Exploring Greek brands: Radiant Blush Color

Here is part 4 from my dive into greek makeup products ;)
it's gonna be a rave review- boy, am I excited!

This is the second product I've tried from Radiant, as I was in need of another blush. The sales assistant showed me the brand's best-selling shades; this was one of them. Suffice to say, I love it- all the more so because it belongs within the colour family of Nars Douceur, and it's made in Greece!

Let's get on with the review:

If I'm correct, Radiant carries only one blush format. The one I picked out from their range is the No102-Apple Brown, a matte shade which I have serious trouble describing it properly! Let's call it a rosey tan shade that has ash-brown undertones: hopefully, you'll get a better idea of what it looks like from the photos below.

Admittedly, it looks pretty boring in the pan; however, when worn on the cheeks it translates into a natural shading effect that matches any eye/lip makeup, while it looks phenomenal for a warmer version of the "no makeup" look we're all after. I always blend it a little lower on my cheekbones, as it can also double up as a natural contour powder. Pigmentation is well above average, it definitely needs tapping off the brush before you apply it!

I was also fearing that since it's matte, it would feel powdery on the skin. I'm glad it's not the case: this blush falls under the "smooth and silky" category!

All in all, given that the second purchase from Radiant was a hit like the first one, it's a promising indicator that the brand has a consistent quality running through their products. Kudos to Radiant for their high standards!

If you enjoyed this post, you can also have a look at the previous articles I've wrote on greek makeup products:
The lip liners. Which one is the best?
Seventeen Silky Blusher
Erre Due Wet&Dry Sparkler for cheeks

Now, share your experience: have you tried any products from Radiant?
Which ones are your all-time favourites makeup products from greek brands?

Evi   xx

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

Post-Christmas sale makeup haul

What a girl's gotta do when there's sales going on by one of her favourite makeup brands?

She shops and saves money at the same time!

That's right- when I was informed that there would be a 20% off purchases at the Body Shop, naturally I couldn't let that opportunity fly by!

Here's what I got:

      Baked-Eye-Colour in 01-Copper, 08-Amethyst 

Two more baked eyeshadows from the Body Shop's Baked-To-Last range. I specifically went through every compact to find the ones with the prettiest "marbling"- if that's a term, but you know what I mean ;)

To those saying these eyeshadows lack pigmentation: since they come in a different formula than your regular pressed eyeshadows, you can't really expect them to perform the same way. After a lot of practices, I came to the conclusion they perform their best when applied on top of a dark creamy base, or even better when both coordinating shades are layered on top of each other- and I mean lots of layers!

Also, for maximum pigment pay-off, baked eyeshadows can be safely used wet without worrying they'll be ruined.

Repurchased my precious! Lip&Cheek stain, as shown in my previous post. Bought two blushes with matte finish, as my makeup collection is lacking in matte blushes and the ones by Tarte are so hard to find- boo!!! The first one is by greek drugstore brand Radiant in #102-Apple Brown; the sales assistant assured me it's the best blush Radiant has to offer, we'll see if it lives up to her claims! On the right is Blush #09-Toast  from the Body Shop; it's a pretty natural-looking peachy shade, which I know I'm going to use a lot ;)

And for a bit of skincare: more Apivita mask sachets and two tinted lip balms, cause I can never have enough: one is by Apivita, and the other is a repurchase of one of my favourite lip butters by Korres ;)

Anything you shopped recently?
What's on your wishlist? Do share!

Evi   xx

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

Spring haul

Over the past few days I did some spring-appropriate make-up shopping!
Here's what I got:

Mac pro eye makeup remover: I opted for this water-based solution, since my previous dual-phase remover by Bourjois made my eyelashes fall in triplets! AND it caused me some nasty milia spots...

TBS Moisture Foundation SPF 15: I couldn't tolerate any longer my oil-free foundation by TBS, so it was a good chance to try out a different formula. This one promises light to medium coverage with a dewy finish. We shall se how it performs on my combination skin ;)

Radiant lip pencil in 06-Salmon: I'm in LOVE with this shade! A bright lemonade pink, that's how I would describe it- not exactly coral, not thoroughly pink... Am I making any sense here? I pair it with Elf's Hypershine gloss on top and it instantly brighens up my complexion! Oh, and it glides beautifully on the lips. I highly recommend it!

TBS Metallic eye definer in Glowing Amethyst: I was partly dissapointed in this eye pencil; the colour is gorgeous but sadly it doesn't show up on the waterline, if worn alone. However, I can make it work on top of a black kohl pencil.

TBS Baked eye colour in Jade: these two shades are a combination of green with blue hues and let me tell you, if you're brown eyed like me, these colours are bound to make your eyes pop! I can see myself using it a lot during summer...

Have you done any spring make-up shopping recently?

Oh and by the way, does anyone know whether Mac skincare items are eligible for the Back-2-Mac programme?

CBSG5861