The Nude Look

I really like my face to look as natural as possible, that's why I'm probably not going to wear bright popping colors too much.I'm an eyeliner kind of girl for sure. The lips sometimes make the exception but other than that, I like to keep it natural and glowing.

So I figured I'd show you my favorite way to achieve it.

Step one would be picking a base. Now, that's a personal preference but I never wear foundation and if I wear anything, it's either tinted moisturizer or BB Cream. Since I'm slowly starting to get a bit of a tan, I'm also slowly starting to not use even those anymore. I just use a face oil or moisturizer.

On the eyes  I like to wear beige and copper tones, and a favorite is Catrice Oh it's Toffeeful. The other one I really like is still from Catrice and it's called Mr Copper's Fields. I haven't yet found another eyeshadow that tops it. Either the color isn't right or the shimmer is off. Either way, those two are clear winners for me.  Another thing I never go without is the Eyeko Fat Mascara,  that just gives the most luscious long lashes ever. Even just wearing the mascara alone makes your eyes look 10 times more gorgeous.

On the cheeks I like to use a bronzer or a highlighter,or both.The highlighter of choice is the MeMeMe Sunbeam which basically is the perfect dupe for the Benefit one. And then we have the CK Sun Dance Bronzing Powder which is the most natural looking bronzer I have found.

And for the lips  there's the full on nude option of Rimmel Apocalips in Nude Eclipse, which is just perfect for my skintone. It is that sexy retro look that when paired with a smokey eye is perfect for a night out too. For the more tame alternative there's the Max Factor Color Elixir Giant Pen in Mysterious Hazel. It's a very grown-up color, at least that's what it looks like on me, but it completes a nude look perfectly, giving that great little addition of color.

What's your usual look? More on the nude side or definitely more dramatic?  

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Catrice Made To Stay Eyeshadow in Copper & Gabbana

I remember seeing this in the store, not buying it, then changing my mind and making it get to me in the end. Have to say, I am very glad I did, because it really does its name justice. It is made to stay.

The Catrice Made To Stay eyeshadow will probably remind many of you of the Maybelline Color Tattoos. They are more or less of the same consistency and can be applied either with your finger, in which case you will get a bit of product but which will be super pigmented, or with a brush, in which case you can control the dosage and how much color you want. 

If I'm in a hurry I will admit to using my finger and I have never been unhappy with the result. 

My eyes don't look good with just any color,but the browns, coppers and blacks are the ones that keep them looking nice. This color is a bit on the orange side, but still beautifully metallic.

The question is, does it stay in place all day?

It does! And that, without any primer! If you add primer to the mix, you will get an unmovable color on your eyes. I was completely surprised the first time I tried it without a primer to see that after 8 hours of work, it was still going strong. Not even a crease!  It has actually even been tested at the gym and made it through incredibly well. 

This color would, I am sure, look so great on a tan or darker skin in general. And on fair skin, it gives a regal air. I find it to be quite the universally gorgeous color.

Have you ever tried this product? And are you a fan of these kinds of eyeshadows or would you rather stick to the classical pixiedust version?                     

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DIY Swatch Book

On Sunday I was looking around Pinterest and came across a picture where nail polish splashes were dropped on a page of a notebook, and it looked so great, that it made me think you could transform those into actual swatches. So I did.

You Will Need:

 - nail polishes of choice

- a notebook

- a black pen

Basically all there is to it is picking your polishes and smudging away in a somewhat organized manner on the pages of your notebook.Then label them. Actually, you could also use small labels if you have a label maker. Oh that would look so great!

 I picked some spring shades and only did one page for now but doesn't it look cute? And it's a bit of an OCD dream come true to be able to organize them so neatly in a notebook.

You can do it by color, by name, by brand, by anything you like.

I cannot wait to take some proper time and put all my polishes onto the pages of a notebook. And I also can't wait to put together lists, like spring colors, pastels, glitters, metallics... there's so many options!

So what do you think? Are you tempted to do this?

                     

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What's On My Face: The Minimalist

That would be me, for I am the minimalist.

I don't really like to wear a lot of things on my face because frankly, I can feel any layer and unless it's super light, I can't and won't deal with it. So here's what I usually put on le visage.

You will have already noticed the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation. And it's a serious foundation at that. You're probably thinking "doesn't this go against the keeping it light rule?". It normally would, but the only reason this foundation is here, is because when I feel and look like an exhausted badger, I need a bit more than my BB cream to keep me looking human, and that is why I mix exactly one drop of foundation into my Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream. They work just perfectly together and I get just a dab more of coverage which is essential on those days you'd rather just put cucumber slices on your eyes and vegetate.

Before I get to the BB cream and foundation, I use Argan Oil  as a base and let me tell you: it is perfect!

It's the organic good stuff that gives my skin the moisture it needs. Pair that up with the Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream and you're set.

For the actual makeup part, I use my trusty Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer that I've been using for years, my new favorite, the Benecos Natural Baked Blush  and finish off with my eyes.

For that, only two things are needed, the Catrice Gel Liner and Eyeko Fat Mascara for gorgeously natural looking, long lashes.

I have yet to find a better replacement for the gel liner, because quite frankly, it's awesome! 

What are your daily products?

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Pick Your Favorite Product To Review!

Last week I put up a post with some L'Occitane products that I was using but didn't know which one to write about first. So I asked you.
This week, I got some packages containing very pretty things that I want to show and tell you all about, but again, I prefer to ask which one you'd rather read about first.

                      
About the L'Occitane Dry Skin Hand Cream I already did a review HERE but I like their packaging so much, I really wanted it in the picture .
What else is on offer?
Moa Green Balm I have heard so much about and was dying to try.
Hema Eyeshadow Base that I discovered a while ago and finally got a refill.
Catrice Made To Stay cream eyeshadow. I'm in a copper/bronze phase and this color seemed pretty darn perfect.
Burt's Bees Lemon and Vitamin E Body Oil. You know me, oil lover extraordinaire. How could I have passed on the chance to try this?

So now it's all up to you, which one do you want to see reviewed first?

Which product do you want to see reviewed first?
	Moa Green Balm
	Hema Eyeshadow Base
	Catrice Made To Stay Eyeshadow
	Burt's Bees Body Oil
pollcode.com free polls

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Little Bit Obsessed With Purple Nail Polish?

One usually doesn't notice how many things one possesses until you round them up and they stare you in the face.             
Well until now, I was under the distinct impression that I had no proper purple/mauve/lilac/lavender polish. Then I decided to go check what I had in stock and this picture happened.

               
I truly did not expect to have this many and as I kept finding more and more purple polishes I kinda became a bit puzzled as to why I was sure I had none to begin with.
If I were to pick, I'd say my top 3 are the Catrice Heavy Metallilac , China Glaze Light as Air and the W7 Cosmic Mauve.
The Essence No More Drama has been a good one in its prime but that is the kind of polish that turns thick faster than you'd wish.
Rival de Loop No 22 is a bit too sheer on the other hand. I still don't know why I got it, but I vaguely remember buying it with the clear conviction I had no such color. I think we can all see I was experiencing temporary dementia.
The Kallos polish that once had a number I'm sure, but now only has some long lost traces of it, is one of my all time favorite colors. It just didn't make it in my top 3 because it is too old and has gone to the thick side, which means, it also takes quite a bit to dry. But I remember when it was young and fresh and sometimes only needed one coat to look beautiful.

I believe, we have all concluded that I do indeed have enough purple polishes. Will this stop me from purchasing even more? That would be a definite no.

Is there any color like this that you also just feel the need to buy because you can never get enough of it?






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Polish Days: Something New On My Nails

Polish Olympics are back! Also because last month, I completely forgot about it and ended up with ...nothing. And I had great glitter plans!

Well this time I even set a reminder, because I know there is no relying on my worm-term memory. The theme was to try something new out on your nails.
For a long time I had wanted to do the whole saran wrap manicure, but never got around to doing it, so this was the time to honor the Polish Days and try out the saran wrap technique.

I think it turned out pretty nice for a first attempt, but I realized you need to let the base polish dry much more.Another thing I really liked was the marble effect they have. It reminds me a bit of tiles and the other bit of those little glass marbles I used to play with when I was little.

Purple is a color I haven't used nearly enough, and especially this Catrice polish is quite the stunner. I will dedicate it an entire post soon because the color just gets more vibrant with every try.

Here's the polishes I used

The base is Catrice Heavy Metallilac and the top is China Glaze Light as Air, a shade that I've noticed many people swoon over.
I have a feeling that my spring will contain a lot of lilac and other purple shades.
It's starting to rival my mint obsession, I think.

I do hope you liked my saran wrap try and I'm curious what you think, did it turn out good?
Also, if you'd like a tutorial for it or have questions on how to do it,let me know!
And here we have the other ladies trying out very new things with their nais








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Favorite Products of 2012

Can you believe it's been another year already? While you're living it it feels long, of course, but when it comes to looking back it feels like it was just yesterday that I was on a train in Germany at -11C hoping to finally get home to that warm shower. I still get chills thinking of those temperatures, which just goes to prove how not so long ago it seems to have been.

Nevertheless, I will show you some things that have really impressed me this past year.    

                      
Vichy Eye Make-Up Remover is a recent discovery and you can read all my raving about it by clicking in the link.
Face Oils: both apricot and argan have been really good friends of mine this year.Starting to use face oils has really helped out my dry skin and if you want, you can read all about the amazing apricot oil HERE.
Rose Water: what a great thing this is! I use it as a toner and you'd be surprised how hydrating it is. I've also written all about it In This Post.
I love...Raspberry & Blackberry Hand Cream: so far, this is the only hand cream that I could feel, works.Normally you'd apply and reapply and still have dry hands, but with this you apply a couple of days and you're set for the week. And this is coming from a person working in an office with the most horrendously dry air.
L'occitane Almond Shower Oil: you would expect me to use oil in the shower also, wouldn't you? Well this one is the one! Smells incredible and is very friendly to my skin.

Make-up wise I also have, of course, a couple of great discoveries.

Eyeko Fat Brush Mascara: ever since I got it in June, I cannot stop raving about it. I also did a review when I first got it that you can find HERE
Rosebut Lip Salve and Dr Organic Rose Otto Lip Serum: are clear proof that I have a thing for roses. These two were included in my post about My Favorite Lip Balms and you will understand why after reading that. For the record, I've been using Rosebud since 2011 and still find it amazing.
Benecos Baked Blush: was the biggest surprise! I had gotten it and a beauty bloggers event but didn't want to use it because the color seemed too dark for me. Very mistaken I was! It is the perfect color with the perfect shimmer, because I do like my shimmers a lot.
Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer: still my favorite concealer. The texture is ideal for me, and so it the "match perfection" that it does. I've reviewed it Right Here back in the day.
Catrice Gel Eyeliner: has been a huge surprise, because I didn't expect such a great product for so little money. I wanted to try a gel liner and this was the only one I could find. Safe to say, we have never been apart since. The full post about it is HERE.
MeMeMe Beat The Blues Highlighter: I wanted Benefit's SunBeam for the longest time and when I finally went to get it, I discovered it was much too orange for me. And then I discovered this one. Match made in heaven! You can see the swatches and the full review in The Post I Wrote About It.
MUA Lipsticks: biggest surprise of the year! Who knew they had such nice lipsticks! It's about lipsticks in general, but if you want to see my favorite, then you can check out my post from earlier this week about the MUA LipBoom in Ok.com.


And last but not least, nail polishes

China Glaze: this was the year of me finally getting my hands on China Glaze polishes and I am extremely happy about that, because they turned out to be my favorite brand. The formula is unbeatable and so is the brush. The one you see here is Surfin' For Boys and it was the neon I had been looking for a long time! If you click on the link you will also see the swatches and you might agree that it's a gorgeous thing. As a matter of fact, I just wore it two days ago.
Barry M Aqua Glitter: I have a glitter obsession but this is beyond anything. First of all, it's a gorgeous polish that has incredible coverage for being just glitter AND it is so easy to remove! I sometimes don't feel like using glitter because I know what it means to remove it, but this one goes off like any other polish.
HERE is what it looks like on my nails.
Essie Bobbing For Baubles: the most craved color of the year. When I first saw it I had to have it, and it took a while before finding, ordering and finally getting it, but oh was it worth it! It's a color that works with anything. It's cool, it's classic, it's anything you like. On top of that, I think it is the most unique color I have seen. Try to give it a name, I dare you.
HERE it is, in all of its shiny glory.


So those were my favorites, what about you, what have some of your favorites been? Feel free to link me in your comment if you have a similar post up!





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Monday Blues: Color Block Nails

I think last week I rediscovered gradient nails/ sponging  so the whole week I was thinking what would go with what and then I saw one of my favorite dark grey polishes and thought a blue would work quite well on the tips.
For the record, this has got to be the most frustrating polish I have photographed. You might remember the previous struggles I had with a Rimmel polish that you can see Here and will notice it just didn't wanna come out its actual color.
Well, one more Rimmel, same joy. 
The polish is much more on the greener side of things. Here it looks like blue, but it really is more of a turquoise. As much as I tried to edit and re-edit, I couldn't get the color right so I just let it be.

The uncollaborative participant was Rimmel 60 Seconds Sky High and its very appropriately named partner, Catrice London's Weather Forecast                       

The good news is, here we have some more ladies whose blue polishes hopefully photographed well

Gosia from Life in Color!

Mihaela from Lacquerbuzz

Marisa from Polish Obsession

AND Mandy is back this week too!
Mandy from Chameleon Stampede
                           




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Guess the Nail Polish!

Chanel Peridot has got to be one of the most copied nail polishes out there.
I knew of about 5 dupes, but once I Googled, 5 more appeared (at least!).

That's why I thought it would be fun to see if you can guess the dupe. Or is it really the original I'm showing you?

I'm going to give you 4 options that I listed in alphabetical order, so don't think I put each of them there because one is more closer to the truth.
The four options will be nail polish names that are all similar to Chanel Peridot, and the Chanel polish itself, and I will ask of you: Which nail polish do you think I'm wearing?

Here's a close-up of my nails so you can study it a bit better. It has to be said, this picture is taken in artificial light.
I find it to be a fascinating color as you can't really define it, but it goes right into my Favorite Metallics collection that I will be showing you really soon. You can see how it goes from green, to gold and copper . Really a huge range of metallic reflexes!

 But the Question remains:
Which nail polish do you think I'm wearing?

Cast your vote right here:
 

Which Nail Polish am I wearing in the picture above?
	Catrice Genius in a Bottle
	Chanel Peridot
	China Glaze Rare and Radiant
	OPI Just Spotted a Lizzard
pollcode.com free polls

I'm going to let this poll run for most of next week and will give you the answer after that in a post, so keep an eye out for it if you're curious what nail polish this is.

I for one am very curious to see what you think so Vote Vote Vote!




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Catrice Allround Concealer

While I was in the drugstore being pleasantly surprised that I found This Lovely Cream Blush , I also spotted a concealer palette from Catrice. I liked that there were a number of options in that palette for what seem to be all your concealing needs.

It comes with green,pink and three beige tones.

The Beige covers imperfections
The Pink conceals dark circles
The Green neutralises redness

I don't have much use for the green, but I figured I'd give good ol' pink a try

 The bad thing is that it doesn't come with a brush or applicator of any sort, but I used a small,flat make-up brush to apply it and it worked perfectly.

To my surprise, the pink did a great job in covering dark circles. I wore it all day and even by the end of it, there was much less darkness in sight than usual.
Of course, you can't just use the pink, because you will look like you might have a highly contagious disease (although for Halloween it works just fine). I combined it with the lightest of beiges, the one closest to you in this picture.

They combined very well and I really liked how long it lasted. It is a more dry product that I'm used to from my concealer of choice, which is THIS One . The concealer I use is more creamy and more liquid, thus much more natural looking on the skin, this one is matte and dry so it has a tendency of looking a bit flakey if you haven't moisturized before applying it.

One more thing that's on the minus side, is the time it takes to apply it.
Because you need to combine it, and apply each color, it takes a bit more til you're done.Unlike the Rimmel Match Perfection , but I'd dare to say it has even better coverage than that one, because in the end you will be left with a custom made color that probably matches your skin tone better than any prefabricated shade.

Here's how my eyes looked before and after.

All in all

I was quite surprised by it to be honest. Especially for 3.99€ ! 
It covered well, and I'm a fan of making your own shade, which is very possible here. 
Also, I think the pink really works well and the fact that you can just slap on as much as you need is a plus point.
Sure, it's dry and takes a bit more to put on that I'm used to, but if I run out of concealer this is definitely one I will turn to gladly!


Have you ever tried something like this? And what is your favorite concealer?






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Catrice Gel Eyeliner

If you've been reading this blog, you might have noticed this gel eyeliner making an appearance pretty often.
The latest was in my September Favorites and in the post about Picking the Right Eyeliner.

Well,with that much swooning, I figured it deserved a post of its own.

This is one of my must have products.
I'm an eyeliner girl to begin with, I find that it can save the day and give you an instant boost of gorgeous. Simple yet very effective.

The great things about gel eyeliner are:

• it gives you the most incredible dark black you will ever want.
• it truly stays in place. Once its on, that's where it will stay. I've never had issues with this kind of eyeliner smudging or running in any way.
  To be honest, not even in rain or after watery eyes did it start leaking.
• for me,it's the easiest to apply. You can use an angled brush like me, or any other type of brush you think will make it easiest for you to apply. Unlike other liners, you don't get a default lining tool so you have the complete freedom of choice.
  I find an angled brush to work best for me because I like the classic cat eye look and the angle of the brush helps you achieve that easiest. 

I really would recommend this product to you, especially because it doesn't dry out. This one from Catrice in any case. I still have a pot that I haven't finished from last year. Talk about long lasting products!
But I decided to replace it simply because I stuck that brush in it probably one too many times and like all things that go around your eyes, you need to be extra careful with bacteria that might gather.
But even the pot that's a year old is still in top condition. Hasn't dried at all! That's why I really like gels!

Also, ALWAYS make sure you have a clean brush when using these kinds of eyeliners. Trust me, you wouldn't want your eyes to start feeling uncomfortable.

All in All:
This is the product I'm most likely to recommend to people. This and Fiber Mascara.





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My Top Autumn Nail Polishes & Swatches

I've decided to do a little top 5 of my most worn autumn nail polishes.

Well because 5 would have looked uneven, guess what I did? I made a Top 6.
OCD? Nah, just more polishes to show!

Let us begin, shall we?

 

I will take each row, left to right.

First up,we have Essie Bobbing For Baubles. Such a unique color! 

I did a whole post about it that you can read and especially look at HERE

Next, there's Mi-Ny in Forever Young . I've been looking for a good dark red for quite a while now and I think I can say This is it! 

You might remember seeing it in the tutorial for The Super Easy Autumn Nails I did.

Then some Catrice. Left there's In the Bronx , a gorgeous shimmering gold bronze color! 

I also used it in the latest tutorial that involved super autumny crunchy nails and that you can find Right HERE.

And on the right, one of my latest, called After Eight.  

For some reason I was sure it was blue when I got it. Might have been the light in the store but  can say I regret nothing! Such a beautiful dark green color! Makes me think of mature nature and autumn.

And of course,we had to have a nude. This one from Farmasi is, I think, as nude as it gets. I mean, it almost looks like I have flesh colored nails but I really like it. Sadly, these polishes come with no name and apparently the number of this one got lost somewhere too. Truth is, I've owned this polish for a bit over 2 years now I think, so I'm not even sure it's available anymore, but each autumn, it makes an appearence.

Last but not least: My Self Made Polish.

What a proud polish maker momma I am! It's the kind of color that combines everything I like. The unique color and the gorgeous shimmer to go along. The name is still being created but I think it will be called something with "Midnight". You can see the process of making it HERE and some more swatches in a post I did a bit later, Right HERE

What do you think? Liking my colors? What are yours?

If you're curious, this was the TOP 5 Metallic polishes I did last month being sure they'd be my Top Autumn polishes too.

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September Favorites!

It's that time again!

I know, it took me long enough to post this, didn't it?
Well here we go, my favorite things from the past month.

You'll see some good ol' friends and some new faces.
And since we're speaking of faces, let's start with that.

Favorites for my Face

As you might have noticed, I don't plaster my face with much, but these two are very very handy together.
The MeMeMe Sunbeam still holds its spot as favorite illuminator and you can read my review about it HERE

The Tinted Moisturizer from Florex I've also recently introduced to you in This Post and it will stay with me until the sun starts shining very brightly again.

Let's move on to The Eyes, shall we?

I'm very much a sucker for Gel Eyeliner and this one from Catrice is still my favorite. If you haven't tried it yet, want to, or don't know what kind of liner can work best for you, I suggest you check out my post about Picking Eyeliners.

Eyeko Fat Brush once more! I think you know by now I really like this mascara, but in case you don't, let me direct you to the post where you can find out why I like it so much. It's Right HERE.

Let's not forget the eyelash curler.This brilliant invention makes any lashes look 10 times better! I can't imagine not using it every single day.

And last,but not least: Nails!

Such awesome autumn colors,both of them!
The first one is Essie Bobbing for Baubles and you can see what it looks like on my nails HERE.
What a unique color it is! I'm really glad I found and got it.

The second one is Catrice After Eight and if you have a bit of patience, by next week, you will be able to see how it looks on my nails also, because the post about my Top Autumn Polishes is coming up and this one is in it.


How about you, what have your September Favorites been?


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Monday Blues: Black and Blue Glitter Tips

By the time you'll read this...I'll be a work.

Been having a bit of a sorta flu this week-end so I was more in the mood for black than blue, which should also explain my manicure.
This is Monday blues after all, so I just added some sparkly blue.

This glitter is hands down my favorite one and it confirmed once more how easy it is to take it off, a very strange fact for a glitter!
I swooned about it on a previous Monday Blues post that you can find HERE and I can tell you it's 100% pure glitter goodness!

I actually like the contrast of the black and the blue a lot!
It probably will take the number 2 spot in my favorite list after black and gold.

The black I used, Catrice Back to Black  also has a great almost blue shimmer in it that works really well with the Barry M Aqua Glitter. 

Sure, not the cheeriest mani, but then again Monday isn't the cheeriest day either and I'm still under flu influence so I'm not the cheeriest either. But the glitter is a great pick-me-up!

With that being said, I wish to direct you to the other lovely ladies who went all blue today

Gosia from Life in Color!

Mihaela from Lacquerbuzz

Marisa from Polish Obsession



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