DIY project: My own homemade soaps!

You read that right:
I got real crafty last summer!

If you're like me -obsessed with beauty and cosmetics, that is-, read on because there's a whole 'nother world you can let loose your passion: making your own beauty products! I proudly present you my first batch of homemade olive oil soaps- which, contrary to what you might think, they're dead easy to make.

But why soaps, you might ask?
It was only because I didn't want to waste a huge 5lt can of olive oil that didn't taste quite right. Throwing it away was not an option, so I had to find a means to make it useful ;)

First and foremost, there's two things you need to keep in mind before experimenting with soap-making recipes:

a. Do your homework. Even the tiniest little search online will be enough to baffle you with contradicting recipes. So before settling on a particular recipe, learn about the characteristics of each ingredient, what quality of soap they produce, and the importance of accuracy in weighing each quantity.

b. Take all precautions necessary! It's very, very important not to let the lye get in contact with your skin. Or your eyes and nose. Get youselves some gloves, an old blouse with long sleeves, a face mask, and some vinegar in case you spill yourself with some soap mixture by accident (vinegar counteracts the lye in the soap).

Collective haul: La Roche-Posay, Mac, Erre Due, etc.

Well well well, it's been four months since my last haul post;
that's quite an achievement!

If you know me, you'll be surprised by how little I've been shopping lately, cosmetics-wise. To be honest, I kinda enjoy it: it feels as if I've tamed my addiction and turned into a "normal" consumer. Seriously, this is EVERYTHING I bought during the last couple of months!

It's a mixture of some essentials, a couple of toiletries-
and a little makeup to sweeten the pot ;)

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Eyes: to everyone that commented on my eye cream post, thank you for making me come to my senses! I admit I was inclined towards Retinoids and eye roll-ons at first, though after reading your comments I realised that a good-quality moisturising eye cream was the best bet. I chose this one purely because of its ingredients: Caffeine and Hyaluronic Acid fractions? Swell, count me in! Paid: €18,10

Syoss Anti-Grease Dry Shampoo: isn't it a shame there's only three or four dry shampoos available in our stores? Booo... Rather than saving my hair from washing, I bought it in order to infuse some volume at the roots of the hair. By the way, if you happen to know any tips&tricks on the application of dry shampoo, do share! Paid: €4,80

Winner of Korres Lip Butters giveaway

Here's a short post-update on the Korres giveaway...

Before announcing the winner, I'd like to thank each and every one of you who participated in this little giveaway by following Lipstick Wardrobe, it means the world to me! To my dear new readers: please introduce yourselves and comment away!

Alrightie, back to the prizes:

The lucky winner who will be getting all four Korres lip butters pictured above is...

10 Runway makeup trends for Autumn/Winter 2012-2013

Prepare yourselves a nice cup of coffee, or tea: this is a seriously lengthy read!

In this post, I've gathered my 10 favourite makeup looks from this season's runways. Feel free to take notes in order to replicate them: I can assure you, they're all wearable and stunning! Mind you, 6 out of 10 were created by Pat McGrath... The woman is a genius!

Ok, that was a lie: the last couple of makeup looks are probably runway-only material, though they can be easily adapted to something less scary/clownish.

Let's start, shall we?

     image source 1, image source 2

Michael Kors: CHERRY RED CHEEKS
I love this kind of makeup. It's effortless, so easy to put together, while the cool-toned lipstick&blush combo brighten up the skin to make it glow!!! According to Marie Claire, the makeup artists at Shiseido said the rosy cheeks were meant to look like a "bloody, wonky flush, like after a morning of skiing, an hour in a hot tub or some good sex". At the risk of sounding too prudish, I find this makeup to look more like you've spent an hour out in the cold rather than having had good sex- but, I digress ;)

Point of story:
Dig out your cheek stains + cherry red lipsticks, and put them into good use!

Skincare review: La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Serum

I'm sure you've seen reviews of this product already-
in case you're interested in my point of view, here's my two cents ;)

I've been using this serum on and off for the past two months, so as to allow it a good testing period before writing about it. Personally, I don't consider serum to be essential per se, more like an investment into a good quality beauty regime- if you're willing to spend some extra cash, that is.

In other words: while moisturiser is an integral part of a skincare routine, serum is not.
That being said, if you DO use a serum, your skin will thank you later. Here's why:

Serums consist of smaller molecules than those of moisturisers, thus enabling them to penetrate the skin deeper than regular day creams; they're mainly designed to deliver nutrients to the skin, rather than regulating its moisture level. That's why there's so many different serum formulations targeted to specific skin concerns like skin brightening,
anti-ageing, exfoliating, etc. Moisturisers on the other hand are meant to "lock" the moisture into the skin after cleansing.

Now that the difference between serums and moisturisers is clear, here's what I think of the La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Serum:

Go get it now: Zara leather jacket

I had actually planned to upload a nice DIY project I did during summer-

but because of today's shopping loot, I felt it was fitting to spread the good news a.s.a.p.!

If you're in the hunt for a good quality biker jacket, then look no further: Zara currently stocks THE most perfect jacket ever! It's made from real leather, miles away from the obnoxious faux leather jackets that have flooded the shops lately :/

See for yourselves: doesn't it look fab?

It's part of the TRF line that is targeted to a younger clientele, which to be honest, it leaves me indifferent the majority of times. However, I've found the TRF coats and jackets to be way prettier than those from the Basic line; most of my winter coats are from Trafaluc! Thus when I spotted that leather jacket on the website (link!), I searched every Zara store downtown to locate it- and I finally found it in the shop at Stadiou str.

I'm so relieved!!!

Here's a couple of pics I took in the fitting room wearing this jacket:

September '12 favourites.

Oh man, I can't believe it's October already;
that means we're only 2 months away from Christmas time- the "C" word, damn!!!

September wasn't as exciting in regards to the "beauty front", hence the lack of cool and fancy products featuring on this post. Still, it all reflects my recent tendency to concentrate more on my skincare, along with opting for the "no makeup" makeup.

Starting with Clinique 3-Step, the past month's skincare entry:

These mini 30ml tubes lasted me for 4 weeks, used twice per day. Contrary to what I expected from the reviews I had read online, my personal experience with the 3-Step was positive overall: there's noticeably less acne and my pores have become smaller in size.
Now, I can understand why there's a lot of confusion/misconception about this trio, but the main thing to remember is to take it as a cleansing regime- not as a complete skincare routine. More about that on a separate review ;)

As for the makeup products I loved during September...

Giveaway: Win 4 KORRES Lip Butters!!!

It's giveaway time on Lipstick Wardrobe ;)

I've recently hit 600 followers on my little blog, so I'd like to thank you all with a small gift to one lucky reader! As always, I've chosen products that I actually use and love, so this time I picked out my favourite Korres lip butters!

The giveaway winner will be sent the following four lip balms-
including the oh-so-famous Jasmine lip butter!

* You might notice that there's a slight difference with the ones I showcased on my previous post; the Purple Lip Butter stick has been replaced with the Wild Rose version. Apologies for that, I was in a rush and bought the wrong colour! *

But enough with that, here's the obligatory "rules":