My summer BEAUTY favourites! #2

Be patient with me guys,
this is the last "summery" post until next year- promise!

The following are some pretty amazing budget-friendly products that I discovered the past few months and been meaning to share them with you, so here they are!

I have to admit, the (already popular) micellar lotion by L'Oreal excited me the most. If anything, it's a clear example of a good marketing strategy; if companies like L'Oreal can produce good-quality formulas that were otherwise only sold in pharmacies, while offering them at a dirt-cheap price, I think this is something to write home about.

Needless to say, this micellar lotion is fantastic at removing makeup and works like a charm at removing all mascara bits too- I'm already hooked on it and I've also turned sis into a convert! Hence the back-ups you see in the above pic ;)

My face sunscreen lotion of choice was the Vichy Capital Soleil SPF 50, which has a

dry touch formula and is suitable to oily/combination skin that needs products with a matte finish. It's a brilliant sunscreen, although it gives the inevitable white cast to the face (nothing that a tinted moisturiser or a lightweight foundation can't cover).

The non-spf moisturiser I've been loving to use during summer was the Garnier Hydra Match for dull complexions; it has a gorgeous texture that almost feels like high-end moisturisers do (in fact, it reminds me a lot of the Biotherm Aquasource that was once my holy-grail face cream).

Now, technically my hair can't count as a "favourite" per se, but do allow me to show you the ombre job I did a couple of months ago- which if may I say so, it looks fabulous:

Choosing an eye cream: I need your help!

Time for some serious talk on Lipstick Wardrobe.
No, really.

After what seemed like forever, I finally used up my Elderflower eye gel. So this time, instead of settling for yet another eye cream from the Body Shop, I spent the last couple of days browsing online for a nicer alternative. And whad'ya know, there's so many good ones to choose from!

That's why I need your help:
I've narrowed below a few eye creams that sound promising- and because I value your feedback, I'd love us to have a little chat on what to look for in an eye treatment.

To make things easier, I've divided them in 4 groups:

1. The first ones that came to mind were the usual suspects: Kiehl's Avocado eye treatment, Clinique All About Eyes and Origins GinZing. With the exception of the latter which promises to brighten and depuff eyes, the rest couple of eye creams are pretty humble in their claims, talking only about providing enough moisture for the under-eye area. Which I don't count as a con; in fact, the less the claims, the more likely it is for the product to do what it's supposed to!

L'Oreal NEW Color Riche nail polishes!

Bear with me, peeps-
I need to get this review uploaded now that it's still hot outside; it wouldn't be appropriate to showcase such summery nail colours during cold weather, would it?

As soon as I got my hands on one of the new mini nail polishes by L'Oreal, I knew I would shortly be marching over at Hondos to get me some more! So here it is, my small Color Riche
haul-slash-review. I hope you enjoy it!

These are the two colours I picked out the last couple of months...

A few words about the Color Riche range:

Admittedly, one has to give credit to L'Oreal for FINALLY having grasped the demand for affordable nail polishes in up-to-date shades, with new ones brought out every season. One look at the full range and you'll be convinced: every sought-after nail trend is there! I've spotted a greige, a mushroomy Particulière dupe, some fun pastels, you name it. The only colour family that the Color Riche range is lacking is the metallics, let us hope this will be fixed in the future ;)

July '12 favourites.

It's funny writing about summery beauty products, when it's sooo gloomy outside!
Want proof? Scroll down to the last pic...

Much like June, July was a pretty boring month of no-makeup days. Same story every summer; I seem to lose interest in makeup when the days get hotter! Hence, July's favourites consist of only a few bodycare products.

Apivita Face Sunscreen for oily-combination skin, SPF30: yet another Apivita product that exceeds in quality its equivalent by Korres. It spreads beautifully on my skin with less amount of shine, plus it leaves no white film on the face as it's slightly tinted! And smells lovely, too. Can't help but feel proud that Apivita products can be compared with the very best on the market!

Korres After Sun with Aloe Vera: you know me, I go gaga over anything containing aloe vera... This body milk is perfect to quench my skin after sunbathing. I could do without the strong floral scent (jasmine, perhaps?)- still, it's a nice product and I enjoy using it.

The Body Shop Coconut Beautifying Oil*: these new all-round oils from the Body Shop are THE BOMB. They're loaded with natural oils with no parabens and they work brilliantly for face, body and hair. Actually, a little birdie at the Body Shop told me they're planning to transition all of their products to paraben-free, so that's good news.

Thanks to a suggestion by Ria, I own my very first glitter nail polish! I tried wearing it on top of a nude shade, but I think it looks fantastic over pastel colours. I'm seriously tempted to paint all my nails with this stuff, it would probably looks so damn kitch but I don't care!

[The baby blue nail polish I'm wearing in this pic is part of the new Colour Riche range by L'Oreal, I couldn't help myself and bought a couple of these babies! Xcuse the sloppy application- apparently, painting thick layers of nail polish while the fan is blowing air on your nails is not a good idea- hello lil' air bubbles!]

Also, I thought I'd mention how I spent most of my days during past month: the mandatory Agatha Christie novel -no fuss, easy-going storyline that doesn't dissapoint- and my new video game, Tales of Monkey Island! I mean, Age of Empires is nice, Sims are even better, but sometimes nothing can compete with a dorky RPG aimed at teens ;)

And you thought Greece couldn't compete with England? The hell we can't! There's your evidence: rain and cloudy sky during August. Unheard of, but we did it. Can't say I'm not enjoying it, though; Bring on the autumn!

Now, be random: which are your favourite crime fiction novels?
Any RPG games worth looking into? Do share ;)

* The oil from TBS was given to me for free. I'm showing it some blog love because, well, I love it! Sharing my honest opinions, as always.

Evi   xx

L'Oreal Miss Candy summer makeup collection: my thoughts

If you read my blog long enough, you'll know about my feelings on LE makeup collections:
simply put, I don't like them. I prefer the products I buy to be available for purchase if
(or when) I ever run out of them.

However, since I got my hands on the new LE collection by L'Oreal and got to play around with all the products, I felt I had to share with you my experience. These particular shades may be available for only a short period of time; still, you can read my thoughts on the Infallible eyeshadows, the Glam Shine lip glosses and the new mini nail varnishes.

Here are all the products I've tested:

The miss Candy collection is inspired by all kinds of candies: think of lollipops, jellies, turkish delight, etc.. Hence, the colours range from pink pastels to light aquatic shades. If I'm being honest, I feel that there has to be some kind of a bronzing product throwed in the mix for a makeup collection to be summer-appropriate, but I digress ;)

Color Infallible eyeshadows- Innocent Turquoise, Sassy Marshmallow: these were my first take on the infamous Infallibles. If you ask me, they deserve all the hype. I hope you can see by the swatches on the top right their multi-dimensional opalescent effect, they sure can't compare to your normal pressed eyeshadows- except the Armani Eyes to Kill Intense. I managed to take a decent pic of an eye makeup I did the other day: the light colour all over the lid and the aqua shade on the top and lower lashline. This is how far I'm willing to go with turquoise eyeshadow!

Glam Shine lipgloss- Strawberry Licorice, Cola Fizz: I've been familiar with the Glam Shines as soon as they were first released years ago, but hadn't repurchased any since then. I like them, but you know me: I'm a lipstick lover at heart. They give a fair amount of pigment and apply semi-sticky to the lips. The coral-red shade has a beautiful jelly-like transparency! I found the other one to be more winter-appropriate, as it's great for layering over nude lipsticks.

Color Riche Le Vernis nail colour varnish 213 Sassy Pink: this was by far the product I enjoyed the most from this collection! This may be LE but there is a whole new range of such mini L'Oreal nail polishes available in a wide array of colours. I won't fuss too much about it: I'm planning to get more of these and write a separate post explaining why they're so amazing!

As you can tell, this makeup collection by L'Oreal may not have much "summery vibes" going on; nevertheless, the Colour Infallible eyeshadows and especially the Color Riche nail polishes are worth looking into!

So, have you tried any of the Colour Infallibles or the new mini nail polishes?
Which one is your favourite makeup product by L'Oreal?

* Products were provided by L'Oreal. I wasn't asked to feature them on my blog and I certainly wasn't compensated for this review. My opinions are dead honest and will always be so! *

Evi   xx