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Tuesday, November 19, 2013

November Make Up Haul


Last Saturday I went to Frankfurt and I did a bit of shopping, so I'd like to share my initial thoughts on the products I bought. I am also adding some of the product I bought beforehand here in Heidelberg, because they were purchased in November as well! :) So here we go!

In Frankfurt I bought mainly Nyx Cosmetics products in Douglas. I've never seen them in Heidelberg or in Croatia, so I thought this is a great opportunity to buy them. I heard a lot of good things about Nyx from other bloggers and I always try to buy something new and different.

The first item I will mention is Doll Eye Mascara which costs 9,99 € here in Germany. I was attracted to it because it has smaller brush than my other mascaras and because it is waterproof. Now, I started using waterproof mascaras a year ago, the reason being my super-sensitive and watery eyes which was resulting in a so-called "panda" effect by the end of each day. I liked the packaging a lot, as well as the look of the brush, but I am not very satisfied with the formula. I used it twice so far, so this is not a definitive verdict, but it doesn't seem to be build-able (you can't put layers and layers like with some other mascaras). Additionally, once it is dry - it is DRY, and if you add more coats you end up having toothpicks instead of lashes. I have the feeling the consistency is gel-like and it is wrapping around the lashes as you are putting it on, so once you want to take it off, it sort of peels off in flakes. I am used to building layers of mascara, so I will likely have to learn how to use this one which dries really fast and doesn't allow multiple coats. On the positive note, it is definitely very waterproof (I was slicing onions while having it on and it didn't move or budge at all while crying like crazy :) ).


    



Next, I bought the Love in Florence eye shadow palette in LIF07 Prima Donna. Again the price is 9,99 €. I liked the colors a lot, since the plumy/burgundy shades really complement green/grey eyes, especially combined with champagne/taupe colors also featured in the same palette. The color payoff is light-medium (it is definitely not pigmented as, say, Sleek eye shadows or even Catrice eye shadows), but they seem to be build-able. They do look very shimmery, to some degree even glittery, but this is not that obvious on eyelids. The packaging looks very cheap, it is made of a plastic and as you can see on the photos I made, it really gets stained easily with fingerprints.




The final two Nyx products I'll write about are two jumbo pencils, Jumbo Eye Pencil in 624A Rocky Mountain Green and Glam Shadow Stick in GSS03 Glistening Emerald Émeraude. They are both beautiful greens, one forest green and the other emerald green. Since the palette I bought seemed quite autumny, I wanted something Chrismassy as well, ergo green/red. I haven't tried them yet, but they both seem very smooth and easy to work with and it looks like they would really serve well as an eye shadow primer. The Jumbo eye pencil costs 5,49 € and the Glam Shadow Stick 5,99 €.



And to conclude with Frankfurt make up shopping, I bought these very cheap false eyelashes in Primark. They were only 1,50 €. As I am wearing contacts or glasses all the time, I am not a biggest fan of fake lashes, but if careful enough, one could wear them for a glamorous occasions, such as New Year's eve.


A few weeks ago I also purchased a few lip products in DM and Müller. The lip pencils are from Essence and they cost only 0,99 €. I really like them - they are of a softer consistency, making them really easy to use (if you put them in a fridge they can become harder, which is useful for warm climates and summer times). The colors I got are 06 Satin Mauve, 07 Cute Pink and 11 In The Nude. I was looking for pink and nude tones to complement a few lipsticks and lip stains that I own.



The 11 In The Nude works quite good with the L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Collection Privée lipstick in J Lo's Nude. The lipstick costs 11,95 € and although it is a bit expensive, I have to say I'm in love with it. It is just a perfect nude color. I don't have J. Lo's skin tone, but I've read in other blog posts that it looks good on a fairer complexions as well, so I decided to give it a try. The lipstick itself is very creamy, very rich and moisturizing. It has a bit of smell which reminds me of the old lipsticks my mom used when I was a kid. The packaging also looks quite luxurious and overall great. Perfect for the everyday wear.





And finally, the last November product I bought so far is the p2 Mirror Mirror On The Wall nail polish in 010 Sensual Purple. Initially I was drawn to this product due to the burgundy sheen you can see on the picture below. Although I love p2 nail polishes, I was disappointed to discover that the resulting color is just plain shimmery purple (without this beautiful red/burgundy sheen). I do like it as it is, but I really wanted a rich Christamassy color, which this nail polish doesn't have (this could be also due to the fact that I used a top coat, but usually the colors are not different). It costs 2,25 € and it is the same quality as other p2 nail polishes.





As you can see on the pictures, at the moment I am wearing a nice red nail polish, also from p2. It is from their Color Victim line in 650 Fever - i is obvious that I am really getting into whole winter/Christmas mood! :)

I'd like to know what are your November favorites and if you also had a chance to try these products...
~Anelei




Saturday, November 9, 2013

L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection Advanced Correcting Serum

Important ingredient in the new L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection Serum is LR2412, a molecule that caused quite a hype in the beauty industry. Vichy Idealia Serum and Lancôme Visionnaire contain exactly the same molecule, which is not surprising having in mind that L'Oreal owns both Vichy and Lancôme. 

LR2412 is essentially a derivate of jasmonic acid able to penetrate human skin (original form of jasmonic acid is too large). L'Oreal's researches successfully managed to fold the molecule so that it could efficiently enter the skin on the 2412th time, and the LR2412 has been born.

In plants, jasmonic acid has a role regulating plant responses to stress as well as plant growth and development. It has an important role in response to wounding of plants and systemic acquired resistance (protection from insects). The researches recognized the anti-aging and skin regeneration potential of the jasmonic acid and therefore they promise that LR2412 can repair age-related skin disorders, strengthen the structure of the skin and improve its elasticity.

L'Oreal Paris Skin Perfection Advanced Correcting Serum is essentially the budged version of Vichy Idealia Serum and even fancier Lancôme Visionnaire. The packaging looks nice with the bright pink color and in general has a more expensive feel to it than the other drug store brands. It reminds me of the L'Oreal Paris Infallible make-up line. I also like the fact that it has a pump which is in my opinion the most hygienic way to get the product out of the bottle (as you can see below).




The product feels rich and has a strong smell, almost smells like a feminine version of aftershave. I like it, but I know some people have a general problem with strong smells in cosmetic products. Also, it contains very fine light-reflecting particles, as you can see below. They are indeed very fine and they should brighten up the complexion. 

Without Flash
With Flash
Once the product is absorbed, it leaves the skin very soft and moisturized. I have an oily skin, so for me it is very important not to use very oily products. This serum hydrates my skin without leaving it greasy and shiny. It also brightens my complexion and from my experience it serves as a very good "primer" before using a foundation or BB-cream. 
Without Flash
With Flash
I have been using it now for almost 3 weeks and even though I see some advantages, I don't notice the promised improvement of my skin. My pores are not smaller, I have breakouts as before and I don't see my fine lines disappearing, but overall the state of my skin is not worse than before. Overall, I would give it the 3.5/5 because it is not a greasy product, but it also doesn't do wonders!

If someone is interested, here is a full list of ingredients:
ALCOHOL DENAT., AQUA / WATER, PARFUM / FRAGRANCE, BENZYL SALICYLATE, BENZYL ALCOHOL, LINALOOL, ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE, DROMETRIZOLE TRISILOXANE, BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE, ETHYLHEXYL SALICYLATE, BHT, COUMARIN, BENZYL BENZOATE, GERANIOL, CITRONELLOL, LIMONENE, CI 17200 / RED 33, CI 19140 / YELLOW 5

Compared to general drugstore products, this serum is a bit more expensive and it costs 15,99 € for 30mL on, which is still a lot cheaper than Vichy Idealia Serum (31,40 € for 30mL) or Lancôme Visionnaire (79,95  € for 30mL).

Hope you find this review useful! Did you have the opportunity to try any of the products containing LR2412? I'd be curious to find out how do you like it.
~Anelei





Thursday, November 7, 2013

Romantic Vintage Manicure

Lately I am in a very romantic vintage mood, so I keep reaching for any kind of pink/nude tone when it comes to make-up or nail polish. A few weeks ago I stumbled across the new Beauty Stories collection from the German drugstore brand p2. The color is very neutral, as you can see from the photography, making it perfect for a romantic date, "meeting the parents" event and everyday simple manicure choice. Again, I usually always put a base coat, 2 layers of a nail polish of choice and a top coat.



The products used are listed below:
  • Essie All In One Base (~9 €) 
  • p2 Beauty Stories in 010 Gleaming Apricot (2.25 €) 
  • Sally Hansen Insta-Dri (~8 €)


I am aware that p2 is not available in most of the countries (I saw it only in Germany so far), so I am listing the possible alternatives:
  • Avon in Apricot Mystery
  • Chanel in 539 June
  • China Glaze in Bare If You Dare
  • Nars in Orgasm
  • Max Factor in 2 Pretty in Pink
Did you find your perfect nude/peachy/pinkish nail polish?
~Anelei

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Saturday Rainy Manicure


Another rainy Saturday inspired me to do a Rainy manicure (hence black nail polish and white/silver drops). It took me around 2 hours to finish everything, from nail and cuticle care until the final "product", so to say. I will cover the basic nail care in another post. Photos were taken using Sony Xperia Z.




The products I used were (pictures below):
  • Essie All In One Base (~9 €) 
  • Maybelline ColorShow by Colorama in 677 Blackout (~2.5 €) 
  • Essence Nail Art FreeStyle and Tip Painter in 01 Silver Sparkle (~2 €) 
  • Catrice Ultimate Nail Lacquer in 41 Two Million Dolar Baby (~3 €) 
  • p2 Miss French White Tip (~3 €) 
  • H&M Nail Decoration Kit (Rhinestones) (~3 €) 
  • Sally Hansen Insta-Dri (~8 €)
In Germany, all of these product can be bought in DM, Müller, and H&M (alternatively Amazon) and since I own these products for a longer time now, the prices are approximate.

OK, so now on how I actually did it: first I put one coat of Essie base coat, followed by two coats of Maybelline Blackout. I decided to do my design on both of my ring fingers (of course the left one looks better since I am right-handed). I started by applying 3 lines of Essence Tip painter and I've placed 3 rhinestones in the inner corner of those lines. I have applied dots of p2 white tip nail polish with a dotting tool and finally I used a bit of Catrice Two Million Dolar Baby on the outermost black polish (where there was no design). I sealed everything with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri and left it for a few minutes to dry.

Hope you find the post fun and useful! ;)
~Anelei