Lovely Christmas

First of all, I have to say, I love Christmas... It's my favorite holiday, so I'm starting to prepare for them like two months before- I start to collect presents for people I love :)
I love everything that are usually at the Christmas time, especially those moments when I can be with my family and just have fun, without having to rush anywhere... I love when home is full of smell from cooking dishes, tangerine fruits, hot spiced wine... These are holidays when you forget the bad and give smiles for everybody even if you are so tired from work you've been doing. You try to make everyone you love happy so they would feel the Christmas spirit too... I have to admit that there are few people that I couldn't live without, but at Christmas time they reminds you that they love you too :)

Let's get to the fun part :)) I got some presents for Christmas that I wished for a long time... Yay for my beloved friends who still listens for what I say :))))

I finally got my oh so wanted Too Faced "Teddy Bear Hair" brush set. I wished it since last Christmas, but it's kind of pricey, so I was waiting for some discount for it but that never happened... And yesterday I got it from two my beloved people (and yes I was almost jumping from happiness!). So first thing what I've done is I washed them and let it dry, and today I did my make up with them... Yes, I'm in love :)) They are damn so soft and dense.. And well.. They look so pretty!!! I also like the case brushes comes with. Firstly it's pink, so it's awesome :)) Secondly, it will be very handy to take to the trip or for overnight. There are some extra spaces for other brushes in case you need something else and a little attachable bag, where you can put some make up.


I also got two Stila palettes, and I'm falling in love with Stila more and more! I got Stila's "The red carpet look" kit, witch comes with 3 eyeshadow palette (it looks very sleek, like a litte purse), 1 travel sized kajal eye liner in "Onyx" (wow, I was amazed how creamy it is) and a flower accessory (I haven't figured out what to do with that, but it's still very nice and pretty addition to the kit).
It doesn't say eyeshadow names on the packaging only that there are matte eye shadow- base, shimmer eye shadow- lid and shimmer eye shadow- liner. I love liner one the most, it's so richly pigmented and pretty... I might also be a great crease color. And the matte base color will be great as a highlighter too.

Second Stila palette is named "Smoky eye the talking palette". It has four shades that are marked as base, lid, crease and liner. The crease and liner ones are matte and other ones are shimmery. The shadow pans looks much smaller than regular Stila eye shadows, but it looks like it's more thick. As the palette name says, it does talk, you just need to press the button. Mine does speak in three languages, one of them is English. The talking in the palette is not that necessary, but it's still an interesting idea. It says how to apply eye shadows and what brushes
to use.














Another very special gift I got was from my best friend. She made me earrings with Swarovski crystals and I love them. I love the idea that she made it herself and I also love how they look like- they are simple enough to wear everyday, but still very elegant and shiny. And the color is clear so it will be suitable with any outfit. She has all her peaces that she made here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlecreations/ Saddly I could not take a good enaugh picture to show how pretty they are...



I also found some bath and body products under the Christmas tree. My sister gave me Victoria's Secret ultra softening body butter called "Love spell" and the smell is just divine... I used that today and my skin smells amazing. My mom gave me some natural bath oil and salt, so I could relax after long working hours and the smell is actually pretty good too. So I'm planing to go and enjoy that right now :)

I hope everyone are happy on Christmas :)

Korres Haul

Sometimes when you are looking for Christmas presents, you can bump into a huge problem...

You can find something that you have to have for yourself!

Let's start with the fact that I promised myself not to buy anything from make up until Christmas.

One day I was looking for some Christmas presents. I wanted to buy blush for my mom so I just looked at every blush in the mall.
And than I saw Korres blush. It's not that it was something super amazing, but I just stood there and stared at it.
It was quite late so I bought my mom another present and came home. And could not forget about that product.
These few weeks was so hard for me, I was really exhausted and actually getting depressed, while I try to be optimistic all the time, that I realized that I can reward myself. So this is with what I came back today from the store:

Korres Pomegranate moisturising cream-gel for oily to combination skin/ sunskreen spf 6 (this was a girft with purchase)
Korres lip butter in Pomegranate
Korres blush in 22 Purple
Korres lip gloss in 23 Light Purple

Well, maybe I would have just got the blush, but I saw that if I'll buy more Korres stuff, I'll get full sized Korres moisturizer, witch I heard lots of good opinions about. So I grabbed some lip stuff, because it just looked amazing :)
The lip gloss color is a perfect combination with my new blush!
And the pomegranate lip butter... I also herd so many good stuff about this that I had to try it out :)
So I'm very excited with my new purchase and can't wait to try it out! Only the moisturizer will have to wait until I'll finish my currently used day cream.

Ahhh... Promises not to buy make up is not for me.. :))

Review: BeYu Catwalk Volume Gloss

It's love and hate with these lip glosses:

Many great things about it:
These lip glosses are sooo creamy and feels very nice on my lips. They are pretty moisturizing so even if I have horribly chapped lips this is my most used lip stuff.
They have a brush applicator! And the brush applicator is a big plus for me in lip glosses because I find them easier to work with.
These glosses stay on rather long, maybe two to three hours, but I mean, hey, it's lip gloss, it's not supposed to stay very long :)
It looks like my lips look kind of plumped with these. They don't have any tingling sensation or anything like that but I guess the micro sparkles makes lips look fuller. You can't really see any sparkles because they are super super tiny, but when it's on lips it gives multidimensional wet look.
Since I don't really wear bold lips, colors are pigmented for me just enough.
My most worn color is very light pink (Number 52), it gives my lips nude milky pink look, witch I love.
The brownish nude color (Number 28) is not that brown actually. It's nude but it's not opaque and does not wash out my pale skin. I can use it with whatever make up I'm wearing that day, and I only use very nude lip color only if I'm going out and making dark eye make up.
And the pretty coral pink is a perfect spring color and makes my complexion looks healthier. Well yes, I would have to wait till spring alot to use it, but I use it now also if I want some warmth on my face.

One minus:
The packaging is very crappy. I mean, yes it looks very sleek and nice, but lip gloss leaks over the top. I clean it every time I can, but it still does it. I hoped that it just the one I bought, but then I purchased another two and they do the same thing. And it's not very nice to have a lip gloss everywhere.

Look at all that:


It's not that I'm complaining, but when you close the lid, it leaks over and makes a huge mess. The light pink one is the worst and the other two I could handle, but since that color is my favorite it makes me very agree. So I'm confused because I was considering on repurchasing those. And well, I' guess I'll actually will ,at least that lovely nude pink :)

UPDATE: I will never buy these again, I'm trying to finish those as fast as I can, because my beloved pink color spilled all over my new make up bag and that made me too angry to buy them again!

Review: The Body Shop Shimmer cubes

I have The Body Shop Shimmer cubes palette 07 quite a while. Sometimes I just stop using this for some reason and after some time I fall in love with this again.
What it is? It's four shimmery eyeshadow, held in separate little plastic cubic jars with lids and all slotted in one bigger plastic case. So you can take only those colors that you wish, you can take them all or if you have more of those palettes you can mix and match them whatever you like.
According to the website it contains marula oil, which helps to condition and moisturize skin. So it's not only an eyeshadow, it does help your eyelids to remain healthy.
You get 4 grams of each shadows so it will probably last for ever!

You can use them dry or wet, but if you are going to use them wet, I would advice you to only damp a corner of the shadow, because you can ruin it. And they can have some fallout because of the shimmers. It's best to use dense brush to apply them. The containers are a little bit messy, so you have to clean them time to time. Texture of shadows is pretty hard but they blend beautifully and work with other shadows very well. You can go both ways: you can create silvery black smoky eye look or you can do daytime appropriate bronzy look.
I find that you need to pack that ruby pink color, because it's sheer (unless you are using it wet, of course). The color is reddish pink with pink shimmers. It's actually looks pretty good all over the lid, you just have to use it lightly.
The most interesting color for me is the black with pink duo-chrome, it's highly pigmented and finely built. Looks very flattering if used with pink colors.
The bronze color has golden iridescence and is highly pigmented also. It's a perfect color to use in the crease. I like to use both black or bronze colors as a liner also.
Silver color has a metallic sheen and it seems that it contains lots of silver shimmers. I actually can't find the way to use this for a daytime because it's just too shimmery. But for the night out you can create amazing look.

Review: Gosh eyeshadow quad

It is always useful to have some basic neutral colors in you make up bag. So that's why I grabbed this quad few months ago. It is actually called "Quattro eye shadow" in 22 Driftwood.

You get some nice variety of colors in this quad. The white is a bit transparent and has a pearl finish. The brown color that comes next to white is also pearlescent and it seems to have some golden and reddish undertones. I love matte flesh toned color which comes on the bottom. It's actually just a little bit darker than my skin, so sometimes I just tap that white in the inner corners and it brightens the look. The darkest brown seems to have gold shimmers to it, but they are not clearly seen when it's on the skin. This color is not as pigmented as another two browns, so you have to pack it on. What I love the most is, that none of colors are too shimmery so you can get not that obvious wearing make up look.

Here are some swatches:

On the lamplight

On the daylight

Products used:
Gosh eyeshadow quad in 22 Driftwood,
Bourjois black liquid eyeliner,
Jordana white eyeliner,
Clinique High Impact mascara,
Inglot shadow (as a highlighter).

What I like to do is to use that lightest matte brown all other the lid, that use bronzy color in the crease and than use the darkest brown in the outer corners. For more defined look I line my eyes with black liquid liner and for the ultimate neutral look I use brown liner. This would be perfect if you want to achieve that pin up look, just a touch of red lipstick or lip gloss and perfect!!

My new skincare

I was considering to change my skincare routine, because it became kind of chaotic. I was in a need of a good daytime moisturizer that provides matte effect, and for the night I wanted to treat my skin and reduce impurities. I have combination to oily skin and my pores tend to clog awfully. So I did a research about some dermatological cosmetics and found out about company named "Bioderma". Since the comments about it's products were pretty good, I decided to try it out. Here is what I purchased:
Bioderma Sebium AKN, Bioderma Sebium Mat, Bioderma Sebium Exfoliating purifying gel
Here what their website (http://www.bioderma.com/) says:
• Sébium Mat, with its high matifying capacity, treats all the causes of shiny skin immediately and durably.
• Sébium Mat neutralises reflection through the unique action of original microparticles (silica and microspearls). The skin reflects less light (optical correction). • Sébium Mat absorbs excess sebum.
• Sébium Mat regulates sebum secretion, thanks to seboregulating agents (zinc gluconate, vitamin B6) working in synergy.
• Sébium Mat improves skin texture. Its exclusive patented Fluidactiv^® complex maintains sebum quality, thereby preventing the pores from becoming blocked. Keratoregulating agents (AHA esters) speed up cellular renewal and tighten the pores.
• Non-comedogenic, its cream-gel texture is quickly absorbed, and ensures make-up holds well.
• Sébium Mat does not flake off.
• The skin remains clear, soft and perfectly matt all day long.

• Thanks to its patented exclusive Fluidactiv^® complex, Sébium AKN preserves sebum quality, preventing deterioration and thickening, thus effectively reducing the appearance and development of imperfections.
• A complete treatment, Sébium AKN also treats all the factors responsible for skin imperfections. Kerato-regulating active ingredients cleanse the pores in depth. Zinc gluconate, sebo-regulating and purifying, slows down overproduction of sebum and the proliferation of micro-organisms that cause imperfections. Soothing agents ease red blotches.
• Sébium AKN smooths skin texture, leaving it clear and purified. It recovers its natural balance.
• Rich in hydrating agents, Sébium AKN is very comfortable to use.
• Non-comedogenic, its light, non-oily texture makes it easy to use.
• The tolerance of Sébium AKN is excellent.

• Sébium Exfoliating gel is formulated with cleansing agents renowned for their efficiency and gentleness.
• The micro-particles, reinforced by powerful keratoregulating active ingredients, have a mechanical action on spots and blackheads. They speed up the elimination of impurities, thus encouraging cellular renewal.
• The patented Fluidactiv^® complex regulates sebum quality. The skin texture becomes finer, the pores are tightened up and the complexion is radiant.
• Sébium Exfoliating gel respects the cutaneous balance and prepares skin for the application of a care cream.
• Sébium Exfoliating gel is non-comedogenic.

So I chose Sebium AKN for the nighttime and used it for about a week now and it showed some good results on my face. Skin got much clearer, my wounds from spots reduced a bit and the redness got not that noticeable. When I wake up in the morning my forehead and nose looks super oily and this cream reduced that also. I don't really expect my skin to clear out that fast but it definitely did help me already. It does not dry my skin and most of acne treatment do.
The consistency is a bit strange for me, because it feels greasy and slimy, so it would not be a good idea to use this with make up. It does say that it's suited to use as a make up base, but it just wouldn't work well at all. You can even feel that it acts kind of crazy when you touch your face. And the smell... Well... It really does not have the best smell in the world. When I first applied it I thought my nose will kill me for using that, but now I got used to it (and for the truth if that stuff will help me, it can smell as bad as it wants!). One downside is that you only get 30 ml in the package so it will run out pretty fast.

And the ingredients are: WATER (AQUA), DI-C12-13 ALKYL MALATE, C12-13 ALKYL LACTATE, DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL, ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, GLYCERIN, PTFE, SALICYLIC ACID, XYLITOL, ZINC GLUCONATE, ARACHIDYL ALCOHOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE, PEG-100 STEARATE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, LAMINARIA OCHROLEUCA EXTRACT, GLYCYRRHETINIC ACID, MANNITOL, GINKGO BILOBA EXTRACT, FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES, RHAMNOSE, BEHENYL ALCOHOL, POLYACRYLAMIDE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, ARACHIDYL GLUCOSIDE, C13-14 ISOPARAFFIN, XANTHAN GUM, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, LAURETH-7, DODECYL GALLATE, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM).

Cant say much about Sebium Mat yet, because I tried it only once. It feels lightweight and it's more like a fluid than the cream, it does absorb very quickly and it leaves matte finish. It does keep away oils from showing for a while but not all day long.
It also has a weird smell but this actually smells pretty good for me. It's also not very moisturizing, but it's enough moisturizing for me. I guess I'll need to use a make up base if I want my foundation look flawless, but firstly I'll try to use it without. I really want this to work well with my skin. It comes in 40 ml package, but you don't need so much. According the website it also comes in the tinted form, but I didn't see that in the pharmacies.

Ingredients: WATER (AQUA), GLYCERIN, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, XYLITOL, METHYL METHACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, ISOSTEARYL ALCOHOL, BUTYLENE GLYCOL COCOATE, DI-C12-13 ALKYL MALATE, MANNITOL, RHAMNOSE, FRUCTOOLIGO-SACCHARIDES, LAMINARIA OCHROLEUCA EXTRACT, ZINC GLUCONATE, PYRIDOXINE HCL, GINKGO BILOBA LEAF EXTRACT, CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, POLYACRYLAMIDE, SILICA, C13-14 ISOPARAFFIN, ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, LAURETH-7, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, ETHYLCELLULOSE, GLYCERYL POLYACRYLATE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, DODECYL GALLATE, PHENOXYETHANOL, CHLORPHENESIN, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM).

Sebium Exfoliating purifying gel made me a huge impression. My face was as soft as babies ass!!! It was radiant and fresh for all day! It feels smooth even after few days after using it! And it really cleared some blackheads which was new for me. No joke it's the best exfoliator I have ever tried!
It's not harsh at all and there are a lot of small exfoliating particles. You can also leave it for a minute or two on your face after massaging because it has some kind of complex called Fluidactiv, witch is supposed to regulate sebum quality. It's heavily scented too and very similar to the Sebium Mat smell. This comes in the 100 ml tube and will last me quite a while because you don't need a lot of this gel.

Ingredients: WATER (AQUA), POLYETHYLENE, SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE, XANTHAN GUM, LAURYL GLUCOSIDE, GINKGO BILOBA EXTRACT, GLYCOLIC ACID, MANNITOL, RHAMNOSE, XYLITOL, FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES, PRO PYLENE GLYCOL, TRIDECYL SALICYLATE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, DISODIUM EDTA, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM).

On the other hand I have to add that my skin is not quite sensitive. I mean sometimes I get bad reaction with few products but it's not a regular thing. So I would recommend trying it first if you have sensitive skin because it could give some bad reaction.

Stila "Ulta"mate set

So I was wondering, what should be my first blog post about.
Maybe something about myself? No.. Maybe some other time..
Maybe just a blurb about something? No.. That does sound a bit boring..

Ah, what the hell, why couldn't I just start writing what I was planning to write the whole blog about?

So maybe a week ago, I received my Stila package from http://oth.strawberrynet.com/main.aspx I like this site, because the shipping for everything except perfume is free, and from every other site shipping to my country is insane..

I got Stila's "ULTA"mate set (I think this was made for ULTA shops only, but guess what- we don't have ULTA in country where I live :)) ) Here is what you get in the set:

Illuminating tinted moisturiser- shade 01;
Major lash mascara- black;
Lip glaze- "Ulta" mate pink;
Convertible color- peony;
Eye shadows- kitten, golightly, wheat, mystic.

The convertible color and mascara are travel size, but other stuff is normal size, and that cost about 15$, so great deal, huh?
And of course I've already tried most of them (leaving mascara unopened, because I have plenty of those to finish).
Swatches are washed out a bit, because of the lighting:


All shadows are shimmery especially "Kitten", but it's not too much for a day time (well not if you use shimmers everywhere). I haven't tried to make a look with "Mystic", but with other colors you can make a perfect neutral make up.
Waiting no more I rushed to order Stila's refillable palette, cause I don't want to ruin those gorgeous shadows, so I got that today (yaaay!!). And here is how looks my finished palette: