Pots & a Pan

Spring is in the air, so what's cooking?

 Let me show you my new pots. And my domestic virtue is still slightly underscored by my love for makeup, but I still have a cute pan thrown in it as well. I mean, beauty and health also comes from the inside, right?

•  Top: Gressa blush/lipstick Radiant: I've gotten on the organic Gressa bandwagen and got both this blush/lipstick as the foundation.
• Right: RMS Illusive blush: I'm trying to get as organic as possible lately and I did not have a colour like this yet in the organic range.
• Bottom: NARS eye Paint in Ubangi: I know, not organic but still pretty & pot-like to feature.
• Left: Tata Harper Volumizing lip & Cheek tint in Very Sweet: Oh my, this is the perfect organic hybrid between liptint and cheektint. It has a highlighting quality without compromising on colour.
• Left Top: RMS lipgloss in Bloom: a GPW from cultbeauty and a sister of Tata Harper very sweet. This one is a true lipgloss instead of a hybrid.
• Middle: Stella-Marie-Maris Pure Shea Butter: I got this one for my flare-up skin as it is the most neutral of butters. It takes some work to get it working for you, though.

As for swatches [unblended], I'll spare you the NARS as it has been featured a-plenty. Let's go for my latest organic ones:

1. Gressa Radiant is one of the most pigmented and poppiest colours in my organic section. It is almost too pigmented for my liking. On young-n-pretty skins it would look like this (See Brittany). I'm slightly hindered by some earthy note of fragance: it's not my favourite scent.
2. RMS Illusive: I needed a perfect Mauve-nudish blush in my collection and RMS Illusive seemed to be qualified. I think it's slightly muddier in real life. I was hoping for the cream version of Surratt La Vie en Rose. It still translates as a neutral-slightly cooler blush on my skin but I think the formula is sorta hard during colder weather.
3. RMS Bloom: I've been most delighted by this GWP. It's a true lipgloss compared with Tata Harper's clingier formula, but you could still use it as a short-term cheekgloss.
4. Tata Harper Lip & Cheek Volumizer in Very Sweet: Tata Harper makes brilliant organic products and seeing her doing makeup makes my heart sing for joy. I think this balm bring out a volumizing quality on cheeks (& lips) without feeling heavy. Very Sweet has been a gorgeous peachy highlighter-esque colour and I hope she'll make more of them. Hint: in dusky rose?

I have not added any blended swatches yet. I will do and compare them later: for this post I just wanted to show you the difference in texture.

I've said this a couple of times, but *organic* is not some kind of magic word. As for my latest pots, there is a new love that could replace anything chemical [Tata Harper] and there is the one that probably is more difficult than I'd expected from the raves [Gressa]. In any case, beauty reviews are highly subjective and based on so many things: weather, hormones, age, fragance memory and I could go on.

Basically, just my 2 cents or that bit of herb in the cooking...

Winter Switch

Winter suddenly arrived over here so that means it's time for a switch in products:

1. Perfume
Perhaps you remember talking about the By Killian Beyond Love over here, and I haven't used it that much during the summer, but I think it's time to reach for a headier perfume with some warmer floral notes. I also like the muskier L'artisan Parfumeur  L'été en Douce even though the name suggest that it's a summer perfume only. I actually think that it's muskier component is perfect for wearing it on its own for the autumn/winter season, or layer it with other perfumes for more musky sensuality.

2. Hands
 People with colder seasons know how awful it feels like when your hands get cracks or little tears in it, especially with the cuticles. I love this Kose Happy Bath Day hand essence for the sheer reason that it is quite thin and I can take it on travel and to work without being afraid I will grease up everything I touch afterwards. Thicker and more emolient creams are wonderful too, but more as a treatment at night or to wear with gloves when at home. My only gripe is that they don't sell it anymore: why? So I'll be looking for a serum-like alternative for the time this one runs out.
 
3. Lips
 Perhaps something for all seasons but a switch in coldness means something that is more balmy than your fluffier summer balms. The Nuxe Reve de Miel (english for 'dream of honey') is a staple among makeupartist for the reason it moisturizes, has that perfect thickness & is matte enough for a base for lipsticks afterwards.

'End of the Week'-quirkies

Because I had a give-away going on on the blog, I skipped the midweek-quirkologies. Still, I placed it at the end of the week for thís week only:

1. It's Skin Macaron Lipbalm in yellow.

I jumped upon the It's Skin bandwagon, ok...already did that with their serums, but I bought the Macaron-shaped lipbalm as well. It is a sweetly scented balm, quite Pineaple-like. Balm-wise, it is quite standard but moisturizing enough.

Cute enough for the desk...  

2. Writing love...writing nice things...

It's often easy to forget to be kind to each-other on the internet. Actually, the beauty-bloggers along each other are quite friendly to each other but if you look at other social networks, the anonymous position can lead into writing not-so-friendly words you would never dare to say to a person if face-to-face.

Ok, enough preachy talk ;D. If you like this kind of photography and have access to instagram, this picture has been made by katv608...she is immensly popular and has lots of kawaii pictures like this.

Lipbalm for Soulsisters

Today I wanna share you my latest lipbalm purchase from 'mother nature at the vegan disco', or Elladean.

I have been buying lipglosses from Elladean since 2008 or 2009 (eg. post here), and although I love to buy other kind of lipbalms for different reasons, I have these lipbalms as one of my favourites.

Simply:

* they just WORK for me: they moisturize, aren't too waxy, and have a delicious scent.

* I love the hippy-esque vibe

* The sweet messages behind them (and the sweet seller)

* Nicely priced

(I could go on a bit...so yeh, I like them a lot)

When I spotted the Wanderlust Sisters collections on Ella's new website I just know I had to have a couple of those.

So I did:

I ordered three of them, but regulars from Elladean know that she is always so generous to toss in another one ♥

I got the Rock Star Sisters, the Oversea Sisters and the free-flying sisters...The soul sister one was a gift.


I like the level of personal service she provides....

I haven't tested them all, but I went for my favourite one: The overseas sisters! For memories' sake :D

I love the description, ofcourse.

It is actually a tinted lipbalm that gives a hint of colour on my mouth.

She still sells on etsy in various theme-based shops (eg this one), but you can find this collection on elladeansnaturalproducts.com. They are $3 each and a pack gives you a bit of discount...

So, sisterly pucking up...:D

Newbies tries...

Nothing much has been going on, beautywise!

But I still like to share some new things I accumulated lately...

Yey, one of my ol' Korean loves...Lotree!

I bought a set, which included this dainty lipbalm with the fantastic Korenglish name "Kissing the Lipbalm Macademia".

Right, I only want to kiss the lipbalm and not the lips behind them ;-)

I know it looks so cute and girly, but I would not recommend this for the inside. It is a plain vaseline like lipbalm with some weird substance included that makes your lips burn a bit.

Another cute and girly item I bought in the local drugstore is this floraly blush from Catrice.

Au contraire the lipbalm, this is actually really good and gorgeous product for a cheap blush...

To continue on the girly path...Look at this adorable cover from Dainty sheetmasks!

This is their Lotus mask, and it is quite good! It smells lightly soapy but tolerable. The sheet is thin, but the essence is in abundance and sooo soothing. (bought it here)

Unlike the Coffee mask of Dainty I tried...

No allergies, fortunately :D, only a weird smell of coffee breath mixed with soap...bleerg. (bought it here)

I also have been wearing Ruffled Bottoms....

Just the nailpolish version of Jessica.

If I would post my ruffled bottoms in a blog, I would have created a different kind of blog, right?

So, have you been trying some new cosmetica lately? And, did you like it?

For the Geek in me...Geek Bliss lipbalms

I have been geeky lately....staying up late browsing in books, being totally enthralled by everything technical and enjoying everything that is so uncool that it is almost cool again.

Nerdy lipbalm, I never heard of it until I browsed on Confessions of a balmaholic. They had a BOGO sale when I ordered, so I ordered two of them.

These balms are not cutesy, but entirely nerdy with the old-school computer language on the tubes. You could easily pass these balms to your brother or boyfriend without giving them the feeling of acting too girly. I mean, men must have dry lips in cold winter weather as well...

I ordered I kissed a Cullen, ha ha, ofcourse the Twilight Cullen with the brooding eyes and floppy cute hairdo...(played by Robert Pattinson)

Ha ha, in reality I would not stand any change kissing a boy this young and attractive and famous...but the teenage girl inside me is loving the eyebrows so much...

(oh, and I love the scent of Creme de Menthe that comes with this balm)

So reality sucks...which is the name of my next balm, ha ha.

So what other flavour to give it than the always dreamy scent of chocolate...mmmm.

I have only tried Cullen's balm, and it is such a gorgeously moisturizing balm. It has not that hardness that some handmade lipbalms have. You know, the ones that you have to rub over and over again before your lips are finally moisturizes. This balm leaves your lips instantly moisturized, and when the balm has vanished after some time, it leaves them soft as well.

They make a cute gift for the nerdy friend, the dreamer, any Twilight fan or for the non-prissy person using lipbalm. They retail for $3 on etsy, and you get your second one for free this month.

Fantastically Finnish...

One and a half week ago I stumbled upon a shop with some fantastic home-deco items. I am not that much interested in homely stuff, but I was absolutely mesmerized by this cutest Marimekko toiletbag in lilac and purple colours.

It was not the cheapest makeupbag ever, as Etsy often has cheaper items. However, I think Marimekko is such a fab label and I am enjoying the flowering motives. Plus, the 30% discount was really luring me into buying it.

Marimekko is a Finnish label, so that is a part of the title.

I also received a suprise parcel from Finland as well. I was wondering if I had ordered something, but awwww...it was a genuine gift from Aileen from Amorevintage.

Awww, that has been such a sweet gesture.

The lipbalm is really lovely for moisturizing, while it is not too obtrusively overscented.

And I think her choice of stationary is absolutely brilliant. Marie Antoinette is such a iconic and contested figure (and beautiful too).

I hope that all my readers will have a brilliant sunday and a wonderful week.

Lipstick transforming power (or Maquillage Lip Essence Ex)

I figured that it was time to look at one of the basic topics of my blog, which is, looking at the not-so-standard makeup. Actually, that sounds a bit odd, because when I venture to look at Japanese brands, I am pretty sure that, at least, millions of females have been applying them daily. But, when I say not-so-standard, I mean the not so very publicised brands (such as *cough* MAC, nothing wrong with MAC, but I see them sooo much on beauty blogs).

My regular readers have probably figured out that I am not that very content with the shape of my mouth. Moreover, to complain a bit more, I think that the vertical lines in my lips themselves are too deep. That means that lipsticks that behaves properly on 'normal' lips are often not that flattering on me.

Since Japanese brands are often very innovative and also aim to create a natural looking, kawaii, mouth, I have good luck with most brands/textures and shades, because they seem to blur the vertical lines in my lips and slightly give the illusion of dewy, youthful lips. Big bonus! Lately, Western cosmetic brands such as Christian Dior has been issuing some versions of the dewy lipstick/lipbalm hybrid as well: they often look flattering on me too.

But but but, I have a couple of lipsticks I bought online (blind) and they are too matte, too thick or too dry...no offense to the makers of them...it is just that I do not have Scarlett Johanson type of lips that can pull of anything. I have, unfortunately, a mature mouth.

So, this is where my review starts (finally, LOL). I have been wearing Maquillage Lip Essence Ex on a regular base since a couple of months, and it has been such a lifesaver for several kinds of lipsticks.

First, when I received it, after reading some fabulous reviews on Fuzkitty and Lotuspalace, I thought it was lacking its promise. I expected a product that would function as a kind of Urban Decay Primer Potion type of product for lips: that is, a product that attaches the colour to the mouth. Maquillage Lip Essence felt too gloss-like...it sheered out the original colour of the lipstick...couldn't I just apply a random gloss and have the same effect?

After trying it a couple of times, comparing it with actual lipgloss-as-a-primer, and wearing it with the more-matte lipsticks, I found its purpose for me: TRANSFORMER LIPSTICK SAVER...

Pictures sometimes say more than words...

First, I did a swatch on the pale innerarm again. I kind of overapplied the gloss, so my apologies about the messiness.

Looking a bit closer: you can see the tiny shimmery parts inside. I see some reddish pigments and blueish pigments. It looks like a shimmering ocean...

Further on, it feels moisturizing on the lips. It is absolutely not sticky, but is different from an average lipbalm, who does not seem to hold the colour in such an extend.

It is, therefore, a wonderful buy for those who have lips who feel the need for a bit of the diffusing act. It also looks wonderful on the ones with perfect lips (yes, you Fuzkitty and Kathi from Lotuspalace).

It does not come cheap, but what does come cheap these days? I bought mine for appr. $23 on adambeauty, but they seem to be out of stock of it now. Another option is to buy it for $24.99 at Facial-shop.com. It is also available at gooddealer.com, ichibankao.com, bobodave.com, and probably on ebay as well. It is the one in the pinkish, white tube, and NOT the Pure Lip Base.

Cherry blossom girl...

My post is Ume-inspired...... This week I received two Ume or Japanese Cherry blossom related items: one was included in a sasa order, and one from Etsy.

I stumbled upon this purple ume wallet when I was browsing wallets with japanese prints on etsy. I really love the cuteness of the Sanrio inspired wallets, and ordered some small Sanrio inspired prints as well.

For my more mature-appropriated days I was looking for something lovely and florally: this wallet fitted the bill (pun intended). I bought it at THIENTHANH in the sale section, and there was also a free shipping deal...he he.

This is such a cute and well-made wallet. Have you seen the little fishy that holds the zipper?

So sweet: she (Bibi) makes the wallet with her grandma...

It also arrived really fast! I really enjoy fast shipping...

The only small con is that it is a bit small for my daily shopping, and all of these pesky card you have to use - for the library, the bookstore, discount at the supermarket, etc etc.. I think it will make an excellent wallet for international currency...e.g. pound sterling, or dollars (hopefully soon ;D).

My other happy Cherry blossom item came from sasa.com..... It is from Bison.

This is also a cute and small size. Think about 3 times smaller than the Pear shaped lipbalm of B&C. It also has really similar texture as the B&C Pear balm, which I absolutely AdOrE...It smells like a slightly artificial cherry, or a bit like cherry flavored lemonade. I really like this scent...

The colour is incredibly cute as well....a soft baby pink which sheers out on your lips...

I made a swatch on my arm. The upper part is the balm concentrated, and I sheered it out to the bottom. One reviewer on Sasa described it to be slightly lightening on her lips, which is true. However, it is still a lipbalm and nothing too pigmented...

I still smell a hint of cherry after half an hour, but nothing obtrusive (and the regular readers know I am really picky with some scented products).

This theme makes me dream about a Japanese vacation walking under real Cherry tree blossoms....

another week in hauls

Hello again, another week has gone by. How has your week been? I had a fabulous start! My last grade of a course I took in the last term came back, and I was really delighted with the outcome. I considered my essay to be moderately good, and my dear teach ever gave me a more positive grade than I expected...WOOT!


My weekly mail-hauls were pretty good as well. I already posted about most of them, and I want to show you the rest.


A couple of weeks ago I had ordered some tea from a British teashop that was raved on one of the local forums. They can be great enablers as well. Teapigs.co.uk (what's in a name? glowchaser changed her name in Old cow; I have Moo cards and I drink from teapigs: I think I will name myself happyHorseHickups?) sell they tea in sample sets as well, which come in a tin that contains 3 teabags. It was a wonderful opportunity to try six of their flavours.



My picks were based on my lack of energy and the need for indulgence. The teapigs site has a small 'mood-o-matic teafinder' on the bottom left of the homepage, which makes choosing easy (and with a good dose of British humor). I kind of was tempted to click on all moods, especially 'old and wrinkly' or 'generally rubbish' (which was my mood a couple of weeks ago).







I ended up with:

Chocolate Flake tea;

Super Fruit;

Yerba Mate;

Tung Ting Oolong Tea;

Mao Feng Green Tea;

Lemongrass Tea

My absolute fave is the Lemongrass tea: it is extremely refreshing and taste like real lemongrass...yummmm


The tins are stackable. The labels are too cute: I love the tuk tuk on the Lemongrass, and the surfer on the Tung Ting tea

Non mail-retail therapy:

I had to go to the capital this week for a important lecture of a writer I really admire. Before that, I visited the Mac counter and picked up the Tinted Lip Conditioner SPF 15 in Gentle Coral.

As if I do not have enough lipbalms, -glosses, and sticks....



I love the corally orange colour, and the typical vanilla scent from Mac is always a favourite of mine. (picture is made in shadow, so the colour is probably not really representative)



I went to the poshest shopping street, and only bought a Chanel lipstick.


But it is from their summer 2009 collection! I loved a variety of their latest Aqualumiere colours, and ended up with the flattering Ishia. I love their Sun Protection, which was another motive for picking it up ;D

Chanel should update the Aqualumiere lipstick in the same form as the gorgeous Rouge Allure form. That is the one with the Click tube...I still like this design, but it is a bit Blah... (it is still Chanellll, dahling)

This picture came out darker again. The colour looks like a MLBB (my lips but better) colour, or the colour after I have been drinking wonderful Cava in Barcelona (ahhh, can I dream?)

I adore the multiglitter in the lipstick, which came out all right in this close up: I see blue, copper, gold...

I have already blogged about my Paul & Joe haul. (ici et ici)


The Kawaii-ness of the Yumeko/Bittenbefore brushroll!!! (here)

And the wonders of the Japanese Magazine world (here)

tadaaah....Those were my hauls....

weekly consumer delights

Sorry for the lack of post of this week. I always aim to post at least 2 times a week, but I have been lacking the creative power to write anything this week. I did not receive that many hauls either, so I could not bring anything new or spectacular to this blog.

One of the few things I received was my anticipated b-glowing.com package. I ordered the Sara Happ lip slip balm, based on some wonderful reviews on the blogosphere, and I threw in a hair-care set from Umiproducts for more volume. When spending over $40, you could receive some extra items from them.

Mmm, I received a gorgeous smelling perfume in Tea, a Lalicious vanilla body lotion and a Pear and Ginger lipbalm for fee...including some wonderful smaller samples.

I haven't dared to touch the Lip Slip yet...it looks so delicious and decadent...

Such a pretty box: it looks like a jewellery box for a ring, or so...

Ohhh, the sparkles the other bloggers raved about. I cannot wait to try this:

I haven't read anything about Umiproducts yet, however, the ingredients sound really wholesome and organic: my poor, sensitive scalp might like these products. I have lots of hair, but it lacks proper volume. I would love to find a natural/organic way to boost volume in my hair.

Another haul I did was @ H&M: yes, Matthew Williamson released his summer collection on thursday. I liked the summer collection so much better than the earlier collection. I ordered some things online, but I bought a denim biker jacket in khaki fabric and PIIIINK lining in the store....SCORE:

I LOVE clothes that mix girly influences with more tough elements...I had to had this jacket.

Another whimsical item I picked up this week is my painterly (Monet-esque) maxi dress from Zara. I love everthing flower-themed right now, I have been fanatic about maxi-dresses since ages...this is such a ME-piece:

Sight, can a person fall in love with clothes? I sometimes can...