Elf review: Studio Blush and Bronzer Compact

This is one of the few Elf products that have reached an almost "cult" quality on beauty blogs; so much so that I had to get it in my 1st Elf order. And I did.

I'll first go by saying that, as much hype as there's going on about the Elf Studio blush&bronzer duo, this product is not suited to everyone's skintone/preference/taste. That doesn't stop me from loving it though, but more on that in the end of this post ;)

Starting with the blush side, we're dealing with an orange-peachy shade with a hint of gold glitter.

     Pros:
* other than that it's a nice colour to enhance a tan, there's nothing really exciting to write home about...
     Cons:
* as with the Elf Studio blushes, it swatches a little powdery
* the gold glitter is not that flattering

As for the bronzer side, it's a dark caramel brown shade with a tiny amount of soft shimmer.

     Pros:
* not an orange bronzer- hit!
* its shimmer doesn't translate on the skin, making it perfect for contouring!
     Cons:
* way too dark to be used on pale skin
* it's also not that easy to blend, thus requiring a good quality fluffy brush if you want to use it as an all-over bronzing powder

    Swatches, heavily applied  

    Swatches, blended

In the end, would I recommend this product? Yes, but only to those with a fairly darker skintone that are looking for a product to enhance their tan or for contouring. This handy "2in1" compact will save up some space in your travel makeup bag, as well ;)
For my fair-skinned readers, this product will most likely fail you.

Personally, the bronzer enabled me to (finally!) contour my cheeks in an affordable way; so for that alone, I value highly this product- in fact, it has already grown into a staple. I could do without the blush side, although I would definitely use it on my cheeks if there was no other blush at hand.

Now, let me see your hands:
who's a fan of the Elf Studio blush&bronzer compact? ;)

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YSL Parisienne, a review

Last month, my sweet boyfriend gave me this perfume as a present
(love you Κωστή μου!); and it came in perfect timing as I was in need of a nice grown-up scent for 2012 ;)



Parisienne is aimed at the woman who is too old to wear adolescent sickly-sweet perfumes like Aquolina Pink Sugar, but still too young to embrace bolder and old-lady scents like Chanel no5.

The Parisienne woman is best encaptured in the new ad with French fashion model Marina Vacht, and I must admit I prefer her loads over Kate Moss- sorry Kate, I love you and always go crazy over anything you put your face on, but in this case you failed me... Your Parisienne ad can't compare to this one:

Because I'm no expert on describing scents and words may fail me, I thought of borrowing Katie Puckrik's spot-on description of Parisienne:
a light, sweet, raspberry rose, fruity but sophisticated. It's interesting though that in between the official notes (cranberry, blackberry, damask rose, violet, peony, patchouli, vetiver and musk), other reviewers have detected notes of vinyl and lacquer, scents that one can find in stiletto heels or a cosmetic bag.

As far as describing the perfume's bottle, YSL says that the irregular striped glass evokes the complex Parisian stone-paved streets that are still wet from last night's rain and gleam during the early hours of the day. To me, it looks as if the design refrains from anything linear and predictable, but with keeping the preppy curvy volume of the older YSL Paris perfume. Rebellious and yet classy. I like that.

Now, my boyfriend chose the Parisienne gift set over the plain eau de parfum, and to be honest I usually prefer to own the perfumes' original cardboard boxes- but who am I to turn down the matching body lotion and shower gel? hehe :)

However, in case you're interested in buying perfumes packaged as gift sets, here's a couple of cute options for this Christmas:

    YSL Belle d'Opium

     YSL L'Homme Libre

     Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose perfume +Mascara Hypnose Drama 
     +Le Crayon Kohl

     I saved the best one for last: Victor&Rolf Flowerbomb gift set
    is packaged in a doll house!

So, are you a fan of YSL fragrances?
Which ones are you planning to haul for this Christmas?

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October 2011 in pictures

    My boyfriend complained to me that he's not featured enough in
    my blog, so here he is!

    Staring at old ruined buildings, cause we both love to do that ;)

     I'm so grateful to those smart people that decide to renovate old
    Art Nouveau buildings to house their business... 

    One of my other habits is to take photos of old intricate railings
    and front doors... 

    I wish all skyscrapers in Athens were packed together in one place!
    This one looks rather lonesome...

    Love my city! I wish I had such a view of Athens from my window!

    Om nom nom, cinnamon rolls from Ikea...

    They were so delish that I had to browse online for a
    "cinnamon rolls" recipe!

    I followed the instructions of the "Cinnabon Clone" recipe from
    allrecipes.com- here's the before pic...

    ...and after baking for 15'. Look at how much they've risen!
    They were not as tasty as the Ikea ones, but I'm not giving up!


    Hot veal soup. My favourite during winter!

    A cosy cafe next to my neighbourhood; for the record, they refuse
    to serve instant coffee (Nescafe)...

    ...so drank a hot chamomile infusion instead :(


    Replying to blog comments (I always do!)

    Scott Schuman (aka The Sartorialist) on WF channel. The most
    stylish fashion blogger. Period. There's nothing you can say that
    can make me disillusioned about the man-

    Whaaat, Garance is taller than Scott?!? What a let-down...


    Had a major crash on Kiehl's Creme de Corps!

    Autumnal road scenery...

    And a beautiful sunset sky

    The last pic serves as evidence: I managed to make a Tetris and then
    the screen when blank! A Tetris geek's dream!!!

Hope you enjoyed the photos I took during October!
Mwah xx

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A Winter haul

No need to justify myself for the following purchases-
but if someone asks, they were mere necessities!

Mac Russian Red lipstick: there would be no Christmas for me this year without a nice red lipstick in my collection! What more can I say, I'm sure you're already accustomed with this shade from Youtube and beauty blogs... This is going to be my lipstick for new Year's Eve!

Tweezers by Elegant Touch: clearly an upgrade from my previous tweezers- which I've lost somewhere!!! Can't believe my forgetfulness,
I never lose things! *insert grumpy face*


TBS Shimmer Cubes palette #21: ever since my friend Tina suggested this palette looked similar to Chanel Regard Perle eyeshadow palette, I had to have it. Now I don't have the Chanel quad to compare it with, but I'm quite happy with my purchase. The top right champagne shade has a pink duochrome in it, so pretty!

Skincare wise, my purchases were equally as planned:

Avene gentle eye makeup remover: I'm a believer in gel eye makeup removers, as they can coat the lashes and dissolve all traces of mascara; and after my trusty Yves Rocher gel eye makeup remover got sadly discontinued (sob sob!), I had to look around and find a replacement. We'll see how this one performs...

TBS Aloe calming facial cleanser: I know I'm repeating myself, but I have to point out once again that the Aloe range from the Body Shop is so underestimated. The formulas are very gentle so they won't aggravate your skin, plus they contain the least amount of preservatives so they have a shorter shelf life. Let alone that they are rich in aloe vera gel, as it always comes first or second in the products' ingredients list ;)

Vaseline petroleum jelly: isn't it so glamorous, to browse the Hondos Center isles trying to locate that tube of petroleum jelly- I even had some strange looks by some shop assistants :/ But I had to get it, my skin wasn't getting any better since my overexfoliating experience and I was in need of a good heavy-duty barrier.

Anything you bought recently? Do share!
xx

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