Maybelline New York the palettes part 2: The Smokes

A few months ago I was strolling through boots.com , I was all out of Indeed Labs Hydraluron sheet masks and since there was a promotion going on I decided to order some.  Of course, there is no such thing as just ordering what you need and while I was looking around I came across a 3 for 2 promo on eyeshadow palettes.  So I ordered 2 (and a third one for my bestie, you always have to share the good promo’s with your bestie) and one of them was the The Smokes palette by Maybelline.  I don’t remember reading about it before I saw it on Boots but decided to get it (ok so maybe there was this voice going „Maybelline is bringing out a whole collection, get them all!”).

It is available in Belgium, I’ve seen it at DI and I think it will be available in more stores since there’s a blank space next to the The Nudes palette in the Maybelline Display.  It retails for €15,99.

The packaging is the same as the The Nudes palette.  A clean black case with a see through portion.  And when you open it, guess who’s in there: it’s the THINGY again!  Maybe I should write a whole piece about the thingy, it is after all a classic.  

The back is also the same as the first palette, there’s a breakdown of 13 different looks.  

As I expected, the color pay off is much better.  Since most of the colors are darker that wasn’t a surprise to me. There are only 3 nudish colors in there and though they aren’t very pigmented they are good for some highlighting or to wear as a base before you put other colors on your lid.  

For the pricing you can’t go wrong with this palette if you are in need of some darker colors.  You can even make a more nude eye with this one so for me this palette is a better deal than the The Nudes one.  But that’s just my opinion.

Where to buy:

- I’ve seen it in the DI store for €15,99.

Maybelline New York the palettes part 1: The Nudes

Honestly?  I really don’t understand what took the mainstream drugstore brands so long.  After the ginormous succes of the Urban Decay Naked Palettes you’d think it would be clear that there was a market for palettes with neutral colors but apparently not.  I think NYX was one of the exceptions here but since NYX isn’t that easy to get in Europe we were left with … well, almost nothing to be honest.  But over the last month or 2 all that has changed with Maybelline and L’Oreal both launching there palettes.  

The first one to launch: Maybelline The Nudes palette.  It launched in the US in july 2014 I think so it took almost a year to cross the ocean.  I put this palette on my ‚to buy’ list (because there always is a ‚wishlist’ and a ‚to buy’ list - I never ever second doubt the ‚to buy’ list) when I went to New York in October 2014 and let me say this, it wasn’t easy to find.  Luckily my friends know what I’m about by now so she knew what to expect when I said I had to have this.  Aside from the normal drugstore shopping we entered almost every Duane Reade, Walgreens and CVS we passed just to make a quick run to the Maybelline section and look for it.  It took forever but we found it and even my ever so cool absolutely not interested in makeup friend couldn’t hide her excitement.  

And now it has launched in Europe, in Belgium it retails for €15,99.  

I like the packaging.  It’s a simple clean black case with a see through portion.  You get 12 neutral colors with different finishes and a nice color range AND you get the inevitable thingy, that’s right THE THINGY!  I don’t know what it’s proper name is but I wonder who still uses it.  They should put a ban on it and include it in the Kyoto policy. It doesn’t work and it has to be bad for the environment, just ban it already!

On the back you get a break down of how to create 13 different looks.  I like it when brands do this, it makes things a lot easier if you’re not in a creative mood.

Bear with me for the swatches, it’s my first time so please be nice.  They were all made with my finer and one swipe of color.

The color payoff is of the lighter colors is quite disappointing to me and the matte ones are quite dry and chunky.  You can give the shadows a bit of help by putting on NYX jumbo eye pencil in milk on the eyelid as a base and I would definitely recommend putting on an eyeshadow primer.

The top row is the worst, I was only impressed with one color (the 4th one from the right).  The bottom row was a lot better except from the lightest color.  I’ve read people complaining about the colors not blending that well, I can’t really deny that but I always put some neutral face powder on my eyelids (over my primer) before I put on my shadows as I find this makes blending a lot easier.

If you are looking for a neutral palette than this is a nice one to start with but keep in mind that it does need a bit of help here and there. I don’t think I’ll be using this on a daily base simply because it needs that much help and I just don’t have the time for that in my daily routine.  But I do think I would take it with me for traveling.

Where to buy:

In Belgium you can find it at Kruidvat, Di and Lookis for €15,99.  I’ve been around them a lot the past week and there’s always a few available so you can consider waiting until they have a nice Maybelline promotion going on.

Catrice Travel De Luxe limited edition nail polishes

About every month and a half Catrice introduces a new limited edition.  And let me say, when Catrice says limited, it means limited.  Lucky for me I work in the city, so when I know a new LE is coming I have 2 Kruidvat stores that I can go to during my lunchbreak to try and score.  And most of the time I succeed.  This week the new Travel De Luxe edition came out in Belgium and I have the 4 polishes to show you.

      Isle of White                           Grey County                            Apricot Lane                           Port Blue

The colors aren’t really that exciting for me.  White and light grayish blue are the it-colors for this summer so you can find them pretty much everywhere, the apricot color is just that: apricot.  Lastly there is a blue that Catrice describes as marine blue.  

The quality is good, the colors aren’t anything special but they are very wearable (except for the blue one maybe, for me this is more of a toe-color).

You can find this collection in Kruidvat in Belgium now.  Nailpolishes are €2,99 each.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

I’m always looking for products that give me my healthy glow back, you know the one you had when you were in your early twenties, the glow that screams youth. When you get older there are a few product that start to scare you, concealer is one of them, face powders is another.  The wrong face powder can erase that little bit of glow that you achieved by putting on all sorts of facial creams (with the strangest ingredients in them) or that you got on your face thanks to that perfect foundation that took you forever to find.  

I don’t think I’ve read one bad review on the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette.  It started out as a limited edition product but due to it’s success Hourglass made it permanent.  I picked it up when I was in New York in october 2014.  It was on my wish list but as usual I started doubting when I was standing in front of it at Sephora.  On my last day, also my last chance to buy at Sephora, I bought it and I haven’t regretted it one bit.  It’s just gorgeous, it’s one of those palettes you could just put on display and never touch it.  But what a waste that would be!

The palette consists of 3 facial powder: 

• Dim light (left): A neutral peach beige powder that blurs imperfections and highlights the complexion.
• Incandescent Light (middle): An opalescent pearl powder that brightens the complexion with a celestial glow.
• Radiant light (right): A sun-kissed golden beige powder that enhances the complexion with believable, subtle warmth.

These are not really setting powders, they are finishing powders but they just look so good on my face.  I can’t really say it any other way.  I use Dim light all over my face, Incandescent Light where/if I want some highlighting done and Radiant Light when I want to add a bit of subtile color (I have fair skin, I can imagine you won’t see much of it on darker skin).

I don’t use them every day, only when I feel I need that extra oomph to create my natural glow.

Where to buy it in Europe:

• spacenk.com £56 (£5 shipping, free shipping if you order over £100)
• net-a-porter.com €54 (€15 standard shipping to Belgium)
• nordstrom.com €54,87 (€16,05 shipping to Belgium, €32,90 shipping + prepaid taxes)
• urbanreatreat.co.uk £56 (£7,5 standard shipping to Belgium)

Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte eyeshadow palette in Europe

I think I saw the first pictures of this palette popping up on several blogs last fall and I immediately knew I just had to have it.  Simply because a) it has all matte eyeshadows, b) it’s a neutral eyeshadow palette (aside from nail polish another one of my weaknesses) and c) it’s hard to get in Europe (trigger!!).  I searched all over the net but the only site that ships Tarte in Europe is QVCUK and they don’t carry the whole Tarte range.  Unfortunately the Tartelette palette was nowhere to be seen.  Until one friday night in february when I was surfing the net aimlessly - I know, how exciting are my weekends, right?- and ended up on QVC, there it was: the Tartelette palette ready for pre-order.  Without giving it another thought I took out my credit card and ordered it.  Oh, the thrill of it!!! Finally it would be mine!! 

It took the palette a while before it reached me.  QVC send me a letter to let me know the shipping date was postponed but then, somewhere in april, there it was!!  And I haven’t regretted buying it a single second.   It’s just good quality eyeshadow, with a nice range of matte eyeshadows.  No extravagant colors but a palette you can use everyday but you can also use to do an ‚it’s saturday, I haven’t been out in weeks so now I’m going all smokey eyed just because I can’ look with.

I’m sure there are palettes that are easier accessible in Europe but for me the fact that it’s harder to get is just part of the thrill.

Where to get it in Europe:

You can still put the palette on your wish list at QVCUK.com .  Introductury price is £28,92.

If you live in Germany, The Netherlands, Norway or the UK, you can also order it at sephora.com (you lucky bastards!) for €41,60.

NOTD: Rimmel London 60 seconds in Instyle Coral

This is one of my all-time favorite Coral colors.  It’s right up there with Essie’s Tart Deco only this one is a lot cheaper.  

I bought this polish 2 years ago and I’ve been using it regularly (which is a rare for me when it comes to nail polish).  The pictures really don’t do the color justice.

The quality is good, the brush is easy to work with (not too small, I hate small brushes) and the polish doesn’t streak.  It did take me 3 coats to get full coverage.

Where to buy:

Unfortunately this color isn’t available everywhere I’ve noticed but in Belgium you can still get it at DI for €3,99.

Marketing triggers: what are yours?

We all know that extensive budgets go into marketing a product and putting it out there.  Making sure you reach the right target group, giving a product a certain image … it’s all part of the game.  There are plenty of books and studies about it but essentially it all comes down to this: outline your target, find out what their triggers are and play into that.

I don’t have to think hard about what my triggers are, aside from all sorts of nail polish (because well, it’s nail polish, I just can’t get enough of it) my two biggest triggers are the words "limited edition” and products that aren’t easily accessible.  

The first one is easy: limited!!!  That means I have to get it now, right??  There simply is no time to think about it, you have to decide right away because chances are that it’s gone if you wait.  When in doubt you can always count on that little voice inside you that goes „but it’s limited, LI-MI-TED!!” to win you over.  Since every brand has their limited editions and I want to stay financially healthy, I do my research on them and decide what I want before the collection hits the store.  I try to limit myself to what I decided on and only rarely do I still make an impulse purchase.  The only thing I always buy are the limited edition nail polishes from Catrice, usually 4 or 5 and they have a new limited edition every 1,5 month or so.

One of the things that help me prevent going all out on limited editions is reading beauty blogs.  A lot of those blogs get the products before the launch date and a lot of brands launch a lot earlier in the USA than in Europe.  I try to use both of them to my advantage.  I read as much as I can about a limited edition that I might be interested in.  Usually, the more I read about it, the more the „new” feeling of it wears off and I’m left with the product that I’m really interested in.  If there is any left at all, a lot of times I just feel that by the time the limited edition launches here, I’m already over it.  It’s something I really don’t understand, why do brands have different launch dates for the USA and Europe?  I feel it only works in their disadvantage.

Does that mean I don’t get sucked in when it comes to limited editions?  Absolutely not!  Remember the MAC Cinderella eyeshadow palette?  I bought it because it has the perfect colors for me all together in one palette, that would be great for traveling…right?  Wrong!  I just can’t risk it, what if it breaks or gets dirty or the print disappears because of the back and forth.  I’ll never be able to replace it because it’s LI-MI-TED. Case made.

And than there are those brands that aren’t easily accessible here in Belgium.  By that I mean you can’t get it in stores here, you can maybe get it online but the harder it is, the more I want it.  Take brands like Hourglass, Tarte, LORAC (which you can get through nordstrom.com by the way), it cosmetics, NYX … You know, the brands that probably none of your friends and colleagues have heard about?  I want those.  The more accessible they get, the more my excitement for them lessens.  Take Urban Decay, it used to be hard to get here, evolved to being easy available online (think feelunique.com, hqhair.com, beautybay.com …) to being available in store in Belgium as of august (iciparisxl) and I have mixed feelings about it.  I love the fact that more people will have access to good brands and that the more traditional brands get some competition (since a lot of brands are owned by the same company this maybe is a tricky one) but the 'exotic’ feeling I have will fade.  

So for me it’s easy, Limited and 'hard to get' are my triggers.  I know it and I know how to deal with it  (I think).  

Ever thought about yours?

Holy Grail: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri chip-resistant top coat

I love trying out new things/brands when it comes to make-up and beauty but sometimes you just stumble upon that one product that changes your life forever.  For me that was Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat.  I never used to paint my nails on a regular basis because I never had the patience to wait until it dried.  And then I read about this top coat, probably on a blog somewhere, and I decided to try it out.  Oh my god!!!  From the first time I used it I knew this was it, this product was going to change my life (or at least the way I paint my nails).

We have to be honest here, most products don’t really deliver what they promise.  Not because they’re not good, but because they just promise too much, unrealistically much. But most of what this top coat promises, it delivers.  Just the „Manicure will be dry to touch in seconds” is maybe a bit too ambitious, it takes a minute or 2 but then you can touch your nails without getting a fingerprint on there.  It also prevents your nail polish from chipping.  For me, this topcoat makes all the difference. I don't need to buy an expensive nail polish, a budget one with this topcoat stays put for 4 to 5 days.

It’s a very watery formula and you have to make sure you use enough product because otherwise you’ll streak your nail polish.  Other than that, there really isn’t anything that you could do wrong.  

I never used to believe in holy grails.  I always thought a product could be good, really good, fantastic even but life changing (in a way that you would never betray it)?  Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat really is a holy grail of mine.  Probably the only one I have.  I always have a few back ups and when I start the last one I order a few more.  I’m pretty sure there are other topcoats just like this one out there (like Seche Vite or INM out the door top coat) but I’ve never tried them and I don’t feel a need to try them at the moment. 

Where to buy: feelunique.com : €7,12 (free shipping for orders above £10 / €15)

Review: Bourjois Soin Miraculeux

Do you remember a few years ago when Sephora came with the Instant Nail Polish Remover?  It was the answer to all of our problems, hallelujah!!!  We all went crazy of the simplicity and geniusness of this product.  You just dip you finger in, twist it around an begone nail polish!!!  I got sucked in the hype just like the rest of us, loving my little bottle of easiness, being sure there would be nothing that could make me turn away from it.  And then there was the day that I put my finger in there and it came out all reddish.  Granted, the nail polish was gone but leftover of red nail polish (from the time before maybe) stayed on my finger.  Putting my finger back in was no option, washing my hands didn’t solve anything so it was down to my all time classic bottle of remover to solve the problem.  Slowly my love faded away and once again it seemed that ‚the good old way’ was the best way.  

Memories of the Instant Nail Polish Remover came to me when I saw this little cutie by Bourjois.  Soin Miraculeux, the same concept but this time to nourish your nails an cuticles.  I looked at it again and again and decided to get it.  I could say I rationalized buying it (and I did to a point because the red stains on my fingers wouldn’t be happening here and aside from that it was very handy) but the truth is that it was just too cute to resist.  I mean, just look at it!!  Wouldn’t you want that sitting on your makeup table?  It’s just perfect: cute and handy, what more could a girl want?

But by now I know that there’s no such thing as ‚perfect’ and Soin Miraculeux only confirmed that.  It is easy, you just dip your nail in there for a second and let the jojoba oil do its work.  Sound good right?  There’s just one problem: there’s a finger behind the nail!  The whole tip of you finger gets covered in oil. NOT HANDY!!  We as women, we are usually multitasking.  Putting on cuticle oil and letting it sit there a few minutes while we buy that one pair of shoes that we absolutely need online (or whatever else you like to do) but when you have oil covering your whole fingertip instead of just your cuticles/nails there really isn’t much you can do aside from just sitting there making sure you don’t touch anything.  And after you massaged the oil in, you need to go clean all of your fingers.

Needless to say I was disappointed.  The product does its work and it smells good but the whole concept just doesn’t work for me.  If you don’t mind sitting there without touching anything than by all means, go ahead and buy it.  If not, just walk along when you hear the cuteness calling.

You can get Bourjois Soin Miraculeux at any drugstore, I paid €8,99 for it at Lookiss.

NOTD: A Gallon Of Mellon by Catrice

Aaah Catrice, my most loved nail polish brand ... Good quality, a wide range of colors, a wide brush that makes painting your nails so easy and an excellent price.  It's no surprise most of my nail polishes are from Catrice.

A Gallon Of Mellon is a salmony color with a hint of peach.  Perfect for everyday, especially during summertime.

You can buy Catrice at Kruidvat for €2,99 but they often have a 2 for €5 promo going on so if you want to buy more than one, it's best to wait and go all out when there's a discount.

Sephora + Pantone Color IQ and findation.com experiences

I love shopping for beauty products. All but one: foundation.  Even though I want to try out as many as possible to get the perfect one for that *flawless* effect, shopping for foundation is just stressful. I do my research and usually know which one I want but then there’s the tiny problem of color matching.  Too warm, too cold, too yellow, too rose … there’s always something.  For high end foundations you can ask for help from a saleslady/makeup-artist but for me it's hard to put my 'faith' in a strangers' hand.    Drugstore foundations are a definite no-no because 9 out of 10 you can’t even try them out.  So I usually end up going to MAC (because once you know what color matches you, you’re set for the rest of your life).  And when I come home I think „Is this what I’ve become?  A creature of habit, too scared to take a risk?” ( just kidding, foundation doesn’t really make me question my life or myself but you get the point). 

So when I read about the Sephora + Pantone Color IQ matching service I knew I had to try it.  I decided to go for it in a Sephora in Las Vegas. I choose this one because it had a lot of natural light coming in, I figured if you tried it in a dark store filed with artificial light it wouldn’t be the same (and reviews on the net proved me right).  I asked one of the ladies about the Color IQ service and she immediately called one of the makeup artists over and I got matched.  Easy peasy, they take off whatever you’re wearing on your face and hold a little ‚scanning’ machine against your face and you just wait for the result, turns out I’m 2Y05.  We tried a few of the color matching foundations on my face and they all looked like perfect fits.  I wasn’t planning on buying a foundation at that point but that was ok, the results were send to me by email.  Now I know which one’s to buy in the future and I’m even contemplating buying one from a brand we can’t get in store over here, like Lorac.  I’m feeling quite confident about the matches.

High end foundation problem solved!  What a relieve.  But what about drugstore foundations?  I decided to try my luck on findation.com.  I put in 2 of the matching colors according to the color IQ system and there it was: a whole list of color matches!!!  Sweet mother of god, so many choices, so many brands, all available for me without having to worry about the coloring.  Now, I’m no fool so I started comparing the outcome with the Sephora list and turns out most color matches of findation are 1 shade darker.  But that’s ok, at least now I know where to start.  Needless to say, my last trip to Walmart had me buying a few drugstore foundations (with confidence this time). 

I highly recommend trying the Color IQ system if you are in a Sephora store, unfortunately the system is only available in the US I think.  If you combine your outcome with some common sense (I did my color IQ in may, so I imagine I’ll need a color a bit darker for summer) and a matching system like findation it can make your foundation search a lot easier.

You can always try out a few different Sephora stores for the Color IQ system to see if the results all match.  Like I said, the lighting it the store can make the outcome different from one store to another.  

I’m really happy I tried this and I can’t help but wonder why more stores/brands don’t offer this system.  It’s science, it’s color matching, it shouldn’t be so hard to do. 

NOTD: Push The Limits by Formula X by Sephora

When I'm in the States I always bring back a few (because one just won't do) nail polishes from Formula X by Sephora.  So far none of them have disappointed me. I love the formula and the brush, it's just good quality nail polish.  Last time I brought back the color Push The Limits.  I mean look at it: a beautiful vibrant red color, how could I resist?  Described as Tomato red on the Sephora website and that it definitely is.  It did take me 3 coats to get full coverage but I find a lot of reddish nail polishes need 3 coats.  

If you're in Sephora it's definitely worth checking this one out!

Where to buy:

Europe: Sephora.fr €12,90 (+ €9,95 shipping if you order online and live in Belgium)

USA: Sephora.com $10,50

Everyday makeup routine

Jeej, it’s monday - said no one ever.  I imagine most of us have a morning routine we don’t mess with once it’s in place and there isn’t a lot of margin for change.  So it’s no surprise that my makeup routine for working days is pretty much the same every day.  I can even do this before I have my first cup of coffee and it usually takes me 10-15 minutes max to put it on.  (the exception being those days where I really can’t get started no matter how hard I try and I end up wondering why there isn’t any color coming off my mascara only to find that I’ve been putting 3 coats of eyebrow gel on my lashes).  I guess I can even get it down to 5-10 minutes but putting on makeup feels like a little treat to me, a bit of me time before the hustle of the workday starts and therefore I don’t want to rush it.

This is what I wear to work every day, I’m going for the 'me but better' look.  Very natural and not too 'synthetic’ looking and something that easy to apply even when you’re still half a sleep.  

First is the base: Mac Prep + Prime Natural Radiance Base Lumière in Radiant Pink.  I love this, it feels moisturizing and gives my skin a healthy glow. The skin on my cheeks is quite dry and as I’m getting older I feel like my skin is starting to look a bit more dull, especially in fall/winter time.  This is the perfect primer if you want to remedy that.  

In the fall/winter I put on a real foundation but now that the weather is getting warmer, I switch to a BB cream or something similar.  Last year I bought the Guerlain Lingerie De Peau BB Beauty Booster in Light and since I had some left I started using it again this year.  I still love it as much as I did last year, it’s easy to apply (I use my fingers instead of a brush for this one),it looks really natural and has an SPF 30.

I don’t use under eye concealer simply because I haven’t found one that doesn’t crease.  I have lines under my eyes so under eye concealer is a tricky one.

To set everything I use my Hello Flawless powder by Benefit and for a blush I love my MAC legendary blush from the Marilyn Monroe collection.

For my eyes I really wouldn’t know what to do without my Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion.  My eyelids are a bit greasy so without a primer my eyeshadow would never stay put.  Next up is MAC Haux in the crease or should I say to create a crease.  I have hooded eyes (it only gets worse when you get older, don’t say I didn’t warn you) so I don’t really have a crease.  Nevermind, I just slap the color above my eyelid and pretend it’s a crease.  MAC All that glitters on my eyelid and MAC Dazzle light on the inner corner for that extra pop.  After the lash curler had done it’s duty I tightline my upper lashline with a brown pencil (Bourjois Contour Clubbing waterproof pencil in 57 up and brown) and a good coat of Benefit’s They're Real mascara.

MAC Eyebrow pencil in Fling to fill in those brows a bit and to set it Hema eyebrow gel

And to finish it all off some MAX fix+ which helps the whole thing to melt together and make it look very natural.

I play with the lip color a bit although I don’t go for very bold colors when I have to go to work.  But MAC Pink Plaid, Cut A Caper or Shy girl are regular guests here, as are Too Faced Melted liquified long wear lipstick in Melted Peony and Urban Decay Sheer Revolution lipstick in Sheer Streak.

A simple, neutral look that you really don't have to think about, perfect for weekdays!

I confess: I'm a nail polish addict.

"How many do you have?” I shrug and simply say "I don’t know”.  It’s not really a lie, I’d have to check my inventory to see how many I have.  Because yes, there is an inventory and yes, without that I have no clue how many nail polishes I have.  "But do you use all of them?” "At least once.”, now that’s a lie.  When you start lying that’s the first sign that you have a problem right?  You just ignore the reality and make things up so you fit in to what everyone finds normal.  

I really can’t say when it started and how I got here but buying nail polish just makes me happy.  In fact, I never used to paint my nails and even when I started buying nail polish I wasn’t painting my nails on a regular bases.  I do now though, if I have no nail polish on people start asking questions.   Even my man tells me "put something on your nails, this isn’t you” when I go 'bare’.  But contrary to what people might think, I don’t put on a different color every evening.  I can easily go with the same color for a week (I’ve got the topcoat thing down to perfection).  

So why do I buy them?  Like I said, it makes me happy.  When I’m in a bad mood, I just go to my nail polish dresser (because yes, there is also a separate dresser for my little bottles of happiness) and look at them, feel them, get them out, rediscover them … and within a few minutes I’m smiling again.  Superficial?  Maybe.  But I’m sure everyone has little material thing that makes them happy. 

It’s no secret to the people around me that I love nail polish.  Hell, one of my nieces (5 years old) drew me with big red dots on top of my fingers.  I guess that says it all, right?  My friends, colleagues, family … they all smile and think whatever they want to think.  I don’t care really.  I try not to judge people for their little defects, weird habits, passions … and I hope people around me do the same.  And if not, well than that’s really not my problem is it?

I have however set some boundaries for myself. I hardly ever buy luxury nail polish (I think I have 2 Chanel bottles) and I seek out special deals in store or on the internet when I want something.  There are a few exceptions tot the rule: Marc Jacobs nail polish (I always buy some when in a Sephora), Zoya (because it’s hard to get in Europe, anything hard to get triggers something in me) and maybe the occasional special limited edition that I really can’t resist.  But other than that I mostly buy Catrice and lately Essie (because of the special deals).  Financially I’m safe!!!

So here it is: I’m An, I’m 38 years old an I’m a nail polish addict.  How many do I have?  I’ll have to check my inventory.  Do I use them all?  Nope.  That’s the honest truth.  When you tell the truth, you are aware of the issue and it doesn’t cause any financial trouble, there really isn’t a problem, is there?

P.S.: for those of you who know me and wanted to find out how many I have: I’m sorry, that’s my little secret ;-)

Essie Cashmere Matte Collection

Matte nail polish … I always have mixed feelings about it.  I’m a topcoat kind of girl, I love me some good topcoat!  So putting on matte polish without a topcoat is stepping out of my comfort zone just a bit.  But hey, life is all about pushing yourself right?  So when I saw the Cashmere matte collection from Essie I decided to go for it. I love the color range, neutral tones with the black one to bring some edge to it. 

The formula is great, it applies so easy without streaking and dries really fast (most matte polishes do so that’s no surprise).  And they stayed put on my nails for about 4 days.  What more could a girl want?

 Wrap Me Up

 Cozy In Cashmere

Coat Couture

Just Stitched

Spun In Luxe

All Eyes On Nudes

My favorite color of this collection is definitely Wrap Me Up, it’s just so classy for summer.   White or whitish matte polishes are tricky because they often tend to look like correction fluid on your nails.  Wrap Me Up is just perfect: not too white, not too beige and with the perfect matte finish.  

In Belgium you can buy Essie at Kruidvat, DI/Lookiss and Inno but at this time they don’t carry this collection.  I got mine at bol.com when there was a 2 for 15€ promotion.  I hardly ever pay full retail price for Essie, I always wait for a 3 for 2 or something like that promotion.  As much as I love nail polish, paying 12.49€ for a bottle when you want 6, is just a bit too much for me.