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.

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.

Make Up Moments: summer alternatives for your face

Yeah, I know, this is meant to be a nail polish blog. Since a year, with the help of my sister, I have however started learning more about make up. It's a cheap kind of shopping (at least for me) that I find extremely relaxing- a sort of color therapy, if you wish.
So I'm gonna talk more about make up here, I guess. I'm no make up artist, but I can still give honest reviews.

Onwards to my first make up post, then. One of the many reasons why I hate summer is the fact that I can't wear much make up or my face will melt. Therefore, no foundation. Are you pale as hell and want to see some alternatives?

1) Garnier BB Cream. They call this shade light, but it's not. Pale skins, this is not for you, as you'll see in the swatches. It smells very nicely and has a good moisturizing effect, so if it fits your skin tone it could be a nice alternative.

2) Shaka powder in 01, Ivory. I didn't like this one at first, for the yellow undertone and the fact that, applied with a brush, it was too dark. Using a sponge or a puff you'll get a better coverage and it harmonizes with the skin color in a different, better way. It has a good long lasting power, too.

3) Essence Mineral Compact Powder in 02, soft beige. Still a bit too dark for my skintone, but, as the Shaka one, it can be used better with a sponge and covers pores and imperfections fairly well. It gives a good matt finish and a good lasting power, about the same as the Shaka one. The main difference between the two I'd say is the undertone, this one has pink undertones but is darker.

4) Essence 2 in 1 Make-Up & Powder in 10, soft beige. First and foremost let me say that I am a bit confused by Essence's color policy. Is there really the need to have two shades with the same color but different number that are also very different on skin?
Apart from this, I'd say this one is my personal favourite: as you can see in the photo, I've already used it a lot. A very light shade that creates more coverage if applied with a wet sponge- don't expect miracles, it's not a foundation, but it has a good coverage and lasting power. I also noticed that mixed with a bit of day cream it could make a nice concealer. In the box there's also sponge and mirror, it's perfect for travels.

And here's the swatches, from left to right: Essence Mineral Compact Powder, Shaka Powder, Essence 2 in 1, Garnier BB Cream. It's hard to make recommendations for those, since it depends a lot on your skintone.