My summer BEAUTY favourites! #1

Better late than never, right?

Alright, time to roll up my sleeves and get down to (blogging) business: these are all the beauty products I've been loving to use during past summer!

Starting with the makeup bits:

The only bronzer I've been reaching for was (surprise!) the Soleil Tan de Chanel- aka Bronze Universel. Honestly, I can't fault it- it has a lovely texture and its colour matches my tanned skintone to the T. For my eye makeup, I've been solely relying on Groundwork Paintpot by Mac, a new entry in my makeup bag. It swatches one shade darker than my skin and achieves that off-the-runway soft haze around the eyes... So pretty!

As for my go-to lipsticks, my most used bright lippie was Maybelline's Vivid lipstick in 902-Fuchsia Flash*. For all you bright lipstick lovers out there, you must! check out Maybelline's Vivids range; some of them are actually brighter than what Mac has to offer! As for my nude lip of choice, it was Altered Beige by Mac which was part of the summer Temperature Rising collection. It's a no-fuss, easy to wear nude that gives some dimension to the lips thanks to its subtle sheen.

Another new product that I (over)used during summer was the #79 neon red nail polish by Marel. Lemme tell you this, it's the brightest -and prettiest- neon red nail polish you'll ever come across with a €3 price tag! I would urge you all to go buy it but alas, we're already past the beginning of autumn... The one I've been wearing on my toes is the Max Factor mini nail polish in 49-Fuchsia Salsa*. Although purples and violets aren't normally my thing, this little guy would definitely fit in my top 10 nail polish list!

Quite an achievement for a purple nail polish, if you ask me ;)

Lipstick Wardrobe's SUMMER wishlist!

Gah, I can't believe spring is gone already!
Predictions say it's going to be a scorching summer this year- excited much?

In all honesty, I'm not a summer kind of girl, though I'm determined to do my best and be 100% prepared for when showing (plenty of) skin is ultimately inevitable. If only breaking free from such insecurities was an easy task...

But that's another story ;)

So, here are a few of the things I have my eye on at the moment!

1. The Body Shop Spa Fit body scrub: one simply needs a good quality body scrub, come summer. This one is supposed to make skin look and feel firmer, plus it smells of citrus (score!). Although, being aware of a few reviews claiming it's not that exfoliating, I'll try my luck at asking for a sample...

2. A neon yellow nail polish: look at this picture of a french manicure with neon yellow tips- gorgeous! Surely there are dirt-cheap neon nail polishes out there, but I'd love to try the ones by China Glaze. Anyone know of a store that stocks China Glaze?

3. Maybelline Color Show nail polish, Go Go Green: if its promo pic is true to life
- green chartreuse - then I gotta have it!

Onto my lipstick lust list:

My everyday FOTD!

Hello beautiful people!
Here's a short post on what I slap on my face every day ;)

Above all, I'm a creature of habit. There's nothing I hate more than standing each morning in front of a mirror with a bag full of makeup products, trying to make a decision on what to put on my mug to disguise the "I don't wanna wake up!" look...

Of course, I enjoy experimenting with makeup- though nowadays I only do it on evenings when I have time to spare and indulge into each step.

Since I'm a renown lazy **s, I've been following a quick&easy routine that translates to a natural face with a certain piece de resistance. That means: a light coverage foundation worn with a bit of bronzer, eyes bare from eyeshadow, and a kick-ass red lipstick...

October '12 favourites.

Whoosh...
There goes October. One month closer to Christmas. Eeeek!

Judging from last month's favourites, my love for makeup has been officially revived; I've reached the point where BB cream+blush was simply not enough! Hence, the following good lot of makeup products. There's also a couple of hair treatments thrown in the mix, to go with my new ombre hair!

*** Don't ask: it was a fine experience overall-
still, the final outcome came out so natural that it barely looks any different =( ***

Alright, let's start with the makeup!

My lipstick of choice was the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine lipstick in Boy (click for review), its rosy colour is so appropriate for autumn days! But the ultimate stand-out was the new Maybelline Fit Me concealer*. Good coverage without being cakey, blends easily under the eyes and covers dark circles thanks to its slight orange undertones. I'm filing this under "products I would repurchase"!

I've also had a good use of the Mac Lingering brow pencil and I'm loving it to bits; brilliant waxy texture that helps to hold brow hairs into place! For my eyeshadows, I mostly used these few matte shades from the Body Shop in Vanilla Cream, Pink and Granite (click for review). Shimmer on the lids during dark and cloudy days can sometimes look a bit "off"! I'd much rather give some life to my face with a bright lip instead.

Which brings me to my quick fix...

My TOP 3: matte Bronzers

Boy, do I love this time of year:

When the weather starts to get real summery and people around me announce proudly their first sunbath of the season, that's the perfect time to abuse my bronzers!

I normally use matte bronzers to warm up my skin, for obvious reasons:
natural tan has no shimmer!

The following products are my favourite matte bronzers from the entire of my makeup collection. Goes without saying, I would recommend all three products to anyone- provided each of them is used for its own purposes.

That, actually, answers the inevitable question:
"do you really need three or more matte bronzers? They're the same thing!"
Well, as you will find out below, these products are nothing but the same!
Thus, each of them has a different use.

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel, Bronzing Makeup Base
This is my summer bronzer, the one I'm currently (ab)using! Its texture is phenomenal, although the surface tends to harden and it needs a little scraping from time to time. Because it's a cream formula, it looks so seamless and healthy on the skin than powder bronzers. This has a caramel (dare I say orange?) tint that, in my humble opinion, an olive complexion can easily pull off during summer. It may run a little too orange on pale winter skin, though. Full review here

The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder, shade #02
First of all, one has to give credit to the Body Shop for carrying a complete bronzing makeup range with 4 (!) matte bronzing powder shades. This is the one I'm using during winter! It has a very light bronzey colour that looks so natural on pale skin, and because it's so light, it's hard to get overboard with it. It's also the one I'm carrying with me when I'm travelling, as it has a nice compact size and a convenient mirror. Full review here

Elf Studio Countouring Blush & Bronzing Powder
This duo, as the name suggests, is best to be used for contouring. I couldn't agree more: the bronzer side is way too dark to pass as a natural-looking bronzing powder! This is my go-to choice for when I want to make my cheekbones look more prominent and I always, always use it on nights out. Upon first glance, it looks as if it has some shimmer, but it practically swatches matte on the skin. Full review here

    Swatches, from left to right: Chanel, The Body Shop, Elf

Can you see now how different these products look on the skin?
That's why I need three matte bronzers in my life ;)

I cannot stress enough how indispensable a matte bronzer should be in a girl's makeup bag! I hope you can deduct from this post that you can find a good quality bronzer from luxury brands, as well as on the cheap.

Now, tell me: what's your favourite matte bronzer?
Have you tried the products featured in this post?

You can also have a look at my first TOP 3 post on the Elf $1 products. Click!

Evi   xx

My Spring/Summer wishlist: part 2

Oh God, I've finally come to that stage where I'm putting together wishlists with high-end products only; THE END IS NEAR!!! Seriously now, it seems I'm having a €€€ kick lately, I'm hoping it's just a phase- otherwise my wallet will mutiny against me and I won't blame it!

To be fair though, this is more like a this or that list.
So, not all hope is lost! lol

You might remember from my previous wishlist that I had my eye on the Vit C Daily Moisturiser with spf 30 by the Body Shop. Thank goodness I checked the tester before purchasing it- as soon as I applied a tiny amount on my hand, it rubbed off in pieces! Enough is enough, I'm done with crappy day creams; I've decided to finally invest in a proper, well thought and technologically up-to-date daily sunscreen. After a little search online, I came up with two options: the Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free UV Protector is brand new and sounds very promising: it's water resistant (so it's going to hold well during the hot summer weather), it's invisible on the skin and has a broad spectrum of 42 PA+++. The Clarins UV Plus HP Day Screen High Protection has more or less the same claims as the Shiseido one, but I'd rather go with the pebble-like packaging of Shiseido than that of Clarins!

I've been also tempted by some purrrty eyeshadows- namely the Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in Pale Barley and the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Illusoire. About the latter, I'll test it in-store; if it swatches too purpley for my liking, I'll be saving myself the €30+. The Pale Barley eyeshadow, omg... I need this in my life! 'Nuff said ;)

And of course, the biggest temptation of the moment: high-end lip products. Sigh, where do I start? I want a YSL lippie so bad- don't know whether it's going to be a Rouge Volupte or the new Vernis a Levres but I'm so getting one! Lipgloss-wise, I've been eyeing the lovely Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors that have that spongey applicator like my beloved Elf Luscious Liquid lipstick! And lastly, gimmicky or not, the Dior Lip Glow is my current lip balm crush!

So, what have you been lusting over lately?
Do share your spring/summer wishists, I'd love to read 'em!

Evi   xx

Boy, oh Boy... My first Chanel Rouge Coco Shine!

[pun intended! Get it?]

I'm sure you've already seen this lipstick a million times before, but I-just-couldn't refrain from posting about it anyway! This is my first proper high-end lipstick, it deserves its own post, dammit! Meet Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in the notorious shade "Boy"!

See, I renamed my little bloggie to Lipstick Wardrobe for a reason!
I might as well indulge into different kinds of lipsticks other than Mac ;)

Much like all other reviewers before me, I confirm that it's a lovely moisturising lipstick that, pigmentation-wise, it almost verges to a lip balm. I was a little sceptical at first about purchasing a sheer high-end lipstick that equals to 3-4 of say, Revlon lip butters; then again, most of my pigmented lipsticks collect only dust- aka team Violetta... Hence buying a €€€ lipstick that's sheer doesn't sound like a bad idea after all, right?

Since this is a sheer lipstick, the final outcome depends on your lips' pigmentation. Mine are fairly pigmented, so on me Boy turns into a transparent shiny rosy shade with some tiny, delicate, grown-up shimmer (as you would expect from Chanel!). Also, I don't get why some people insist of Chanel lipsticks smelling like "grandma's old makeup", cause this is definitely not the case! Granted, the one I have does have a faint smell of roses, but that scent is universally identified as "classy". Since when classy is supposed to be a grandma thing exclusive, I wonder...

     Got my little samples, too! Don't you just love to save these for travelling? Not that I travel much, but still...

All things considered, I'm happy to report my first encounter with high-end lipsticks has been a positive experience! Next on my list: a nice, pigmented lipstick (YSL Rouge Volupte, me thinks) and a fun lip gloss- the Clarins Lip Perfectors, to be exact!

Have you tried the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks?
What are your thoughts on the new lipsticks-slash-lip balms that have flooded the market at the moment?

Evi   xx

Chanel Bronze Universel, a review

Someone give me a pat on the back!!!

Finally, after 6 months of playing around with my first-ever Chanel acquisition, I feel confident enough to write down my two cents about one of the most popular bronzers in the market.

You see, this cult makeup product (that everyone knows by its old name Bronze Universel) is a tricky one to get used to! Due to its uniqueness, it takes some time for a person to test its flexibility and familiarize with its full potential.

But first, let's get some trivial things out of the way:

This tub contains 30g of product and is priced at around 45€ (in Greece). If you calculate the €-to-gr ratio, you'll find out that this Chanel bronzer is better value for your money than, say, the Mac equivalents.

Then again, you're buying the equivalent of 3 regular bronzers all at once- which, according to Chanel, will expire after 18 months. So, is it a great deal after all? You be the judge of that ;)

As soon as you open the tub and remove the plastic protector, you're encountered with the usual peachy/floral Chanel scent. Personally I'm loving it, all the more so because it's fairly subdued- nothing like choking on an overpowering smell!

As for its texture, Lorraine Stanick's description couldn't be more accurate: upon touch, it does feel like soap. Having this unique consistency that stands apart from any other bronzing product- that's why it takes quite some time to learn how to use it properly: what brush should I pair it with? How much pressure to apply on the brush?

   Brushes, from left to right: Art Deco duo-fibre brush (discontinued),
   The Body Shop travel blush brush, Mac 130 brush 

To my surprise, out for these three brushes I tried out with Bronze Universel, the Body Shop travel blush brush (in the middle) has to be the winner. The Art Deco duo-fibre brush (left) was far too big to offer any control on application, while the Mac 130 brush (right), despite having the appropriate size, seemed to have very few bristles to pick up a good amount of product.

To sum it up: the most appropriate brush to use with Bronze Universel is one with a medium head, dense bristles and preferably dome-shaped, as its helps to blend the bronzer on the skin.

Now, for the actual uses of Bronze Universel...
Is it as multitasking as everyone raves about?

In my opinion, after 6 months of trial and error,
Bronze Universel does NOT work as a contour shade.

The way I see it, a makeup product for contouring should run a little ashy/muddy or on the grey side, in order to look like a natural shadow. This Chanel bronzer swatches a little orange indeed- and given that it's fairly light in colour, it's very easy to go overboard and paint two orange stripes under your cheekbones! It may work as a contour for Nic from Pixiwoo, but on me it's a big, utter "no".

   Heavy swatch

   Blended into the skin

However, it looks absolutely gorgeous when it's strategically placed where the sun would naturally tan your face- forehead, cheeks and nose-, while it also blends so beautifully when worn as an all-over bronzer on top of foundation (gives that Chanel caramel glow on the skin).
For these two purposes, I love it.

Overall, I'm more than happy with my purchase. I'm loving the chic Chanel packaging and take great pleasure when I look at it in my makeup bag! This bronzer gives me that expensive-looking skin that only high-end foundations really give (the silicon-based formula aids for that matter).

However, it's so bulky for travelling! I'm not expecting Chanel to fix that any time soon though- the true Chanel lady has no bourgeois need to save valuable space in her luggage- she can pack as many suitcases as she pleases and have her man carry them around...

Back to you: have you tried Bronze Universel by Chanel?
Which is your all-time favourite bronzer?

Evi   xx

My TOP 11 for 2011!

I've been tagged by my girl Irene and fellow greek bloggers Argyrousa, ladyD and beautyincrisis to come up with my favourite products for 2011.

Narrowing them down to just 11 was the hardest part!
But, I digress ;)

Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base: my precious!!! This is absolutely worth all the hype, I tell you that... It gives a gorgeous caramel glow that I haven't come across in any other bronzer. However, I don't think it's appropriate as a contour shade- but that's just me.
Elf Studio Blush&Bronzer compact: I don't care much about the blush, but I know I can rely on its bronzer side for when I want contour my cheeks. A staple!

Mac Hue lipstick: my most worn lipstick during 2011. Whenever I was in a hurry or wasn't sure of what colour to wear on my lips, Hue came to the rescue. Highly recommended!
Mac Pink Nouveau lipstick: it's fun, youthful, optimistic and I love it. Pink Nouveau introduced me to the world of bright lipsticks and it still remains my favourite for a quick&easy striking makeup look.
Elf Luscious Liquid lipstick: more like lipgloss, actually... I love its sponge applicator and the tiny hint of minty tingle you get on your lips! I only use it on top of lipstick though, as it's almost clear :(

Elf palette with TBS eyeshadows: another staple. I'm sure you've seen this palette many times on my blog; I've now switched the previous top right shade with a satin pink- another makeup revelation for 2011:
pink eyeshadow can look so good!
TBS Moonstone baked eye colour: the sparkly vanilla shade has become my everyday inner corner highlight. The glittery grey will be a perfect match with Mac's Violetta- which I'm soo getting once I return from my holidays!
Mac Painterly Paintpot: HG HG HG!!! Ok, either this one- or Soft Ochre (its yellow undertones might suit me better). Paintpots are so lovely for crease-proof eye makeup, nothing more to add here...

Mac 130 brush: used solely with the Chanel Bronzing makeup base; I love the precision of this brush! The only problem I'm experiencing with it is that it leaks some black dye on the white hair after I've washed it-
if you happen to know a remedy about this issue, do let me know ;)
Elf Studio Powder brush: seriously, everyone should own this brush! For its price, it's a very-very well made handy tool and a great multitasker. Get. It. ASAP.
Eyelash curlers: I was so late on discovering the virtues of eyelash curlers... These ones didn't cost me much but they do the trick- though once their white spongey things fall apart, I'm gonna invest in some Shus!

My fellow beauty bloggers, you're all tagged!

Even if you don't have a blog, I'd love to read your favourite products for 2011! Just include them in the comments section below so that we can have a little chat ;)

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October 2011 favourites

Well, well...
How did 3 Mac products make it to this month's favourites post?!?
It's not like I'm a Mac hoarder or anything...



So during past month I rediscovered my favourite eyeshadow palette, had an utter makeup revelation and came one step closer to fully worship my first ever Chanel acquisition! Read on...

Elf custom palette with TBS eyeshadows: my go-to everyday eyeshadow palette during September. May I just say for-the-zillionth-time that the matte brown shade is my absolute favourite eyeshadow? And that it's discontinued? Hate it when TBS discontinues all the good stuff!!! Aaanyways, moving on...

Mac Paintpot in Painterly: amazing product. A staple! Although it turns out I was using it completely wrong, so one of these days I'll write a review explaining how to take advantage of its full potential ;)

Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base: aka Bronze Universel ;) Ok, so I'm
half-way there on the Bronze Universel how-to... So far, I'm only using it on its own but I'll soon be exploring its versatility to the fullest! The glow it gives on my face is beyond gorgeous!

Mac 130 brush: using it solely to apply my Bronze Universel; I wasn't wowed at first with this brush, but now I'm totally head over heels for it!

Mac Pink Nouveau lipstick: been loving bright lips for my evening makeup cause it takes the least amount of effort to make a striking look! And I'm actually considering wearing bright lips on daytime too-
as I get instantly that feeling of uber confidence/ looking everyone down, tehehe... It's for sure the makeup revelation for 2011. Fact.

Aaaand...

Last weekend, my sweetheart surprised me with a totally unexpected present...

     This Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne perfume set!!!

And to think that I actually wanted to buy this perfume but never told him about it! How on earth did he read my mind and went out and got me this particular fragrance, I'll never know...
I love you, Κωστή μου!

So, what were your most loved products during September?
Have you tried any of the products pictured above?

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My beach make-up

I don't know about you girls-
but me, I'm always planning ahead on what make-up I'm going to wear
on the beach every summer!

These are my current picks:

Face: sunscreen all the way! This is the Korres Watermelon face cream with SPF20 from last year (it has a 24M tag so I think it's ok to use it). As my skintone lacks uniformity and to save me some time, I'll be mixing it with my foundation and ta da, skin's done in no time!

Cheeks: it's a no brainer this year, def going to be my new Soleil Tan de Chanel! Since it's a cream formula, it's going to blend beautifully on top of my sunscreen+foundation, while keeping up with the "bronzed skin" theme ;)

Eyes: curled lashes and mascara, only when I want to look really polished... I mean, since I'll be wearing sunglasses all the time, what's the point in putting on eye make-up at all? I'm strictly avoiding any uneccessary tugging of my eyes from wearing or removing eye make-up.

Lips: I'm so glad my sister got me this Suntint by Mac, cause it's the perfect treat for my lips to use while on the beach! It's basically a liquid lipbalm with SPF20; it has a slight pale pink tint and fine gold shimmer running through it. The squeeze-tube packaging is perfect, as it won't collect sand like the traditional lip glosses with the wand. AND it won't melt on my bag like regular lip butter sticks...

So, what's your beach make-up routine?
Any of you going bare faced under the sunnies?

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Chanel Bronze Universel/ Soleil Tan de Chanel; first impressions

So I've succumbed to the ever-so-growing Chanel Bronze Universel craze,
and I'm over the moon about it!

These are my first thoughts on the product:

* First off, let me protest about its humungous packaging! Despite being uber stylish and minimalist-chic, it can take too much space when travelling! I understand that the Chanel woman doesn't need to save up room on her travel makeup bag- she has her man to carry her numerous luggage, ha ha! Still, it would be so nice if there was a mini version of Bronze Universel...

* Its renowned smell: it's a subtle grown-up version of peach, not the sickly sweet peachiness you usually come across in most teenage-targeted fragrances of today! I can already see myself getting addicted to it... I'm sniffing the tub while I'm typing this and ahhh... it smells just divine!

* This stuff is packed with silicones- and I'm not accounting that as a con, I think products containing silicones are a pleasure to use, as they glide on the skin so beautifully! This could be one of the reasons why Bronze Universel is so popular...

* It's mentioned on makeupalley that it also provides some kind of coverage, which I find quite interesting ;)

* I've also been reading that it's a great "value for money" product, as you get 30 gr for a reasonable price-per-gr ratio. Well, that must be true only if you use piles of bronzer every single day! I wonder if it goes bad; the tub writes 18M (period after opening), so am I going to expect it going off after 1,5 year?

* For your reference girls, the greek stores won't offer the most common 25% sale on Chanel products! I got mine for around 45E from a very sweet and polite sales assistant (now that's odd! for a Chanel lady, ha ha) at my local Hondos Center. Although she didn't give me any Chanel samples (booooo!!!) and I was too shy to ask for a couple of Vitalumiere Aqua sachets...

And now that my "don't touch it!" phase has finally receded,
I can start using it! lol

I'd love to read your recommendations on the best brush to use with
Bronze Universel-
I know the Mac 109 is a popular choice but it allegedly sheds like crazy, and any hair stuck in the product would make me cringe!

So, what are your thoughts on high-end makeup?
Do you feel like investing in one expensive product is better than owning
lots of cheaper alternatives?
I haven't yet made up my mind about that matter...

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