Pencil-Perfect with Marc Jacobs Sky-liner

It's a bit early for Xmas giftsets.

 Then again, it isn't that early yet. So I have been so nice to do some research into makeupsets and get the Marc Jacobs Sky-liner set; purely for the aforementioned altruistic purpose, ofcourse.

Like last time with the Dreamer palette, I had a back-to-school feeling when opening the box:

 It would be a sandwich-box for one-slice-only people, but as far as I understood bread is sooo non-fashionable?

This lunchbox is more of a feast for the eyes:

It contains 7 pencils in mini sizes: five are from their permanent line and the hottest two are limited editions to this set. Ohhh...

And with names:

Time for swatches; at 1st sight:

Closer:

•  [O]vert is that dark-khaki colour that looks either dark-brown or -grey from a distance. Up close it looks like a moody green that will make hazel eyes appear more green. Also, a soft colour for natural redheads & blondes. It has less sparkle than the others but is still lustruous
• Brown[out] is a vivid & sparkly darker brown with a mix of warm & neutral tones. 

 

• Sunset [LE] is a brick orangy colour that will make blue or green eyes appear either brighter or perhaps a bit rabbity (depends on your natural lightness & whether you tightline). It will bring out a soft glow in brown to darker eyes. It has a metallic formula
•  Midnight in Paris [LE] is a navy colour with a lightblue sparkly overlay.

 

• [Th]ink is a deep blue-based purple with a soft metallic glow (slightly pink-purple). Absolutely gorgeous!
• [Plum]age is a purple with a red base with a fleck-like pink metallic overlay.

As for Blaquer: it's just as matte & velvety as the 1st photo so I will not show different angles of it.

I really love the quality of the pencils, but this is a personal preference. It's a softer formula which makes it easier to blend and apply to more mature eyelids. It stays on me for about 8 hours before I get some wear. It does not flake or merges on my cheeks.

Also, the easy twist-up shape is wonderful for people who don't like to sharpen like every day:

Hence, travel-friendly.

Generally, I really adore my new pencils and I have some brilliant new colours I did not have in my collection. They remind me of Pixi Endless Silky Eyepencils, in both quality as colours. The sizes are quite big for mini-sizes, but small enough to tote around. The glossy overlay over the pencil protects it from denting, hence I have a feel they will stay pretty for longer. It will make a perfect gift for any girl or even an edgy boy-mate: IMO, even the most makeup-shy women seem to wear a bit of pencil every now and then.

CONCLUSION: The sky is not the limit with these adorably beautiful and functional eyeliners.

Available at Sephora for $45.00

Cozy Candle Collection: Rituals Sacred Fire

Last Christmas I have been indulging in a certain type of candle-snobbery or  a chandler-philia. This year I try to tone it down by venturing into a cheaper brand of candle: Rituals.

Also, based on aesthetics (such a pretty candle) and the fact it is limited edition.

Smelling it unburned in the store gave it a warm & wintery feeling. 

Ofcourse, those are not the descriptive words on the box:

Earthy & Musky- Indeed

Patchouli - ohh, so warm

Cedar - like a warm fireplace in a frozen landscape

Immortality - huh? I guess I'm with Troy the movie quoting that the God's are envy people as any moment can be our last (source)

Opening the package is really a luxury experience: Rituals really is up to the more snobby niche candle site:

And the slogan is completely Chrismassy:

 

And true!

Right now I am enjoying the candle when I want to feel warm and somewhat like gluhwein.

 I am still slightly a candle-snob and I do think the likes of Cire Trudon & Jovoy make a more sophisticated blend of perfume. Then again, this beauty costs me € 17 and for Cire I have to pay at least €60. Therefore, I love this in rooms like the kitchen that do not need haute parfume but still can have that bit of extra delicious fragance.

As for people who want to read more about the candle niche: Vogue UK December has a small article on page 370. 

 Which makes me curious about Timothy Dunn now.

Pupa Princess Palette for eyes

*looks like teen-spirit?*

I'm slightly nostalgic for finally being drawn into a spontanious purchase of a palette based on the mere premise of pretty colours. It doesn't happen a lot these days as I meticulously investigate the whole beauty-blogosphere before I plunge in.

This created a mature and well-defined collection of Burberry eyeshadows, Rouge Bunny Rouge and the creme-de-la-creme of Le Metier de Beaute Kaleidoscopes.

 And then this cutie came along with the right set of colours and princessy atmosphere.

(also, I still like Pupa...a fab Italian brand)

Pupa Princess Palette: no flash, natural light, no sun

 No further investigation...the swatches on my arm looked really good and pigmented and for a mere €17.50 I bought in on the spot.

Pupa Princess: flash

I'll keep the suspense going on if it really was such a good decision...not in a Hitchockian way but still..

What remarked me is that Pupa's 'face' is a girl that reminds me of fashionblogger Chiara (theBlondeSalad):

 

Though, now Chiara isn't that blonde anymore, but probably still salady

Anyway, the Chiara-fication is quite prominent in Italy as she is one of their main export-products in fashion. Although Marni, Miu Miu and Prada will have a good stand in this field as well.

That brings me to the palet again...Instructions are quite clear in the brochure:

And the 1 to 8 format in their eyeshadows. (9 is an eyeliner)

Sparkly & flash closeup from 1-5 (will make better photos soon):

And 6 to eyeliner:

Swatches over RBR Time Defying Foundation in Wheatgrass:

The pigmentation of the colours are a bit of a mixed bag. I probably swatched the best ones before my impulse purchase. However, it still makes my purchase a good value.

1. One of those imo useless white (tinge of rose) shades that's oftenly in the Adult-industry sector or on girls who are a bit clueless/beginning with makeup. Ok, slightly exaggerated, but not the most convincing of highlighter eyeshadows. It is quite pigmented but I do not like the frosty/chalky quality of this.

2. A more buttery variant of 1...still a bit too chalky for my liking but it merges to a more skin-appropriate colour

3. Now we're getting to better shades (no greys intended)! A softly flecked golden peach that makes that delightful pop on the middle of the moving eyelid.

4. YES to PEACH! A slightly pinked peach that got me into this palette. The texture is buttery and it has the right satiny luminescence.

5. PEEEENK! Talking about fashionbloggers (and yes, I read them) that it will match those heap of pink coats they have been buying lately. Guilty, I  have one too but bought it before the hype. As for the texture, satiny bordering to matte.

6. "I thought it was Taupe" but it translate as a brownish Charcoal on my skin. Mmm, odd. It lacked a bit of pigmentation, however, it glides evenly over the skin so the texture is quite good.

7. Darn, look at how pretty it looks in the pan: pure mauve delight! And then it has this uneven application (3 swipes on that little spot).

8. Mmm, Chrismassy hue! A purple with multicoloured flecks with a reddish base...An even application and the flecks are not glitters but shimmery goodness.

9. Wow, an eyeliner in a palette that is actually good! This eyeliner stayed put after I washed the eyeshadows away. I love the matte-black colour, it swipes perfectly in one swipe without feathering and that is even in the 'crooky' part of my arm.

Conclusion: 

Not too bad for an impulse buy. It does need a good primer and not all eyeshadows have a good quality about them, but some are surprisingly nice. The plastic case is a bit cheap but for the price it's a nice addition for someone beginning in makeup or people who will always need more nuances in their eyeshadows.

Cozy Candles

I would like to feature a small section of scented candles today. Actually, I always say I keep it small and I see my post featuring a lot. So I'm gonna do that once more. ;-)

Scent is one of the more underrated, but more poignant elements of attractiveness. We think that people select each other primarily based on looks, but the idea is that we can detect a 'mate' within 20 seconds of smelling this.

People who are actively are internetdating probably know this: he looks so good online and he's perfect on paper. And then offline you notice that the person is as perfect as appeared to be, but still...That's probably his chemistry (or personal scent) is not matched to yours.

So homely scents, what does this have to do with the dating spectrum? Ok, I disgressed on that topic but scents have different properties that can either help you to

1. calm
2. entice
3. makes you remember a wonderful memory
4. mmm, creme brulee
5. flower-power!
6. "is Marvin Gray on the playlist?" setting
7. let you buy more more more (shops)
8. etc etc

Let's recap some:

1. Cire Trudon Mademoiselle

a regal candle

I struck upon the easier availability of the candle when writing my earlier article being curious about it. I described Mademoiselle de la Valliere as a happy scent, but scent-preference is remarkly personal with one exception to vanilla, as it reminds people to mother's milk and that is one of the most comforting elements in a person's life (and one of the first). I personally love a happy composition of flowers and before I went sniffing the candle I suspected to like this candle based on the notes:
Top note : bergamot, orange blossom, galbanum / middle : tuberose, jasmin, ylang / base : musk, rockrose, benzoin resin

The freshness of orange blossom and bergamot and the sexy heart of tuberose, jasmin and Ylang Ylang are seperately already favourites, so in a blend they could sparkle. I say COULD as with perfume you never know how they will warm up to you, or when one scent-element is there that is totally not your thing the whole composition could be "meh".

I love this one. It is not as sexy as I suspected as the musk is quite withdrawn. Perhaps the fresher topnotes of bergamot and orange blossom tone it sultriness a bit. However, it has a sensual element only in a fresher and floral way. When not burning, you can smell it too on a distant of 5 meters. When burning, the scent dissapears to my nose after 15 minutes, but when I change rooms and return it's flower sensuality blossoms again. One thing I have to add is that it's a slightly chemical composition, the bouquet of flowers. I will return upon this when I'll discuss Neom.

Compared to Diptique it is of a similar pricerange with more creative and exhilarating blends that I love to sample more in the next year.

2. Diptyque Ambre Oud Xmas 12 edition

The famous one

Diptique is one of those cult-candles that are easier to find these days. Still not too easy and absolutely not inexpensive either for € 59.90 for the larger candle. I gotten the mini version because I have various candles as the time being.

I found this a sexier candle when you like that muskier and broodier atmosphere. Personally, I am not a Oud fan but in combination of amber it makes it more sensual. I consider amber the headnote and I can somewhat detect some of the spices, most of all the saffran and ginger and some pepper, but my untrained nose cannot really detect the canelle or absint.

The glass absolutely matches the Xmas spirit but is still cute and quite art-deco enough to keep after Christmas. The fragance itself is not in your face Xmassy and that's what I like about it. You can link it to Xmas but it's not those pine & spruce trees candles. However, if you like those Diptyque will have the Sapin Dore for you.

3. Cochine Saigon Frangipani & Neroli

Scent-travelling Allure

I ordered two of their candles, and found this one containing the best fragance value. The glass consist of a beautiful mirroing silver with the tag of the brand on it, in paper. My candle is slightly stained after burning and I smudged its label a bit. That's the bit of the downside of labelling your candles with a paper tag.

Described as a scent evoking the image of "soft white sands, brushed with the shade of Frangipani trees swaying gently in the warm ocean breeze. Smooth, honeyed tones of Frangipani are combined with the delicate freshness of Neroli to create an uplifting summery fragrance".

The fragance has a summery or more of a tropical note, but I often reach for summer perfumes during winter as well for getting a whiff of the feeling of when-it-still-was-warm-and-sunny. Personally, the sensuality of the Frangipani makes it a tropical floral composition that has a certain warmness of 'dewiness' that makes it excellent during wintertime too.

Also matched by lotions and handwash, so you can prolong the experience of your favourite scent in different ways.
Zuneta is having a gwp of a free Vanille & Tabac travel candle when you buy £45 or more


4. Rituals Sweet Sunrise

Dutch Delight

I am quite proud this Dutch brand made it so big in other countries. Their products are really wonderful and the design of the packaging is also attractive.

Similar to Cochine Saigon, they have 5 different scent categories and scentual experiences that has been divided throughout their products. So, if you really like the Sweet Sunshine shower gel you might pair it up with a scented candle in the same range.

Rituals Sweet Sunshine Candle in matching orange colours

I picked Sweet Sunrise as I love Sweet Orange as a energiser, indeed, during sweet sunrises. I cannot really detect the cedar in it, but it has a slight spicy undertone. Overal, it's a zesty candle with that sweeter citrusy note that Sweet Orange evokes.

It's less complicated as a scent than Cire Trudon, Diptyque or Cochine Saigon but sometimes a couple of simple ingredients do the job, especially for perking up

Their price is affordable for only 14.94 for a candle (and this one was 10 on sale).

5. Neom Refresh

The Organic and Hollistic Scentifier

It's my lovingly used-up candle and it shows. I absolutely was crazy about Neom this summer (see one review here) and I tried a variety of their candles. My favourite has been Happy, but Refresh is a gorgeous morning candle that perks up the room without too much complicated ingredients in an honestly organic mode.

I said that my only drawback about Cire Trudon was the slightly chemical note towards this. Probably my nose has been spoiled or used to these organic and holistic candles. If you feel unsure about the sort of air a candle would be releasing toxins by burning, you can be more certain about burning Neom, The use vegetable wax and pure essential oils rather than synthetic fragrances so they burn without releasing harmful pollutants, toxins or soot. They claim to have holistic properties, which is not a field I specify in, but I feel happy about burning something that does not pollute the air.

If you want to try these out, I have a discount code of 20% off when you buy directly from their site: BS20.

Chrismas Presents 'research' (read: new lovelies)

After this semi-preachy talk about appreciating the well-functioning products in your beauty-robe, I bought  some new products.

My excuse besides being a beauty-a-holic was "research for Christmas Shopping for my friends and family" ;P. (write that one down)

1. Burberry Eyeshadow Palette in 06 Plum Pink

I was already itching to buy the single eyeshadow in Dark Sable that was released this fall, untill I saw the incredibly accurate swatches over here, here and here. I was convinced that I needed a full-on palette this time.

Totally buttery silky, like you can expect from Burberry Beauty. I have been playing with them this weekend and totally love them.

I will not review them as it has been done so perfectly at the earlier mentioned blogs, just to say I love the harmony of the colours combined and it's one of those better pink/purples/mauve blends that actually does not look like I've been crying or having a night-of-partying.

2. Cire Trudon candle in Mademoiselle de la Valliere

Yay, I was so happy to found a Dutch adress that basically sells all of the candles that I bought the one I was most attracted to at the time being. It smells really happy and actually quite like spring with all it's flowers (more precise ingredients here)

Mlle de La Valliere burning beautifully

For this one I will do a review soon. I probably combine a post with more candles so to get a clearer idea of having a beautiful fragance in your home or as a present for your loved ones.

3. Sampling Argentum Apothecary La Lotion Infinie cream

I've read about them in some Glossy magazines, one of them the latest ElleUK December edition. Their website gives you the opportunity for a free sample, and the ones not living in the UK only have to pay for shipping (about $3).

I liked the sample, but I have to say that I disagree with the claim that it's really suitable for sensitive skins: It has a high fragance level, being quite masculine or like those 1990s unisex Calvin Klein One's. However, I loved it's effect: I only tried the sample but it has a fluffy and matte consistency which really makes the skin looks better after a couple of days.

I will sample another sachet during spring to how my skin likes it when it's not too sensitive, because the full jar will set you back a whopping £147.00 and that's quite the cash.

Sample them here.

4. Inner Me Beautify Me

Inner beauty...or the supplements are often the things that make my skin go calmer when flaring up.

 

Ingredients such as MSM, Silica, Marine Collagens and Vitamin C are perfect to calm and perk up skins. I was especially thrilled about their MSM as I used it before and it helped calming my pre-winter sensitive skin. Their box is so cute and they have this days-of-the-week system that can help you reminding to take them regularly. 

Only downside is that they're not so cheap for a supply of 28 pills for only 2 weeks for 18 euro. I think I will buy separate MSM supplements with a higher degree of MSM for the next time, but with the Omega 3 and the Collagen Supplement I feel it has been helping my skin.

Find them here on the original site.