NOTD: L'Oreal Color Riche Vernis A L'Huile in Orange Triomphe (444)

Feeling fierce, yes I am!!  Somehow I always get that feeling when I'm wearing a bright reddish nail polish. This type of color always makes me feel like a woman that's ready to conquer the world!

Pictured above together with the swatch are a few of my healthy nail essentials (and a leopard print makeup bag because hey, it's leopard, the perfect match for a bright red nail).

So far I like every color that I've tried of the L'Oreal Color Riche Vernis à L'Huile range and this one is no different.  The quality is great, I only need two coats of this color to get full coverage which isn't  always the case with a bright red.

The brush is exactly how I like it, a big dense brush that's easy to use.  I already have a few more colors that are ready to be swatches and shown to you so keep your eyes open for them.

Where to buy:

You can buy the L'Oreal Color Riche Vernis à L'Huile polishes at the drugstore or online, in Belgium they cost €9,99.

Tarte Young, Wild & Free Palette

Somehow I always seem to feel when QVCUK does an update on their Tarte stock.  I'm just surfen the net and than a little voice says "go check out Tarte on QVCUK" and voila, 9 out of 10 there'll be a restock and new items.  And usually the new items are on an introductory price (which is just a fancy word for sale or discount) so there no excuse not to buy something, as a matter of fact you should buy right then and there because it's on sale.  Right?  So it's no surprise that this cutie found his way home to me even though I wasn't planning on buying it.

I really love the fun factor of the palette, it's like a feel good palette.  I smile every time I pick it up, even on a pre-coffee monday morning it makes me smile.  I feel like this is what the world needs: more kindness and more confetti (and more makeup)!

After buying the Tartelette and Tartelette in Bloom palettes I completely fell in love with Tarte.  Their palettes are just so userfriendly and the eyeshadows are great quality.  The only thing is that their colorsheme seems to be the same all the time: neutrals.  And this palette is no different.

There is a particular smell to this palette when you open it.  It's a sweet smell that reminds me of the whole Too Faced chocolate frenzy.  I'm no fan of funny smelling eyeshadows, it makes me hesitate to put it on.  I mean, I don't like putting perfumed things on my eyes even if they are dermalogicaly tested.  It just doesn't feel right to me.

from left to right:

wow, party, dream team, lucky charm, weekend, virtue, happy place, simple life

The quality is what you expect from Tarte eyeshadows, great pigmentation and smooth application except for Wow.  What bothers me about the palette, and this is the first time I've felt this with a Tarte palette, is that the finish of the palette itself isn't up to normal Tarte standard.  Maybe it's just mine or maybe it's just the batch but you can see that Simple Life isn't put in straight.  The pan even comes out of the palette slightly on one side.  I noticed it the moment I opened my palette and I feel that just isn't right.  I assume it's just a fabrication error since I don't see this on pictures of others but it's still there.

There are tutorials for a day and night look that come with the palette which is always nice for when you're lacking inspiration (or on a pre-coffee monday morning).

If you're looking for a nice neutral palette and you like sweet smells you can always take a look at this palette.  Overall it is a good palette but I do prefer the Tartelette palettes over this one.

Where to buy:

Tarte.com does ship internationally so you can buy it directly from them (taxes and duties may apply).  You can also buy it at Qvcuk.com together with an LCL mascara for £38 (app. 45€).

NOTD: Essie Watermelon

We're officially experiencing a heatwave here in Belgium.  It's crazy hot here and with this kind of weather you have to stay hydrated so enter watermelon.  My man and I are real watermelon addicts.  It's just so refreshing an healthy at the same time, what else could one want right?

So when a colleague at work started talking about Watermelon by Essie I thought this was the perfect time to throw this one on the blog.  It's a classic color that screams summer.  On the US website this color is described as "a creamy and refreshing juicy red", on the Belgian website it's described as "a juicy and refreshing watermelon pink".  It really is a bright pink that navigates towards red so the truth is in-between.

Swatches are made with three coats and as you can see the color still isn't totally opaque.  

Where to buy:

Watermelon by Essie is part of their standard collection so it's available at your local Essie retail.  In Belgium you can find Essie at Di and Kruidvat and one polish costs €12,49.

NOTD: & Other Stories Passementerie Blush

Would you believe I've never tried a & Other Stories nail polish?  Even though they've been around the net and they always look great I never tried them.  The reason why is really stupid (and I mean really stupid).  As you can see on the picture on top, there's this sticker that covers the cap and a part of the bottle.  Not only does this assure that the polish you're buying hasn't been tried and tested by random shoppers, I also find it gives the bottle a nice classy look.  Up until now I was under the assumption that by opening the bottle you would ruin the sticker and therefor the whole 'look' of the bottle but of course that's not the case.   The sticker (or label, whatever you prefer) is meant to be pulled off before you open the bottle.  I just felt like slapping myself in the face when I finally figured that one out.  This was one of those moments where I just felt so incredibly dumb ... 

So when I was in Antwerp last Saturday I had no excuse not to buy some & Other Stories polishes.  I bought 4 so I kept it pretty descent in my standards.  The first one I'm showing is called Passementerie Blush, a gorgeous coral.  I gravitated towards this one every time I visited & Other Stories, this color is just so perfect.  Not too pink, not too orange but the right mixture of the two.  

The polish goes on smoothly but it did take me 3 coats and I still didn't achieve a truly full coverage.  I can still see the rims of my nails coming through when I'm standing in bright light. Other than that the formula is great.  It's not streaky and not too watery.

What I really don't like is that the brush is so close to the cap.  The cap has the same size as a Catrice nail polish bottle cap but the bottle itself is much smaller.  The brush is also the same size so it's only normal that the 'handle' of the brush is much shorter.  This makes the application of the polish much harder in my opinion.  

The size of the brush is great though, not too small and not too wide.  

Overall I do like this polish and the color range of & Other Stories polishes is great but the brush thing is annoying.  I have to admit that the aesthetics of the range is one of the main reasons I bought it and probably will be buying more.  They would just look so great in a nail polish display.

Where to buy:

You can buy this nail polish at & Other Stories for €7.  If you're bottle is empty and you return it to the store you get a 10% discount (but really, is there anyone out there that ever totally finishes a nail polish?).

Too Faced Hangover Primer

I'm all about that base and I'm always looking for that something to give me that perfect base to apply my makeup on.  I love pore minimizing primers but sometimes you just need something else.  Needless to say when I came across the Hanover Primer by Too Faced, I just had to try it (and I also admit that the name got me hooked).

So what does this Hangover Primer do exactly?  It's a hydrating primer that gives your skin an extra oomph when you need it.  The substance is very light and really sinks into the skin, giving it an overall healthy look.  Perfect for those dull skin days.

The primer comes in a tube with a pump, which I love.  It's clean and one pump will get you enough product for the whole face (but I admit that some days I just need that extra pump).

I really like this primer but I'm not sure I'll re-buy it.  There are just so many primers out there to try and even though I really like this one, I'm sure there are plenty others out there that do the same.

Where to buy:

You can buy Too Faced Hangover Primer at Sephora.fr, a tube of 40ml costs 31€ (I do have to mention that since you don't need much this will last you a long time).

A little ZOEVA order

Can you believe I'd never tried ZOEVA brushes?  I've read about them and I even told some friends that wanted to buy brushes to order there but I never got around to ordering there myself.  Mostly because I wasn't really in need of new brushes.  A few weeks ago I decided to go ahead and order a few brushes and I wasn't disappointed!

127 Luxe Sheer Cheek

I admit, this one was a case of 'brush envy'.  My bestie has this one and when I saw it I had to have it.  I didn't really own a brush like this and this is perfect for a bit of contouring, bronzing or to apply blush.  

142 Concealer Buffer

I got this one because of the brush that came with my Bye Bye Under Eye concealer by IT Cosmectics.  I never used to buff in my concealer but now I can't really imagine applying it any other way, I'm wondering if using a buffing brush could be the answer to all my concealer prayers.  So far I've only used it once and I like it a bit more than the IT cosmetics brush.  It's a bit 'firmer' but no hard for the under eye area.

223 Petit Eye Blender

This is my favorite one!  I absolutely adore this one.  If you have hooded eyes like I do, creating a crease is a pain in the ass.  You have to create it with your eyes open and if the brush you use for that is too big the effect can be a mess.  This one is just perfect for that job!  I already know I'll be ordering a second one of this for sure!

227 Luxe Soft Definer

In case you didn't know already, this is a perfect dupe for the MAC 217 brush which is one of my all time favorite brushes (and one of the first MAC brushes I bought).  It was time I got a second one for those days when you're just too lazy to wash your brushes but you need a clean blending brush.

I already know there will be more Zoeva brushes in the near future for me, if you're looking for some affordable quality brushes you should go check out zoeva.de 

NOTD Maybelline Color Show in Coral Craze (342)

I'm not making the best impression am I.  Being all excited on the first birthday of the blog and than immediately start slacking on the posting.  I wish I had a good excuse but the truth is that I've just been so tired this week I haven't gotten around to it.  Good times are coming though because starting this weekend I have a two week vacation.  I'm going to do some traveling (don't ask me where to because we haven't booked yet), do some work around the house and just relax.  And I promise to squeeze in blogging too ;-)

For now you'll just have to do with this swatch of the Maybelline Color Show nail polish in Coral Craze.  Maybelline is starting with an update of the Color Show nail polish packaging and Di had a promotion going on because of it.  Normally you would pay €4,19 for one, right now you pay €5 for two!  So of course I had to grab 4 :-) but this one immediately caught my eye.  It's the perfect color for summer.

The Color Show polishes are great quality, have a nice brush that makes application easy and you get full coverage in two coats.

Where to buy:

You can buy the Maybelline Color Show nail polishes at your local drugstore.  Like I said Di in Belgium is have a great deal on these right now so grab some asap!

1 year already

I started this blog exactly 1 year ago today and I want to thank each and every one of you for stopping by my little place on the web.

Starting this was a big step for me, I'd been thinking about it for so long and I remember being on vacation and talking about it with my man who's simple reply was "just do it".  And he was right so instead of thinking about it I just did it.  It was a bit confronting at first because even though I'm sure most of my friends and colleagues are well aware of my nail polish/makeup and overall beauty addiction, showing it to the whole world and giving everyone a look inside my 'collection' makes it all very real.  But everyone has been very supportive and when I'm slacking there's always the one person that tells me "hey, I was reading the blog and you haven't posted in a while, when will the next post be up?" ... 

It's been very exciting to see the statistics of the blog.  An international 'audience', the number of readers going up ... it's very humbling and I always wonder who you are.  Because even though I see you are all reading, nobody has left a comment (except for my bestie in the beginning).  So I'm anxiously waiting for that to happen.

This first year for me was all about discovering blogging.  Do I like it?  Am I any good at writing and am I any good at writing in English?  Do I have enough to write about? Will I be able to take good pictures and edit them?  I can answer yes to a few of these questions, some of them are for you to answer but since I see the number going up, I can't be that bad can I?

The one thing I'm not good in is creating a nice layout.  I just don't have the patience to start fumbling around and so I decided that I would treat the blog to a new bought layout.  I searched the net and decided on a layout from Pipdig. My requirements weren't that big: not too expensive, modern looking and easy to install.  And it took me longer to decide what template to buy than to install it.  I'm not done yet with the whole layout, there are different pages in the works and I will be linking my social media accounts to the page.  But that's not for today since the ironing is waiting for me (and I've already neglected it last week so I really have to get it done today).

So what does the future hold?  I have no idea, the thing I'm struggling the most with is the frequency of posts.  I've tried posting every day for two weeks but it's not realistic and it's just so much pressure that it's not really fun.  So I'm thinking 3 posts a week on regular days and than when I have more time or something really exciting to write about I can just add an extra post.  I'll be experimenting with this for the next weeks and I'll let you know what I come up with.

If you have any suggestions on how to make the blog better or if there are specific things you'd like to see more (or less about), please let me know in the comments ;-)

Once again, thank you so much for taking the time to stop by.  Hope to see you again soon!

XoXo

An

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye concealer

I'm definitely not a concealer person, in fact I hardly ever use one.  Why, you ask?  Because I have lines under my eyes (I'm trying not to use the word wrinkles anymore, lines sounds so much more gentle) and most concealers get in there before I even have time to set it with powder.  It's just so much hassle when you're getting a bit older and you have lines around your eyes.  Since I don't really have dark circles under my eyes, I feel comfortable skipping this step.  But since I'm constantly thriving to step up my makeup game I've been trying to convince myself of the use of under eye concealers with not much succes until now.

If you haven't heard of the Bye Bye Under Eye concealer of It Cosmetics you definitely haven't been watching youtube makeup tutorials in the last year or so.  This concealer was everywhere,  got positive reviews all around the web and if you look at the It Cosmetics website this stuff is everything you ever needed and more.  The only problem: It Cosmetics wasn't available in Europe.  You could only buy it at Ulta (and I recently found out you can also buy it at Beautylish.com but since I'm not the best of buddies with Belgian customs I didn't want to use that option) until now.  Recently QVCUK started selling a small selection of It Cosmetics products including the Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer.  So as soon as it hit their website I ordered the Bye Bye Under Eye concealer in the shade light and with a duel ended concealer brush as an introductory offer.

I always try out new makeup out on a Sunday because sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to so a stay inside Sunday is the perfect day to try something on the first time.  It was two weeks ago on a Sunday morning I put the concealer on for the very first time.  First impression?  It's a very 'sturdy' formule, it doesn't come out of the tube that easily.  You really have to squeeze hard (almost to the point that I was afraid the end of the tube would explode).  I tried it out on the back of my hand and wasn't all that impressed to be honest, still couldn't see what the fuss was all about.  So I went on and put it under my eyes.  Now, I don't have the excessive dark circle thing going on under my eyes but since I have quite light skin you can definitely see THE vain.  You know, that blue vain that is under your eye and goes all the way to the inside of your eye, THE vain could use some covering up.  I left the concealer on without setting it with powder for the rest of the day.  

The first one I share exciting makeup stuff with is my bestie (no offense to you my dearest reader), if it's bad, good, not worth the hype, so worth the hype ... she's the first one to know how I feel about a certain thing so she got a text at night "this concealer doesn't crease!  It does not crease! And I didn't even set it with powder!" .  

I apply the Bye Bye Under Eye using the flat side of the brush first.  I apply it all the way up to my under eye lashes and in a slightly triangular shape.  Then I continue to buff it in with the other side of the brush and I set it with a little Laura Mercier Translucent powder.   Thats's the method that works best for me.  And the best thing: you only need a tiny amount of product, the size of the pinhead, so a tube will last you a very long time.

I've been using this one for two weeks straight now, every day and I feel naked not using it.  The other day I was running late and for a second I thought "oh, I could just skip concealer, I've been fine without it for so long and will save time" but I immediately banished those evil thoughts of my mind.

Yes, my lovely reader, I think I'm officially hooked on this concealer.  This has never happened before (well, not with a concealer anyway).   If you're looking for a new under eye concealer and you have some money to spend (no drugstore price here) than I highly recommend this one.  Looking for the right color can be a bit tricky.  I have a light skin tone and sometimes I feel the light color is too light for me (but my bestie tells me that's not the case and bestie always knows best) and I am thinking about ordering the medium toned one too (to mix with the light one in summertime).

I'm waiting for QVCUK to start selling their CC cream, I really can't wait to get my hands on more products of It Cosmetics.

Where to buy:

I bought mine at qvcuk.com and paid £23,64 for the concealer with the brush, handling and shipping was £3,97 so in total I paid £27,61 or €35,51.  Not cheap but since it came with a good brush this is a good deal.  You have to hurry though because this sells out like crazy (esp the medium color).  They do restock regularly so you have to visit the site from time to time.

NOTD: L'Oréal Paris Color Riche Vernis à L'huile in Moka Chic (662)

These past few days there hasn't been any sign of spring or summer in Belgium.  The whole weekend was about dark cloudy skies and a bit of rain now and then (some parts of Belgium were flooded) so I wasn't really in the mood for a bright color on my fingernails.  Instead I chose this brown taupe color of the new Color Riche Vernis à L'huile range by L'Oréal.

This range of nail polishes promises to do a lot of things: strengthen your nails, give good coverage and smell like roses (or something).  I've tried polishes that smell like certain things before and I'm generally not a big fan of them.  I usually spent the majority of the day thinking "what is that smell?" and it always takes me a while to remember that it's my nailpolish.  The new Vernis à L'huile range doesn't smell that different while applying but they do smell different once the polish is dry.  I can't really say what it smells like but it doesn't smell like nail polish, it just smells neutral and it's not annoying at all.  Is it a bonus?  Only if you don't like the smell of freshly polishes nails but for me it's not something I get giddy over.

The polish goes on smoothly thanks to the great brush and you get full coverage with 2 thin coats.  I can't say if it does something to strengthen my nails since I tend to change up my polish twice a week changing brands and colors.  But the polish does feel nice on the nails (I know that sounds a bit strange) and the quality is really great.  I have a few more colors ready to swatch and I can't wait to see if they are up there with this one.

Where to buy:

You can buy the L'Oréal Paris Color Riche Vernis à L'huile nail polishes at the local drugstore.  In Belgium they cost €9,99 (but I'm sure you'll find a good promotion like I did if you look around or if you're patient)

LORAC Pro Palette

A girl can never have too many eyeshadowpalettes right?  If you're looking for a great everyday palette there are lots of choices out there, one of them is the Lorac Pro Palette for sure.  

As you know by now I have a bit of a weak spot for brands that you can't buy in European stores, I don't know why it is.  Maybe because I feel like there are so many descent makeup brands out there that are cheaper than what we can normally buy here and that are great quality.  I'm also an avid youtube watcher and blog reader and I feel like I get all the information on certain products but I'm just not able to buy them and that is pretty darn frustrating!

So when I discovered in 2014 that Nordtrom started shipping internationally (also for beauty products) and that they carry LORAC I treated myself to a few palettes, one of them being the original Pro Palette (the others being the Pro Palette 2 and the Unzipped palette, reviews will be on the blog in the future).  Ordering 3 at a time might seem a bit over the top but when you do the math with shipping and duties it's a lot cheaper to buy 3 than to buy just 1.  And who am I to defy science?

The LORAC Pro Palette contains 16 eyeshadows and 1 travel size Behind The Scenes Eye Primer (review on this is on the blog next week).  The quality of the eyeshadows is great, I really can't say anything bad about them.  The color pay off is great and they are so easy to blend.

Swatches top row

Swatches bottom row

So if you're living in Europe and you want to treat yourself or if you have a friend that's totally into make up and you want to buy a special present, this palette is worth looking in to.

Where to buy:

If you live in Europe you can get LORAC through Nordstrom.com, the palette costs €41,77 which is a really good price but you have to take in to account the shipping and duties that are charged at the end.  For Belgium that would be €20,35 shipping and €11,69 duties, making it a total of €73,81.

Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipsticks

It took me a while to get on the liquid lipstick train but since they are everywhere I really didn't have a choice but to give in.  The problem with liquid lipsticks is that if the formula isn't good, it's just a waste of money.  I'd already read a few mixed reviews on the Vivid Matte Liquid Lipsticks from Maybelline but when I was in the drugstore and I saw Coral Courage I just couldn't resist.  I was just so drawn to that color.  Of course I couldn't just leave with one so Fuchsia Ecstasy also ended up in my shopping basket.

To be honest, I can totally understand the mixed reviews.  I put Coral Courage on after I had lunch (so around 14h) and the formula took ages to dry.  It actually felt like it never really totally dried up.  So I was a bit suspicious from that point on.  After a cup of coffee and a glass of water I could already see it getting patchy.  You could see my lips coming through in the center of my mouth.   After dinner it looked as if I had a thick line of lipliner on the edges of my lips and forgot to fill in the rest (not the most flattering look).  But when I removed it in the evening there was still some color coming off, it did leave a stain on my lips.

This picture is a bit darker but if I manipulate the lighting you won't see any difference between the colors.

In all fairness, after buying the Dose Of Colors liquid lipsticks my standards have risen.  So I was a bit disappointed in these.  I did test them without a lipliner underneath and without reapplying them (that's how I test all my lip products).  They probably have longer sustainability when you fill in your lips with a lip pencil first.  These aren't really matt either and the fact that they feel like they don't really dry up makes the product shift around somewhat when rubbing your lips together.  

I'm not the biggest fan of these and after testing them I'm a bit afraid to wear them in public because of the patchiness.  I think Maybelline could've done a much better job with the formula.

Where to buy:

I bought mine at DI but you can buy them at the drugstore.  They cost €6,99 each.