such a Beach...

I like the word 'beach' pronounced by some non-native English speakers. Especially with a Spanish dialect, which sounds more like the assertive woman-type equivalent. 

So I can write a whole post-feminist story why it isn't such a bad thing to speak up to people, being the so-called b#tch, and how people value assertiveness differently when it's a guy (assertive) than when it's a girl (bitchy). But I'll leave that to the frequent feminist bloggers.  

In this case, I'll keep it up with the sandy talk and the sea-saltedness of the beach.

So I have been trying out some new things. The Coola (mineral) sunscreen above was not a favourite.  It has a SPF 30 factor but I returned quite tanned from 2 hours of lounging in the sun. I have been used to the meticulously functionable Japanese sunblocks in the past, so this was not the result I was after. The tan was nice, though, but certainly not anticipated.

More Beachi-ness:

I have been loving the Ambre Solaire (Same as the Garnier) Sunscreen line a lot in the pump-spray form. It is delightfully watery and thin and leaves no greasiness behind: perfect when you get into contact with sand, water or almost everything. The aerosol spray might not be the most environmental construction but at least I can go to the beach alone without asking strangers to rub in my back...EEEK, I've never done that, btw! I had this method of misting my suntan lotion on a round can and trying to roll it on my back -> not handy and it will give you pityful stares of coupled, familied or befriended people.

Short story: excellent protection for the body and the aerosol is single-girl friendly too. And so thin you can't hardly tell you put it on, which will not give you backne either.

*

 KIKO stick in SPF 50 is so nice because the formula is like a dry-stick. I've been suffering from oily skin in a different climate so anything greasy felt and looked quite wrong. It protects quite good: I've used it for shading my nose (SPF 30 on face and a thin line of KIKO SPF 50 on the bridge of the nose) and I had a lighter result: tadaaah, photoshop by sunscreening.

KIKO also has this line of peeling tissues in a purple packaging. They are plasticy bobbly on one side and cloth-textured on the other side. The plastic side is too harsh for me and the liquid on the cloth-side would be too hash normally as well. But as I said: the skin had his neo-teenage moment and I loved these for removing sunscreen after the beach.

*

I swim! People tell me I shouldn't swim with my hair but I just love it too much. I have been telling my colourists to keep that in mind when doing my hair. Still, I protect the hair before: normally with L'oreal Mythic Oil. I will upgrade to a hairlotion with sunscreen for the next beachy encounter. Post swim I rinse my hair with water quite fast, and scrunch in some Aveda Damage Remedy leave in treatment: most showers at the beach have cold water so I prefer not to spend too much time under them.

The Sunnies are from & Other Stories. I have designer Shades (hi Celine), but for that beachy stuff I'll just like to minimise the damage upon the Expensive and go for the Scandinavian cheaper but still stylish variety.

I have some more beach-i-ness to share but for the time being I just like to discuss the Iphony bunch of it...I'm gonna look closer upon Marie Veronique Organics (MVO Organics) Sunscreen SPF 30 soon and why it's such a breeze when having oily skin. Next time, less I Phony-ness, more quality photos.

Using, Used, Gonna Use...

Summer is almost here and I begin to enjoy colours again.

 So the products of the "used, using...gonna use" is finally more than just skincare:

Using:
 *Givenchy Le Rouge lipstick in Rouge Boudoir 204*

 This lipstick is bright and happy enough to pair up with a bit of (fake) tan and not too extreme for the lipstick-shy like I am. The moisture factor is not as dewy as Chanel but I actually like its resistance better for warmer weather.

Used:
*Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist sample I got in this set*

 It feels refreshing on the skin, but I was dissapointed in the misting effect: it's a pump instead of an aerosol mister. A pump might be friendlier for the environment but I prefer a thinner, aerosol-based spray instead of the slightly bigger drops you get from a pump. Also, for its price I consider it not that much better than earlier mists I tried.

*By Terry Rose de Rose Sheer Liquid blush in 03 Amber Rose*

 It is not fully finished but I have it since 2010 so I think it's due. As you can see, it is a blush lovingly used: it really needs a tiny drop for a gorgeous flush and I used lots of drops...I would absolutely repurchase but it's not for sale in Holland anymore.

Gonna Use:
* Kiko Colour Block in 04 Fierce Violet*

 Yes, I got into a Kiko shop again and fell in love with the vividness of Fierce Violet. First, It was hand-testing...then I decided to test it on my eyes, went into really warm weather, and after 9 hours it still was budgeproof and vivid!

Normally I sheer away from reallllly brights for my eyes but I totally love this sort of purple.

Using, Used, Gonna Use...

I'm keeping up my "use it up" spirits in the [almost] 5th month of 2013. And even though I am totally au contraire anything that could hint towards "no buy" (I really have to, though): I've picked some investment tools instead:

* [almost] Used: Kiko Instant Perfection Primer:
This is one of the products that is not the most perfect or the most hyped about, and I still love it! Perhaps travel melancholia (buying it in sunny Mediterranean) and perhaps it is not too silicony and feels totally fresh and healthy on the skin.
I'll absolutely repurchase when I get to any of the Kiko selling countries.

*Using: Hakuhodo Brushes
I've jumped the beauty-bandwagon on buying the most popular brushes on the block. A modest haul to start with, mostly eyeliner based (the infamous K005 for tightlining), brow (K016) and that fluffy diffusing J5522BKsl

still "gonna use" over here, my Hakuhodo haul

I've based my collection on the extensive reviews of makeupartist Sweetmakeuptemptations (especially this post), Arsaromatica had a perfect post too, ofcourse TheNonBlonde and my regular read of DrivelaboutFrivol.

Ehm, there will be more brushes...[extends that "no buy" even further into the future]

Gonna Use:
Dior Diorskin Nude Tan in 001 Miel/Honey:

Something to fake the tan with...I picked the lightest shade for it's lack of orangy tones, and because I'm quite light-skinned anyway.

KIKO Double Glam eyeliner in 01

In a couple of my  posts in the summer I had been quite enthousiastic about KIKO cosmetics. This Milanese brand has been my personal discovery of this year, as I like the combination of affordable cosmetics with (often) a good quality product.

KIKO released a couple of new products for Autumn 2010 as well. It was already released in August this summer, so I was happy to pick up some items. Mind that this brand is only available in the South of Europe and some places in Germany. Unfortunately, I do not live there (yet) so my access to this brand is limited to the visits I pay and the generosity of some friends who blissfully live there.

One of their newbie things is the Double Glam eyeliner pencils. They released a selection of 6 pencils in various colour and combinations of colours.

the packaging in whimsical purple tones

KIKO double glam eyeliner in 01: ingredients

I picked up colour number 01, as it matches my scarf that you see on the background...

KIKO pencil and D&G sharpener

Just kidding, I picked up 01 as I found the brown side of the pencil to be incredibly unique.

L-R: brown pencil swatch; gold swatch; gold and black blended

It is not your standard deep brown colour. It looks like it has been mingled with a charcoal colour. That makes it perfect on days when a black eyeliner is too much drama for me, but I still want the deepness of a dark pencil to make my features stand out.

The gold is a lovely deeper gold. I find it a bit lighter than the gold eyeliner from Illamasqua 4-colour palette that I showed this week. I probably have 1 other similar colour like this, but I think the texture of both pencils is amazingly creamy. That is also visible in the swatch on the right side, as I was able to blend the charcoal brown with the gold. Result: a brown with golden undertones.

Price-wise, it can almost not be beaten. I paid approximately 6 euros for this pencil.

Overall, the pencil combines the perfect duo of colours I can use as a base (brown) and a eye-popping colour (gold). The colours are quite Autumn suitable, and the dual sided pencil format makes it perfect for bringing some eyemakeup with you without carrying around too much bulk.

Summer to Autumn

Hey, it's September.

Before we take the transition from lovely summer towards mysterious Autumn, I want to show you Miss Mermaid and her Skull bikini as a reminder of Kawaii summer.

She is one of the characters I have on my copy/counterfeit of the Pro Sports bag.

I have an original Pro Sport as well...with such cute characters...

Are all characters supersweet and kawaii? Noo, some are a bit darker, like this gothic couple...

Still, they are sweet and really into each other....awww,he gives her a skull and his cape says adios....

And, the eternal question of a flower who questions love: "Does he love me, or not?"

If picking the leaves from a flower would make it so easy to get an answer...right???

Miss Mermaid Skull boobies (in the beginning) is a part of the Ziki Sports line. Very counterfeit, but dead-cheap for only 1 euro. It is a sports-toilet bag, so I can top up my looks after being sweaty and active...

The Ziki purse has this pirate theme that I like....Pirates have been quite lust-worthy after Pirates of the Caribbean....(swoon)

When all of these bags still look summery to you, they are actually part of the Autumn plan to go excercizing and tote my things around in a happy bag, especially when I have burned so much energy during workouts.

Another thing that I love about Autumn is that I can darken up my hair a bit. Summer is sometimes a bit too bubbly with the perference for lighter (or blonde) hair. I personally am not a blonde, but I have lightened up this summer.

And now Autumn is almost here I would like to try a rinse out glossifyer that has been recommended by the queen of Asian hauls: Kathy from Lotuspalace. (her review over here)

I don't like to be an exact copycat, but the other colours looked too red or dark for me, so I also picked a neutral brunette colour...

Ohhh, experimentation! (in a safe and rinse out way...)

In one of cosmeticcandy's posts she shared her makeup-crushes for the summer. I am always really fickle and non-monogamous with makeup as well as she declares to be, but this summer I have been quite faithful in my crush to KIKO.

my first KIKO purchase...the sun Mousse in Bronze

I also had Autumn on  my mind when buying from KIKO this summer, because the colours I picked in the picture are of those sultry wines and purples....

Well, one of my collegues (Anna from the italianbeautyblog) who is an expert in Italian makeup told me that the brand was quite mediocre before, but this year some products improved, she wrote in a comment to me.

And indeed, not everything is so perfect, because the undereye concealer is quite rubbish...and some other things that are not to mention-worthy. Still, I like their nail-polishes and eyeshadows a lot...And it reminds me of Mediterranean cities....

Soo, one of my new makeup crushes has been the Rouge Volupte  lipstick  from Yves Saint Laurent.

The Rouge Volupte has been glorified over various types of blogs, and although I love the texture, I could not find the right colour.

Untill... for this Autumn 2010 they launched colour no. 20....and ooooooooooohhhh...

It is a bit more mauve than in the picture, which makes it a transition-to-fall colour with that hint of purple that brightens teeth and makes eyes more lucid.

It is incredibly unique, and I have tons of MLBB (my lips but better) colours...

It has that bit of mauvy purple in it, and still wearable for a lipstick shy person who does not want to attract too much attention to her lips.

So, I would like to conclude with this sweet picture of my counterfeit makeup bag...

Mr, pirate squid and his girlfriend in love with diamonds....

PS: Another question for readers who like to answer: what are you planning for Autumn? Or aren't you planning at all and let everything go with the flow?

Diary of the Travelling Eyeshadow: Kiko eyeshadow in 83

 When travelling or playing the tourist I often have a different attitude towards makeup than at home. Still, I do find myself intrigued when passing a makeup store that I have never seen before or ever heard of.

During a citytrip in Barcelona I stumbled upon KIKO, a Milanian makeup brand. Well, finding new goodies can also be the benefit of travelling, so I browsed in their collection and swatched a bit of the colours.

KIKO, according to their site (here), is available in Italy, Spain and Germany. It kind of makes it tempting to have something that is not easy to get in your own country, doesn't it? That made the appeal even bigger for me to buy something.

One of my purchases has been this beautifully lustrous peacock green eyeshadow for about 5 euro. Which, so lovely, KIKO has affordable prices all over the store.

They have an attractive slogan: "Be what you want", which somewhat is a Italenglish of "be what you want to be" (but don't quote me on it, I am not a native Engish speaker either, so it might be perfectly correct Standard English).

It somewhat reminds me of that wonderfully tacky 90's hit I used to dance on of Kristine W. (WHO? well, play the video and you'll probably know or you are just quite too young to remember, which is ok as well.)



Well, the theme is somewhat similar at Illamasqua, as they have "makeup for your alter ego". I believe KIKO is not so much about alter egos (only if you like to), but more about the choice to be the you that you-yourself wants to be... (yeh yeh, it can also be that marketing thing, but hey, let me philosophize about KIKO's deeper meaning).

The colour is really vibrant in the pan.

That brings me to the quantity: you receive a whopping 3 gr of eyeshadow. To compare, dear old MAC only gives you 1.3 gr.

I really like the velvety look of the eyeshadow.

It is pigmented enough to apply without eyeshadow base (I did not use a base in the swatch). So, with a base you can probably get even better results.

Overall, it is a cute little purchase, good quality and a colour that I enjoy, with added memories of the beautiful city I bought it from.

Too bad (or good?) that it is so difficult to get...