Warm red fall makeup look

Hey Beauties!

Fall is officially here and I have to say it has been almost warmer then summer. I love the fact that I can still walk around in thin sweaters and don't need to wear heavy jackets yet. So with the season, comes new makeup look. I also tend to lean towards darker lipsticks and darker eye makeup. Today's look is one of those that I've been wearing a lot this month, because it's just so easy and I think the red based shades actually suit my skin tone and especially my hair color. But I think the makeup look is very universally flattering.


I used cream eyeshadow, which has a warm red base with golden shimmer. After that I applied red based brown eyeshadow all over the lid. On the lower lid, I just put the same red based brown eyeshadow. 


In the inner corner of the eye, I used light gold shade to highlight it and give it more warmth. It wouldn't be my kind of staple look without the winged eyeliner and lots of mascara.Very quick and basic eye makeup.



On my lips I mixed two shades of lipstick. One is a more neutral red shade and the other is more of a plum shade. It gave me the perfect amount of red and purple hues.


On the face I did the usual - foundation, concealer, powder. Then I used bronzer as all over bronzed look and I used gold highlighter on the high points of the cheeks, bridge of the nose, tip of the nose and cupids bow. I used a brick shade for the blush. It has the perfect amount of red and orange in it. On my nails I used a very deep violet black shade.




Do you like to go darker in the fall, too? For me the fall season is one of those times when I tend to reach for darker and bolder nail polishes as well as makeup.


Products used

Eyes:
Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr in 70 Metallic Pomegrante
Essence Cookies & Cream eyeshadow in 03 Last Night a Cookie Saved My Life!
Terra Naturi Shimmer Powder Body & Face in 01 Golden Highlight
L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim in Intense Black
L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes in Black

Lips:
Bourjois Rouge Edition 12 hours lipstick in 33
Essence Dark Romance lipstick in 01 Red Romance

Face:
Catrice All Matt Plus foundation in 010 Light Beige and Bioderma Sensibio AR BB Cream
Revlon Colorstay Concealer
Rimmel Stay Matte powder
Elf Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder in St. Lucia (the bronzer)
Terra Naturi Shimmer Powder Body & Face in 01 Golden Highlight
Deborah blush in 24 Rame

Nails:
Kiko Quick Dry nail polish in 829

Review: Bourjois Rouge Edition 12 hours (shade 33)

Hey Beauties!

Bourjois is one of the brands that I admire. Ever since I heard that Bourjois company owns Chanel, I was sold. It means, they must have somewhat similar or even the same makeup formulas and since Chanel is so raved about, I like to think that I get the quality of Chanel, but for a lower price. Don't kill my dream, please ;).


The other week our MĂ¼ller drugstore had a 30% discount on some brands. I was shopping with Sabina from Sabina's Little Happy Place and we couldn't resist the temptation. I think both of us bought lipstick from their Rouge Edition 24 hours range. I got it in the shade 33.

The packaging is pretty shiny black. At the bottom is transparent plastic pot, through which you can see the shade of the lipstick. I must say, I really like the pink and orange writing on it. The packaging is plastic, but seems sturdy and has a nice click when it closes. The lipstick was priced at 12.19€, but I got it for 8.53€. With Bourjois it really isn't cheap. But it is worth it in my opinion.


I love the shape of lipstick bullet. It seems to be cut in a shape that fits perfectly on the lips. I also find that it gives me a really nice precision in the corners, since it is a bit pointy at the top. The lipstick glides on the lips very smoothly. The formula seems very smooth, but it's also very pigmented. It all depends on the pressure. If you put more pressure on the lips, you get really pigmented lips. If you want to have a sheerer application, it's advisable to put in on the center of the lips and smudge it around the lips with finger. I often do that, when I want that stained lip effect.

I was genuinely surprised by how light the wear of this lipstick is. I'm so used to cheaper lipsticks, which feel very heavy on the lips. I honestly forgot I wore it. It's not matte as in Velvet Edition lipsticks, but it's not shiny in any way. I guess is more of a silky finish. It could be matte in a sense. It feel pretty moisturizing and it didn't dry out my lips at all. Which is a miracle, because all the lipsticks make my lips very dry. It's not extremely long lasting, but it wears off nicely. If you apply it all over the lips and don't drink or eat, it will slowly fade away and become less pigmented on the lips. 


The shade 33 is a very interesting mix of tones. It's hard to describe it. It looks like a very natural red pink shade. It's definitely warm toned and it has a mixture of red, pink and somewhat purple tones. It could be someones my lips but better shade. I find that it's the perfect blend of traditional lipstick shades. On me it looks like a light natural red shade with warm orange pink undertone. It can look a bit darker, if I apply more. 




Very unique shade in my opinion, because I don't own anything that looks similar. I also like that it's different to my collection, which is usually just red, dark red, orange and nude shades. I also really like the opaque, yet moisturizing and light feeling of it. It's a winner in my opinion and I would want to buy a lot more shades, if only they were a bit cheaper.



Have you tried any of the Rouge Edition 12 hours lipsticks? Which is your favorite Bourjois lipstick shade?

Review: E.l.f. Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder

Hey Beauties!

I have tried so many new products and have a lot of reviews to write about. One of the products that I bought is also this bronzer and blush duo by Elf. I got it somewhere in August and have been using it ever since. Especially the bronzer. It has become a staple product in my everyday makeup. Also as a way of maintaining or matching my vacation sun tan :).


The packaging is matte black and plastic. I find that the snap works great at keeping the product safely closed. Inside is a mirror, which is unfortunately not secure. I think it may fall out any time. Maybe it was just glued together badly. The product in it, however, seems to be very secure. I like the sleekness of matte packaging, but find that I get it very dirty.

Inside there's 8.4 grams of product and I bought it for 3$ (approximately 2.34€ or 1.84£) on iHerb. It's safe to say that it's one of the cheapest products for that amount. I heard it is supposed to be a cheap dupe for Nars Orgasm blush and Lagoona bronzer. I don't have these, so I can't say if it is.



The Blush

The blush is a a brick orange shade. I find that it's a dark peach or orange with red undertone. It could almost be a contour shade, that's probably why the name of this product is called Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder. It has a pretty visible gold shimmer. I actually don't really like the fact that the gold glitter is really seen on the skin. Especially on the sun. The shade is really pretty and would suit a lot of people. For very fair skins it could be too dark. I also find it to be very hard to the touch. That means you get less product on the brush and you need to dip into the blush a lot.

The Bronzer

Bronzer has a very warm toned brown shade. It's perfect for warm toned skins. It doesn't seem neither too orange, neither too taupe. It's a really pretty golden brown shade that is perfect for creating sun kissed look. The bronzer also has golden shimmer in it, but it's a lot smaller than in blush. It gives silky glow to the skin. The finish on the skin is really beautiful. Not for those who like it matte, but for a really nice silkiness on the skin. The texture is also a lot more silky and velvet to the touch. The brush picks up the product easily and it's nicer to blend than the blush.



Here you can also see what my face looks like without the blush and bronzer and with. Keep in mind that the photo was taken before I got some sun tan.



I am obsessed with bronzer and love the effect that it gives me. I tend to use it all over the outer edges of the face, on the nose and on the cheeks. I use it to still have that sun tanned look that I really like. What can I say?! I'm really pale in the winter, so once I have the opportunity to channel my inner J.Lo glow, I do it big! :) I could pass the blush, but it's not as bad either. Just hope the shimmer would be less visible. After all it's 3$! It's well worth it, especially for the bronzer :).

What Elf product do you adore and would recommend them to me?

How I take makeup photos for my blog

Hey Beauties!

I never seem to have enough time to do some longer posts for my blog. Life is just busy lately. I finally decided that I need to write this post, which I'm not even sure, if it will help anyone. My "technique" for taking makeup photos for my blog is so basic and so simple that I don't even know if it's worth mentioning it. But I did get some questions as to how I take makeup photos, so here it goes.

Warning: I took some photos with my old digital camera, so some may be worse quality than others.


Firstly, I own a very basic compact camera and my photos are not even close to being perfect. I will say that I prefer the rough look of the makeup, rather then Photoshoping my photos to death. I think it just looks more real. Usually, I don't even use brightness on my makeup photos, because I don't want to change the color of the skin. That being said, my camera sometimes makes my photos a bit too blue, or a bit too orange. I will try to correct these mistakes in the future. I will also admit that I sometimes patch up a pimple or something like that, because I am not perfect and never will be. I also crop the photos to frame just what I want to have on the photo.

I take my photos in front of a huge balcony window in my room. My room is sadly, on the east side, that means I don't get a lot of natural light in the afternoon. Taking photos in the morning, makes them too orange, as for taking them in the afternoon makes them to blue. So just experiment and you'll see in which light you look best. I am all for natural light, when it comes to makeup.

I have a small table, which I put in front of the window. That's where I usually do my makeup and put on anything I need for taking photos.



On my camera I use macro settings for makeup. It works best for me, because I want the focus on the face, not the rest of the body and hair. I also think it looks the most flattering on my face shape. So, for taking makeup photos my camera is always set on macro. Then I can also choose the lightning - like sunny, cloudy and so on. Sometimes I also change the ISO, but not often and never higher then 400. 

The necessary tool is mirror. I have a small self-standing mirror, which I use to see what I'm taking photos of. I hold my camera in front of me with the left hand and in the right hand I hold the mirror. I hold the mirror in an angle, which allows me to see what is in the focus of the camera. That's all the magic to it. I find that to be the easiest way of taking makeup photos of yourself. Especially, if you don't know you're angles, like models. I need the mirror to position myself so that I can look my best. After doing this a lot, it becomes quicker and easier. You know which angles suits you and how every part of the face looks best. 


I like the shot of my lips being sideways, because it makes them look full and plump. I also like them to be diagonal and not straight, because it just gives the photo more dimension. 




As for the eyes I turn my head on the side and a little diagonal, so that my eyes look wide awake. I always pull my brows up high, because that's the only way I get the whole eye makeup on the photo. I have somewhat hooded eyes and a lot of my makeup will not be seen, if not pulling up the brow. 









Now if you want to make things easier, you can use any sort of tripod. Holding the camera and mirror can get really heavy and physically hard. Tripod frees your hands and makes photos a lot more still. You can put the camera on a tripod, turn it so your face looks good in shot (with the help of mirror) and then just have one finger on the camera to take photos. It gets really easy this way and you get those photos that look very similar or in the same position, so you can put them together in row, when you're trying to make a makeup tutorial.  


I know this is so physically challenging sometimes and so basic that you can have a lot better results with some other techniques. But I just wanted to share, how I do it. Even though, I've made a lot of makeup posts, I still take 200 photos of one makeup look and then try to decide which are good. It takes a lot of work, but it's a system that I am happy with, for now.

I hope this helped at least one person and that you maybe got some ideas as to how you'll take your makeup photos of yourself ;).

Do you have any tips on taking your own photos of makeup looks? Share them with me :).

7 Deadly Sins of Beauty Tag

Hey Beauties!

A little tag, for a change. I was tagged by Invisibly Perfect to do the 7 Deadly Sins of Beauty. I've already seen this tag, but was never tagged before. So, thank you for tagging me ;).


1.GREED: What's your most expensive beauty item?
I don't really have very expensive beauty products. I like to splurge on hair care and skin care more than on beauty products. My most expensive has to be my one and only MAC lipstick (High Tea).


2.WRATH: Which beauty item do you have a love / hate relationship with?
I've thought about this one and I can't pick one item. I have to say foundations in general. I feel like my skin changes so much that sometimes one foundation looks great one me and the other day it just doesn't seem to work with me.

3.GLUTTONY: What brand makes up the biggest chunk of your make up collection?
I guess it's Essence. It's a cheap brand and I have a lot of their products, especially from their limited editions.


4.SLOTH: What product do you neglect due to laziness?
Bold lipsticks. I can't always be bothered with the long and precise application process and the maintenance that comes with wearing it out.


5.PRIDE: Which beauty product gives you the most confidence?
Winged eyeliner. It's just something so sexy about it and it makes the eyes look so much bigger and wider.


6.LUST: Which beauty product is on the top of your list?
Am...there are so many, that I don't know which one would be at the very top. Oh, I know - Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow. It's on my dream list more than a wish list, because I know I'll probably never get it.

7.ENVY: Which make up product / look looks great on others but not on yourself?
Pink or violet toned pink lipsticks. I just find that pink lip products don't flatter me at all. The same goes for anything too cool toned. It just doesn't looks nice with my skin tone.

This was fun :). I don't know who else hasn't done this tag, but I do tag Sabina from Sabina's Little Happy Place ;).
Everyone else, if you haven't done it and you'd like to do it, leave me the link below so I'll read it.

Review: Nuxe RĂªve de Miel lip balm

Hey Beauties!

I know a lot has been written about this product, but I just needed to add my part. First, let me say that I am one of those people who gets chopped lips all the damn time. It's not some pleasure that I would endure only in the winter time, but all seasons around. Now you know that I am definitely on the search for a good lip product, because, not to sound desperate, my lip life depends on it.


But first let me start with some numbers. Nuxe RĂªve de Miel is not one of the cheap lip products. It costs something around 12€ or more, depending on where you buy it. I got in while it was on sale on Feelunique for 8.23€ (around 7£, around 10$). There's 15 grams of product in it.

The packaging is a very heavy well made glass with a plastic lid. It's definitely not breakable, but not travel friendly, because of the weight. 


The texture is a very thick transparent cream, which looks yellow in the pot, but leaves no color on the lips. Once you apply it, it seems to melt a little, so the application is easier. It's probably due to the warm temperature of the fingers. I have to say the pot thing - not practical at all. You need to put your fingers in the put and bring in god knows what kind of bacteria. Now, if this was available in a stick form...oh yeah, that would be amazing!


The lip balm looks somewhat matte, definitely no shine on the lips. It sits nicely on the lips and is not sticky. I sometimes see it gets stuck in the inner corners of the lips. That happens when I put on too much of it and when my lips are extremely dry. If you put a thin layer on, it's also a good base for the lipstick, just don't overreact with it, like I did. 

It smells really nice. I would say it smells like lemon pastry, like a sweet lemon pie?! Maybe. Not a bad smell, at all.

Here's the ingredients lips for those who are interested.


As far as the performance goes, I still don't know what to think of it. It really does help the lips, especially dry and lightly chopped lips. If you put this on at night, the lips will look like new in the morning. It  is really really good product. However, when my lips were in a really horrible condition through this summer, one day of application wasn't enough to completely treat my lips. I know, maybe I'm looking for a miracle, but I thought it would really work in seconds. My lips were swollen, red, chopped and itchy. I needed about three to five days to completely recover my lips. 

So what I'm trying to say is, it really is an amazing product, but you still need to use it frequently, if your lips are in an extremely horrible condition. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has very dry and often chopped lips, like I do. For everyone else, it's not a must have product. If you found something that works for you, a regular lip balm, then don't wait your money on this. But for those who have tried everything and are desperate - buy it, you won't be sorry. 

I am using it every single night before I go to sleep and in the morning. I've had it for around 2 and half months and I still have one third of it. Keep in mind that I used it almost every half and hour, when my lips were chopped, so I think it's worth the money. But just in case, buy it when it's on the sale - so look out for a good deal :).

Review: Catrice Beautifying Lip Smoother (020 Apricot Cream)

Hey Beauties!

If you're on a market for a new lip product, than you should read this review. It's one of the products that looks a lot like Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector. I've heard a lot about Clarins Lip Perfector, but this is a pretty cheap version of a really good lip gloss formula.


The packaging is a plastic tube with silver top. I find the packaging really practical. There's a sponge on top of the applicator, which gets soaked by the lip smoother. The sponge helps with the even application on the lips. It's also not the most hygienic, since the sponge is always soaked in the product. I love it, though.

There's 9 ml of product in it and it costs 3.79€.


The product is very creamy and shiny. It doesn't feel particularly sticky, but it's also not one of those completely non-sticky formulas. It sits nice on the lips and doesn't feel heavy or sticky at all on me. 

The shade 020 Apricot Cream looks like a milky peach shade. In it is a peachy pink very subtle shimmer. It's unseen on the lips, but makes them very juicy and light reflective. I think the subtle shimmer and silky formula makes the lips look very plump and healthy looking. It also visibly makes them a bit fuller. The shade looks like a really natural peachy shade on the lips.

The smell to me, is really nice. Somewhat of a sweet vanilla?!






It's one of those products that you wouldn't notice it, but when you use it, it somehow makes a difference. I really like the subtle color and the natural enhancement it gives to the lips. It really is what it says, beautifying lip smoother, because it makes your natural lips a bit prettier. Don't know about the smoothing abilities, but the lips are always really smooth after the use. It will stick to dry patches, so nice lips are a predisposition for the best results. Don't expect a long wear, since it is some sort of a lip gloss.


Catrice really hit it with this product. I can see myself repurchasing it over and over again.