FOTD: Lipstick on my cheeks and Update

Hello hello beauties! I was so wrapped up yesterday in work and housework that I didn't manage to post anything for you... And somehow today I feel like so many things I want to blog about have accumulated and want to come out NOW! But I'd better restrain myself from rambling and distribute all that for a couple of days.

So, here's another (not very original) FOTD for you. Recently I am all about summery make-up with brighter eyeshadow colors, golden hues and lots of shimmery bronzer. Today I acted like a real professional (see Pixiwoo) and I used some lipstick on my cheeks (Avon & NYX) and some cream eyeshadow (Revlon) on my lips.

I have a bit of a problem with light lipstick shades, because they all accentuate any flakiness on my lips. And my lips are flaky almost all the time, despite being exfoliated and moisturized. How weird is that?

On to the update: there's one more Illamasqua contest look coming up this week, a GOSH haul which I'm SO excited about, another Ins & Outs as well as some product reviews. Since I didn't get any comment on my last 'informative' review, I assume you like the old format better. Also, let me know if you'd be interested in reading about my clothes/ jewellery or just anything else you might want to see (or see more) on my blog.

Cheers! xxx

Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in Eastend Snob review

As promised (this one's for you, Nadia! xxx), here's my review of Rimmel's Vinyl Gloss in Eastend Snob with photos of how it looks on my lips. I have decided to start using a sort of uniform and more quantifiable standard for my reviews and I hope you enjoy it more than just my rambling, it is certainly more informative. Please let me know what you think about it in the comments :)

Producer's claim: "Mirror shine lipgloss. The lightweight non-sticky, perfectly pampering formula glides onto your lips for a perfect mirror-finish pout. Ultimate glossy glamour."

Availability: 5/5

I think you can get Rimmel products in almost every drugstore, everywhere in the world.

Packaging: 4/5

Quite nice and practical, but nothing fancy.

Color range: 3/5

On the Rimmel UK webpage, there are 7 shades listed, and Eastend Snob is not one of them, so I guess shades vary between countries, just like with Rimmel's lipsticks.

Quality: 2/5

(see my opinion for details)

Price: 4/5

I paid about $4 CAD for 0.2 fl oz/ 6 ml, but it was on sale. Regular price is about $8 CAD.

Overall: 18/25 (72%)

My opinion:

Since the producer doesn't actually claim much, it's difficult to refute any of the promises he makes. To me, this is not exactly 'mirror' shine, but rather 'pearl' shine, and I am not so happy about this finish. The gloss is very sheer and certainly you don't get a good pay-off with one layer; you might think it would be better with 2 or 3 layers, but that's not a solution - if you put on too much, the gloss gets terribly sticky and, believe me, even a small amount of this product doesn't feel lightweight. It stays put just as long as any other gloss. It doesn't have a taste but smells of lemon icing when you apply it, and then the fragrance fades, so it's not much of a problem.

I can't actually tell much about the shade; it looks pretty in the tube, sort of beigy pink, but it goes on very sheer and just tones down my natural lip color by one or two shades.

All in all, I feel the quality is just average, to say the least, with a big minus for the stickiness. It is a bit disappointing and I won't repurchase this lip gloss in the future.

Help! I need somebody...

Good evening everyone, I am sorry to post this at such an hour... I was a really looong day for me. I spent all this nice, warm day enclosed in my apartment, editing and translating my company's webpage, and I've just finished an online English class. Uff!

I wanted to blog about my new dress I got for mere $19.99 yesterday at Stitches and show you a pic of it, but of course my BF took the camera with him in his backpack, and I can't take any pictures for you :( But I will try tomorrow. Anyhow, I am not in my best mood today, so I decided to cheer myself up with some online shopping...

Lately I've been eyeing some more NYX goodies, especially their lip stuff. I decided to order from cherryculture.com again (even though they didn't send me one of the items I payed for last time), and I am quite hesitant about their Round Lipstick shades. Of course I know that their swatches combined with the swatches at NYX webpage are simply outrageous, so I've done some research, and I am pretty sure I want Thalia and Strawberry Milk. I am also thinking of Tea Rose, but haven't decided yet. You can see I am into pinks lately, and I prefer satin/matte finish to frosts or pearls, as I have also heard that their mattes have better color pay-off, and you can always pair that with a gloss. I might also order one Round Lipgloss and I am looking for a nice light/baby pink shade, but not too much on the cool side. 

So, what would be your favorite NYX Round Lipstick shade? Could you recommend something for a wearable pink lover like me?

My skincare routine

I've been working all day, but I had to find a while to post something for you... I am into review mode lately, but there will be some make-up looks coming soon (as soon as I get my skin back to normal)! So, this is my daily skincare routine; the night version differs slightly and I will blog about it in a separate post.

Step 1: Cleanse with AA Prestige Pure Skin Normalizing Face Wash Gel

Step 2: Tone with Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution for Sensitive Skin

Step 3: Moisturize and protect with Marcelle Oil-free Multi-defense Lotion with SPF 15

The first product is by Polish company named Oceanic, and AA (sic!) is their line for more sensitive/ allergy-prone skin. My mum has always been a huge fan of the brand, but I have to admit that I am not so much impressed by this product. It claims to regulate sebacious glands activity, matiffy and purify the skin, as well as regenerate and moisturize. I can honestly say it does remove all the gunk from my face and I enjoy its citrusy smell, however I am not so sure about its other properties. A good thing about it, though, is that it doesn't irritate my oily and sensitive skin.

I think Bioderma Micelle Solution is my HG toner. If you don't know, micelles are spherical aggregates of molecules dispersed in liquid which absorb the dirt and cleanse without violating your skin's hydrolipid barrier. It's my second bottle and I am thinking of giving their oily skin version a try when I finish this one, but so far I love it. It claims to cleanse, remove make-up from your face and eyes and soothe your skin, and it's fragrance free. I does all these things, so even after using a face wash I can still see some dirt and residues coming off on a cotton pad. Thumbs up for Bioderma!

The last product is Marcelle Oil-free Multi-defense Lotion with SPF 15. I exchanged this moisturizer for my La Roche-Posay Effaclar H, which is far too heavy for daytime and leaves a terrible oily sheen on my face. This one is oil-free and really lightweight, which is essential for my skin. I have used the Marcelle product for 3 weeks now and despite what I've read on Make-up Alley, it didn't irritate my skin and didn't break me out. It absorbs right into the skin and doesn't leave a noticeable residue, but I can feel my skin is moisturized and prepared for the application of mineral make-up. It comes in a handy bottle and you get a lot (120 ml) for the price ($17 CAD). The only downfall is that you have to remember not to put on too much, because it can 'roll up' under your make-up.

I am quite happy with this routine, the only thing I would change is probably the cleanser; I am not entirely satisfied with AA Pure Skin. Do you have any recommendations?

Aussie Aussome Volume hairspray review

I bought it a couple of days ago for $4.99 CAD at Rexall and wanted to share my opinion with you :)

It's Maximum Hold, which is the third level in their "hold scale". The product simply claims to give you a lot of volume which lasts all day (BTW, I love the Aussie marketing talk on the packaging... :). It contains Australian white ginger extract reknown for its fragrance, wild cherry bark extract which has soothing properties, hops extract and panthenol. My aim for purchasing this was to use it for hair styled with a curling iron, so the word "volume" caught my attention. Last Sunday, when I finished the curling process, I just flipped my head upside-down and sprayed this all over my hair. It smells of exotic fruit to me, which is also nice. When I lifted my head and took a look in the mirror, my hair was just everywhere! That was not the look I was going for, so I smoothed the hairstyle with my hands a bit and I was good to go. I feel that the hairspray lasted all day, and I might have actually used too much, because it wasn't that easy to brush my hair afterwards. Anyhow, I quite like it, and the bonus part for me is that my hair doesn't get greasy as fast as usually, as well as the fact that it contains no CFCs which deplete the ozone layer.

Changing the subject a little, I do feel that Rexall drugstores offer better prices than Shoppers Drugmart. I went to SDM today to pick up a few things and saw TreSemme Heat Protective spray on sale for 4.99, while I bought it at Rexall for exactly the same price, just that it wasn't any kind of sale. The regular price at SDM was almost twice as high! It's a pity I don't have Rexall anywhere near me...

My perfume collection

There's a bit of perfume blogging going on right now, so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon :) 

Here's my collection, from left to right: Carolina Herrera 212, Givenchy Fleur d'Interdit and Eau de Franck Olivier. 

All of these were gifts from different people, and of course they somehow remind me of these persons. For everyday, I use Eau de Franck Olivier, which was a birthday gift from my fiance. The head of this perfume is composed of raspberry, peach, plum and grapefruit, its base features sandal wood, iris, Spanish honey and Burbon vanilla, and the heart follows with Bulgarian rose, jasmin and violet. As you can see, it's a very sweet fruity-flowery scent which reminds me of candy and summer. I also really like the bottle, my fiance describes it as a 'little shell'. Cute!

For more of a special occasion, like a night out, I wear Fleur d'Interdit. 

“Forbidden Flower” is the perfume by Givenchy House introduced in 1994 pictured as a flower in imaginative Heaven garden, eternally bloomed and protected. It is dedicated to all young women of the world who strive for romantic daydreaming, and made of floral aquatic notes of dreams. This perfume, designed by Daniel Moliere, who in top notes cozily put juicy peach, raspberries and melon. The heart notes seduce with its floral experience provided by cyclamen, rose, lilac, violet, jasmine, orchid and lily-of-the-valley along with the base notes consisting of heliotrope, sandal, vanilla and orris. The designer of the bottle is Pochet Courval. The bottle is incorporated with floral lace in the middle, translucent and made of glass. (fragrantica.com)

It certainly is quite an old perfume, but then, I think I got it in 1994, when I was 8 years old, from my parents' friend, just when it was released. He was a Polish count living in France, and he made his fortune as a Formule 1 driver. He liked me a lot back then and used to spoil with gifts like this one. Unfortunately, my parents are no longer in touch with him; I say 'unfortunately' not because of the presents, but because he was a fascintaing man with great stories to tell.

I used only a little bit of it, firstly because I use it only occasionally, and secondly because it is very strong and long-wearing, so I virtually spritz my neck once and I can still feel it on my skin after 24 hours. My mum also loves this one and steals some of it from time to time :)

I don't have any specific use for Carolina Herrera 212, but I think it is more of a summery perfume. I got it from my thankful student before setting off to Canada, so that was really nice of her. 

With its sweet persona, 212 comes on soft with gardenia and camellias, then surprises you with an off-beat kick of musky undertones. It's a delightful homage to the playfully hip, modern woman who never forgets her femininity. (sephora.com)

I am not too fond of the bottle, though, because it's too fancy, heavy and quite unhandy. It's supposed to look like a tennis ball tube, but what is good for tennis balls is not that good for perfume, in my humble opinion. Anyhow, I might switch to this one in a month or so, just to have something different :)

What are your favorite perfumes right now?

Happy Easter!

I meant to post this yesterday, but I had an unexpected (in a nice way) visit from our friends...

Nevertheless, I'd like to wish you all a very happy Easter with lots of chocolate eggs, cake, and good time spent with family or friends. Also, I don't really know if it's a tradition where you live, but maybe a little bunny will bring something cute for you?

I spent almost the whole day yesterday in the kitchen, preparing a traditional Polish Easter cake called 'mazurek'. It's basically crispy dough similar to tarte, covered with some sort of topping, usually chocolate, orange or caramel, and then decorated with nuts and dried fruit. Here's the final result:

I don't know how they taste yet, because they're supposed to be eaten on Easter Sunday breakfast. We're invited to our friends house for a big Polish reunion :) Take care, my lovelies!