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€.
