Just Bounce... Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge Review

Bounce your sponge, just bounce, at the sight of it, now pounce! See, there's a reason I've never become an MC... but this hot new Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge ($5.99), already hailed to be the 'drugstore dupe' of the famous Beauty Blender, inspired me to bust out some rhymes anyway. Just to clarify: I won't answer the question whether it is or not since I don't own the BB, but I'll give you my thoughts anyway and compare to another inexpensive foundation sponge. Sounds good?

The plastic packaging is a bit excessive for a rather small sponge, but at least you get Sam Chapman's gorgeous face on the back - and who doesn't love a bit of Pixiwoo with their product? There are no instructions on the box how to proceed with this, so I assume it is to be wetted (umm... sorry!), wrung out, dabbed into product and then - yes yes - bounced on the face.

 As you can see, the shape of this sponge is a bit different to what I've seen so far on the market; it's an orange egg with one concave surface cut out. I expected this side to be completely flat, but it's more rounded - not sure what the design team intended it for, but I use it to pick up foundation and staple it on the face, and if needed, I go back with the clean rounded surface to blend some more. When dampened, the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge increases its size by more or less 50%, as well as becomes softer and more malleable; when you squeeze it, your fingers will leave some indentations.

 Compared to my other inexpensive foundation sponge, the Ulta Beauty Super Blender Sponge ($4.99), the Real Techniques one seems to made out of slightly smoother, finer sponge. The Ulta's has a rounded bottom part which I used to distribute product, an indentation in the middle for comfortable hold, and a small tip to do detail work - I have to admit this end of the design never worked for me and I couldn't get my concealer to blend with it, while the pointy end of Real Techniques sponge deposits and blends concealer well. When dampened, the Ulta sponge doesn't change its size or shape, and more or less behaves like a regular foundation sponge, while the Real Techniques performs more like the Beauty Blender sponge.

In the face shots, you can see how a medium/full coverage cream foundation (Graftobian Hi-Def Glamour Creme, reviewed here) looks applied with the Real Techniques sponge. I prefer to use make-up sponges when working with thicker, fuller coverage bases, as they tend to be rather difficult to apply otherwise. The sponge worked the product into the skin well, giving good coverage but a more natural, satin finish; the whole process wasn't very quick but I think the flawless, long-wearing result was worth spending a bit more time. I also applied and blended my cream blush (NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Big Apple Blush) with the sponge as well.

Left: Face with Graftobian Hi-Def in Buff + Aurora all over, Rimmel Match Perfection under the eyes, NYC blush on the cheeks and brows filled in. Right: Full face with eye make-up (Fyrinnae eyeshadows), spot concealed with Becca Compact Concealer, YSL Glossy Stain no. 15 on the lips. No setting/finishing powder or highlighter in both photos.

So, is it worth it to spend the extra dollar and get the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge over the Ulta Super Blender? I think you won't be surprised to hear that I believe it is - while the Ulta sponge seems just like any other regular make-up sponge, the Real Techniques has more unique properties and performs better in applying liquid or cream foundation. Do you use make-up sponges to apply your base? Which one is your favorite?

Winter Skin Saviours

Winter...?! But Monika, it's only November! I know - it's getting cold out there though, and we should come prepared for the frosty bite of northern winds, armed with serums, creams and balms. Even my oily/combination skin has been rebelling against the changing seasons by withholding its usually generous sebum production, and I have observed some dreadful flakes appearing out of nowhere (and they're not always flakes from the croissant I just ate. Only sometimes).

My everyday line of defense is to up the amp with my serum, and recently I've been using Jurlique Herbal Recovery Advanced Serum* ($54 for 30ml/$150 for 100ml), which promises to help restore skin's radiance, improve dehydration, minimize fine lines and help protect skin from environmental aggressors, all with the help of proprietary Naturaradiance PB18+ complex. I don't entirely grasp what all that is, but I can tell you that a quick scan of the ingredients' list reveals a couple old favorites: glycerine and squalane to help hydrate, niacinamide to brighten and smooth, and some lovely plant oils to soothe and protect: safflower, evening primrose and rosa canina. This light serum/gel sinks in momentarily, leaving behind no residue, just a beautiful wild rose scent - for me, the fragrance evokes memories of my Polish homeland, where petals are collected from the dog rose shrubs and then made into the most delicious and fragrant jam. But, back to the serum: it hydrates effectively, helps to even out my skintone, and its Persian Silk Extract helps to guard your face against the elements. What's not to love?

Speaking of plant oils, Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil ($50 for 30ml) is a long-standing favorite (click here for a review in my Dehydrated Skin edit). I'd put it away for the warmer months, replacing it with a lighter moisturizer, but now it's back, and oh, I missed it. It has to be said that my skin doesn't entirely absorb it; a fine layer seems to blanket it overnight, but in the morning that's gone, leaving me with supple, soft, soothed skin, ready to face the day - and the cold. I've never observed it aggravating any spots or clogging my skin; if anything, it helps to soothe the red, painful, hormonal bumps I get along my jawline.

Every other day, when I'm feeling fancy, I layer Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum with 2% Hydroquinone ($60 for 30ml; I have a sample here) under the Jurlique Herbal Recovery serum. Fall and winter are a good time to fight hyperpigmentation, and while I don't really have age spots yet, I do have a lot pigmented scars left over from another cystic acne comeback I experienced for most of this year. I encourage you to do your own research on hydroquinone, but regardless of safety concerns, I can tell you it works - I pat it concentrating on the areas where my scars are the darkest, and they've become significantly lighter in the space of 6 weeks when I've been using the Murad gel; the results are faster and more noticeable than using Vitamin C products for me.

Now, when all of these standard measures fail, I bring out the big guns: Eau Thermale Avène Cicalfate ($23 for 40ml/ 1.4 fl oz), a thick, oily repair cream I've previously called Band-Aid in a tube (click here for a full review). With its heftly dose of thermal spring water, mineral oil and zinc (oxide and sulfate), it sits on the skin to help strenghten the lipid barrier and lock in the moisture. I'm not a huge fan of mineral oil or greasiness, but as someone who hails from the Arctic (uhm, ok, Eastern Europe - we get bad winters though!), I'm aware that temperatures below freezing require greasy moisture rather than lightweight hydration. Cicalfate also doubles as my rescue cream when I overdo it on the exfoliation front.

Lastly, so far I haven't found a better lip balm for shrivelled, desiccated lips - the Nuxe Rêve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm ($19 for 15g, available at nuxe.com) is my bedside table standby. I don't find it smells particularly of honey, more like satsuma orange peel, but it protects the lips effectively with a smooth layer of moisture that feels curiously matte and waxy. I like how long-lasting it is too; in the morning, there's still a bit left on my lips, and they're soft and happy.

I hope you enjoyed this little peak into my winter skincare essentials. Do you change up your skincare routine in the colder months? What are your must-haves for keeping your skin hydrated and protected?

Disclaimer: The product marked with (*)is a press sample I received from Jurlique PR for review consideration free of charge. All other products featured I purchased myself. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as a free press sample. All links are non-affiliate and simply provided for your convenience. Thank you for reading!

Chasing the Eyeshadow Bunny: Rouge Bunny Rouge Long Lasting Eyeshadows

I have to preface this post by a bit of a warning: it's on the lenghty side, and rather picture-heavy. But, if you like a good deal of eyeshadow porn, then you're in luck today - I have four Rouge Bunny Rouge When Birds Are Singing Long Lasting Eyeshadow Refills ($19 for 0.071 oz/2 g) to show you, recently purchased from beautyhabit.com when they had their Rouge Bunny Rouge Gift With Purchase event (it's that sneaky lipstick box in the middle of the photo; but we shall save it for another day). The shades I opted for were Unforgettable Oriole 014, Bohemian Waxwing 066, Delicate Hummingbird 017 and Eclipse Eagle 074.

Can we skip the usual oohing and aaahing over the pretty packaging? I'm not sure we can. But on the more practical side, the eyeshadow refills come in simple cardboard envelopes, not terribly padded but mine arrived in pristine condition. The refills are smaller than the usual single Rouge Bunny Rouge eyeshadows, and more or less the size of a MAC eyeshadow - and yes, they do fit in MAC palettes, they're not magnetized however. I store mine in a Z Palette.

Here are the four shades arranged together and below, swatched and photographed in studio lighting (top) and direct sunshine to show rainbow shimmer (bottom). All of these shades actually go rather nicely together, or could be used in pairs or singularly with other shadows for a variety of multidimensional eye looks. All the eyeshdows I purchased are shimmery, with Delicate Hummingbird and Eclipse Eagle being more sparkly (both shades feature multicolored shimmers) than Unforgettable Oriole and Bohemian Waxwing, which are more glowy/ satiny. The texture on all four is very similar: smooth, creamy but slightly on the dry side, well-pigmented. They all adhere to the skin without trouble (both on bare skin or over primer), have virtually no fallout, and last well (I tested over primer due to my oily lids).

If that was all the information you needed about these, then you can safely click off - because we're getting into the nitty gritty of individual colors, with shade comparisons and swatches. Starting from the lightest, first up is Unforgettable Oriole, described as a 'delicate, metallic white gold'. Rouge Bunny Rouge's shade descriptions are actually pretty spot-on; you could also say this is a neutral beige with intense white gold shimmer, not quite metallic to me but the most shimmery next to my pressed NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in Nude (3rd from the left). As you can see, I have quite a few eyeshadows in a similar color group, but Unforgettable Oriole is one of the best textures and also the most cool-toned, which suits my skin a bit better.

Clockwise, starting with Rouge Bunny Rouge Unfogettable Oriole, then: MAC LE Veluxe Pearl Eyeshadow in Soft Force, pressed NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in Nude, MAC Frost Eyeshadow in Ricepaper, Inglot AMC Shine no. 111, pressed Fyrinnae Eyeshadow in Nijiro. Swatches on bare arm below are in the same order.

Next up, Bohemian Waxwing - an 'iridescent bronzed champagne'. Uhm, ok, scratch what I said about the brand's accurate shade description; this is more of a medium warm taupe brown with silver shimmer. I actually have something quite similar by way of Inglot Pearl Eyeshadow no. 402, which is just a smidge rosier. Other shades I was comparing Bohemian Waxwing to turned out to be a lot different; the most interesting comparison may be with MAC Veluxe Pearl Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe, which is a lot darker and plummier.

Clockwise: Rouge Bunny Rouge Bohemian Waxwing, Inglot Pearl Eyeshadow no. 153, elf Custom Eyeshadow in Moondust, Inglot Pearl no. 402, MAC Veluxe Pearl in Satin Taupe. Same order, left to right, swatched below.

Delicate Hummingbird, 'cool, dusky sugar-frosted plum, iridescent with pink shimmer' was the shade I wanted to pick up the least; quite unnecessarily so, as I actually have nothing like it in my collection - hence the very mismatched comparison (sorry, overexposed!) and swatches. It's a true medium plum with neutral undertones and mostly pink, but also some silver, lime and gold shimmers (rather subtle, visible mostly in full sunshine). Beautiful texture and I'm glad to have it in my collection.

Clockwise: Rouge Bunny Rouge Delicate Hummingbird, Inglot Pearl no. 420, MAC Veluxe Pearl in Satin Taupe, Stila Captivate from In The Moment palette, Inglot Pearl no. 439. Swatched left to right in the same order below.

Lastly, another unique shade: Eclipse Eagle, 'dark brown-grey plum with platinum iridescence (the richer and darker sister of our Delicate Hummingbird)'. This is rather difficult to describe - it's a warm plummy grey with rainbow shimmer; when I first opened up the packaging I was surprised to see almost a navy tone to it. I expected it to be somewhar similar to something like Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Skinny Jeans; but no, this one has more of a green tinge and it's less dimensional. Fyrinnae Evocation appeared the most similar in the pan, but it's lighter and more taupey.

Clockwise: Rouge Bunny Rouge Eclipse Eagle, Too Faced Erotica from the Natural Eye Palette, MAC LE Satin Eyeshadow in Hocus Pocus, Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in Skinny Jeans, Fyrinnae Evocation. Swatched below in the same order, left to right.

All this swatching and comparing has made me realize a couple things: a) the Rouge Bunny Rouge eyeshadows are of superior quality and rather unique shades - I'm sure I'll be back for more, b) I own quite a few eyeshadows that, while pretty in the pan, are an absolute dry, sheer, crumbly mess, c) I don't need more taupe eyeshadows (sad face). To finally wrap this post up, here's a look I attempted with all four shades: Unforgettable Oriole on the inner corners, Delicate Hummingbird on the lid blended out with Bohemian Waxwing in the crease (also, on the lower lashline), Eclipse Eagle in the outer corner. If the shades appear to be creasing a bit, it's because I blended some foundation on my eyelids to hide the veins and it turned on me. The rest of the face: YSL Touche Eclat foundation, NARS blush in Sin, Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Shalimar on the lips.

Pfff, now that was a long one - thanks for persevering with me! Also, a big thank you to Bellyhead from Wondegondigo and Kate from Drivel About Frivol for their awesome swatches, which helped me decide which shades I wanted to buy. Have you tried Rouge Bunny Rouge Long Lasting Eyeshadows? What are your favorites?

Falling Short: Kjaer Weis Mascara in Black

I rarely fall for a high-end mascara; and then, more rarely still, I deem it falling short of my expectations. But recently, I was pretty excited to spot the Kjaer Weis Mascara in Black ($38 for a whole tube/ 0.19 oz, $24 for refill) at a sample sale, and without too much deliberation, I snatched it up... only to find myself rather annoyed with it.

Some key points from the press release: the Kjaer Weis Mascara is certified organic, refillable (and thus, more hygienic and sustainable), and it's supposed to be longwearing and durable (not sure what they mean by durable... the insert/refill has a shelf life of 3 months). The ingredients featured include cupuacu butter, beeswax, castor oil to nourish and protect lashes, lavender water and rose oil; the product is formulated without synthetic polymers, propylene glycol, parabens and polyethylene.

First off... this tube is tiny. I don't have big hands by any means, and you can see how small it looks in my hand - or compared to a sample size Clinique mascara below (the Clinique sample tube is actually fatter than the full size Kjaer Weis). I actually really like this simple, small silver tube - very easy to fit in any size make-up bag, and very elegant to pull out for a quick application on the go. My only gripe is quite OCD in nature - the cap doesn't perfectly align with the tube when fully tightened, which you can see below; and you wouldn't want to leave your tube only half-closed, would you?

The mascara wand is made of plastic/rubber and is very small and slim, with short, dispersed bristles that resemble a comb rather than a brush. The product has a subtle rose scent and the tube stopper wipes off the excess product efficiently, but leaves a glob on the very tip of the brush that has to be wiped off manually, as with most mascaras.

 I usually much prefer plastic/rubber brushes because they tend to give a more separated, lengthened effect; with this mascara however, I feel like the bristles are too sparse to really define my rather full lashline (you can see my bare lashes in the top photo of this Jack Sparrow-inspired comparison). With one coat, the brush does a decent job of subtly enhancing the lashes, giving them mostly length but little volume (middle). So, to amp up the volume, I go for a second coat (bottom)... wrong! Second coat results in spidery, sparse, stiff, clumpy lashes - the wand fails to separate individual hairs while the formula makes them stick together and deposits clumps left, right and center. Combing through with a clean spoolie doesn't help much - it removes large globs of product randomly, leaving your lashes half-bare, half-covered in random clumps. Just... clumpy clumps!

But, you know, you could stop at one subtle coat if natural-looking lashes is what you're after (I'm not. Gimme volume!). I could live with the realization that it's just not a mascara for me personally. Where I begin to be rather annoyed, though, is the fact that this mascara absolutely does not last at all - a couple hours in and my husband zeroes in on my cheeks to ask what the black flakes are doing there. It doesn't smudge, it doesn't transfer; it just flakes, and when I remove it with my cleansing oil, it comes off in big clumps as well. It's rather unpleasant if one of those gets stuck in your eye... Not fun at all.

But again - it could be the one I scored at the sale is just old. Or it dried out right away, because of the faulty packaging. However, at this point, I don't really care - I'm just glad I didn't shell out $38 for it... otherwise I would be really, really annoyed. Have you bought any expensive make-up products recently that fell short of your expectations? Any mascara formulations I should cross out from my shopping list?

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Drugstore Discoveries: Gourmand Bath and Body Treats

In this episode, I not only show you some very nearly edible and inexpensive bath and body products, but also take you on a fascinating journey to my bathroom; well, it's more like you get a peek of the tub, really. But we have to start somewhere... because 'A journey is like a marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.' (just when you were thinking I was going to go all Lao Tzu on you, you get John Steinbeck instead. I know).

Anyway, as much as I love my more luxurious (read: expensive) bath treats, I occasionally grow weary of shelling out big bucks for something that gets washed down the drain after a dozen minutes. Which is why I'm perpetually checking the drugstore for bath and body goodies that really perform, and I think this month I've found some things worth looking into.

One of the hardest bath things to find, I believe, is a nicely scented, non-drying, relatively inexpensive bubble bath. Something you might not know about me - I'm primarily a bath person, because I get quite cold and uncomfortable in the shower, so a good bubble bath is an absolute staple; and let's face it, while Lush Bubble Bars are a lot of fun, there's no way I could use them every night. Enter Deep Steep Bubble Bath in Brown Sugar Vanilla ($9.99-11.95 for 17.5 fl oz), a cruelty-free, vegan bubble magic formulated without parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, artificial fragrances or preservatives. I really don't know HOW they do it without all the drying SLS, but two squirts under running water result in mounds of fluffy, fragrant bubbles. The Brown Sugar Vanilla scent isn't overly gourmand, actually; it's more of a sweet, comforting floral. I ordered mine through drugstore.com, but they also have a website or can be purchased in-store at Ricky's in NY.

After I'm submerged in bubbles up to my neck, I can begin the actual washing-up process with the aid of Dove Nutrium Moisture Shea Butter Body Wash in Warm Vanilla & Brown Sugar ($8.99 for 24 fl oz). Fun fact: Dove was probably the most used body wash brand in my parental home, Poland. Now, this unfortunately does have SLS and a bunch of scary sounding chemicals; but it also has the aforementioned shea butter as well as soybean and sunflower oils. Even with the evil sulfates, it still manages to feel very creamy and moisturizing on the skin, lather nicely and smells... sweet and clean, not really like a bakery. I thought the scent might be too much for the manly part of the household, but no complaints there.

Lastly, something I'm sure everyone has used at least at some point in their lives - well, except for me. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Concentrated Cream with Vitamin E ($3.37-4.49 for 3.75 oz/ 100g) is the last word in the cupcake-scented world of bodycare; the fragrance is quite strong and slightly artificial vanillin at first, but settles down nicely into vanilla sugar with some cocoa mixed in for good measure. We use it as a hand cream and it works great for that purpose - sinks in quickly with little to none greasy feel and hydrates effectively. And... it's just so, so inexpensive!

Now, tell me - do you like to splurge on your bath & body products or do you go cheap and cheerful? Have you discovered anything amazing at the drugstore recently?

For the Love of Taupe: Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Lavish Lilac

Time to 'fess up: not only do I fall very easily for every shade of taupe in sight (well, you know that!), but I've also become obsessed with cream eye shadow crayons. Because it's versatile, it's quick, it's easy... and so, so pretty. So it comes as a no surprise that I've recently fallen in love with Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Lavish Lilac ($17 for 0.10 oz/3 g), and I have an unnecessarily detailed review and shade comparison to show for it.

There's not much to say about the packaging apart from the fact that I really like Clinique's etheral floral boxes, and that the cap has a very nifty feature that I've just noticed; there's a little sponge glued on the inside so that the tip of your Chubby Stick doesn't smush if you accidentally forget to wind it all the way down. Pretty handy, right?

Now, onto performance - I will say this is not as amazing as my beloved Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks, but still very, very nice. It has a thinner but smooooth consistency, and thus sheerer pigmentation that's easily buildable. The lasting power is above average (6 hours on my quite oily lids) but not as apocalypse-proof as the Caviar Sticks, which don't entirely surrender even when rubbed with soapy water. You can absolutely extend the wear of the Chubby Sticks by layering an eyeshadow primer underneath, and/or a powder eyeshadow on top.

 The shade Lavish Lilac isn't in fact very lilacy - it's a medium rosey brown laced with exquisitely fine lilac, pink and silver shimmer. The shimmer makes it appear a bit more cool, purple-toned than other similar shades in my collection. Next to Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Grey Pearl, it's definitely less yellow and more mauvey, and when swatched next to a true lilac like Graftobian Luster Creme in Orchid Odyssey, you can see it's definitely a brown neutral shade as opposed to a violet. The arm swatch photo above was taken in natural daylight.

Compared to some purple taupe powder eyeshadows, swatched clockwise starting with the Clinique Chubby Stick in Lavish Lilac: Inglot Pearl no. 420 is more violet grey and less multidimensional, Wet'n'Wild eyelid shade from The Silent Treatment trio is similar, slightly cooler and again, a bit flatter, Barry M Dazzle Dust in Mushroom (pressed into this tiny pan by yours truly) is incrementally rosier and has a different, silver microglitter finish, and lastly Inglot Pearl no. 153 is slightly warmer and altogether different, strongly foiled/metallic texture. Swatched under a mix of cool daylight and warm studio lighting. For more taupe eyeshadow swatches from my collection, click here.

On my cool-toned skin, Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Lavish Lilac appears a lot more purpley; this is two layers of the shadow, finished off with some inner corner highlight and a thin line of Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On pencil in Rockstar, a warm brown aubergine. I'm wearing NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in New Lover (reviewed and swatched here), nail polish is Essie's No More Film from the previous post.

Overall, I enjoy playing with my new taupey Clinique acquisition and layering it under different powder eyeshadows to give them more dimension and lasting power. I've already got my cheeky mitts on another shade (shush!), this time on the complete other end of the color spectrum; but that's a subject for a different post altogether. Have you tried Clinique's Chubby Stick Shadow Tints for Eyes? What is your favorite taupe cream eyeshadow?

A Month in Nail Polish: September & October

... So, that would make it Two Months in Nail Polish, right? Liar liar, pants on fire. Here's the excuse: I was moving, and it's a widely known fact, moving ruins your nails; also, I was lazy. But, onwards and upwards - let's look at some fall-appropriate nail polish swatches!

 I started the fall season with a newer member of my nail polish collection, Zoya Jem. As you can see in the bottle close-up, it's a beautiful burgundy and gold duochrome shimmer - unfortunately, the duochrome is much less visible once on the nails. The formula was quite thin and would probably require three coats for full opacity; but again, laziness. The tip wear was significant on the second day already and the polish chipped off quickly - but I think my nails might have been to blame as the tips have been very peely lately. Overall, I shall revisit you at a later date, Jem.

Another week, another hard-to-capture duochrome: Revlon Perplex, a famous Chanel Paradoxale dupe. I'm not sure if I ever featured it on the blog before (probably not, as it tends to trick my camera pretty successfully) but it's a gorgeous smokey grey plum with violet microshimmer; think Essie Smokin' Hot but with more dimension. Great formula (two coats), good longevity. A fall staple.

I did wine, I did plum, so next it had to be a navy blue. Essie No More Film actually debuted in their Summer 2012 collection, but I think it's a fantastic shade for the cooler months and for me, a preferrable alternative to this season's After School Boy Blazer; the latter pretty much IS black and thus a smidge too gothic. The glitter for the accent nail is OPI's Polka.com; I like it much better over a dark shade versus the pink I tried earlier.

Lastly, a bit of a cheat - this is a very old swatch of Revlon Facets of Fuschia (presently, Scandalous) I had sitting in my photo folder for a really long time, and I wanted it out. Nevertheless, it's one of my favorite glitters for All Hallows' Eve; there's just something witchy to it that I can't quite put my finger on. I don't remember much about the formula or wear, but glitters tend to be tenacious.

So, these past two months have been all about vampy shades, duochromes and glitter. Have I already said that I love fall nail polish? What have you been wearing on your nails recently?