Favourites: December 12

Hey lovelies! I'm hoping you're all super excited about New Year's Eve, I know I am :) So today I'll do a really quick post on my december favourites. I actually skipped november favourites cause I thought I'd do a "Best of 2012" post. You can expect it tomorrow or the day after! It will include hair, skincare and makeup products. This month I picked a few products I've been using on a daily basis, excluding the nail polishes. 
1. Revlon Nail Vernis in 380 Elegant: this is such a wearable shade, a creamy light beige with a nice consistency and finish. I love wearing this polish! 2. YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils in 3 Extreme Blue ($.30.00): I had this mascara for a while but was kinda scared to use it. Turns out blue mascara help my eyes stand out, it's nothing over the top and it's perfect for holiday season. 3. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette ($.27.00): my new best friend, a matte palette with neutral shades, perfect for travelling! see my full review here. 4. Nars Blush in Luster ($.28.00): Probably my favourite blush of all time! Great pigmentation and shade.  5. Julep Nail Color in Demi ($14.00): A deep dark red shade with a creme formula, perfect for my xmas mani! Julep nail polishes are very creamy, durable and have unique shades. 6. Mac Dazzleglass Creme in Demure: Included in the Guilty Passions 4 lavish rose lipgloss set, is a beautiful cool toned pink with iridescent shimmer.
What are your december favourites?

Wants: Skincare Obsession!

Lately I've been obsessing with skin care products rather than makeup ones, as you can see on my previous posts. So I made a list of new products I'd like to try according to my skin type and needs :)
1. Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Treatment Mask ($39.00): I've heard many great things about this mask, it's deeply moisturizing, cleansing and anti-oxidizing. It's suited for most skin conditions. 2. Chantecaille Ultra Sun Protection SPF 50 PA+++ ($.88.00): We all know that protecting our skin against sun damage is super important and this invisible shield delivers comprehensive UV protection. The formula contains a combination of highly effective broad spectrum UV filters (SPF 50 for UVB and PA+++ for UVA). 3. Lush Coalface Facial Soap ($.13.95): Am I the only one who thinks about the movie Annie Hall whenever I see black soap? Well, actually this soap is inspired by it! It contains liquorice root and charcoal that help clear up blemishes. 4. Lush Mask of Magnaminty ($.24.95): A deep cleansing mask with china clay and fresh peppermint to clean the pores deeply and tighten at the same time. Suited for most skin conditions except those sensitive to peppermint. 5. Skinfood Rice Mask: Skinfood is a korean brand I recently discovered, they have a variety of products made out of organic fruits, vegetables, etc. This wash off face mask contains ground rice, it moisturizes skin and brightens tone. 6. Antipodes Juliet Skin Brightening Gel Cleanser ($.34.00): A high performance gel cleanser that helps to bring out the brightest complexion. It contains exfoliating extracts from the New Zealand kiwi superfruit and vibrant hibiscus flower. It's known for helping with freckling which is why I'm most interested on trying this! 7. Aesop Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste ($.49.00): This tube is packed with fine river-bed quartz to exfoliate away tired skin. I've always wanted to try Aesop and this would be a great product to start with!
Would you recommend any of these products? What's on your skincare wishlist at the moment?
Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win Urban Decay's Naked Basics Palette!  ENDS TOMORROW!

Lush Fresh Farmacy Face Soap│Review & Photos

Lush Fresh Farmacy Face Soap ($.9.95), a calamine-based cleansing bar ideal for sensitive skin, contains chamomile extract to calm blemished and troubled skin, rose and lavender to soothe dry patches and tea tree to clear up blemishes. This week I felt I had the worse skin in the world, everyday I got a new zit and it was just so annoying. Holiday season, anyone? My face was super irritated and full of blemishes, so I started using this am and pm to calm it a little and stopped eating chocolate!  (for now). The soap forms a light foam and it feels quite refreshing, it doesn't dries out my skin and leaves it clean. I find that using it after I take a shower is far more effective because of the steam and then I rinse it with cold water. This bar will last me ages and it's definitely a skin savior! 

Have you tried Fresh Farmacy? Which LUSH cleanser should I try next?

Weekly Favourites │2

The past few weeks I've been skipping foundation and makeup in general, from time to time is nice to give my skin a break. I'm focusing on pampering myself, plus after a few hours under the sun on my last holiday, my foundation doesn't really matches my skin at all! For my hair I've been using the Klorane Pomegranate Conditioner ($.14.00) which smells amazing, I like conditioners that detangle my hair and this one does the job. It also protects my colour-treated hair. When it comes to skin care, I've been alternating between Philosophy's Purity Facial Cleanser, this is a small trial-size I got in a kit.  I like how easy it is to get back home and remove your makeup with this cleanser. Though it has a strange smell and I'm not too convinced about the ingredients, is just super easy to wash my face at night when I'm feeling tired or lazy. Otherwise, I use Angels on Bare Skin ($.13.95) in the morning and evening at it feels so refreshing! The lavender scent is so pleasant and my skin feels clean and hydrated. As a body exfoliator, I've been using the Lierac Sensory Body Scrub which contains 3 white flower extracts (gardenia, jasmine, camellia) and 4 botanic oils (argan oil, hazelnut oil, sweet almond oil and grapeseed oil) that help regenerate and soften skin. I use it 3-4 times a week on my arms, back and legs and it gives my skin an invigorating exfoliation. Finally, I've been loving Dolce & Gabbana's The One perfume ($.98.00), a delicate yet bold fragrance. 

What are your weekly favourites?
Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win Urban Decay's Naked Basics Palette! 

Lush Angels on Bare Skin Facial Cleanser│Review & Photos

Angels on Bare Skin ($.13.95) is a kaolin clay-base facial cleanser that contains ground almonds which gently exfoliate dead skin but it's not too harsh so it can be used everyday. It also contains rose and lavender oils to help balance out combination skin. Application is not as messy as I thought it would be, when mixed with water, it transforms into a paste. It smells heavenly and I've noticed my skin is softer. I've added this cleanser to my routine and use it in the am and pm after removing my makeup. In comparison to other cleansers (either liquid or solid soaps) it doesn't dry my skin and even though I apply moisturizer afterwards I feel like I wouldn't need to. Is that good! 


Have you tried Angels on Bare Skin? What is your favourite face cleanser at the moment?

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette│Review & Swatches

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette ($.27.00) is the first matte eyeshadow palette the brand has released. It features six neutral shadows including 4 never before seen shades! The palette itself is tiny, quite convenient for travelling. However, all six shades are full-sized shadows (0.05 oz). Though Venus has a satin finish (matte palette anyone?), the rest of the shadows are completely matte. Foxy, W.O.S and Naked 2 are neutral shadows that work great to create a smoky eye.The main idea of this palette is to have the basic colours to then build up a more intense eye makeup. All shadows have great performance, colour payoff and a luxe finish. The packaging has a slight suede-like feel, not as rubbery as Nars packaging. I personally don't feel like it'll get as dirty since it's not black.

Venus is a soft white with a demi matte finish, it does seem like a satin finish. The texture is soft and it adds light under the eyebrow and in the inner corner of the eye. Foxy is a cream bisque matte, also included in the Naked 2 palette. I think it would have been wonderful that a new shade replaced this one. W.O.S is a light nude with a matte finish. It's also included in the BYOP ($.18.00) Naked 2 is a taupe with a matte finish. It reminded me a bit of Mac Bisque. I like this shade a lot, it gives a slight hint of colour on the lid and looks very nice and natural. Faint is a dusty brown matte with warm undertones, it has a great pigmentation and a lovely finish. Crave is the deepest brown/black matte, i find it very similar to Blackout which is included in the Naked 2 palette.

Naked Basics Palette compared to iPhone 4S

Overall, this is a great palette and if you're into neutrals this is perfect for you! however if you want to try a more colourful palette then this is definetly not for you. I find it perfect for everyday use to wear to work, school, wherever really :) Since it has light-to-medium-to-dark colours you can still build up and create a smoky, sultry look. Or a naked look too! 

Do you like this palette? You could win it on my giveaway! Enter here.

*CLOSED* Holiday Giveaway│Win Urban Decay's Naked Basics Palette!

Hello lovelies! It's holiday season, it's time to give! Celebrating almost reaching 500 followers, I'll be giving away the new Naked Basics Palette from Urban Decay! You'll have 10 days to enter and spread the word, this giveaway is open international so anyone can enter. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported my blog from the beginning and also to my new readers for stopping by! I hope you all have a merry christmas and a happy new year! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don't forget to read the terms and conditions! I'll be reviewing each entry :)

Mac Glamour Daze Outrageously Fun Cremesheen Lipstick│Review & Swatches

Mac Glamour Daze Lipstick in Outrageously Fun ($.16.50) is described as a midtone magenta violet, I find it has blue undertones and it's a very unique shade. It has a cremesheen finish and an opaque colour coverage. It lasted 3 hours on my lips and when it started to fade it left a lot of pigmentation on. From the collection, this colour is the most worthy to try as it's quite different from what's been released before. 




Have you tried Outrageously Fun?

Philosophy Set & Mac Lipstick from Rosebud Beauty Giveaway!

I'm a lucky lady! I won my third giveaway this year! Amanda from Rosebud Beauty held a giveaway on her blog and I was lucky enough to win a Philosophy Set which includes a mini purity one-step face cleanser, a full of grace shampoo, bath and shower gel, a mini hope in a jar moisturizer, a mini miracle worker anti-aging concentrate and a bbcream sampler. Also, the Mac Glamour Daze Outrageously Fun lipstick and she also threw in a few samples! Thank you so much Amanda for this, I was actually really happy to finally try Philosophy products and the lipstick is so gorgeous! Ps. The wrapping paper is so nice :)


Please make sure to visit Amanda's blog!  I'll be reviewing the lipstick in a different post :)

Klorane Pomegranate Conditioner│Review & Photos

Hello lovelies! I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season, I'm enjoying every single day since I'm almost done with school and last week I went on a well deserved vacation to Cuba! I'll be posting pictures of my trip in case you want to come back and see them and read about my experience :)

I have a hair care post today, it's been a while since I posted anything else than makeup.
The Klorane Conditioner with pomegranate ($.14.00) is the BEST conditioner I've tried this year! Though I have naturally straight hair, I need to detangle it everyday so I use either conditioner or a hair cream on towel-dried hair. I was really interested in this one because I love love love pomegranate. From Vitamin Water XXX to pomegranate juice to lip balms (Burt's Bees are my favourite) and the fruit itself! 
Klorane has different tube colours to for each hair type, this one is for colour treated hair. Pomegranate helps and repairs damaged hair weakened by colour treatments and it's made without sulfate and sodium chloride. I noticed it softened the texture of my hair and it looked really shiny and healthy. Klorane says: the effectiveness of our patented pomegranate extract has been scientifically proven:  hair color lasts an average twice as long. I still haven't been able to prove this, since I've only used it a few times. However, color-fading is something that will always occur no matter how many treatments I apply, it might be slower with this, but still. I really like this conditioner because it leaves my hair soft and supple. I'd recommend using this if you have dyed your hair, if not there are other types that could help your current hair condition.

Have you tried Klorane hair products? If you're interested in a hair care routine post please leave a comment below :) Thank you!

Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow in Underground│Review, Swatches

Even though the Deluxe eyeshadows are being discontinued, you still get great quality and quantity (twice as big as the regular shadows) for wait your paying for. The Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadows are on sale for $.8.00 (insted of the original price $.18.00) on urbandecay.com I don't really know when were these released exactly. Honestly I'm in love with this shade and I want to get more Deluxe Eyeshadows before they're gone.
Underground is described as a medium fawn and it has a metallic sheen. The texture is very soft and the colour payoff is amazing. The packaging is very unique, and every shade has a different packaging. I picked Underground as I find it a very easy-to-wear shade and it's perfect for everyday! 

Will you be picking up any of the Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadows?

Urban Decay 24/7 Double-Ended Eye Pencil Set│Review, Swatches

Urban Decay 24/7 Double-Ended Pencil Duo Set ($.28.00) comes with two double-ended pencil eyeliners and the Grind House Sharpener. The colours that it includes are Corrupt, Zero, Empire and Uzi. The regular 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils have 0.04oz while these double-ends have 0.01oz on each side, so you get half of the size/content on each pencil. Considering you get to try 4 different colours, this is a great deal. Plus some of this shades are exclusive to the set and you get a sharpener worth $.10.00.

On bottom lashline 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Empire.

Empire is a deep matte eggplant, it has a nice pigmentation and glides easy on the lashline and waterline. The texture is not as buttery as Perversion but if you layer it twice you get a richer colour. I like this colour because it makes my eyes stand out, so I'd say it's nice for brown eyes. Uzi is a deep grey with silver glitter and a metallic finish.


Corrupt is a dark brown with silver glitter and a metallic finish. In some lighting it can look like it has burgundy undertones in it.  Zero is a zealous black, previous to Perversion this was the blackest black.

From left to right: Corrupt, Zero, Uzi and Empire.

Have you tried this set? Or prefer to have full size eyeliners?

Mac Guilty Passions: 4 Lavish Rose Lipgloss│Review, Swatches

Recently I've been into "don't buy limited edition stuff", but I just couldn't resist this lipgloss set! It's super cute and I love all the colours. Bold and soft all-in-one. Mac Guilty Passions: 4 Lavish Rose Lipgloss Mini Kit ($.32.50) comes with 4 lipglosses in different formulas, Cremesheen Glass, Dazzleglass and Dazzleglass Creme. It has a great value considering the size and content of the tubes. (Dazzleglass 0.09oz, Dazzleglass Creme/Cremesheen Glass 0.07oz)

From top to bottom: Going Casual, Demure, Boys Go Crazy and Color Saturation.

Going Casual (Cremesheen Glass) is a blue-toned cotton candy pink with a slight hint of shimmer. It's very sheer so it's hard to get "full coverage" on the lips. The shimmer isn't very noticeable once applied.
Demure (Dazzle Glass Creme) is a cool-toned pink with iridescent shimmer, the brush allows precise application. I quite like the sparkles and it looks lovely on it's own.
Boys Go Crazy (Dazzleglass) is a deep amethyst with micro-silver sparkles and it has a semi-opaque finish. I adore this shade!
Color Saturation (Cremesheen Glass) is a berry red with a creamy texture, it's very pigmented and the glossy finish is very pretty.

From left to right: Demure, Going Casual, Boys Go Crazy and Color Saturation.

The Cremesheen formulas have a creamier and less sticky formula than the Dazzleglass and Dazzleglass Creme formulas. All 4 lipsticks have a vanilla scent and no particular taste. Demure and Boys Go Crazy come with a small brush applicator and Going Casual and Color Saturation come with a regular applicator. The Dazzleglass tends to last longer due to it's stickiness, but I much prefer the Cremesheen formula as it feels nicer on the lips.

First row: Going Casual, Demure. Second row: Boys Go Crazy, Color Saturation.

What's your favourite colour?

Smoky & Sparkle Eyes│Video Tutorial

Hey everyone! I made my first video tutorial ever! It's a smoky/sparkle eyes look using the Urban Decay Smoked Palette and Mac pigments and eyeshadows. Below you'll find listed all the products I used. Any feedback is welcome! :) I hope you like it! PLEASE WATCH ON HD :))

 
Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion - Original Urban Decay Smoked Palette - Mushroom and Blackout Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil - Perversion Mac Marilyn Monroe Eyeshadow - Preferred Blonde Mac Pigment - Gift O' Glamour Mac Select Cover Up - NW25 Givenchy Phenomen Eyes - Black Laura Mercier Mineral Pressed Powder - Natural Beige Face:  Nars Blush - Luster Benefit Blush - Sugarbomb Lips: Smashbox Lipgloss - Radiant Brushes: Real Tecniques Contour Brush Real Tecniques Expert Face Brush Sephora Professionel Crease Brush Pointed Fluff Brush (I think it's Crown, not sure)

Urban Decay Smoked Palette│Review & Swatches

Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow Palette ($49) includes 10 eyeshadows: Kinky, Freestyle, Mushroom, Backdoor, Blackout, Barlust, Rockstar, Evidence, Loaded and Asphalt. It's packed in the prettiest and convenient case that you can take anywhere. It also includes a full-sized 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion and a mini Primer Potion in Original. I think the price for this palette is great considering it includes the eyeliner which is worth $19 alone and the mini primer potion. Even though the eyeshadows are not full-sized (0.05oz) they have a decent size (0.03oz). 

From left to right: Kinky, Freestyle, Mushroom, Backdoor, Blackout

Kinky is a matte pale beige, it has a great colour payoff considering it's a very light shade. 
Freestyle is a matte light peach, it's a great shade to blend and create smoky eyes.
Mushroom is a warm pale grey with a shimmery finish. I don't have anything comparable to this colour, I'm in love!
Backdoor is a charcoal brown with a matte finish.
Blackout is deep black with a matte finish. This is also included in the Naked 2 Palette.

From left to right: Barlust, Rockstar, Evidence, Loaded, Asphalt

Barlust is a medium red-brown with a shimmery finish, it has a great texture and colour payoff.
Rockstar is a deep aubergine with a shimmery finish. It's buttery soft and is a unique colour.
Evidence is deep navy blue with a metallic sheen. It reminded me of Mac Prolong Eyeshadow in Thru the Night.
Loaded is a deep metallic emerald, it's very dark so it might appear like a dark grey if applied heavily.
Asphalt is a medium grey with a shimmery finish.


Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Perversion is a creamy, waterproof with the blackest-black shade ever! It applies like butter on toast and lasts all day! In comparison to Zero, this one is way more pigmented.

Overall, I'm really impressed with this palette and I like that it comes with neutral mattes and shimmering jewel tones, as it allows to create lots of smoky looks!
Have you tried the Smoked Palette?