All my reds... :)

Hello my lovelies! I had a wonderful weekend and I'm back with a bunch of posts for you. I decided to 'open up' this week with a post about my red lipsticks. For a girl that wears red lipstick on special occasions, I sure do have a lot of them. :)

If you would ask me to wear red lipstick only a year or so ago, I would say hellz no (with three exclamation marks), but now I'm much more comfortable with it. I always wanted to wear red on my lips but I was just too afraid. Back in December though, I got invited to an event by Yves Rocher and got a bunch of goodies from them, including a beautiful red lipstick. It was that lipstick that sparked my interest in reds and got me determined to find a perfect red for myself (I do believe there is one out there for every girl). :)

L'Oreal, Smashbox, Essence, Alverde, Yves Rocher, Lime Crime, Avon, MAC

L'Oreal, Smashbox, Essence, Alverde, Yves Rocher, Lime Crime, Avon, MAC

I've managed to 'collect' quite a few red lipsticks over the last year and I really do like most of them. I still believe you can't wear red lipstick as a casual, everyday lip color - I think you really need to be put together and the makeup does have to appear quite flawless for a red lipstick. But for days when I do want a hint of red, yet don't want to go full out, I have L'Oreal's Caresse in Rebel Red or Smashbox lip gloss in Ruby - both give my lips that red tint yet are very low maintenance and allow me to forget about my lips and not have to check how everything looks every 15 minutes. :)

The only red lipstick I'm not too excited about is Essence Stay matt in Silky Red - the color is fine (though it is a very warm, almost orange-red), but the texture isn't. It is a matte lipstick so I understand it doesn't have a shine to it, but I find it looks just too flat on the lips and kind of drawn on/unnatural (if that makes sense). I love all the other lipsticks in my collection and I love the fact that none of them dry out my lips when I wear them. Aside from L'Oreal and Smashbox, I would have to say my favorites are Alverde's Velvet Kiss (such a gorgeous red shade), Lime Crime's Retrofuturist (because of the gorgeous shine and extreme long-wear/staining properties) and MAC's Viva Glam Rihanna (because of the tiny hint of shimmer it has).

Based on the pictures bellow, quite a few lipsticks seem to be very similar and some are, others not so much - try and click on the pictures to see the shades a bit better. :)

L: L'oreal Caresse (Rebel Red)    R: Smashbox lip gloss (Ruby)

L: Essence Stay matt (Silky Red)    R:Alverde lipstick (Velvet Kiss, LE)

L: Yves Rocher (Rouge Gourmand)   R: Lime Crime (Retrofuturist)

L: Avon Ultra Color (Red 2000)    R: MAC (Viva Glam Rihanna, LE)

So, are you a red lipstick kind of girl? How many red lipsticks do you have in your collection, which one is your favorite?

What do you think - can I pull off a red or not? Which ones look best to you? :)

Clarins Pure Melt cleansing gel

Hello lovelies! Today I have a skin care treat to show you - Clarins' Pure Melt cleansing gel. Now doesn't that just sound amazing? Well it doesn't just sound, it IS amazing!

I'm probably a little (a lot) late to jump on the bandwagon for this product, but hey, I was (still am) a die hard fan of Liz Earle's skin care, particularly the Cleanse&Polish and it was pretty hard for me to venture out of my comfort zone and decide to try out yet another cleanser/makeup remover (I was just mostly disappointed with everything else I tried and didn't work nearly as well as C&P). This baby however, exceeded my expectations and has become one of my favorite skin care products in no time. :)

I would almost dare to say this cleanser/cleansing gel works just as good as Cleanse&Polish, but they are so very different, it's pretty unfair to try and say this one is better than the other. I love both of them for different reasons, so it really comes down to personal preferences and of course how your skin reacts to each one. Compared to Cleanse&Polish (which is a cream cleanser), this is a gel that turns into an oil when you massage it into your skin and emulsifies when you add water to it (as I've hopefully demonstrated well enough in the pictures bellow). And that's precisely what makes me love both of them - sometimes I want to use Cleanse&Polish when I need a bit more of the 'polishing part' and other times I just prefer the ease of simply rinsing a cleanser off my skin, without having to use a muslin/wash cloth.

Pure Melt cleansing gel removes makeup with ease and just as well as Cleanse&Polish - the only 'part' where C&P does better is my eyes - since I use a muslin cloth to remove it, I can really get into every 'nook and cranny' in my eyes and remove every single trace of makeup, whereas with the Pure Melt gel, I sometimes have to go 'in' with a washcloth or just try to get everything off when I'm drying my face with a towel (I hope you get what I'm trying to say). 

The Pure Melt gel feels amazing on the skin and smells amazing as well (though the scent might bother some people, because it is quite strong). I use about the amount you see in the picture bellow (maybe a bit more) for my entire face.

As far as the price goes - it varies on where you buy it, I got it in Anabella (City Park) when Clarins was 20% off so I got it for 22 €, that means the full price would be around 27 €. It is quite a pricy cleanser but I think it's totally worth the money and it will last you quite a long time since you don't need to use a lot of it.

So, what are your thoughts on this cleanser/makeup remover - have you tried it, do you like it?

Lancôme Rose Ballerine Blush highlighter

Hello my darlings! Today I have a stunning product from Lancome to show you - Rose Ballerine blush highlighter. This is my very first product from Lancome and to be honest I didn't really know what to expect (was it going to be great or a high-end disappointment?), but when I saw the beautiful rose detail it had 'going on', I just had to get it. :)

At first I was afraid it would be really poorly pigmented since it is a blush-highlighter and is a very light color to begin with. I did my fare share of research before buying this blush and since most reviews were positive, I decided it was worth getting. 

To say that I'm happy with this blush is a huge understatement! Since the moment I got my hands on it, I fell in love! And when I first applied it on my cheeks, all my doubts and worries about the pigmentation disappeared. It is the most beautiful blush I have ever owned and it's not just beautiful in the pan (which is a whole other story - I mean just look at it, gorgeous!), it also looks amazing on my cheeks. :)

The packaging is obviously beautiful as well - a mirror like 'upper part' with a cute pink bow on it and black on the bottom. It feels nice in your hand, opens with a press on the button and shuts securely. It also has a nice mirror inside and of course the stunning blush with a 3D rose 'blooming out of it'. :)

The shade is a very light, rose pink with a hint of shimmer running through it - though you can't really see it when you're looking at the blush or when you apply it on your face, which is fine with me (I'm really not a fan of shimmery blushes). Yet somehow this tiny shimmer is what transforms this blush into a blush-highlighter. It gives a gorgeous but subtle sheen to the cheeks that is just so beautiful.

Now to me this blush is pure perfection, but I can imagine that it might disappoint some people, if they're expecting too much from it - this is not a soft, buttery blush and you do not need a light hand when applying it. It's quite a hard blush that has to be build up a bit (think the opposite of super pigmented Illamasqua blushes), yet it's still very finely milt and blends incredibly well (it just kind of melts with your skin). I use my Real Techniques Buffing brush to apply it - I swirl it around the blush (not gently at all) and then dab it on my cheeks. I usually do two applications to get the perfect amount of color on my cheeks. 

Also, since this is a very light blush, it probably wouldn't show up enough on darker skin tones, but it suits my fair skin very, very well. :)

So, here you have it - my new blush love! I really do enjoy wearing and staring at this beautiful blush and I'm really happy I decided to get it. :) I got it on Feelunique - the full price is 45.50 €, but I used a discount code and got it for 38 €.


What are your thoughts on it? Have you tried any products from Lancome?

New in: June

Hello my darlings! I hope you're having yourselves a wonderful Friday (even though it's pretty gloomy here in Ljubljana). :) I thought I'd show you some products I managed to acquire in June - I know I really like to read hauls/new in posts, so I hope you do too. :)

June has mostly been a skin care kind of month with just a few pieces of makeup in between. Mateja got me hooked on Look Fantastic (like I really needed to find another great shopping place) and I just couldn't pass on some great deals they had going on. Also, I'm trying to restrain myself from buying any more makeup I don't need. I'm not officially on a spending ban (I'm just not ready for one yet), but I have decided I need to use makeup more often and hit pan on at least on one product (seriously, I think I've never hit pan on anything - I've always managed to buy something new and exciting and use that). :)

Some shower products I got were Fa's Yoghurt Aloe Vera shower cream and Subrina's Strawberry Sorbet shower gel - these two were from my mom, I wouldn't really buy them myself, because both Fa and Subrina shower gels/creams aren't really nourishing, I'm more of a Dove fan (they really are the best drugstore brand for shower creams). The Subrina shower gel smells absolutely amazing, so I know I'll be using it and I'll probably end up using Fa as well (or giving it the husband - he doesn't really care what he uses under the shower). :)

And of course I had to get Garnier's Oil peeling (again, Mateja made me do it). It's not like I have 3 new peelings/scrubs waiting to be used up, I needed to add this one as well. :) But I think I'm really going to like it... I've just tried it on my hand today (when I was taking pictures) and it feels and smells amazing. Can't wait to try it out.

Aida got me hooked on Nuxe again, when she brought me her Huile Prodigieuse and I fell in love with it. :) It didn't take me long before I was casually browsing Look Fantastic for Nuxe products and found a great deal - it was Nuxe's Mothers day gift set. You got a full size Reve de Miel hand cream, a full size Reve de Miel lip balm and 30 ml of Huile Prodigieuse for 20 €! I mean, if that's not a great deal, I don't know what is.

Another recent obsession I blame on Aida is Caudalie skin care - she got me hooked with Vinosource SOS Thirst Quenching serum and made me want to try out more things from them. Again, whilst casually browsing through Look Fantastic (yeah right, I was just looking for an offer/excuse to buy something), I found the Must-have set from Caudalie which includes a 50 ml Micellar water, 30 ml Hand and nail cream, 30 ml Beauty Elixir, 30 ml Vinosource Moisturizing sorbet and a full size lip conditioner/lip balm. The set was only 22 €! Again, a great deal!

And then came a bit of makeup/nail products. I got Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara (finally! I've been dying to try it out for months) on Look Fantastic as well. I had a 15% off voucher code and got it for 19 € instead of almost 24 €. 

The most recent purchase was Bourjois CC cream - after loving the CC eye cream, I finally caved and bought the one for the face as well. I haven't tried it yet, but I hope it's good (I've been hearing/reading great things about it). And I've also (finally) got a matte top coat. I've really been wanting to play around with matte looks on my nails, but hadn't had a matte top coat. At first I thought I was going to get Essie's Matte about you, but then Muller had 20% off all OPI products and I decided to pick this one up for 10 €.

Last but not least is 100% Pure Coffe Bean eye cream which I got in Orca's giveaway on Facebook. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and I really like it. :)

So, here you have all my 'new-ins'. :) Let me know, if you're particularity interested in a product or two and would like to see a review soon.

MAC lipstick in Viva Glam Rihanna

Hello lovelies! Today I have a beautiful MAC lipstick to show you. I've already shown you Syrup and Crosswires, now it's Viva Glam Rihanna's turn. :) I'll be doing a red lipstick related post soon, but I thought this lipstick deserves its own post anyway... it's just so beautiful. :)

If you're not familiar with MAC lipsticks then I should explain why this lipstick is called Viva Glam Rihanna - for example, there's also a Riri Woo lipstick in MAC's collection as a result of a colaboration with Rihanna... so why Viva Glam? Well, Viva Glam lipsticks are sold in honor of MAC's AIDS fund and 100% of the purchase price of these lipsticks goes into this fund, which I think is amazing. :) Viva Glam Rihanna is the newest 'addition' to the Viva Glam family (as far as I know) and it's also (unfortunately) limited edition, so I'm not sure if you can still get it (maybe on eBay?).

So as you can see from the pictures, Viva Glam Rihanna comes in a gorgeous dark red bullet with Rihanna's signature on the inside. The lipstick itself is absolutely amazing! I don't really wear red lipstick often (only on special occasions), but this one is really one of my favorites. It has tiny shimmer running through it that isn't really noticeable when you're wearing it on your lips, but it gives a beautiful shine to them. As far as the color goes, I would say it's a medium red, leaning a bit towards the cooler spectrum, but on my lips looks pretty neutral. I was afraid it would be too bold, perhaps even too dark, but it turned out to be perfect! :)

It feels wonderful on the lips and it doesn't dry them out. Staying power is really nice - around 5-6 hours, if I wear a lip liner underneath. On the pictures bellow I've applied it without using a lip liner and I think it turned out quite nice, so you can get away with applying it straight from the bullet. :) It's quite creamy and opaque but I didn't notice too much bleeding around the lips, so it's a pretty easy lipstick to pull off. :)

So, what are your thoughts on this shade - something you'd like to wear or not for you? :) Are you looking forward to seeing all the different red lipsticks I have in my collection (but don't be to excited, it's not that big of a collection)? :)

NOTW: Ferris Wheel

Hello lovelies! Today I have another manicure for you - this time with Ciate's Ferris Wheel. After wearing Fire Rose for around 2 weeks, I was dying for a blue shade on my nails. I was juggling around a few nail polishes and then finally decided to go with this beauty. :) 

Ferris Wheel is a gorgeous pastel, light blue shade that looks amazing on my nails (I know, I've been getting a ton of compliments while wearing it). The formula is a bit on the sheer side, so I did 3 thin coats for full opacity/to even everything out. I'm now on day 8 and there has been absolutely no chipping (except for a tiny bit of tip wear that really isn't noticeable). :)

♥ Nailtiques Formula 2 (base coat)

♥ Ciate Ferris Wheel (3 thin coats)

♥ Seche Vite dry fast (top coat)

So, what are your thoughts on this shade/manicure? :)

*Lily Lolo Eyebrow duo

Hello lovelies! I was sent another beautiful Lily Lolo product from Lily Lolo Slovenija (thank you so much!). This time the new Eyebrow duo in Medium. I really don't own that much brow products as I haven't been filling in/defining my eyebrows for that long (it's one of my recent makeup discoveries), so I was really excited to try this duo out. :)

First of all I have to say I'm in love with the new and improved packaging! Not that there was anything wrong with the old packaging, but this new black&white combo just looks very sleek and a bit more high-end. :)

So, the eyebrow duo comes in a similar if not identical packaging as the eyeshadow duos - you get a clear brow wax on one side and an eyeshadow/eyebrow color on the other, plus a nice practical mirror that comes in handy if you need to fix up/reapply on the go. :)

The application is very simple and I think using an eyeshadow duo like this is best for beginners - using pencils, liners or brow pomades is much more difficult for a newbie and your eyebrows can quickly end up looking really drawn on and unnatural. Using a duo like this or even just a matte eyeshadow that matches your brow color can give a beautiful, defined yet natural look. :)

I used a random eyebrow brush to apply both products (after brushing through them with a spoolie), but you can get one from Lily Lolo that has a brow brush on one side and a spoolie on the other. :) The wax really keeps all the stubborn little hairs in place and allows the eyebrow color/powder to stick to them better.

I got the shade medium which I was afraid would be too dark for me, but ended up being just right. I was really happy with the shade, but I did notice it was a bit too warm for me - I tend to look better with more ashy/cool colors on my eyebrows even though you can see I kind of have some warmth to my hair color (my hair color is pretty unique - some call it a dark blond but there's a whole mix of shades in there). So, if the shade would be a bit more on the cool spectrum, it would be a perfect match. Even so, I think it didn't look weird or unnatural at all. :)

All in all I'm very happy with this duo and I love the way my eyebrows look every time I use it. It lasts on me basically all day and I haven't noticed any problems with it melting off in this heat we had just a few days ago.

Blond ladies can also get this duo in the shade Light and darker females can get their hands on the Darker shade. You can get this duo for a great price of 9.99 €.

So, what are your thoughts on this product? Do you like to fill in your brows or rather go 'au-naturel'? What's your weapon of choice - pencil, eyeshadow or a fancy brow gel/pomade? :)

Another huge wishlist :)

Hello darlings! :) Today I have (as the title suggests) another huuuuge wishlist to share with you. Some of the products will end up in my shopping bag this month, but most will probably stay on the wishlist and await better days (ain't nobody got money fo' that!). :)

Bourjois Poudre De Riz De Java | Bourjois CC cream | Clarins Instant Light lip perfector
Essie Find me an oasis | OPI My vampire is buff
Clinique Chubby Stick intense | Illamasqua powder blush | Revlon ColorBurst matte lip balm

I'll probably be picking up Bourjois Poudre De Riz De Java (Mateja is to blame for this!) and the new CC cream (I have the CC eye cream and I love it, so I really want to try the one for the face as well). 

I still haven't bought any Illamasqua blushes (shame on me!) and I really need to pick one up asap but I'm afraid it will have to wait another month or so (you know, sometimes you just have to prioritize). :) 

Some lip products that caught my eye recently were the famous Lip perfectors from Clarins and the lip 'crayons' from Clinique and Revlon. I'll be picking one or two of those, not sure which ones yet. 

I've been quite good at controlling my nail polish obsession for a while, but I really want to get Essie's Find me an oasis (Resort collection) and OPI's My vampire is buff. :)

Paul Mitchel Lemon Sage Shampoo&Conditioner | Kerastase K Forme Fatale | Too Faced Teddy Bear Hair brush set
Zoeva Lux Complete set | Clarins Gentle Exfoliatior toner | Pixi Glow Tonic | Balance Me cleanser

The second 'group' consists of some 'lust' products which I won't be getting for quite some time and some products which I intend to buy quite soon. I'll probably be getting Paul Mitchel's Lemon Sage shampoo and conditioner, because I'm running low on my Prive Daily shampoo and conditioner. Kerastase K Forme Fatale blow-out balm will have to wait it's turn (I need to use up Tigi's Catwalk Mystique blow-out balm first), even though I really, really want to try it (thanks Mateja!). :)

Zoeva's brushes have been on my mind for quite some time but currently they aren't really budget friendly for me, so they'll have to wait a bit. On the other side, Too Faced Teddy Bear hair brush set will probably just remain on my wishlist, becuase it is crazy expensive and I'm not sure if it's worth the money (but it's just so pretty, right? I mean just look at it and the name - Teddy Bear Hair brush set... so cute!). :)

When I'll be running low on Mario Badescu Glycolic acid toner, I'll either pick up Clarins Gentle Exfoliator or Pixi's Glow tonic (or both). :) And when I go through my stash of cleansers I'll be definitely trying out Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth face balm (another purchase I'll end up blaming on Mateja). :)

LRP Rosalic UV Legere | LRP Anthelios XL tinted cream & tinted fluid | LRP Hydreane BB cream
Senscience Inner restore intesif | Kerastase Bain Divalent | Garnier Miracle cream

A few La Roche-Posay products I've been wanting are the Rosallic UV Legere, Anthelios XL tinted cream or tinted fluid (or both) and Hydreane BB cream. The Rosallic cream seems really interesting because it's supposed to calm down the skin and take away redness (even though I don't have rosacea, my skin does get quite red and a bit sensitive, especially now with the combination of sweat and sun). The two Anthelios products seem very interesting, because I absolutely love the 'normal' version of the fluid, so I'm intrigued by the tint in both the fluid and cream - a little makeup with sun protection? Yes, please! :) The BB cream also sounds interesting, but I'll probably try to get a sample before buying it.

A little hair treat I wanted to try for ages is Senscience Inner restore intesif - it's one of BeautyBay's best-sellers and has a ton of positive reviews, so I'm really curious (plus it has a great price tag). If the Paul Mitchel shampoo&conditioner duo doesn't turn out great, I was planning on trying Kerastase Bain Divalent for combination hair (oily scalp, dry ends). I haven't tried anything from Kerastase before and I hear great things about their products. :)

Last but not least is Garnier's Miracle Cream (again, Mateja is to be blamed). I find these kind of 'miracle/self-adjusting' tinted creams fascinating, so I just might get it. :)

Orangeasm Body wash | Whipped Clean Shower Butter | Sugar Crush Body Wash | Ultimelt cleanser
Smoothie Breakfast scrub | Scrub your nose in it | The Scrub of your life

Last but not least is Soap & Glory. I haven't paid much attention to this brand before (even though I heard a lot about their products), but recently Essie (essiebutton) made a video focusing on this brand and now I want to try everything from them! :) The ones that are on the top of my wishlist are Orangeasm and Sugar Crush body washes, Whipped Clean shower butter, Smoothie Breakfast scrub and The Scrub of your life and two face products - Ultimelt hot cloth cleanser and Scrub your nose in it, AHA facial scrub. Now that Boots ships to Slovenia (thanks Mateja, thank you for making me spend all this money!) I really 'need' to try a few things from them... :)

So, here you have it... my obnoxiously long wishlist that just keeps on getting longer and longer (and there are so many other products I decided not to feature this time). :)

What are you lusting after at the moment?