Mac Strobe cream, a review

You asked for it, so here it is!

Without a doubt, Mac Strobe Cream has grown into a makeup favourite of mine. I can finally achieve that "dewy" skin that everyone speaks of, without having to change my normal foundation!

But this is definitely not the only virtue of Strobe Cream.
Let me explain:

First of all, Mac categorizes this product under skincare, since it offers some moisturising action while carrying lots of antioxidants. Now, its moisture is not adequate for Strobe Cream to be worn on its own with no other face cream underneath- however, it doesn't make the skin look drier than it is, which some highlighters do.

There are many ways to use Strobe Cream; I've tried wearing it under/over foundation, though my favourite way to use it is by mixing it with my foundation. The finish it gives to the skin is like an opalescent glow, nothing like a shiny/sweaty layer: it has a sheen rather than shimmer (let alone frost or glitter), and because its glowing particles are pink/purple based, Strobe Cream does wonders to dull complexions, making them look brighter and healthier.

Below I've taken photos of some swatches, so you can see how it translates on the skin:

You may fear that since Strobe Cream is fairly cool-toned, it won't be appropriate on warm-toned complexions. I don't think that's the case: once it's mixed with foundation, it ceases to look "pinky". I would also assume its fine glowing particles don't make the pores on the skin look larger, but as we're dealing with a moisturising highlighter, it probably isn't the best match for oily skin.

Other things to mention: it looks amazing when worn in photos, as it gives that needed dimension to the face without looking greasy or shiny. And a word of notice: mixing Strobe Cream with your foundation may slightly lighten its tone, so you may have to consider mixing in a tiny blob of a darker foundation to bring it back to normal.

I should finally stress out that if you want to give Strobe Cream a go, skip the full-size 50ml version: it's made of a hard plastic that makes it difficult for the product to come out of the nozzle! Instead, opt for the squeezable 30ml travel size, and save yourselves those extra €€€.

So, have you tried Strobe Cream?
Feel free to share your favourite liquid highlighters in the comments below!

Evi   xx

Winner of Clinique 3-Step giveaway

This is just a short notice to let you all know the winner of my recent giveaway!

The lucky lady who will receive this set is...




dora.dk !!!
Congratulations, girl!

    There were 278 valid entries, along with the Twitter and Facebook links.
    The winning 103th entry was Dora.dk's, counting from the top.

I was overwhelmed by the amount of your entries,
so I might host another giveaway in the near future ;)

Thank you all for taking the time to enter this giveaway,
and thank you so, so much for supporting this blog, it means a lot!

Evi   xx

May '12 favourites.

Surprise, surprise! Hear this:

There will be no makeup products featured in this monthly favourites post- purely because I don't want to bore you with how much I enjoy using Bronze Universel, the Shimmer Cubes or my Mac lipsticks.

For a change, this post contains only bodycare products with a bit of skincare.
Enjoy!

The Vaseline Aloe Fresh body lotion was my favourite rediscovery during May: this has got be my most "bought over again" body lotion! I love everything about it: its fresh scent, the light-feeling hydration it offers, plus its price-to-quality ratio is unbeatable. I'll probably do a post on summer body lotions and show you some of my favourites ;)

I also tried the Bioten Cellufight Drainage gel* and lemme tell you this: it works! Sure, it won't help if you don't exfoliate the areas with cellulite, or you don't eat healthily/ drink enough water, but it does help that little extra. Everything counts at taming the cellulite beast! If you're interested in the Bioten Cellufight range, I've done a full review on this article at Beautytalk.gr.

If you're Greek, you'll recognise the last item in the above pic: that's right, one of past month's favourites was the cult Myrto Lemon cologne! I wasn't planning on featuring this product at all, until ladyd made a post about it so I thought "screw pretences, I like it and I'm gonna give it some blog love"! Now, don't get me wrong- as much as I love citrus colognes, I don't go out and about wearing this thing; I only put it on after shower and the scent quickly evaporates.

You might remember that I desperately wanted a nice city sunscreen; that's why I picked out this Clarins Day Screen. I must write a full review on this; it definitely made me feel safer to step out in the sunlight with this potion on my face! Mac Strobe cream was a permanent fixture in my makeup routine during May, I think it deserves its own post as well! Let me know which review would you like to see tomorrow- the Clarins sunscreen or the Strobe cream?

On another note...

...I decided to sell my Mac 130 brush.
As much as I tried to love it, I simply can't. It would be a shame to keep it in my collection and let it collect dust, when someone else might find it usable. So, before this baby finds its way to ebay, I'm presenting it here: if anyone is interested in buying this, please contact me at lipstickwardrobe@gmail.com ;)

So, which review should be up next? Clarins or Mac?
Are there any Myrto cologne fans out there?

* The Bioten Cellufight gel was provided by the company for free. I'm not affiliated with Bioten and I wasn't compensated for mentioning it on this blog. The only reason I'm showing it is because I like it! Sharing my honest opinions, as always. My loyalty is to my readers ;)

Evi   xx

Yiannis Marketakis & Max Factor at Makeup Lab!

Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited at Makeup Lab where Yiannis Marketakis, the exclusive ambassador of Max Factor Greece, presented to us a summer makeup trend using the newest Max Factor makeup products!

Needless to say, I was so freakin' excited through the whole time that I could barely keep a straight face and not burst into that awkward laughter that happens so effortlessly when you meet someone famous. Which I did anyway, the moment I met the man.
Yiannis, if you're reading this, I'm way cooler than that!!!

Awkwardness aside, here's everything that happened that day!

Makeup Lab is a modern art studio where Yiannis Marketakis holds makeup courses to professionals that wish to expand their techniques, as well as begginers that want to perfect their everyday makeup routine. It is situated in a neoclassical house in Psyrri, decorated in the most beautiful eclectic style.

Yiannis Marketakis presented to us a fun and colourful summer makeup look that pairs nicely with the neon fashion trend that's going on strong at the moment! It consists of iconic '80s elements such as bright eyeshadows, defined cheekbones, and blush worn high up to the temples (tip: it makes the eyes look more elongated!). Yiannis modernised the look with a clashing fucshia lipstick, dewy skin and smudged eyeliner only on the lower lashline.

Below I've made a photo guide with step-by-step instructions on how to recreate this look.
Take notes and feast your eyes!

    Aaand here's the final look on gorgeous model Konstantina!

Close-up of the makeup look: you can see the drama that brings to the eyes the attention on the lower lashline. The fucshia lips clash with the warm-toned eyeshadows and make the look a bit unexpected and more interesting. The cream blush has been brought up to the temples, so close to the eyes that it covers the outer corners: a fine little trick that elongates the eyes with minimum effort ;)

One thing I have to say about Yiannis Marketakis, is that he is truly an artist. I was amazed by how easy and obtainable were his intructions for this makeup look, so much so that I can't wait to give it a go myself! He was happy to answer all our questions and held absolytely no secrets. In a nutshell: he genuinely enjoys teaching.

    Hand-crafted by Yiannis Marketakis! I bow to that...

But what I didn't know (and certainly wasn't prepared for it) is that Yiannis is a keen admirer and knowledgeable of arts; evidence of that fact are the beautiful head pieces and crowns that he's made himself, some of which are displayed in the studio. You must check out his artwork portfolio - prepare yourselves to see a fairytale of celebrities and models turned into dark gothic queens, sexy vixens, Gaga-esque figures and fallen emperors...

All in all, coming to Makeup Lab was such an amazing experience; I'm so glad I came to meet a man whose work I truly admire! I hope with this post you've gained some invaluable inspiration, like I did.

I was kindly given a makeup bag full of Max Factor goodies that Yiannis Marketakis personalised for each of us. I'll keep you posted on how I get along with each product!

Evi   xx