Jamilla Camel's BOMB of BEAUTY!

Can you believe this? I was really interested in the Chanel palette from fellow beauty-blogger Jamella Camel...and she sent to me...including what must be THE TOTAL OVERLOAD ON PRETTY NEUTRAL EYESHADOWS!


I am going slightly bonkers with the generosity and love from this wonderful person. She has not only given me such precious items, but she has read my blog carefully to know I am a sucker for the neutrals...I received, hold on,

• The Chanel Travel palette (left)
• Stila eyeshadow in Coin
• Stila eyeshadow in Latte
• Stila Eyeshadow in Champagne
• ELF cream eyeshadow
• Pop beauty glitter stick in Crystal
• Pop beauty glitter stick in Silver
• Mac Eyeshadow in Honey Lust
• Mac Eyeshadow in Sumptious Olive (My mac all time favourite eyeshadow colour!)
• a COMPLETE mac palette

This is so amazing! How can I ever say thank you to Jamilla Camel?

I have no words left, so I will end up with Stila's quotes of wisdom (ain't these quotes cute?)

Skinfood Black Sugar Wash Off Scrub

I think I have done most of my SkinFood reviews from the batch I received from Sasa in January. The only exception is the Black Sugar Mask, the one you can wash off.

Scrubbing is an important tool to keep your skin in a good condition. It should not be done in excess, because your skin will become more sensitive. If done wisely, which depends on the kind of skin that you have, it will be beneficial for both your unmade face as the face with makeup on. Your makeup will look better and more flawless on a smooth canvas.

Those were my words of wisdom for today...he he, I will not 'preach' too much about skincare, as most of the followers of my blog are already skilled in the art of beautifying themselves. You are probably a lot better than I am...

Back to the product. The can is the same size as most of Skinfood's products size, except for different products such as the Herb Salad moisturizer and the Milk Mania Cleanser. Again, I put a Mac lipstick next to it for comparising.

These jars are used for several types of masks, scrubs and some lotions. They come with a plastic shield on top with the words Skin Food on it. This is a handy tool for preventing your lovely goodies to expire too soon.

I scooped a bit of Black Sugar scrub on my hand. It looks more like brown sugar paste and it actually smells like brown sugar with a hint of cream. I like the natural, sweet smell of it.

In the close-up you can actually see the little grains of sugar inside. They are not coarse for the skin, however, they are not as sophisticated as the microdermasion beads you find in microdermasion scrubs.

In a way it reminded me a lot like the highly coveted Mac Black Vocano scrub that was for sale last year. I should compare both in a post soon, or update this post with some extra pictures.

After adding water you see that it spreads out on a large part of my hand. You can scrub for about 1 or 2 minutes before the sugar dissolves.

Afterwards, I loved the improved texture on my hand. There is not a obvious cream inside the scrubs texture, but it still is quite moisturizing...I think it could suit both combination to oily skintypes as the ones that are a bit dry.

I used this on my face as well, and I did not experienced any sensitive reactions from it. Moreover, my skin felt a lot smoother.

It retails for $12.30 at sasa.com. A bargain, in my opinion, as a tiny bit of product is sufficient for scrubbing the whole face. I think this scrub would last me for at least 4 months if I would scrub two times a week. Perhaps it would even last me longer.

Overall, I am quite happy with this Skinfood item.

Becca Beach Tint in Raspberry & Shimmer Powder in Princess

Last week was a nice week in internet hauls arriving at my doorstep. One of the hauls I was looking forward to was my Becca (and Harlotte) haul from adorebeauty.com. I was pleasantly suprised when it arrived in beautiful gold packaging, and I was too willing to try my new goodies.
The total of my order is Becca Pressed Shimmer Powder in Princess, Becca Beach tint in Raspberry, the latest tint in their collection, and a Harlotte lipstick. I will stick to Becca today (also, I was not too thrilled about Harlotte).


I will start of with the Shimmer Powder in Princess. It is not that I have a lack of shimmery powders, however, I was so pleasantly surprised after swatching Princess in a store. I absolutely wanted it. I opted for ordering online, as the prices are much cheaper at adorebeauty. Becca is an Australian brand (although funnily, they are made in the UK), so it is cheaper to buy it from Australia.

What I love about the compact case is that it looks very space-UFO like. Flying sources are the best way to give you a unearthy glow, LOL.


I love the mauvy rose shade inside. I have a weakness for mauvy rose shades, as they are lovely on my strange skintone. The colour in the pan looks more like a blush than a highlighting powder, but it is definitely more of a highlighter than a blush.

The next picture is made in natural (cloudy) light. It can be used as a blush for very light skintones (NC/W 15), however, I find this to be more of a glow on my skin.

The next picture, made with flash, shows the glowiness of the powder. I find it weird that my skin looks so much paler with flashlight. Anyway, I adore the glowiness of the powder. It is not glittery, shimmery, garish, full of flecks...it is a glow and that is what I want....

Overall, I am so happy with my new glowing powder. The texture is excellent and it stays on for hours and hours, even when I have to cycle around in dodgy weather...The glow is still on untill I take it off at the end of the day. (poor boyfriend thinks I am sick in the evening...ehm no...the makeup just comes off).

My next Becca! I was really curious to see what the new colour of the Beach Tint would be like. It had not been listed on the official Becca website at the moment I purchased it on Adorebeauty. Quite funny, actually, shouldn't the official website be the first?

I liked the product quality of the other Beach Tint colours, but I did not like the colours in Watermelon or Peach. I know this product has a big following on makeupalley, but somehow I could not make Watermelon or Peach work for me.

Curiosity was stronger than my strained-out credit card, so I bought this together with the shimmer powder.

If you are interested in the ingredients, be my guest and click on the picture below.

Oil-free, Water-proof and Streak-free....the ideal frolick-in-the-summer product! Australia has lauched this product just in time, as the Aussies are having summer right now (ack, so jealous of anyone who is in nice summer weather).

I love the tube, only I do not like the cheap, plasticy cap.

There is a 'window' to see what the product is like. That is the actual colour.

You see! a pinky rose gel-like colour.

The last picture is a small swatch. Sorry for the wrinkled pulses, I definitely need anti aging products for my whole body. It has been blended out a bit. I could not make more pictures yet to show the accuracy of the colour.

Moreover, I still need to test it on my face to actually see if I like this colour. I do believe it can make a gorgeous lipstain....however, would I use it on my cheeks and look natural as well? I don't know (yet)...it still needs some more road testing.

I promise you to do a proper review when I have experienced it in the full glory...he he...I should go on a Caribbean vacation for you guys to test this product as it should be: in the sea and sand and sun. Wouldn't that be nice if I would do that?

YSL 5 Colour Harmony Eyes in #2: Indian Pink

Today is goldies oldies day...not that it is such an old product, but it has been launched last autumn. In cosmetic time that would be at least 3 years...

This was one of the products I did not dare to swatch for a loooong time. I found it to be too pretty and precious. Thanks to blogging about cosmetics, I overcame my fear of actually using my cosmetics, LOL, so I am glad to show you my swatches.

Anyway, since Slumdog Millionaire was the big winner of the Academy Awards, I would love to dedicate my review on a colour selection named Indian Pink. The colours, indeed, have an Indian feel to it. I have never been to India before, but I have seen some Bollywood films and I would say that the purples and pinks would be so like the female heroines that you would see in the films.

actress Rakshita. Source: http://utopianvision.co.uk

Yves Saint Laurent 5 Colour Harmony palette for eyes in 2, Indian Pink, gives a lovely palette of purple and pink colours. I picked the pink version, because I was mesmerized by the purple shades that were in there. I discovered such a unique purple colour that I HAD to buy it. Fortunately, there was a 20% discount on the palette. It was still expensive though, 40 euros.

LOL, the POW thing in the mirror is the reflection of my sweater I was wearing that day.

The colours are a lovely bend of purples and pinks. I am absolutely in love with the left side of the palette. The shimmer of the purples is so unique.

Mmm, I am not too happy about my camera lately. It zooms in on a certain side of the swatches, and leaves the other side slightly blurry. Anyway, You can see how lovely and unique this set of purples and pinks are.

I have found some reviews of the other colours as well: Yummiebites reviews the 04 Lilac Sky; Beauty Anonymous has done a fab review on the 05 Riviera; and Karlasugar swatched them all!

So, this was your quicky review on the YSL 5 Colour Harmony for Eyes in Indian Pink: short but sweet.

I hope you will all have a fabulous week! March is on the way...and I hope sping will show its head around here very soon....I need lovely weather, like now!

Hauls of the week

I might have had a busy week, but that does not mean that I am not a shopping addict anymore...I still loveeeeee internet hauling!

I have received several packages. My first package was from bath and body specialist mmucosmetics.com. They have some excellent bath and body product, and you are free to pick from at least 500 different scents. One of the best things of this Canadian company that they have some good deals on shipping sometimes. I have bought this haul with FREE shipping...for a heavy load such as this, that is a big discount!

I have bought:
* the Affirmation lotion (slimming/tightening) in the fragance Amour Cacao.
* Scrub of Java (with coffee beans...so invigorating) in White Chocolate Truffle
* Polish me Up (scrub) in Rose Geranium
* Soy Good Whipped body spread in unscented
* Friction (warming body scrub) in Love Affair
* You Glow Girl (selftanner for my pasty legs) in Bahama Vanilla
* Hemp-isphere lotion in unscented
* Handy-wash in Lover's Lair


My second package: I had ordered some items from Sephora via my 'Sephora-private shopper', Debbie, in January I haven't been checking her forum for a long time, so the package came like a welcome surprise:

I ordered the Givenchy Eyelet Edition Couture Makeup Palette (really gorgeous, I will review it next week), The Sephora by Opi nail polish in Queen of Everything and the Nars Exclusive Lipgloss selection.

My third package was small, but cute as a button. I was really curious after MusingsofaMuse's review of Steamcream. And the packages were so cute. I ordered the Porky Rabbit one, as my Chinese Horoscope is Rabbit (but I am not porky...LOL)

My fourth package came all the way from down under. I ordered some items at adorebeauty.com. I have ordered some Becca Cosmetics items....You will see what is inside the cute package the next week..

Kose Visee Blackish Forming Eyes in B1 (brown version)

Today I will show you my promised pictures of the Kose Visee Blackish Forming Eyes in B-1.

Why did I choose to pick the brown one, as there are five colours to chose from? Well, I have a weakness for neutral colours, because my eyes are on the light side. The assortment of blitzy blues or greens often look a bit 80s with my eye colour, and a selection of beautiful neutral seem to enhance their colour.

Also, I was particulary mesmerized by the swatches posted by Miss Bitter (here). I even think she did a much better job in capturing the beauty of the palette than I did, but anyway, I will give you my 2 cents as well. (grins cheepishly).

The palette arrived in a plastic case, as usual. The back has some instructions of how to apply the eyeshadow. As the palette is targetting the audience that want to create a smokey eye, I found the instructions to be slightly different than usual (more of the smokey- eye technique).




The case itself is a beautiful black one that looks like leather crocodile print. The inside contains a set of four colours: one matte pitch-black, one a shimmery sand highlighter colour, a reddish brown and a Taupe with reddish sparkles...Very lovely

I have made the next two pictures with flash, so you can see the beautiful red sparkles on the brown and taupe colour.

I made this picture after swatching, which explains why there are sparkles on the black colour. The colour itself is the only matte colour. I especially love to have a matte black colour as a base for a smokey eye.

Sorry for the unsophisticated swatches I made. I did not use my usual high-end brush to swatch, so they look a bit messy. Still, the colours are rather true to life. (no flash, indirect natural light)

Kathi on Lotuspalace claimed that the brown one did not blend as well as the others. I haven't compared it with the other colours, because I do not have the other colours yet. However, the quality is quite good...not excellent, but ok.

I have bought this palette on adambeauty.com for $20.

If you are interested in seeing some swatches from the other colours, you can see them at lotuspalace (here:B3 or silver version and here: B5+ B1) or rougedeluxe (B5 or blue version).

I've been Poupee-fied

Hey,
How is this week been so far? Busy, busy, busy for me. (sorry Jamella Camel for responding so late).

I jumped the bandwagon and Poupee-fied myself. Thanks to the invitation of Kimberly Tia I can finally be a very cute doll with lots of cute items.

I like this combination of clothes I am wearing: but it is not as beautiful and playful as some other dolls I have seen (who are soooo kawaii).

My hair is a bit of a light brown with a reddish glow (or gold, as some say). I am not as thin as the doll...he he, but I would probably be very cold if I were that thin. I might buy some 'hips' from the Poupee store to look more realistic...(they probably do not sell hips, but I like the idea of it).

Anyway, up do do some serious tasks again. I will post more swatches, review etc in the weekend...

Luv from Birkinbagbeauty

Skinfood Milk Mania cream cleanser

Almost one and a half month after I received my Sasa haul I finally took the time to review the Skinfood Milk Mania Cleansing cream. It is about time.

Skinfood is a Korean brand that prides themselves of being 'natural'. Ofcourse, the term 'natural' is not something very valuable in the cosmetic world, as any brand can put that term upon its products. But indeed, the products have a natural vibe, and they smell quite realistic too (realistic in a natural sense, not in the chemical, perfumed sense). Most often, I find their ingredients to be on the more wholesome site: Not that they are on the extreme side of organic, but they are rather ok.

Milk Mania, Milk Mania...it sounds a bit like a mad cow that produced maniacal milk, LOL What is it? It is a creamy cleanser that comes in a very big hard plastic jar. I compared it with the Mac lipstick again, so you can estimate its size. For the calculators among us: it contains 200 grams or 7 fl. oz.

The tag on the jar looks 'wholesome' as well, as it seems to be made of recycled paper.


I love that little cow on the tag...

Underneath the jar you can find a description in both English as Korean. I cannot say much about the Korean description, but the English description mentions Cleopatra's love for milk, the vitamins A & D in milk, and...oh...click on the picture for a better view.

The jar is really full with the creamy cleanser. It is not one of those product that has such a large glass/plastic wand that the jar looks big but the content is actually very small. No, this baby is packed with cleanser.

The scent is a suble, or faint, one. It reminds me of boiled milk. I find this very soothing and not obtruding at all. I can be sensitive to perfumed products, but this scent is really nice.

It applies like a cream: thick. However, it does not absorb like a cream...as...well, it is a cleanser so it should take off the layer of makeup/sebum/etc, that you accumilated earlier, off your face.

A blob of product spreads easily on the skin. You can remove it with a cotton pad or tissue; I would not like to depend on water only, as it stays on the skin.

I prefer to use a toner afterwards, in order to remove the leftovers. I am not sure if that is just me, or absolutely necessary.

I think it is a product suitable for dry skin and slightly sensitive skin that demands a light/waterfree manner of cleansing, and that keeps the moisture locked into the skin.

Do I use it a lot....ehm, not yet. I am rather accustomed to my Kose Softymo cleansing oil right now for removing makeup, as it is so easy to remove your eye makeup with it as well. In the morning I rely on toner only.

However, I am still glad that I bought this product. I can tolerate it on my sensitive skin, it does the cleansing in a soft way, and it seems to be moisturizing as well. Nevertheless, it is not a superfast way to remove your makeup...

I bought this at sasa.com for $ 11. And joy, it is still available!

Sasa is a wonderful shop, however, its stock is not always as consistent: products are often out of stock and you have to wait (forever?) for them to return.

I spotted a Milk Mania Cleansing Emulsion as well that comes in a bottle with pump. It will probably be of a lighter consistency.

Nominated and nominator: Triple Award-Award!

Sometimes you will receive a message that will knock you of your feet: in a positive way...

My very talented Taupe-eyeshadow-loving friend Pink Sith has actually nominated me for the Triple Awards-Award of the beautiful virtual world of blogging.

This must imply that I should design my own line of corresponding paper, teacups, business-cards and t-shirts with the logo of my blog. I should be entirely self-promotive in all my daily activities: "read my blog and inspire me for even better posts!"-will be the reason for living. My blog will become me, and I will become my blog. (ok, pun intended)

Actually, the task that I have to do, is nominating another ten bloggers and explain why they are nominated. This will be an excruciating task, because I really love so many (beauty)blogs and consider every talent to be unique and creative. I do not want to discriminate...booohoo.

I still feel a bit burdened with this task, but I am thankful to validate a couple of some talented bloggers with this award.

My list is posted in random order:

1. Nothing-but-a-cardboard Cut-out girl

This London woman is so exclusively cool that she even has a strict 'guestlist' for the cool and beautiful (ehm...I do not know why she invited me). She was the one who 'discovered' me and thanks to her I have found my place in the beauty-blogging neighbourhood of lovers of Japanese/Korean/cute and fab items.

Yasumi has the coolest writing style ever...it is like Andy-Warholl-in-the-sixties kind of quirky and fabulous! She is not only incredibly beautiful, with lips to envy, but also so very modest (and self-depreciating).

2. Pink Syth

This Syth in pink has a out-of-space, brilliant way to describe the love and uniqueness of Taupe eyeshadows and other beauty items. She is the William Worthsworth of writing verses and philosophy-based love declarations about beauty-products. I have been admiring her blog since a year ago, even before starting my own. I could not have been more proud to be nominated her.

3. Lotuspalace

How could I forget the queen of enablers: Kathi from Lotuspalace. Kathi is often the first person to blog about a new must-have beauty item from Korean of Japanese origin. Her descriptions are sound and intelligent, and her pictures are very lust-worthy. Moreover, she probably has one of the biggest collections of Japanese and Korean makeup in Europe, and she loves to share the photograpical evidence with us.

4. Bat Your Eyelashes

Kimberly Tia is the queen bee of our beauty highschool. But she is the überfriendly version of the popular Queen bee-type, so it makes her even more loveable. She must have at least 300 blogger-friends, and she still takes the time to 'talk' with you in person. She has a brilliant taste in beauty products, and is happy to review them for us. Moreover, as a true Queen Bee...she is such a beautiful woman and has such cool makeup-looks.

5. Makeup for the Professional Asian Woman

I love her philosophy of sharing her vision and experiences of makeup and beauty products for women who are thirtysomethings. Her efforts to show people a kind a beauty that goes beyond the skinny-photoshopped-model type is truely wonderful, and gorgeous. And, she has some gooorgeous items she often reviews and shows pics of. I also loves the fact that she blogs regularly and is really an active blogger (which can be difficult sometimes...eh?)

6. Fuzkitty

She is the true movie-star/supermodel of the beauty-bloggers world. She is not only very beautiful, but also educates us with images and stories of Korean/Chinese/Japanese celebrities. She even recreates their makeup in such an impeccable manner. Her beauty reviews are really excellent and her pictures MAKES you buy the items, which is not the biggest problem because she has good taste in beauty products (Maquillage Face Creator, for exampe).

7. My Makeup Reviews

I can only repeat and paraphrase what Pink Sith said before about Jojoba: her reviews are so detailed and her pictures so sharp that you almost want to reach your makeup brush to your computer screen to apply the makeup she posted (wouldn't that be nifty)? She also has the most serene and beautiful face, which is such a perfect canvas for her FOTD's she portrays so excellently. She is also the biggest flatterer...

8. Lost in Beauty

Cheryl is the beauty blogger who is the light and loveliness in the city of fashion: Milan. Her outlook on life and beauty is anything but lost. Her mix of review on beauty products is so refreshing, as she looks at things and brands you would not have considered earlier (but are brilliant nevertheless). (and, she is gorgeous as well).

9. A Beautyful Sentiment

When I see an update of this blog, I can hardly restrain myself to check it out immediately. Her reviews of Asian cosmetics is really addictive, and she makes the lovelies pictures (also from very delicious food. Her blog template looks so organized and yet beautiful: it is a delight to visit her blog.

10. Bittenbefore/Tokyolife

The combination of a impeciably beautiful website, fabulous reviews of real lust-have Asian products and the high level of Kawaii items makes it a blog you want to visit again and again. She has the neatest blog themes, such as 'red day'. And the food porn is just too tempting...

Ohh, it has been so hard to make the selection, as I love you all...

If you are nominated, then I have some rules for you (sorry, I have copied them from my nominator):

1. Put the logo on your blog or post

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Haven't I seen her before? + lemming

The promo images of the Cle de Peau (by Shiseido) Absolute beauty spring look 2009 left me mesmerized by the beauty of the cover model. I absolutely dig her heavy eyeliner and peachy nude lips. However, I could not shake the feeling that I have seen that look before:

Indeed, she looks a lot like the old-school bombshell Brigitte Bardot...both makeup-wise and hairwise. Even the image that she is lying seductively on the bed: very Bardot-esque.

Anyway, after seeing these pictures and after an important listing of Cle de Peau eyeshadow palette in Jojoba's Top Favourite Items From 2008-list, I find myself in dire need of a Cle de Peau eyeshadow palette. I only hesitate about which colour palette I am going to take. I love neutrals for eyes, so the 121 looks less red (and more suitable) for me. Or should I order another colour, such as the smokey palette in no 14 recommended by Jojoba?

Lemming dillema's....and I did forget to mention the average price of this palette (about $47 on ebay, and it retails for $75).

Still, I want I want I WANT!!!!


What are your lemmings right now? And, do you buy impusively when having a lemming, or do you wait and try to justify your purchase?