Late night randomness

I'm back with a ramble of insignificant matters on cosmetics and such...
Do prepare yourself for photos via google search- sorry girls, I'm feeling a little lazy today ;)

First off, I recently saw a vid of Enkore where he pretty much said that if you have oily skin, it's almost impossible for your foundation not to oxidize -especially if you're using a powder-, which means that if you're going to shop for a foundation/powder, you should always match the colour after it has oxidized on your skin.

Man, I wish I'd read it sooner! I had a hunch that this was the case with my liquid foundation...



...or my setting powder...



...they both look darker on me after 5-10 minutes of application!
I'm not wasting them, though; as soon as I (kind of) hit pan on both, they'll be replaced ;)

Secondly:
I'm sick and tired of Elf!



What puts me off is that there's no way the products you want are all going to be in stock at the same time! You've got to make some compromises and choose between the available products, it's just that I have a hard time doing so...

The blush&bronzer duo is out of stock- and I'm not willing to make an order without it! So it's going to be postponed.
Damn it :(

I'm also on the lookout for a fun, vibrant lipstick by Mac!



After a lot of search online, I've narrowed down a list of the following:
Show Orchid
Pink Nouveau
Lustering
Lickable

Anyone tried these before, which one would you recommend?
Let me know, loves ;)

Oh, and one more thing: remember my review on Mac's Prep+Prime Eye?

Well, the product still doesn't work for me but it's excellent for mature/very dry skin!
I tried it once on my mum- it covered her red veins and made the eyeshadow glide on the lids. I should have figured this out before I published my review- I mean, it's silicone based, it obviously provides some kind of "slip" on the lids, so it must be good for dry skin.
Pure common sense!

That's it for today...
Hopefully I'll publish another post tomorrow, I've neglected this little blog during past week and I feel so baaad!

Mwah :* :* :*

CBSG5861

A make-up look; attempt #1

God, I hate my camera...

During past weekend, I thought of playing with my eyeshadows and see how they photograph with my digital Pentax.

I did a brown smokey eye (really dark and dimensional in real life) and all my camera picks up is this:

    Shimmer, shimmer, shimmer!

It's like I'm wearing a cream eyeshadow!
Which I'm not :(

On the other hand, the blue liner I put on the bottom lashline pops up...

    It looks way more vibrant in real life, though... 

    Oh, and excuse my shiny dace. Didn't put any foundation/powder!

    And a shaky pic because I love them!

These are the products I used, all from the Body Shop:

   The second swatch is the Shimmer eyeshadow in #07 on top of the

   shimmering blue pencil

It was a great lesson of how my beautiful make-up can look like "blah" in photos...

[But, I see all those girls with gorgeous, stunning make-up and I wonder; what is it that they do and it photographs so well?]

 

Oh, and please leave me a comment saying you like my eye, lol!

I'm very, very self-conscious about how I look on pictures (because the digital cameras alter the actual proportions of the face), let alone publishing them on blogger!

P.S.: The day before I saw "There will be Blood" with Daniel Day-Lewis. It's been a long time since an American film blew my mind, this one definitely did. Daniel Day-Lewis' performance was a masterpiece- he didn't just play an oilman, he was the oilman! Excellent direction, screenplay with few dialogues signifying a lot, rough scenery that added to the plot... Great, great film that made me think a lot. I recommend it to anyone ;)

CBSG5861

Current Skincare

Hi lovelies,

During past month I've switched my skincare routine because I can't stop feeling some kind of bitterness towards some products I previously used-

I'm looking at you, Korres Materia Herba moisturizer:
you've been a great match but I don't fell like scooping out 35 euros just for your sake >:(

So these are the products I'm currently testing out:

Korres 3 in 1 Cleansing Water: love this, wrote about it in my previous post.
The Body Shop Nutriganics face wash & toner: hmm, both average- not harsh but they seem to do nothing on my skin. Won't repurchase those...
Apivita Aloe mask: what can I say, I'm amazed by Apivita's little sachets- I've yet to find one that doesn't live up to my standards!
Apivita Aqua Vita eye cream: a nice moisturiser for under the eyes, although I'll definitely buy a different product once I'm through with this one.
The Body Shop Tea Tree oil & blemish gel: I'll probably write another post about these two treatments when I've tested them long enough to see if they work... or not.
The Body Shop Aloe day cream: I like this moisturiser a lot, much like the whole Aloe range by the Body Shop- all products are high in aloe juice (it always comes first in the ingredients list) and they contain the least amount of preservatives (so they have a shorter shelf life). Mild formulas, excellent for my combination and sensitive skin. Thumbs up for aloe! 
Apivita face scrub with Lavender and Olive: another favourite, this is probably one of the best face scrubs I've tried so far! It contains crushed olive stones, salicylic acid and menthol- hence the cooling effect when you wash it off ;)

So, any of you tried these products? What's your skincare routine?

P.S.: Today was a marvellous day which called for celebration: we had snowflakes in Athens, yay!!! During past week, the weather was awfully hot for December standards; so at last, winter is officially here and I'm over the moon about it! If you read my blog long enough, you'll probably know I'm more into chilly days than the hot and humid summer season. Too bad there was no wine and biscuits in the cupboard for a proper little fiest :(

CBSG5861

New! Korres 3 in 1 Cleansing Water and some guests

If you're anxious about who's the guests, scroll down the bottom of this post and you'll be amazed!

I hope ;)

 

If you've read my previous post, then you already know that I've been loving this product during last month.

 

It's the new little sister of the best-selling White Tea fluid gel, it falls under the "cleanser" category and it claims to take away all grime, face make-up (including the eyes!), while toning the skin in one step.

Let's break it down:

Packaging: the standard semi-transparent Korres bottle, feels so soft to the touch! The typewriting has changed, though- the big letters describing the product in English, French and Greek serve as an adornment, too. The lid has also changed- much better than the regular screw-on cap. The bottle is packaged in the typical cardboard box that I fancy a lot. Good job, Korres team!

The product: it's a liquid with the same fluidity as water, so it's probably low in glycerine. Contains organic white tea extract and hamamelis. Free of soap, alcohol and a bunch of other synthetic ingredients, as you can see below:

Scent: same as the White Tea fluid gel, I dare say it's a fresh masculine scent. No problems with that- I'm all for it!

Effectiveness: Korres says that "...the use of natural cleansing agents ensures excellent compatibility with the eyes and skin", and I have to agree! I don't know what's in it that makes it perform so well, but it does! My face make-up and eyeshadows, all gone with a single swipe of a cotton pad. As for mascara, it took a small effort to be completely removed, but to Korres defence I've yet to find a liquid eye make-up remover that easily takes away all mascara traces.

Any negatives? Well, it goes through very fast- considering how frequently I use it, it's going to last me for 3 months tops.

Would I repurchase it? Probably yes! It's a pleasure to use, takes shorter time to cleanse my face than using 3 different products (milk cleanser, eye make-up remover, toner) and it smells fantastic! Let alone the fact that it's perfect for travel, when I'm in need of multi-tasking products.

Oh, and it cost me around 10-11 euros ;)

Now it's time for the post's guests... Are you ready?

It's about Korres' second take on fragrances!

Once again, spices, fruits, flowers and aromatic woods come together in unique scents that capture the Korres identity.

Sadly, the old Rosewood scent is discontinued (sniff!) but the two best-sellers with Saffron/Cardamon and Pepper/Jasmine are still on the market, albeit in a 50ml bottle.

The 6 new formulations are:

* Heliotrope/ Ylang Ylang/ Citron

* Vetiver root/ Green Tea/ Cedarwood

* White Tea/ Bergamot/ Freesia

* Iris/ Lily of the Valley/ Cotton

* Vanilla/ Freesia/ Lyche

* Paeonia/ Vanilla/ Amber Pear

All formulas are phthalates, polycyclic-musk compounds (PCM) and nitro-musks free, while containing Rosmarinus Officinalis as a natural preservative.

Are you excited? I know I am!

Can't wait for the new perfumes to hit the market and sniff them all!

CBSG5861

Elf recommendations, pretty please ;)

Hey girls,

so I was thinking of making an order on Elf!

See, Elf products are all around the beauty blogging community and... I got jealous, couldn't help it!  =D

After browsing around the website, certain products cought my attention:

Blush and Bronzer Compact

Complexion Perfection

Cream Eyeliner

 

Single Eyeshadow

Mineral Lipstick

Mineral Lipgloss

Minty Lipgloss

I'd love to know if any of you have tried these products and your opinion about them-
I hear that shopping Elf cosmetics is a hit&miss thing.

Or if you have some favourites from Elf, post them below too!

It's going to be my first online purchase and I really, really want it to be a nice experience ;)
Yay!!!

CBSG5861

November favourites!

Hi lovelies!

Once again, it's the time of the month for some favourite products!

    Family pic

I hope you'll enjoy ;)

The Body Shop Glow Enhancer: the foundation I currently use is a tad too dark for my skintone and looks quite matte. I mix a drop of this stuff et voila, problem solved! I think it's now reformulated and available with the name "Radiant Highlighter".
H&M 36-colour eyeshadow palette: ok, so the quality sucks... But, I got to experiment with so many colours that I'd never thought they suited me! I would recommend this kind of palette to all beginners in make-up like myself ;)
Art Deco liquid liner: it's waterproof, glossy and super black. I've been using it day&night!

Art Deco lipstick in #40: I love this colour so much! I apply a sheer wash and it gives me a natural finish. A couple more layers and I get a pale nude pink- very friendly for my skintone, no freaky concealer lips! I'm mostly pairing it with Jasmine lip butter by Korres.

Korres secret new product: full review coming up asap!
The Body Shop Aloe face cream: Last month I switched my skincare routine; this is the stand-out of all the new products I got! My skin is combination to oily and although this cream is meant to be used to sensitive skin, I find that it helps to soothe my acne spots.

Apivita Aloe face mask: another winner, this is a moisturising mask that smells fantastic and feels cooling on the skin. The Apivita mask sachets never cease to amaze me!

Korres Plum lip butter: Another addition to my lip balm stash... This one gives a very flattering red wine tint on the lips. And it smells so sweet! When I'm at home, I apply a light wash on my lips (and perhaps a touch of cheek stain by the Body Shop, but don't tell anyone!) and I instantly feel more glamorous ;)

What were your favourites for November? Anyone tried the above products?

P.S.: Last night I couldn't sleep because of a freaking mosquito buzzing around my head! I mean, come on!!! Mosquitos during December? When are we going to get some winter days in Greece? Christmas is coming, for God's sake!

CBSG5861

A secret revealed...

My fellow Greek bloggers/readers, I have news for you ;)

I'm going to reveal a big, big secret that I hope you'll like!

It would be preferable if it stayed between us, you know...
Spread the word, if you wish, but with caution and secrecy!

Here goes:

 

You have probably noticed that the greek cosmetic stores (Hondos Center, Sephora, Beauty Shop, Galerie de Beaute, etc.) hold a 25% discount period of 1 week (and in some cases, 2 weeks) at random times of the year. Word gets around mainly through tv ads, then one person tells the other, etc.

It may have occured to you that you missed a sale- or you bought a fancy and expensive perfume, only to find out that if you postponed the purchase for a week, you would pay 25% off.

It could have also happened that you asked a sales assistant for the next sale period, to get a reply similar to "don't know, come to the store next week and see for yourself".

Well, let me tell you: those sales periods are NEVER random...

During the last 2 years, I've noticed a pattern; though I can't be 100% sure, I'm presenting it to you:

The aforementioned stores do the 25% discount on the week during which there's a change of the month. Yes, they carry a 25% discount period every month!

For example, if my calculations are indeed correct, there should be a sale right now, as we speak.
This morning, I went for a stroll at Ermou str. (for the sake of this post, of course!), and what do you know? Both Hondos Center and Sephora have a 25% sale on cosmetics!

That's it, the big secret revealed...
To those of you who knew it already or didn't think it's interesting enough, I apologise for my somewhat "dramatic" tone at the beginning of the post.

In any case, I'm hoping these news stays between faithful ears- we wouldn't want this "sale pattern" to get through to people that plan the sales in the first place!

I wish you all a happy December ;)

CBSG5861