12 for 2012: LIPSTICK WARDROBE's favourites!

It's probably late to blog about last year's favourite products, my apologies!
Twas so hard to narrow them down to just 12- hence the delay...

2012 was pretty hectic, and I'm glad it's finally over. Despite all that, one of past year's positive aspects was that I managed to discover some great beauty products which have already gained a "staple" value in my collection. Here they are!

Surprisingly, 9 out of 12 are makeup related-
gee, someone needs to experiment more with skincare, body and hair stuff!

Citrus colognes will always have a special place in my heart. I've now come to use one every single time after the shower for a quick pick-me-up; 4711 cologne has been my favourite. Since its scent dissipates within 20 minutes, it means I'm the only one who can enjoy it while people around me don't notice I smell like a 80-year-old grandma! lol

I've also discovered one of the very best city sunscreens in the market, the -wait for it- Clarins UV Plus HP Day Screen High Protection. Brilliant for oily skin, non-greasy, and packed with antioxidants. If only it was a bit cheaper... The Body Shop Vineyard Peach body butter* is one of my recent addictions. There, I sait it! Seriously, I'll cry when TBS decides to discontinue the Vineyard Peach range, it smells exactly like the real thing!

Now for the makeup bits! Maybelline Fit Me foundation and concealer* were the absolute winners of 2012 and I'll definitely repurchase both. The foundation's finish is fresh and dewy, and the concealer has that peach undertone that suits my complexion to a T. The brush that I apply my foundation with is the Art Deco duo fibre brush; I've had it for more than 3 years now and it looks as good as new, so it deserves its place in this list ;)

As for the blush in the photo above, it's none other than The Body Shop blush in Toast, a versatile matte peach/tan colour that can be paired with any lipstick/eyeshadow combo. But whad'ya know, it's been discontinued! *sob sob*

Dior Grand Bal lipstick in MARILYN!

This is my second and last item I picked out from the Dior Grand Bal collection.
Naturally, it had to be a lipstick ;)

Diorific lipsticks are considered as Dior's "haute couture" makeup accessory; among all Dior products adorned with the brand's signature sleek blue&silver packaging, there's your Diorifics shining in all their gold and voluptuous glory!

Grand Bal collection featured four Diorifics, with colours that were variants of the classic red lipstick. The one that stood out to me the most was Marilyn.

The rest of the Dior Grand Bal lipsticks (click to see swatches) share a warmer undertone, all in the same red colour family: Lady has a brown-ish tint to it that makes for a toned-down red lip. It should look amazing on mature ladies that can't wear in-your-face reds. Diorling turned out to be the most popular shade, it's a lovely burgundy red that suits everyone! Diva, on the other hand, is a bit more of a daring red- although not as bold as Mac's Ruby Woo or Russian Red.

My pick, Marilyn, is a whole 'nother story. It's a bright cool-toned raspberry red that is so youthful and fun to wear! Now that I keep staring at it next to my keyboard as I'm writing these lines, I can't help but notice the antithesis of it all: the grown-up and eclectic gold packaging that clashes with the bullet's modern colour... It's those little things that capture my interest and make me happy!

Its texture is to die for: well pigmented, matte but not quite, feels very comfortable on the lips, and smells of that old-fashioned powdery scent which I like. But there's another attribute of this lipstick that has made me fall in love with it:

Dior Grand Bal nail polish in MARILYN!

I told you I felt compelled to do a little haulin' at the sight of the Grand Bal collection!
Here is evidence #1:

I proudly present you my early Christmas gift, the magnificent Diorific Vernis in Marilyn. Seriously guys, these nail polishes are THE BOMB! If you're a nail polish collector, then I'm sure you already own at least two shades by now. If not, consider these for your holiday treats- they're worth it!

Now, you do understand I had to get Marilyn, if only for its name.
Look at it, my precious!

Initially, my mind set was in favour of Diva (black with gold shimmer), but after testing it on my nails at the Dior counter I found the gold glitter to be too discreet. Diorling (pure gold shimmer) embodies the brand's extravagant luxury factor, however it goes pretty sheer on the nails. Lady (white pearl) on the other hand, is a beautiful nail colour to own: it looks expensive and elongates the nails like no other! I'm so, so gutted I didn't pink Lady after all, but I guess Marilyn is a timeless shade and I'm going to make a lot of use of it, so all is good ;)

Here's the nail swatch:

Dior GRAND BAL makeup collection for Christmas 2012- photos and swatches!

"Now that Cinderella's fairy godmother no longer exists,
the couturier must be the magician". Christian Dior

Without a doubt, the Dior Grand Bal collection is by far the prettiest and most glamorous out of all the makeup collections that have been launched for the holidays. Every single piece is simply irresistible; from the inspiration behind it down to its sophisticated packaging and colour, they all evoke magic!

Oh, how I've been longing for the products to make their way over to our stores! I got a call last Friday from the Dior girls at Hondos that they're finally here- Saturday morning and there I was, swatching everything and feeling like a little girl in the candy shop!

"From Monsieur Dior's extravagant parties in Granville, his childhood home, to the Parisian balls of the Roaring Twenties, the couturier was profoundly fascinated by the transformative qualities of the ball gown and the fantasy of a fabulous fete. Now, Dior debuts a makeup collection inspired by Dior's love for entertaining; the limited edition Palette Grand Bal, four new shades of Diorific, Dior's most haute couture lipstick, two shades of Ultra-Gloss, and four new shades of Dior Vernis". 

Wait until you see the products, especially the new Diorific nail polishes which are lush!

Dior Amber Diamond shimmering powder, a review

I know, I know, this baby has already been reviewed to death-
but in case you're not bored yet, here's my version ;)

As many others before me, I succumbed to the hype of the Dior Amber Diamond powder. Does it live up to the claims everyone talks about? I certainly think so! It took me a while to get used to it though, since it stands apart from most powder highlighters on the market.

Look at it, my precious!!!

Amber Diamond is listed under "powders" in the Dior website, along with its sister Rose Diamond. It holds 10 gr of product in a sleek compact with a handy mirror, and has its own little velvet pouch (as all respectable high-end makeup products do!). All 5 shades could work as a sheer wash on the lids- if you like shimmery gold eyeshadow, that is.

[I've actually managed to drop it to the floor twice, thank goodness it has only cracked where the colours meet!]

As you can see, you get five complimentary golden-to-amber shades that you can even use individually to perfectly match your blush/lipstick combo you're wearing.

Now, here's the tricky part: you know how most powder highlighters provide only shine? Well, Amber Diamond has a certain colour to it. And the finest shimmer you could possibly find in a highlighting product. Combine those two facts together and you'll soon be
over-applying it in order to see some shine, while your cheeks get darker! For me, the best way to wear Amber Diamond is right after contouring, and definitely before blush application. Which is optional, anyway.

I tried to do a comparison swatch with a couple of other brozing/highlighting products in my makeup bag, but I think we can safely call it a fail: see any similarities?
Neither can I!

    Left to right: Dior Amber Diamond, TBS Bronzing Beads, TBS Bronze Shimmer Waves

Hopefully, you can see Amber Diamond's fine shimmer compared to the harshness of Shimmer Waves on the far right. That means it's ideal for skin with visible pores, oily skin, mature ladies, plus it looks pretty neat during daytime!

Personally, and contrary to what I've documented above, I wouldn't call the Dior Amber Diamond powder a "must buy": in retrospect, I'd much rather have spent my money to a high-end blush or bronzer than a highlighter! But if your collection lacks of a nice highlighting product and you have the money to spare, go for it. You'll love it.

Now tell me, are you tempted by all the raving reviews on Dior Amber Diamond?
Which is your favourite highlighter, ever?

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

November 2011 favourites!

My my, how time flies by!
I can't believe it's December already; it doesn't feel like it, I'll tell you that... I mean, it hasn't rained for weeks and it's not that chilly yet; so when are we gonna get snow? There's no Christmas without snow, dammit!

Ok, rant over...
On to my November favourites:

Seventeen Waterproof lipliner, shade Pure Red: until I got my hands on Russian Red, I settled on this one. By the way, I find the greek "drugstore" lip pencils to be of excellent quality, give them a try if you're in need for one!

(p.s.: oh yes, Russian Red is crossed out of my X-mas list! hehe)

Elf Studio Matte lip colour, shade Natural: a pretty matte nude

"office-appropriate" lipstick that I used a lot in my morning makeup routine. Doesn't feel dry at all, and to be honest it makes my lips look fuller than good old lipgloss ;)

TBS Baked eye colour, shade Sapphire: my go-to choice for a navy smokey eye during past month. The thing is, I came to the wrong conclusion that baked eyeshadows photograph so much nicely than the regular pressed eyeshadows- but, after seeing the latest Pixiwoo vid, I realised it wasn't the baked formula that was to blame but the light coordinating shade blended in the crease. I urge you to try this method instead of blending the dark lid colour with your usual light brown shade, you'll be amazed by how much nicer it looks in photographs!

    Swatches from left to right: Seventeen lip liner, Elf Matte lip colour,
    Elf Celebrity eyeshadow, TBS Sapphire baked eyeshadow duo

Elf Mineral eyeshadow, shade Celebrity: when I first opened this little pot, instantly a contemporary makeup icon came to mind: JLo. This is THE most perfect shade to achieve that JLo look- both in terms of colour (golden light brown) and shimmer (sparkly but not glittery, almost metallic). Like all loose pigments, it creases after a good 5hour wear-
but who cares? Seriously, everyone should own Celebrity!

Dior Amber Diamond shimmer powder: my precious... My collection of highlighters is complete with this baby. Although after using it a lot the last couple of weeks, I noticed it looks "too much" for daytime wear- but it has that depth that enables me to pair it with a nice bronzer and just skip blush altogether.

I also popped into H&M and among other things, I bought these cute lipbalm tins with Disney's Bambi on the front- love the packaging and their scent, hate to admit that they dry out my lips so bad! Thank goodness for Apivita balms, they always come to my rescue...

So, what have you been loving during November?

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Dior sneek peek...

This post could be uploaded with no words from my behalf- I mean really, what else is there to say about the gorgeousness!!! of the Amber Diamond shimmer powder...

Mind you, I was a little sceptical before heading to the Dior counter (as with anything that is over-hyped about). But as soon as I swatched it, well... It was love at first site!

I'm currently going through a phase where I open the pan and just look at it, admire it, feel it... Can't bring myself to actually wear it yet! So until I get to use it and write a proper review, enjoy the pics!

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My Christmas wishlist

I know, I know- it's way too early to even speak out the word "Christmas", but it's nice to anticipate a big and exciting event, isn't it? Besides, I want to be 100% ready when the 2012 countdown begins- I have this weird habit of saving up some special products only to start using them on the 1st of January :P

Dior Amber Diamond powder: it's been like 1,5 year since I first heard about this beauty over at theGlossGoss, and it's still in my wishlist! I think it's about time I crossed it off my list, don't you think?

A red matte lipstick by Mac: I'm torn between Russian Red, Ruby Woo or Lady Danger... It's so hard to pick just one! Any recommendations, please?

Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation: As much as I hate having duplicates of foundations, concealers, powders, etc., I'm starting to realise that a girl needs to have 2 different foundations at hand: one offering light coverage for daytime and the other with a medium to full coverage for evenings out or when the skin's condition really needs it. This Bourjois foundation falls under the 2nd category; word has got around that it smells like my beloved Chanel Bronze Universel!!!

The Body Shop new Shimmer Cubes: I've already purchased the top right palette and got nothing but good things to say about it! 2 more shimmer cubes to snatch until Christmas!

A new perfume: ahhh, there's so many new scents to choose from! Although I desperately want to try out the new Aqua di Gioia Essenza; I've always been a fan of the Armani perfumes, with Aqua dio Gio (the men's cologne) being my favourite. Can't wait to have a peek at the new perfume sets, too!

Fancy candles: For once, I'd like to step away from the generic Ikea candles, please! The ones pictured above are reasonably priced- for a fancy candle, that is! Nothing like the Diptyque candles' price tag- 46+ euros? Hell no to that!!!

What's in your Christmas wishlist? Do share!
xx

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