Friday, October 18, 2013

Ohai!

I had a very strange year to say the least.

My mother was hospitalized the most part of it and passed away last month. She was a stong person and she had no fear of what was to come. I'm trying my best to face life with the same attitude and passion. Apart from that I have been working a lot, started drawing again and with friends and my husband (got married!) I started organizing parties to promote the music I love.

I lost all my data due to 2 laptop and 1 backup HDD crash (hello murphy's law) so all my swatches and product pictures I had prepared for blogging are gone. I'm not going to do it all over but I'll share what's left in my photobucket and 'll take it from there.

I didn't read any blogs for ages so I feel like I'm crawling from underneath a rock but I hope everyone is doing good :)

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Weekly make-up challenge: faeries!


Luna over at TOXiD-LOTUS is back in action and started hosting weekly make-up challenges again. I missed out on the past weeks cause I was too busy, but managed to make a quick look for this weeks faerie-themed challenge. Since I had stuff to do later that day I kept it simple and didn't go over the top.


The lid color is Shiro's zelda, and on the inner corner is whisper copper from MAD minerals. Both the purple liner and the sparkly lilac color under the lower lashline are from Isadora. Apart from that I'm wearing a mix of bb creams, with satin glow and flash glow from MAD to set and highlight. The blush is MDMA from My Pretty Zombie, and the lipgloss is one of the new Stay with me glosses from Essence. I'm not elaborating on the products used because I plan to get them swatched in the next couple of weeks... if nothing disastrous happens.

Oh, and I'm in the process of lightening my hair to a very pale ashy blonde color, although I kind of like this pale orangey tone for now. You can't tell in these pictures but there's some lilac in there too. I totally matched my clothes and make-up to my hair, very cheesy :p

I'll be updating this post with links to the other looks!

Friday, March 15, 2013

January Rising


 A few days ago some fellow make-up fiends brought this to my attention:

January Rising is one of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics' (OCC) newest lip tars. It's also the name for a fundraising campaign to fund January Hunt's transgender surgery and raise awareness for the matter. January works for OCC, that's how the colaboration came to a means. I really hope January makes the goal of raising $30.000, but above all I hope that a lot of eyes will be opened and that people will have a more open mind towards people around them that like her choose to make a transition or gender-related outing of any kind.

You can choose to donate an amount, or you can support by purchasing the lip tar for $25 (shipping included). I have been meaning to try the OCC lip tars for a while and the color is awesome, so I went ahead and ordered it. Lip tars are cruelty free and 100% vegan by the way :)

Go to the fundraiser!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Matte and easy


This look is really easy and takes little time, so I thought I'd share it in case anyone else is feeling as uninspired as I usually do early in the morning!

I've mostly used mattes and neutral colors, but topped it off with a glowy finishing powder and a natural dark nude gloss. All products are either drugstore buys or mineral make-up bought online, and everything is very budget-friendly.


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Catrice Prime and Fine: translucent loose powder review


I've expressed my love for dewy glowing skin more than once, but there is a time and place for everything. Some of my liquid foundations really demand a mattifying powder to tone down the shine and keep it fixated during the day. Since I was not planning on using it often, I decided to buy a more budget-friendly powder: Catrice's Prime and Fine translucent loose powder.

It mattifies your skin and manages to keep it shine free for a few hours, depending on your skintype and the weather conditions. I like to use it in combination with really dewy foundations that are a bit too shiny and slippery to last a full day's wear. It makes those kind of foundations last longer, but it doesn't keep my skin fully matte all day without any touch-ups. I personally don't mind as I prefer a more natural look, but those with oily skin might need a touch-up!

The powder is completely white but on light to medium skintones it applies translucent if you use it sparingly. I noticed that it leaves a slight white cast if you use too much, so unfortunately I am not sure how this would work for darker skintones.

Ingredients: ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE, TALC, DISODIUM EDTA, SODIUM DEHYDROACETATE, ETHYLPARABEN, ETHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN.

I wouldn't want to use those ingredients daily since my skin is fairly sensitive. If your skin is dry and flaky you might want to be careful to avoid the dry patches and just apply it locally where your skin does tend to get shiny.

Some people have compared this to MAC's prep and prime powder, but this sells for only €5,49 and is cruelty free. The powder comes in a big round sifter jar containing 11 gram. Not ideal for travelling, but you can always de-pot some in a smaller jar for touch-ups like I did!

What finish do you prefer, matte or dewy?

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

One Hand Washes The Other Solid perfumes: Halloween


A few months ago I ordered some of One Hand Washes The Other's solid scents from the Halloween collection. I am really sensitive to smells, and some days it can get so overwhelming that I can get a migraine from silly things like cleaning products or even the perfume I have been wearing daily for years. In other words: I am very finicky about perfume.

Trying perfumes in stores is too much for me, so it was nice to be able to order scents online based on the descriptions. The solid scents only cost $5,50, so it's not a massive splurge to try some. There is also an option to order sample vials for only $2,50. The halloween collection was limited in time (currently the winter collection is up!), but there are still some left for sale in the clearance section.

 Read on for my review!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Nectar of Nature cleansing products


A few months ago this new range of skincare products caught my eye at the Carrefour supermarket. I am generally pretty sceptical about products that are marketed as being natural and biological, but I stopped to take a look nevertheless because I loved the packaging so much.

To my surprise, both the eye-make up remover and the cleansing milk had aloe vera juice as the second ingredient in the list, the first being water. I love aloe vera, so I had to give these a try! I am not a big tonic fan, but I bought this rosewater tonic too just to be able to try all 3 products together.


My favorite product is the Delicate Eye Make-up Remover! Not only my skin is ridiculously sensitive, my eyes are just as bad. I rarely repurchase an eye make-up remover because I'm never satisfied with them. Most irritate my eyes or make the skin around my eyes turn red and itchy until I wash the product off with water. I'm happy to say that this one did the complete opposite! It gently removes eyeshadow and mascara, and doesn't do anything to upset my skin. This is definitely a keeper.


Another product I've been using a lot is the Delicate Cleansing Milk with aloe vera and argan oil.
I have been experimenting with the oil cleansing method, but I dislike using a steamy cloth for removing the oil. Having switched to mineral foundation and bb cream, I really needed a good cleanser. This cleansing milk contains aloe vera and argan oil and has a very neutral non-irritating effect on my skin. It has a very thick creamy consistency, and I just massage this into my skin.
They advise to remove it with a cotton pad soaked in toner, but I prefer just to wipe with a clean cotton pad or simply wash with water afterwards.




The toner would make a great addition to these cleansers for people with a normal or oily skintype. There is less alcohol in it than most toners, but still more than my sensitive skin can handle on a daily bases. It works great if you don't like to wash with water after removing your make-up, but I can't stand the idea of not having washed my face. I usually shower in the evening instead of morning anyway.

So the toner was not for me, but I really love the other products and I am already close to finishing my bottles. More on my favorite skincare products soon, but next up some swatches and perfume reviews!

Have you tried any of these? What are your favorite cleansing products?

Silke


Monday, January 14, 2013

Skincare update


Because of a few disastrous breakouts last winter and spring, I took a few months off from reviewing skincare products. My skin really needed some peace, and I needed some time to read up on skincare ingredients before making any new purchases. I'm happy to say that my skin is doing a lot better and I gradually started trying new products again. :)  I am planning some skincare reviews on products I've thoroughly tested, but first I'd like to do an update about my current skincare routine!


During the colder months I have used the oil cleansing method (3/4 sunflower oil + 1/4 olive oil).
It really prevented my skin from getting too dry, so this is a keeper. I am going to look into other oil blends that are better suited for my skintype. Because I have minor couperose I can't use a steamy cloth to remove the oil, so I use a tiny bit of mild soap instead. My skin hasn't been as dry this winter so I have only been using this weekly or evem bi-weekly.

I stopped using products containing high levels of Sodium Laureth Sulphate on my face, and have noticeably better skin. It's still rather dry, but leaning towards normal now.

I stopped using scrubs. I now use my favorite soap and a scrubbing glove for my body, and gently use a washing cloth on my face. One of the reasons for this is that I was frustrated with the ingredients of scrubs either being too harsh, or the scrub particles being made of plastic. It's just ridiculously pollutive since there are plenty or environmentally friendly alternatives.

I stopped using shower gels and only use mild bar soaps now, because they tend to contain less junk that my skin doesn't need. More on bar soaps here.

I never skip sunscreen anymore. It took me a while to find a nice moisturizer with reasonable spf. Before this, I would use a moisturizer and seperate sunscreen. Now I have a moisturizer with spf, and the make-up I use generally has an additional sunscreen. I am still looking for a product with a higher spf for summer though.

I avoid waterproof make-up. Last year I wore waterproof mascara because I rode my bike to work. I mainly walk now, so I can use an umbrella to keep my make-up from smudging. This means I barely have to rub my eyes for removing my make-up, which would otherwise cause wrinkles.

I only apply a spot treatment locally where needed, instead of putting it all over my face, torturing my sensitive skin.

I use facemasks about 2-3 times a month. Both simple DIY facemasks as storebought ones. Every now and then I get some fresh aloe vera from my mom's plant, which is great for sensitive skin.


A lot of changes! And most importantly how they have affected my skin:

I have less clogged pores and my t-zone is less oily. The dry parts of my skin are a lot less dry than before. I have couperose and perhaps rosacea too (haven't seen a dermatologist about it yet), but there's much less redness in my skin compared to last year. I had some minor breakouts, but they were mostly triggered by my hormones and healed up quickly.

So far all of this has been paying off so I think it's safe to introduce my favorite skincare products to you... soon! :)


Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Epona


Happy new year! I hope everyone had a good time celebrating and I hope 2013 will bring you all the best!

I'm about to bore you guys with another look full of Shiro cosmetics... Due to the bad lighting in winter I'm limited to posting older looks and I have been giving these colors a lot of loving :) 

Epona is a medium toned brown with a slightly pearly finish and it's perfect for neutral looks. Hence why this color hasn't left my bathroom shelve in months! Since those looks are pretty hard to capture I decided to wear it as a crease color paired with some bolder colors instead.


Monday, December 24, 2012

Pimp that mani


When plain manicures are too boring and you fail at nail art like me, top coats like these are pretty awesome. In my experience flakies are easier to remove than glitter, which makes me love them even more :) This particular one is from Essentiel.



I wish you all a merry christmas and a good time with your loved ones!