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!

Giorgio Armani Summer 2012 makeup collection +swatches!

Are you ready for some makeup eye candy?

During last month, I had a moment of courage: I pulled myself together, headed to high-end makeup counters, timidly took out my camera and started taking pics of makeup products and their swatches! In this case, it was the Giorgio Armani Summer 2012 makeup collection.

The things I do for this blog!
Thankfully, the GA sales assistant was ever so helpful and let me do all the swatching I needed- to be perfectly honest, the dropped-in "beauty blogger" identity helped as well! Anyway, I hope you'll find this post helpful, as I wouldn't want to think my embarrasment was in vain!

This summer's makeup collection by Giorgio Armani is inspired by the deep blue sea, where the warm hues of sunset like coral and orange disappear, and the only prevailing colours are cool-toned and aquatic. Now, turquoise/teal eyeshadow has been a massive summer makeup trend for the last couple of years; and I gotta admit, this is my favourite colour family for my eye makeup, as it makes brown eyes pop like no other combo!

Overall, I was wowed by the pigmentation of the new (and awesome!) Eyes to Kill eyeshadows. I've already promised to myself I'll be picking one up this summer! Hmmm, swatching this collection made me grow new lemmings- perhaps not a good idea after all...

And of course, the star product of this collection had me dreaming about it for a while! It's the LE eyeshadow palette I'm holding in the above pic: see the glowing mother-of-pearl detailing of the packaging? I'd die to get my hands on this stunner! It reminds me of those beautiful vintage Estee Lauder compacts you can now find on ebay, sigh... Only problem is, it's so damn expensive: I'm estimating it to be around €100- 'cause you know, mother-of-pearl ain't cheap...

Now, let's get on with the swatches:

This is what the LE mother-of-pearl eyeshadow palette looks like from the inside. No doubt, the colours seem gorgeous in the pan, but the swatches- dare I say a little less pigmented than one would expect? On the other hand, I'm guessing the well-off lady who would buy this palette would want nothing like a scary pigmented teal eyeshadow- but still...

Once again, these eyeshadows looks fairly sheer, though they come in a less expensive pricetag at around €50. I'm loving the colour combination in both palettes, plus it's always neat to have a 4 in 1 compact in your makeup bag, but, but... Dear Armani, I think something's missing on these!

Now, the Eyes to Kill eyeshadows, that's what I'm talking about! Look at that crazy pigmentation: bring-it-on, Giorgio!!! If you haven't yet tested these in store, please do! You'll be amazed by their texture, multi-dimensional colour and the amount of pigment that one single stripe carries. As for me, I've already made up my mind that I need one of these in my life.

Pretty, pigmented, non-sticky lipglosses of reliable GA quality. Nothing more to it. Admittedly, I'm biased against lipglosses: give me lipsticks any time!

I tried my best to take a good photo of this duo, but I failed! It does swatches sheer, though.

All in all, I think it's interesting that a summer makeup collection lacking of bronze tones can still look so appealing and promising! If you have brown eyes, embrace the turquoise trend and leave the copperish-bronze colours for blue-eyed girls.

I hope you took some valuable makeup inspiration from this post!
Which is your favourite product from this collection?

Evi   xx

Beauty Bazaar; a small haul and my thoughts

Yep- I've been there too...
Amidst all the craziness that was going on and the long waiting hours, me and my sister managed to make a decent little haul at the Beauty Bazaar that is currently being held at the Estee Lauder central offices at Halandri (click! for more info).

All in all, it was a pretty tiresome experience; you couldn't get in if you didn't have that "special ticket" that you could only get between 8:00-11:00 am. So naturally, me and my sister as "newbies" had to wait outside for more that 2 hours, until the guys at the front door pitied the ticket-less ladies and let us all in at the end...

     Estee Lauder nail polish- €6. Mac Circa Plum pigment- €7. Pupa lipgloss- €6

So, what did we find there? First of all, lots and lots of Carroten, Str8 and B.U. eau de toilettes and gift sets at ridiculously cheap prices. But we were hungry for the Mac and Estee Lauder counters, so we headed further on to the good stuff!

Now, I should probably have guessed beforehand that there would only be old-ish/ discontinued/ gift sets/ limited-edition products available at the bazaar, but silly old me thought I could get any Mac product my heart wished in a fraction of the retail price... Nope, not in this case. Besides that, all the good ones were gone by the time we went in, so we had to make do with whatever was still in stock.

     Clinique mini 3-Step system with a free lipgloss- €5

Notes on the products we got:
the Estee Lauder nail polish is THE most perfect colour for a french manicure. About the Mac Circa Plum pigment- boy we were lucky to find it, must have been a leftover from Daphne Guiness collection! The Pupa lipgloss was my sister's all-time favourite lipgloss, so happy she finally found a back-up! And of course, the mini Clinique 3-Step system was hard to pass by... I'll let you know how I get on with it ;)

Would I suggest you going at the Estee Lauder Beauty Bazaar? Well, if you can endure a little discomfort for some bargains - namely: long waiting hours outside the venue, having to encounter women in "shop-to-survive" mode and then waiting again at the cashier line for an hour- then yes, by all means go for it! As for me, I'm not entirely sure if I'll make it again next year...

Now, raise hands: who has been (or is planning to go) at the Beauty Bazzar?
The next post is going to be on a mini giveaway, so keep an eye for it ;)

Evi   xx

Violetta!!!

Yep, that's right-
yet another Mac lipstick I've been longing for the longest time ever!

I cannot describe to you my excitement when Ι opened the little Mac goodie bag my sister got for my birthday, to find out a small Strobe Cream and a lipstick box that read "Amplified" on the front: I knew it, I knew it was Violetta!
https://twitter.com/#!/cbsg5861/status/175894826108207104/photo/1

Violetta has actually a strange consistency for an Amplified lipstick: there's a significant amount of violet shimmer running through it, which makes for a shinier 3-d swatch than say, Vegas Volt or Impassioned. Colour-wise, it's not that scary as it shows in the bullet; in my best description, Violetta swatches as a violet purple with some fucshia undertones:

Yet again, my camera picked out all the blueness in Violetta! @%#$&!!!
However, the true beauty of this lipstick lies in its versatility: when dabbed lightly on the lips, you get a fuchsia/violet stain- and then with a heavier application, there's your purple goodness! Also, due to the shimmer that flashes back on flash photography, applying some lipgloss on top makes everything more even:

FIY, one of the reasons I desperately wanted to get Violetta was to start wearing this dark purple lipgloss! It was a YSL gift around Christmas; I tried wearing it alone or on top of Creme d'Nude- nothing worked...

    Swatch of the YSL lipgloss on the left

So, what do you think of Violetta?
Would you wear a purple lipstick?

Evi   xx

YSL Spring Look 2012: my thoughts

As some of you may remember, I was introduced to YSL makeup during December, on the launch of the YSL "Noel 2011" collection.

Since then, I've grown a considerable interest in the brand's seasonal makeup collections; like I've mentioned before, such high-end brands not only bring out intriguing (and sometimes revolutionary) products, but they also offer inspiring scenarios for season-appropriate makeup looks, from which you can draw inspiration and update your everyday makeup.

This spring, Lloyd Simmonds (the head behind YSL makeup since 2010) was inspired by all sorts of colourful candies: fruit jellies, juicy sorbets and cotton candy. The three key elements that translate his inspiration into makeup formulas are:
fresh colours, transparency, melting textures.

YSL names this collection's signature look as "Nude in Colour"-
I'm guessing from the picture above that what they mean by that term is
natural, glowing skin combined with diffused, soft colour on the eyes and lips.

So, the "Nude in Colour" YSL candy look is achieved with the new LE Ombres 5 Lumieres palette with pretty pastel eyeshadows, followed by 2 coats of Mascara Singuliere in blue. Lips are coated with a wash of Volupte Sheer Candy in a baby pink shade, while on the nails the iconic YSL french manicure is updated with hues of peach and baby pink.

Additional products to the YSL Spring Look: the LE Vinyl Candy Palette with 2 light frosty shades and 2 darker satin colours, four new Rouge Volupte Perle lipsticks, three more Volupte Sheer Candy lipsticks, two Golden Glosses (looove the looks of them both!), and the second version of Manucure Couture duo.

*** If I'm correct, there is also a range of water-based liquid blushes- though I don't think they will be marketed in Greece! What a shame!***

In most cases, Spring makeup collections from high-end makeup brands have an optimistic and youthful vibe to them; their fun bright colours are a step away from the dark vampy hues of winter, let alone the exception of any sexy bronze shades contribute to a girlier overall feel. In my experience, Spring collections aren't the most popular throughout the year- we always tend to buy more makeup during Christmas or summer!-, nevertheless they're a refreshing interval between winter smokeys and summery bronzes.

Personally, pastel eyeshadows are not my favourite. I could only make them work on my lower lashline, though I rarely do so. To be fair, I don't think the eyeshadows in the Ombres 5 Lumieres palette are meant to be worn together, and I can see from the promo pic that they're actually sheer. In this case, that's a good thing- as it makes for a more transparent and modern look.

The two main things I loved from this range is the absense of black pencil/mascara (brings more brightness to the eyes), and the transparent juicy lips.

Needless to say, you can always recreate this makeup look with what you already have!

Here's a close-up: you can see there's a light blue eyeshadow close to the lashline (almost indetectable), followed by a brightening lilac haze around the perimeter of the eyes and blended into the crease with a pink shade.

Now that I see the eye makeup zoomed in, I kinda like it!
What are your thoughts on the YSL Spring Look 2012 collection?

Evi   xx

Tiny Elf giveaway!

As promised, here's my little giveaway on some of my favourite products from Elf!

The winner will receive the 3 items shown in my previous top 3 Elf products post:
- a Luscious Liquid lipstick in "Baby Lips"
- a Natural Radiance blusher in "Shy", and
- an empty eyeshadow palette.

As always, the "rules" are dead simple:

* You have to be a follower of my blog through GFC. I hope you understand that this giveaway is open to my readers only. If you've not yet followed my blog, it's easy! Just click the "Join this site" button on the right column!
* Leave me a comment on this post with your GFC name (the name you're following my blog) and your email address, so I can contact you in case you win. And, that's it!

The giveaway is open internationally until the 14th of March;
then I'll pick a random winner through randomizer.org

Good luck to everyone who enters this giveaway!

Evi   xx

My TOP 3: Elf products, part 1

Hello my lovelies! How you've been?

I decided to start a new top 3 series, where each time I'll be displaying three of my most loved makeup products from every brand or product category.

In this case, I'm going to show you my favourite Elf products from their dirt-cheap "Essentials" range. Out of the 10 Elf products in this price tag that I've tried so far, these 3 are the only ones I would 100% recommend to anyone!



#3: Luscious Liquid Lipstick, shade "Baby Lips"
We all keep in our makeup bag a sheer gloss with the sole purpose of layering it on top of less shiny lipsticks. This gloss does just that, but it does so in a lovely way: it's not sticky, the unique sponge applicator feels so nice on the lips, while the mild mint tingling is actally fun! You can't go wrong with this, as long as you keep in mind it's not the most pigmented lipgloss Elf makes. Full review here

#2: Natural Radiance Blusher, shade "Shy"
When it comes to cheap blushes, it's easy for makeup companies to come up with shimmery versions of pinks, peaches and bronzes. But what about matte shades? Shy blush swatches as a matte, baby pink shade that flatters all skintones and is particularly guy-friendly, guaranteed! I haven't yet found a similar blush shade by other affordable makeup brands; so for that alone, Shy is a great introduction to matte baby pink blushes without spending much. Full review here

#1: Empty eyeshadow palette
I absolutely love these! You can utilize them in so many ways: put all your eyeshadow pans in one place, create a quad for travelling, melt lipsticks, press your own eyeshadows- or you can even remove the plastic divider to fit eyeshadows with different pan shapes! This is a must-have Elf product, I can assure you it's adequately sturdy for the price. The only downside is that it's not magnetic, but who cares? See how I organised 2 palettes here and how I depotted my eyeshadows here

A last note on Elf cosmetics:
Now that it's been a year since my first Elf purchase, I noticed that some of the products I ordered at the time have started to harden- which is an indication they may have been expired. So keep that in mind during your next Elf order- shop wisely and enjoy wearing the products while they're still new!

Have you tried these Elf products?
What would be your top 3 out of the "Essentials" range?

Evi   xx

My very first FOTD!!!

The reason behind this impromptu post:

As I went through the photos I took last month, I noticed a sequence of my mug/ evidence of how my makeup looked when photographed- because yes, I always take pictures of my makeup in the rarities I've spent close to an hour to do my full face.
What, you don't? You totally should, gurl! *strickly points a finger*

Anyways, as I was admiring my makeup of that day, it occured to me that in these photos I look quite... human! See, my camera is a b**ch and always pictures me like an alien with big nostrils, spotty skin and a sardonic smile. How cute...

But enough with the ramble: here's my first FOTD:

* I'm resisting the stronge urge to point out my flaws here...
** I tried to smile, make faces- apparently this b**chy pose suits me best?
*** Backround is from my boyfriend's flat. He chose the wallpaper himself!

Notable mentions of this look:

All four shades of TBS Shimmer Cubes #20 on my eyes. It was way more dramatic in real life, though you can still see the fine texture of its shimmer. Nothing but TBS pink Shimmer Waves on my cheeks- notice the gorgeous shine in the first pic? On my lips: Mac Creme d'Nude lipstick topped with Elf Mineral lipgloss in Au Naturale.

That's it, girls!
Uploading this kind of post was something new to me,
I hope you liked it ;)

Evi   xx

Elf review: Luscious Liquid Lipstick

Yet another review on a product by eyeslipsface.co.uk-
this time, it's about their Luscious Liquid lipstick in shade Baby Lips.

Just to clear things out straight from the beginning: this is not a liquid lipstick, as the name suggests. More like a sheer lipgloss, which is to be expected from Elf. Still, it's my favourite among the Elf lipglosses I've tried so far! Read on to see why:

     Pros:
* it doesn't feel sticky on the lips
* has a sponge applicator that is soaked with the product once you twist
  the bottom, which "hugs" the lips better than sponge/brush wands!
* gives a subtle minty scent and a tiny tingling on the lips- which I love!

     Cons:
* there's only 1.5ml of product, though not a big turn-off for the price
* on its own, it applies sheer on the lips
* the sponge applicator gets messy and dirty pretty easily,
  but TBO you'll use up the whole thing before it gets too nasty ;)

Compared to its cousin Hypershine Gloss, the Luscious Liquid lipstick wins fair and square: the scent of the Hypershine lipgloss is much stronger (so more likely to cause you a headache, really!), plus its brush applicator collects the product up on the bristles where they bind with the plastic tube, not on the bristles' ends.

In the end, would I recommend this product?
Definitely! But only to those who like to layer a sheer, non-sticky wash of lipgloss on top of lipsticks, IMO this Luscious Liquid lipstick can't be worn on its own.

This is how much I love it: already bought a back-up!
Which I never do with makeup products :/

Note: most (if not all) lipglosses that Elf has to offer are not sticky and swatch pretty sheer, so the only thing that sets Luscious Liquid lipstick apart from the rest is its sponge applicator; for reference the lipgloss by Clarins Nic from Pixiwoo raves about has the same sponge applicator ;)

So, have you tried any Luscious Liquid lipsticks?
Which is your favourite lipgloss Elf makes?

Evi   xx

December 2011 favourites!

December was a month of rediscovering some long forgotten makeup products that I'd left unused for quite some time- or rather "shopping my stash", to quote Lollipop26 ;)

Guilts (of owning too much makeup) aside, I very much enjoyed this whole process of going through my collection, swatching this and that, and picking up a few products to add them to my everyday makeup basket! It almost felt as if I was in a cosmetics store shopping for new makeup acquisitions... But I digress.

Having a pink kick lately, no doubt!
This is the 4th customised Elf palette that I've filled with eyeshadows from the Body Shop- can't stress enough how much I love these! Wearing pink eyeshadow still feels a bit uncomfortable (wouldn't want to look like "girly girl" any time soon) but I'm getting there! Another rediscovery during past month was the pink Shimmer Waves compact by TBS; I've been loving to wear it as a highlighter or on its own, its shimmer is so fine and non obtrusive. Yet another underestimated product by the Body Shop!

I also got one step closer to the perfect lip combo for smokey eyes:
Mac Creme d' Nude lipstick topped with Au Naturale mineral lipgloss by Elf. To me, Creme d' Nude screams to be worn with lipgloss on top; this lipglass clone by Elf warms it up and gives it some dimension. Now I need a coordinating lip liner for some definition, recommendations are welcome ;)

Skincare wise, I've been wearing the Garnier BB cream* almost daily- given that it provides very low coverage and my skin is far from being flawless, I'm surprised that I've been opting for this one instead of my usual liquid foundation. Hmm, that's clearly an indicator to get a new one! The Aloe night cream by TBS healed my skin from some dry patches- finally, thank God! Now I'm thinking of purchasing the Aloe moisturiser with SPF to wear during the day.

I'll end this post with my boyfriend's gift for Christmas- a white gold necklace that can be worn in two ways. I like it, I'll wear it, I'm so grateful for Kostis who's spoiling me like this, but... I wish it was something I had chosen myself. Is it lame to ask him for a specific jewelry piece on my birthday in March? Answer me with a "no", please!

*Edit: forgot to mention the Garnier BB cream was sent to me for free. Oops!

So, what have you been loving during December?
It could be anything, be random!

Evi   xx

My TOP 11 for 2011!

I've been tagged by my girl Irene and fellow greek bloggers Argyrousa, ladyD and beautyincrisis to come up with my favourite products for 2011.

Narrowing them down to just 11 was the hardest part!
But, I digress ;)

Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base: my precious!!! This is absolutely worth all the hype, I tell you that... It gives a gorgeous caramel glow that I haven't come across in any other bronzer. However, I don't think it's appropriate as a contour shade- but that's just me.
Elf Studio Blush&Bronzer compact: I don't care much about the blush, but I know I can rely on its bronzer side for when I want contour my cheeks. A staple!

Mac Hue lipstick: my most worn lipstick during 2011. Whenever I was in a hurry or wasn't sure of what colour to wear on my lips, Hue came to the rescue. Highly recommended!
Mac Pink Nouveau lipstick: it's fun, youthful, optimistic and I love it. Pink Nouveau introduced me to the world of bright lipsticks and it still remains my favourite for a quick&easy striking makeup look.
Elf Luscious Liquid lipstick: more like lipgloss, actually... I love its sponge applicator and the tiny hint of minty tingle you get on your lips! I only use it on top of lipstick though, as it's almost clear :(

Elf palette with TBS eyeshadows: another staple. I'm sure you've seen this palette many times on my blog; I've now switched the previous top right shade with a satin pink- another makeup revelation for 2011:
pink eyeshadow can look so good!
TBS Moonstone baked eye colour: the sparkly vanilla shade has become my everyday inner corner highlight. The glittery grey will be a perfect match with Mac's Violetta- which I'm soo getting once I return from my holidays!
Mac Painterly Paintpot: HG HG HG!!! Ok, either this one- or Soft Ochre (its yellow undertones might suit me better). Paintpots are so lovely for crease-proof eye makeup, nothing more to add here...

Mac 130 brush: used solely with the Chanel Bronzing makeup base; I love the precision of this brush! The only problem I'm experiencing with it is that it leaks some black dye on the white hair after I've washed it-
if you happen to know a remedy about this issue, do let me know ;)
Elf Studio Powder brush: seriously, everyone should own this brush! For its price, it's a very-very well made handy tool and a great multitasker. Get. It. ASAP.
Eyelash curlers: I was so late on discovering the virtues of eyelash curlers... These ones didn't cost me much but they do the trick- though once their white spongey things fall apart, I'm gonna invest in some Shus!

My fellow beauty bloggers, you're all tagged!

Even if you don't have a blog, I'd love to read your favourite products for 2011! Just include them in the comments section below so that we can have a little chat ;)

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