Top Five of the Month: February

Where did February go? The second month of this year is over so it's monthly favourites time! here are the top five products of February.

I can't get enough of the Lush Sandstone Soap. I received this as a sample from my local Lush store and I had to buy a big piece of this soap, I'm obsessed with the scent and how it leaves my skin afterwards. It contains sand which makes a fantastic exfoliator. It may seem a bit rough because of the sand in it but is gentle and doesn't dry out the skin or irritate. The scent is very uplifting: citrus and fresh. It does remind me the beach and summer. 

The big discovery of this month has been the Lush Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Mask (Sottobosco in Italy).  This is such an amazing natural mask for sensitive skin! It's a clay mask with blueberries and chamomile that smells and feels amazing. It is very cool and soothing and my skin feels great afterwards. It really does take away the redness and my skin feels softer and even and the few bumps and marks seemed to be reduced. It really helps your skin calm down with redness and if it's breaking out. 

I've been wearing these two Tanya Burr lip glosses a lot during this month. The formula of these is fantastic. They're creamy, pigmented and they don't feel sticky like other lip glosses, plus they smell incredible. Chic is a super pigmented pinky nude and Sparkling Dewdrops is a sheer everyday pink. (Review here)

I'm loving this Essence Stays No Matter What in the shade Cute Copper. It's a really pretty bronze colour and the perfect everyday colour. I apply this all over my lid and I'm ready! 

Last, I need to mention the nail polish that I've been wearing almost the whole month. Essie A- list nail polish is a truly apple red. It's elegant and sophisticated. It's a blue-toned red and the finish is so glossy! (Review here)

Let me know what you've been loving this month too!

Top Nude/Natural Lipsticks

Finding the perfect perfect nude lip colour can be a difficult task. We all want to find the my-lips-but-better perfect shade.  Being fair skinned many nudes wash me out. The right shade should flatter your skin. Nudes with pink undertones are my favourite, I find they flatter my fair skin tone better. Here are six of my favourite nude lipsticks, which actually they all look almost the same.

Here are six of my favourite nude lipsticks:

• Nars Satin Lip Pencil Rikugien is a muted rose colour with a frosted finish. It's not so nude, is more pink but still a natural shade, everyday colour. The texture is soft and glides on like butter. (Review here)
• Clinique Chubby Stick Whole Lotta Honey. This tinted lipbalm is a brown-ish nude with pink undertones. This is a moisturising balm with just enough colour to tint your lips. I love the packaging with the twist up system. 
• Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Boy. It's the perfect lipstick to carry in your handbag. It's a lovely pinky nude colour with some flecks of golden micro-glitter. It's easy to wear, it goes with any makeup look and is so moisturising. (Review and dupe here)
• Kiko Pearly Kiss Balm Pineapple. This is also a soft pinky nude, very similar to the Chanel lipstick in Boy. The colour is quite sheer but it leaves a nice pigment. The formula is very creamy and moisturising. (Review here)
• Mac Lipstick Patisserie.  This popular lipstick is a pinky beige with gold shimmer that totally works for any occasion and works on many skin tones. The texture is creamy and leaves a glossy finish on the lips. However, this doesn't last on my lips, it disappears quickly.
• Nars Sheer Lipstick Dolce Vita. Probably my favourite of the bunch! I love the colour of it and the name! It's a sheer dusty rose but provides nice pigmentation. Lightweight formula that glides on smoothly. It feels light and moisturising on the lips. The perfect my-lips-but-better shade for my fair complexion.

What are your favourite nude lipsticks?

Drugstore Concealers: Best & Worst

The best Concealers:

Maybelline Fit me Concealer. This is my go-to concealer. It has a pretty good coverage and works perfectly for  dark circles and blemishes. The consistency is very creamy, it blends well and left my under eyes super soft and moisturised. This effortlessly covers dark circles, lifts and brightens under the eye

Collection Lasting Perfection concealer. This provides high coverage. It covers blemishes well and last all day. The formula of this concealer is thick and pigmented but blendable. It also works as an amazing highlighter when you choose a shade slightly lighter. The palest shade is very fair so it's great for the lightest complexions. 

L'Oreal Lumi Magique Touch of Light. I don't know how many times I've spoken about this, I just love this so much!  It has a light coverage but it works perfectly as an instant under eye brightener. The formula is really nice, smooth and easy to blend. It's great for underyes, and also for highlighting areas of the face like cheekbones and browbones for an instant face lift. This brighten up like no other!

The disappointing concealers:

Rimmel Wake Up Concealer. I had heard a lot about this concealer and when I finally got my hands on it I was not impressed. It didn't cover a single thing, provides only slight coverage. It doesn't cover my dark circles and didn't brighten, definitely didn't give that "anti-fatigue affect" it claims to have. 

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer. Another disappointing product. The consistency of this is quite light and the coverage is medium. I find the formula a little drying and gets into my fine lines. The sponge applicator is not really hygienic and a bit messy. I also dislike the colour range, the lightest shade is too dark.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch. This provides very light coverage. I find it not good for highlighting under the eyes and it creases under the eye. The palest color (Ivory) it´s definitely too dark if you have fair skin. 


What's your favourite drugstore concealer?

New in: Drugstore Haul

A few bits from the drugstore

Essence Liquid Ink Matt Eyeliner. Essence released this liquid eyeliner in a matte formula. I'm really intrigued.This eyeliner claims to have a high precision brush applicator and to be waterproof.

Catrice Calligraph Eyeliner. Another interesting eyeliner from the drugstore is this Catrice pen. This eyeliner is super black and it has quite a long thin tip to easily precise lines. I have read good reviews about this so I'm expecting this to be a good one.

Rimmel Wonder'Full Extreme Black Mascara. I've never used a Rimmel mascara before but since this 50% off and had argan oil in it I bought it. I used it a few times already and I like it so far. It feels nice on the lashes, lengthens them and doesn't clump.

Kiko Smart Lipstick 918 Classic Rose is a lovely nude rose pink colour with a satin finish. It's a really natural colour. It reminds me the Nars Dolce Vita lipstick.

Maybelline Color Elixir in the shade Caramel Infused. I'm so impressed with this! It's something between a  lipstick, gloss and a lip balm.  It doesn't feel sticky, the feel is very pleasant and smooth. The colour is gorgeous, it’s a very natural creamy pink shade with brown undertones.

Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue in Coral Crave. I'm exited to try this new version of the Maybelline Baby Lips. I chose this shade, Coral Crave, which is a sheer pinky coral colour. 

L'Oreal Color Riche Mono Eyeshadow  in 200 Over the Taupe.  The colour of this reminds me a lot of Mac's Satin Taupe eyeshadow, but this is a warmer version. This has a lovely creamy texture, is so pigmented and sparkly and the colour payoff is excellent.  


Have you picked up anything new from the drugstore recently?

Nails of the week: Kiko 508 Nail Lacquer

Kiko nail lacquer in 508 Rose Sand.
A beautiful nude nail polish for a super low price. 

I am a huge fan of Kiko's nail polishes, there are so many shades to choose from and they are so inexpensive. This colour here is a lovely nude, pinky beige colour which looks a bit pastel but not too much. It has just the right amount of pink and looks very romantic and elegant on the nails.
The formula is quite pigmented, thick and creamy and it has a nice glossy finish. The lasting powder is great as well,  last for quite a long time, last up to 4 days at least. The application is nice and smooth. The brush is wide and manages to cover the entire nail at just a few strokes.

Valentine's Day Details and FOTD

Valentine's Day Makeup details and baking mini heart-shaped carrot cakes.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I thought I'd would show you my makeup details for this day.
A classic red lip colour has become synonymous with the V-day but I prefer to go pink instead. I like a simple and neutral makeup for this day. So I opted for a glowy skin with a rose gold eye and a pop of pink on the cheeks and lips. A natural and glowing skin that makes you look fresh. It's a very simple and soft look that it's perfect for any day.
I applied this beautiful rose gold eyeshadow from the Naked 3 palette, the shade called Trick which I’m absolutely obsessed with!

Here are all the products I used:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in Light Vanilla

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Fair

Benefit They're Real Mascara

Mac Blush in Well Dressed

Nyx Blush in Taupe for contouring

The Balm Mary Lou Manizer highlighter

Urban Decay Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette

Rimmel ScaldalEyes Khol Eyeliner in Nude

YSL Volupte Sheer Candy Lipstick in 09 Cool Guava

What are your plans for this V-day? 

Favourite Red Lipsticks: Valentine's Day Reds

Red lipstick is a staple to every girl's make-up bag and with Valentine's Day approaching I thought I would show you some of my favourites red lipsticks.

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 03 Stawberry Kissed. This is a matte bright pinky red, highly pigmented and long lasting. It feels so nice on the lips and it's very comfortable to wear.

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl, a gorgeous and matte deep pinky-red lipstick that it's so easy to apply and last for hours on. I just wish this was a twist-up pencil!

Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in Dare to wear.  This is blue-toned berry red lipstick. It's quite similar to Nars Dragon Girl. The colour is pretty much the same, the only difference is that the Nars lip pencil has a matte finish while the Essence has a more creamy finish. But this Essence lipstick could be a good dupe for Dragon Girl.

Chanel Rouge Allure in Pirate. It's a vibrant red with blue undertones with a satin finish. It really is an elegant and glamorous red.

Maybelline Color Drama Velvet Lip Pencil in Fab Orange is the orange-red lipstick of the bunch. It has a semi matte finish to it. It's not drying on the lips which makes it so comfy to wear it.

What's your favourite red lipstick?

Everyday Neutrals

You can't go wrong with neutrals, specially when you don't know what to wear or just want something simple. 

I literally can't live without the L'Oreal Lumi Magique Concealer. I love to use this everyday to conceal and brighten my under eye. I also use this as a highlighter for a subtle glow, adding a little bit on the top of the cheekbones and down the nose.

I recently picked up this eyeshadow jumbo and I'm loving it. It's the Essence Stays No Matter What in the colour Cute Copper. It's a really pretty bronze brown, everyday colour. I just apply this all over the lid, some mascara, and I'm good to go.

The blush I'm using at the moment is one of the cream blushes from Mac in the shade Lady Blush. I have recently rediscovered this product and have started using it quite often now. It's a soft coral-pink but with some peachiness in it. It's very pigmented but easy to blend and looks natural on the cheeks.  It brightens up the face and gives a healthy glow.

Last, I need to mention one of my favourite nudes everyday lipsticks, Mac Patisserie,  a pretty neutral pinky-nude colour. The formula is extremely buttery, with a hint of gloss. It contains some gold shimmer particles which is quite annoying.  I absolutely love the color, but not the glitter. I would like to find a glitter free version of Patisserie.

Bed Time Essentials

Three bedside table essentials

Here are three must haves always on my bedside table, and that I use on a nightly basis. Some basic beauty essentials, before to go to sleep routine.

My lips get dry as soon as the weather gets cold so I always apply some lip balm as a treatment before to go to sleep. I've been using a lot this lip balm, the Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia which is very moisturising and plus smells divine.

This Works Deep Sleep  Stress Less Roller Ball  is part of my bedtime ritual for a good night sleep. The smell of this is so calming and comforting that it really helps to relax and sleep better. It is also so easy to use with the roller ball applicator, and perfect to carry with you if you need it. Highly recommend this to anyone who finds it hard to switch off at night.

Last, another essential part of my nightly ritual is  apply some hand cream. Lately I've been loving this The Body Shop Vanilla Brulee Hand Cream. I love the formula of the Body Shop's hand creams, they're very moisturising, quick soaking and doesn't leave hands feeling greasy at all. Leave my hands feeling soft and smooth.

What are your bedtime essentials?

Tanya Burr Lip Glosses

I realised that I haven't shown on the blog before the Tanya Burr lip glosses that I own. I featured a couple of times the shade Picnic in the park but recently I got other two shades: Chic and Sparkling Dewdrops.
The formula of these lip glosses is fantastic. They are creamy, pigmented and they don't feel sticky like other lip glosses so they're comfortable to wear. Plus they smell incredible. The brush is very nice too, it's soft and the gloss literally glides on. 

• Chic is a very pigmented nude. It's a beige pink colour, natural, perfect for everyday use.

• Sparkling Dewdrops is part of the newest range and is possibly my favourite shade. It's a sheer pink, so pretty, girlie and easy to wear.

• Picnic in the Park is a gorgeous corally-pink colour, very flattering on everyone and so nice during summer.

Have you tried any of Tanya Burr's lip glosses?

Nail of the week: Essie A-List

I can't believe I didn't buy this Essie nail colour earlier. It's such a pretty red!  A-List is a blue-toned red colour but still quite a neutral red so it will work on many skin tones. It's a truly apple red, classy,  that looks sophisticated and elegant on the nails. 

It goes on smooth and opaque. It applies smoothly without any streaking or bubbles. The formula is rich, creamy, easy to apply and resist chipping for quite a long time, I get about 5 days before it starts to chip. One thing that impressed me was how shiny it is, the finish is very glossy and juicy.

This could easily become one of my favorites reds. A winner!

What's your favourite classic red nail polish?

Top 5 January

The first of my monthly favourites is here!

The first month of the year has gone by already! Unbelievable. This month I have discovered some incredible products, here are the things I loved most in January.

Essie Buy me a Cameo nail polish. This is such a beautiful shimmery rose gold-champagne colour. Perfect for when you want more that a simple nude nail colour on your nails. Take a look here to see more about this.

Nyx Blush in Taupe is an amazing contour product for fair complexions. It does an excellent job contouring the cheekbones and the nose. The colour is a matte cool toned grayish brown that gives a more natural shadow to your face which is really flattering on pale skin. Highly recommend it and it's so inexpensive. I did a full review with my two favourites contour products here.

Zoeva brush number 109 Face Paint. It's a flat, square shape brush which is perfect for contouring. The shape of it makes it easy to contour the cheekbones, it gives a very professional sculpting. The bristles are very soft and it blends the product out smoothly.

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter.  This gives the most amazing glow to your face! it leaves such a beautiful glow/sheen to your face that lasts all day! I'm completely in love with it! Its a beautiful champagne colour, very pigmented but blends into the skin beautifully. The texture is creamy and smooth. This is the most amazing face highlighter I ever tried. I absolutely love it!

Rimmel Exagerate Lip Liner in Eastend Snob.  This nude-pink lip liner is the perfect shade for everyday. It's completely matte, creamy and so easy to apply.  It goes on smoothly and the shape of the applicator makes the application really easy.

Let me know what you've been loving this month too!