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!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Break

Hi everyone!

Sorry to disappear like that... Work has been exhausting and will be so for a few more weeks as I'm working a few sundays in december and januari. On top of that a family member is in the hospital and I try to visit as often as I can. When I'm home I try to relax and get some sleep, so I don't have the mindset for blogging at the moment. I have some scheduled posts but won't be very active for a while. Whenever I can I read up on my bloglist and I might do some posts where I link to other nice blogposts.

 I wish you all happy holidays and the best for 2013!

Silke


Monday, November 26, 2012

Catrice ultimate color lipstick: Ginger and Fred


My first and favorite Catrice lipstick was Ginger and Fred. It's a muted berry with a subtle golden sheen, and it works wonders for my pale skin. It's a very flattering color that doesn't emphasize redness in my skin or the yellow in my teeth the way many cooler pinks tend to.

It wears for an hour or 3 and it fades pretty evenly, at least on me. So it's no disaster if you aren't able to reapply very often. The formula is not moisturizing, but it doesn't dry your lips either. Unfortunately the golden shimmer is slightly gritty, and that's pretty much the biggest downside of this lipstick. I really enjoy wearing this, but you might want to test it first if you are easily bothered by gritty finishes. Like all ultimate color lipsticks, it comes in a sturdy black tube. They don't open on their own and don't get scratched or worn off very easily: very purse-proof. :)

Catrice increased their prices  and these lipsticks now cost €3,99: still cheap compared to other drugstore brands.

Do you own any Catrice lipsticks?
What is your favorite shade?

Silke

Monday, November 19, 2012

Soap bars vs Shower gels


One of the changes in my skincare routine I am most happy about, is switching to soap bars instead of using liquid soap. Admittedly... I was first won over by Lush. All the soap looked and smelled delicious, and suddenly they didn't seem so old-fashioned anymore...

After reading up on cosmetic ingredients I realized that some soap bars (a lot of Lush soaps too!) still contain SLS, an ingredient that tends to dry out and irritate the skin. People with normal to oily skin might not be bothered by it so much, but if you have dry or sensitive skin it is prone to make things worse.


On top of that there's a few environmental argument pleading for bar soaps:

  • Containing less harmfull chemicals, they are also less pollutive. This doesn't only affect nature but also our own health, since a lot of chemicals contamine tapwater.
  • Soap bars are often wrapped in paper or a very thin layer of plastic. The packaging is a lot less pollutive than plastic bottles of shower gel.
  • Soap bars are lighter and more compact, so this saves out transport costs and energy.
  • You only have to buy a soap tray once, or use a jar you have lying around.


There's a lot of ways to enjoy your soap even more:

  • Shower puffs are great for getting a maximum amount of foam.
  • Scrubbing gloves are great for exfoliating your skin, without having to use more products.
  • Soap Savers are meant to easily use the last slippery bits of soap left from your bar.
  • Since bar soap lather is often a lot creamier, you can use it as a shaving cream.
  • If you really prefer your soap liquid, you can easily turn your bar soap into a liquid version, and even add extra ingredients. Find out how here.

It's really hard to find inexpensive shower gels that don't contain SLS, but after searching online and in stores I found a lot of bar soaps that are SLS-free. My current favorites are Black Magic Soap from One Hand Washes The Other and the Lemon and Verbena soap from Le Petit Olivier.

Which kind of soap do you prefer?
What are your favorite bar soaps?

Silke

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Tagged by La Dandyzette!



A while ago I was tagged by Dandyzette for the Liebster Award!

I was (and am) going through a serious writers block so this was really a torment, THANKS A LOT KAT! Actually I am glad I took the challenge and finished it though. :)


The rules are:

1) Post 11 facts about yourself.
2) Answer the questions the tagger has set for You.
3) Create 11 questions for the people You’ve tagged to answer.
4) Tag 11 people.

Take a look to read my answers and questions, and see who I tagged!


Thursday, November 8, 2012

Sexxy girlfriend!


Pardon my little tired eyes, but I really wanted to show you guys some of the pretty Darling Girl shadows in action!

The lid color is DG's Sexxy Girlfriend, a gorgeous light mint green that shifts pink. You can clearly see the pink in this picture, but it's even prettier in real life!

From the crease upwards I am wearing DG's Nice F*cking Model, a shade from the Ghost With The Most collection (based on Beetlejuice!). It's a light gold with strong green flash, and I think it makes an awesome contrast with the cool toned Sexxy Girlfriend. On my very pale skin, it's a tad too dark to be a classic highlighter shade, but I am using it as one anyways! I got this color as a sample but am ordering a full size of it soon.

The liner and lower lashline is a dark green shimmer cube from The Body Shop.
My mascara has dried out, so you get clumpy lashes as a bonus. Ignore them please :)

Have a nice weekend!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Darling Girl Cosmetics: review and eyeshadow swatches!


As you could tell from the previous post, I ordered some goodies from Darling Girl Cosmetics last month :)

I placed my order right after they had a sale, and one of the items I wanted was sold out. I was happy to see that Susan updates the facebook page when items are restocked, so I didn't have to put myself through the agony of continuously stalking the website. It only took 2 days of waiting. My package arrived well within the stated turnaround time and everything in it was packed with great care. 

Even with sifters in them, the jars seal very well. I love that they have plastified labels on top which are easy to clean. The petite jars have paper labels on the bottom. The shades that came in sample baggies also had plastic labels, stating the ingredients and wether or not the shade is lip-safe.



Read on for swatch overload!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Why ordering indie cosmetics is better than Christmas


There are a few posts about make-up and perfume waiting to be published, but I have been postponing them for a few weeks. I intended to write simple reviews with some clear swatches, and somehow I ended up with a chaotic overload of pictures. I found myself torn between wanting to keep my swatch posts relevant and to the point, and wanting to share the whole experience. So after thinking it over I decided that I really want to share this fuzzy happy feeling with you guys, and pictures are essential for that. Whoever is not interested can just skip these posts :)

Check out the adorable detail in packaging from Darling Girl cosmetics and One Hand Washes The Other!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Isadora Zinfandel lipgloss

This lipgloss is from Isadora's Forest Groove collection, released last fall. I already bought the Forest eyeshadow trio and the Forest nailpolish, but was yet to try some of their lip products. I was reminded of it when I saw Frida wear the Zinfandel lipstick, but it was the lipgloss that won me over when I went to the store to try them!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Weekend Link Love

Hi everyone!

The 17th of october will be my 1 year blog anniversary. :)  So far I'm still enjoying this very much, so I hope to keep it up for a long time. I feel fortunate to have found a lot of great blogs and 'met' a lot of nice people that share my enthusiasm!

A few fellow bloggers took the initiative for sharing weekend blog links, so I decided to hop on board! I am going to try to schedule my posts during the week as much as possible and share these links on sunday, if I don't forget.




Eight reviews the wonderful smells from DarlingClandestine's Halloween Collection.

Luna interviews Mo from Madd Style Cosmetics, let's see what she has to say!
Mo's interview

Kat shows why Black Rose Minerals is like Lucas North, including GREAT ASS, in three posts at La Dandyzette

Silke used some pretty Shiro Cosmetics eyeshadows to celebrate the new Pokemon release at Pearl Squirrel.



If you want to participate in the Weekend link love, join this group on facebook.
Happy reading!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Poliwrath uses hypnosis!


Today's look features some gorgeous Shiro Cosmetics eyeshadows that haven't gotten the love they deserve. Poliwrath and S.S. Anne are both from the pokemon inspired Super Effective collection. I made this look a few weeks ago, but since Pokemon black and white 2 has just been released it seemed like a good time to share it. I have only gotten a few peeks at my boyfriends' game so he doesn't spoil it for me, but it looks great!

Monday, October 8, 2012

MAC Angelwing lustreglass


This lipgloss is among my favorites! It's from the 5 Models misbehaving set from the MAC Mischief Makers collection. It's a dark purple in the tube, but on the lips it turns into a very wearable shade of plum. There are purple, blue, copper and golden glitters in there, but they are subtle. This is a lustreglass, and that might explain why this isn't as sticky as the lipglasses. It's comfortable to wear, and lasts about 2-3 hours on me.


The problem with pretty sparkly things is that they are so hard to capture on photograph. I should film swatches like these in sunlight to do them justice.

Since this has been discontinued I'm on the lookout for a dupe! Or something so pretty that makes me forget all about this :)

What are your favorite lipglosses?

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Catrice SpectaculART limited edition collection





It's been a while, but Catrice is coming up with another limited edition collection that really tickles my fancy! The SpecatculART collection is based on crossover fashion where the beauty of India meets French couture. I'm not really seeing the backstory here apart from the gold and brights.. but the products are gorgeous and I like the subtle artwork. Take a look for yourself!


Monday, October 1, 2012

Essence I ♥ Extreme Volume mascara review


My lashes are a very cool ashy light brown color and they are thin and disorderly, especially at the outer corners. I think it's both that I have such lousy lashes and the fact that I am terrible at applying mascara, but I haven't run into many mascaras that I like.

A while ago I bought the 'I Extreme Volume' mascara from Essence, and I have been using it daily for weeks now!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Sunset mani with Essence


This is Miami heat from the Miami Rollergirl collection that I recently wrote about. I am quite a perfectionist and it wouldn't go on 100% opaque and smooth because I was too impatient, so I added a quick coat of golden glitter and flecks. Streaks? What are you talking about?

Next I rushed to my window to catch the last bit of sunlight and snapped a few pictures. I managed to make about 5 before the sun disappeared, and none of them were focussed. Oh well, better luck next time :) The topcoat is Essence's Make it golden. I used it before in this mani.


What are your easy solutions when you can't get a mani just right?

Silke

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Versatile blog award!


Yay! I was given this blog award by Eternal*Voyageur of Venusian*glow. Thank you!

For those who are new to this blog: it's about eco-beauty, bra fitting, DIY and lot's of other interesting topics. You can see the other blogs that were awarded here.

Read on to learn 7 totally random facts about me and see who I nominated!


Monday, September 17, 2012

MAD Minerals Finishing powders!


I have swatched most of the MAD Minerals finishing powders and will do a short review on all of them. The only ones I am missing are the SPF powder and Primitive, which is a matte powder that serves as a primer as well as a finishing powder. Read on for more pictures and my review!


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Purple with a twist


Inspired by this fun color combination on Eyegraffiti, I decided to try something similar. I don't own a yellow eyepencil, so I chose orange, since it is still a bit of an unusual contrast.  I started off with a plain purple look, and later on the day I added some pink eyeshadow and orange eyeliner.


Tuesday, September 4, 2012

I wasn't the only one enjoying the sun...


While I was walking home past the old cemetary wall, this little guy caught my eye while he was sunbathing.


Sunday, September 2, 2012

Essence Miami Rollergirl Dates on skates blush



I decided to put the polish and blush in two seperate posts because I felt like the blush would be overlooked, and it's such a beauty! This is my first blush from essence and I was pleasantly surprised with the formula. I swatched some of their blushes in store but the colors were often dull so they never appealed to me. Dates on skates on the other hand turned out to be very pigmented, and it's a current favorite of mine.


Thursday, August 30, 2012

Essence Miami Rollergirl Collection polish

Miami heat (orange) and Bienvenido a Miami (yellow).

I am trying to avoid drugstores because I always end up getting struck by an impulse of shopping madness as soon as I walk past the cosmetics, and I am trying to spend my money wisely these days. That being said, I just went to buy a can of Batiste XXL volume (which is awesome), and a woman with a stroller was blocking the route to the tills, so I had no choice but to walk past the Essence counter.. I spotted a display for the Miami Rollergirl collection with only one blush left, and a few bottles of polish. Coincidence or not, yellow and orange nailpolish were actually on my wishlist for quite some time now, so I couldn't resist these for only 1,79. The ombre blush cost €2,79 and looked so pretty that I didn't need much time to think it over either.

Bienvenido a Miami was surprisingly opaque for being a bright yellow. It was a bit streaky so I ended up needing 2 to 3 coats. Miami Heat is quite sheer and needs at least 3 coats to look perfect, but it dried a lot faster than the yellow one. Not the greatest formula, but for that price I'm not complaining. 

Next up are the blush swatches!
Did you buy anything from this collection? What are your favorites?

Silke

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Gosh holographic is back!


As far as I can tell, it was dutch beautyblog Delta Cephei that first came out with this story back in may. You can read her post here. I might be behind on things again, but I thought I'd share this anyway, so no one misses has to miss out this time :)

The release in Belgium and the Netherlands is planned for the last few weeks of 2012 at Kruitvat, and aparently it's already been released in the UK at Superdrug earlier this month. It will be a limited edition polish under the name 'Holographic Hero'. I'm not sure in what other countries it will be sold.

Have you spotted it in stores yet?

EDIT: I've seen it sold in several Kruitvat stores in Belgium already!

Silke

Monday, August 27, 2012

MAD minerals swatches: multi-use colors


Finding packages in the mail is pretty exciting, even more so when you're expecting it to take up to 4 weeks and it arrives within 6 days! I placed a second order at MAD Minerals a few weeks ago because I was running out of foundation and decided to order a few eyeshadows while I was at it. I also received some samples of the finishing powders, but I will swatch and review those another time. Today I have some multi-use colors to show you!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Perfect Primer?


It's getting boring, but I have yet another Yves Rocher product to review. This primer is especially suitable for people with pale skin, so it might be interesting for some of you!


Sunday, August 12, 2012

Expanding my eyepencil collection: blue and green


Another thing that I need more of in my life, are bright colored eyepencils. I often foil my eyeshadows to use as a bright eyeliner, but pencils are fun to layer eyeshadow on, and the effect is totally different. Today I'll show you my waterproof Eyepencils from Yves Rocher!

Monday, August 6, 2012

Expanding my eyepencil collection: neutrals


I have religiously used a black eyepencil nearly daily for years, and it wasn't until I bleached my hair to a platinum blonde that I felt like I this needed to change. I bought these brown pencils from Yves Rocher, looking for something that wouldn't look so harsh in contrast with my pale hair.


Sunday, July 29, 2012

Neutral look with MAD minerals


Summer is no time to run out of mineral foundation, so I placed a small order at MAD minerals a while ago for a back-up. They now also offer 3g 'petite' sized jars for only $4.50 and they're having a sale until the 31st of july, so I decided to order a few neutrals and highlighters as well!

Read on for swatches and the product list!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Dior Fruit de passion blush


I bought this blush in a hurry to get out of the store. There was a stinky mish-mash of perfume fumes going on there, so I only swatching it on the back of my hand. I was a bit disappointed when I first tried it, but I've worn it quite a lot the past 2 months to give it a fair chance and it has really grown on me.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Highlighter idea for the belgian/dutch ladies!


A while ago I was invited to attend a Mylene demonstation. It's basically a home shopping party concept that sells skincare, cosmetics, bath products and so on. I considered these kinds of things for housewifes in their midlife crisis so I was not really looking forward to it, but I went anyways to do my friend a favor. We were lucky to have a cool host, so it ended up being more fun than expected, although I wasn't impressed by most of the range.

I am not going to make this a Mylene-bashing post, so I'll move on to something positive: I was pleasantly surprised by this cute eyeshadow. So if you (or your mom) are going to a Mylene demonstation any time soon, check this out :)


Monday, June 18, 2012

Giveaway winner announcement!

The winner was randomly chosen by Rafflecopter and... turned out to be Nina! Congratulations!

I want to thank all of you for your support! There might be another giveaway in the future, but for now I need to spend my little free time on updating this blog and catching up on reading my blog list :)

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Guerlain Vega Rouge automatique lipstick


When it comes to make-up I am not easily impressed by luxurious packaging. I want the actual make-up to impress me, and an overly fancy exterior only seems like a waste of money to me (and everything gets scratched when I carry it with me anyways). This all put aside, I had a gift voucher to spend and I NEEDED another red lipstick. After a huge swatchfest, I found this gorgeous shade of deep raspberry red.

Read on for more pictures and my review!


Thursday, June 7, 2012

Essence Blue Addict


Today I'm wearing another one of Essence's lovely glitter polishes!

Blue Addicted is a bunch of tiny blue and big green and light blue hexagon glitters, in an intense blue jelly base. The fun thing about nailpolish like this is that you create a lot of depth by adding multiple layers. You can see the glitter floating in the semi-transparent jelly, I think it has a magical feel to it!


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Wip-hairport, a huge source of hair inspiration!


While patiently growing out my fried hair and looking for a new hairstyle, I thought I'd share my favorite source of hair inspiration with you guys: Wip-hairport :)

Wip-hairport is a Lisbon-based hair salon that does the coolest haircuts I've ever seen.
I like their funky daring cuts and amazing color jobs, but I also love that they are able to work with curly hair.

There's a big set of male haircuts too, going from very masculine and rough, to cute boyish cuts or this stylish sort of mullet.

I am hoping to visit them soon and give them carte blache on my hair :)

Where do you turn to when you want a new hairstyle?

Silke

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Summer is back in town!


I've been wanting to make a look using Zelda and Majora's Mask for ages, and now that summer finally came through it seemed like the perfect time for some color! It's blazing hot though, so I opted for a very light, almost translucent base using only a concealer where needed and some dusting with mineral foundation.

Read on for more pictures and the product list!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Frogs


Having finally grown my nails a bit longer, I was itching to do a fun manicure. They just look so much better if you have a nice surface to work on. Luna over at Toxid-Lotus.net is hosting a fun frog-themed makeup challenge, so I got inspired by the beautiful poison dart frogs and gave it my best shot.

Read on for more pictures and click here to see what the others came up with!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

The Body Shop : Beauty with Heart launch


Last week I was fortunate enough to attend The Body Shop's beauty with heart launch party in Antwerp!  The stores as well as some of their products are getting a little make-over, and they are launching a new campaign and a limited edition collection this summer.

Read on for pictures, swatches and more about the beauty with heart concept!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Essentiel flakie nailpolish


If you have never heard of Belgian fashion label Essentiel, make sure to take a look at their collection. They are known for using bright colors and contrasting textures, and their style is always very femine and out there.

I was really excited to see that they have launched a line of nailpolish too, so I picked one up to try!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Giveaway time!


This giveaway starts on wednesday the 16th of may and will run till the 16th of june.

You can see everything included in the prize here.

How to enter:

  • Follow this blog publicly on Google Friend Connect and mention your GFC name in the comments
  • OR follow this blog on Bloglovin' and like this blogpost on Bloglovin'.
  • Leave a comment telling me how you chose to follow and which product you like best!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer:
-You have to have reached the age of majority according to your local law
-There will be 1 winner
-I am using rafflecopter, so the winner is chosen at random.
-The winner  will be anounced in this blogpost and notified by email
-If the winner did not respond within 1 week, another winner will be chosen
-Your e-mail adress is only visible to me and I will only use it to notify you if you win this giveaway. 
-Shipping times may vary depending on your location. I will give you an estimate shipping time based on the info I get at the post office
-Depending on your local laws you may be subject to import duties and taxes, which are enforced once a shipment reaches your country. Charges for customs clearance must be paid by you. Keep this in mind when entering this giveaway!



Make sure to e-mail me or tell me in the comments if anything isn't clear.
Good luck everyone! 


Silke


The Giveaway Prize

What you can win:

 Catrice ultimate shine lipstick in 220 Mrs. Brightside
Catrice ultimate colour lipstick in 060 Oh Juicy!

 

 
 Catrice Peas, love and Harmony palette (blogpost to come!)

Essence Crystalliced LE glosses in It's a snow-womans' world

Catrice nailpolish in 240 Sold out forever
Catrice nailpolish in 840 Genius in a bottle


All swatches were made with my own products, as I own these too.
You can enter the giveaway HERE.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Catrice Genius in a bottle nailpolish


I have another pretty polish to show you today!

You can find a lot of blogposts on this nailpolish, comparing it to Chanel's Peridot. Genius in a bottle is more gold toned because the green duochrome is not as pronounced as it is in Peridot, but it's a real gem nevertheless.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Review: Catrice lipsticks and 2B eye pencil


Today I want to show you some products that will be featured in my giveaway soon:
A lovely bright orange kohl pencil by 2B, and two lipsticks by Catrice from the ultimate color and ultimate shine range.

Read on for a short review and swatches! I own these too so the swatches are made with my own products, the ones in the prize are brand new :)


Sunday, May 6, 2012

Prepare for cheesiness!


I have gained some new followers lately and have reached 26 followers on GFC just recently :) Thanks to all of you! This is nothing compared to many blogs out there, but for me and my little blog it means a lot. It feels silly just responding with 'thank you!' everytime someone comments, but know that it makes me really happy to know that someone took the time to read my posts. A special thanks goes out to the people that tagged me or linked to me recently!

To express my appreciation to you guys I am planning to do a small give away soon. It will be open internationally and the prize will contain some of my recent favorites. So far it contains the products in the picture above, but I will add some extra's. There are some seperate posts coming up with a short review with swatches of the products.

I am still figuring out what's the best way to do this giveaway thing to keep it fair and fun to everyone. I will probably use rafflecopter and being a follower on GFC will be obligatory, but I am not sure wether to add options like following on bloglovin' because I don't want to be too demanding either.

Any thought on this? All suggestions are welcome!

Silke

Thursday, May 3, 2012

The body shop - mini haul



I bought some goodies from The Body Shop today, a few old favorites and some new things to try. Read on to see what I took home with me!