Hello my lovelies!
May I present to you yet-another-dupe-of-the-infamous-Mac-187-brush...
To those of you who are not familiar with Art Deco, it is a german cosmetics brand which pertains to the affordable ones. Among their best-sellers are:
* the Art Deco Eyeshadow Base, which I'm using at the moment and I'm liking a lot,
* the petite refillable eyeshadows that come in a variety of finishes and can be stored in...
* the so-called "beauty boxes" which are sold separately- these are plain, empty magnet pans in black that can hold up to 12 eyeshadows or 9 eyeshadows with 1 blush, or 6 eyeshadows and 2 blushes, etc etc (you get the point, right?)- but lo and behold, the limited edition ones are embellished with some beautiful patterns!
Back to the 187 dupe...
The site mentions it as "Brush for Illuminating Powder Finish", but that didn't stop me to use it with my liquid foundation, which for the time being is the Biotherm Aquaradiance SPF 15.
Flawless, I tell you... Actually, I don't own the Mac duo-fibre equivalent to make a decent comparison, but I don't feel I'll be spending any time soon 40 euros on a brush when the Art Deco cost me about 15! (To be honest, I'm most definitely to splurge on the 187, but I'm guessing that it will take me a loooooong, long time until then! I'm really satisfied with this Art Deco brush)
I know, I should probably have some pictures of the application...
In my defence, my veins on my hands looked so puffy and all swelled-up today that they resemble the arms of Madonna > _ <
Anyway... Happy blogging and reading and commenting to everyone!
CBSG5861
Hello my lovelies!
That's right, layering your hair products will actually help building up volume.
Obviously, I'm not talking about layering shampoos, conditioners- that would be silly, but I had to clear this out :)
What I've found out from experimenting is that if you put some mousse on wet hair, then blow-drying it as usual, and then styling and spraying it with some hairspray, the volume achieved is so much more than using plain hairspray, and it's more likely for the hair to stay "big" for hours.
What probably happens is that the hairspray, after the mousse application, has some kind of a base to stick to, rather than clinging on fresh and crisp hair.
Currently I'm using a cheap Palette hairspray and a Got2B mousse- nothing special, except from the fact that the mousse smells of orange- hence the orange bottle ;) By the way, every Got2B product has a scent+packaging colour match- the red mousse has a strawberry scent, the pink hairspray smells of watermelon and the yellow maximum hold hairspray is matched with a citrus scent. Cute...
So, yeah... Layering does not always address on clothes!
Happy blogging and reading and commenting to everyone!
CBSG5861
Hello my lovelies!
If you've read my "best of 2009" list, then you already know that my personal favourite product that eliminates ALL traces of eye make-up is (so far) the Yves Rocher Bio-specifique Active Sensitive, which has a gel-based formula. But, due to my compulsive-buyer syndrom, I'm constantly switching products- whether I like them or not. Yeah, that's me...
Currently I'm using the Immortelle Eye Make-up Remover from l'Occitane (by the way, if anyone knows how to pronounce "Occitane" correctly, please let me know!), which works o.k., I guess... It is a dual-phase liquid, meaning that one part is water-based and the other oil-based, and the principle behind this is to shake them together, thus removing any kind of eye make-up.
Well, the impressive thing about it is that it takes quite some time for the liquid to separate, which is good if you don't like shaking the bottle every now and then- me, I like ;)
But... that's about it, I wasn't impressed with it.
Now comes the "fun" part; a couple of days ago, I came accross this post by BritishBeautyBlogger, where it stated that "...oils cause the lash bond to deteriorate".
And then it hit me, bam! (instant beauty alert)
That must be why I've been losing so many eyelashes lately.
As a matter of fact, I've previously had a small research on the web for the appropriateness of oils used in the eye area, and the opinions I read were ambiguous, to say the least.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting to stay away from oil-based eye make-up removers, since there isn't any scientific evidence on the subject. Personally, I will probably skip the l'Occitane cleanser and try a water-based one. I was thinking of Kiehl's, we'll see...
Recommendations are always welcome :))
Happy blogging and reading and commenting to everyone!
CBSG5861
Hello my lovelies!
Yep, this is my "Best-of" list for 2009.
Enjoy!
1. Blogging (obviously)
Where was I? I can't even remember how I stumbled upon this blogosphere- but man, I was missing so much all this time! Gone are the days when I was buying heaps of magazines, just to get informed about fashion and make-up. Nah, not for me anymore; what I appreciate the most is that whatever is written in a blog is probably more honest than what is published through magazines (hope I'm not being harsh with magazines, though...). Plus it's free (cheers!) and you get to meet all those lovely people.
2. "Comfort" Make-up
I'm so glad I've finally come up with a small array of products that do the trick of the "natural" make-up (well, as "natural" as my features allow it to get...) that boost my confidence levels to the limit. I'm telling you, there's nothing better than a "safe" look that will untie your hands on days when you don't have time to decide which products to choose from the bunch, or you just think that nothing suits you at the moment. I guess that it's the "make-up equivalent" of the "little black dress" ;)
3. Make-up Revelations; Eyeshadow Base, Brow Colour
Yeah, I was late on these... I have oily lids, and the old method of applying concealer with some loose powder lead to a lot of creasing. After the "Eyeshadow Primer Revelation", my eye make-up stays put for up to 8 hours with no touch-ups.
As for my brows, I never thought that colouring them with an eyeshadow was necessary- that, until I started testing it out. Now I can't leave the front door with my brows bare, it's officially a staple on my make-up routine! Currently I'm using the Art Deco Eyeshadow Base and The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit (both seen above).
4. Gel Eye Make-up Remover
I'm so proud of this beauty-related "discovery"! People, spread the word; the only product that can get rid of every-single-strand-of-any-stubborn-mascara is a gel-based one. So far, I've only tried the Yves Rocher Bio-spécific Active Sensitive (seen above), and currently I'm in search of a different brand manufacturing a product of this kind. Because you know, I don't stick to products, even if they possess a "Holy-Grail" quality- I'm obsessed trying to test every single product out there! But that's another story...
5. Matte Eyeshadows
After watching many "beauty gurus" on youtube who swear by matte eyeshadows, I started to recognise their virtues. Again, it was a revelation to me! The trick of accentuating your best features and correcting your not-so-great can never be achieved with shimmer, and this applies to the eyes, too. The only downfall is that the application requires some practise and brushes of good quality to blend the color evenly on the eyelid. Shimmering eyeshadows can forgive a novice hand!
6. Soaps!
I don't know how I got seriously into this. I mean, I was always using soap to cleanse my hands, but it was until recently that I came to worship it. Sounds freaky, eh... I love this retro feeling about soap; liquid hand soaps, shower gels, for me they don't stand a chance against this "je ne sais quoi" quality of a chunky bar of soap. Whether it is sold at drugstores or the high-street market, it has become one of my favourite everyday rituals. If a kind friend is reading this and is considering to buy me a present for any occasion, I'm begging you dear friend, get me some soap!
7. Candles in a Glass
Big, big fan of those. They hold a nice flame, spread a nice aroma and- most importantly- you don't have to place them on a special surface or having constantly your eye over them for preventing ruining your furniture. My mum went to ikea and bought 4(!) sets of these Tindra candles (shown above)- the white for cinammon, the light brown for caramel and the dark brown one for... well, brownies scent! Although excited at first, now I'm sick of them. Any suggestions?
8. Pull & Bear Scarf
I love wearing scarves, they add sth interesting on your bust area without exposing your chest to the freezing temperatures of winter! This one is my favourite, in my head it matches every single outfit- plus it has a light fabric that wraps around my neck nice and loosely.
9. David Gray
Oh, how I love this man... I was introduced to his music 5-6 years ago with the song "Babylon"- the meaningful lyrics, the calming melody, his unique voice... just divine. I got so excited with his new album release in 2009, called "Draw The Line". He seems to have evolved in a more mature way, both in terms of music and style- by the way, doesn't he look irresistible in that suit and that glance? Or is it just me? Anyway, please check him out on "Fugitive", which I still can't get enough- love it! To those interested, check his interview on Big Think.
10. Tommy Hilfiger watch
This was a Christmas gift from my boyfriend.
Need I say more? Apart from the fact that it instantly took a special place in my heart...
So, that's it with this list. Phew...
Happy blogging and reading and commenting to everyone!
CGSG5861
