pale skin, especially if blended with the "blush" part, the pink one. I can make some contouring experiments now!

The Latex Like Lipstick in 04 Plastic Red is quite gorgeous and insanely pigmented. It dries to a demi-matte finish (which I wasn't expecting, since when is latex matte?), but it's gorgeous so who cares. It's also nicely long lasting too, it almost survived the whole Christmas lunch...

The Velvet Stick Blush in 04 Cadillac Pink was purchased today, for little more than 3 euros. I didn't want to get it for the full price, but I'm glad I found it of the color I wanted and on full sale. Ah, shopping malls hide wonderful surprises. The shade I chose is matte and of a beautiful delicate pink. I'm glad I've got this because I needed a stick blush. I'm constantly on the move and stick blushes are practical (no brush, and far more practical than powder blushes).

And that's all! I would have liked to get the highlighting drops, since they were on sale, but there was only the pink drops left and I wanted the silver ones, so nope. Did you get anything? Are you waiting for something to have an even lower price?

Mini haul Kiko & China Glaze

Hello everybody, feelin' the Christmas spirit? I hope so because Christmas is very near!
And there is 30% off-on-everything sale at Kiko. Now, could I go there and not buy anything? Of course not. I was extremely tempted by the stick blush, I'd love to try the format, but I'd wait for the after holiday sale. I got the Digital Nail Lacquer in green and a red lipstick. The Latex Like lipstick line is very beautiful, I mostly use matte colors and something shiny will be a nice change. I tried one that could be a "My Lips But Better"... and that's why I didn't buy it. I still don't see the point of something that's the exact same color of my lips. Should I need an office friendly shade I'd go for something wearable but visible.

And in the same shopping mall there's also the shop where i go for all my China Glaze needs, they've the limited editions too and the polish are always on sale. I had There's Snow One Like You in my wishlist and I didn't need to think twice: I can't resist special textured polishes. I also bought another thing that I won't show because I bought the same for a relative, and I don't want spoilers :P

Did you get anything in the Kiko sale? Do you plan to get somehing?

Autumn supplies

It's raining! Looks like autumn finally is here! And I'm taking this chance to show you some new nice things, and celebrate the end of my exams!

I always carry with me a notebook to write ideas for my script and stories, and my old one is more than finished. I am really a pain in the neck when it comes to my personal notebook, I have to "feel" that it's the right one. This one passed the test! At Feltrinelli there's an entire official collection of products (notebooks, planners...) with Alphonse Mucha's prints. This one, the Zodiac, as always been one of my favourite.
The peacock glass bowl comes from Zara Home. I'm using it for my single eyeshadows so far, and it's incredibly beautiful.

Now, to the lipsticks! Artificial light makes the color a bit different, 'm sorry.
The first one is from the Rimmel By Kate line, the shade is 111 The Kiss of Life. It's a classic matte red with cold undertones ( a bit à la Lady Danger). A great color, very exaggerate. Dries the lips a bit.
The second one is actually a dark plum color (thanks flash and artificial light *facepalm*) from Deborah, part of the 24 Hours Power extreme long lasting lipstick series, shade 10.The finish is advertised as demi-matte, but on the lips it seems full matte: it's just a bit more metallic. The positive thing? it dries the lips significantly less. It's also very buildable, so if you're not a bold lipstick person, this could be a good choice, since its intensity varies a lot according to the number of layers.
P.S. Yeah, I'm in a lipstick mood... and I had those two for cheap, the first one for little more than 2 euros thanks to a 5 euro discount coupon and the second one for 3 euro in a Deborah brand store in the sales section.

Pupa Cosmic Beauty

In this sea of new fall LEs, Pupa comes out with a ... cyber/cosmic LE. They make direct references to cyberpunk in their website, talking about a "visionary, cybernetic future [...] inspired by an imaginary metropolis of the future, a city with a surprising charme, where the borders between real and surreal disappear: Cosmic Beauty. The girls of this town with an exceptional lifestyle dress with cybersexy clothes and use a psychedelic make up. The aesthetic charme of a new era."
Now, if this was an ad found in Night City, or the great metropolis that appear in Gibson's novels, I wouldn't be surprised. And I love anything cyberpunk, so if course I am enthusiastic about it
But:
1) if it's so cyber-inspired, why do they talk about space and the products have space-inspired names? First you tell me it's inspired by the colors of the galaxies then you give me a cyberpunk femme fatale. These are two different kinds of sci-fi, my dear.
2) I have now a headcanon: that the creative teams at Kiko and Pupa are best friends and regularly meet together to watch movies. Last year they both created China/East inspired LEs, almost identical in their inspiration. This year they must have gathered to watch Blade Runner all together, or something like that.
3) The collection has only a few products ( I get it's a preview, but I suppose they've shown everyhting), and there's nothing groundbreaking and futuristic for me. Let's see:

An eyeshadow/eyeliner. Comes in taupe, black, peacock green, blue and violet.

Pigments! This one looks cool, I'd admit it. Comes in blue and green as well.

Lip pencils are nothing new. Comes in red and pink too.

There' s a highlighter..

And the polishes. Two duochromes, two more "normal" shades. The burgundy one is great, even if not groundbreaking. The first duochrome reminds me of Catrice's Iron Mermaiden (now discontinued) and the second one..well, I'm interested in that.

Don't you notice something? No powder, no blush, nothing. Apparently in the future there'll be no need for healty and radiant complexions, we will all be cyborgs. Or have biosculpted faces.

More Dark Heroine swatches

I have more Dark Heroine swatches for you! This time, I have all the Twinkle Eye Pencils right on my arm... and more.

 I kept the photo in an evening, natural light.

Twinkle Eye Pencils in Elastic Teal, Bewitched Periwinkle, Hypnotic Starry Black, Inspiring Golden Brown, Flexuous Burgundy, Desired Gold.

Elastic Teal is still my fave, but brown and burgundy are quite great too, the first one with gold microglitter and the second one with purple microglitter. It'a bit darker than an average burgundy, looks more like a cold brown. The black/gunmetal one is far too glittery for my taste, same for the blue one. The gold/champagne one is almost invisible on my skin, otherwise it would be cool. It seems it has white/silver microglitter.

Smoky Look Eyeshadow in Persuasive Sailor Blue and Harmonic Wine.

The blue one is nothing exceptional but the wine/burgundy one is really pretty.

Latex Like Lipstick in Plastic Red.

As its fellow, it's very promising.  Good texture and effect, it reminds me of Ruby Woo.


And that's all for now, folks!

P.s. Kiko produced new foundations as well and one of them, marked as Ivory, is exactly my skin color, this is a very heartwarming moment *_*

Kiko Dark Heroine first impressions and swatches

Dark Heroine has arrived. I don't have photos of the display, but you can find plenty of them online.

So, let's start with the swatches. I tried all the nail polishes and some other things. There were some surprises, definitely!

Laser Nail Lacquer in: Venom Teal, Strong Chocolate, Fluent Red, Psychedelic Blue, Sensual Candy, Gothic Purple.

Gothic Purple is very similar to Essence's Chic Reloaded, the others aren't anything special, except for Venom Teal, the other duochrome that goes from teal to violet/blue. Fluent Red and Psychedelic blue are very pigmented and could probably be one coaters.

Twinkle Eye Pencil in Elastic Teal (above the polishes).

I wasn't very impressed by those eye pencils on the website, but they're much better irl. The one I tried is of a beautiful teal with small blue glitter, and I have completely fallen in love with it. The glitters aren't exaggerate, and I bet they have a great effect once worn.

Smoky Look Eyeshadow in Heroic Brown and Inspiration Blue.

They're both pretty great, but I expected the blue one to be, well, lighter and brighter.
I made a comparison with the Sephora pencil in Azur Blue I own, and they're almost identical:

As you can guess, the Sephora one is the one on the right. I don't think I'll buy this eyeshadow right now, maybe when it goes on sale, since there's more product than the Sephora pencil, also considering the prices.

I also tried three lipstick. They're a bit smudgy now because of my watch...

Latex Like Lipstick in Pulpy Plum, Iconic Magenta (on the left), Glare Fuchsia (under Pulpy Plum).

As I was expecting, Pulpy Plum is gorgeous and I am probably going to buy it. Applying it was nice, and for once the name is well merited, it kinda feels like latex/plastic in a good way. Guaranteed to give you the perfect android lips!

I have no swatches of the eyeshadow palettes because the one I liked, the number 2, was a bit disappointing. TOO. MUCH. GLITTER. Maybe when it goes on sale... but certainly not now. The blushes seemed nice, and the highlighters have good pigmentation too.

Summary: Right now I'm interested in the teal eye pencil, the plum lipstick and the teal nail polish. They would look great together.

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.