My everyday FOTD!

Hello beautiful people!
Here's a short post on what I slap on my face every day ;)

Above all, I'm a creature of habit. There's nothing I hate more than standing each morning in front of a mirror with a bag full of makeup products, trying to make a decision on what to put on my mug to disguise the "I don't wanna wake up!" look...

Of course, I enjoy experimenting with makeup- though nowadays I only do it on evenings when I have time to spare and indulge into each step.

Since I'm a renown lazy **s, I've been following a quick&easy routine that translates to a natural face with a certain piece de resistance. That means: a light coverage foundation worn with a bit of bronzer, eyes bare from eyeshadow, and a kick-ass red lipstick...

Mascara series: La Roche-Posay RESPECTISSIME Ultra Doux

This is by no means a new entry in my makeup bag,
though it's my most recent rave...

Meet Respectissime Ultra Doux, the latest mascara offering by La Roche-Posay. Granted, it's manufactured by a a brand that mostly specialises in skincare than makeup, but don't let that fact fool you: it's a mighty lil' guy that delivers flirty lashes! 

Lemme first share my enthousiasm over the killer sleek black tube-
the packaging snob inside me couldn't be happier :)

Now, looks aside, its formula is of 94% natural ingredients, while offering maximum comfort and tolerance to sensitive eyes or contact lens wearers. That's the official description of this mascara and, to be frank, it ain't that enticing.
Give me unrealistic claims + model pics photoshopped to death, and I'm there!
[I shamefully admit it, that's what gets me every time...]

Even if you overlook the boring description, it's not gonna be a love at first sight.
What I mean by that statement is this: in order to show its true capacity, it's necessary to let the mascara dry out a bit- not "to the point of no return" (obviously), but you get the gist: just enough for it to become a little more dense than fluid, which would be about 3-4 weeks' time.

After that period of time has passed, get ready for some serious lashes!
See what I'm talking about in the photos below:

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*

A (much needed) Project-10-Pan

I can feel it, this is going to be a year full of changes ;)
Following my decision to turn to pharmaceutical brands for my skincare,
here's a second commitment:

As the title of this post suggests, I'm starting a Project-10-Pan. I'm sick of my ever-growing makeup collection, it's ridiculous and it has to stop! So, along with a few tossing of some old and forgotten makeup products, I've put aside 10 that I must go through asap.

Now, some of you may cringe on the type of products I've chosen for this makeup ban-
but mind you, I've deliberately switched the "rules", in order to make it a pleasant experience overall and help me be 100% committed to it!

     Someone's cheating BIG TIME!

I know, I know- lip balms and tiny foundation samples shouldn't be part of a proper P10Pan... Believe it or not, I tend to wear less makeup nowadays, so much so that finishing all these products will actually take me quite a while! Here's another "twist" I've imposed on this project:

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

What's in my summer makeup bag?

As I will soon be leaving for my summer vacations,

I had to sort out my makeup and pick out "the besties" to take with me while I'm away...

I don't know about you girls, but this little "project" took me like a week

to put together!

So here's what I collected for my summer makeup bag:

    Far from packing light, eh? lol

    Wrinkly skarf: H&M

    Detailed info:

    TBS Moisture foundation, TBS pressed powder, Mac Painterly Paintpot,

    Art Deco Perfect Teint illuminator- love this stuff!, TBS concealer pen

    TBS Bronze shimmer waves, Erre Due blush #410, Elf Warm bronzer,

    TBS blush #04, TBS Honey matte bronzer #02

    Eye products: Elf quad with TBS eyeshadows, TBS shimmer cubes warm,

    TBS Baked eyeshadow #07, TBS Eye shimmer #08,

    TBS brow set #02, Biotherm liquid eyeshadow,

    Art Deco mineral kajal liner #98, TBS shimmer pencil #10,

    Art Deco liquid eyeliner, TBS Carbon black pencil, TBS mascara,

    TBS brow gel, Elf Coffee cream eyeliner, TBS single eyeshadow #07,

    Elf cream eyeshadow duo in black licorice

    Elf Luscious Liquid lipstick in Baby lips- cause it's minty and cooling!,

    Mac Suntint from Surf Baby LE collection, Elf lipstick in Runway pink,

    Mac lipsticks in Hue and Impassioned

    Make-up brushes and tools: Elf powder brush, TBS blush brush,

    TBS blending brush, TBS brow/lash comb, Art Deco duo fibre brush,

    TBS travel blush brush, TBS tweezers, sharpeners by Kum and TBS,

    lash curlers by Elegant Touch (aka Eylure)

A notable absence from Chanel Bronze Universel&Mac 130 brush-

too bulky, still haven't got the hang of it, too complicated to mess with...

Wishing you the best summer holidays ever, girls!

Lots of hugs and kisses xx

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My beach make-up

I don't know about you girls-
but me, I'm always planning ahead on what make-up I'm going to wear
on the beach every summer!

These are my current picks:

Face: sunscreen all the way! This is the Korres Watermelon face cream with SPF20 from last year (it has a 24M tag so I think it's ok to use it). As my skintone lacks uniformity and to save me some time, I'll be mixing it with my foundation and ta da, skin's done in no time!

Cheeks: it's a no brainer this year, def going to be my new Soleil Tan de Chanel! Since it's a cream formula, it's going to blend beautifully on top of my sunscreen+foundation, while keeping up with the "bronzed skin" theme ;)

Eyes: curled lashes and mascara, only when I want to look really polished... I mean, since I'll be wearing sunglasses all the time, what's the point in putting on eye make-up at all? I'm strictly avoiding any uneccessary tugging of my eyes from wearing or removing eye make-up.

Lips: I'm so glad my sister got me this Suntint by Mac, cause it's the perfect treat for my lips to use while on the beach! It's basically a liquid lipbalm with SPF20; it has a slight pale pink tint and fine gold shimmer running through it. The squeeze-tube packaging is perfect, as it won't collect sand like the traditional lip glosses with the wand. AND it won't melt on my bag like regular lip butter sticks...

So, what's your beach make-up routine?
Any of you going bare faced under the sunnies?

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