My beauty attempts

Mirror mirror tell me who...

2011-02-17T20:17:00.001+01:00

... is the most beautiful girl in the world? Hello, anonymous visitor on my poor left-alone English blog but you know same old song I have been crazingly busy over the past months it explains this awesome no man's land :p. But I went home tonight feeling blue and willing to write to you my own version of a web 2.0 tale and sadly not the fairy kind of tale. I am a huge fan of beauty blogs (I indeed own an other one written in French because it is way easier for me :) ) and to me, English ones are the best. They taste a lil exotic to me but still understandable which is the main objective in the end ^^. So here it goes, my tonight tale will deal with one of my favorite blog and its owner the princess T. (no Snow White for tonight).

Once upon a time, far far away from where I currently am, was born the gorgeous princess T. She had everything : beauty, brain, money and perhaps the nicest soul on Earth but for some crazy people all these were sins. Too perfect, too smooth in their way too good to be true.
But our gorgeous princess did not know how much jealousy can torn apart souls so she decided to start blogging a couple of years ago for fun perharps and, of course, ended up taking down everything because of these vilains a few days ago. These evil-minded ones did not seem to understand how it was possible that such a perfect creature with her supposed pink and glittery life could be touched by someone's else destiny. For them, she might be stupid or just vain to keep talking about makeup after what happened to someone she was supposed to love!

After hearing that, the only thing that comes to my mind is that human beings are definitely not the ultimate stage of evolution. At least I hope not! How can people safely hidden behind their computer screen be so mean and gratuitously nasty to someone else they hardly know. Who know what her seemingly perfect life really is and if it is in the end why do not be delighted with it instead? Maybe make up and beauty ramblings helped her dealing with her feelings and her distress.

I can not stand people acting like that especially with someone like princess T. who gave away true pieces of herself talking and writing down about how sensitive and emotional she is. What I hope now is that it is just a break, a lil goodbye and not an adieu. I will really miss her freshness and the good vibes that spread from a blog post.

Take care princess T. and hope to see you aroud really soon.

See ya :)

Long time no see...

2010-12-04T22:17:00.002+01:00

I know I have not posted anything here for a very long time but guess what I have been busy yeah I know easy one... But that is so true :)
My life has gone from bad to good, then worst and finally over crazy good at the end of November. You may know that I had a short fixed term contract and that it was my first real job experience despite my advanced age. I am that exact kind of girl who did long studies believing it will bring her a dreamt job and it did quite well in the end. But trust me I was not so sure of my choice about a year ago when I was still unemployed.

So here I am now at the beginning of December with a brand new long term job contract which allow me to plan things for my future like buying a flat, going on vacations far away and so on :)). But enough ramblings about my newborn life ^^ onto makeup and skincare.

Why do I start posting here again? Because I am also the kind of girls who take big (unbearable) resolutions each time she experiences a life change and I want to share some of my new "fully grown up" bites of life with you, my fellow readers who may come back here seeing a new post :p. That being said, signing my new contract may have been the worst week in my credit card's life. I indulge myself with so many treats I am nearly ashamed of myself (nearly). So be prepared to see all what I buy. They will be a Zuneta order, a Mario Badescu haul, some Stila and a very strange soap, some other skincare (nothing I am really used to so be prepared for review). I know I won't post on a daily basis here but I will try to do it weekly (finger cross I will try not to break this promise). So please stay tuned there will be one next week on Zuneta (I get it today and so far I am impressed with what I got).

See ya :)

PS: I think I will do a summary of my week posts (the ones of my French blog) with the most important pieces of information (if there are some after all it is just beauty).

My dreamt dress

2010-07-03T19:38:00.004+02:00

Hello there! No I am not dead but my current work keeps me kind of busy so no time for regular updates on my English blog :s. They will be ten times more mistakes (if it was possible...) in this post than in the previous ones as I lack some practise in English but please bare with me.

You may already know that I live in Paris in a really wealthy district so they are a lot of cloth designer shops around my place. And this afternoon, sneaking around for some interesting sales (yeah it is summer sale time here), I discovered a brand new shop from a Spanish designer I have never heard about : Sonia Peña. I am totally out when it comes to fashion and clothes in general, maybe she is famous but it is not a big deal for me.

Anyway, the shop was fully packed with amazing cocktail and nightime dresses and as wedding season is up for me I thought why not have a closest look. Yeah I am aging (sigh!) and all my closest friends are getting married this summer or next one.

I have to say the dresses are fantastic! I was a bit scared to look like a big fat cow trying to fit in something too skiny for her but it ends up looking OK I think (I hope?).
The sale assistant who took care of me insisted that I tried a "mermaid" dress as I like to call them (a sheath dress I think is the real name) because it would emphasize my best curves and hide the "barely there" ones (so to say my big booty and my missing boobs).

The fabric is really heavy (which means high quality for me), the design quality is stunning and the cut is perfect. They were hundreds of underlayers in there but the outcome was impressive. Not because I was in there but because it makes me look right, well-shaped and over-glamourous :).

Here is the pic of the one I tried even if mine was fuschia without the fluffy belt (as I stay away from black for wedding)

So what you think? Wearable for a classy wedding or not? It is pretty pricey yeah (600€ I think) but the quality is there! Maybe it will be a lil cheaper soon with the sales? I have to check with a guy friend what he thinks about me wearing this (men are rude but good advisors for wedding :) )

See ya :)

PS: I am not raving about the way I look, trust me there is absolutely nothing to rave about but if you want to give yourself a special treat with an amazing dress you'd better have a look to this Spanish designer :p

The little mermaid?

2010-05-30T21:36:00.004+02:00

Long time no see! I am sorry but the past weeks have been kind of busy as I found a new job. Yeah thumbs up! I will start next Tuesday, yes the day after tomorrow and I am pretty excited as it fits exactly what I was hunting. Hope my new colleagues will be nice to me!

Anyway, I am dead sick since this morning and I am not so sure I will be much better on Tuesday's morning but I do not really care. I will be working again after the longest 8 unemployed months of my life. There is no word to describe how happy I am.

But enough babbling onto makeup. I have to confess I have been pretty lazy and into low maintenance for the past weeks but of course I have an excuse. First I hardly leave my place, I am a recluse :p. And secondly, my skin has been freaking out like never :s. I am really upset and I am sure my bad mood does not help the healing process. I blame the huge temperature steps for the past month, from freezing cold to boiling hot, to be responsible for this mess.

In order to cheer me up I came out with a lagoon inspired makeup that reminds me the colours of the Litttle Mermaid's cartoon. I forgot to do swatches but the colours are not that unique so I hope the description will be enough.

(sorry for the hair showing up but I was in a "natural wavy hair" day :p)

On a green turquoise base like the Turquoise gel liner from CS,
- the bare liner on the inner third
- on the outer third a deep blue-green teal colour like Birds&Berries from MAC (2010, collection Give me Liberty)
- on the middle third, a light metallic turquoise, ME600 from Shu Uemura
- to blend the colours towards the browbone, hydropowder eyeshadow H9 Glistening sand from Shiseido (light gold)
- same colours along the lower lashline
- in the lower waterline, blue turquoise gel liner, fluidline Blue Peep from MAC
- along the upper lashline, dark blue gel liner, CS gel liner Deep Blue
- mascara (Volume Collagene Waterproof from l'Oreal crap!)

Full face pics rocking my summer waves :p :

For the base: camouflage cream palette MUFE + Unifiance Skin like foundation 01 from La Roche Posay (discontinued) + Météorites pearl powder in 01.
For the dark circles : Select Cover up from MAC NW 20 + Powderflage from Benefit
For the cheeks : Terracotta 00 make up artist from Guerlain (hollow and lightly everywhere) + + Embelliseur Abricot from Agnes B (on the apples) + Lustre Drops Sun Rush from MAC (limited edition, highlight)
On the lips: Rouge B Corail Soleil from Agnès B (light coral with a metallic golden sheen )

And you're done! Fun and summery ^^

A light and wearable summer look for me. So sorry about the way my skin looks. Hell, it is really disgusting but I do not want to fall into photoshopping. For me beauty blogging is pointless if you start to cheat on your own pics more than luminosity and contrast. That's my personal opinion :).

See ya :)

Bright lining!

2010-05-05T07:00:00.002+02:00

Last FOTD I promised to do an other look with the UD Alice in Wonderland BOS but I was in a pigment mood so it was pigments :p. Morevover, it would let me talk about a mineral brand I really like : Archetype Cosmetics.
I ordered only twice from them and each time I splurge on e/s samples as they just cost 25 cents. Yes you read it well! To be 100% honest, the site is horrible to navigate and the shipping delays were really bad (about 8 weeks or so) but it is not the case anymore. I get my last order in about 2 weeks which is normal with the unefficient French postal service!
If you click on the website link you will notice that everything is purple and black so the goth inspiration is not hidden and the eyeshadow range reflects it so well. Everything to perform striking and gorgeous eye makeup :p.
For my makeup I used : Beetle Wings (grey-taupe colour with green flecks), Chubby Skeleton (purple-burgundy with red-pink highlights) & Corpse Candle (gorgeous teal blue with glitters). It turns out like that :

Yes only one pic as I was still fighting with my swollen finger at that time.
- on the whole lide : Beetle Wing applied foiled
- in the outer V blended inwards : Chubby Skeleton
- as a liner on the lower (smudged) and the upper lashline : Corpse Candle applied foiled on top of a turquoise pencil (fluidline Blue Peep from MAC gorgeous)
- on the bottom lashline : inner, Beetle Wing & outer, Chubby Skeleton
- as a highlighter, 10 Californian Blonde from Sephora
- mascara (Volume Shocking Brosse Exacte from l'Oreal which is not so fresh looking anymore)

On daylight it looks soft and subtle in my opinion:

(too much light for the second pic :p)

For the base: camouflage cream palette MUFE + Unifiance Skin like foundation 01 from La Roche Posay (discontinued) with a single drop of Lustre Drops Pink Rebel from MAC (limited edition) + Météorites pearl powder in 01.
For the dark circles : Select Cover up from MAC NW 20 + Powderflage from Benefit
For the cheeks : Fresh bloom allover colour Almond Blossom 03 from Clinique (hollow) + + Embelliseur Abricot from Agnes B & Blush MAC Fun & Games (on the apples) + Mineralize Skinfinish Soft and Gentle from MAC (limited edition, highlight)
On the lips: a random lipbalm. A no lipstick day for me :)

Do you wear bright glittery eyeliner? I think it brings back to life soft smokey eyes in springtime and makes them more wearable for daytime!

See ya :)

My e/s disappointments...

2010-05-04T15:40:00.000+02:00

Does it happen to you too from time to time? I read so much about both the e/s I will talk about underneath that I was sure to love them but it fails. They wera one of my last mini haul and I am really disappointed.

I was lurking in Sephora with a sale coupon and thought about getting new shimmery highlighter for my brow bone. To me this little trick is the best invention since sliced bread as it lifts your eyes and also helps to hide lil tweezing imperfections when you suffer llike I do from bushy brows. Anyway, I do own Highlight from NYw, which is a pale mat yellow often compared to MAC Vanilla (and of course nothing alike) but I like it a lot. It matches pretty well my skin and brings some light. So my quest ws two new shimmery golden higlighters one with warm reflects ans one with cold ones.

Underneath the two I choose :

- Nanogold from MAC (repromoted with onhe Color Forecast collection): light gold with pink reflects (on the left)
- nd one of the new Sephora Colorful Mono n°10 Californian Blonde : light golden-white with silvery reflects (on the right).

Both are really so-so not to say worth but not for the same reason.

The Nanongold does not show up at all my skin!!! And I am so pale it is a pity. I have to layer it hundreds times and it shows up pink not gold at all. The texture is really hard to work with I am happy that I bought it for highlighting purpose and not as a lid colour :s.
For the Californian Blonde, the colour is really pretty more frosty than shimmery but I like it a lot. So what's wrong about it? The texture!!! OMG, when I went back home I decided to swatch it with my finger and the shadow is rough and bumpy to the touch. Urgh :(! Like if it has had an allergic reaction or a huge acne breakouts :p. It really annoys me. And I am really surprised not to have read anything about this point before (maybe it is just mine whoch suffers from this strange disease :p).

Quite a huge disappointment really happy not to have splurging on for more and not to have paid fulll price for them. I hate throwing money out of windows so I will use them but I am used to better than this (and considering one of this shadow is from MAC, argh!)

Do you tried one of them? Do you like them? Anyone who gives a go to the new metallic Sephora Mono maybe?

See ya :)

Hay fever and other spring-time allergies

2010-05-03T08:05:00.000+02:00

Spring is here and that is great! But for many of us, including me, spring rhymes with hay fever and bad allergies. So this morning I thought that sharing with you some of my tips and tricks to make me feel better in this situation could be cool :p

What may happen? If you are lucky, your nose will just run a lil and your throat will itch. In that case, it is fine and you can survive with low concentrated anti-histamines

But in my case it can sadly go a step further... If you have strong symptoms, you have of course to go see a specialist. I am not anything close to a doctor keep that in mind... Anyway, here are some tips I used on myself when I went through a not too intense crisis :

Red, watery and itchy eyes? First you put your make up and your contact lenses apart. Above all, you do not switch for waterproof because it is even harder to remoce and your eyes are enough irritated. Same things apply to contacts, they are by nature irritant, and I've never heard about anyone who dies because of glasses' wear.
Then you have to "invest" (not much, do not freak out) on 2-3 products which will help you getting better. In order of appearance:
- eyedrops for irritation (like Dacryoserum which is a free over-the-counter medecine) you have to instil in your eyes.
- 2 soaked cotton pads with cornflower water to do eye compresses for your itching eyes at night
- and finally a repairing eye cream (SVR palpebral is meant to be used for this purpose).
And that's it.
Once your irritations have soothed, you keep rincing your eyes for 2-3 more days with physiological saline (you can find it in drugstores in the babycare alley). Then you can go back to make and contacts! Yeah...One last point you may not use highly active eyecream like anti-aging ones as they can further irritate this area

Eczema or tiny little red bumps on your face? First you forget your traditional routine and switch to something ultra mild for your skin.Same thing has above it won't cost you an arm :
- a solid soap-free cleanser (the Dove cream beauty bar or the green Aderma one are great)
- a soft cleaning water if you can not stand not putting face makeup (Créaline H2O fromBioderma)
- a source water or thermal water spray
- a soothing and healing cream from irritated skin
You soak a cotton pad with cleaning water and you clean your face. Then you wash with your soap free cleaner and pat dry (do not rub you skin!). Then you gently spray some water and remove excess with a tissue. Put some cream on the itching areas. My favourites contains zinc and copper which are known for their healing properties (Dermalibour and Cu-ZN cream from Uriage are great)
The main drawback of both these cream are their heavy consistency which leaves the skin greasy so putting makeup on is too hard but you have to choose what you want :p
That is it for my tricks, on me everything is gone in 2 to 3 days with anti-histamines as a co-agent.

If you suffer from cosmetic allergy, the second routine for face reaction works real good! You can apply a thicker overall layer of cream at night time and sleep in it. Next morning your skin will look so much better. I tested and approved it after a disastrous trial of the Iris Weleda face mask :p

See ya :)

Advanced night repair eye recovery complex from Estee Lauder

2010-05-02T15:51:00.007+02:00

Quite a long time since my last post but guess what I am busy doing nothing. I even shut down this blog but a dear friend of mine sounded a lil sad about it so here I am back :p. I will try to catch up with my French blog posts and I am hugely late :)
So here is a review I made a while ago on an other eyecream. You may know by now how much I am addicted to these little creams. I think it is my favorite/most-wanted skincare piece right after spot treatment for stupid skin like mine. Anyway enough rambling, here we go!

What do I think about it? The packaging is the classical one you can expect from Estée Lauder, kind of plain glass pot with golden lettering. The cream texture is very ice, something inbetween a thin cream and a gel, but it comes in a pot which means you have to pour your fingers in unless you have a sparing spatula. From a company as pricey as Estée Lauder, providing the spatula would be nice I think :s. It sinks straight into the skin without any rubbing action which is great and leaves the skin smooth. I can not talk about make-up affinity as I used it at night time only but nothing weird happens to my eyes during this trial :p. No obvious smell and you need the tiniest amount to do the job as wiht most eyecreams.

Does it work? Neither better nor worse than all the stuffes I tried before. For the anti-wrinkle parameter, I can not say as I am wrinkle free for now. It helps a little with dehydration but not at all with dark circles.
Yes, it does provide hydration but nothing over the top in my opinion. My undereye area still feels over dehydrated the next morning. Neverthless, it is sweet to use apart from the non hygenical packaging and leaves a nice fresh feeling before crawling in the bed ^^. Apart from that, nothing to jump around about for something that expensive. But I have to reckon I am not the main targeted user :p.

Do I recommend it? Not really to be a 100% honest. I do not see why it is so expensice

Prix: 49€ for 15ml Estée Lauder France website. Also avalaible at Sephora

PS: I got it in a Christmas kit along with a cream, a serum and a face wash. It is still not empty and I used it for about 2 months so a little goes a long way but all in all, it is still not my long searched fr HG :)
PS bis: I just read you are supposed to use it morning and night!!! Crazy for something called night repair, doesn't it? Anyway it may explain my poor results. I should have checked that before. Maybe using it twice a day will perform better ^^

April's skincare routine : Clinique

2010-04-10T00:00:00.000+02:00

You may not even remember but I asked you which skincare line you would be interested to see reviewed here. My French poll attracted way more people and Clinique was the winner.
I so had to desing a new face routine using mainly Clinique stuffes and see how my skin reacts to it for about a month. I tried my best without splurging extra money on new stuffes I do not really need. As you will see I kept my beloved sunscreen as my day moisturizer as I really like it :p.

Morning : - Mild liquid facial soap from Clinique
- Clarifying lotion 2 from Clinique
- Dramatically different moisturizing lotion from Clinique
- All about eye rich from Clinique
- Cleanance SPF 30 from Avène mixed with the mositurizing base SPF 15 from Stila

Evening :
- Créaline H2O from Bioderma for the eyes and cheeks
- Sebactiv cleansing water from Roger Gallet for my oilier T-zone
- Dove Soft peeling cream beauty bar if heavy face makeup to remove last bits of make up
- Mild solid facial soap from Clinique
- Clarifying lotion 2 from Clinique
- Dramatically different moisturizing lotion from Clinique
- All about eye rich from Clinique
- Moisture Surge de Clinique

Masks :
- Purifying (every other day) : Atlas Moutain Clay Mask from Zakia's Morocco (= ghassoul) (online review already made) or Volcanic Ash Thermal Mask from MAC
- Moisturizing/nourishing (x1/week) : Argan oil from Zakia's Morocca or Nivea cream (yep the blue tin one) under a coton sheet mask from MUJI moisten with eye safe toner or floral water

Extra treatments:
- for spots: Lanvender vinegar from l'Occitane
- for shine control: T-zone shine control de Clinique (Pore Minimizer range)
- microdermabrasion (x1/semaine, on sundays) : Powerbrasion kit from Skin Doctors
- scrub (x1-2/week at night time) : Akno Natura from les Laboratoires Mascareignes

I will keep you updated with how the things go but for now it is fine. I try to use the less active other stuffes I know not to twist the results. You can not imagine how painful it was to leave my beloved Shu Uemura cleansing oil below my bathroon sink :))
If you want some extra information on the stuffes I used (except the Clinique ones I will thoroughly review at the end of the month) leave a comment!

See ya :)

So sorry...

2010-04-09T20:57:00.008+02:00

I am truly and deeply sorry for the lack of updates. I do not know how I manage to get so busy being currently unemployed but well at last I find enough time to feed my French readers with my useless rambling.
Anyway I think I would not be able to update this blog as often as I used to but I did not want to close it so I will post for sure on a weekly basis. So please bare with me ^^!

Next is my last FOTD I was supposed to publish last Saturday :))

I did this look using the Alice in Wonderland BOS but it can be duplicate on purpose with the BOS vol.II. I am not very happy with the whole application and my poor looking face with just a bit of bronzer and concealer but I have a hard time with my right hand which is of course the one I use to make myself up. My middle finger has been swollen for about 2 weeks and it does not get better. My chemist told me it could be arthrosis as I broke my fingers several times when I was younger. Hope it is not that :s. Anyway it is not really painful, just bad looking and annoying as I can not bend my finger as I used to. But enough about me and my falling apart body, onto the makeup! First the eyes :
It is mainly neutral shades with a twist, a bright green underliner to be springish :))). So on top of a thin layer of Primer Potion I applied :
- on the whole eyelid : Mushroom (same name in permanent line)
- as an outer V blended inwards : Mad Hatter (Twice Baked)
- in the inner corner and to blend towards the browbone : Midnight Tea Party (Midnight Cowboy Rides Again). Be careful, glitter party time with this one ^^
- along the upper lashline not too extended outwards: brown liner (Coastal Scent gel liner Truffle)
- on the outer half lower lashline , a deep green liner (liner fluidline Shade from MAC)
- to blend this liner and to line the full lower lashline : Absolem (Homegrown)
- in the lower waterline, a lime green pencil (NYX Eye/Eyebrow pencil 927 Acid Green)

Some full face pics. Do not mind my hairs it was rainy and humidity makes my hair going frizzy fuzzy crazy. As I said, no foundation (too tricky to apply with my mad hand) and artificial light pics with flash as the sun had been kidnapped.

For the base: Absolutely invisible pressed powder from Too Faced and what was left from the bronzer after I had done my cheeks, my nose and my forehead.
For the dark circles & imperfections : Select Cover up from MAC NW 20 + Powderflage from Benefit (only on dark circles)
For the cheeks : Embelliseur abricot from Agnes Bresh on the apples + bronzer Snow Bunny from Too Faced (gorgeous but really really shimmery not the best choice for oilier skin type)
On the lips: Rouge B Corail Irisé from Agnès B (sorry I did not find the English match)

The next make up I plan to do with this palette will be duplicable with the Ammo palette in the permanent line. And I think I will be done with this one as it has been seen everywhere so many times that you may get bored ^^

Cleanance SPF 30 from Avene

2010-03-28T13:27:00.004+02:00

Tuesday I wrote a post on how to care about your skin when sun is back. So I think that intorducing you my all time favorite sunscreen is perhaps a good idea. This is purely a sunscreen and not a moisturizer with an added SPF but its moisturizing properties are enough for summer. If not I add some random oil drops and I am good to go. Underneath the reasons why I am so convinced about it.

What do I think about it? First of the packaging is awesome. Do not take me wrong I am not a huge fan of cheapy ornage plastic but it comes with a pump that delivers the perfect amount of product to be applied on your face.
The consistency is perhaps a little too runny but it smells great which is surprising for a sunscreen. It has a high SPF and it is waterproof, sweatproff, hypoallergenic and non comedogenic!! I confirm it does not break me out. This particular one is designed for sensitive skin like all the Avene range but more specifically for acne prone skin. It can be used by everybody anyway without trouble. It is just a lil litter on the skin than traditional sunscreens.

Does it work? Yes of course, tried past summer, huge success for me so I repurchase this year. And it is so rare I buy twice the same product! I really enjoy the pump which keep the cream free of germs especially on the beach where sand tries to sneak in everywhere. I use it on a daily basis (to fight premature aging caused by UVA), even in town when sun is shining, it does not feel heavy (a lil heavier than lightweight moisturizers anyway), it does not make me shine like a disco ball, it does not slip into the eyes (great for contact wearers) and you can put make up on without getting funny stripes. You just have to wait 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile brush your teeth :p.
It mixes well with everything I tried, foundation primer and minerals to create your own tinted moisturizer if you are a mineral addict.

Do I recommend it? Yes. You can find many dupes for this sunscreen in France in drugstores and chemists. I like Eucerin and Uriage (Hyséac) ones too.

Price: less than 10€ in a random drugstore where I am :p

If you have a favorite SPF product let me know. And if you have a favorite fake tanner pop it in the comment section I may give tanners a go this year.

Last word : PROTECT YOUR SKIN! It is your biggest organ and the one that is the most exposed to environmental damages.

See ya :)

Alice in Wonderland - Urban Decay - first trial

2010-03-27T22:11:00.005+01:00

Hi there! So sorry for the lack of updates but my French blog is taking me more and more time as it seems to attract a little more people everyday. I do not complain, I am really happy about that and it keeps me busy during my long seeking-for-a-job day. Enough rambling, straight to the post of the day.
I bought the Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows (BOS) last week and have not used it yet. I know it has been around the web for a really long time but it was not avalaible here in France. I decided to go for a simple look using colours that you can find in the first volume of the BOS. I personaly own all three volumes as there are afterall not so many duplicates in them. I gave a go to one of the glittery shadows so welcome fallouts and glitters all around your face but here are some tricks.

When using glitters in eyemakeup : you will ALWAYS have some fallouts. So you can try several tricks to prevent same the best : do your foundation after your eyes (I do not like it because I do apply shadows on my lowerlashline), pack on loose powder under your eyes and brush it away (maybe I am challenged but loose powder does not stay long enough for me :s) and finally use tape to remove the unwanted glitters. That is the trick I prefer : first stick a piece of tape several time on the back of your hand to "soothe" it for your eye area and then tap it on every glitter you see. They will stick to the tape instead of your face :p. After that I just blend everythingaway with my foundation tool (brush or sponge) and I am good to go ^^.

First the eye pics :
On the eyes : use a base on the whole eye area (UD primer potion) and a silvery grey cream eyeshadow (NYX Jumbo eyepencil Pots & Pans) on the lid and under the lower lashline
- on the lid and in the crease: Curiouser from UD (Grifter in the permanent line)
- on the outer third and outer crease : Queen from UD (Last Call in the permanent line)
- blend gently upwards with a dome shaped brush like the MAC224. Do it carefully because of the Curiouser's glitters
- on the lower lashline, in the inner third a silver liner (CS gel liner Platinum), in outer third Queen
- along the upper lashline: a thick line of silver liner (Coastal Scents gel liner Platinum) and a thinner black line close to the lash (Stila Smudge Pot black)
-mascara (Volume Shocking Brosse Exacte de l'Oreal)

Full face pics in bright day light (not so good looking, ugly undereye circles these days sorry :s):

Then with flash in order to make the glitters pop but it fails :

For the base: camouflage cream palette MUFE + Unifiance Skin like foundation 01 from La Roche Posay (discontinued) with a single drop of Lustre Drops Pink Rebel from MAC (limited edition) + Météorites pearl powder in 01.
For the dark circles : Select Cover up from MAC NW 20 + Powderflage from Benefit
For the cheeks : Fresh bloom allover colour Almond Blossom 03 from Clinique (hollow) + Cream colour base Crushed Bougainvillea from MAC (limited edition, on the apples) + Mineralize Skinfinish Petticoat from MAC (limited edition, highlight)
On the lips: Accord parfait from l'Oreal Blondes 235 Nude (discontinued I think) + Eau de gloss transparent from Bourjois (clear gloss)

I will try to do an other one which can be duplicate the BOS vol II. For the ones of you who are interested in the Alice palette but can not find it anymore (in France it is sold out everywhere I think) you can buy the Ammo palette instead. Most of the colours are similar to the ones in the new UD palette. Hope that helps!

Do you buy this BOS? Do you like it? Are you a UD addict?

See ya :)

Some basics about...

2010-03-23T11:10:00.008+01:00

...good sun habits and how to have a safe behaviour regarding tanning. I know this post will not be funny but sometimes serious things need to be said too. As a scientist, I may know some interesting details you will be thrilled to learn, anyway I hope so... So on SUN EXPOSURE, here we go!

When do I have to put on a sunscreen? I will answer all year round, an SPF 15 for winter and upgrade to SPF 30 when sunnier days are in if you leave in a city. On the land or if you spend a lot of time outside, higher SPF may be better. And check that your sunscreen provides protection against both UV types A and B (it is normally written on the front part of the bottle)

I do not understand a thing to the SPF scale... It is a number calculated with a weird formula so it is hard to explain but the thing you have to remember is the higher the SPF, the higher the protection. Easy, hum? But do not assume that a SPF 30 provides twice as much protection as a SPF 15 that is so wrong. The protection is only a few % higher.

But I spend most of my time inside... As many people leaving in cities and working in office but you spend sometimes outside anyway to walk to your car or your bus... You have to know too that some UV rays can pass through windows so you'd better be protected. You will not get a tan in that case but you still need a protection from the part of the UV range that cause premature aging.

I hate sunscreens! They are sticky, you can not put make up on top... That is completely wrong, sunscreens have evolved a lot since we were children. You can find very light textures, even some that are specially designed for problematic skin and they can be used under makeup. Go have a look at your chemist or even in drugstore you will definitely find something that suits you.

It looks withe-ish when applied ! Some do and others don't. The "white" effect is due to the sun block agents in the formula. The mineral type ones which can be compared to tiny tiny little rocks are the ones who give this white colour because they are solids in a sense. Chemical sun blocks are less prone to that but on an other hand, they can be sensitizing to some skins, especially intolerant. Most sunscreen formulas contain both types of sun block agents

They prevent tanning and I want a tan! This is an other myth. No sunscreen on Earth can totally block UV rays. There is no 100% protection. You will tan slower and safer but you will tan! If you are not able to tan with a sunscreen, not putting one on will just make you burn not tan!!! If you really want that bad a tan check sunless tanning stuffes like Xen-Tan or St Tropez or even cheaper brands like Ambre Solaire or l'Oreal.

But I have to reapply it every 2 hours, how can I do that with make up on? Chemical sun block agents are slowly destroyed with time, but to do so they have to be exposed to a certain amount of rays or be wipped of your skin by perspiration or water. So if you do not spend much time outside, especially in winter, the sunscreen you put on in the morning will still be a lil efficient when you left in the afternoon. On the other hand, when skiing or sunbathing at the beach, reapply every 2 hours is mandatory. All the rays are emphasized by reflection on the sand, the sea or the snow.

I am still not fully convinced? Listen, the sun is good to synthetise vitamin D but for that no need to sunbath everyday, walking outside is enough. You have to bear in mind that sun is the main factor in premature aging, it takes part to 70% of it, way before genetics for instance. And if you are still doubtful, check "skin cancer" on Google Images, I hope it will prevent you from sunbathing with just monoï. And do not think it is too late to start protecting your skin it is never too late.

To sum up, you can find hundreds moisturizers with an added sunscreen around SPF15 on the market. They are great for winter but maybe a lil low for summer. Some foundations also provide an extra-protection which is cool. For summer, a real sunscreen lotion or a high SPF make up base (MAC, MUFE...) will be a good alternative.

In winter, I do wear a SPF 15 make up base from Stila (which I need to change as the brand is not sold anymore here) under my foundation and when sunny days are here, I switched to my beloved Avene sunscreen I will review soon.
A last trick, do not spare on sunscreen you have to apply a good amount of it to make it work.

So what are your sunscreen habits?

See ya :)

Polynesia

2010-03-20T18:20:00.004+01:00

I read a French blog few days ago with plenty pics of a trip to Polynesia. It made me dream about sun, sandbeach and turquoise sea. As I can not afford this kind of journey right now, I first thought about putting my orchids collection in my bathroom with a water noise soundtracks and pouring some light blue ink in my bathtub. But the cleaning afterwards made me change my mind. So I ended up doing a Polynesia-inspired make up which I hope you will like.

For the eyes:
The pics do not do any justice to the brightness of this look. But do not panic it remains wearable! For once, I did swatch in daylight on my inner arm so you can have a better idea of the colours (no flash)
Both the UD shadows are used as liner (outer and inner) and the two other shadows I hope it is clear on the pics :p. I also dotted some sparkles in my inner tear duct with the glitter liner I swatched above.

Time for full face pics, hope you like my fancy dress ^^:

Konad or the nail art for the dummies ;p

2010-03-18T07:00:00.000+01:00

Ok every girl a little interested in nails will have heard about this stamping system. I do own one for a pretty long time now and never find the time to experiment with it. But as you guess, this time is over. Just in case you are not familiar with this stuff, you replicate a design from a plate directly onto your nail. Here is the kit I own:
Inside you find a design plate (top left corner), a scrapper to remove excess polish from the plate (top right corner), hidden under the scraper is the stamper to transfer the design to your nail and 3 polishes : 2 "special stamping", the black and the white and a top coat to prevent the design from chipping.

How to use it? Theoretically, you put on a base coat (Yoga-ta get this blue! from OPI), you let it try while choosing the image you want. You pour some special polish on the image (I go for the white one and a butterfly) after that you have to be quick scrap the excess, stamp on the plate and then on your nail in a single eyeblink.

And from a pratical viewpoint? Well, here is what my first try comes like (with a frightening close up) :

I know no comment (I am still really bad when it comes to apply polish).

So what? To be honest, I am not convinced. You see only my left hand which is the most successful and it already does not look that cool. The butterflies look kind of drunk, right :p?
My first issue was to find a design small enough to fit on my tiny nails. I was so suprised about how big they all are!! The second one appears when you stamp to pick up the design. You have to press hard but not too much and be quick but not too much either. Taugh time for me. It may explain why I got asked to repeat a year at school when I was four : I am stamping challenged!!!
Transfering on the nail is way easier as long as you do it firmly without shaking.
Afterall, I do not like the final outcome : it looks mmore dirty than cute to me. Maybe it is due to my bad base application and my inaccurate stamping.

To conclude, I will say that maybe Konad is meant for dummies but not for someone as dummy as I am. I think of giving it away right now. Or maybe I need to practise more to perform. I am in the horns of a cosmetic dilemma.
What you think?

Do not forget my poll (here)

See ya :)

Imperialis from Lush

2010-03-17T07:00:00.001+01:00

Ok ready for the weekly review. It will be about an other Lush moisturizer as the first one I tried, the Vanishing cream, ended up being quite disappointing. This one is suposedly designed for combination skin like mine. So why not giving it a go afterall?

What do I think about it? First it is scented with lavender and orange blosson and it is not what you smell, the smell is weird not really unappealing but not appealing that is for sure. The texture is really thick for a combination skin-prone moisturizer but once you heat it up between your fingers it goes on Ok and sinks into your skin. It does not interact with foundation which is great. But in my personal case, there is a huge default, it does not go well with my skin chemistry or one of the other stuffes I used on my face... The smell turns rancid for 10 to 20 seconds which is really annoying. Not cool at all even if it does not last. I checked the best before date and it was Ok, moreover I kept it in the fridge for most of the time :?

Does it work? First I have to say that I am always sceptical when you find moisturiser for combination skin. I do not think it is possible for a single cream to provide moisture to dy area and sebum control to oilier ones. It sounds way too good to be true. For this particular one, the hydration power is too low for dy areas and I am not so sure of the oil breakout control efficiency. If you use a blotting sheet in the middle of the afternoon, it will be slightly greasy.

Do I recommend it? Well once again no. I throw mine away last week and it was half full. The smell and texture seemed to have changed a lil. And above all, after 3 weeks I could not stand the rancid smell anymore. It so frustrating to wash your face clean and put something back on that stings :x

Prix: 16,95€ by Lush French website

I think it concludes my trials of the Lush facial skincare range. 2 trails, 2 huge disappointment. They are not super cheap and not at all efficient on my skin. I would rather buy some Embryolisse big bottle instead. I still like their soap (especially the ones they discontinue but that is an other story) and their solid shampoos when I travel but that's all I wil ever buy again from there. I do own a facial soap that I need to test but have to erase my memory from my Lush disappointment before :p

See ya :)

Poll time!

2010-03-16T07:00:00.001+01:00

You may have noticed that the core of this blog is product review. I really enjoy doing them and I hope you find interesting pieces of information in them. But it is obvious that many time you are not even interested in what I review for many different reasons.
It explains why I decide to ask for your opinion this time. I plan to switch my skincare routine as the one I am using right now does not blow me away. I already own many many (too many?) from many ranges so I need some help to pick one and try thouroughly for the upcoming month.
Drum roll....
I will use the stuffes you pick (perhaps match your choice with my French blog too :p) for a month and report on them in the beginning of April. You can vote everyday and for multiple chocie if you are interested in more than one brand.
Let's get it started.... GO!!!

See ya :)

A disappointment

2010-03-15T07:00:00.000+01:00

due to a famous place where to buy cosmetics here in France and abroad I know that :) (check the pic for a clue to know what I am talking about).
This post will not deal with how creepy can be the testers in the stores of this group... But it will be about the quick and unpredictable death of some brands that I really like from the aforementioned shops.

You want names? Think Stila, Laura Mercier and Shu Uemura not to say anything less. I know many people will not understand what I complain about, I live in Paris so I will defo find other places to buy these stuffes but guess what Paris is not the center of the world!!! I remember when I was living by my parents on the land I was really happy to be able to buy good quality and not so common cosmetics from this group website. But this time sadly seems to be over.

I do understand that money rules the world in that case but as a fellow customer I will be happy to be informed that some of the brands I love will be discontinued, just to stock up :p.
I live close to their main shop, the one that is supposed to carry all their brands like a display case and each time I go there all the beauty corners have changed. Everything is reorganized so it is hard to notice at first glance if something is new or in my case has disappeared. And like it happens to me today, you will notice it when you need something :s.
I know I will end buying something else perhaps as good as or perhaps not but I am a bit sad all in all to see that some of the brands I like will disappear for most girls not leaving in Paris. Some of these brands were sold there and only there, some are still avalaible on the website but I am sure it won't last long. No more stands in the hypest store, not more online sale, that's the rule I guess.

I really hope it will not happen in all the stores around the world. I assume not as some brands are sold abroad and not in the French stores but to conclude I think the customer policies have to be revised especially for "gold" customers as they like to call us.

See ya :)

Carrot?

2010-03-13T15:03:00.007+01:00

Hi girls, how are you today? Hope the weather is sunnier where you are. Only gray sky here :s. So I decide to put sun directly on my face instead of waiting for it to shine outside. Only coral and bright orange for this springish-summery look. Hope you'll like it!
The eyes first: In order of application:
- on the whole lid area, a very light shimmery coral, Apricot Moose from NYX
- in the crease only and blended upwards with the coral colour, a very strong and bright orange with golden sparks, Africa from NYX
- in the outer portion of the crease on a very fine line, a metallic burgundy, ME 160 from Shu Uemura (Cranberry from MAC will be good too)
- on the bottom lasline, the two first colours from light to dark going outwards.
- in the waterlines and on upper lashline, a dark brown pencil, Dark Brown from NYX
- the upper line is blended upwards with a dark brown eyeshadow, Fashionista pigment from Bare Escentuals
- plenty layers of mascara to awaken the eyes and not look sick drunk, Volume Shocking Brosse Exacte from l'Oréal. And you are done!

Time for full face pics:

For the base: camouflage cream palette MUFE + Unifiance Skin like foundation 01 from La Roche Posay (discontinued) with a single drop of Lustre Sun Rush from MAC (limited edition) + Météorites powder for the face 01 from Guerlain .
For the dark circles : Select Cover up from MAC NW 20 + Powderflage from Benefit
For the cheeks : fesh bloom allover colour Almond Blossom 03 from Clinique (hollow) + Beauty Powder Blush Fun & Games from MAC + Embelliseur Abricot from Agnes B (limited edition, on the apples) + Mineralize Skinfinish Soft and Gentle from MAC (limited edition, highlight)
For the lips : Rouge B Abricot rosé (=pink apricot) from Agnès B + Eau de gloss transparent from Bourjois. Badly applied. I still need to practise lipstick application :p

In the end I like this look, it does not wash me out or make me look sick and it is very wearable even for work! I am quite happy because the orange is so bright it scares me a little to use it as a main eye makeup colour. Before I forget, would you be interested in swatches of the eye colour I used in order to compare them with things you already own?
As you can see I am on a lazy day, funky tee shirt and wild hairs but guess what I am not going anywhere :). For the full face pics, so sorry to look that haughty and pretentious I promise I am not. I'd better hide instead my skin is going on the messy side again. Have to go back to anti pimple routine I think :(

See ya :)

Lash injection from Too Faced

2010-03-10T17:50:00.004+01:00

I already have moaned a lot about this best selling mascara so I decide to make a full post on it to explain why I am so unhappy. First a pic of the guilty guy on the left. The packaging is average, black and girly pink with a syringe drawn on. It does not look that scary now but be aware it really is.
I got a mini version but it normally does not change the characteristics of the mascara inside but who knows? I heard many people complaining about the mini Hypnose from Lancome which seems to be very bad compared to the full retail size. Maybe this one suffer from the same curse? But enough rambling, the test. First my bare eyes with a tiny bit of foundation to hide redness and then after 1-2 coats of Lash Injection which is meant to be lenghtening and thickening.
I do have natural long and thick eyelashes so I may not be the best girl to try mascara but you can definitely see that the thickening ability is quite good afterall. Volume has been added to the roots without clumping, liner is not really necessary anymore... So good point on that. And what about lenghtening? Same conclusion, really good on that too. Look at the pic right under. The view is a lil strange but it shows the lenght best and that it does not clump at all!
So why do I dislike it so much as it looks really good? Mainly 4 reasons that make it awful to me...
1. The brush is too big!!! I do have big eyes but it is hardly impossible not to touch your eyeball with it. I enclose a pic to show you that it is nearly as big as my pinkie!
2. I hate the formula. It is the most vscous mascara on Earth right after the solid waxy kind. And it tends to flake through the day!
3. The smell... I was so surprised when I first open the tube that I thought mine was past. It is a cheap fragrance like a mixture between a low hand citrus dishwasher and rancid chemical orange juice. And it is not at all discrete, you can smell it during your whole mascara application. I look for testers and they smell the same. Gross!
4. It is not really safe for sensitive eyes. Mine tend to water and itch a lot more when I wear this one. It is not an allergic reaction but a little intolerance, maybe it has something to deal with the fragrance :p

You will be able to discover all these by yourself for 20€ by Sephora in France. I hope it is cheaper abroad.
Are you willing to try it now?

See ya :)

Nails 0 - Door 1

2010-03-10T11:51:00.005+01:00

If like me you are often daydreaming when waliking, you may often face this kind of little incovenience... Yesterday I banged my hands, nails first in a mechanical door which has suddenly decided not to open. So I have to deal with what I was left with that is to say damaged, cracked and peeling nails... Ewww.
Here is what my nails look after the crash (I know the pics are really bad and my nails look really sick on them but well...).

I do not take pictures of the ones who turn blue-purple because of bruising but they are way to bad looking.

So what do I do?
I start with a classical manucure (cuticle and naol care, mine are so dry as you can see, filing and slight buffing...) and on top I applied a fortifying base to help strenghten my weaken nails and prevent further peeling.
I do like the first step of the Mavala nail shield, it is loaded with tiny nylon fibers that help all the nail layer to stick together and grow stronger. I add a pic on which you can see them (click to enlarge to see them better, sorry for the over dry cuticles :s).
Then you apply the second step to smooth the surface and grab an opaque polish to hide the bruise and peeling layers :p. I go for the 3-in-1 Pure Plum polish from Sephora ( hardener, straightener and smoothing)
And you're done, I know I am challenged when it comes to polish application but people will notice my creepy manucure instead of destroyed and bruised nails. I do take the first option better :p
Am I the only grow-up who spends her time banging on doors, windows and even tables???

See ya : )

Acne serum from IQQU

2010-03-08T23:13:00.012+01:00

Here we go for an other skincare review, it is not what I initially plan for today but I have to change in last sec. I was thinking on making a nail post but I badly hit my hands in a mechanical door today and break all my nails short. Ewww... Painful and not so good looking, have to wait for the bruise to disappear. Anyway, bask to our serum...

What do I think about it? I will perhaps sound a lil rude writing that down, but when I first heard the gorgeous Michelle Phan from YouTube talking about her amazing skincare line, it makes me think about all these celebrities who make perfumes and think their name will be enough to make them smell good... But I have to admit that all her vids look really professional and that she does not tell many craps from a scientific viewpoint so after all why not? When you see her perfect skin magnified and so close on her vids and combine it with the fact that she claims using her own line, you may be more willing to try some of her stuffes. To close this random babbling session, I am a very conscious sheep so everything claming to fight acne has to be mine :p I still believe in miracles ^^.
Anyway, the packaging is sober and functional (the labels are not straight sticked but I may be the only to care about this ^^). It works on a vacuum principle as a airless pump. Some people complain about the fact they have to pump several times to make the product come out but guess what? I do not die doing this and if it helps my serum to stay safe and germ free by doing this I will without moaning :). It is not exhausting I swear :p. The texture is thin without being runny, it is bright orange and it smells clean without any chemical aftersmell. The pump size is perfetct for a full face application. It sinks right into the skin without any tackiness. The active ingredients are well known and pretty safe for sensitive skin : retinol, tea tree oil, aloe vera and vitamine E.

Does it work? Yes and quite well afterall. I finished mine two weeks ago and I have some pimples back, that is my main evidence. It is not miracle in a bottle but with patience and careful use, you will notice a refined skin texture, less pimples and fewer oily breakouts throughout the day with a very slow but noticeable fading of your acne scars if you have any. An other good point is that it can be used even if you do not suffer from acne. It is beneficial for every skintype (no special "acne" ingredients in there like salicylic acid or benzoyle peroxide)

Do I recommend it? Yes! You can find a lot of people complaining about the price. To me it is not pricey at all, the bottle will last 2 months with a twice daily application. I may even say it is on a very affordable price range.

Price: 25$ from IQQU website (add 8$ for shipping for EU and US)

I just open my second one and have one more back-up all ready. I may try other products from the range, I have to confess I am pleasantly surprised. It is a good skincare; affordable and pleasant to use. I like the fact it is a serum, you do not have to change your all skincare reime to use it ^^
Are you as crazy about serums as I am?

See ya :)

Sweet eyes, strong lips

2010-03-06T15:33:00.007+01:00

Hi there! I have to reckon I am lacking some creativity these days but hope you do not mind seing indentical makeup from time to time. As I do not really have any idea today I grab a pre-made eyeshadow quad from MAC and as I own only two I take the newest one: Photorealism. I have already done a FOTD using these colours and I still really like them very much. It changes a lot from my purple eyeshadows I always go for when I lack of inspiration and want something flattering anyway. For once, I was able to take daylight pics as days are longer now. Yeah!!!

On the eyes :
- on the inner half of the lid and under the eyebrow arch : Photo realism from MAC (pale gold with a hint of green)
- on the outer half and to blend the crease colour upwards : Image maker from MAC (gray green)
- in the crease : Grey range from MAC (dark blue green, gorgeous colour)
- under the lower lashline, all three colours from light to dark going from inside to outside
- as aliner on upper lashline: fluidline Shade from MAC (deep forest green to die for)
- mascara (Volume Shocking Brosse Exacte from l'Oreal)

As the eyes are kind of pastel and toned down, I choose a strong lip colour and a plum colour as it is really flattering on fair brunette. I makes me feel kind of sexy and glamourous. For my hair, I hope you like my straight out from the shower look kind of "I-am-too-lazy-to-do-anything" style :p

For the base: camouflage cream palette MUFE + Unifiance Skin like foundation 01 from La Roche Posay (discontinued) with a single drop of Lustre Drops Pink Rebel from MAC (limited edition) + translucent pressed powder Absolutely Invisible from Too Faced.
For the dark circles : Select Cover up from MAC NW 20 + Powderflage from Benefit
For the cheeks : fesh bloom allover colour Almond Blossom 03 from Clinique (hollow) + Cream colour base Crushed Bougainvillea from MAC (limited edition, on the apples) + Mineralize Skinfinish Petticoat from MAC (limited edition, highlight)
On the lips: Odyssey from MAC (limited edition, frost finish) So sorry for the poor pic quality but something went wrong during upload and I can not fix it :s

I am so scared about how pale I am. It is quite impressive to see my skintone in daylight pics. I may invest in a tanning shower ^^. What surprise me the most is that I tan really easily and never get sunburns. Strange isn't it?
On last thing, if you are interested in any eye makeup or colours, leave a comment maybe it will help inspiring me for my next FOTD

See ya :)

Trick of the day : custom blend gel liner...

2010-03-04T19:47:00.002+01:00

If you act like me you sometimes buy a full lot of makeup without really thinking of how you will use it later one. You may even already know that some of the cololurs do not look that appealing but you still have to get the whole pack anyway.
But on the other hand, you may not be too happy with unused stuffes in your stash. That is what happened to me all the time, especially today with the CS gel liner. I own all the first colours (11) and some of them are not far from being new as there is no way for me to use them straight on as a liner. Here is a pic for evidence :
From left to right : a very light purple (Grape Vine fromCoastal Scents), more a lilac to me which is useless as a liner but not too bad as a base and a burgundy one (Maroon from Coastal Scents) which makes my eyes look like they are bleeding... Not so cool on their own. But as you are very observant you notice the third swatch, which a 50/50 rough mix of the two previous ones. And this colour is a keeper for me, a warm plum colour that brings out the green undertones in hazel eyes. Want some proof?
Yeah for a greenier looking eyes (EOTD details on request in comment section). You may not be into plum colour but I like it a lot and it can be adapted to every mix you can dream of.

I have never thought about doing this before but now I am in a creative mood. I am seriously musing about doing a custom blend gel liner palette right now. But I have first to check if they do not seperate under heat. Otherwise you can still blend them together every time on the back of your hand :p

See ya :)

My first luxury facial in a Parisian spa...

2010-03-03T15:50:00.001+01:00

Ok so you may not remember but when I talked about my new haircut a month ago, I was initially going there for a facial. And I have never given you my opinion on it (bad me...).
When I left my previous work, my colleagues offered me a gift card for a half day in a spa and I chose one which offers a facial and a hair diagnosis (shampoo and cut only). I ended up going for more than that but no regrets at all :)

Where did I go? Right here :
Isn't it gorgeous (hum waterlilies)? The place is named la maison de beauté (=house of beauty) Roméo et Juliette in Paris (7th area).

I am not used to this hype kind of places so I was a bit reluctant to step inside at first. But I did it and I am so glad I did.
The first thing I noticed was the estheticians, all tall, blonde-hair girls with black suits and red lips.They all have gorgeous skin which makes me feel very confident about the facial quality :p. I felt a little like a ugly little duck in there... The place's design is modern but cosy and everything is perfectly clean.
I was asked first to sit in a huge leather coach and given a tone of magazines to read. My esthetician came in the next 5 minutes and took me to my room and asked me to remove all my tops. A very peaceful music was playing in there, not too loud. And then the facial begun : slow and delicate makeup removal, first massage, then scrub, mask, second massage, serum, moisturiser, third massage including the scalp. It was so pleasant that I felt asleep :p
After the facial, I had all my time to redress and remake up if I wanted to. I looked truly exhausted which means that the massages worked well on removing all the toxins ^^. I was offered a tea with biscuits and advices on which skincare to use. Then I went to the hair salon and got the haircut you had already seen.

I found everyone's behaviour very professional without being over commercial. They offered you to buy some of the skincare they used during the facial but they did not insist. I was a bit sceptical about the service's quality as I was coming with a gift box and not a real reservation but I was wrong. They do not seem to care about me looking like a poor student which is not always the case in Paris.
I definitely recommend this spa but it is expensive. From time to time you may deserve it anyway.

See ya :)

Le lait crème concentré fluide hydratant (Hydrating fluid) from Embryolisse

2010-03-02T15:45:00.001+01:00

Ready for an other review, beloved reader? So here we go! My tonight discovery is a huge surprise and a very good one as for once it is a quite cheap stuff. It is very versatile which makes it even better. Do you wonder what I am talking about? Check the post title :p.

What do I think about it? I have to reckon tha packaging may not be as fancy as the ones from YSL but you have to remind never to judge a book by its cover. This stuff rocks! First, because it comes with a handy pump which means no greasy fingers and hence no bacteria in there... This is the fluid version but you may no the famous creme version called the "Lait-crème concentré" that comes in an aluminium tube. The only difference between those two is the texture. It smelles hardly nothing. It can be used for absolutely everything: as a make up remover (not for my eyes but for the rest of the face), as a facial cleanser, as a full body moisturizer (face included), as an after-sun soother, as an after-shave for those misters and even as a baby cream! The composition is OK, not organic (mineral oil in there) but no more parabenes if they freak you out.

Does it work? Oh yeah and better than that. It is my travel new best friend. I know a 500ml bottle does not really look travel-friendly but it is so multifunctional that you just need to bring it with you and that is it. Nearly all your skincare including body moisturizer in one. The best deal ever :). It does not feel greasy and absorbs straight onto your skin. You can coat your face in a thik layer of it every night to plump and restore your face without breaking your wallet. Is not life great???

Do I recommend it? Yes and for the price it will be a shame not to give it a go. It is safe for every skin type. For dry to extra dry skin, maybe the cream version will be better but the fluid will definitely be a keeper for hotter summer time.

Price: 16,30€ by Embryolisse official website. In Europe, it can be find in chemist's or drugstore.

A very good friend of mine swears by this and when you see her skin you are convinced that it works great. And if you do not like it it can be used as a body moisturiser so harldy no risk :p. I have not tried any other stuffes form this brand but I may dig in for more :p

See ya :)

In and out... February 2010

2010-03-01T15:19:00.000+01:00

I know it is March already but I do not post on Sundays so I have no other choice :p. And I am not one of a kind to do things before the ultimate deadline. Anyhow here it is :

Ins :
- being able to fight quickly pimples with my Mario Badescu squad.
- realising how nicely my skin has improved within the past year. Last year pictures are frightening :s
- using my blue tin of Nivea cream as a miracle remedy for everything (dry cuticles, coarse elbows and kneet, for my cracked feet and as a moisture-lock mask for the face)
- cheating on my skin every night by applying more moisutriser that I used to. It feels exactly the same way than when I use a hydrating mask. Good trick for me (and cheaper héhéhé)
- how microdermabrasion has improved my skin texture and my acne scars

Outs :
- the horrid weather
- hazards of life which can be so painful (I know it sounds stupid but...)
- killing 2 nail polishes because of not closing them tight enough.
- being stucked at home for job-hunting
- and as a result, still being unemployed (jeez hope it will end soon)
- the Lash Injection mascara from Too Faced (crap, crap, crap do I say it is crap???)

Your turn!
See ya :)

Cleopatra...

2010-02-27T16:24:00.004+01:00

Yeah an other FOTD as we are Saturday. I wanted to do something with gold and blue but I went a little further than I expected to :p. I love these two colours together I made me think about ancient Egypt for a strange reason. So I go for an arabic look with extended liner and I think it turns out great. For Halloween or for a fancy-dress party it may be useful.
Here are the eye pics :
To achieve it :
- apply a golden base on the eyelid area, gel liner 24K from Coastal Scents
- add a light gold on top of your base, pigment Surfing the Nile from The She Space
- apply a dark navy blue in the outer V and blend well inwards, Contrast e/s from MAC
- add a creamy very light gold shadow as a highlighter, hydropowder eyeshadow H9 glistening sand from Shiseido
- do your arabic inspired eyeliner, gel liner Indigo Blue from Coastal Scents
- put a tonne of mascara on each eyes to make your lashes stand out, Volume Shocking Brosse Exacte from l'Oréal. And you're done!

Time for full face pics:

(why do I always look kind of drunk on my pics hum, any idea?)

(not happy, happier :))) )

How to press loose powders or pigments

2010-02-25T19:32:00.001+01:00

A while ago, I showed you my SMH palette in which I press most of my pigment collection because I found it to be handier for someone as clumsy as I am.
I then thought it could be a good idea to share with you how I press them. So here is my pic tutorial on how to press pigment for clumsy people :)
You can find many other ways to do it but this one is my favourite. You do not loose too much powder and you are not afraid anymore to sneeze while pressing your precious glitters :)).
It can also be used to restore cracked pressed eyeshadow. For that purpose, you can use simple rubbing alcool instead of a binder as silicones (already in the pressed shadow) and alcohol together will insure cohesion. If you still have questionq on how to press pigments, the comment section is all yours ^^.

Do you prefer loose or press shadows? And why?

See ya :)

French blue eyes drops from Innoxa

2010-02-24T20:10:00.003+01:00

This may not be the newest beauty discovery as this stuff exists for more than 50 years but to me it is really sensational. And maybe it explains a lil this product longevity. I do not know maybe product that are still sold 50 years after their launch.

What do I think about it? As I am not in a full potential period I was first quite disappointed by the packaging. Let me explain... I was expecting a classical dropper but it is a soft plastic pipette. And I did not realise at first that you have to squeeze it a little to make the drops come out :p. That being said, it is a nice turquoise liquid which brighten the white part of your eyes. 2 drops in each eyes morning and night and you will recover your most gorgeous gaze. If like me, you spend your whole day staring at a computer screen without blinking enough this stuff is God sent. You will not look anymore like a drunk rabbit. I forgot to take before/after pics, maybe next time ^^. The composition is really clean mainly hydrolates of several plants and a non controversial preservative.

Does it work? Yes and really well on my eyes. But it is not perfect. It is safe, widely available in Europe and maybe the rest of the world and you do not need a prescription for this. But you can keep it open for only 15 days and you can not use it when you wear your contacts. In that case, the best way to rehydrate and to relieve your eyes is physiological saline.

Do I recommend it ? Yes. It makes the white part of the eyes pop by contrast and it is really refreshing and relaxing for redness due to lack of sleep or hydration. But I am sure it will not work for redness due to irritation or allergy.

Price: 5€ for 15 ml everywhere in chemist's or drugstores

PS: Faut I need to buy a new one... To be completely honest, I do not throw my bottle away when I pass the 15 day deadline. Instead of using it as eye drops, I use it as a mixing medium for my pigment and shadows it works well :p. I hate throwing away not empty stuffes it makes me feel strangely nervous ^^

An everyday kind-of look and a not so good idea...

2010-02-23T17:20:00.004+01:00

I skipped FOTD for 2 weeks so it is time to get back to good work. Well you will see that work is not that good but well trying is learning isn't it :p?
As I am quite lazy these days and not so willing to experiment I go for very easy to achieve and wearable look, hence the title of the post. To me, this kind of makeup will be flattering on every eye colour and skintone. You just have to find your perfect duo shades.

I used only 2 shadows (mat or satin finish, metallic and shimmer will not work), a light khôl pencil, a liner, a mascara and 2 brushes, that's it.
Enough babbling, the eye pics. You will immediately see what was my not-so-good idea...
You find it? ....

Yeah I know the higlighter looks pasty white (and it is not that strange as I applied something white there...). But in daylight it does not look this way. So I will remind for my next makeup that applying a white khôl as a brow highlight is a very bad idea if you plan to take pictures with a flash ^^. Maybe it is the high oil content in this type of pencil that make it looks so plain with flash :s.

Anyway it is so quick to achieve this eye makeup which is great when time is missing :
- apply white or pale khôl in the lower waterline to awaken your eyes, here white khôl from the Body Shop
-with a brush like the MAC 217 or 222 pick your dark shadow and apply it in little circles in the outer corner and outer crease. I go for Dark Brown from NYX (dark brown with red undertones that brigthen green in the eyes)
- with a finer brush (MAC 266 ou 219 for instance) line the outer lower lashline to completely define your eyes.
- wipe off the brush you use with the dark shadow and pick the one close to your skintone, I choose Highlight from NYX. Then swipe all your eye area, starting from the inner corner of your eye and blend a little further where light and dark shades meet.
- close your lower lash line with the light khôl and blend with your former brush.
- add your top liner (Smudge pot from Stila with a slanted brush) and continue it a little under the outer lower lashline
- put your mascara on and you're done (Too Faced Lash Injection trial, worst macara ever!!! Have to make a review on this one ...)
- DO NOT add light khôl as a highlight if you plan to take pics otherwise it looks great :p

Time for full face pics:

For the base: camouflage cream palette MUFE + Unifiance Skin like foundation 01 from La Roche Posay (discontinué) with a single drop of Lustre Drops Pink Rebel from MAC (limited edition) + translucent pressed powder Absolutely Invisible from Too Faced.
For the dark circles : Select Cover up from MAC NW 20 + Powderflage from Benefit
For the cheeks : fesh bloom allover colour Almond Blossom 03 from Clinique (hollow) + Cream colour base Crushed Bougainvillea from MAC (limited edition, on the apples) + Mineralize Skinfinish Petticoat from MAC (limited edition, highlight)
On the lips: Lip shimmer 7 (Raspberry) from Armani, gorgeous and not sticky. Thumbs up!

You may have notice that I took only side pictures... this is because I badly break out but only on the other cheek and as I am Photoshop-challenged it was the best solution :)). I am quite lucky afterall, it is still winter so maybe I can find a half hood to hide this half of my face :p
If any of you is raving about the Lash Injection from Too Faced let me know I am really wondering how this stuff can be a best-seller!!

See ya :)

Lash curler fight!

2010-02-22T15:45:00.005+01:00

As I own two of these torture devices I think that comparing them may help some of you to make up their mind. So I take pics of me barefaced (creepy!!) focusing on my eyes and more specificallly on my eyelashes (that explain why pics are a lil blurry even if I am truly pic-challenged :p).
The two models I challenged come from Sephora : the classical mechanical version and the heated version.
Here is the result. Click on the pic to enlarge so you can see better. No make up at all in order to stay focus on our purpose :)). I try to combine everything on a single slid, hope it is understandable. Just in case you wonder, my eyelashes are pretty even on both my eyes. No gaps, no length or color difference.
So which one wins???

Well it depends on what you are looking for. First of all, both of them work on my eyelashes which is a good point.
On curling efficiency, the mechanical one wins hands up. The curve is way more important but with a lil weird angle whereas the heated one gives a brushing-like effect, softer but also less intense. From front view, the left-side eye (hence my right eye) seems to be lifted up because of the strongest curl but there is some but here. On the side view, you can see some staight lashes which have not been grabbed by the curler. It happens to me all the time and both inner and outer corner are hard to reach with a mechanical curler. Moreover, you can pinch your eyelid and it hurts like hell, it will make you cry of course and ruin all your so-hard-to-achieved make-up. S**t!

The heated one is really easy to use and you can reach every lashes quite easily. I do not brun myself using it and I quite like feeling the heat close to my eye (I may be crazy). Anyway, it is not perfect because you have to turn it on some time before using it (10 to 20 seconds to let it heat), you have to think to turn it off and also to check if the battery is OK (that sounds stupids but without battery it is useless :p)

One last important point if you use mascara, you have to apply it AFTER you curl your lashes otherwise you will break them. If I have to choose one, I will go for the heated one because it is easier to use, more natural looking and it sounds safer for the lashes to me too. I know that heat probably weakens my lashes a lil but perhaps not as mauch as binding them between a plastic and metallic grip.

That's for me. Do you use a eyelash curler on a daily basis?

See ya :)

On hold...

2010-02-15T09:02:00.002+01:00

Hey fellow readers, I will stop blogging for some days probably about a week or more as I have more important stuffes to deal with. Hope you do not mind and will still be here when I come back.

See ya soon :)

Atlas Lava Clay Mask from Zakia's Morocco

2010-02-14T16:16:00.003+01:00

*DISCLAIMER : I was kindly given this product by Zakia's Morocco owner. I was not paid to make my review, so I will share my honest opinion on it.*

This a soft clay mask that exfoliate and detoxify the skin. It mainly contains "ghassoul", a clay also known as the cleansing matter. The ingredient list of it is really short, water, clay and a preservative not too harsh for the skin.

What do I think about it? The one I was offered to try is not available on the website. It is more like the raw base without any infused oil like argan or essential oils (the ones offer on the website do contain some of the aforementioned component). The smell is the one you can expect from low processed clay mask that is to say wet ground. It does not bother me and it disappears as the mask dries. It is very easy-to-use, you just spread a thin layer all over your face and let it dry for 10 mins. Then you rinse with a babycloth or a sponge with lukewarm water. It tightens a lot the skin when drying but it is worth this little pain. Once patted dry, your skin will feel amazingly soft and plumped.
"Ghassoul" is a very soft clay that is useful for every skin type, even dry and mature because it has some hydrating and moisturising properties.

Does it work? Yes, very well. The softness of my skin after that is really surprising. I see this effect as a great exfoliating efficiency without scrubbing which can be a little harsh on sensitive skin. It does not accentuate my skin's dehydration like most clay masks.

Do I recommend it? Yes, yes and yes again. It is not that cheap but it works so well and the pot is really huge. It has really helped to normalize my skin. 2 to 3 times a week for me is the best frequency to renew my skin.

Price: 34,95$ by Zakia's Morocco (online seller)

I think it is my favourite product from this brand, ex-aequo with the argan oil. All of them are very high quality so give it a try if you like organic inspired skincare.

See ya :)

Hurry up, huge sale for Valentine's Day, everything is cut down by 50%!!!

Star Makeup Heaven's palettes

2010-02-10T20:55:00.002+01:00

I can not remember where I heard from these palettes first but they are awesome. Why? Because you can fit different brands of eyeshadows in there including MAC, Urban Decay, Milani, Lancome and so on. They are magnetized so no need of extra magnet to hold them in place. Do not worry you do not have to remove the one that comes with pro pan refills from MAC. The MAC refill will be a lil higher than the other pans but it will not cause any trouble for closing the palette.
If like me you love pigments, it is an awesome solution to press them in a palette.
You will not have to deal anymore with annoying little pots that tend to fall. I prefer to handle with little zips but I do not think to grab them often enough and most full size pigments come in jar.
As I have quite a lot of free time, I did that today. I do not have enough patience to press the sample zipper bag because they are too small and I own way too many. I prefer storing them in a cardboard organizer I may show you one day :)
So here are the two palettes I bought on Star Makeup Heaven
Looks great hum? Click to enlarge and read the e/s names. Those without brand name are from MAC.

If you wonder how good the e/s from the site are, they are amazing for the price!!!

See ya:)

Delayed FOTD

2010-02-09T20:51:00.004+01:00

... so here it is. I cut down on blogging last week as you may have noticed but well sometimes you need to refocus. that being said, I did this look today using the Book of Shadows vol II I bought a while ago and was dying to try... But you know too many stuffes to chosse from makes me nearly forget about it.
And it would have been a huge mistake. To my opinion, this version is way better than the first edition. I love the color range in this one and it looks more wearable on a daily basis to me.
So I go for a slight smoked eye with a green twist and it turns out nice and very wearable.
I used Sellout, Mushroom, Twice Baked et Homegrown and of course black liner and mascara (l'Oreal for ever!!!)
As I was in a picture-taking mood I tried full face pics but it was a big fail as you can see. I take hundreds and hundreds and none turns great but at least you have an idea of the total look (the last one makes me laugh I look drug addicted)
hein).

For my hair do not mind the mess, my hair and snow do not go well together. If you are interested in the look details just leave a comment.

And to end this post, a daylight pic of what I look like on a day to day basis with my glasses. Yeah, I am short sighted not to say blind as a mole :))). I chose this one because you can see how my hair is lighter! It is a lil frightening as it seems to lighten every time I wash it.
See how old I look???

It may explain how hard it is for me to convince people that I am an achieved scientist! Hard to be taken serious when you look 15 :))) Luckily enough, casual dressing helps make me older ^^

See ya :)

Back on my tracks...

2010-02-08T21:13:00.002+01:00

Well I have not disappeared but my life has been so hectic these past days that blogging was not my priority. Anyway I am back for the best I hope. Faith and strength will be my best weapons for this taugh time
Will post tomorrow for sure. I just need to sort out about what :)

See ya :)

Original Argan Oil Exfoliating Scrub from Zakia's Morocco

2010-02-02T21:43:00.003+01:00

*DISCLAIMER : I was kindly given this product by Zakia's Morocco owner. I was not paid to make my review, so I will share my honest opinion on it.*

Ok this time, it is the classical scrub with grains. But this one, as all the products marketed by this brand, is organic-inspired. The grains inside are grounded argan nuts and the "soap" base contains a lot of rhassoul (clay), olive and argan oil.

What do I think about it? It is a fluid slightly gelified with plenty little grains that scrub really well. The packaging is well designed, a soft plastic bottle, easy to grip with wet hands and printed lettering directly on (no nasty labels). But there is someting I really do not like about this one : the smell. The smell is really powerful, a mixture of strong olive and ash. Yeah I know it sounds gross but it is what it reminds me. Sorry! I think I was kind of surprised by how strong it smells and I feel like the smell lingers on the skin (maybe I do feel this way because I am not so found about it :s)

Does it work? Yes it does a pretty good job without being too agressive to the skin. It reminds me from an efficiency point of view the scrubs from the Body Shop or the ones from Sephora. No strikes after strong scrubbing session (I am not very gentle when it comes to scrubbing :p). An other good point is the oil proportion inside which leaves the skin moisturize and soft without feeling greasy. It is the faster version of black soap...but with a less appealing scent in my personal opinion. But maybe you will like it!

Do I recommend it? Well so so. The scent is too disturbing for me. I do like better black soap with manual scrubbing.

Prix: 29,95$ by Zakia's Morocco (online seller). Worldwide shipment available.

This one is a kind of miss for me. But no one can win every time, right. Anyway I do like that the owner stays on his tracks of pure organic stuffes without adding artificial fragrances. The concept is appealing to me.

What is your favourite way of scrubbing?

See ya :)

In and out... January 2010

2010-02-01T20:20:00.002+01:00

I am already a lil late but for one day who cares (I have done way worst). And this month I discovered some really interesting stuffes not too expensive. And that is really great! ^^

Ins :
- the hydrating eye lotion "Gouttes bleues" (=blue drops) from Innoxa because it helps a lot with my red tired eyes due to too much time on computer
- le lait crème concentré hydrating fluid from Embryolisse
- the nail shield (two steps) from Mavala
- doing masks with the over famous Nivea cream (the one in the blue tin yes)
- the homemade toner green tea with mint/ apple vinegar cider (which smells like feet but works really good)

Outs :
- having hard time doing my short hair and my side-swept bang
- breaking out from stress (big painful spots on my shoulders, sigh)
- putting lipbalm every other not to have them chapped
- being stucked home to find a job
- still not having ajob
- my splitting nails because I cut off milk

Your turn...

See ya :)

Calypso Minerals' test

2010-01-30T20:47:00.003+01:00

Well this post does not come right in time as this brand is going through taugh time from what I read on the web but anywya I own some stuffes which I had not tested.
Calypso Minerals use(d?) to sell stackers of several colours like a mat rainbow, a shimmery rainbow, pastels and so on. The idea sounds good but to me it is not really that great. Each little pots do not come with its own cap which means you have to take the full stacker every time and you can not reorgarnize the colour order otherwise you will mix different pigments together.

But the most important is still the stuff inside. I do own three samples : a shimmery gold, a shimmery khaki and a mat fuschia which were sent to me by a friend. I decided to go for an eye look with all these three colours together.
- On the inner half lid, Jealousy applied wet (gold)
- On the outer half lid, Khaki (well khaki :p)
- As a liner on the upper lashline, fluidline Shade from MAC (gorgeous deep forest green)
- As a liner smudged under lower lashes, M. Violet (fuschia)
- mascara, brows...

And full face pics taken before I went to the hairdresser.

I think that applied foiled, the shimmery pigments are Ok but straight out from the pot, the pigmentation is really low and deceiving (the green does not show up at all). But, the mat version is awesome if you like mats. The fuschia was easy to work with and very intense. A very pleasant surprise for a mat!
If you like good mat pigments and if the shop re-opens one day (what I do doubt a lil) have a look at the mat rainbow stacker. Otherwise, keep your money for something else ^^.

See ya :)

Black "beldi" soap from Zakia's Morocco

2010-01-27T23:03:00.002+01:00

*DISCLAIMER : I was kindly given this product by Zakia's Morocco owner. I was not paid to make my review, so I will share my honest opinion on it.*

What is black soap? It is the central part of the ritual of hammam. First you have to steam all your body to enlarge your pores, then you apply this pasty soap everywhere from head to toes, let the magic happen for 5 to 10 minutes, and then you simply wash it off and scrub with a kessa (traditional scrubby washcloth) or a loofah to maximise the efficiency. In France, you can find kessa everywhere I hope it is the same abroad.

What do I think about it? It is a very thick brown golden paste with green highlights. It contains very few ingredients, that is to say smashed olives transform into soap with sodium hydroxide. The one I was offered to try is infused with argan oil to provide extra hydration to my rough dry skin. It definitely smells like smashed olive so if you can not stand taht kind of very natural smell go for an oil-infused version (there are two more on the website, infused with orange blossom or jasmine, depending on what you prefer, floral ou fruity). When applied, it does not foam it spreads on the skin and does it work. I reallyfeel it acting my skin, specially on my face, it tingles a little but not in a bad way it is hard to explain. Do not use your scrubby washclloth on your face, it is too strong. The smell does not linger on the skin just in case you wonder.

Does it work? Yes it is a very efficient alternative to classical grain scrubs. As I alaways scrub like a savage, this grainy scrubs can leave me strikes everywhere. I know I can be softer :p. I do not get any bad reaction on my sensitive face which is great as finding a facial scrub for me is a challenge. It is very efficient, the skin is supple and well moisten after this scrub ritual. The only little downside is that you have to wait, naked in your shower for the soap to work. In winter, it is quite hard for me :).

Do I recommend it? Yes! I love hammam but I am kind of lazy and not very found of the community aspect that goes along with hammam. So being able to bring it right into my place it is so great!

Prix: 34,95$ by Zakia's Morocco (online seller only). Worlwide shipment avalaible!

I use this only as scrub for now (once or twice a week) and if I want something sweeter I go for a Body Shop scrub from time to time. I go for it every time before removing my hairs (glamour!) and it helps prevent red bumps I used to have. Big thumbs up!

See ya :)

My new haircut...

2010-01-26T19:40:00.005+01:00

Do you sometimes wake up in the morning and feel like crap? This happens to me way too often these days that I decide to book an appointment in a spa to cheer me up. My former colleagues offer me half a day in a famous Parisian spa so it was the perfect occasion : a full facial with massage and treatment and a hair diagnosis.

The hairdresser suggested me to do something with my hair and this time I agreed. I have never done that before because I am so scared about how it would come out.
So I said her to do what ever she wanted except blonde or very light strands and that it must be a easy-to-go haircut which can be tighten in a ponytail. So she went for a medium length cut with a lot of layers, a side bang or fringe (I never knew the difference) and many many very small strands of lighlty bleached hair. Please do not mind the creepy make up, I had 5 seconds to put it back on after my facial (no foundation does not help, I need to carry around concealer at least)

It definitely changes a lot. What do you think about my new hair cut? Hit or miss?
The lighter strands do not show up in the pics (inside with flash) but in bright daylight, it warms up my dull brown. I was so scared about bleaching but it came out OK, I think.

See ya :)

Make up of the week

2010-01-23T18:36:00.003+01:00

Well I was supposed to post pics of my face today to show how my "new" bows go along with my face but I won't. Yah a nasty volcano on the side of my chin prevents me from showing you this horror vision. I know there are some great sofwares out there like Photoshop to get rid off that but no cheating is one of my policies. Photoshop is for pros and models that are supposed to make us dream, I am not right? ^^
Anyway, I will post my eye look of the week. I tend to wear this one neraly everyday because I was too lazy searching around my evergrowing collection. I like it off course, I am not taht lazy to wear something I hate :p. I think it suits quite well eyes with a hint of gold or green.
This is a MAC look, one of the e/s has been discontinued (all the Matte² collection will be down soon).
That's what it looks like (do not mind the dry flaky pimple between my brows, humpf...):
On a golden cream base, hydro powder eyeshadow from Shiseido H9, from lashes to brow:
- from lashes to crease, Greensmoke from MAC (silvery green, hard to build up colour)
- in outer V blended inwrds, Graphology from MAC (deep dark mat purple, this is the gorgeous discontinued shade)
- as a liner on upper and outer lower lashlines, Deep Plum from CS
- in the lower waterline, NYX Purple eye/eyebrow pencil
- to blend towards the browbone ans along the inner lower lashline, Rockin Egyptian de The She Space (the owner is discontinuing the whole eye pigment line so everything is on sale)
- to smoke out the liner on outer lower lashline, Graphology then Greensmoke
- mascara, brows and you're set to go.

Hope you like it. It is one of my favourite MAC combo, I like how it brightens and changes my weird eyecolour.

See ya :)

Specific intensive smoothing eye cream from Yves Rocher

2010-01-21T22:08:00.003+01:00

I have decided to add a new category to this blog: beauty on a budget.
Well to be honest, what I called "not too expensive" is a beauty product that costs less than 20€. I know for some of you it may not be cheap but here in France, it is the price range for drugstore brands and most of the beauty supplier brands too like Sephora, Marionnaud and Yves Rocher. To me, each product I tried lasts at least 2 months so 20€ all in all is not that bad.

You are ready?

I will talk about the Inositol range from Yves Rocher. Funny enough it is meant for 30 year-old women in France and for 25 in the US. Do US people get older faster than European one???

What do I think about it? It is a plastic tube with a pointed tip which makes it really hygienic to use. First good point. The cream inside is slightly tinted, a pale orange with a hint of sheen that is meant to help conceal dark circles. The texture is great : not too thick nor too liquidy which help to measure it. It is supposed to smoothe the eye area, renew its brightness and wipe away dark circles in 15 days with a twice daily application.

Does it work? Well concerning how it spreads on the skin nothing to worry about. It glides on and is fast absorbed. The colour is not noticeable. I personnally apply it twice in the morning, right after cleaning and then jsut before applying my foundation. It is not moisturizing enough for me but under make up it is perfect. On darkcircles, no effect at all but I am truly convinced taht no cream can handle this issue. Another good point is that it does not irritate or sting.

Do I recommend it? Yes, it is not the best eyecream in the world or my personal HG but if you are not willing to pay a lot for it, it is one of the best quality/price product I have tried in this area.

Price : 17,40€ from Yves Rocher in France. We have frequent offers here like "2 for 1" or 50% sale.

I am not a big fan of Yves Rocher but some of them are correct. This one is not bad, it nearly makes me want to try some other products from Inositol range. I tried the Sebactiv range a while ago but this was a huge huge fail :s.

See ya :)

What about brows?

2010-01-20T16:40:00.004+01:00

I think that concerning make up, brows are a crucial question. I know very few girls who were born with the perfect arch and hair thickness.

Mine are thick and quite bushy. I used to have them wax by an aesthetician when I was younger until a very bad experience which makes me scream after tweezers and wax coming too close to my eyeareas. But I am still convinced brows are really important, they frame your eyes and your face globally so you have to be very careful on how you shape and take care of them.
So after a lot of musing and step-back, I finally make an appointment to have mine slightly modify. Before I show you the before/after pic, I know the difference is really tiny, they have simply been groomed, shorten (a lot I was surprised to see how long they were) and thin a little on the outer portion but I was too scared for a huge change. Click on the pic to enlarge it :p

So what do you think? They look better than they used to or not? They need to be thin out more?

See ya :)

Argan oil from Zakia's Morocco

2010-01-19T11:34:00.006+01:00

*DISCLAIMER : I was kindly given this product by Zakia's Morocco owner. I was not paid to make my review, so I will share my honest opinion on it.*

Well I am not sure a introductory speech is useful here as everyone may know where argan oil comes from. Just a quick reminder: it is extracted fom argan nuts which grows on Moroccan trees.

What do I think about it? Well I have already talked about argan oil here, search the "beauty of the world" tag to find more info. :p
But let's have a closer loot to this one. It comes in a 50ml glass bottle with white prinitng directly on it. So be careful not to use it with wet hands as the lettering may gat damaged. It has a gorgeous amber colour and smells slightly like nuts (which is quite normal of course). Smell and colour are the two most important things to look after when choosing an argan oil. This one is cold-pressed with young nuts to preserve all the goodness inside. When nuts are hot-processed, the extracted oil is darker and stronger in smell which is not so good as some qualities have been destroyed by heating.
When you apply it, you need no more than 3 dots for you all face, one on each cheeks and one on the forehead. That's it! It sinks right into the skin and does not leave a strange oily film. The texture is awesome, very fine, and glides on the skin.
On for all, people have to remember that oil does not mean comedogenic or pore clogging. Most of the molecules inside are way too big to clog pores.

Does it work? Yes, of course it is a really good care. It has been used for centuries by Arabic women!
This oil has great advantages. It can be used for absolutely everything : as cuticule and nail oil, as hair mask before shampooing, as a dry ends care after shampooing, as a facial moisturising mask, as a night facial care and as a eyecream.
My preferred uses are :
- as an eye contour every night, I love it it plumps and rehydrate my overdry undereye area like nothung else. No more cracks and fewer fine lines there.
- as a facial mask, I first spray some thermal water and then spread 3 drops of oil on my face, put a piece of paper tissue on top and let my skin dirnks this cocktail for 20 to 30 min. Glowing skin :p
- as a fast night care when I am super lazy, three dots and good night sleep.
This one has not break me out. I have been using it daily for over a month and no skin issue. It has helped a lot with my dehydration issue. Moreover, it is very travel friendly for busy grils who spend ther time on flight. You can take it on board and need nearly online this to take care of yourself.
The only downside is the price maybe

Do I recommend it? Yes, it is one of my top 3 oil and this one is particularly good even for the price. It can be used by every skin type and offers interesting anti-ageing properties over the top :p. For dryeczema or dryness, it will be your best friend.

Price: 60$ by Zakia's Morocco (vente en ligne) for the pure version I tested out. You can find two other version with blends of essential oils for more demanding skin (add 5$ more). So yes it is on the pricey side but you need just a couple of drops everyday (5 drops for the whole face including the eye area) that it will last you for ever ^^.

I have tried many different brand and this one hits the top. For use on hands and hairs maybe you can go for something cheaper in price and quality. But for facial care, you have to choose something cosmetic grade with top qualitu like this one. Something I like too about this one is the little note handwritten in the box by Zakia herself to let people know about the "best before use" date. It makes me feel special

Do you use argan oil? What for? Are you ready to pay that much for quality?

See ya :)

Color therapy

2010-01-16T20:19:00.004+01:00

Well I do not know if the whole north hemisphere has to suffer from this hideous weather but where I am it is terrible. It gets slightly warmer but still no pieces of blue sky or sunrays to cheer me up. I miss the sun so much :s.

In that case, it tends to put more colors everywhere and the brighter the better. Summer is back at least on my face :)). I know this FOTD is not really wearable for everyday work but guess what I spend most of time typing on my computer for an hypothetical job so who cares? I will not put a list of the stuffes I use (unless you require it for your next Halloween or fancy-dress party :p). First of all, the eyes :
Then the whole face just to show you the lipstick I stole from Barbie herself ^^

It is the brightest pink I've ever come accross. I have to admit I really do not know if it is wearable for everyday. But the color is gorgeous (it is a Armani lipstick but I do not know the colour sorry :s)

Hope you're all feeling better than I do. I am slightly annoyed by how things go...

See ya :)

High performance balancing cleansing oil fresh from Shu Uemura

2010-01-14T22:09:00.002+01:00

Ready for another review? This time it will be about a make up remover I really really like. Removing make-up is an important step in a skincare routine not to say the most important step in taking good care of your skin. It is especially vital if you wear a lot of foundation as I do and if your skin tends to break out. Nothing clogg better pores than sweat, make-up or pollution. I bought this oil a while ago and used it extensively for the past months so I think it is reviewing time.
Plus, have you notice that this oil is pink? Yep nice finky girly pink. For once the girliest version has been created for bad skin ladies like I am. It is avalaible for all skin types but the only one to be pink is the fresh version! Yeap thumbs up

What do I think about it? Well it is PIIIIIIINKKKKKK! All right calm down :p. The smells is great but hard to describe, something fresh but at the same time floral and sweet. You have to pump twice (yes it comes with a handy pump) and then massage it into your skin to melt everything down. You can use it safely on your eyes and if like me you hate the cotton pads contact onyour lids, it will be heaven :p. Then you rinse it and it will emulsify into a soft milky lotion. Welcome your fresh glowing skin with a big smile :). The only little downside is that yes it leaves a slight oil film on your skin but it will not last after you pat dry. I do double cleanse (make up remover + facial cleanser) so I do not care much about that but I know it annoys some people.

Does it work? Yes really well. It is the best oil-based remover I tried. I love the colour, the texture and the smell of it. It does not break me out!!! Thumbs up ^^. But there is a but... For organic-concerned addicts, the composition is crap : first ingredient is mineral oil. Sorry about that!! I can not say if it has improved my skin but it makes it feels so fresh that I think so. I know love to remove my make up and so be more cautious about the way I do it. It removes any kind of make up even waterproof without any lash fallouts :)

Do I recommend it? Yes but it is pricey. For addicts on a budget, it will not be in the price zone I assume.

Price: 78,30€ for 450ml by Sephora France. For what I see now, my bottle will last at least 6 months. So it is not that expensive in my opinion. If you just went to try it there is a smaller size, 150ml which retails for 37€ by Sephora France.

I am hooked, it will not prevent me from trying something new for time to time and maybe look for cheaper alternatives. But this one has proven it is efficiency. What I like about it is the all-in-one aspect (eyes, lips and face) and the no cotton pad routine (I hate them they feel scratchy yeek)

Have you tried it? Do you like it or not?

See ya :)

Shopping on sale

2010-01-13T22:04:00.002+01:00

I was a little annoyed by several things today, so I have to do some shopping to destress. And for the first time, no make up or skincare!!! Yeap, thumbs up for me :)
So I went to the closest shopping mall from my place and headed to two shops : one of clothes and the other one of accessories.
-For clothes, I chose Uniqlo. I do not know if there are shops abroad but it is a japanese brand which sells tops in all the colours, cuts and sizes you can dream off. I took 3 long-sleeve, V neck pullovers made of blended cashmere. I love cashmere, it is so silky and hot. They are not over funky but they are well cut and easy to wear on a daily basis. What rocks is the sizing, the smallest size which is S is based on japonese standards which make them really small. For skinny top girls like I am, it is a pain to find tight-fitting tops but here it is heaven!!!Creepy pic, but you see the colouring. Not very bright, yeah I love dark clothes!
- Then I finished my shop trip to Accessorize. Most Britains know about this brand. They sell accessorizes (funny indeed). I bought two pairs of earrings, long, feather-like shape... They are the kind I like the most, not too overpowering but stylish enough on my personal opinion. I like the fact that they are not too voluminous, not too eye-catching and then they will not attract attention on my elf ears.
Sale frenzy, anyone?

See ya :)

Night moisturizer?

2010-01-12T21:29:00.005+01:00

Well as I annoyed you so much with that you may know that I am currently spot free :).
But as it has not happened to me for a while, I currently stick to my "fighting the spots" routine which tends to be a lil too drying for this cold days. You see where I want to come?

I am looking for a good moisturizer to use at night to help restore my skin hydration without being too oily or it will defo break me out.
I will keep using my morning routine to keep the spots and pimples at day. Yeah taugh question!
My skin type is combo to oily I think, it depends on the day... Any suggestions? It can be a serum, a cream or a fluid! As I plan to try some of them the cheaper, the better :). Go go go!

See ya :)

Argan oil cream revitalizing shampoo from Zakia's Morocco

2010-01-11T18:29:00.012+01:00

*DISCLAIMER : I was kindly given this product by Zakia's Morocco owner. I was not paid to make my review, so I will share my honest opinion on it.*

That being said, this shampoo is meant for normal to dry hair which is frequently washed and dried without any special care. Well I think it has been created specially for me :)). I used it extensively in the past month, once every other day, so I can give you a thorough review with pictures as pieces of evidence.

What do I think about it? It is an organic-inspired shampoo, it contains very few silicones, no other mineral oils and no parabens to declare. It is a all-in-one formula which cleanse, condition and prep the hair in a signle wash.
The shampoo itself has a gorgeous golden-bronzey colour and you need really a little to make it work. As all natural shampoos, it does not foam much but it does not mean it does not cleanse (foam is linked to chemical surfactants in classical shampoos). Not convinced?? Just think about dry cleaning shampoos, no foam but great washing efficiency. A single wash with a delicate massage is sufficient even on real dirty hairs. The packaging is well designed, a flip top bottle made of soft plastic that is easy to grip even with wet hands (who has never drop the shampoo bottle in the shower tub?). No labels that get dirty, instructions are printed directly on the bottle (really great idea).

Does it work? The low foaming efficiency was disturbing at first but when I saw the results I was pleasantly surprised. Hairs are untangled, easy to style, silky, soft and shiny! All this just by shampooing!! I blow dried my hairs each time I used it and no further damages even without an extra heat protection.

Pictures: the two first with a natural light and the last one is taken inside! It explains the colour difference between the pictures!
Well you can too see me without any make up (just lip balm). I do not look great, tired eyes and slightly red skin, but all in all my skin has greatly improve. Maybe I will be able to walk out unmade up one day :p

Do I recommend it? Yes... It is a very soft shampoo even if it is a deep cleansing formula. It contains luxurious ingredients that go deep into your hair. For people who wash their hair really often and do not like to spend extra time for care, thumbs up!!! Small downside, it is only avalaible for sale in the US at the moment. Yeah that's life!

Price : 19$95 for 200ml on Zakia's Morocco website

Just in case you wonder, I just blow dried my hairs upside down for these pics. They are my real hairs, no extension and no dye...

See ya :)

A photorealism quad look

2010-01-09T20:16:00.003+01:00

I bought this quad form MAC a while ago and I never found time to try it out. It travelled with me during my holidays but I dediced to give my skins some rest so make up stayed alone in my stash.
I am sure this particular quad is not evryone's cup of tea but I like it. It completes well my hazel, kind of greenish, strange colored eyes. All the LE e/s have green undertones with hints of blue or yellow. Here is the look I came out with, this time full face and lips pics as my skin is great for several weeks now (hallelujah). As my skin is not looking too bas, I wore less make up. It makes me look younger but also fresher I think (any opinion?)
On a light silvery base, jumbo eye pencil Pots&Pans from NYX,
- In the inner third of the lid, Fresh Approach from MAC
- On the other two thirds, Image Maker from MAC
- In the crease and outer V, Grey Range from MAC
- As a highlight, Photorealism from MAC
- Along the lower lashline, Acidic Reign pigment from the She Space (outer part) and Photorealism from MAC (inner part)
- Mascara Volume Shocking Brosse Exacte from l'Oreal Paris (not so convinced, I like Beauty Tubes better).

On my lips, Creme de Nude from MAC applied over a lipbalm (otherwise I can not wear this colour, it washes me out when I apply it plain, straight on my lips). Sorry for the poor lighting of the pic (anyhow happy to see lip pics Tali?)
To conclude this never ending post, creepy full face pics. Same foundation routine as in my precious FOTD (search for the FOTD tag for more details)

A nice and quiet winter look not to scare the snow falling outside. Maybe I will go back to neon colours as I hate winter and snow in cities :p.

See ya :)

100th or so post!!!

2010-01-07T21:39:00.005+01:00

Hey I do not realise I posted more than a hundred post here.

I hope you enjoy reading my little beauty stories as much as I enjoy writing them. I started this blog in july along with my French version one (much easier to write in French first and then translate :p).
I know my blog is a little drop in the sea of famous beauty blogs but I do enjoy all my fellow readers. You are not so many but I am happy to see you around :))).
Yeah I know I am in a happy, kind of "sharing the love" mood. Maybe it has something to do with the new year. Hope it will last ^^.

See ya :)

Buffering lotion from Mario Badescu

2010-01-06T22:05:00.002+01:00

Here we are, my last review on Mario Badescu products I currently own. This one is meant to treat the deep cysts you can sometimes have. You know these ugly underskin spots taht hurt like hell and take weeks to disappear. They leave a bump on your face and make you want to disappear under your living room carpet... See what I am talking about?? It is where the Buffering lotion comes into play

What do I think about it? It is a very liquid lotion that has to be shaked before use to help the powder to mix in a lil. You have to spot each cysts with a drop and leave it to work overnight. On the website, it is recommended to use it before and after the drying mask but I do not own the last one so I do not know. It is specific for combination to oily skin as other skin types do not face this kind of spots.
No tingling or itching sensation after application and no bad afterwards skin reaction. No particular smell either. Many active ingredients inside and I am too lazy to sum them up here (if you want to know, check the ingredient list)

Does it work? What do you think? Of course, yes again. The first time I used it, I did not think that a such soft product could do any good to my skin but I was wrong. No more dep cysts to declare after I put this on at first signs of pimple. I also discovered that it helps a lot with the granular aspect of my skin on my chin. Maybe it was a mild from of cystic acne? Anyhow it worked great

Lambda recommande? Yes again. It is really efficient and results last a while.

Price: 16,75€ from HQHair or 16€ from Beautybay (online retailers).

I have to deal with the remaining scars now. Luckily enough I just have flat overpigmented scars. I know they will slowly disappear with time but if I can make them vanish faster I will be happy. I will try some radiance skincare just for the sake of trying new stuffes :p

See ya :)

2009's best of...

2010-01-05T21:27:00.003+01:00

Hi beauty addicts from around the world!
Hope you enjoyed your Xmas holidays as much as I did for mine :)
Did you miss me a little... Nope? Not even a lil? Come on! I had a lot of fun and food (way too much food) and now I am thinking about all the resolutions I will fell to achieve this year :)
Anyway, 2009 has flown by but it has offered some incredible discoveries I want to share in this post :). It will not be perfectly organize as I still try to digest the food mountain I swallowed in the past 2 weeks. It uses all my concentration capacities ^^.

Let's begin...
For skincare, I nominate Mario Badescu at the first place because I never thought I would be spot-free on day and it is the case! Yihaa :). I have to deal with the scarring now! Special mention to Clinique (the 3-steps program) and Estée Lauder.
For makeup, I need to distinguish things a bit....
For face, big up to Bobbi Brown and special mention to La Roche Posay (French :)) ) and Nivea.
For eyes, ex aequo Urban Decay for the amazing palettes and l'Oreal for the best mascaras on Earth, honorable mention to Sleek Makeup
For lips, YSL (unbeatable lipsticks) and thumbs up for Benefit and Too Faced

That's my personal hit parade!
Concerning resolutions, finding a job and a nice guy are also on my list :p

See ya :)

Leaving...

2009-12-31T15:02:00.002+01:00

Happy new year everyone! Joy, happiness, love and everything you dream of... and of course plenty of new beauty goodies!!!

I am leaving for the mountains today to breathe some new fresh air. I will be back on Monday with my 2009 best of :p

Have fun for the last 2009 day. You will have plenty of time to be better next year ^^

See ya :)

Silver powder from Mario Badescu

2009-12-30T00:48:00.003+01:00

My next to last review on Mario Badescu skincare line from what I currently own. This time I won't talk about acne treatment but something close to that, blackheads! Yeah yiiirk... So this stuff, the silver powder, is meant to unclog pores and treat excessive oiliness.
I have to say that I really like this minimum retro-looking packaging. It makes me feel like that I jump back in the past and shop my skincare in a old herbalist's shop :p

What do I think about it? It is a loose slightly hydrated white powder. You have to put a damp cotton ball inside the powdeer and swipe it on the affected areas. You leave it on for 10 minutes and wash it away. You'd better not breathe too heavily with that pon as it stays really powdery, it will make you snneeze. It does not smell anything and it does not tingle on the skin. You won't feel aything strange while it treats. It is safe for every skin type but only on oilier area with balckheads as it absorbs sebum. The active ingredients are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

Does it work? Well yes. My opinion is less over the top than the ones you can read on the brand site but it is the best product I tried for blackhead treatment. The only downside I found concerns the removal of the powder. My nose stays stained with little white specks for a while even after toner but I do have really large pores in this area. So I used it at night before going to bed. After treatment, pores are really clean and seem to tighten a lil. With two treatments a week, I tend to break out a lot less.

Do I recommend it? Yes again. It is the first efficient blackhead treatment I use. But of course you have to keep using it to sustain the results.

Price: 13,25€ by HQHair or 12,50€ by Beautybay (online retailer).

I swear I am not sponsored. I'll let you know if so ^^

See ya :)

Xmas eyes...

2009-12-27T19:16:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone!
Hope you have had fun for Xmas with plenty luscious food and a lot of beauty-related presents. I was busy yesterday and forgot to post my Saturday's FOTD (oops :p).
It will be the details of the make-up I wore in my storyboard (hard time combining the pics, I am computer-challenged). Hope it makes you smile afterall ;p
Just the eyes :

- on the lid and as a brow highlight, pigment Moon from Aromaleigh
- in crease, going thinner from outer V to tear duct Black Tied from MAC
- on the outer half of the upper lashline and smudged on the lower one, black Stila Smudge Pot
- black mascara, Beauty Tubes (raaaah)

If you are interested in the whole look, on my lips, I wore a matt red lipstick from Revlon (can not read the name anymore) topped with a sparkling red gloss from Bourjoirs. For foundation, I used the same stuffes as in my previous FOTD :). It was one of my first red lip trial and I kind of like it!

What was your Xmas makeup look?

See ya :)

Merry Xmas!!

2009-12-24T19:22:00.003+01:00

Hope everyone is doing fun and plan to have the biggest meal ever :). Just for fun a lil storyboard picturing myself as a hero :p (click on to enlarge)
Merry Christmas to you full of joy, love, food and presents ^^

See ya :)

Drying cream from Mario Badescu

2009-12-23T22:24:00.004+01:00

An other review on a Mario Badescu's product... This one is to mean to help with underskin breakouts. It is part of the Acne Repair kit you can find where Mario Badescu is sold and on the brand website here.

What do I think about it? It is a consistent cream with an intense herbal smell. It is slightly tinted in beige or light brown which helps to conceal a little the pimple redness due to the inflammation. I apply it to all my breakout-prone areas in a very small amount because it dries out the skin so much. You have to be very careful to dab it only on imperfections. It gives a greyish cast to the skin right after application but it disappears after a couple of minutes. The active ingredients inside are mainly sulfur, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
I personally use it mornings on my pimples under my make-up. It does not interfer with makeup which is great!

Does it work? Yes on more time... It works great but perhaps a bit too much for some of you. Spots dry really fast and does not evolve in hideous cysts. The downside is that foundation will stick a little more to the dry patches and you will have to be more careful with application.Anyhow, I prefer dry patches to nasty volcanos on my chin :p.
It is safe for every skin type. It is the perfect targeted treatment but for a single daily application (do not use it twice)

Do I recommend it? Yes ... Apart from the herbal smell and the greyish cast, perfect problem solver for me!

Price: 11€ by HQHair or 10,50€ by Beautybay (online retailers). You can order on the brand website but be aware of the shipping charges :s

Thumbs up for this one too... I have two more stuffes from Mario Badescu to go through! One fights painful undere-surface pimples and the other blackheads and open pores!
Stay tune...

See ya :)

The HG foundation

2009-12-22T23:23:00.002+01:00

I know I am a lazy blogger but sometimes it is easier to give someone else some work to do :p. Yeah but on that particular point, ie HG foundation, I think extra pieces of advice are welcome. And here you come into play my fellow readers :p

Try to answer this easy question :

Which foundation does turn you into Eva Longoria or any other l'Oreal girls? Or let's say it in an other way, whais the name of your beloved foundation and why do you love it so much?
Yeah I know hard question! You can write whateveryou want but please give me the key to a perfect and beautiful made up skin^^!

Go go go :)))

See ya :)

Why I do my make up ....

2009-12-21T22:31:00.006+01:00

...every morning in 5 points! Yes I know I am one of these silly girls who put make up on to go out food shopping :p

One of my fellow readers gave me this idea a while qgo but I forgot about it. Now that I am stucked in my coach with 2 broken ribs I have more time to think of all what I forgot.

Here we go :

1. Because I like being able to change style in a few brush strokes... Changing from a casual to a very sexy look that easily it is so fun !!!
2. Because it is the only way for me to express my artistic side. I am really bad at evertyhing else :p
3. Because I am a beauty addict and as my place looks like a beauty store I have to use some of them every morning to buy new ones :)
4. Because it simply makes me happy and that means a lot! Something as superficial can be useful...
5. And of course I will not have my vicious and discourteous weekly remark and I will miss it... or not :p (men can be such bastards...)

Your turn!

See ya :)

Young successful business woman

2009-12-19T17:27:00.003+01:00

... looks for a well enough paid job and has so to wear not too heavy eye makeup.. Something nice and soft but still focusing on the eyes. Why can not I wear heavy eye makeup? Because my field of competences is not very feminine so Barbie or smokey eyes are not so welcome at the first interview. You have to get them slowly used it first :). For all that purpose, I always choose a classical brown and golden look with satin and not shimmery colours. It looks more subtle in my opinion with a satin finish.
Enough babbling, the pics. I did it with the 28 neutral palette you can find everywhere.
I applied everything with a fluffy brush like a 217, 222 or 224 to keep it soft and blended:
- 1 all over the lid
- 2 in large crease area
- 3 in outer V
- 4 from crease to brow
- 5 right under the brow to bring some light
- a brown liner on upper lashline and in both waterlines, Truffle gel liner from Coastal Scents
- black mascara
And you are ready to go!

I do wear a coloured lipstick with this eye look. I go for a beige-brown shimmery one sometimes to add some colour to my face. I will not go for a mat as it is often drying and also I am not into full mat look. Nude lips wash me out most of the time...

See ya :)

The beginner's mistake

2009-12-17T22:03:00.002+01:00

I have to confess that sometimes I do not do things right on time when it comes to limited editions in make up range. Let me explain...
On my Christmas list, I asked for the Book of Shadows vol II but I had not been nice enough this year ;p so I won't get it. Sad isn't it?
But as you know children are capricious and now I want it real bad. But of course, it is not available anymore. I went into many Sephora where it was already sold out and online sale is over too. I had not look at all Sephora I know but it seems like my quest will not succeed. Jsut a pic of this marvel to remind me how perfect, gorgeous and essential it looks...
Raaaaaah I am dying... I am desperate, I thought I can resist but no I can not, I want it, I want it, I want it!!!!!

See ya :)

Drying lotion from Mario Badescu

2009-12-16T22:15:00.002+01:00

Well I talked a lot about Mario Badescu skincare line but I still have not made any review. This mistake will be corrected tonight ^^. They will be three more on this brand as I own three other products in the acne range and have had the opportunity to test them for a long period of time as my skins is freaking out again (I am too old to still have pimples, damned!)
For the ones not too familiar with this brand, Mario Badescu is a US-based and sold for about 40 years now. According to the brand site (click her e) many stars trust its efficiency. What makes me try this brand is its wide range dedicated to acne treatment. You can definitely find something for your skin as every skin type is accounted for. I think it is a quite unique offer on the market as most anti acne products are meant for super oily skin. An other good point is the minimalist packaging, which makes me think taht I pay only for the product's efficiency and not for a nice bottle (it may sound stupid for some of you but anyhow it is how I feel about simple packaging)

What do I think about it? It is not a classical acne treatment, it is a two-phased lotion : a pink powder that contains calamine and a alcohol liquid infused with salicylic acid. You must not shake the bottle, the wo phases have to remain apart. You simply dip Q-tip into the powder and dab it directly on the whiteheads. It will leave a pinkish mark on so it is meant for nightime use only :p.
This lotion is dedicated for whitehead treatment and nothing else. It dries it up overnight. Be careful not to apply it everywhere around as it is reallt drying (the name is not fake in that case). You could feel a slight tingling sensation when you put it on but it won't last. It is safe for every skin type which is kind of cool!

Does it work? Yes, yes and yes. I do not have a huge amount of whiteheads but when one of my pimple decides to evolve in this direction it becomes really big, ugly and most of the time painful. But with this lotion after a single night it is all dried up and with morning face wash it jsut leaves a tiny red mark! Yihaa! My skin is prone to scarring so it will always go trhough a stage with red marks that slowly vanish.
It can be use every night by oilier skin but maybe only once every other day for drier types. And be careful to only dab it on the whitehead not around otherwise you will have to fight deydration.

Do I recommend it? Of course... It is the best whitehead tretament I have come across. If I have to find some drawbacks, I will say that you have to use Q-tips every time which is not very environmental friendly and that it is not very travel-friendly either. You have to wait hours for both phases to separate when they get mixed. Just quibbling over :p

Prix : 16,50€ by HQhair or 16€ by Beautybay (for European reader). For US readers, they can be find in stores or on the official brand site (lucky you ^^)

It is way more efficient than tea tree oil on whitehead. And you use it really sparingly, mine is two month old I think and I have use it quite a lot as my skin was doing crap.

See ya :)

Where is Ken???

2009-12-15T20:11:00.006+01:00

I am not even sure the name of Barbie's fiancé is the same worldwide but in France, it is usually Ken. Just to explain the post title ;p. As I was not able to publish my weekly EOTD, I do it today... I went for a pastel makeup and it really really came out Barbie-ish. But I still quite like it. It is very soft and wearable (especially if you wear glasses) and it changes a bit from gold and brown doesn't it?
So here we go, no full face pic as my skin is in bad condition once again.

I applied a golden gel base all over the lid, 24K gel liner from Coastal Scents :
- inner third Apricot Moose from NYX
- inside third, applied with finger by gently tapping on, Pink Platinum from MAC (collection Brushed Metal X- Metal Urge)
- outer third Purple NYX
+ same thing in same order along the lower lashline
- outer V Lucky Charm from The She Space
- along the upper lashline, Deep plum gel liner from Coastal Scents
- a coat of mascara

It can not look appealing for some of you but I found really funny how it turned out. I did not expect that result and it made me laugh to have Barbie eyes :p

See ya :)

Pause...

2009-12-09T20:43:00.002+01:00

I leave for a couple of days. Be back soon, on next tuesday!

See ya :)

Vanishing cream from Lush

2009-12-08T17:30:00.009+01:00

A new product review as I did not do any last week... I do not know if you have already entered a Lush shop but if they all smell the same than in Europe you have to do it at least one. It is a micmac of overpowing smells that to me are not appealing at all. Every time I step in there I go out with a headache and feel quite nauseous. But do not freak out, you can still order from the Web. Safe ordorless place :).

Do not take me wrong, most of the products do smell nice (very sugary girly smells). But as they are all strong smelled you have to take them separately. That being clarified, let's go...

What do I think about it? The packaging is not wonderful, just a cheap looking plastic screwable container, but you do not have to expect more from a company that surf on the green wave. The texture is fluid but not too liquidy as it does not leak. From a color and smell point of view, it is very classical : white with a light lavender smell nothing too pronounced. It is assumed to be for blemish-prone skin that tends to look oily and shiny through the day. For now, nothing to really complain about, except perhaps the very fluid texture that may not provide enough hydration to my poor quality skin...

Does it work? Sadly enough not really... First I am still waiting for the promise of keeping breakouts at bay after a full pot :s. Secondly I did a mistake, I did not use enough so hydration was really low and my skin started peeling. Yummy yummy :s.
Anyhow adsorption is really good as it sinks right into the skin. It also allows to put make up on without trouble.

Do I recommend it? No not really even if it is not a bad product. Maybe it would be more convincing for a man looking for light day to day hydration as the smell is not feminine at all. This summer, it was working Ok for me but not over the top, it is definitely not my HG moisturizer.

Price : 24€95 by Lush france (I know it is cheaper abroad)

I think this particular cream is not meant for my current skintype which is something close to dehydrated, sensitive & oily (yeah I know I am lucky). A last important point, Lush is not an organic brand (formulas include parabens) that being said for my organic-concerned readers.

See ya :)

Brewer's yeast : week 4 - the conclusion

2009-12-07T21:50:00.003+01:00

4 weeks of rigourous pill-intake every morning have gone, here are the final results! And I think they are really noticeable.

Ready for a before/after pics? Let's go... On the left side, before and on the right side, after (click to enlarge). Both my forefingers have been filled a lot as they were really damaged with split layers on the end. I do not go for a full French manicure so I can not cheat with my actual nail lenght (I wonder if the white part of the nail got a name, does anyone know?).

So after 4 weeks, no more splitting, still some roughness but a lot less than before and the most important point, no breakage occured during the past month... Thumbs up! Extra length somewhere between 3 to 5mm depending on fingers...

You know what you have to do for your nails? Not yet? Come on! I can not do anything more for you :p

See ya :)

Tagged for a "knowing you better" kind of survey

2009-12-06T21:31:00.005+01:00

I have been tagged by the gorgeous Tali to answer the following questions on my beauty habits. Well I will try to do my best and not to lie too much ;p...

1. What is your beauty style? (Natural, trendy etc.)
I would say that I have no style... Well I am definitely not natural or trendy, I am something closer to a chameleon, I can wear a very casual look and the day after bold barbie pink eyes.
Anyway I tend to focus my FOTD mainly on my eyes. I hardly wear lipstick and I am not good at contouring so all about eyes for me!!! I am definitely not colored-scared and can sometimes look over made up :)

2. Where do you get your beauty inspiration from?
From everything I see, beauty tuts on the web, clothes, landscapes, other girls (yeah I am a copycat).

3.What beauty products do you have the most of?
Eyeshadows, foundations and concealer.... If you had my skin you will definitely understand the two last points (pimples and dark circles are my everyday fight). For eyeshadows, well, I do not use half the ones I own but staring at them make me overhappy. And it is way cheaper that a all year long therapy :p

4.What's your favourite/holy grail color for:
Eyes: Purples & plums, yummy yummy! I love how it brings out the green undertones in hazel eyes like mine. And black liner of course, true jet black one of course :)
Lips: I am not a lipstick person as I tend to apply lipbalm every 30 min :s. But if I have to pick one colour, I will go for a shimmery light brownish beige kind of nude. Very precise and not confusing at all :p
Nails: Light pink... Anything not too noticeable as I am really bad at nail polish application. But I do love deep wine red or plum I find them over sexy...

5.Three favourite brands of the moment:
1. MAC - one of the best quality/price ratio out there... Especially for eyeshadow maniac like me :)))
2. Bobbi brown - for all their face products. If you have bad skin, give it a try, they have the best coverage out there without making you look cakey or overdone!
3. Benefit - I used not to like it so much as it is really expensive in France, but now I can buy it abroad I think some stuffes are worth to pay for them...

That's it
See ya :)

Oops!

2009-12-05T22:07:00.005+01:00

I was about to forget to post my weekend makeup pics. I know I like my little blog routine to be well organized so saturday means makeup pics!!!
But I will cheat just a little as they are not pics of today makeup but of one I did earlier this week. My skin has to recover a bit from spots, dryness, cold and too hard water :s (drawback of living in a big city).

When I did this look, I randomly picked two shadows of my makeup stash, add a third coordinate one and it turned out cool from my point of view. It is very wearable without being too boring and I think it is suitable for daytime wear (at least I will wear it if I have to go to work). It is not matte, rather pretty shimmery but does not make you look like a disco ball. It is more evident on the full face pics (click to enlarge).

So here we go:
On the eyes : on a white base (Silk White gel liner from Coastal Scents), eyeshadows applied from inner to outer corners
- Melon pigment from MAC, Platonic e/s from MAC (Infatuating Rose, 2008 Christmas collection), Deep Feeling e/s from MAC (Infatuating Rose, 2008 Christmas collection)
- same order on the lower lashline+ même répétition le long des cils du bas.
- un thin line of Indigo gel liner from Coastal Scents along the upper lashline and in both waterlines.
- of course mascara (l'Oreal Beauty Tubes thumbs up!!!).

To finish 2 pathetic full face pics of me trying to smile :))). Make me look really stupid but guess what I do not really care (one of my French reader was wondering why I never smile on pics, here you had the evidence :p)

foundation : correcting palette MUFE n°1 + Unifiance crème de poudre n°1 (discontinued product from LRP) + MAC Select Cover-up concealer NW 20 + Météorites from Guerlain.
blush : Mineralize Skinfinish Petticoat overr cream color base Bougainvillea (both limited editions)
lips : shimmery coral lipstick topped with golden lipgloss

Blue and orange combination can be tricky for daywear but as these colors are muted it is kind of wearable I think.

See ya :)

My facial routine n°3

2009-12-03T21:16:00.005+01:00

It has been a while since the last time I talked about my facial routine. Even if I still have a few ugly bumps my skin has greatly improved in texture. So now I have to find the perfect balance between spot treating and good moisturising because the cold weather dehydrates quickly my skin.

Morning : to sum up quickly, eyecream, basic 3 time, acne serum and local spot treatment. In order of application :
- Liquid facial soap mild formula from Clinique
- Clarifying lotion 2 from Clinique
- Acne serum from IQQU (Michelle Phan's skincare line, if you never heard about her have a look on YT)
- Dramatically different moisturizing lotion from Clinique
- Vanishing cream from Lush
- Drying Cream from Mario Badescu on spotty areas
- Line smoothing eyecream Inositol vegetal from Yves Rocher

Night:
- Liquid facial soap mild formula from Clinique
- Clarifying lotion 2 from Clinique
- Acne serum from IQQU (Michelle's Phan skincare line, if you never heard about her have a look on YT)
- Dramatically different moisturizing lotion from Clinique
- Vanishing cream from Lush + a few drops of Kalahari's melon oil
- Buffering lotion from Mario Badescu on spotty areas or tea tree oil from Body Shop
- Advanced night repair eye recovery complex from Estee Lauder + a drop of argan oil from Natessance

Masks :
- Radiance (1 x a week): Taï-Chi from Herborist (everywhere)
- Purifying (3 x a week): Refining mask from Proactiv Solution (T zone)

Blackhead treatment :
- Silver powder from Mario Badescu (2 x a week)

Whitehead treatment :
- Drying lotion from Mario Badescu (every night if needed)

That's it
See ya :)

Night out look?

2009-12-02T21:22:00.004+01:00

Well as you may know I am currently unemployed (things look a little better now but still no interview :s) so I have a lot of time to play with my overgrowing makeup collection. And watching my MAC palettes I discovered two things : 1. they need to be better organized (eyeshadows are just thrown randomly in there) and 2. there are some shadows I hardly ever used. Bad bad bad me. I needed to do something, I then picked three of the hardly used shadows and came out with this look :
In details, I go for an extended almond shape (be careful if you have smaller lid it can close your eyes). I like how it accentuates my natural eyeshape. So from the inner to the outer eyelid, I applied :
- Mary Jane from Urban Decay
- Greensmoke from MAC
- Black Tied fromMAC
+ same order on the lower lashline
- a thick line of black lliner & mascara (still and for ever I think l'Oreal Beauty Tubes).
I was thinking some black in the lower waterline would look great but I liked it without so I left it bare.
Et voilà!

For a night out or a dinner it looks great. It brings out the green in my eyes in a nice way. But I do understand that it may be too bold or heavy for some of my few readers.

That's all folks :p
See ya :)

Brewer's yeast : week 3

2009-12-01T21:59:00.003+01:00

Well they keep growing... Yeah I know it will be frightening the other way round.

I think I will not let them grow any longer. I do not really like very long nails as they are not handy for me. Typing on a computer, doing laundry or even opening a can is impossible for me with longer nails (I am kind of ungifted). The most scaring stuff is to put on contact lenses, eyes are so painful I can not imagine getting a scratch there...

To summarize this experiment, before next week before&after pics, I will say that my nails are longer (wahoo surprise, surprise), stronger with less splitting even if that last point is not perfect as I do not feed myself with the best food (lazy lazy...) and finally less striky which is great for polish application as I am really bad at it.
For hairs, hard to tell are mine are naturally healthy.
And for the skin, well no effect but I am a weird case :). I heard about cutting down milk-based food to improve skin prone to breakout in the chin area but if I o so I will starve to death... Need to find an other option I think ^^.

Finally, the nails of week pic :
I just opened a new jar of 150 pills so I have to end it up because it absorbs ambiant moisture which is not good for preservation. After that I will give my body some rest. Taking pills all year long is not a good habit if you do not really have health issues. Normally, you can find everything you need in your daily diet (well if you do not eat like I do :p)

See ya :)

In and out... November 2009

2009-11-30T15:21:00.004+01:00

Well I was about to be late for my monthly in and out... But here we go, hope you'll like and do not hesitate to share yours in the comments :)

Ins :
- the renewal lash serum from l'Oreal. It works for me, I do not have before pictures but I will show some "final" pics. it definitely helps to prevent lash fallouts and make mine softer and longer. Stay tune for the review
- still in love with product testing ^^. i hope you enjoy reading my reviews as much I enjoy doing them as I thoroughly tried everything I talk about (for a month or longer unless it gives me allergies...)
- my Bobbi Brown makeover I had in Sephora. I always hate how it comes out but this time I was truly blown away. No pics sorry about that but have a look to their face products they truly are amazing and I am very picky when it comes to foundation and concealer. The MUA I had was so professional and smart!
- MAC mineralize skinfinish in Petticoat (Sheer Minerals collection I think...) as light shimmery blush. As my pores shrink back to normal size it gives me the extra radiancy I need with this awful winter weather (blaaaaah hate winter)
- playing with my long hair even I am really bad as a hairdresser :p

Outs:
- dehydrated and cracked skin with some really painful bumps. My skin always reacts like that when healing but it is not a funny time trust me
- not being able to find something that helps erasing my scars without drying more my skin
- being frozen all day long. Lack of daylight makes me feel even colder
- being trapped at home and seeking for a job all day long
- still being unemployed
- the HG eyecream which keeps hiding and escaping! But I will find it one day :p

Your turn!
See ya :)

Winter eyes

2009-11-28T18:29:00.005+01:00

Well I tried to make summer lasts as long as possible but the weather is cold, real cold... It is freezing out there. So as winter is already here, it means white, blue and silvery make-up with a lot of twinkles everywhere like ice crystals :p (I know I need to grow up but snowflakes are the only thing I like about winter).

Yeah I know, this year's trend are more on the gold, purple and indigo side but well do I care? Not really I do not have two cents for fashion. So I tried this white-blueish association on my eyes with shimmery eyeshadows to mimic the frost.
No full face pics because my skin reacts badly to the current temperature drop. It becomes very dehydrated and keeps breaking out. Both problems can not be taken care of at the same time :s. Anyway, this eyelook is fully made with pigments mainly bought at the She Space (one of the best quality/price ratio out there for pigments)
- inner third, inner crease and to blend toward the browbone: shimmery white, Snow Capped Twinkles & Pearl range
- middle third : light aqua with glitters, Typical Mania Go glam or Go home range
- external third and outer V : night blue with greyish undertones, Midnight n°23 from Barry M
- liner on upper and lower lashlines & lightly inouter V : turquoise glitters in a lack base, Stolen Soul Diamond Powdered Dust range
- in both waterlines : Stila Smudge Pot in black
- mascara : 15 coats of Lash Plumper from Sephora (it was a trial as on Sephora webiste they promise incredible volume after 15 coats without clumping).
As you can see on the single eye pic, you then have really nice volume on upper lashes (I hardly put mascara on the lower lashes). Not many clumps but... yeah there is a but! I have never seen a mascara which makes as many fallouts! So one way for the trash for this one (it was not old about a month so the fallouts were not due to overdried/overaged mascara).

Yeah queen of the ice eyes! Do you also tend to wear more shimmery/frosty eyeshadows during winter months?

See ya :)

To hope that tolerance will

2009-11-26T20:56:00.007+01:00

... defeat ignorance one day! This post will not be dedicated to beauty as it uses to be but there will be some related stuffes in the end. The enclosed vid is a tribute to Sophie Lancaster. It is meant to remind everyone that ignorance, stupidity and prejudices can kill.
This young lady was beaten to death a night in august 2007 while walking in a park by stupids youngs only because she was goth. By trying to protect her boyfriend, first attacked by the band, she felt into a coma and never woke up again. Her parents decided to create their fondation and raised funds to educate people to face difference and be more open-minded.

If you want to help a little or learn more about this drama you can have a look to the fondation's site (here) or if you are a beauty addict like me, you can buy a SOPHIE product on the Illamasqua website (it is a good way to give this brand a go if you have not tried it yet).
I think, I have a black pencil to buy now...

See ya :)

Christmas list...

2009-11-25T20:55:00.003+01:00

I know you will try to convince that Santa Claus is not real but guess what to be able to write a Christmas letter or a wishlist you need someone to send it to, right? So he is real just for that purpose and for my infinite love of list making :p
So after this unbelievable scientific evidence, I will give you my beauty wishlist just because imagining Santa Claus running around beauty shops make me really laugh ^^

So:
- a Pure Shine lipistick from Yves Saint Laurent: 32 Frozen Mango or 11 Pink Diamond. I tried them so many times at Sephora that I do need one now. The perfect intermediate between rouge and gloss with a dreamy consistency!!!
- a Rouge Volupté lipstick from Yves Saint Laurent: 13 Peach Passion or 7 Pink Lingerie. I love the packaging and how creamy they feel on the skin!
- The Book of Shadows Vol II. I already own the first version so it needs a friend to talk to, you agree with me :p?
- The eye khôl 31 Paris Indigo from Lancôme. It is the perfect deep gorgeous metallic blue!!!
- the Perfect Renewal Dual Touch eyes from LaNeige. It sounds and looks so cool with 2 different textures for day and night. Maybe the HG eyecream I am looking for, fingercross ^^

Otherwise, I would not be against:
- a job???
- a nice, smart and clever guy... Just kidding an honest guy would be enough :)

Your turn, what would be your Christmas list?

See ya :)

Eyecream?

2009-11-24T21:00:00.004+01:00

I know again, but the perfect eyecream is my holy quest! Simply because even I may have one of the oiliest skin on Earth my eye area is dry dry dry. Each time I got my make up done by someone else they freak out about how my undereye is dehydrated... So I searched around and decided to sum up everything I read in a single post. So keep reading!
What can be done??? Do not start to cry they are some partial solutions. The number 1 rule is to hydrate from inside. So drink and water of course! The skin is the thinest around the eye so water tends to evaporate easily from here. I do not drink enough and I pay the price for that, trust me! The second thing to do is to apply the adequate cream! Eyearea has to be taken care of otherwise it damages and it can start really soon. Starting applying cream around 20 is good. I personnally started at 15! You have to apply it gently with your ringfinger without rubbing just with a gentle tapping motion. It provides water and nutrients to this delicate area.

Can I hope to see my dark circles and puffiness disappear? Well for dark circles, do not cry but there is not much to do. If you happen to sleep 7 to 8 hours a night and still have the bad purple eye you have to deal with it. Sorry!
For puffiness, the first trick is to store your cream in the fridge, it will last longer without bacteria this way and also help to improve circulation and drain the extra fluid from there. An other tip for tea drinkers is to keep the bags after they have been infused and store them in the freezer. After removing makeup, you can apply them on your eyes for 10 to 15 min. The caffeine inside helps with puffiness.

How to know if I have age wrinkles or dehydration ones? The age wrinkles are noticeable all the time even when you are not smiling. You will also see deep lines on the outer corners of the eyes : the famous crow's-foot wrinkles!
Dehydration wrinkles are more noticeable on the undereye area, on the dark circles. They are more noticeable when you blink and most of the time they are intensified by heavy concealer which tends to migrate in them.

So how to choose the right cream? If you see any aging signs, go for an anti-aging one it sounds obvious but it is better being said :).
On the other hand, if you suffer from dehydration try to stay away from anti-aging formula as their lifting effect fights againt hydration and moisture. It tightens the skin which becomes less prone to adsorption. In this particular case, which is mine, you'd better choose a heavy balm (nearly wax) because it is really nourishing and it helps scealing moisture into the skin. But, it is not very compatible with makeup application and with possible puffiness. Life is hard sometimes...
I used this type of cream at night to help to restore as I do not suffer from puffiness. Life is great sometimes :p
A gel-like or lightcream formulas are the best compromise and the most common kind you can find out there. They are fast to absorbe and are makeup-prone.

To sum up, eyecream as young as 20 even younger if you suffer from dehydration. Stay away from anti-aging formula if you do not need them. Prefer moisture at first! Apply your cream twice daily if possible or at least in the morning during winter months as your face has to face hard weather! I will do many eyecream reviews here so if you are interested, keep reading

See ya :)

Brewer's yeast : week 2

2009-11-23T17:20:00.003+01:00

What about my nails after 2 full weeks of brewer's yeast. First, I am proud to follow this well this beauty routine! I am really bad in taking "medicine" everyday for a long time. But as you can see it grows slowly but surely it does, si no reason to complain about it!!! My forefingers are still weaker than the other ones but I prefer to file them a little more as they were really damaged (they tend to layer but only on these fingers). So I made two pictures this time with a close up and a clear nail polish so that you may see easily how far my nails extend. It is more pratical than an opaque nailpolish...

(sorry for the blurry close-up but when it comes to take pic with a macro option I start shaking like hell :p)

Two more weeks to go but I will have to file my nails more by then as I do not want to have claws. It works really good on my hairs too they look healthy and super silky! But no real improvment on my skin which tends to be over dehydrated these days. Not funny to see dehydration wrinkle when you apply foundation... And as I have to set it with powder to prevent it from creasing on my oilier areas, it is even worth!

See ya :)

Green and purple inspired

2009-11-21T19:42:00.007+01:00

In one my previous hauls from MAC I grab Humid e/s, a gorgeous deep green with golden undertones. I do not know why but I am currently in a green mood :p! I also decided to go for a slightly different shape for my eye make-up. I used the same dark shade, Humid, as a thick smoked-out liner on my upper lashline and also as outer-V. It could be seen on the pics, it is not that obvious as I might not have packed enough green on to truly make it stand out :
On the eyes:
- all over the lid, pigment Violet FA 115 from Paris Ax (I am not sure this is sold abroad but they can easily be duplicated)
- inner corners and as a blending shade upwards towards the brow, pigment Glimmer green from TKB
- along the upper lashline and as outer V shade, eyeshadow Humid from MAC
- along the lower lashline, inner half, Glimmer green, outer half Humid
- as a thin liner on top lashline, pigment Ultimate Vert from Pure Luxe (applied foiled) and in both waterlines, pigment Drama queen violet from Aromaleigh (foiled again but with a waterproof mixing medium like Eye Seal from MUFE)
- of course mascara, l'Oreal Double ExtendBeauty Tubes, one coat (OMG my HG!).

To conclude, full face pics to see the global look I went for :

foundation : correcting palette MUFE n°1 + Unifiance crème de poudre n°1 (discontinued product from LRP) + MAC Select Cover-up concealer NW 20 + Météorites from Guerlain.
blush : darkest blush from the eyeshadows/blush combo palette from Coastal Scents + contour & highlight Allover colour pressed powder Almond Blossom from Clinique
lips : Caught Kissing Lipbalm Take no prisoners from The She Space (organic lipbalms tinted with mica, really nice and creamy but not available on the website for now).
eyebrows: random brown pencil

Do you like it? Please do not focus on my elf-like ears. I know they look weird.

This colorful look is soft enough to be worn at work I think. If I can give a last piece of advice, pack more blush on your cheeks than you will normally do because otherwise with these plain colors you will look like a corpse during winter months :p...

See ya :)

5 Camouflage Cream Palette n°1 from Make Up For Ever

2009-11-19T22:33:00.003+01:00

Yesterday, I reviewed something I was really disappointed about so today something I raved about! It will particularly be interesting for girls who face skin imperfections like I do. This palette offers everything you need to artificially enhance your skin condition :p Great hum?

What do I think about it? In my opinion, this palette is well designed as it allows to correct everything on pale skin. The two first pink shades are useful to reshape and highlight browbone and inner eye corner. The next beige shape helps neutralize brown imperfections like melasma or age spots. The salmon one is perfect to correct blueish or purple undereye circles. And finally the famous green shade which soothes redness. The texture of those correctors is thick and creamy whic provides the heavy coverage needed by skin imperfections. But it does not cakey. The only drawback is that it can not help with bumps or cave imperfections but nothing can so....

Does it work? Yes sir! You have to pratice a bit in order to perfect application but the outcome is awesome. A remark, anyway, as the texture is real thick you have to settle these correctors with a pressed powder to prevent creasing throughout the day. Moreover as they are correctors not concealer thay have to be used BEFORE foundation. They often give a slight greyish tint to the skin so you have to rebalance your skintone with something tinted like your skin.

Do I recommend it? Yes I use it everyday when I wear liquid foundation and I like better the way my skin looks with than without them. The palettes lasts a while (mine is 2 or 3 month old and I still have not hit the pan). If needed, the correctors can be bought individually at the MUFE store.

Price : 26€70 by Séphora (not cheap but worth the price if you really need 5 different correctors)

I will not say it is a basic in a classical make up stash as many women can go along with one single concealer that doubles as a skin corrector. But in my case I have redness, acne spots and scars, some hyperpigmentation and very pronounced dark circles to hide so it is a good investment.
If you want to see before/after pics I can make some focusing on the imperfection I want to hide. But I think there is no way I can put my full unmade-up face on the Web (sorry :p)

See ya :)

Lash Plumper from Sephora

2009-11-18T19:31:00.005+01:00

A new mascara review tonight! I know I tell you I found my HG mascara, which is the L'Oreal Double extend Beauty Tubes but as a true beauty addict I keep trying new ones which look promising. The Lash plumper sounded great with its huge hair brush (I am not found of new elastomer brush) and its heavy gel based formula and all the possible added lash volume. But there is a huge big but... The best description will be done by before and after pictures so here they are. I forgot to take side view but I am sure you will see my main point with these front view...

What do I think about it? Quite obvious on the picture I do think. My lashes look darker which sound natural with a balck tinted mascara, they also seem to be a tad longer but I think this is because my lashes are naturally lighter on their tips. But for volume, nothing! And I put abour 3 to 4 coats on my lashes. Is not this disappointing for a volumising mascara!!!

Does it work? Nope! For a volumising mascara with an adequat wand and a well designed formula, the result is bad. It does not clump when you add coats over coats but it is pointless as you can barely see any added volume. The formula is not drying which can also be tricky for long-lashed girl like me! The mascara tranfers easily on the upper lid and it is really annoying.

Do I recommend it? Not at all as it is not that cheap for a "no-brand" mascara. The huge wand is not that easy to work with for the bottom lashes and inner corners. It is not really a bad mascara but it sounds and looks so promising at first sight that my disappointement is consequently worst. Maybe for patient girls with tiny litlle lashes, it could be interesting :)

Price: 13€50 by Sephora
I read lukewarm opinions on beauty-related chats dedicated to this particular mascara. Some swear by it and others simply hate it. I am sowhere inbetween like always (I hate choosing a side :)). After carefully reading the Sephora instruction, 15 to 30 coats are necessary to achieve intense to spectacular volume... Hum, who has enough time in the morning to apply so any coats??? If you have, you are my idol :p

See ya :)

Brewer's yeast : week 1

2009-11-16T17:36:00.003+01:00

Ok this is what my nails look after 7 days of brewer's yeast... Left hand with a colored nailpolish. I know this was not the best idea I have ever had as you can not see where the white part of my nails starts. But French manucure tends to annoy me quickly, really not fun enough for me... So you will have to trust me, my nails may have 3 to 4 mm of extra length and none of them broke. The only trouble I have is my forefingers where my nails grow really slower. I am really not carefull ith my hands and this finger is the more exposed to trouble (computer typing, door banging, can opening...). On week 4, I will post both first and last pictures on the same slide.
It does not look too bad, hum?

Have you ever tried brewer's yeast?
Do not be afraid, it really works, I take my 3 capsules before breakfast and that is it for the day!

See ya :)

Butterfly?

2009-11-14T17:32:00.003+01:00

I wanted to go for something brighter than the previous eyelook I have done. And when I say brigter I mean it. I made a super bright look using very cheap eye pigments. All to be exact, they are not pigments as I used unprocessed mica colors (pure mica powders). I bought them at TKB Trading, who is a wholesaler for cosmetic supplies. I discovered it a while ago when looking around for home-made cosmetic supplies. I am nearly sure it is the cheapest place in hte world to buy raw mica powders to use as eyeshadows but I remember that there is a minimum spending amount to qualify for shipping (sorry can not remember how much it was :s).
This look remembers me of tropical butterfly's wings... It is very summery-inspired but as I miss the sun already it is an artificial way to bring it back. In details, I used them as classical loose eyeshadows without foiling :
- inner half lid "Breath of Spring" (spring shiny green),
- outer half lid "Green Apple POP" (ultra vivid green),
- outer V "Grape POP" (ultra vivid purple)
- to line the upper lashline "Coral Reef Blue" (this one is foiled). There was some in the lower waterline but it does not last well
A hundred mascara coats (Lash Plumper from Sephora, huge disappointment).

The pics do not do any justice to the brightness of this make up. It nearly looks pastel or dull but it is not.

So would you wear this?

See ya :)