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 ;)

Don't judge a book by its cover.

Do not be fooled guys, this post isn't as deep as you might think-
it's more like when old sayings apply to cosmetics...

We've all been there: a cheap concealer that turns out to be amazing, a high-end lipgloss that's totally crap, or an eyeshadow that looks gorgeous in the pan but lacks pigmentation. Looks can be deceiving; and between us, it's the #1 rule in dating too!

But, I digress ;)

Sometimes it happens that a false, or rather a biased/prejudiced perception we have on a product may actually refrain us from ever giving it a try. I'll share my most recent experience: Dior's Pure Poison perfume.

If you're familiar with the original Poison and Hypnotic Poison perfumes, then you'll either belong to the "OMG, love it!" or the "too-heady-it-gives-me-headaches" camp. Me being the unfortunate kind, I fall in the latter group. Believe me, I've had some serious migraines after detecting either of perfumes on girls in the tube! It was only natural that I didn't give Pure Poison a sniff. To me, 'Poison' equaled to a sickly sweet and intolerably spicy, headache-worthy blend.

You can imagine how thrilled I was when I got to smell it after a recommendation from a friend: oh, the beauty of Pure Poison is hard to be captured with words! Starting out with a clean and fresh scent, it then settles to a gentle white floral bouquet with a hint of musk (to allude to the 'Poison' tag, I suppose). It was then that the clouds parted, the sun shined bright and I realised the blunt truth of the matter: looks ARE deceiving!
* In this case, the 'Poison' tag *

Same story with the Max Factor nail polishes.
I'll explain myself:

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*

June '12 favourites.

I hope you're not sick of these monthly favourites posts yet;
as much as I'd love to prepare a "products I've used up" kind of thing, I don't seem to finish anything! Well, anything apart from deodorant, toothpaste and soaps- but that's not fun talking about in a beauty blog, now is it?

For the most part, June was a month of no-makeup days: once again, I felt the need to go as "natural" as possible and wear less makeup products. That, and the fact I didn't have the time or the energy to do more elaborate looks...

That's why this attitude is reflected to the products I used the most during past month:
it all came down to the ones that were quick and easy to apply, while looking effortless.

Kiehl's Lip Balm #1: my go-to lip balm during June; I had purchased it during my
Kiehl's skin consultation appointment, as the one I was using in the tube form is prone to melting under summer heat. You wouldn't believe how little I paid for this: €8 for 17gr of product, that's insane considering the Korres Jasmine lip butters are priced at around €6 for only 6gr! I've already documented my love affair with this lip balm, you can read the full review here

Elf Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Baby Lips: as you can see, it's on its last legs... This is pretty much a clear lip gloss that feels minty-tingly on the lips and is a pleasure to apply because of its foam applicator. I'm actually surprised this lipgloss by Elf made it to my favourites list with no Mac lipstick on the side! Read my full review on this product here

Garnier BB Cream, dark: this has saved me from looking somewhat ghostly whenever I mixed Strobe Cream with my foundation! A tiny blob of this baby and, tada- skintone went back to normal. I really love mixing the dark BB cream or the light version with my foundation, it makes me feel like a little makeup connoisseur that does things other than the norm... *

Max Factor Liquid Effect pencil: this is hands-down the best eye pencil I've tried so far. It's so creamy, so pigmented, sooo easy to smudge, and when it sets it acts as waterproof! This was part of the Max Factor makeup bag that Yiannis Marketakis personalised for each blogger over at Makeup Lab, and the one that impressed me the most. *
Note: Please let me know if you'd like me to make a post on the rest Max Factor makeup products I was given; I gotta admit, I always feel a bit "guilty" when I show off products that were given to me for free... But if any of you would be interested in these Max Factor goodies, leave me a comment and I'll make a separate post for you ;)

Radiant Blush Colour #102 Apple Brown: it seems odd I've been enjoying wearing this autumnal shade of blush during June- however, on days when the only products I had on my face were foundation and mascara, this blush colour made my cheeks look warmer, without looking fake like the rest of my bronzers do whenever I have no eye makeup on. Such a pleasant surprise by a product made in Greece, it definitely deserves its own post!

Mac Prep+Prime Highlighter, Radiant Rose: I tried layering it on the high points of my face over foundation, and I loved it! On retrospeck, the yellow version would suit me best- I blame all the Youtube gurus that went on and on about how "brightening" pink-toned concealers look under the eyes, and I got screwed... Nevertheless, it's a handy tool to give some dimension to the face without messing with contouring.

    Swatches of the Max Factor eye pencil, Radiant blush, Mac Prep+Prime Highlighter

That's pretty much everything I loved wearing during June! I know, they might not be as exciting as colourful eyeshadows or bright lipsticks- let's hope July will be all about coral lips and turquoise eyes ;)

Now, share your favourites with me: what have you been loving lately?
Do you have any experience with the Radiant makeup brand? Let me know!

* Products marked with a * were given to me for free. I'd rather mention it every single time I feature a free product- mind you, this is not a given these days... Sharing my honest and truthful thoughts on these products, I woudn't let it be any other way.

Evi   xx

Yiannis Marketakis & Max Factor at Makeup Lab!

Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited at Makeup Lab where Yiannis Marketakis, the exclusive ambassador of Max Factor Greece, presented to us a summer makeup trend using the newest Max Factor makeup products!

Needless to say, I was so freakin' excited through the whole time that I could barely keep a straight face and not burst into that awkward laughter that happens so effortlessly when you meet someone famous. Which I did anyway, the moment I met the man.
Yiannis, if you're reading this, I'm way cooler than that!!!

Awkwardness aside, here's everything that happened that day!

Makeup Lab is a modern art studio where Yiannis Marketakis holds makeup courses to professionals that wish to expand their techniques, as well as begginers that want to perfect their everyday makeup routine. It is situated in a neoclassical house in Psyrri, decorated in the most beautiful eclectic style.

Yiannis Marketakis presented to us a fun and colourful summer makeup look that pairs nicely with the neon fashion trend that's going on strong at the moment! It consists of iconic '80s elements such as bright eyeshadows, defined cheekbones, and blush worn high up to the temples (tip: it makes the eyes look more elongated!). Yiannis modernised the look with a clashing fucshia lipstick, dewy skin and smudged eyeliner only on the lower lashline.

Below I've made a photo guide with step-by-step instructions on how to recreate this look.
Take notes and feast your eyes!

    Aaand here's the final look on gorgeous model Konstantina!

Close-up of the makeup look: you can see the drama that brings to the eyes the attention on the lower lashline. The fucshia lips clash with the warm-toned eyeshadows and make the look a bit unexpected and more interesting. The cream blush has been brought up to the temples, so close to the eyes that it covers the outer corners: a fine little trick that elongates the eyes with minimum effort ;)

One thing I have to say about Yiannis Marketakis, is that he is truly an artist. I was amazed by how easy and obtainable were his intructions for this makeup look, so much so that I can't wait to give it a go myself! He was happy to answer all our questions and held absolytely no secrets. In a nutshell: he genuinely enjoys teaching.

    Hand-crafted by Yiannis Marketakis! I bow to that...

But what I didn't know (and certainly wasn't prepared for it) is that Yiannis is a keen admirer and knowledgeable of arts; evidence of that fact are the beautiful head pieces and crowns that he's made himself, some of which are displayed in the studio. You must check out his artwork portfolio - prepare yourselves to see a fairytale of celebrities and models turned into dark gothic queens, sexy vixens, Gaga-esque figures and fallen emperors...

All in all, coming to Makeup Lab was such an amazing experience; I'm so glad I came to meet a man whose work I truly admire! I hope with this post you've gained some invaluable inspiration, like I did.

I was kindly given a makeup bag full of Max Factor goodies that Yiannis Marketakis personalised for each of us. I'll keep you posted on how I get along with each product!

Evi   xx