Midsummer Newbies

Summer is still blooming around...perhaps it is more drying to skin than you anticipated. Or, when going city-tripping you can find your pores going congested like nothing else.

• For the occasional bout of dryness I gotten myself this cute Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin pill mask. I've been sheetmasking before K-beauty gotten mainstream and it's fun they have gotten easier available. 
• I've already gotten the Boscia Detoxing Black Cleanser in a sample size, and absolutely loved the warming effect on the skin. I love this liquid form of charcoal cleansing and I noticed it really helped getting to those pesky blackheads. Something not many products are effective off with my skin.

I also went on the bandwagon with Son & Park's Beauty water...

Ohh, I really love how the air in the water is looking in the bottle.

I had to decorate it with my Luxdivine (etsy) armband and the scarf is D&G summer collection.

I rediscovered cheeks with NARS Nars-issist Dual intensity blush palette.

 It is certainly a fantastic blending blush texture...I'm smitten. My cheeks glowwwww...

I have been upping up my foundation game with an oldie and a newbie:

• Mac Face & Body is and oldie but still high in the ranks of makeupartists. I've picked a darker colour for my body as I have some white spots that I need to even out.
• Nars Velvet Matte Skin tint is new on the market. I was not enterely sure as the colours tend to look a bit too yellow for my colouring, but they look velvety and real on (self-)tan skin. I still think the gap between Cusco and Annapurna is too large in colour dept.

One of the Sephora Beauty reward boxes contained Alterna. I love their Caviar Protein line but feel (and can see) that my hair might be healthy enough to alternate with moisture. So bring on the moisture with the CaviarAnti Ageing Replenishing Moisture line.

Ok, I say I'm team Alterna but I also have team Christophe Robin and I've been enjoying some other shampoos lately as well. But in the end Alterna would be my desert island brand!

Last but not least, nails. Since everybody and their grandma have been into nailart, gellnails everything etc, I have been neglecting my mani with a simple coat of strenghtener. Very sheer, kinda blah.

• I thought some Chanel could bring back my colour game: Turban looks bright enough for summer and classic enough for always.

• Another pretty one is the Damask Rose from & Other Stories. It looks so foiled on nails, incredible.

These have been some of my midsummer hauls. I'm already eyeing up some of the Autumn lines. Kose Addiction by Ayako has released these amazing new eyeshadows with names like Dancer in the Dark, Hazy Night, Volcano & Modern Nostalgia. The colours are as awesome to boot with their names and instagram is not holding too many secrets when recently renewed (just browse on the Japanese names). 

As for skincare, I think I will hold on on some new finds that I will review soon for it. I'm kinda behind my reviews: being stuck into the instagram picturing mode makes me kind of lazy on the writing front...It does make me attempt to make prettier photos : )

One Sample led to another: Marie-Stella-Maris

I've been happy to sample up something from a new cosmetic company: Stella-Marie-Maris

I fell head over heels on the minimalistic packaging and the French aura it exuded. Especially the heels because the footcream with thyme is bliss for tired, parched feet.

 Doesn't it look like a Saint Laurent editorial?

 

I absolutely feel like being invited to a show during fashionweek:

 

Now we've gotten the superficial intentions of buying out of the way, don't we all fall for packaging every now and then, it has an inside too:

Ok, besides the ingredients:

Their website: I think they 'care for water', or is that just a hunch of mine?

This is also highlighted on their packaging:

Beyond looking through the rose-tinted glasses of nobility towards good causes like water maintainance, I am quite enthousiastic about this footcream.

Feet are somewhat the forgotten child of the beauty industry: only few companies pay attention to them. But how important or annoying can they be when they're not happy or feeling good? A good footcream should be the perfect hybrid between being moisturizing but also fast absorbant: who is actually sleeping with socks in order to get pretty feet? Raise your hands (or feet) if you do!

Besides of absorbing rapidly, they also have this wonderful blend of herbs that give zest to tired feel.  A mix of pepper mint, thyme, natural oils and pumice makes them feel cleaner. 

So this specific sample led me to the full size. It's a gorgeous footcream that will revitalize tired (sandal/slippered/heeled or broody sneaker-ed) feet to life again. And I think it will add the right amount of moisture when winter will arrive.

Perhaps there will be more on the cards with my new set of samples:

Who knows? 

Find them on their website, skins' website or at their flagstore @ Herengracht in Amsterdam.

Carroussel of Newbies...

I've been a bit quiet on the blog this week, but my wallet hasn't been...

Dutch cosmeticsstore IciParis has 40% on its lipglosses and lipsticks, and those YSL Gloss Voluptes finally arrived! -> I kept it modest with *just three* but I want Guerlain Girly so much! I also included my Net-a-Porter free shipping haul: I skipped fashion and went for beauty alone :). Plus my skin-sensitive period led me to another foundation: is it good, better, best? Read on.

So those new YSL Gloss Voluptes first: I picked *modelcolour* 49 Terriblement Fuchsia, the one Lindsay is wearing so poutily in this add:

I am slightly influenced by Japanese brands who often mention that the lipstick is the *modelcolour* or the one worn in the advertisement. I'd never would think my lips go near the poutiness of Lindsay without any filler-help, and I wouldn't want them that way unless they wear natural. I just adore fuschia: is such a popping colour without getting too sensual like red, it's fun with a dash of sensual! And so nice on making your teeth looking extra white. 

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I also picked a safer calmer YSL Rose Satine 102 for that perfect peachy pink with that deliriously blueish microshimmer. They are extremely fruitily scented: this line...I have fierce Lancome Juicy Tube memories of the early noughties.

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I'm still the biggest fan of their Rouge Pur Couture Vernis a Levres and I'd finally picked up Cara-modelled selection of the Rebel Nudes: this one is not so nude as it's the Violine out of Control 108.

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The sweetest Italian drugstore SA recommended Bionike Defence Tolerance for my sensitive skin: this is the travelsize of the micellar water

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I picked up another Charlotte Tilbury quad from net-a-porter: Uptown girl...Chants that song right now...

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More of the Italian recommended Bionike line: it's the Defense Xage Skinergy Perfecting Concentrate: a lot of words for a serum so I hope it works as good as the title.

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Again, a new foundation. My sensitivities spurred me on to look further. RBR has too much fragance for me right now, and mineral makeup doesn't give my pores a good cover. Kjaer Weis Foundation in Paper Thin is organic, but also difficult to work with (like quite some reviews mention). Then again, my face feels so relaxed and unirritated under this foundation and it gives the most skin-but-better finish. I just put some good work into it by blending it well with my Hakuhodo Mizubake. And some really good moisturizing before...

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So I skipped the extraorbitant fashion of Net-a-Porter but finally satisfied my curiosity after the frequently reviewed Hourglass Ambient blush line: I picked Radiant Magenta and I think it's really brilliant. It stays on me all day, unlike some mixed reviews I read on this blush. It matches my YSL Fuschia Terriblement so well!

And some more:

 I bought the Urban Decay Naked Basics on the airplane: Some more mattes to 'date' with my Rouge Bunny Rouge Mattes.

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The Models Inc Lip Enhancer is a GWP with a British glossy (have to check which one again)

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And I've been reading heaps of Murakami books for the last couple of years: this is the latest one I'll dive into.

Have a gorgeous weekend :)

Tom Ford Lipsticks & Private Blend Perfumes in Holland

Beauty-fans in Holland can finally see/swatch/buy their Tom Ford lippies:

..test t nailpolishes and sniff the perfumes too.

This line has been installed in the Bijenkorf Amsterdam since December the 4th.  I was really surprised stumbling upon it as I had no idea.

I already ventured on Tom Ford on a London visit of 1 1/2 year ago: bottom-right, my beloved Violet Fatale 17! Lipstick-lovers would shout "blasphemy" for having rudely cut-off the top, however, it was in the sake of decanting for travel. I couldn't risk loosing the whole Ford: it could be ordered online but the shipping fee would make it a decadence beyond its already exuberant pricetag.

Speaking of pricetag: the Bijenkorf's cardholders will get a discount of 10%, making it still worthy to throw away the receipt for the Significant Other*, who-already-thinks-another-lipstick-is-unneccesary-because-you-already-earned-his-love (?)...Or perhaps he wants to buy his lady that perfectly decadent lipstick because he loves her (hint hint!). *Also applicable on family and friends...

Kanebo Kate Goldish Eyes PK-1

Happy Valentine's Day! Today I'll feature two of valentine's fave colours, pink & gold (the diamonds will not be present, but there is a diamond-esque sparkle around)

Sometimes I get a slight fascination with colours that are not the most universally flattering nor the easiest to use, but still I am intrigued or beautified by them.

peachy pinks, golden pinks, pinks for lips or eyes...I'm intrigued

Peach is one of them, pinks are the other.

You might say: "well, these are easy to use on lips & cheeks" but there you go: I want them on my eyes.  I love the easiness of most taupe eyeshadows, but a bit of peach or pink has the quality to make various eyecolours a lot more interesting.

Hence, introducing: Kate Kanebo Goldish eyes in PK-1:

Kate's minimalistic black packaging

I have liked Kanebo Kate in the past for a couple of products that are both of good quality and reasonably priced. It's not that everything they launch is a complete hit with me. I can remember some sticky lipglosses that are not up my alley: 

Their eyeshadow palettes are often a (facebookian) LIKE  with me: they come with easy instructions, even if they aren't in English: the illustrations are easy to follow and most of the colours are useable and of good texture/colour.

And now I was curious if their latest release of palettes would live up to this.

"ohhh, shimmery shiny golden goodness!!"

I really like golden hues in eyeshadows so the whole gold line looked really up my alley. As for my pick of the PK-version, well, explained above, I like 'difficult' pinks and I really liked the idea of trying out a pinkish gold, like the variety they have in golden jewellery ♥

So, let's see how that pretty palette above will look SWATCHED (no primer):

VISUALS:

• all colours have a metallic (often golden) idirescence, only the "white" is slightly stark
• "GOLD-yellow" lacks pigment, but is lovely for a hint of glow or layering
• "GOLD-pink" has light to medium pigmentation, also suitable for layering (see most right swatch over "brown"
• "Brown" is the most pigmented
• "Brown"is that cooler sort of brown mixed with a taupe, metallic  hue, so lovely and quite safe universally flattering again ;-)
• "Brown" has the best texture of the 4: buttery and smooth, even after 2 or 3 layers
• Palette: the 2 Golds have that "baked eyeshadow" raised idea in the palette, see picture below:

Side-angle Swatches for different view upon idirescence:

VISUALS:

• "GOLD-yellow" is more of a flecked quality and applies irregularly
• "White" has a slight glow.
• "Brown"(alone) has that soft metallic glow that looks like lit-from-within
• GOLD-pink looks more like a rosy, coppery gold instead of pink.
• Layering "GOLD-pink" over "Brown" makes it more sparkly, more nightime-suitable & gives it a slight rosy edge without making that dramatic pink eye.

VERDICT:

When I first swatched this palette, I was slightly dissapointed for the lack of pigmentation of some colours. After playing with them, layering and wearing them for a while, I found them to be fun and adding that bit of glow on the safer more neutral colours. They wear quite long! I wore only the GOLD-pink without primer (they add similar colour-depth with or without primer, I've tried!) and they even lasted after a shower. That made the boyfriend comment why I wore eyeshadow in bed (proving a. it's visible b. it stays on c. clean eyes better!). The only colour I really find unhandy is the "white", but that's personal preference: it layers on as an equal white with a slight glow so other people might like it as a base for the GOLD-yellow or GOLD-pink.

The only negative is that the GOLDS are raised in the palette, making it slightly messier and spill-prone to the sides of the palette when swiping over.

eyeshadow spill-prone due to raised platform GOLDS

CONCLUSION
I really like this palette and I have nothing in my stash that comes close to it. I didn't expect Kate to come up with the most theatrical type of pink golds which is a good thing for being office-appropriate or just liking fun, glowy makeup without going pantomine. So not all colours are evenly pigmented, however, they have a different function to layer or to add a glow. Even the best rated palettes such a DIOR have some *meh* colours/textures of the ones included in their palettes, so for a reasonable price you get a fun and original type of palette.

Availability:
I bought mine via ichibankao (here) for appr. €16.30 and they have 3 more varieties in Gold, white & blue.

PS: Speaking about DIOR, the lipgloss featured as a partner-in-crime on the pictures has been the DIOR Addict lipgloss in 157, which has a bit of pinkish-gold flecks inside as well:

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.

Review: Visee Mineral Cheek Baby Finish PK 800

My last review of the last haul was my initial favourite of the bunch.

Spoilers ahead: I will maintain my initial enthousiasm about it, only more nuanced:

The idea is that I used to like MAC and the likes, and then came the Lunasols, Rouge Bunny Rouge, Le Metier de Beaute and the superb Burberry Beauty on the scene. Those fantastic blushers made MAC a bit meh. I can still understand its massive appeal, but being more spoiled is just that you reach for the ones you like better. I think the other niche snobs afficionadas know what I am saying ;-)

And then again there is my like for Japanese cosmetics and my undying curiosity to try out new blushers. Moreover, I had a steady love for mineral makeup for a while when my skin was really on the edge, and I loved the way it got it calmer on both inner and outer level. So the word mineral brings up really positive connotations, although I hardly use it anymore.

Basically, minerals are beautiful, especially when your skin is not really happy, but the slightly chemical foundations can make you look slightly more polished. So when my skin got better and happier I tried some more chemical foundations, and stuck with them. Similar with blush.

Makes me think of it: is the Visee Mineral cheek a true mineral? Probably not (still not fluent with the language on the box), however, the element of mineral must be present or otherwise why would Visee promote it quite clearly?

Ok, return to the blush itself instead of all the mineral-chat. It has a hygienic tube-like distributor. Mind this is more hygienic than the Lavshuca Girly Whip Cheek I showed you a couple of days before.

Highly pigmented, I already said that in my first preview.

Which basically stays that way on the skin:

When I blended it, I had the memory of my Kose Addiction Cheekstick in Revenge in mind. So what else to do than compare the two?

Swatches: on bare skin/no foundation

This first one is slightly blended :

 Which basically says my memoric powers were right! They are really similar with the difference in finish. Both are vivid corally pinks with a slight neon-ish undertone. The only thing is that Addiction cheekstick looks slightly more pore/line diffusing than the more gel-like Visee Mineral cheek.

Completely blended:

In blended state the difference is even less visible. However, the Addiction Revenge probably has more silicones or other fillers that makes the skin looks slightly more polished. Still both blend well and give out a lovely and quite regular flushed complexion.

I tried the Visee on lips too: it gives out a vivid stain but the gel-formula also makes the lips feel dry (so bring out the lipbalm to top up). Opposite to Kose Addiction, which is a true hybrid 1 (original review here) 
(1. noting that I only found this in the colour and formula of Revenge and not so much with Rose Bar).

VERDICT:

I liked this blush on first sight, although I was quite shocked of the vividness of the colour. I placed a couple of tiny dots on the cheeks and it blended quite easily and without being blotchy. Not all of these gel-like products do that: I personally do not have that much luck with the Becca Beachtint variety.

It becomes a peachy pink with a slightly neonish undertone after 20 seconds of blending. It makes my paler winterskin look fresh and slightly flushed in a good way, as it is a part of my fantastic healthy life (ahum). I like the fact it has no glitters or shimmers. The promise of baby finish is quite true too.
What I like most of it, is the potential to work on darker skintones. If you blend it less vigorously as I did, the pigment will look vivid on a darker complexion too: that is not something that every brand can say about their blush simply being targeted on lighter skinned complexion only.
The durability is about 5 hours with a slight fading after that time, depending on the base underneath (it works on non-foundation skin too).

CONCLUSION:

I like it a lot and think it would be a fantastic summer product as well, although I haven't tested it waterproof-ness. Perhaps my Australian or other Southern hemisphere readers can do that for me as they have a delightful promise of summer approaching (not jealous...ehm). I am thinking about buying some other colours too, for example the more subtle rosy mauve PK 801 looks enticing. The price is right for $13.50 over here.

Review: Lavshuca Girly Whip Cheek PK-2

Cute, girly and in an affordable pricerange: I really understand the appeal of Kanebo Lavshuca as a brand.

This time the focus on the kawaii factor is nothing to be dissapointed about: check out the adorable box in candy-floss colours and the most adorable heart at the cardboard end. 

In my last post I had the case of mistaking a lipgloss for being a cheek-product.

Today I have the opposite feeling with the Lavshuca Girly Whip: Doesn't this one look rather shaped like a dainty lipgloss tube?

And check out the wand...if the product on it wasn't so opaque and creamy it could be another lipgloss (or one of those velvety lip-products that are out these days)

Ok, before going to swatch-land, what does it state on the box?

Ok, the English part as I'm not that fluent with the Mandarin nor Japanese yet: 

The cautions are slighty on the obvious site, but I like them still being stated and for the English (read: American) public they have to be certain they don't get any lawsuit-cases behind their pants for not having listed any warnings.

 I was a bit aware of trying out this one: it has some visible gold-hued sparklies inside and I wasn't too sure how this would show on my skin:

The product itself has the most velvety consistency and has the feel of a high end primer on the skin

Blended out:

I think it is more of a pinky highlighter than a blush and it reminds me a lot of the Lunasol Cream Cheeks EX 4 in Tender Glow Pink (review/swatch here)

VERDICT:

When I received my 3 lovelies last week (here) I tended to like the Visee Mineral Cheek a bit more as it was more targeted in colouring cheeks instead of highlighting. I compared the two and perhaps I shouldn't done that, however, I wanted to show my readers how something targeted as a cheek-product can be sooo different.

Anyway, I have stepped over my initial fear of sparklies and have to say I LOVE this one as a pink-toned highlighter on the upper cheeks, and also as a anti-dark-circle diffusing product under the eyes. The velvet consistency glides over less-perfect skin and doesn't sit in pores or the undereye wrinkles. Perhaps you can see the sparklies in direct sunlight or in those areas where they have budgetized on lightening (metros, etc), but it's not NARS Superorgasm-glittery terrritory so I think it's wearable.

It is also so easy to carry around with you as it really has the size of a lipgloss.

The only con I can think about is the hygiene factor: but similarly as a lipgloss there are ways to apply it on a sanitised spatula and then on the skin.
However, because it's relatively cheap you can also use this a couple of times the original (direct) way and toss it away when you suspect it's not so hygienic anymore.

CONCLUSION:

A surprise LIKE for this one. Cute, the colour and texture is not just perfect for younger skins but for the slightly maturing ones too, travel friendly and the price is not too expensive for $14 (here)

Kanebo Kate Cream in Rouge Lipgloss PK-1

In my last Japanese cosmetic-haul I ordered the Kanebo Kate Cream in Rouge in PK-1. I was fully under the impression this would be another launch of a creamy/liquidy cheek-colour various Japanese brands have come forward to lately.

 

It was also the nozzle that gave me this impression: I haven't seen Kate doing this type of squeeze nozzles for lipglosses, so my impression was that I could get cheeky with another colour.

And I basically didn't get out the google translate function, nor did I get the dictionary of Mandarin Chinese out.

Out of the packaging the tube doesn't really suggest otherwise:

Anyway, the purpose of the contant came clear (or opaque in this case) when I squeezed out a sort of sticky blob of neutral/cool pink:


I hardly wear lipglosses these days. I still use them every now and then to give my lipstick some dimension, only not the stickier, opaque ones as those often need to be used without a lipstick.

Let me give out a more neutral review/verdict for the lipgloss-interested:

Verdict:
Colour/opacity:
As you can see with the swatches above, the initial 'blob' is quite opaque in that sweet pink that a variety of girls/women like. If you get it sheered out in the swatch next to it it still leaves out a sweeter pink colour that DOES change the colour of your lips. My normal colouring of my lips is rather flushed, and this one brings out that paler look with that poutier effect. Thus, it is medium opacity on the lipgloss scale. 

Scent/texture:
It has some mintiness inside that feels really refreshing on pre-winter lips. The gloss is the sticky variety. Think MAC clear lipgloss.

Durablity:
Due to its thicker texture it last about an hour longer on me than the average lipgloss. Still, that would be about 2 or 3 hours, depending if you consume anything.


Conclusion:
Pricewise, Kanebo Kate almost always delivers fantastic quality for the price and this one is another example. Fantastic lipgloss for the fans and I if I knew it was a lipgloss I had gotten it in a darker colour. I think I will mix some MAC or other pigment in it to make it less pink and slightly darker.

Availablity :
I bought it on Adambeauty.com (here) for HK $ 75 or $11 at the current rate.