Top 5 Beauty Picks of the Week

Top 5 Beauty Picks of the week by greenvogueglam featuring yves saint laurent makeup

1. La Laque Couture - 47 Feuille D'Or 

Now if that name doesn't convince you to buy this little wunder nail polish, nothing will. I'm not one to swoon over a nail polish (call it La Laque if you will), but this little thing is seriously gorgeous. It has a very serious price but would make for an awesome birthday gift for a girlfriend.

2. Full Metal Shadow - 10 Wet Blue

I think ever since the little Kardashian brought us the miracles of the K-line, we are all seriously obsessed with little bottles of everything. This metal blue is perfection, super creamy, blends like there's no tomorrow, averages around 30€ but you get a good amount of product and is definitely a must for this fall/winter. For a brunette like myself, the color is very flattering.

3. Volupte Tint-In-Oil - 11 Love Me Nude

This is a lipgloss to all effects but there is something about the packaging, the scent, the way in which it's so rich yet totally not sticky, I'm hooked. If you're not one to use lipstick or such, you might want to try this luxe lipgloss.

4. Vernis a Levres Vinyl Cream - 407 Carmin Session

Has there ever been a more incredibly attractive little bottle? I look at this liquid lipstick and it looks like something a dominatrix would have in her latex purse and obsessively put on between spanking sessions. It is lusty, rich, very pigmented, long lasting, non-drying, marvellously varied and averagely priced. I already want 3.

5. Full Metal Shadow The Mats - 13 Velvet Beige

It's the matt eyeshadow we have all being waiting for. I've seen matt eyeshadows before but they always made me go "Nah". This product is the perfect mix of matt and fab and has all the great characteristics of Number 2 from my list with the added bonus that it's a limited time collection with only three colors. You have to hand it to them, they really know how to create frenzy. I've already bought this one and will be sharing some looks on Insta.

Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister 

Sunday Brunchday - Gluten Free Soft Salty Cake

Here I am with this super simple, absolutely delicious vegetarian salty cake. It was part of our Sunday Brunchday and I was surprised by how much I liked it. I am not one to love savoury salty things in the morning and I notoriously present Mr. Mystery and/or my Brunchday guests with dessert and sweet things galore. 

This morning, I got up bright and early and bakes this simple soft vegetable cake. Throw in a lemon green tea and some fruit and this makes for a super healthy start to your day.

Here's the recipe!

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: around 25 minutes (or until it gets a golden top crust)

Ingredients:

3 medium sized eggs

300 g / 2 1/2 cup zucchini (sliced)

1 small red onion

120 g / 1/2 cup buckwheat flour

30 g / 1 oz rice flour

50 g / 1/3 cup whole almond meal flour

40 ml / a little over 1 oz extravirgin olive oil

90 ml / 3 oz soy milk/lactose-free milk

60 g / 2 oz almonds

50 g / 1/3 cup pecorino romano (if you can't get any, parmesan should be fine as well)

3 tsp baking powder
5 g butter (to grease the cake pan)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Wash the zucchini and slice it finely; then slice the red onion.

2. Mix the flours and the baking powder.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt and black pepper. Add in the milk, oil, the flours and continue to whisk until you have a grain-free batter.

4. Add the zucchini and red onion and stir the mix with a wooden spoon, folding the batter gently.

5. Butter the cake pan, put the batter in it and smooth the surface. Decorate the surface with the almonds and put the cake in the oven.

6. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the surface is golden, at 200° C / 392° F

7. Take the cake out and wait for it to cool before serving.

Enjoy and do let me know if you liked it!

Kiss and Peace
Miss Sinister

Friday Fav Five is back - and so am I

1. Go-To Face Hero. This little guy has totally got my attention. 45 Australian $ which translate into about 35 € isn't really that much for 30 ml of product they say will last you for quite some time.

I quote:

"A terrifically powerful, fantastically lightweight face oil that deeply hydrates, soothes, revitalizes and completely protects the face against bad guys trying to make it unhappy. It's your daily skin booster and new best friend.

Featuring 10 potent, purposefully selected plant and nut oils, Face Hero boasts a bucket load of essential fatty acids, vitamins and anti-oxidants, as well as anti-inflammatory properties and write-home-about-it nourishment. It leaves zero residue and penetrates deeply and quickly to hydrate, revive, brighten and insure your face against fine lines, dark spots, dryness and ageing inflammation.
Face Hero is your all-in-one daily skin guardian, and quite frankly, just the hero we've been waiting for." 

2. This embroidered fall coat from Zara. I've been steadily but surely falling into the embroidered trend and since I'm considering investing some of my career girl money into a new coat this fall, this number from Zara seems to fit the bill. 129.90€

3. The key to my(bag's) heart. I've fallen head over designer heels with this Italian brand with such a quirky name: Pomikaki. They are made in Italy, cruelty free and very chicly faux, really creative and moderately priced. Mind you, you're still paying in the hundreds of euros, but it's for a product you'll love to wear, envied for wearing and thanked by animals. A win-win situation indeed.











4. The perfect fall slippers. While now I'm writhing in pain because of this scorching Italian heat (well, it's actually raining right now, but I was writhing about an hour ago), I am already dreaming about the crisp October air when I'll be back in my lace-ups and cachemire whatnots. I saw an ad on Bloglovin' for these awesome little innovative slippers and my millennial heart couldn't bear it. They are not at the top of my August birthday wishlist.

5. The Dove that could. I'm the worst of judges when it comes to mainstream, drugstore products, opting out of them entirely due to a decade long obsession with reading the ingredients list. But my mom isn't. So after an afternoon baking in the Italian sun, me with my SPF 50, her with none, she pulled out the new Dove DermaSpa uplifted+ body lotion and I'm in love. I've not dared look at the ingredients but I can vouch for the fact that it does indeed smooth, hydrate and overall firm the skin, all for under 5€ and with an awesome smell.







Hope you enjoy my Fav Five!

Kiss and Peace
Miss Sinister

Growing up wildebeest

Mornings in any big city is like witnessing the great yearly migration from the Masai Mara to the Serengeti. I'll never forget my first time in the Serengeti, just as the liquad mass of wildebeest had arrived, flowing into that immense flatland like a river in its bed. Strangely, I felt an almost surreal connection with that four-legged, foul smelling, constant frolicking crowd. They reminded me of everything I'd ever loved about growing up in a city. Yes, it's a bit smelly and yes, you tend to step on each other. Yes, sometimes, some people just need a good head butt, and yes, usually you wish people could just follow the damn flow and stop grazing around, but it's that intoxicating feeling of oneness and total freedom at the same time that you never get anywhere else. 

I've sung enough songs for how highly I thought of city life, but it never fails to dawn on me like a whole new emotion when I get back in a city after a while.

Kiss and Peace

Miss Wildebeest 

What traveling by air is really like

Traveling is not for the faint hearted. While I can still distantly remember a time when heading to an airport was fun and light and usually accompanied by complimentary candy from my mom, my travels nowadays are a neat bundle of nerve-wrecking hopes and expectations. You hope your luggage will not be too heavy, too plump, too round or square, liquidy or whatnot. You hope the nice person at the metal detector won't choose you, out of all those currently on their merry way to their designated gate, to take your shoes off or to be man/womanhandled because you left a freakin' penny in your back pocket.

You expect your plane to leave on time, arrive on time, not have annoying/ill-smelling/disrespectful individuals sit next to you. You expect some sort of passenger drama because it's 2016 and people still don't turn their phones off or fasten their seatbelts. 

Shall I mention the number one passenger drama I've, and I'm sure you have too, experienced on EVERY single flight in Europe? As soon as the plane touches the tarmac, giddy Europeans spring up, frantically opening overhead compartments, searching for stuffed hand luggage twice as big as what they should be carrying, only to be left standing there like hurried idiots for an extra 15 minutes, some vacantly complaining as to why the damn door doesn't open while this silly airplane is still moving. Silly plane.

I've come to loathe traveling by plane. It now takes too long, I get checked way more than I feel comfortable to, the people have remained or even descended into a state of complete inadequacy and unawareness.

Traveling by plane from and in Europe doesn't involve having an experience. It's like catching the bus on Friday afternoon. You are not expecting warm nuts and plushy seats, it's cramped and unfortunate and you usually just want it to be over.

I've just landed. People are clapping. The guy driving the plane did his job. He deserves an encore request. Geez'

Kiss and Peace

Sarcastic Miss Sinister

Running in molasses

I feel stuck in an oven. I feel like a butter cookie glistening in the dim light of my double sized oven. It's summer in the city and there is nothing I can do about it. No face mist (too bad Kiehl's, you've served me good in the past), no water-f***ing-proof mascara (YSL&Revlon, I heart you, but this is an epic fail for you), no fancy organic cotton, goop-approved T-shirt will avoid me assiduous perspiration. I am broken. Moving around this mighty city feels like walking through the molasses that one of my favorite writers of all time talked about. If I knew not, I would say I'm in Harper Lee's Alabama world. 

My hair is limp and has decided to be shapeless, and no matter what styling tip I search for on Bloglovin, there will be no solution. 

I wonder why bloggers in general never talk about the real real of running around in a city. You get sweaty, your pores dilate, your hair gets twice as dirty as it would normally and it usually ends up in a tight bun to keep it off your shoulders and stop heating you further. There is no wavy curls casually flowing, no full makeup, no rows of accessories neatly stacked on your goddessesque body. I can barely stand clothes in this heat. If social norms were a tad bit more progressive, we would all berunning around in nothing but our birthday suiys, hopping like happy bunnies.

After realizing I would be aline for dinner, I've now treated myself to two desserts and a glass of Cabernet. Pure happiness. If the wine would have been a bit warmer and the wifi would have worked, it would have undoubtedly been #perfection.

Kiss and Peace

Miss self-contempt Sinister

I've hopped on the summer mascara trends bandwagon - YSL Mascara Vinyl Couture Review

After reading about it in every June issue of virtually every magazine, I went into Sephora practically demanding one of these. The new YSL Mascara Vinyl Couture promised longer, fuller lashes with added bonus of a lacquered effect.

I tried on the basic black which looked awesome but when I got my hands on this cobalt blue shade, which befittingly is called "I'm the trouble", I knew it was ti be mine.

I paid around 35€ cause I had a coupon, but the price is somewhere around there.

It says it's waterproof, or at least I remember the Sephora shopping assistant saying as much, but as I suspected, considering my long standing financial bond with YSL mascaras, it's not. So all you ready to put it on for summer and/or the beach, be warned!

It does indeed look incredible and gives a decent amount of volume.

In daylight, it will make people stare, that's just how gorgeous it looks, in the evening or indoors, people next to you will notice it, maybe even the odd waitress/fellow beauty blogger!

If you're ready to jump on the colored mascaras bandwagon this summer, I would definitely recommend this to you!

Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister

Looking for glitter? Clarins After Sun Shimmer Oil

With summer finally here, well sort of here, I'm ready to break put the SPF50 protection and the body glitter. In that order. A couple of years ago I had found the perfect summer product. A SPF30 lotion with glittery particles from L'Oreal. It was stupidly cheap, smelled divine and I was in love. What did L'Oreal do? They stopped producing it. (insert Mutley grumbling noise) If you do not know who Mutley is and what noises he made, you need to google this right now.

Last week I spent a good hour perusing Sephora and a plethora of other beauty shops on the hunt for body glitter that didn't look like something out of a cheap 90s chick flick.

And I found this Clarins After Sun Shimmer Oil. And I'm in love again. 

It leaves my skin soft, wonderfully scented and subtly glittered. It's 35€ for 200ml of product but you only use literally a few drops for each body part. 

I'll be putting it to further test this weekend on my short trip to Sicily and let you know how it went.

Any thoughts or impressions? Have you already used this product?

Kiss and Peace

Glittery Miss Sinister

Summer Shower Essentials - Phytorelax Multi Vitamin

During my short visit to Cosmoprof this year, I chatted with a very charming Italian from Phytorelax Laboratories. He was trying to do two things. Take me out to dinner and sell me on how awesome their new multi vitamin lines were. One of these didn't go so well and I'll let decide which.

He gifted me the Nourishing Dry Body Oil (which is actually a spray), a wonderful concoction of some sort of watery serum and oil that smells like 1000 plus one oranges. It is enriched with Vitamin A, C and E, sans icky stuff and contains 98% natural ingredients. It has been my go to product after each and every shower. It easily absorbs and leaves my skin soft and scented.

Fun fact? The serum and oil divide so you have to shake it really well to blend them and create the mix!

Fun fact part II? First time I sprayed it on it was all over my bathroom floor (ceramic) and I nearly broke my neck trying to get out of the bathroom.

It retails for about 10€ here in Italy and you can find it in any drugstore but not at the supermarket. Y

I was so happy with this oil that I decided to buy the Multi-Use Vitamin Bath from the same line. I got it on sale for about 7€ (kaching!) and just love it. It boasts the same formulation of the oil, is super delicate and has the same incredible smell. 

If you're looking for something fresh yet nourishing for the summer, you should definitely give these a try!

Kiss and Peace

I'm finally back Miss Sinister

Letter to my eighteen-year-old self

Dear Oana,

I sure wish you could have read this when you were 18.
I sure wish you could have seen the simple things lying in front of you.
Let's start of from the beginning.
You were the 4th in your whole school on graduation day. The freakin' 4th. Own that shit. It really doesn't matter how incredibly incompatible, incapable and ungrateful your friends are. You deserve more. A whole lot more than that bunch of spoiled poor little rich kids that are going to be very nasty to you in a little while. You got into university on a scholarship and they didn't. And so they became a very small and insignificant angry mob. And you know when you decided to leave them behind and move on. Good for you. That was a smart decision. Don't worry. In university you'll discover amazing people who are worth talking to, crying with and laughing at. You'll meet Bianca and Ada and Pisi and Dan and all those people that are fun, and smart and real.
Turn around you. Somewhere there is this massive, good-looking, perfect hair, big full lips rugby player. He's your boyfriend and you're in love. I know. Dump him. Right now. He's fun and wonderful but also the biggest baby on the planet and he is waaaaay not at your level.
Yes, I know you know that. I know you're trying really bad to make him up to be more than he is. The shirts won't change him. No, the vacations won't change him. No, university won't stick. He's not the ONE. He's one of the many that will be part of your life. So dump him now before his ass gets cocky and he cheats on you with a faceless nobody who can't even face you after you'll dump him some years later.
Coming back to the fact you're 18, please find and kiss, screw, cheat on and fool around with all the men and women you want. This is the time to truly do whatever you want. Trust me.
Cut gluten, it's toxic stuff for you and you'll realise that pretty soon. Start doing yoga now, not in a year's time. Don't quit. Stop smoking those on and off cigarettes. Do not stop drinking. You can do that later. Yeah, start cooking for your friends because you're really good at it and people appreciate it.
Oh hell yeah, kick that girl you think is your best friend's ass out of your house. She's not. And you'll end up on the streets, literally, because of her. And ignore the four-eyed monster that thinks they are superstars. You're right, they aren't and they won't be. It will get a whole lot worse and a whole lot more embarrassing in the future but that's another letter.
Remember your deep rooted hatred for Facebook? That won't change. But please create a Twitter account and watch out for Instagram. It's going to rock!

I'm pretty sure there are a few more things I wished you had known when you were 18, but these would have done. But then again, would you, would we be where we are now if it hadn't been for all these messes turning us, me into what I am today?

I guess we'll never know.

Kiss and Peace
Miss Sinister

Wheel of Musical Impressions with Ariana Grande

Just sharing with you guys my new found love for this little singer with the biggest of voices!

I never knew Ariana Grande was such a talent!



In love







Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister

Review - L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau de Teint and Kiko Eyeshadow & Lipliner

I've been super busy with exams, work and trying out new makeup.
I picked up some goodies these past few weeks and I'll be reviewing them on here in the following days.
I'l start with L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau de Teint which I picked up about a month ago at the drug store. I have to say I would have never bought it if it hadn't enticed me with it's devilish price tag. 5€ for this pretty glass bottle foundation. I bought it not because I thought I'd ever use it regularly, but because I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try it.
It's supposed to create this ultra-light, magiquely long-lasting, powder finish sheer coverage. And, low and behold, despite my natural distrust in such promises, it does indeed do all of these things. It went on like a charm, made my skin look perfect, felt light and comfortable and covered a whole lot more than I would have thought.
Downsize? It has some sort of alcohol in it that I can feel through my eyes. Like opening a bottle of vodka and you just peer through the opening of the bottle or something. Weird.
It stayed on for a full 7 hours and did not flake or move. I was really satisfied.
It also didn't make my skin break out which is always a plus. I've used 3 times and I'm pretty happy with it.

The second product I want to talk about about today is a Kiko Eyeshadow in the prettiest possible prink. I bought it on sale from Kiko and it was something like 2€ (yes, 2, I was equally blown away after spending an afternoon in Sephora with my friends Nars and Urban Decay). I've mainly used it as  full lid color/canvas and it works really well. It has a bit of sheen which I love and is very flattering. Despite not having the best formula on the planet or even the credentials to be considered by most MUAs out there, this little tough cookie does not move. It's like a mini, cheap Superman of eyeshadows. I get strange allergies from eyeshadows and the fact that this has given me no grief is a positive sign.

The hot pink Kiko Lipliner for which I pair less than 2€ is an equal little miracle. It's just the right amount of hard and very long-lasting. Perfect to accompany my 30 something € Chanel liptstick.

Lastly, while I was prepping the flat lay, I needed something to brighten the photo, so I grabbed my YSL eyeshadow set from years gone by. I've had this for about 3 (maybe 4) years now and I've just recently brought it up from the makeup graveyard. This spring I'll be using it a lot because it has the prettiest pink, peach and nude glittery eyeshadows on the planet. Only trouble is they are really dusty, tend to disappear after the shortest of times and it's really hard to apply/blend them.

I'll be telling you about my short visit to Cosmoprof 2016 in another post!

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister

Liquid Lipstick Review - YSL and Pupa Milano

Here to give some love to two special liquid lipsticks.

I am not one to jump on the proverbial bandwagon. But deep down, I've been wishing for an Anastasia Beverly Hills matte liquid lipstick like a kid wishes for new Playstation at Xmas.

Since I've now come to believe I live in a make-up wasteland, I can't buy one. There is no website that can ship it, the two I did find who will ship it to me are either 1. out of it or 2. terribly expensive.

No Anastasia Beverly Hills for now.

But.

I decided to try some other matte liquid lipsticks.

Last autumn I picked up YSL Babydoll Kiss&Blush. It's about 36€.

It was part of a #FridayFav5 some time ago but I thought I should give you some info.

It's both a liquid lipstick and a blush. It has that very distinct scent all YSL products have and I have to say I absolutely love it.

It's pretty easy to put because it has a nice little brush (it's shaped like a little heart), but if you want it to go one super precise, I suggest you try putting it on with a lip brush. 

It comes in a glass bottle.

I've got N°11 Prune Impertinente. It's the darker shade in the swatch. I think it's the best shade in the collection and looks phenomenal on pretty much all my friends.

It lasts about 3/4 hours depending on application, if you're eating, if you're kissing...the norm.

It also doesn't dry the lips, which is a major plus.

Second liquid lipstick is a really believable dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills. 

It's I'm Matt from Pupa Milano.

12€ worth of matte liquid lipstick in the most perfect MYBB shade. Pinkish nude. Just right.

I've got N° 012 Rose Nude. 

It has a strange scent when you put it on, it's like they had an almond tree make love to a vanilla tree and then put their love child scent in this product. Weird. 

But it's a great product, both for the price and the quality. It doesn't fade, chip, move or any other creepy lip movement.

It has the best brush I've personally ever seen on a lip product. It allows for the most precise of applications. Hey, Dior, can you buy a Pupa and see what a great brush looks like?

It lasts for a good 4/5 hours, again depending what you're doing.

It unfortunately over dries the lips, but strangely enough I seem to mind it less and less each time I put it on. Maybe it has some sort of neurotransmitter meant to disable beauty blogger minds after a few uses.

It's obviously the lighter shade on the swatch.

Any experiences with these products to share?

Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister

P.S. If Anastasia Beverly Hills were ever to read my blog,

I would greatly appreciate suggestions on how to get your stuff in my house. asap.

Friday Fav Five from BeautyBay.com

After having totally let myself down by not publishing regularly, I'm now on a bit of a roll.

Today I'm bringing you a very specific #FridayFav5 focusing on products you can find on www.beautybay.com. I've become a tad bit obsessed with this website since it delivers free worldwide once you've gone over the 20€ mark, and honestly, I can't remember a time when ordering something online did not easily go way over that. Don't judge, look at your credit card details and you'll see you're just like me.

Yesterday I received my latest order (two Morphe brushes) and thought I'd give them a shout out, or a positive review, or a standing ovation, or just hint them over to you guys. Whatever it is, they are a kick-ass website, try to its word, with great brandiversity (Oh, this needs to become a word!).

So here is my Friday Fav Five list straight off their website.

1. Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream. 36€

This brand is organic, hails from New Zeeland, the cream comes in a jar (which I love), has awesome reviews and apparently smells incredible. I'm not the one to go gaga for a face cream, but I definitely want this in the future. I might wait and buy it for next winter since it does apparently boast a very rich and creamy texture and with spring fast approaching, might not be the best option for me. But if you have dry skin and you're looking for some night comfort, this cream might just be for you.

2. EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm - Strawberry Sorbet. 7€                                                       What can I say, if it's pink and you can put it on your lips, I will stop and stare. If you add to that the fact that it's organic, cheap, adorable, famous and smells nice, I'm basically yours. If you haven't heard about the EOS lip balms, you need to get educated fast. This little marvel ball is rich in antioxidants and vitamin E, enriched with Jojoba Oil and Kim Kardashian approved. I mean if that doesn't convince you, I don't know what will. Next on my purchase list.

3. Gerard Cosmetics Pretty Pinks 4 Piece Collection. 37€

I've been secretly stalking Gerard Cosmetics for a while now, but direct incursions have been impossible since it's nowhere to be found in the land of La Dolce Vita where I'm currently residing. 

I found this super luxurious pink collection on Beauty Bay and I'm basically obsessed. Two pink lipsticks and two pink lip glosses. They look awesome and judging by the astounding number of Instagramars our there using Gerard Cosmetics, I bet they're also super comfortable to wear. The price is fairly decent for the FOUR products you get and there is another collection option which features nude colors. 

4. Illamasqua Nail Base Coat. 15€

If this isn't the most perfect shade of nude you've ever seen, I don't know what is. I've been really getting into Illamasqua products, both for their really nice ingredients and wonderful packaging, but also for all the rave reviews I've been seeing lately on Youtube. Well, if Gwyneth puts you on her list of favs, you've pretty much arrived right?

                                                                                    

                                                                                    5. All possible Morphe Brushes. affordable€

I've basically gone on a crazy shopper binge and bought several of these beauties. I have to say I love them. Not all are equally nice and some might even qualify for the "nah*shrugging shoulders*nah" award, but generally I've found these brushes to be good quality for money, super soft, able to do the job ad overall a really good investment for any non-MUA beauty blogger. All the Youtubers out there raving about these brushes doesn't hurt either. This is the G4 Angle Blush Brush.

Let me know what you think.

Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister

Organic Foundations Review - My Top 3 (first ever video review!!)

I'm so excited to share with you guys my first ever video!

It's clanky and not perfect, I already wish some things were different, but I've never (to be read- never ever thought I would) record a video, edit it and publish it on Youtube.

So I'm sooooo happy!



Hope you like it!

any suggestions, questions, comments are more than welcome!



Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister

Monday OOTD

Couldn't decide what I wanted to wear so I wore everything!

Happy Monday everyone!

Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister

January Buys: Review

Here I am, a full month and a half MIA. I'm very sorry for not posting anything for all this time, but I've just been beyond busy with school. Exams, work, a boyfriend and a dog are serious business. I've also had a bit of a writer block and couldn't really write anything worthwhile.
But I'm baaaaaack! With January makeup buys.

Lets look at what I bought, how much I paid for it and if it's worth it.

1. Nars Steven Klein "One Shocking Moment" Holiday Collection Cheek Studio Palette. 
69€ in Europe/69$ in US/49£ in UK. Currently unavailable.
I picked this up at Sephora just before New Year's, but didn't actually use it until January so it's going into the Januay buys. I was lucky enough to use the 20% discount from Sephora and bought it for 49€. Considering the size and the contents, I was pretty happy. If you google this palette it will show you the insides. I might even post a photo in another post. In the meantime let me tell you how I feel about it.
- It has the much-raved Laguna bronzer that I've used a lot since getting it. I love the texture and the last. I usually use it as a light highlighter for day-to-day makeup.
- I also has the Paloma contouring duo that can be purchased separately as their contour kits. I love the highlighter! Just love it. I use it daily to set my concealer, to do light contouring, or simply to make myself look more awake for date night after studying for 6 hours and working for another 6. The darker shade I've only used for a couple of evening dates and some parties since it does glamourise the face quite a lot.
- It also has FOUR blushes. That's what actually made me pick it up. I was in the business of pouring 26€ on a MAC blush and a friend said to go see this Steven Klein collection at Sephora. It has two new and exclusive blushes: Robotic and Blasphemy. And it also has Luster and Dolce Vita. All 4 blushes are really pigmented and blend super nicely. They're not super long lasting, but that doesn't really bother me.

2. Revlon Lash Potion Mascara 7.60€ (Yay!)
I was so happy to find this mascara, which is the evolution of their Grow Luscious line, in a pop.up store smack in the middle of Milan's Central Train Station. It offered 20~ discount on all the products and I gladly bought this one. I've been using it for about 2 weeks now and I'm happy to report my eyes are just fine with it. In case you didn't know, my eyes terribly irritated by certain mascaras (Yes, Chanel and Benefit, I'm talking about you!) so I always have to worry about it. Glad it's fine.
It's a super dark mascara with a fluffy brush and long wear. Good thing? It comes right off in the evening with my Kiehl's Super Gentle Eye Makeup Remover.

3. Benecos Natural Lipliner 2,49€ x 2
I'm a lipliner novice since I tend to be really bad with precision work on my face. It must have took me close to a year to get my winged eyeliner look just right and I have to say the lip work seems even more difficult. So I decided I wouldn't invest in a costly lipliner until I had more dexterity with applying it. So I ordered these Benecos organic lipliners in Red (real red) and Brown (a sort of antique rose) on ecco-verde.com and I have to say I'm satisfied. I use the Brown one for everyday nude lips and lipsticks and the Red one for red, dark red or burgundy lipsticks. With a PAO of 36 months, I plan on using them for a very long time.

4. Couleur Caramel Hydracoton Foundation Powder Finish 17€
Argh. I had really high hopes for this organic, sesame oil, cotton oil and sage water enriched foundation. In an effort to diversify my foundation game I bought this creamy-liquidy foundation last week. The first time I applied it I put it on with my finger tips and blended it using a beauty blender. The horror! It went on in total blotches and spots and wouldn't blend for the love of makeup gods. I was running a bit late for my dentist appointment and started to panic majorly. I ended up removing the makeup off half of my face and putting it all back using a brush and mixing the foundation with some moisturiser. That seemed to do the trick. BUT. When I got to the dentist I noticed that the color changed yet again due to oxidation becoming a weird rose hued mask on my face. I looked like a burn victim. I honestly thought of throwing it away as soon as I got home, but since I had already spent that money and it did have an awesome list of ingredients I decided to give it another try using it together with So' Bio's CC cream (that I adore!!!) and that seems to do the trick. I mix them in together and they last the whole day, don't make me break out, create a really pretty color and nourish the skin at the same time.
But still, would I recommend it? No.

5. Neve Cosmetics Blending Brush 6,70€
You can find it on their website. It's super soft, blends perfectly and I would even dare to compare it to the likes of Zoeva, Morphe or even MAC brushes. It's literally a little organic MAC brush. At half the price. :)

6. Kiko Blending Brush 200 4,90€
Bought this one two weeks ago in Milan because of their sales. I've never owned a Kiko brush but I have to say I was really surprised how soft it is. As you can see from the photo I've only used it for light brow and transition shades, but it carries color marvellously. I'll probably go ahead and use it for some serious crease work and report back, but overall super brush for only 5€.

I'm back and it's with Will Smith

I know I've been MIA.

I promise to be back.

I've been super busy with school, work, boyfriend and dog.



One of the nice things about studying for a Cambridge Delta when you're 26?

You can create a lesson out of a Will Smith and Jimmy Fallon beatbox session and be cool with that. :))









Kiss and Peace

Miss Sinister