Jan 31, 2011

cream blushes part I: Illamasqua Rude (+Max Factor)


i'm not a huge fan of cream blushes, because i have quite oily skin and find powder blushes easier to use and quicker to apply in the mornings. but they are really nice for summer, when you wear a sheer make up and want this summery sheen.
today i want to start sharing with you my cream blushes/cheek stains selection.
i want to  divide this into several parts to focus on each product (there are over 40 pics all together).



this is Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Rude (4g - 16.50£).  you can get it on the official website illamasqua.com or on asos.com.
the packaging is very sleek, typically Illamasqua. the product is in a nice big pan which can fit every brush size - i like to use a small skunk brush (MAC 188-type) with this.
Rude is a light coral-y peach without shimmers, a great spring/summer shade. the texture is very creamy and soft, the pigmentation is high and its blendability is great. although i have it since almost a year, i haven't noticed it drying up at all.
it gives a dewy finish without emphasizing large pores and is still lasting on my cheeks until the evening, no fading or slipping. i find it getting a bit too greasy on my skin though, so i like to pair it with a powder blush.


intensely swatched - blended out



the Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush i have already shown you here.


next time i'll do NARS Cactus Flower and some Cream Blushes from Top Shop :)



L'Oreal Perfect Clean Foaming Gentle Scrub


new to the L'Oreal range here in germany, i tried it since 2 weeks. it's a 150ml tube which costs about 5€, so pretty reasonable for L'Oreal. the german name (intense peeling) is somewhat conflictive to its english version (gentle scrub). it's meant for all skin types. there was also a mousse cleanser and gel cleanser version of this, but as i have oily skin, i wanted to try the exfoliating one.
it comes with a built in scrublet of soft silicone, which you can take out and use it as a face brush in conjunction with the gel. the scrublet you can stick onto your bathroom wall as it has a suction cup in the back. i find it pointless. no special effect but just a pointless gimmick.
it has a clear jelly-like texture with a great fruity sweet mango smell. it has quite harsh and loosely distributed exfoliating bits - if you use the scrublet it feels definitely more gentle than with your hands. so i wouldn't use it twice a day - especially with more sensitive skin.
it's also very foaming - which i don't really like. i like my foaming cleansers to melt a bit while washing it off with water, not to foam up even more and i would have to search eyes closed for the tap to get fresh water - do you know what i mean? this is a bit uncomfortable to me.
also if you don't use a lot of running water to wash it off, it leaves a slippery film on the skin, which i don't like too.
the cleansing effect is good, though. no make up residues on my cotton pad when i tone my face afterwards (i use wet cosmetic wipes before the cleanser). i haven't seen my skin getting better with this, but also it didn't reacted negatively.
i won't rebuy this and i can't recommend it - there is a cheaper and better alternative for me. this i could use as a body scrub. but the scent is reaaaaallly great. addicting. i love it. i'll just keep this to sniff it haha.




Jan 30, 2011

Project Perfect Set-Up Round 2


so i went to Ikea again yesterday (it was on the way to our actual shopping destination) and quickly picked up two white Lack shelves and some decoration. i bought the black ones that were in this place before long time ago for my first apartment, but they really don't fit in my bedroom of today. some cleaning and redecorating made them a really nice area to look at and the white colour makes my vanity corner much "lighter" and more "airy". the black&white photo on the upper shelf is made by my bffff years ago when my babybooboo was sooo tiny. the baskets and the lamp are Ikea, too (i think?).
i sticked the neon tube back on the lower rack.


i also got this little candle holder, still no idea how to use it (but not as a candle holder), but it's really chic and fits into my colour scheme - maybe you've already noticed ;) pink/green, just like the blog.

here are some other decoration details and storage ideas of my vanity area:


i lay my lipglosses into these glass vases (i think Ikea again) that i store on their side, high end lipsticks are stored standing upright on top (but i need a better storage for those).



i store all my swatched nail tips in this little q-tip holder (you can get it for about 3€ at drugstores like dm).


this is my brush-holder, they are 3 cubic glass vases (one for face brushes, one for cheek brushes and one for eye brushes) i filled with plastic raindrops - you can find all materials at home decoration shops like Depot.
but i suggest you buying those raindrops at ebay, they cost a LOT less than in the store - i didn't know that and paid way too much for my deco. i think i needed about 12 pots of those raindrops for my 3 vases, and each pot was about 2-3€ while they sell them in kg-packages on ebay :(
but i can totally recommend them, they are beautiful and don't have harsh edges (like sand - don't ever use sand!) that can harm your brush handles. and they come in many colours you can choose from.
as you can see, i need one more vase soon, as the existing ones are flowing over.


my kabuki brushes are standing on the frame of my mirror (which is the Molger mirror from ... guess what? Ikea!)


eye- and lipliners are standing upside down in this plastic glass - so i can find the right shade faster (since i got so many MAC ones from a blog sale).


on my Fira container i keep cosmetic q-tips, all my perfume samples and hand sanitizer (that i filled into this pump bottle). this acrylic container set i got really cheap at Ikea (what else?).


around my mirror, i draped this cute star fairy lights. i like to lit them when watching tv or when i use my laptop in the bed. very cozy.


on one side of my mirror i have this vase with an artificial orchid branch and a big leaf. because i'm a house plant killer (but still love how they look) and they wouldn't get enough light here, too.


i have this big Chanel promotion leaflet for their spring look that i really like and want to frame someday and hang it near my vanity (i totally forgot about it yesterday, or i could've get a frame at Ikea).

at this point, i'm pretty happy with my vanity and storage system. still need to find some more containers like the Fira ones (that are discontinued :( and pretty expensive and hard to get on ebay now). i tried to build one on my own - but the result is so unsatisfying that i can't show it to you. maybe i'll look into Muji. also i need a better place for my printer, that is standing underneath my vanity at the moment and doesn't fit into my picture of a vanity at all and so really bugs me.

i hope you liked it and maybe you found some inspiration for your own make up area. i'm always open to recommendations or improvement ideas.

Guerlain FOTD


Guerlain in each part of my face ;) still have no liner and concealer from them (the blush i'm still awaiting :(  ) - so substitutes there. i wanted to do a brown smokey eye with my newly acquired eyeshadow from their spring collection: L'Instant D'un Soupir. review + swatches soon :)


Guerlain Parure Gold +  Shiseido Sun Protection Foundation + BeautyBlender
Guerlain Météorites Pressée shade #01 + Artdeco skunk brush
contour: NYX Blush "Taupe" + MAC 138
Maybelline Mineral Blush Moonlight Mauve + MakeUpShow blush brush
Guerlain Météorites Perles D'Or + MAC 187
Shiseido brow pencil GY901 + Shu Uemura curlers + Maybelline Stretch&Define Waterproof + L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes + Hakuhodo brush + Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer + Manhattan Wake Up concealer
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Retrospeck (inner corner) + MAC Brulé (brow bone highlight) + Guerlain L'instant D'un Soupir (lid + outer corner + crease) + MAC Bronze (center of the lid + lower lashline)
brushes: Rouge Bunny Rouge Large Shader 003 (for Retrospeck) + MAC 242, 272, 222 (Guerlain eyeshadow) + MAC 242 (for Bronze) + MAC 227 (Brulé) + Sigma ss217 (blend out)
MAC Coffee
MAC Fix+ to set
Guerlain Rouge G #2 Gardenia



Jan 28, 2011

Givenchy Prisme Libre (I'm digging powders! - sequel)


the Givenchy Prisme Libre Air Sensation Loose Powder Quartet (wow - that was a mouth full!) is the newest addition to my powder-madness ;)
i got it in shade 2 - Delicate Beige and ordered from escentual.com for about 36£ (shipping included). i can't get Givenchy cosmetics where i live and this has great reviews on makeupalley.com. it is a loose powder with 4 different colours in 4 separated departments that should emphasize the best in your complexion (like take away dullness, brighten, even out, illuminate, refine, blabla) and works sort of like the Météorites powders by Guerlain.
the cubistic packaging is beautiful, very classy and great quality and contains 20g of product - i suppose 5g for each colour. the pouf is ok - but i wouldn't use it in conjunction with the powder, just to avoit it getting everywhere. only the sifter holes (in the pattern of 4 G's - the emblem of Givenchy) are too large - so if i want to pour the powder onto my little powder bowl to use it with a brush, i tend to get too much or i can't get an equal amount of each colour. maybe i'll seal some holes with a tape.
Delicate Beige consists of a light pink, a lavender, a light yellowish beige and a darker honey beige.
mixed together, it is a medium light pinkish powder, it takes away the dull grey veil of some foundations that are too yellowy (like Revlon Colorstay in #180 Sand Beige, or MAC Pro Longwear in NC20) and makes my skin look healthier - but definitely no Miss Piggy effect.
it has a beautiful floral scent - i like this much better than the violet scent from Guerlain powders.
this powder is very very finely milled, and my skin feels so smooth after applying it (because it also contains silica)! it gives my face a velvety sheen, a bit matte but still glowy - i can't overpowder with this, whatever amount i take.
if i look close on my hand-swatch, i can see the smallest illuminating bits, but no shimmer or glitter at all. on your face it's not noticeable. as the day moves on, the powder melts into the skin and gives it a gorgeous sheen.
it's not the best to set your foundation or to mattify long time, also it doesn't have any coverage. but i think it is a great effect powder that oilier skins can still use if the t-zone is setted with another powder and dry skins can benefit from it's silkyness, too.
i suggest you take a look on escentual.com to see the other shades that are available with this powder, i might get the shade #1 - Light Pastel some time (with green, pink, yellow and blue - in the way to even out your complexion).




here i'm wearing it:



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