Be.Right.Back.

Someone's making a comeback...

Evi   xx

My summer BEAUTY favourites! #2

Be patient with me guys,
this is the last "summery" post until next year- promise!

The following are some pretty amazing budget-friendly products that I discovered the past few months and been meaning to share them with you, so here they are!

I have to admit, the (already popular) micellar lotion by L'Oreal excited me the most. If anything, it's a clear example of a good marketing strategy; if companies like L'Oreal can produce good-quality formulas that were otherwise only sold in pharmacies, while offering them at a dirt-cheap price, I think this is something to write home about.

Needless to say, this micellar lotion is fantastic at removing makeup and works like a charm at removing all mascara bits too- I'm already hooked on it and I've also turned sis into a convert! Hence the back-ups you see in the above pic ;)

My face sunscreen lotion of choice was the Vichy Capital Soleil SPF 50, which has a

dry touch formula and is suitable to oily/combination skin that needs products with a matte finish. It's a brilliant sunscreen, although it gives the inevitable white cast to the face (nothing that a tinted moisturiser or a lightweight foundation can't cover).

The non-spf moisturiser I've been loving to use during summer was the Garnier Hydra Match for dull complexions; it has a gorgeous texture that almost feels like high-end moisturisers do (in fact, it reminds me a lot of the Biotherm Aquasource that was once my holy-grail face cream).

Now, technically my hair can't count as a "favourite" per se, but do allow me to show you the ombre job I did a couple of months ago- which if may I say so, it looks fabulous:

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 ;)

Errr... Hi

Miss me?

After (an uncalled-for) summer hiatus that seemed to last forever, I'm happy to say that I'm back! Blame my freakin' laptop for dying on me and having to stay at the repair service for 2+ months...

I know, IT SUCKED!!!

Spending time at home with no internet service was quite challenging- although I must admit, taking a break from online things had its moments; I finished some books I've been wanting to read since for-everrr, bonded with my two dogs (nope, they wouldn't let me adopt this cute kitty), plus I found a new hobby: comic books* !

Anyhoo, expect to see -or rather, read- more of this little lady the following days!

I've missed you guys so much!!!

* Or, should I say, graphic novels? Yep, sounds mature-ish that way...

    More about that subject on a post to come!

Evi   xx

Lipstick Wardrobe's SUMMER wishlist!

Gah, I can't believe spring is gone already!
Predictions say it's going to be a scorching summer this year- excited much?

In all honesty, I'm not a summer kind of girl, though I'm determined to do my best and be 100% prepared for when showing (plenty of) skin is ultimately inevitable. If only breaking free from such insecurities was an easy task...

But that's another story ;)

So, here are a few of the things I have my eye on at the moment!

1. The Body Shop Spa Fit body scrub: one simply needs a good quality body scrub, come summer. This one is supposed to make skin look and feel firmer, plus it smells of citrus (score!). Although, being aware of a few reviews claiming it's not that exfoliating, I'll try my luck at asking for a sample...

2. A neon yellow nail polish: look at this picture of a french manicure with neon yellow tips- gorgeous! Surely there are dirt-cheap neon nail polishes out there, but I'd love to try the ones by China Glaze. Anyone know of a store that stocks China Glaze?

3. Maybelline Color Show nail polish, Go Go Green: if its promo pic is true to life
- green chartreuse - then I gotta have it!

Onto my lipstick lust list:

DEPECHE MODE live in Athens; 10 things I learned

The highlight of May, THE concert of the year, his hotness performing on stage-
it finally happened!!!

Last Friday Martin Gore's band performed live at Terravibe stage for us greek Depeche Mode fans, and I was there! Heart in hand, it was a concert that was well worth the money, time spent and effort; one that I can proudly recite in years to come.

Here's everything I learned from this experience:

1. Terravibe is much more concert-appropriate than the O.A.K.A.. Fact. It's just so much nicer to stand on a green space with pine trees all around and enjoy the fresh air, than having to spend 4+ hours on a cold stadium. The sound was crystal clear and the big screens on either side of the stage had excellent picture quality.

2. A lot of people complained about the crowded entrance. We did experience a bit of trouble going through the front gate, though I should point out that the the exit was pretty smooth with minimum crowding.

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...

My skin saviour: Avène CLEANANCE K

I rarely feel compelled to write rave reviews on skincare products,
though today I must give credit where credit is due.

It's rare to come across a skincare product that meets all criteria for an A+ rate; one that is comparable to high-end skin treatments but without the hefty price tag, with top-notch ingredients that actually WORK. For me, the Avène Cleanance K lotion is one of them.

Note: I want to stress that this is my personal experience with the product. Not everyone is going to get the miracle results that I did, so please keep an open mind while reading this review; unless you share the same skin problems that I used to have, in which case you might find it pretty helpful ;)

So, what was my skin like?

In short- oily and prone to blemishes by nature, and yet dehydrated, with awful dry patches that any foundation would accentuate them even more, making my face look just nasty. I tried every trick in the book to get rid of those dry patches, including rich moisturisers and hydrating masks, strong face scrubs and exfoliating pads- nothing seemed to work...

That all changed when I started watching DermTV, the Youtube channel by dr Schultz who is a famous dermatologist from New York (thank you Dimitra for the suggestion!). He always goes on and on about how beneficial glycolic acid can be on nearly every skin type, and rightfully so.

Here's a little wiki info on glycolic acid: it belongs to the α-hydroxy acids family (AHAs), and it's a chemical exfoliator which "loosens" the glue that holds the dead skin cells clinged the surface of the skin. It thus improves the appearance and texture of the skin, while it can also reduce wrinkles, acne scarring and hyperpigmentation. It was first used during in-office treatments by dermatologists, though now one can find over-the-counter skincare products that contain glycolic acid (with a lower percentage that should make the product safe to use at home).

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:

March '13 in pictures: people in Athens, a walk in the park, mementos of the past

     A pretty stylish guy. I asked him about his fabulous bag, said it was
     purchased in Italy...

     Girl on the tube. I complimented her for that awesome outfit-
     she also wore a beautiful red lip!

Giveaway: Garnier MIRACULOUS OIL x3!

Yep, you read that right:
it's yet another giveaway on the much-talked-about Garnier hair oil!

I know that you've already seen many of such giveaways popping up on beauty blogs- but believe me, you don't wanna miss a chance to win the new and fabulous Miraculous oil! I truly believe in this product (click for my review), so I'm thrilled that 3 of you will win Garnier's Miraculous oil ;)

Here's all you have to do to enter this giveaway:

1. You have to be a public follower of this blog through GFC (Google Friend Connect). This giveaway is targeted to my readers only; if you want to follow my blog, it's easy and it's free! Just click the "Join this site" blue button on the top right column.
2. Leave a comment on this post with your GFC name (the name with which you're following my blog) AND your email address, so I can contact you in case you win. Simple as that!

If you'd like to earn some extra entries, you can follow the next steps (optional):

1. Tweet about this giveaway with a link to this post, and state your Twitter username in your comment. +1 entry

2. Publish a link of this giveaway on Facebook, and state your Facebook username in your comment. +1 entry

The giveaway is open to residents in Greece (apologies to my international readers!) until the 27th of April. Then I'll pick a random winner through Randomizer.org.

Good luck to all that take part in this giveaway!

Evi   xx

Edit: the 3 winners are: ΧΑΡΙΚΛΕΙΑ, dimitra and Marilena Kat

A little GARNIER lovin'!

When was the last time you've fallen in love with a beauty brand?
That's me now, falling head over heels with yet another L'Oreal sister company...

It's no news that Garnier is quickly evolving into the #1 best-selling brand of the mass market; their products are affordable, innovative and deliver their claims, all while the name tag "Garnier" echoes vibes of sunshine, happiness and lots of smiles!

Personally, I'll go as far as to say that Garnier has grown into one of my most loved beauty brands- not only for the reasons mentioned above, but also because their products keep up with the latest customer demands that call for more natural ingredients and less controversial substances like parabens.
[In case you haven't noticed, all new Garnier products contain no parabens.]

But enough with the blab, here are my current Garnier favourites!

First things first, the Garnier Miraculous Oil* has been my go-to hair treatment to use right before blow drying. Up until now I didn't have much faith in hair oils to be honest; but then I met this guy, we "clicked", and since then me and him go together like peas and carrots! Seriously though, give it a try and you'll love it as much as I do: it's rich in pure Argan oil that nouriches and protects the hair with a weightless, non-oily veil of moisture. You get shiny, smooth hair in a matter of seconds, what's not to love about it?

A hot AUSSIE makeover...

* I'm warning you guys, you're about to witness an awful lot of my mug!
  Guess my camera spared me this time and captured me in a presentable state ;) *

Right, back to the point of this entry. As the title suggests,
a couple of months ago me and some fellow bloggers took part in a fun meet-up held by Aussie, including a hot yoga class and a hair makeover. Needless to say, my transformation gets an A+: it was frumpy hair turned to sexy locks in a matter of minutes!

So, the event took place in Hot Yoga Athens, an out-of-the-ordinary workout place where you can attend hot yoga or hot pilates classes. I should inform you though, the "hot" aspect of the story is not referable to the instructors' looks (heck, they might be hot but I can't confirm it!); it merely indicates that the classes are practised in a heated room
of 40C. It's said that the hot, humid air during a hot yoga class helps the body to release more toxins and heal its injuries faster- which is great news, right?

Yet, it didn't lure the exercise hater in me to give it a try (too hardcore, man!), so I shamefully stayed outside watching the rest of the girls stretching and posing to yoga postures :(

     The heated room. You can tell it's hot in there by the foggy windows!

     Practising hot yoga...

A rant on MAC & its practices that ruin all the fun...

Do excuse my bitterness today;
I needed to get this short and informal post published as soon as possible!

After a week's delay from its official release date, the Mac Archie's girls collection finally arrived at our stores. Which technically is more than a month past its release in the UK.

Now, I may have managed to locate and ultimately purchase the one thing I really wanted from this collection (Veronica's Ronnie Red lipstick), and yet something has turned me off from this whole limited-edition business.

... Too jazzy? The dreaded pearly white nail polish!

* In case you're wondering about the title's "too jazzy" part, see this vid from
  Inbetweeners. It's epic. *

Here it is in all its glory, the quintessential pearly white nail polish that dominated all nail polish trends in the 50's and '60's... I know, I know, most of you reading these lines will cringe at its sight; ahhh, if you could only give it a chance!

Putting aside its major significance among fashion trends of the pin-up era (it was THE nail colour to wear back then!), all pearly nail polishes and especially the white version like this one by Revlon (020 Pure Pearl) look ever so elegant and draw attention to the nails with their glistening effect, all while elongating the fingers like no other nail polish finish.

Let me also remind you that Dior included a pearly white nail polish in its best-selling Christmas makeup collection, and it was a hit! (click to see photos and swatches)

Some new entries: skincare, accessories, and a concert ticket ;)

Hola, beautiful people!

Ahhh, I'm in such a bloody good mood these last few days, so much so that the excitement is killing me! Why, you might ask? Well, you'll see what I'm talking about at the end of this post. But before that, here's my most recent haul ;)

Starting with the skincare bits; are you ready for a bold statement?
Here goes:

I think I've finally found my HG skin saviour.

I'm dead serious, the Avene Cleanance K cream made my skin look practically flawless! Expect to see a whole 'nother post dedicated to this bad boy- I'll give you a little teaser info: it's a gentle chemical exfoliating treatment. I love it to bits!

I was also in need of a new everyday face wash with exfoliating micro-granules, so I opted for the Garnier Pure Active Daily Energising face scrub. This stuff has a fantastic fresh/zingy smell that wakes me up every morning! And then there's a couple of essentials from the Body Shop, namely the Vitamin E cream cleanser + Vitamin E eye cream,

both of which are repurchases. Hey, old habits die hard!

This is a Zara necklace which I bought yesterday, and I really need your help:
is it a keeper, or not?

See, I'm currently loving the "chiffon shirt, skinny jeans and a statement necklace" look, and Zara is the only place with eye-catching necklaces that don't cost the world. Yet, I'm not so sure about this purchase... I'm loving the looks of it, but how many times will I get to wear this mofo? What do you guys think?

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:

B-day thoughts, goals and comic strips...

* Gawd, it's hard trying to come up with a decent blog post introduction after being M.I.A. for more than 2 weeks- spare me just this once, guys! *

So, the news are as follows: I've been trying out a new skincare routine, had yet another failed appointment for ombre-ing my hair (ugh!) and, well... yesterday was my birthday.
Boy, am I glad that day is over!

You're now probably thinking "wtf gurl, are you serious??? Birthdays are fun!"
Allow me to plead my case, for the hell of it...

You see, apart from acting as a harsh reminder of getting older, I don't understand why it has to be such a big deal in one's life. Sure, the fact that people ring for wishes is caring, and the presents are always nice- though I'd much appreciate it if someone gave me a lovely gift at any given day, not out of mere obligation... Just sayin'!

Here's what makes me want to rush up the hours into the next day: the massive amounts of attention. Being forced into the spotlight is not my thing, especially while everybody expects me to be on my best mood, best outfit and best-est smile, when all I want is to be booze-free, stay unapologetically indoors and watch series after series of Family Guy.

La Roche Posay HYDRAPHASE Intense eye cream

I don't know about you, but personally, finding a face moisturiser of top quality seems like a much easier task than discovering that perfect eye cream that does it all...

It was due to this never-ending quest for THE ONE eye cream that tops all eye creams that I tried out the Hydraphase Intense Eyes by La Roche-Posay. Well, it also helped that many of you guys recommended it to me ;)

Just to get things clear, I'm using the term "eye cream" for a lack of a better expression; in reality, this product has the consistency of a light transparent gel.

Since I'm too sceptic when it comes to skincare products that feel lightweight, and yet make big claims of intense moisturisation, you can imagine my disbelief when I first
used it: is that not-so-promising gel really enough to keep my under eye area nice and plump?

As it turns out, you gotta have a little faith-
not as in "raise your hands to the Lord and pray it works" kind of way, but to its ingredients.

The La Roche-Posay Hydraphase range is targeted to all skin types that are in need of some extra moisture. For that purpose, all Hydraphase products contain Hyaluronic Acid fragments, the molecules of which are so tiny that can penetrate the skin deeper, all while holding up moisture more than 200 times of their weight!
[For more info, you can read my review on the Hydraphase Intense face serum]

6 things NOT to do on a first date...

* Warning: this is a lighthearted post.
Please don't take it too seriously, it was written on the spur of the moment! *

Contemplating on yesterday's "celebration" (ain't feeling the Valentine's pressure to do cutsie things no-matter-what!), I couldn't help but remember all the disastrous dates I've had over the years. Wanna have a good laugh? Read on!

To be fair, I'm not a serious dater per se, though I guess it's only fair to have some funny dating stories to share if you're in your late 20s...

Alright, here goes:

1. Guys, don't brag you use more hairspray than your date does.
Acting like a metrosexual has its limits.

2. Geeky can be cute, just don't go overboard;
for ex. suggesting that you've made your own ring of invisibility (blame Tolkien's trilogy) but shoot! you lost it, it's a total fail...

3. Don't take your date on an abandoned house/temple/construction site if you can't handle it; it's not cool to scream at every squeaking sound and cling on to her like glue.