My Current (Lack of) Beauty Favorites

It seems that somewhere along the way I just organically abandoned the idea of writing regular favorites posts. Mostly because I don't acquire that many new products to show you, but recently, I've just been feeling a bit blah towards beauty stuff I use on a daily basis. Let's overanalyze together.

At the recent Sephora spring VIB sale, I was hard pressed to find ANYTHING I wanted to buy. Well, there was an Amore Pacific $24 duo with the Treatment Enzyme Peel that looked tempting (and useful enough as I just run out of all my other powder exfoliants) and then I figured I could also get some hair goo to style my pixie. That still (especially with the discount) landed me short of the free shipping threshold, and after agonizing for a day or two, I convinced my sister-in-law to choose something for herself so I could place the order. Yeah. In the end, the hair goo was a fail and I sent it back, and in retrospect, I should have just skipped the sale altogether.

My daily make-up tray (an organizer drawer, really)

This whole conundrum though serves as a good example of my general feelings towards beauty products. It's not just that I don't want to purchase anything new, there isn't really anything new that's tempting. Furthermore, I experience a big fat 'MEH' when using most of the products in my daily make-up tray. In the past, I would have swiftly dealt with my ennui by going on a make-up shopping spree so that I could feel excited again about my renewed routine. However, most likely because of project panning/ limiting spending/ decluttering stuff for the past couple years, I'm currently under no illusion that a nice big haul would actually solve anything in the long run, as I would eventually bore of the newer products too, and start lemming something else again, and again, and again...

So I've been doing a lot of soul searching to figure out the exact reason why I feel so ambivalent about my make-up routine. Here's what I came up with: firstly, I think my style/ tastes have changed a lot since having a baby (or because of *cough cough*... age?). Secondly, at the moment I'm rather unhappy with the condition of my skin and how make-up looks and lasts on my face.

As to the first reason, a great portion of the products I own now seem very much over the top for my day wear make-up preferences. While trying to finish a pencil eyeliner recently, I more or less decided that I dislike lining my top lash line, and will only occasionally use a pencil to tightline. Furthermore, I don't even like wearing eyeshadow all that much (and as a consequence haven't been tempted by ANY eyeshadow palette releases, which used to be my downfall in the past), and when I do, I like it to be quite subtle and simple, as in no strong metallic finishes, no dark smokey shades, no colorful brights. I also don't want to wear bright bold shades on my lips either, as you were probably able to surmise from my 'Keep or Declutter' series. I'm definitely leaning towards 'less is more' approach towards make-up looks these days, and frankly it's not at all due to the 'new mom' lack of time to do my make-up - Julian naps like a champ in the mornings and even when he's up, I can usually set him to play on his activity mat and have a good 20 minutes (with some interruptions when he gets too bored and shrieks for attention) to do my face.

I've also been wearing my pre-reformulation bottle of Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation and the Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick.

I was debating whether my current 'Shop My Stash' make-up favorites were even worth sharing, but hey ho, maybe you've also owned these products for years and need a little reminder about how good they are. You may remember that I tried to use up my Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 01 Rose Shimmer in a Project Pan, and  a year (or more?) later it's still going strong. And you know what, I'm not mad at it, I still think it's a fantastic, plushy, moisturizing gloss formula. I'm also still into the Clinique Cheek Pop blush texture, although I've gotten rid of Pansy Pop (reviewed here), which I deemed not that flattering on my skintone, and have been reaching for Heather Pop all the time instead. My current favorite mascara is Max Factor Masterpiece Max in Velvet Black, which I strongly disliked the first two weeks after opening and was *this close* to pitching it in the trash, but I decided to give it one more go some time later and now I'm really liking the combo of natural volume & separation.

The second reason for the beauty blahs - the pitiful condition of my skin - is what pushed me to re-examine my current routine and search for better solutions. I'd say that for the past year or so, I have been predominantly using skincare from my back-up stash, and largely products I was sent for review that were patiently waiting for their turn. The thing is, my skin was different during pregnancy than it is now, and even extrapolating from that, probably a good portion of the products I had stashed away wasn't even suited for my skin in the first place. All that coupled with changing hormones and possibly the introduction of adapelene (Differin) into my routine has wreaked havoc and my skin is currently impossibly clogged, oily and prone to painful under the skin bumps that never come to a head, and when they finally do go down, I'm left dealing with the red P.I.E. aftermath.

Aaand... That's not even everything I bought.

So... I binged on some Korean beauty skincare videos and have been digging up lots of information from the Asian Beauty reddit, and inevitably, shopping ensued. It will obviously take me a good long while to incorporate these new additions into my routine, test them out thoroughly and report back to you, but I do plan on reviewing these products for you in the near future. Yay! I'm excited to see whether I can get my skin back on track with their help.

I think that's about it for my little beauty update. I have plenty of ideas for posts and more products to review than I can find the energy and time, but I'm doing the best I can. What's been floating your beauty boat recently? Or have you redirected your enthusiasm towards some other non beauty related pursuit?

Products I Regret Buying Vol. 3

It seems that I like to write these disappointing products posts every two years or so (Volume 1 here and Volume 2 here), so now's the time for another update! We all love a good make-up rant once in a while, so here's me venting my frustration about some nearly useless make-up products I dug out from the murky bottoms of my stash:

Following a recent post on my favorite lip glosses for spring and summer, I had a good rummage through my lip gloss drawer and came up with two products I haven't touched for probably close to two years, if not more. First off, a Lancome Juicy Tubes in Rio Mango ($18 for 14.16g/ 0.5 oz) - I know for some it's a cult classic, but it does feel a bit heavy and sticky on my lips, and to top it off the shade Rio Mango has absolutely no color to it; it's basically clear. Also, mine has completely separated and despite kneading the tube like crazy, I couldn't get it to its former consistency. I think at this point it needs to go in the trash - and I won't buy this again.

Similarly, I absolutely can't recall the last time I wore the Revlon ColorStay Mineral Lip Gloss in Continuous Coral ($6.99 for 0.15 fl. oz) (probably here...?). It was never my favorite formula but I guess when I first got it, I was determined to make it work; these days I probably wouldn't have bothered and simply returned the darn thing. It smells like cough medicine, sits heavily and more like liquid lipstick on the lips, and the shade is just wrong on my complexion. In the trash it goes! Next!

Speaking of Revlon, the Brow Fantasy in Dark Blonde ($7.99 for 0.31g/ 0.011 oz of pencil and 1.18 ml/ 0.04 fl. oz of gel), a brow pencil back-up I whipped out a month or so ago, turned out to be at least a partial fail. While the pencil side performs reasonably well (however, not completely in love with the shade), the gel is just horrendous: it dries in white chunks on the tips of my brow hairs and makes me look like I have some weird isolated case of brow dandruff. I'm going to use up the pencil side, but I don't dare to touch the gel side anymore.

I'm also desperately trying to use up the Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Felt Tip Eyeliner + Serum ($10.95 for 0.088 oz - are you kidding me with that name, PF?! Life's too short for this shiz). A couple years back, everyone was raving about the original Physicians Formula eyeliner with the skinny nib, but I couldn't find at my drugstore and so purchased this instead. Well, the 'bold' felt-tip applicator is very hard to maneuver on the lashline, and the product skips and fails to deliver an even, inky black line. No comments on the serum front. This kind of turned me off trying the original skinny one as well.

Now for some eye bases/ cream eyeshadows: I didn't exactly purchase this little pot of Graftobian Luster Creme in Orchid Odyssey ($4.79 for 1/8 oz), as it was a gift with purchase of their HD foundation (which I love), but I still regret it taking space in my collection. While the shade is a beautiful, glowy lavender with a slight pink shift, the formula of the Luster Creme is so greasy and sheer that it completely fails as an eye product. I suppose it may be usable for theatrical make-up, but I simply can't make it work, and believe me, it's not for the lack of trying.

I have very similar feelings towards NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Cottage Cheese ($4.49 for 5g/0.18 oz). I still hear people rave about these on YouTube from time to time, but I don't see how this would not crease on just about everyone - the formula is just so oily, and the shade I've got is not very pigmented either. I was trying to use it in my inner corners for a while, but I don't know why I should bother - a waste of time, really.

Lastly, here's a nearly full pot of Everyday Minerals Jojoba Base in the shade Alabaster  ($14 for 4.8g/ 0.17 oz), a supposedly moisturizing loose mineral foundation. On me, Jojoba Base fails to cover anything, but quite successfully manages to turn me a weird pink shade all over - and you guys know I have pink undertones in my skin. The shade Alabaster, instead of evening out my skin, almost enhances any redness I already have on my face, making me look ruddy. This also gets shiny on me within an hour or so, an all-time record I think. I'll try to use it up as face powder, but we shall see if I won't run out of patience.

And there you have it! Hopefully this was useful to some of you, or at least you had fun hearing me rant. Have you bought any disappointing products recently? What other make-up products should we all avoid like a plague?

Ins & Outs: Travel Edition

I haven't done of these in ages, and thought it'd be a good way to give you a little update on my life in the next 6 weeks...

Ins:
- winning two giveaways! I won a copy of Can You Get Hooked on Lip Balm? book from Katie's blog, and a surprise package from Delyteful Speaks (who, btw, deserves way more subscribers, so go show her some blog love!). How cool is that?
- subscribing to Birchbox! If you're not familiar with the idea, it's a monthly $10 subscription service where you're sent deluxe samples of different high-end beauty products. I've just received my first box, and will be reviewing its contents in due course.


- Spring cleaning! I've cleared out our hallway closet from winter coats, snowboarding jackets, knee-high boots, hats and scarves to make some room for spring and summer clothes and accessories. It looks so much more organized now!
- homemade fruit smoothies! Into this one went a slush of orange juice, frozen strawberries and mango. Yummy...


- Haus of Gloi Milkmaid Whipped Soap: I use it every other day in my bath and absolutely love the subtle, clean floral scent. It's very feminine and perfect before bedtime, so relaxing. I like the texture a lot too, it reminds me of a meringue.
- shopping at TJ Maxx and DSW. Me and Mr. managed to score some amazing deals, including a gorgeous yellow genuine leather handbag. Unfortunately, not for me; nearly all of the things we bought were gifts I'm taking with me to...
- the big news: travelling to Poland again, for a month and a half. I can't wait to meet my family and friends, taste my mum's delicious cooking, enjoy the warm sunny May weather (unlike the rain and cold here in Seattle) in my parents' luscious green garden, haul some Polish make-up, including but not limited to Inglot... As you're reading this, I'm probably already scouring some duty-free make-up counters at Sea-Tac.

Outs:
- travelling to Poland. The reason for my trip is that I'm taking my finals and defending my MA thesis at Uni, and the stress of that long stretch of exams is not making me happy. In fact, I had a slight panic attack Sunday morning, which I spent trailing tears into my scrumbled eggs. I'm better now though and believe I CAN do it.
- less and less time to myself (see above). I hope that my trip won't disturb my blog too much, and I've already got a couple posts scheduled ahead for when I won't be able to sit down to write, as well as a tonne of photos that need editing. However, should any irregularities occur, please bear with me; I'm graduating! Also, I'll return home together with my parents, who'll stay for another 3 weeks, so that might influence regular posting as well.
- the flight. I really don't like these 17-hour transatlantic journeys; luckily, this time my Polish friends have booked the exact same flight, so I'll feel less lonely in their company!
- skin woes. My skin went a bit haywire these past two weeks, going from extremely dehydrated to broken out, but I believe I'm already on the mend.

What are your Ins & Outs this week, my lovelies?

Ins and Outs

I'm sorry for my haphazard blogging this month: my poor excuse has to be that the finals, or the exam session as we call it here, has already started for me, and I'm spending more and more time pretending to memorize lectures and do coursework. Anyway...

Ins:
- My skin looking much better. I can't really pinpoint the reason behind it: be it cleansing routine, diet or hormones. In any case, I'm enjoying clearer and less irritated skin and the only little cloud overshadowing my joy is that I still have some scarring left which isn't fading as fast as I'd like it to. Does anyone have any good tips to share?
- In connection with the above mentioned, tinted moisturizer. As much as I love my Revlon Colorstay, I feel as if it was suffocating my skin a bit and thus only reserve it for special occasions. Because my skin is faring quite well, I've dared into the land of tinted moisturizer and started using my sample of Clarins Hydra-Care. I love how comfortable it feels on, but the pricetag ($43) seems a bit excessive. I'm very tempted to try Neutrogena's Healthy Skin Enhancer as a cheaper alternative.
- Unofficial installment of Project Bathroom. I'm trying to use up as much as I can so I won't have to haul it with me on my travel. I'm especially happy that I still have a significant Lush stash to go through.
- The abundance of spring flowers in the house. This month's been marked by my name day, my mother's name day and Mother's Day, so we have some fresh flowers in the house all the time, not mentioning the blossoming plethora in the garden!


- Isabel Allende's "Eva Luna" and "The Stories of Eva Luna". I picked both up in an English bookstore, dumbily read the latter first, but that doesn't quite matter, they're simply fabulous books I can't put down. I had forgot how much I loved South American literature and I'm glad these two reminded me of it.
- The thought that in a month's time, I'll have been already moved to the States! I can't wait to see my husband and start a new chapter in my life.

Outs:
- The weather. We had so much rain this month that the south of Poland has been flooded and the whole country is suffering the consequences. We've been quite lucky here but still, I'm so over rain and cold, we had maybe a just a couple of sunny days so far. I want to wear my summer dresses!


- Mosquitos. Pretty much self-explanatory.
- Constant headaches and fatigue. Once again, the weather's a culprit here. I've had a slight migraine for three consecutive days now.
- Trying to buy a new perfume for hubs as a gift. I really liked Kenzo Eau d'Indigo until I realized it reminded me of hot refreshing cloths used by KLM on their transatlantic flights. I just can't make up my mind. What do you like on your men, girls?

Monday Ins & Outs

I haven't done one of those for ages!

Ins

1. Stud earrings. I went through a phase of wearing very chunky, dangling earrings, but recently I've been preferring the studs more, especially the silver and semi-precious stone ones.

2. Starting fitness classes this week. Back to shape!

3. Knitwear. We didn't have autumn weather at all this year in Poland, winter came almost immediately after summer. Warm, soft sweaters and cardis are a must.

4. Fall/Winter colors, especially reds, plums and... ultramarine.

5. Longer hair.

Outs

1. Shorter and shorter days. I leave home in the morning at night and come back home in the evening at night as well.

2. More and more coursework. Plus, I made a jerk out of myself today in the interpreting class. Why did I have to get the most difficult text to interpret?

3. Drinking too little water throughout the day.

What are your Ins and Outs for the beginning of this week?

Ins & Outs

I feel a bit sorry for not posting as often as I used to these days, but you girlies have to excuse me; this week I reached home every day at 8pm the earliest. But it's been a very fruitful week so far!

Ins:

1. Wedding planning and preparations. I managed to sort out so many things this week! First off, I had a meeting with a florist and decided on the venue and car decorations and also chose my wedding bouquet. The color theme will be off-white/cream shades combined with delicate apricot and some greens. For my bouquet, we settled on off-white lisanthius, small apricot roses and freesia (mmm, the smell...). What I also love about this florist is that she makes all the flower decorations in disposable containers, so we can give them to the guests or take them home after the reception!

The bouqet will be similar to this one, but with apricot roses instead of pink. Sorry for the poor quality, but I couldn't upload a better photo.

This week I also had a dress fitting, met with a friend to hand over an invite, met with 'special effects' people to discuss fireworks (this one was a catastrophy, unfortunately) and yesterday I met with a camera man. So many things to cross off my list!

2. New pair of cute ecru heels. They're meant to be worn for my cousin's wedding next week and also as a spare pair for the wedding in case my wedding shoes prove uncomfortable. These are made of super soft leather and the heel height is perfect for such an unexperienced wearer as me!

A bit dirty after one walk on the road from my parents' house to the bus stop...

3. Challenging project at work. So far, I worked as an English teacher at my company, but our boss is thinking of expanding the company's business activities and I've been appointed to deal with all the translation projects we'll have. I'll be responsible for developing our offer, gaining and dealing with the clients and managing projects. If everything goes well, it'll also mean a pay rise :)

4. Patchouli essential oil. Will it prove to be the new tea tree oil? It has similar properties as the latter, plus the smell is much more sensual and it keeps mosquitos and other bugs away, a huge plus for this summer, as I'm constantly covered in mosquito bites.

5. Tan. I do look so much better tanned than piggy pink. I'm still trying to find a prefect product to get the effect though. In terms of bronzer, I'm loving my Coastal Scents G Bronzer/ Blush. It gives a perfect, natural glow to the cheeks.

6. Hen night. I don't have a faintest idea what my girls are up to, but I know that even my mum and my future mother-in-law are engaged (or else they're engaged in some other surprise for us, I'm not sure). I love surprises and I'm so grateful they're organizing it, because initially I thougt I'd have to take care of it myself.

Out:

1. Being tired and stressed out. Work and wedding planning are sometimes too much for me.

2. Having a great idea for a post and not being able to execute it thanks to the lack of time.

3. The guests not confirming their presence at the reception. Honestly, do people really think is doesn't make a difference? I can sort of understand some old aunties hesitating to reach for the phone, but mine and fiance's friends?!

What are your Ins and Outs this week?

Ins & Outs

Ins:

1. Sunshine! The last week was pretty depressing with all those heavy, grey clouds, but today it's sunshine again :)

2. Depotting my first eyeshadow. It wasn't MAC so didn't have that nice little hole you can use to push it from the plastic thingy, and I didn't have a hair straightener (used a frying pan instead), so I'm pretty proud of myself!

3. Using darker shades on the lid. I actually thought this would make my eyes look too small, but with some highlighter in the inner corner it looks nice and smokey.

4. Promised trip to MAC, I soo can't wait!

5. Getting things organized for the wedding. We bought fiance's wedding suit this week, almost completed the guests' list, booked a honeymoon trip, wrote a text for the invites and chose a first waltz song. Not bad, huh?

6. Having such wonderful followers!

Outs:

1. My mineral foundation being too light (and powdery?) for the new season. I mix it with a much darker mineral concealer I got in the kit and it seems to work. Also, might need a nice face spray to get rid of the matte effect.

2. Flouting the challenge :(

3. Last days in Vancouver... I will miss this city!

Oh, and just as an extra... I bought a Soap&Glory shower gel sometime ago and yesterday put it near the bath tub since I'd run out of the other one. Me and fiance have separate shower gels, but Mateusz (fiance), who showered after me, immediately spotted the Soap&Glory one, used it and happily announced that I bought a very nice gel, he especially liked the smell and urged me not to take it with me to Poland, because the bottle is just too heavy and will spill all over my clothes in the luggage. Men!

Have an amazing weekend, everyone! xxx

Early Spring Ins and Outs

Looks like the time for my yays and nays has finally come! I got really inspired by how Ondine did hers, so I pilfered the idea (hope she doesn't mind!).

Silk bow-tie blouse:

1. The new coral earrings that came in a package from my mum! My BF says they look like strawberries. I didn't have any in red and it's one of my favorite colors, so good choice, Mum :)

2. Cinnamon cappuccino. I started sprinkling the froth of my homemade cappuccino with cinnamon, and it tastes and smells absolutely yummy. I like coffee that tastes like a dessert.

3. Using my Sephora no. 4 blush brush for bronzer and Quo Bronzing brush for blush. I tried this combo yesterday and despite being a bit irrational, it actually works better than the 'obvious' way. Anyhow, I feel new love for my Sephora brushes; they're much cheaper than MAC (maybe half the price?), they're available everywhere in Poland, they carry lots of types, much more than 2-3 years ago, and the quality is great - no shedding whatsoever! Me thinks, I might ramble about them in a separate post...

4. GOSH Extreme Art waterproof eyeliners. This stuff is seriously vibrant and waterproof, the only downfall being that it gets easily on my lashes.

5. Spring, sunny, warm weather in Vancouver!

Cotton wholesale tee made in China:

1. Elevation works in my building. Oh, isn't it lovely to wake up in the morning to the sound of drilling/scraping and a happy silhouette of a worker just outside the window pane? No!

2. Terrible nails. My cuticles are going crazy and my nails are cut the shortest possible, all thanks to our frequent trips to a climbing gym. I can't be bothered anymore to apply nail polish, since it would be gone after 5 minutes spent there. And I WANT summery, bright colors on my nails!

3. Rimmel Vinyl Gloss. Well, that was a disappointment. Moreover, I've noticed that I never use my Maybelline Shine Seduction gloss in Pink Whisper. 

It's a gorgeous shade, very light pink with pink, silver and purple shimmer, but it is sheer and sticky... Maybe I'm turning into a lipstick gal after all?

4. Having to wait over a month to have my Cherry Culture haul delivered. To cut a long story short, I decided to send it over to my brother in NYC to save on shipping and taxes, and my parents will get it to me when they come to visit in May. Patience!

On a different note, Coastal Scents are having a weekend sale ending on April 26 midnight EST, everything on the website is 15% off! I'm defo going to use this, I have been eyeing a couple of brushes and gel eyeliners for a while... Any recommendations?

Take care!

Ins and Outs

This is a really cool idea that some of my favorite bloggers have been effectuating, so I wanted to check it out too :)

Ins:

1) My parents coming to Vancouver

Yay, they have eventually decided to come! They'll be here for about 2 weeks after visiting my brother in New York. I want to show them everything! My mom especially hopes to see some racoons in Stanley Park.

2) Franciszek

Franciszek is our friends' son who was born this Tuesday night. We haven't seen him yet, but I'm really loooking forward to it. We are thinking what to get him when we come visit; any suggestions?

3) Easter packages

Since we're not spending Easter together with my parents, my mom decided to send me and my brother Easter packages with candy and little gifts. Me and Mateusz have also thought it would be nice to send something like that to my parents and Mateusz's family. I have already researched shipping options, but we don't know what to put inside the packages yet...

4) French tip manicure

I bought the Art Deco white nail polish (it has a very fine brush applicator) while we were in the US last week, so I was finally able to do it! Yesterday was the first time I ever tried it and have to say I like it :) I got complimented on my nails by a waitress and even my love said they look nice... like plastic ;P

5) Pixiwoo channel

http://www.youtube.com/pixiwoo

I found it yesterday through lollipop26's blog and I adore these girls. They have the most amazing tutorials on Spring/Summer 2009 fashion looks and very professional videos on recreating period looks, like this one:

So inspirational!

Outs:

1) Weather

Last week in Seattle and this week in Vancouver have been glum and rainy beyond imagination. I hate to wake up in the morning just to see a thick, grey layer of clouds hanging above the city. It simply drains all the energy out of me. And the weather forecast for next week is not any better than that... I tried to convince myself that the spring is coming by buying a violet hyacinth - it smells great!

2) Laundry

I really dislike doing laundry lately. We don't have a washing machine in our apartment, so I go down to the building's laundry room at the second floor. Each time, I have to cruise between the laundry room and our apartment 4 times to finish the whole washing-rinsing-drying process. The halls in our building are really cold, so I always have a temperature shock when I enter the corridor. And lastly, some people out there are so impatient that once your washing/drying cycle finishes, they don't wait for you to come and take your clothes, but they take them out of the machine themselves. Hate it! I would never touch someone's clothes and I hate the feeling that some stranger has been touching my fresh laundry...

3) My rock-climbing attitude

I am quite mad at my own attitude towards rock-climbing. I've been promising myself to change it and Wednesday morning I even felt a tiny bit enthousiastic about going to a climbing gym, but when the time came to actually go there, I lost all my motivation and was so miserable... Eventually it turned out to be ok, but I just shoot myself in the foot with my whining and "I don't want this, I can't do this" thoughts. It's like an emotional sabotage.

4) Waiting for so long to start out my own blog :)