NOTW: Nude

Hello hunnies! Today I have a little nude manicure for you. This is the last manicure with these long nails, I've cut them today because they were getting a bit annoying and were in dire need of some shaping/filing. ;) I used Ciate's Cookies & Cream for the first time and I have to say I really like it. It doesn't look like much on these pictures but it's really pretty in person - it's a nude shade with some taupe/pink undertones. Lovely! I really liked wearing it, it makes your nails look very chic and sophisticated. ;) It is on the sheer side, I needed 3 thin coats and it still wasn't totally opaque in certain lighting but I really didn't mind that much.

♥ Nailtiques Formula 2 (base coat)

♥ Ciate Cookies and Cream (3 thin coats)

♥ Seche Vite Dry Fast (top coat)

So, what do you think of this nail polish or nude nail polishes in general? Do you like to wear them? :)

*Yves Rocher Grand Rouge lipstick

Hello my lovelies! Today I'd like to show you a gorgeous lipstick I got at the Yves Rocher event in December. We each got a little paper 'bag' if you will, with a lipstick, mascara and eyeshadow (eye pigment) inside. Some of us got this beautiful red lipstick (it's called Gourmand Red/Rouge Gourmand) and some a lovely purple shade. 

The lipstick comes in a lovely golden bullet/casing that opens and shuts securely. It has a nice, almost sweet scent, but nothing overpowering so I think it wouldn't bother those who prefer scentless lipsticks. It's a very pigmented lipstick - one swipe and you're done. It glides nicely on the lips, does not accentuate dry patches/areas and feels moisturizing. It has a creamy, almost silky texture in my opinion and I really like that - I absolutely despise dry lipsticks that tug on the lips. Because of this nice texture it gives a lovely, subtle sheen to the lips, it's not glossy but definitely not matte.

As far as the staying power goes I would say it's quite nice. I've worn it to a family/pre-Christmas dinner and it held on very well whilst I ate and drank (though I ended up removing it because I was afraid I would get it all over my glass, hands, face... you know). It does not appear to stain the lips and can be removed quite easily. I can't tell you anything about it bleeding around the lips, since I never (dare) to wear a red lipstick without a lip liner (on the pictures bellow I'm wearing it over NYX lip liner in Plush Red).

All in all I have to say I really like this lipstick. I like how it feels and looks on my lips, I think the shade really suits me and I don't have anything bad to say about it really. I would love to try out some other shade from their selection. :)

If you'd like to try out this lipstick, go and check it out in one of Yves Rocher stores or on-line. For my Slovenian readers - go and check it out here (it's currently 20% off). For my international readers, go and take a look at it here.

Meet my... BRONZES/COPPERS

Hello lovelies! Another Saturday, another 'Meet my...' post for you. Today I decided to showcase all of my bronze/copper eyeshadows. The last one in the row, Inglot AMC 52 looks like an 'ordinary' brown shade, but I didn't include it in my browns because it has golden/coppery glitter added to it and all the browns I showed you in my previous 'Meet my...' post were matte.

L to R: Seductive, Sophisticated, Silly, Smog, Ever After, Ambush, Radar, Inglot AMC 52

L to R: Seductive, Sophisticated, Silly, Smog, Ever After, Ambush, Radar, Inglot AMC 52

So, here we have Seductive, Sophisticated and Silly from the Nude'tude palette. I'm really not a fan of Sophisticated and Silly because they are a bit on the sheer side. Seductive is nice, quite similar to Smog (UD Naked palette). Then we have the gorgeous Ever After from Too Faced Romantic eye palette, followed by Ambush and Radar from UD Vice2. Last but not least is the 'odd' one (because it's brown with glitter, not really bronze or copper), Inglot AMC 52. 

My favorite out of this bunch would have to be Smog, Ever After and the two newest shades, Ambush and Radar from Vice2. :) Which are your favorites? Do you like wearing these kind of shades?

Antipodes Grace Gentle Cream Cleanser

Hello my lovelies! Today I'll be reviewing Antipodes Grace gentle cream cleanser. I bought it a while ago, along with the Aura Manuka Honey mask (which I love). I'm a true die-hard fan of the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish hot cloth cleanser and I still haven't found a cleanser that would work as good as this one does, but that doesn't stop me from searching. :) I really like to test out skin care products, especially cleansers in hope of finding the best new thing. I thought I'd give this one a try and see how it would work for my skin...

Unfortunately we did not get along... my skin really did not like this cleanser. And the strange part about this is that I don't really know why, it's quite strange - when I apply this cleanser to my skin and start massaging it in, my skin starts to experience a slight burning sensation, it's really mild but enough that it doesn't feel very pleasant. It's not an allergic reaction because my skin does not become itchy or red or anything, it just doesn't seem to like the cleanser, maybe it's one of the ingredients or something (even though the ingredients are really nice). I tried it a couple of times in hopes of a different outcome, but that strange burning sensation is always present so I decided to stop using it.

The other two things that I dislike about this cleanser is the scent and it's makeup removing properties. The scent is very strange in my opinion - it kind of smells like sunscreen, which surprised me since all other Antipodes products have such lovely scents to them. That said, it's not a terrible scent or anything, it's just not pleasant.

As far as it's makeup removing properties go... they are... shall we say weak? It does take off makeup like foundation, blush, bronzer and such, but it does struggle a lot with eye makeup and it did burn my eyes a bit as well. However, to be fair, this is a gentle cleanser - cleanser, not makeup remover, so you shouldn't expect it to be excellent at removing makeup, I just wanted to test it out because I love to have a cleanser and makeup remover in one. As a gentle, daily cleanser I would say it does a great job and leaves the skin nice and soft.

The price is pretty high as it is with all Antipodes products - I paid 31.24 € for it. If it would work for my skin, I wouldn't mind the high price but since my skin doesn't get along with, I won't be repurchasing it. And because I feel it would be such a shame to let it go to waste I'd like to give you a chance to win it - who knows maybe your skin will love it. :) 

 

*EDIT* giveaway ended 

FOTD: Gentle

Hello hunnies! Today I have quite a gentle makeup look for you (at least I think it's gentle). I got inspired to create this look by Tanya Burr when I saw her 'Fresh & Pretty Drugstore Makeup for School' tutorial. I've been actually wearing this look quite a lot lately. I really didn't expect I would love it that much because I tend to change my look every time I do my makeup (I at least do a different eye makeup/use a different shadow) but I just keep on recreating it. :)

I apologize for my hair... I was having a really bad hair day. :S I was also experimenting with my 'photography', because I wanted a different background than the usual 'curtains behind me background'. I mounted my camera on a tripod and snapped away... here's what I came up with. Please let me know what you think of the pictures. :)

What I used for this look:

Face:
♥ Illamasqua Skin Base foundation (in shade 3.5)
♥ Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying powder
♥ Urband Decay b6 Vitamin-infused prep complexion spray
♥ Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer (in Milk Chocolate)
♥ e.l.f. Blush & Bronzing cream
♥ Sleek Contour kit (I used the highlighter)

Eyes:
♥ theBalm Put a lid on it eyeshadow primer
♥ Sin eyeshadow (Urban Decay Naked palette)
♥ Virgin on the brow bone and inner eye corner (UD Naked palette)
♥ Maybelline One by One mascara
♥ e.l.f. Mechanical eyelash curler
♥ Catrice Eyebrow filler

Lips:
♥ Urban Decay Revolution lipstick (in Naked)

You could use a mineral foundation instead of a liquid one (that's what I do when I don't need a lot of coverage). I really love using Sin form my Naked palette as an all over lid color - I used to use it only as a highlighter but now I see it's really pretty as a stand alone shade as well. :) I used a bronzer for this look, but you could go with only a little blush and a bit of highlighter - that's totally up to you. 

Let me know what you think of the pictures and the look itself - would you or do you wear this kind of gentle looks or do you rather go for something a bit more dramatic? :D

My Essie nail polish collection

Hello my lovelies! Today I thought I'd share my Essie nail polish collection with you. I've managed to accumulate quite a few of them over the past months and I absolutely love them. They are great quality nail polishes with an awesome brush and formula.

L to R: Funny Face, Over The Edge, Mesmerized, Warm & Toasty Turtleneck, Chinchilly

L to R: Funny Face, Over The Edge, Mesmerized, Warm & Toasty Turtleneck, Chinchilly

L to R: Blanc, Instant Hot, Mint Candy Apple, Absolutely Shore, Hors d'Oeuvres

L to R: Blanc, Instant Hot, Mint Candy Apple, Absolutely Shore, Hors d'Oeuvres

My favorite of the bunch would probably have to be Blanc, because it's just an awesome white nail polish you have to have in your collection. Then of course the famous Mint Candy Apple - the perfect mint nail polish. The other three would have to be Chinchilly, Warm & Toasty Turtleneck and the newest addition, Instant Hot - just such a lovely pale pink color. 

I have yet to wear Mesmerized, Absolutely Shore and Hors d'Oeuvres so I can't tell you how I like them on my nails, but they all look absolutely beautiful. :) The two I tend to neglect are Funny Face (because I prefer Ciate's Knickerbockerglory, which is kind of similar) and Over The Edge (though it's a great shade really).

The two nail 'polishes' I didn't feature are not really nail polishes but treatments/base/top coats - I have Grow Richer (a treatment and a base coat in one) and All in one base (which is supposed to be a treatment, base and top coat). I really like both of these products, though I prefer Nailtiques Formula 2 as a base coat and Seche Vite as my top coat.

L to R: Hors d'Oeuvres, Absolutely Shore, Mint Candy Apple, Instant Hot, Blanc, Chinchilly, Warm & Toasty Turtleneck, Mesmerized, Over The Edge, Funny Face

L to R: Hors d'Oeuvres, Absolutely Shore, Mint Candy Apple, Instant Hot, Blanc, Chinchilly, Warm & Toasty Turtleneck, Mesmerized, Over The Edge, Funny Face

L to R: Hors d'Oeuvres, Absolutely Shore, Mint Candy Apple

L to R: Instant Hot, Blanc, Chinchilly

L to R: Warm & Toasty Turtleneck, Mesmerized, Over The Edge, Funny Face

So, here they are... I'll be definitely getting more Essie polishes in the future because I really like them. :) Which are your favorites from my collection? Do you own any Essie nail polishes, which ones are your to picks? :D

Maja couldn't watch... TV shows

Hello my lovelies! I thought it was about time I did another 'Maja watches/reads/listens' post... most of you seem to like them and I like writing them, so here we go. ;) Today I thought I'd do one about TV shows I just couldn't watch. These are shows I started watching with high hopes but they ended up disappointing me or just didn't intrigue me enough. This is just my personal opinion so don't be offended, if these are one of your favorite TV shows. :)

FRINGE

I started watching fringe last year. I downloaded the first season and actually enjoyed quite a few episodes but then it just started to get so damn complicated and weird. And I'm a girl who loves sci-fi, vampires, werewolfs and all that jazz... but this was just something that I didn't get or at least didn't get along with. I loved the cast, especially Joshua Jackson and John Noble and I loved the way they interacted with one another... but the whole plot/story line was just a bit much for me so I stopped watching it before the first season even ended (I don't know, maybe it got better later, but I probably won't try to find out any time soon).

REVENGE

So many people love or are even obsessed with Revenge but I just couldn't wrap my head around it. I thought it was an awesome TV show, it had (still has) a great IMDB score, so I downloaded a few episodes to see what all the excitement was about. I'm sad to say I didn't even make it through the first episode. I just found it very confusing. I understand it's supposed to be mysterious and of course about revenge, but I feel it's a bit too mysterious so you basically don't know who's who and what's what most of the time... Now, you're probably thinking - Maja, you just watched one episode, not even that and you're saying it's bad?! I know, I know... but I have seen a few more episodes here and there on television and it's still the same - you don't really know what's going on. Plus the whole plotting and scheming all the time is just annoying. I just don't like it... :)

NEW GIRL

I was in love with this show all throughout the first season. I found it hilarious and very original. I loved the chemistry between Nick and Jess and the whole '3 guys living with 1 girl' thing... it was awesome. The kiss scene between Nick and Jess deserves a 'best kiss award' or something but unfortunately... it all went down hill after that. After Nick and Jess got together (which I was all for) everything got a bit weird... and not in a funny, good way. Then the whole Cece not marrying that guy because she was in love with Schmidt, but he was with his ex... I don't know, it just kind of fell apart for me. And not just the relationships, the lines weren't as good and it became more stupid than funny. So... I stopped watching it. Such a shame, I think the show really had potential to be something amazing.

 

TOMORROW PEOPLE

I was really excited about this new CW show. Of all the new ones that were coming this one seemed the most interesting and original. Unfortunately it turned out to be quite a disappointment for me. And it's not even that the show is terrible or anything like that, there's just something missing... The acting isn't all that great, the chemistry is a bit flimsy and the whole plot/story line becomes a bit boring. This could be such an exciting, action/romance packed TV show, but somehow they didn't capture that. It seems to be more about certain characters and their memories, fatherless childhood and all that depressing stuff. I tried watching it for as long as I could, but then I just gave up. :)



 

THE CLIENT LIST

I have a huge girl crush on Jeniffer Love Hewitt so I just had to check out this show. I really liked the Ghost Whisperer, even though it wasn't all that amazing, it was a nice, one could even say family show - always a happy ending. The Client List however has some other happy endings in mind... if you know what I mean. :) I always found Jennifer Love Hewitt to be a very 'womanly' woman, very sexy and just gorgeous, so I thought she would be perfect for a show like this. And it turned out she is/was. I thoroughly enjoyed the first season of it, even though it was a mediocre show at best, I found it very interesting and fresh. But as soon as the first season ended and the second one started, it all went down hill... I also read that it was being canceled after the second season, so I decided to drop it there and leave with good memories of the first season.



 

WITCHES OF EAST END

This is a new TV show, it aired last year and it's only on its 2nd season. I discovered it recently and decided to give it a go... I kind of liked the pilot, it was interesting, especially when I saw Jenna Dewan Tatum was playing one of the main characters. The two brothers are also mighty fine and the whole witching thing got me interested so I decided to watch a couple more episodes and see where it takes me. Unfortunately I soon discovered it wasn't all that good. The acting is really, really bad and I mean REALLY BAD. I find Julia Ormond's strange ameri-english accent terribly annoying. Special effects are horrible and when I take all these things into account, the two brothers just aren't hot enough for me to keep on watching this show. :) I tried, really I did... I just can't.


What do you think of these TV shows? Which ones have you found hard to watch or simply couldn't watch?

Meet my... BROWNS :)

Hello hunnies! I decided to create a little 'Meet my...' segment on the blog. It's going to be a segment where I showcase all my eyeshadows from a certain group/family. So there will also be pinks, blues, purples, greens and so on and so on. I hope you find this interesting, please let me know your thoughts on this. :)

We're going to start with the least exciting but pretty important group of eyeshadows - browns. I feel like you just can't own too many browns. Brown colors are great as stand alone eyeshadows, as transition colors in the crease, as outer v colors, they can be excellent for filling in your eyebrows and much, much more. :) So, without further ado, here they are... my browns. :D

L to R: Naked, Naked2, Buck, Sultry, Faint, Rewind, Sleek

L to R: Naked, Naked2, Buck, Sultry, Faint, Rewind, Sleek

All of these brown eyeshadows are from my UD Naked palette (Naked and Buck), UD Naked Basics palette (Naked2 and Faint), Vice2 palette (Rewind) and theBalm Nude'tude palette (Sultry and Sleek). All are matte eyeshadows but some may have a tiny bit of a sheen to them, nothing noticeable, really.

So, are you a fan of brown eyeshadows? Which is your favorite out of my collection and out of yours? :)

NOTW: Illamasqua Baptiste

Hello my lovelies! I hope you're having a lovely day today! If you're not than perhaps this little manicure will cheer you up a bit. :D I recently ordered a couple of things from Illamasqua and this gorgeous nail polish came with the set. It's absolutely stunning! The application was a bit tricky but nothing terrible. The color is very opaque - one coat would be quite enough, but I always go for two. ;) This is the second day I'm wearing it so I can't tell you anything about the staying power yet, but I will update you, I promise (though I suspect it will be just as great as my other nail polishes since I always use my trusty Seche Vite top coat).

Here are a few pictures of the nail polish itself, so you can see it in all it's glory... :)

Here's what I used for this manicure:

♥ Essie Grow Richer (base coat)

♥ Illamasqua nail polish in Baptiste (two coats)

♥ Seche Vite dry fast (top coat)

What do you think of this manicure - like it? Is it something you would wear? :) Have you tried any Illamasqua nail polishes?

*Yves Rocher Cocoa & Orange hand cream and Bio Nourishing lip balm

Hello my lovelies! Today I'll be reviewing two products (of the many) I got at the Yves Rocher event in December. First and foremost, a disclaimer - the girls from Yves Rocher did not give us all these wonderful products in exchange for reviews, these products were gifts and a way for us to get to know the brand and possibly let our readers know as well, if we wanted to. :) Now onto the products...

The first product I decided to try out was the Cocoa & Orange hand cream. I believe this range (Cacao Collection) was a limited one so I don't know, if you can still get this cream or any other products from this line. Though I wish this line was a permanent one, because I love anything that has to do with chocolate or cocoa, especially when it's paired with orange, pistachio nut and raspberry (these three scents were available in the range and all of them smell absolutely heavenly). :)

The cream really smells like cocoa and orange, the scent is very realistic and not at all fake-like or even chemically smelling (you know how sometimes beauty products want to mimic certain scents but end up smelling weird and just wrong?). It reminds me of Lindt dark chocolate with orange, that's how good it smells. :) But it doesn't just smell nice, it's also a really lovely hand cream that moisturizers your skin but does not sit on it - it sinks in very fast. I absolutely love using this cream (and smelling my hands after)... :)

The second product I decided to try out was the Bio Nourishing lip balm. It's from their new, bio collection. I have to be honest... I'm not jumping around from excitement about this product. And it's not a bad product at all, just not my cup of tea. It comes in a squeeze tube and is has a clear gel-like consistency, which I'm not really a fan of (I prefer the regular, chap stick kind of lip balms). It does a very good job at moisturizing the lips, but I don't apply it a lot, because I don't particularity like the consistency, scent or taste of it - it smells and tastes a bit weird, kind of like honey, but not really. I like that it's 'bio' and it does a great job at being a lip balm... I'll probably use it up but I wouldn't repurchase it.

I've been trying other Yves Rocher products in the past few weeks and I'm really loving them. I think the brand is really underrated, especially for the great quality and prices it has. Stay tuned for more reviews next week, if you're interested in the brand. :)

Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey mask

Hello lovelies! Today I have a review of a lovely face mask from Antipodes. I think I first heard of it from Živa (Nothin' Fancy. Really) but later I also heard Essie (essiebutton on YouTube) raving on about Antipodes. Antipodes is a pretty expensive line so it took a while and a lot of reviews for me to order this mask... but was it worth the money? :)

I have to say it was worth it... :) However I do feel the need to tell my readers that this mask does not preform any miracles on my skin, actually I can't really say I notice any huge affects on my skin after using it. However, it does feel really nice (it's a rich, creamy mask) and leaves my skin soft and supple. And of course, it smells absolutely heavenly which is always a plus. 

Now why I say this masks doesn't do miracles for my skin... it's because it is marketed as a cleansing mask as well as a deeply moisturizing one. I'm guessing the manuka honey should be working on the cleansing part of it (since honey does have antiseptic properties) but I can't really say, if it does any of that. For instance, my Queen Helene Mint Julep masque does wonders for me and really makes a difference, it also works amazingly well as a spot treatment... whereas this mask only feels like it's moisturizing my skin. And that's great, my skin does need moisture but I believe a far cheaper mask could do the same, if you get what I'm trying to say. Maybe I would notice some more apparent effects of it, if I would use it a couple of times a week or apply it really generously, but in this case I would've probably ran out of it by now.

Now the strange part is that even though I don't find this mask to be amazing, I love it so very much. :) I love the way it feels on my skin, I absolutely adore the scent of it (it makes me happy when ever I take a whiff of it) and I just want to keep on using it. I currently own about 5 masks and I find myself reaching for this one time and time again (though I restrain myself and use others as well). The mask is very pricey - I got it for 26.88 € on Feelunique and it's a pretty small tube as well (75 ml). But even so... I have a feeling I'll be repurchasing it... over and over. :)

So what are your thoughts on this masks? Own it, want to try it out? Do you spend a lot of money on skin care? :)