December '13 Empties

I first want to make a special mention to my Lavshuca Moist Melting Rouge PK 6 that I totally lip-pencilled out!

I once compared this sweetie with Chanel Flirt (see here): I still have Flirt but I used this one totally. It might be that I am too careful with an expensive lipstick but I just luuuurve Lashuca's formulas and thin-to-bring-on-the-road size.

The other empties: the Hair-department:

The yellow Le Petite Marseillais hair conditioner with honey has actually been bought in Marseille (South of France)! It is one of their easy-to-find beauty line [think supermarkets] that smells wonderful and performs really well, also on my older (reaaaally damaged) hair. I'd sure repurchase if I empty some other conditioners, and get my way to France, ofcourse.

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Another hair conditioner that totally matches up with my newer hair has been Yarok Feed Your Volume travel size. It smells like fresh lemons & herbs, and it does give tons of body. It's really nice when your hair doesn't have that much damage (think top half & shorter 'dos). Even better, it is a bliss for people who have scalp-sensitivities and skin sensitivities as it is so natural and un-irritating. Cons: expensive.

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 Lush Marilyn is a hairmask for blonder or highlighted hair, but also wonderful for brunettes/redheads who like a fresh, lemony scent and a thinner mask that still moisturizes enough. Most Lush products have gone quite expensive over the years; this one is still quite close to its original price.

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 Swell Advanced Root Nutrient Complex (spray in front) needs a more detailed review than just me saying: 'love it'. It's a spray that reminds me of Phylia de M Connect & Yarok hairmousse in one. My hair is quite thick again after the treatments in 2013, but I like that Texas hair glamour these days so volume you go in an organic/natural way.

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I bought my Kerastase Elixir Moringa Immortelle during summer 2012 and I just finished it. It needs little product and smoothes out with a fresh scent. I like the Elixirs but right now I'm on another hairoil/serum. I will come back to that one soon.

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The Shu Uemura Muruto Volume Mask was discounted, and with another discount it was still expensive...hehe, but I was curious...I like it, but it smells quite chemical if you get more used to Yarok and other organic/natural products. Also, I believe the new natural/organic generation delivers just as well, or even better in terms of volume. Must be the herbs...

So let's talk organic/natural:

The black bottle on the left has been my Living Nature Tinted Moisturizer in Daylight. I'm really impressed by their tinted moisturizers, on par with the likes of Rouge Bunny Rouge & Omorovicza. I do think the difference between medium (Daylight) & Dawn Light (light) is a bit too much so I've been mixed both depending on my level [or absense] of selftan. It has macademia oil as its 3rd Lingredient and is 100% natural.

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The white bottle in front is another S5 Serum sample in Renew. I like it but not as much as Nourish Relax serum.

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The sack is inner beauty, or one of my superfood additives [addictives] in the antioxidant-forming Acai Powder. I already repurchased this as it tastes berry-ish and I feel healthier on it.

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The empty candle has been my Neom Refresh with sicilian lemon: really zesty during sluggish mornings.

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I've discussed Tisserant Luxury Bath oil over here and will repurchase. 

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Last, and certainly not least, Manuka Honey 18+. It is not just inner beauty: I use it as a cleansing method (read over here how to), an additives to powder masks, and...duh, inner beauty. Oh, and you can double it up as the main ingredient of a hair lightening mixture that works without damage: more about that here and here.

Hold on for the last line-up of empties

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  Essence Nude Glam's are fantastic nude nailpolishes for their price. Repurchase for sure.
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I haven't used up the Merumaya Intensely Youthful Eyecream. I didn't like the Ayurvedic-based fragance which lingers on quite long. My sensitive skin wasn't too fond of the formula either.
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Talking about eyes, I really liked BeautyDIY Green Tea brightening Eye Roll On. Unfortunately it is not being sold on Sasa.com anymore. Also, Sasa has been quite inconsistent delivering to my adress so I will have to forget about that online shop.
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Kracie Naive has been a lovely oil-cleanser for some time. However, I will venture upon the organic market for a more unchemical oil cleanser.
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The Clarisonic brush: Well, you gotta replace them after 3 months and I often want to do it earlier, but they are expensive so 3 months it is.
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I also didn't finish Max Factor False Lash Effect:  it gotten various raves but I found the formula dry and clumpy, and the brush too big for precise focus. Mascaras are often a personal preference so I'm glad it is not the most expensive type that I will throw away.
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My Suqqu Eyebrow pen dried out a bit too fast: according to another blogger that is not normal from Suqqu. I gotten it from a non-official Suqqu seller so that might be it.

Those were quite some empties for December: I 'compensated' by buying too much new stuff, ofcourse. And you will see that on the blog again...

Before Resolution 'Spend Less'...

I have found some really interesting sales going on:

Selfridges has the cutest Takashi Murakami Collection palette from £60.00 -> £40.00 in both colours. I have found some swaches here & here.

The SA in Holland said that Laura Mercier's baked eyeshadows "Les Petits Bonbons' were a limited edition and really hard to get. Well, it's on sale now over here in the most gorgeous wooden box. 
While you're saleshopping, do not forget Selfridges non-sale-but-really-useful Suqqu range & the hyped Charlotte Tilbury too.

Harrods has a good deal on the pricy Chantecaille range and especially their palettes are tempting: The Bengali Tiger & the Shadow & the Rose palette are half price now. Karla's famous arm shows Bengali over here

Beautybay is having a fair discount on the Le Metier de Beaute range and I already caved and own the gorgeous Carnaby Street Kaleidoscope. Cultblogger Sabrina from TheBeautyLookbook has them swatched here.  BTW, isn't it strange that the so-called 'exclusive' Bloomingdales/Neiman Marcus palettes are often to be found somewhere else? Not that I'm complaining.
Another cult-LMDB is their dewy lip & cheek Fresh Tints.
 Beautybay also has Rouge Bunny Rouge on sale & Edward Bess, but mostly for about 10% discount

Liberty is having the spring-zesty/summery Jovoy Mojito candle on sale with a gorgeous glass bell jar: what a way to tone down your Holiday's alcohol habit and rejoice for summery times & mojitos. If you prefer your room to smell like cake (think Marie Antoinette), they have this candle without the jar.

Also, this Kenzo cosmetic purse is now discounted from £90.00 to £27.00 so you can be fierce about carrying your makeup around.

Newbies

Goodie, I haven't planned any no-buy so I am glad I could stock up on some beauty items

1. Fairydrops Mascara in Long & Curl Always a good excuse to buy mascara as you have to replace them oftenly in order to keep the lashes fresh

2. L'oréal Professional hairmasks: Left is the Nature Re-Naitre and the turquoise one is their latest Pro-Keratin refill.

I will keep you updated how it works. I hope I don't chat too much about hairstuff but it's my thing at the time being ;-)

3. SpaceNK Sale haul:
WOWEEEEE,  the first surpise it that they deliver to Europe again and the sale was superduper excellent. I bought a Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited in PK 375 based on Driveller's Kate swatches (here). And a Laura Mercier mini Palette from the Christmas 2012 range in Smokey Taupes.

Indian Summer Pinks

Sorry for the lack of updates. The state of Limbo between late summer and pre-fall has left me somewhat uninspired on the beauty front. Skincare-wise I noticed my skin is getting lazier, so I had the clarity of mind to use absolutely nothing for nightcare for a couple of days, and tadaah, when I used my potions again it did a better job: (some) result.

I'm just going to review the pinks (corals) from the Summer-Faves list in more detail.

Introducting in clockwise rotation:

• NARS Deep Throat:
• Bobbi Brown Pale Pink: as said, not really pale at all.
• Shu Uemura Pulse: a limited edition from, I think 2009 (?). Get it returned, Shu!

On superficial inspection you can see Shu Pulse and NARS DT are quite similar. Namewise both  should leave pulses racing, sorry for the lame joke. Both having a powder finish, some golden flecks but really tiny and both between coral pink & pinky coral.

On closer inspection I find Shu Uemura's Pulse to be slightly darker and less poppy: more muted. It has a hint more coral in it, thus the pinky-factor is less obvious.
That's a good thing for me because I give away/swap most pinky blushes for being too pretent-young on my face. I don't like the only-bronze  look either because that can actually age, but too much pink is too dolly for me.

Conclusion: I reach for Shu Uemura Pulse more often, but I like NARS DT on nights out for a more obvious flush.

Bobbi Brown Pale Pink looks like the odd one out being so much more pinkier compared to those two, but it leans towards a cooler rosier hue. I just have to compare it with other swatches soon. I prefer creams on days I have little going on makeupwise. It's an easy all-tasker too for creating a monomatic lip/cheek combination that makes the face look balanced but not too made up.

I will be reaching for my muted rosy tones soon: a review of the Kose Addiction Rose Bar is coming up.

Weekly Photo Challenge Yumeko: the Summer favourites

I will join one of Yumeko's photo-challenges for the first time and tell about some specific summer-favourites of mine. Read about the original challenge on Yumeko's blog here:

1. First Base:- Base Makeup

1. Green People Sun Lotion SPF25 Medium (Edelweiss Extract) This 82% organic, *just* SPF 25 is blocking the sunrays quite well and it's whitening Edelweis Extract actually does something more. 2. Kiss Me Sunkiller Whitening Water SPF 50+. If I really want protection and keep my face light/N20-ish; I reach for Japanese sunblocks, period! 3. NARS Tinted foundation in St. Moritz (review). I almost HG-ed my new Koh Ren Doh 123 but this is a darker tint which makes up for the fact my sunblocks worked too well keeping me paler. 4. Kanebo Freshel BB MoistLife (review). City-protection! The easy route being quite protected & covered and having anti-ageing/other benefits. 5. Lotree Rosa Davurica Powder Pact 25 (review) My fave summer-powder on the road. 6. Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch. Cover enough & handy enough for diminishing post seasalt-water redness.

2. Second Base -Point Makeup
2.a. The Cheeky chatters...

1. Shu Uemura Pulse. In summer I often reach for a colour that DrivellerKate would call a "platonic colour" because it's so innocent.  Corals are perfect for creating that "standard sweet-girl look" that I make extra generic with a (faux) tan and faux-or-real smile. And my darling platonic blush. ofcourse.
2. NARS with that name that shouldn't be mentioned... I told my friend I wouldn't pay for anything called that so I got it by trading for another blush. For it's unromantic/technical connotations with either the film or activity it's a beautiful platonic pinky-peach done right like NARS can. 
3. Bobbi Brown Pale Pink: I have no idea what's so pale about this pink because it's medium toned pink but I like it's cooler hue a lot.
4. Giorgio Armani bronzer in 01: There is absolutely no orangy colour in it which makes it better for neutral to cooler skintones: it applies sheer and suits lighter complexions.
5. DeliPlus Color Colerete Multicolor:These are quite cheap & handy from the Spanish supermarkets and I picked it up during my travels.

2B-Let the eyes & lips have it!

1& 2. Teals, aquas & turquoises....bring them on...let my eyes reflect all tropical oceans. (Lunasol reviewed).3. The unbulgable Mascaras! (review) Kiss Me Heroine Make Curl Impact & Frame is the Superqueen of staying put... The Dejavu Tiny Sniper gives that cute Twiggy underlash look for sultry-hot nights. 4. Kiko! Lots of their waterproof eyecrayons. 5 Gold! Eyes need Paul & Joe eyegloss in 01 and for lips I have a French Lipgloss from Gloss Frisson that adds warmth. 6. My slightly battered case of Guerlain Rouge Automatique in Chamade 164. 

Base 3: Sunshielding Accessories:

Hats, Topshop sunglasses & scarfs...All there!

Base 4: the un-pong-ers

Perfume-wise, I have been loving the Annick Goutale Nimfeo Mio for a couple of summers and this year's new love is L'Été En Douce.

5. Base 5: The Rest:

 1.Xen Tan Self Tan Extra Dark. My fave self tan for face is the Collistar one, but for the body I use this. 2. Shower stuff...I live on mini's and showers with warmer weather. 3. Getting Footsy: Foot-healing balms such as Alexandro Pedix is for making up to my feet when I'd put them in unsuitable shoes. The Chanel Mimosa '11 is for a fun summer pedi. 4. Organic post-beach care: Wearing a high-duty Japanese sunscreen needs a good cleansing balm to get everything off, otherwise it's pimple time: Suti is quite good at it. Pukka's firming Face oil  is so lovely for treating post-beach skin.5. Rohto eyedrops:  Rohto is quite good in taking some seasalt-water redness out. Also nice when flying a lot.

Also a special mention to all my hairstuff I reviewed over here...

I would be fantastic if everyone tries to join this challenge and tell us what your summer-musthaves are! RougeDeluxe has joined as well. So comment on Yumeko's Bittenbefore blog over here and get writing, photographing and publishing!

Review: Shu Uemura Full Shimmer Illuminating Conditioner

This is one of these products I bought for

1. my HG quest for intensively glossy hair
2. the hype
3. the fact I adore Shu Uemura's job on makeup products
4. the "recommended by terribly succesful models" (That is Karlie Kloss in this case, see here)

Probably reasons enough to try this one, weren't it that:

1. really expensive
2. I hadn't had really fantastic results with Shu Uemura Art for Hair in the past

I took the 'stock-market'-mantra of "results made in the past do not guarantee similar results in the future" and bought a bottle after feelunique had a discount going on.

But talking about promises: What kind of promise does Shu Uemura make about the "future of my hair"?

1. For colour-treated hair

2. Illuminates

3. Essential contitioning to hair fiber

4. Musk rose oil

5. Optimal shine & glazed touch

Ingredients:

A mix of the chemicals (mind the Parabens) & naturals. The Rosa Canina Fruit oil is probably the Musk Rose oil that has been promoted.

I talked about the cons that it is rather expensive. For that price you get a beautiful red bottle with a sophisticated dispenser: (so you do not spill too much of your pricy conditioner):

The conditioner: 

It's a thin condioner in a muddy peach/rosy colour. It smells divine, indeed, of a expensive rose perfume laced with musk.

How did it live up to it's promises?
l: my hair is actually not that colour treated, so I cannot really talk about the effects of that
2: Illuminates: yes, but not excessively more than conditioners such as John Frieda Smooth conditioner or Kose Salon
3: I don't feel it penetrates the hair fibre: not many hairmasks do, only the ones that have a good dose of Keratin or the ones with a high percentage of (natural) oils such as Argan Oil, Camilla Oil, Kukui Nut oil or even Almond Oil
4 : That element was already visible in the ingredients list and it really smells divine as an expensive rose perfume laced with musk. This scent doesn't really linger for a long time, unfortunately. Perhaps 2 hours after washing the hair.
5: I already discussed that in point 2. A good shine but not optimal or a lot better than other good & cheaper conditioners.

Conclusion:

It's a beautiful conditioner that is on the thinner side. It does not smooth down the more-damaged ends of my hair that much, but has a glossy effect on the hair. It smells divine, but only for two hours tops after showering. It heightens the niche/luxury factor but it does not really outperform cheaper conditoners on the market.

Where to find?:

Find a hairdresser who works/sells this product on the ShuUemura Website, or you can buy it online at lookfantastic.com  and feelunique.com. Promotional offers help to take of a bit of the high pricetag.

The Beauty-Closet Find & Something Necklacy

Have you ever bought something from a Limited Edition but haven't found the courage to touch it? So you stashed it deeply into your beauty closet?

Well, I have, and it really feels like shopping in your own stash when you find a gem...

Let me introduce my Shu Uemura by Mika palette. This one even has more special memories because I bought it in the winter 2008 in Paris in Le Printemps ♥

The colours, oh la la, I really like them all and I can say that the quality is still quite good, even after being stored for almost four years. He he, perhaps we can call this the beauty-deadstock vintage find (deadstock is vintage that has never been used in clothing terms).

Colour No. 3 is actually another illusive peach I am craving at the moment...

And yes, I finally used some of the colours...finally!

I also bought a necklace from the sweetest seller who especially listed it for international shipping after I asked it

 

This is the sweetest thank-you note! 

I actually wanted the necklace because of the tribal form, ánd because one of the stones is made from Labradorite. (It's from ArtifactsEtCetera).

Now I feel a leeeeettttle bit spoiled....

Something Shu about Catrice

In one of my  last drugstore visits I noticed something slightly familiar in the makeup department.

Yeh, I love my more-difficult-to-get cosmetics that I have to order from outside Holland a lot, especially the refined technologies in Japanese (and Korean, and Taiwanese) cosmetics, but I do like some brands that are available over here as well. Especially when they are quite good.

To continue, I noticed that makeup brand Catrice had something quite Shu Uemura about their new packaging:

Ok, the Catrice is a tad bigger than the Shu Uemura, but the design is quite copycat!

And the quality is quite good: Shu ME Brown 885 on the left and Catrice Swimming with Dolphins (Loooove their names):

I haven't swatched the far right one with the gorgeous decoration. It is from their Wonderland Collection and is called C01 Fairy Dust, because I might add this one in a near future giveaway (Watch this space). But this Dutch blogger made a fab swatch of it, so check it out! (here)

So, imitation is the highest form of flattery? Well, if the quality is really good and the price is right, for me, yeh, sometimes...:D

Shu Uemura Camillia Silk Oil smoothing Fluid & Kose Salon Style Precious Head Serum

Hair is big business...it has always been that way and it is still these days. Trends come and go, but as hair seems to be the indicator of health (fertility & attractiveness) and the one thing that does not go out of style is shiny and healthy hair.

I have shiny hair, but I have this craving for ridiculously, shiny hair that it would blind anyone that looks upon it. That, so shiny it looks fake. That kind of hair.

So I buy stuff, more hair stuff for me to attain that goal.

So, I have bought a relatively cheap one (Kose Salon Style Precious Head) and a ridiculously expensive one (Shu Uemura Camilla oil silk fluid) to put into the test.

With Kose Cosmeport Salon Style I have been having a good experience with their hair mask in the past. So, during one of my sasa.com shopping in order to reach that $100 mark for free shipping, I added this in order to see if it could bring that ridiculous shine to my hair.

I was lured into the Shu Uemura because of the raves online and in the magazines. Also, I love Shu's cosmetic line. I have been trying their Tasai Cream in the past, and I did not liked it (I gave it away during my giveaway last spring). Well, I am not one to give up if one items of their line does not work, so I bought this serum that just HAD to work because I paid approximately $30 for it.

I really like the cleanness of Shu's packaging.

Shu Uemura Style Camillia Silk Oil Smoothing Fluid

Mmm, I will keep it short...It does not deliver. Yes, I do get some shine, but it does not make any noticable difference compared to not wearing it at all.

My second goal, untangling my hair (something a serum should at least be capable of) is not reached either. Yes, it untangles a tiny bit, but does not have that quality that some other untangling serums have.

Overal, I would not buy it again.

Kose Cosmeport Salon Style Precious Head extra smooth serum

 So, there is my second product for that...possibly impossible goal of mine. Kose Cosmeport Salon Style Precious Head extra smooth serum. I like the fact of having a precious head, at least, I consider my head to be precious for its thinking qualities, LOL.

It has that similar soapy smell as the hair mask, and according to sasa.com it has spa water and botanical extracts inside. Interesting.

Another short review: it does not give me that ridiculous shine either.
However, as a detangler it seems to be working a bit better.

I  also like the fact that it takes less cash to purchase this: $8.80 at sasa.com for 110 ml.

Still, I do not think either products help in order to get that fantastic shine I see on some people (either with virgin or coloured hair).


Conclusion, I do not think these two make much of a difference on the natural state of my hair nor bring out extra gloss, so I could just skip them. The detangler effect of the Kose is lovely, but can be replaced by any other smoothing cream or a good conditioner.

Early Spring-Birdy giveaway

Although spring has not sprung in its full form, I think it is time to give a spring-y giveaway.

I will be giving away a couple of new and untouched products, and two of them have been tested twice, but are still in fantastic condition. My prices are from a variety of brands and range from hairstyling to facial care to eyeshadow.

So, what can you win when you are lucky?


1. Shu Uemura Tasai Cream:
I was not sure if I should list a product I gave a negative review for (post over here). I still do, as, also mentioned in my review, I think this product can still be HG material and the 'best-thing-ever' for other people's hair and hairstyle. And honestly, I am one of the few who gave it heads down, so it might be a true gem for the happy winner. Also, I find it too expensive to toss it away like that ($30), so that will be up for the happy winner.

2. MAC mineralize eyeshadow in Two To Glow
(from their Electro Flash collection, swatches here)
Brand new and never used. I am sure I would only use it once or twice, because the colours are not really me. However, the colours are absolutely stunning on brown eyes to lighter eyes.

3. VOV Daily Fresh Volcanic Ash mask.
Bloggers and readers of beauty blogs that post lots about Asian (Korean) products probably know the hype. This is a fabulous version of the VOV Daily Fresh collection, and I am only listing one of these (because I am too greedy to give away more ;D)

4. Pop Nailpolish in Manderin
Brand New. This colour is too bright for me, period. I think it will rock on a person who likes the bold look.

5. Mandom Beauty Sheet Mask: Barrier Repair Mask
The VOV mask is for cleansing the skin, and this sheet can be applied afterwards for moisture and repair.

6. Lakme Eyeshadow in Moondust.
I know, I had been raving about this quad over here. I still want to give it away, as I absolutely do not reach for this quad. (Used twice)

7. Lavshuca Dual Eyes in GN-1
Absolutely brand new. Really gorgeous.

The rules:

I will be keeping the same old rules as I did in my last giveaway, only to keep things simple. You are welcome to join even when you are not following my blog, just leave your email in the post OR contact me when I have listed you as a winner.

1. Make a comment or say something small. I should be able to contact you, or you should read closely to see if you are the winner after the drawing, so you can contact me. I do not want followers just for the giveaway, so you can join even if you do not follow my blog. I just want to contact the right winner when the winner has been drawn.

2. Contest ends on Tuesday, 16 March 2010, 3 PM European standard time, GMT +1)

3. You are only able to make one comment, so no cheaters who would like to double (or triple) their chances.

4. Winner will be announced in a new post after random selection by random.org

5. Please contact me with 2 days to claim your prize or another winner will be selected! Prizes will be shipped by airmail WORLDWIDE within 3 business days after winner contacts me!

Good Luck and have fun joining the giveaway.