A makeup haul! Art Deco, Revlon, Erre Due

Yet another mini haul with products I've collected over the past month.
Pretty frugal, as you can see... Hey ho, blame it on my tight budget ;)

In an attempt to rehabilitate my (unhealthy!) addiction to the Body Shop makeup range, I'm doing my best to show some love to drugstore brands that I have been overlooking in favour of "the disease". Judging by the outcome, I'm glad for this change!

To sum it up, every single product from the haul falls undoubtedly under the
pin-up inspired category. That's for having a huge crush on Dita Von Teese...

* Oh please, don't judge! The girl is a phenomenon of elegance, glamour and sensuality. Who wouldn't want to be in her shoes? It could be worse, though; imagine if I admitted I was infatuated with Kim K? Or -dear Lord- Nicki Minaj??? *

Still with me? Swell!

May I proudly present you the Art Deco Golden Vintage lipstick in Muse Red,
Dita's favourite classic red lipstick- her words, not mine... It's part of her 3rd limited-edition makeup collection that was launched during Christmas; boy, am I glad to get my hands on this lippie! It's a bright tomato red, closer to Lady Danger than the likes of Russian Red/Ruby Woo. Paid: €14,80

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*

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...

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

Exploring Greek brands: the lip liners. Which one is the best?

In keeping with supporting Greek brands, here's part 3 of my attempt on mapping out some possible gems among makeup brands like Erre Due, Seventeen and Radiant; you can also have a look at part 1 and part 2.

This time, I'll be reviewing 3 best-seller lip liners that I specifically picked out from each aforementioned greek brand, so as to be fair and show some love to all ;)

The candidates are:
Seventeen Supersmooth Waterproof lip liner, #14 Pure Red
Radiant Softline Waterproof lip pencil, #06 Salmon
Erre Due Silky lip pencil, #64

I'll go through each shade separately, starting with my personal favourite:

Radiant Softline Waterproof lip pencil, #06 Salmon
It's not an exaggeration to say that you need this in your collection! This lip liner has the most beautiful pink-to-coral shade, which looks bright on the lips but is oh so wearable! It can be worn on its own or blended in with a pale lipstick like Creme d' Nude for a more pastel finish. The texture is soft, smudgeable and pretty long-lasting. <3 <3 <3 it!!!

Seventeen Supersmooth Waterproof lip liner, #14 Pure Red
A classic red shade. If lining your lips is not your thing, you simply cannot ignore it when it comes to shaping the perfect red pout- been there with Russian Red! The good thing is that this particular lip liner seems to match both warm- and cool-toned red lipsticks. Texture-wise, it's identical to the Radiant lip pencil- quality is excellent.

Erre Due Silky lip pencil, #64
This is your usual pink shade that is close to the lips' natural colour. It works with so many lipsticks and I do like it, but here's the thing: as it's slightly more creamy than the previous two, it's not as long-lasting and it also swatches a tad shiny, thus making it impossible to "cheat" and outdraw your lips to make them fuller. Still, it's the best formula for beginners ;)

----------

All in all, these are lovely lip liners of excellent quality- and for once, I find their price tag matches the brands' "affordable" orientation (around 5-6E each). I'm very satisfied with all three purchases and would urge you to check these out if you're in need of a lip liner. In fact, I don't think I'll be browsing into other brands for my lip liners from now on!

   Swatches from left to right: Radiant, Erre Due, Seventeen
   The pic doesn't do justice to the gorgeous Radiant pencil!

Now, to conclude with the question on this post's title,
which one performs the best?

Well, I could never be 100% sure about this, but I have a strong feeling that all three lip liners are made by the same factory in Germany!
Ιn other words, excluding the ever so slight creaminess of the Erre Due lip pencil, the only difference between all three lip liners may lie into their colour range!

So there's no real winner between these- but if I had to put them into some kind of order, I'd say Radiant has the biggest (and most interesting) colour variety, the Seventeen lip liners have the prettiest packaging and the Erre Due Silky pencils are a great choice for begginers.

***All three lip liners share the new silicon-infused formula that is embedded in a plastic pencil, not wooden. For more info about this innovation and how lip liners are produced and marketed by makeup brands, you HAVE to read this article (if you haven't already):  http://beautyandthebullshit.blogspot.com/2011/03/pencil-pornication-sequel.html

So, where do you shop for your lip liners?
What's your opinion on greek makeup brands in general?

Evi   xx

My belated May favourites...

Hi lovelies!
Another monthly favourites post for you today...

Enjoy!

Elf eyeshadow palette in Brownstone: the darkest shade of this quad is a soft black that actually blends into a nice black/brown colour. I only use it to smudge my black kohl pencil to a kitten flick, so I have no issues with creasing. I do prefer this colour over the rest of matte black eyeshadows I own that blend into purple or blue hues...
Needless to say, I don't bother with the rest of the shades- they're terrible!

TBS bronze Shimmer Waves: since I rediscovered this compact, I fell in love with it all over again! I'm telling you, a generous swipe of this on your cheeks and you have an instant bronzer+contour+highlighter effect with minimum effort!

Biotherm liquid eyeshadow: this is an old an discontinued golden eyeshadow that I wore daily during past month; I'm hoping I'll finish this little tube in 2-3 months' time- cause I hate keeping old make-up in my collection as much as I hate throwing away unused products...

Erre Due nail colour: this was part of the brand's summer 2010 collection; as I desperately wanted a fun nail colour to clash with my new watermelon pink pants (!), this dark mint shade served me well for that purpose ;)

Korres lip butter stick in Peach: I won't go on and on about how much I looove the Korres lip butters... This one is a repurchase!

TBS Metallic eye pencil in Brilliant Blue: so this product won't show in my waterline on its own... But it looks gorgeous under my eye shimmers or even smudged on my lashes!

What were your May favourites?
Do share!

CBSG5861

February favourites!

So, past month was pretty busy-
make-up wise, I couldn't bother with eyeshadows on my morning errands,
and as you can see...

    ...the focus was on cheeks and lips!

Erre Due Wet&Dry Sparkler for cheeks in #410: I've blogged about this lovely product here. In case I was misunderstood, I'm not bashing it; it's the price tag that keeps me from jumping around the house from excitement, lol!

Seventeen Waterproof lipliner in #14-Pure Red: I was pleasantly impressed by this product, it's definitely among the best lipliners I've ever used! More about that on an upcoming post. I like to combine it with a reddish balm, much like the next one...

Korres Mandarin lip butter stick SPF 15 in Rose: you already know I'm a huge fan of this Korres line of lip balms in the stick form; but now I've fallen in love all over again thanks to their revamped packaging! Every balm has its own pattern on the cap, and the typewriting on the twisting mechanism is just lovely. Korres, you did an excellent job at redesigning these cuties ;)

Elf Hypershine Gloss in Bubblegum: I really enjoyed wearing it during past month, and I suspect its low price has a lot to answer for that... Is it the little "bargain lover" inside me who takes great delight in the Elf products? I hope I'm not the only one experiencing that!
Korres Wild Rose concealer: it took me a while to figure out the best way to apply it (always using new product by twisting the wand, blending it quickly on the skin), but finally I've come to realise that I love it. It provides high coverage for both under-eye circles and the occasional spots.

Now, I've kept the best item of the bunch for the end...

You're looking at Pink Nouveau by Mac,
swatched as a... cream blush!

I wonder why I didn't think of this sooner... Those bright lipsticks with a drier texture look absolutely beautiful when worn lightly as a blush! I'm making a mental image of how Morange or Impassioned would look on the cheeks- and I'm lusting after them even more! Now that spring is on its way, I'm going to make a lot of use from this old-school trick ;)

So, what were your most loved products during February?
Have you ever used your lipsticks as cream blushes?

CBSG5861

Exploring Greek brands: Erre Due Wet&Dry sparkler for cheeks

Hi lovelies!

This post is going to be first in a series on Greek high street make-up products.

The reason behind this?

It's simple:
I've come to a decision to explore those well known affordable brands like Seventeen, Erre Due and Radiant- because, as of now, I'm only familiarised with their nail varnishes...

I'm really hoping that their products can compete the likes of drugstore brands like Maybelline, Bourjois, etc.- but I can promise you this, I'm not going to be all "soft" on them, just because my mind set is in their favour.

I have high hopes for this project, so I hope I'll discover some great
make-up products from Greek brands-
because after all, there's nothing better than supporting your country's companies!
And here's my little complaint: other than Greek companies doing well at their sales statistics,
it would be so nice to see a "made in Greece" tag on a Greek make-up product...
For the record, the majority of Korres make-up products are made in Italy! Why?!?

This time, I headed to the Erre Due stand.
I was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected variety of product formulas and colours!

Now, Erre Due makes baked (or, dare I say mineral?) blushes and eyeshadows that they claim they can be used both wet and dry-
which I won't argue, but (and do correct me if I'm wrong) water ruins all powder compacts, so I'm not willing to waste my blushes or eyeshadows with water in any case...

As you can figure out by the post's title, I opted for a baked blush.

Although I was immediately hit by this particular colour,
I admit I had a hard time choosing between the available 12 shades...

So after a significant amount of time, I settled to this:

    #410, a beautiful orange baked blush with a hint of gold shimmer

   Pros:
* the clean-cut transparent packaging
* contains 2 gr of baked product
   which is fairly decent, considering that the Bourjois pot blushes (which seem to never end!) contain 2,5 gr
* very pigmented!
* easy to blend on the skin
* its golden shimmer is very subtle,
   so it works perfectly fine even on skin with visible pores
* fairly long lasting
* 12 shades to choose from
* it's made in Italy
   obviously, it's not made in Greece- but come on, it could be a lot worse!
    The common "made in EU" tag always alarms me about the product's backround...

   Cons:
* hmm, its price? I paid around 13 euros for it and I must say,
   for a greek "affordable" brand like Erre Due, it feels a lot...
   The similar Bourjois blush pots are definitely cheaper than that!

Let's see how it compares to other orangey blushes from my collection:

    Clockwise from top left: Seventeen blush, Elf blush&bronzer compact,
    Erre Due blush, the Body Shop Peach Shimmer Waves 

   Left to right: Seventeen blush, Elf blush&bronzer compact,
   Erre Due blush, the Body Shop Peach Shimmer Waves

As you can see (left to right),
the Seventeen swatch is weak in pigmentation.
The Elf swatch is light and matte looking,
the Erre Due blush is the most pigmented of all,
and the Peach Shimmer Waves compact is the most shimmery of all.

So, would I recommend this product, or any other shade from the range?

Yes. And no.

The Erre Due baked blushes are very well made and they definitely
deserve a peek.
They have passed my quality standards for a blush, but I think they're a
tad overpriced.

I truly believe that, with the economic austerity we're faced nowadays, the Greek companies should lower their prices for competitiveness reasons.
Why would I pay 13 euros for a blush by an "affordable" Greek brand, when I can have a Mac blush for around 16-17 euros?
(provided the 25% sale Mac offers frequently)

So there you go, these are my thoughts on this product.

Have you tried any of the Erre Due Wet&Dry sparklers for cheeks?
What are your ultimate faves from Greek make-up brands?

CBSG5861

Afraid of green nail polish? Go with shimmer ;)

Hello my lovelies!

This post is about my favourite nail colour of the moment ;)

See, I was on the look-out for a dark green nail polish but I wasn't sure if that colour would suit my skintone, so I chose a shimmering version of it.

I'm talking about the gorgeous green nail polish from Erre Due's Fall Winter collection 2010-2011 (#246).

It has a forest green base with lots of gold shimmer!

I find it so pretty that I can't stop admiring my nails, lol!

Has it ever happened to you, looking at your nails with awe?

2 coats were enough for a decent coverage, maybe a 3rd coat would darken up the colour? I still love it as it is!

with flash

 

no flash

I took the above pictures right after I painted my nails last night; the green base looked dark and vampy, which made a beautiful contrast with the gold shimmer shining through where the flash of the camera hit my nails.

Although when I woke up today, the colour seemed much different- a less shiny lighter green, probably because of the different light reflection during daytime.

So, this is my advice: if you want to follow the latest trends in nail colours but are not sure if they look good on you, opt for the shimmering version- it's more likely to look pretty on you. That simple!

Have you bought any other nail polishes from Erre Due's collection? I've spotted a creamy petrol shade, a metallic dark blue and a shimmering brown, let's see which ones I'm going to pick for Christmas ;)

Happy blogging and reading and commenting to everyone!

CBSG5861

September favourites!

Hello my lovelies!

This is my first "monthly favourites" post, hope you enjoy!

...Family pic  =D

First off, during September I started layering my blushes and I love it! I found that the end result is more interesting than a swipe of one colour on the cheeks.

Favourite combination:

a matte coral as a base (Biotherm blush, left),

with a topping of a coral/gold shimmer (Seventeen blush in Coral, center- see my review here),

or a pinky/icy shimmer powder (The Body Shop Shimmer Waves in 02- Blush, right- see my review here).

My favourite makeup look that I wore during September was the easiest and quickest to do:

A little foundation and concealer,

eye primer and mascara,

a rosey cream blush (Manhattan Mousse Rouge in Apricot, left),

and a darker pink lipstick (Biotherm lipstick, discontinued).

I look pretty and polished in 5 minutes' time!

 

I also discovered a way to do the perfect smokey eye with brown eyeshadow!

You see, if you have brown eyes like me, you soon find out two things:

One, that you have to stay away from warm-toned eyeshadows, and

Two, that a smokey eye with brown eyeshadows doesn't really make brown eyes pop :(

But with a little experiment, I dished both of the above rules.

So, this is my improved version for a brown smokey eye:

a dark base on the lid (smudged black pencil, cream eyeliner, anything),

a cool-toned brown on top (The Body Shop eyeshadow in Chocolate, left),

a warm-toned medium brown in the crease (The Body Shop mineral eyeshadow in Bronzed Amber, right)

black eyeliner, mascara... and you're done!

See, I made a ridiculous demonstration on the back of my hand...

Seriously, it looks like a prehistoric creature living in the deep seas, lol!

Anyways, moving on:

During September I bought the Body Shop's blender brush (see my review here),

and Carbon eye pencil- the softest I've found, although not the blackest...

Nevertheless, love them both!

I also found a new use for my Korres lip butter stick:

wearing it on top the Erre Due Silky lip pencil in #61.

See? A nice sheer brown-nude shade, perfect for daytime.

Skincare-wise, my favourite product of the month has to be the Apivita exfoliating cream with olive and lavender. Its granules are from crushed olive stones and give a deep exfoliation, just how I like a proper face scrub to be!

It also contains Menthol -which gives a "cooling" feel on the skin- and Salicylic Acid -a big surprise, thumbs up Apivita!

Last but not least, the lovely fellow greek blogger Stella sent me this beautiful ring by Mark Jacobs from an older giveaway that I won. Thank you so much, girl!!!

 

Needless to say, I wear it every-single-day since I got it!

 

On the diameter of the ring it's inscribed the Latin phrase "Veritas Inlustrat", which probably means "Shining Truth". I'm not sure though, I've never had a Latin class!

I'd love to read you favourites of the month,
please share them below or post a link to your September favourites post ;)

Happy blogging and reading and commenting to everyone!

CBSG5861

Ikea, baking, late summer nails ramble

Hello my lovelies!

How you've been?

First of all... OMG, IT'S RAINING!!! And I'm so excited! Rain and snowfall are a-l-w-a-y-s welcome by me. Please make me happy by aggreing with me for a minute, I'll feel a lot more of a "normal" person =D

On a second note, my computer is finally back from service- so I'm able to ramble, and ramble again ;)

Randomness from past week:

Browsing @Ikea. Fun times!
These are the edibles we brought home...

Including:
Gingerbread biscuits

Fried onion bits

Some cheese, like a sponge at the touch, made by some monks (!?!)

Salami made of reindeer meat. Poor thing...

a Bread mix with lingonberry. This I'm intending to knead and bake, all by myself. Yep!

Then, browsing at my favourite website for dessert recipes made me craving for something sweet. I opted for an old-fashioned apple pie, in an attempt to bring something of the Fall into this unbearingly hot, sticky greek summer weather!

My tip: use Granny Smith apples for the filling- they give a sour kick to the dish, which is soooo appetiting. No recipe used here, just adding ingredients until they reached the desiring sugar levels/quantity.

See, I got a little creative at the top...

Simply delicious! Needless to say, it was gone in no time!

Oh, the rain stopped. Damn it :(

Now I'm left with yesterday's choice of nail colour...

Quite summery, don't you think? Totally out of place!

(Erre Due in #200, a neon colour, something between pink and orange)

So, tell me: What are your favourites from Ikea food?

And, do you enjoy baking like me?

Do share ;)

Happy blogging and reading and commenting to everyone!

CBSG5861

Summer make-up haul

Hello my lovelies!

Last week I did some fun shopping... No, it wasn't clothes- as much as I looked around, there was nothing cute to be found on stores like Zara, H&M and the like :(

Anyway, onto the haul:


I got...

- Korres Watermelon sunscreen face cream spf 20: Yummy!!!
- Erre Due Silky lip liner in #61
- Garnier Pure Active roll-on for acne spots
- Korres Jasmine lip butter... It still won't reach my HG products, but I got it anyway...
- Korres Mandarin lip butter stick spf15, colourless. Lovely nude shade!
- Art Deco eyeshadow in #61, a matte light grey colour
- Bourjois Anticernes brush concealer
- 2 Erre Due nail colours, a detailed post is coming ;)
- The Body Shop liquid foundation for oily skin. So far, I hate it...
- Manhattan Mousse Rouge- this beats Maybelline's dream mousse blush any time!

So, what did you get for your summer make-up bag? Any funky nail colours? Let me know, loves ;)

Happy blogging and reading and commenting to everyone!

CBSG5861