This week's makeup bag

Essentials that made it through this week's makeup bag.

• Book by Celine, very depressing. However i recommend it, the writting style is phenomenal.
• Prada Candy. Vanilla,musk and caramel, how lovely! It's an amazing scent for layering, its not overly sweet and strong but it goes very well with my body chemistry (I love to layer it over Benefit Carmella). You should give this one a try! If you do not like sweet scents, i would urge you to smell the new scent from BVLGARI jasmin noir, its an amazing musky sensual floral.
• MAC makeup bag
• Korres cherry lip gloss in light purple- I am not a lipgloss person but these are amazing, so smoothe non sticky and moisturizing. This shade is fantastic too, a very light natural pink.
• H&M black studs (came in a pack of 3, but these are my favourites)
• YSL #7 Lingerie Pink- This one is a gift, and I usually shy away from blue based pinks but I am starting to dig baby pink lips for some reason...
• MAC travel size #129 brush- Kinda scratchy but i use it anyway. 
• Clinique pressed powder i use with a MAC puff to blot away the excess oils on my face during the day.
• Bourjois delice de poudre bronzing powder #52, I use this as a blush and for contour, love the coconutty smell!
• MAC technakohl liner in Graphblack- Trying to use it up for B2M, a bit hard to work with but at least it doesnt smudge easily.

What are your beauty essentials this week?

Under eye puffiness & DIY

After watching the latest video of Lisa Eldridge concerning undereye bags and puffiness (here is the video in question), i got inspired to make my own ice cubes to reduce the puffy effect under the eyes i have when i wake up. I am really wanting the Anne Semonin eye cubes that Lisa showed in the video! All i needed was some organic green tea, vitamin E oil and voila!

These are some of my favourite products for the under eye area, i am addicted to eye creams lately, i want to try everything on the market!

• Garnier Caffeine Anti-dark circles tinted eye roll (LOVE this stuff!)
• Mey Techno-Eye gel. This was quite expensive, i believe 50 or 60 euros and recommended by the dermatologist. I store it in the fridge for a cooling effect and it works nice but next time i want to try Clinique.
• Green tea ice cubes with vitamin E.

What is your favourite under eye treatment or cream? 

Shellac love & Back into the groove of things (+update)

How are all my lovely bloggers? I am excited to be back and extremely stocked to see that lollipop26 and Tali are back into the blogging world!
I want to share my latest nail obsession, shellac. Expensive but oh so worthy to me (30 euros, gasp!). I don't even care about the new nail polish releases anymore. I for one, am a creature of habit. I don't mind having the same colour on my nails for a month and more as long as it looks clean, shiny and it doesn't chip. Shellac gives me all that. I only attempted dark colours on my nails like these:


Asphalt 

Masquerade

I also had rock royalty done, i forgot to take pictures sadly, but it's an amazing aubergine colour. My next one will be Fedora, a dark brown almost black vampy colour.

What is on your nails lately? Tell me your shellac experiences!

Hair update: After a failed attempt at ombre hair, i cut my hair into a bob. It is extremely hard to style curly hair when it's short and curly so i have to straighten it all the time. I loved my long hair, but the hairdresser ruined it so the only way to start fresh was to cut it.

Expect more posts from me soon!
Much love,
Elly xoxo

Absence.

Due to personal reasons, i will not be updating my blog for a while. Thanks to everyone for the support and the lovely comments. Hopefully i can feel better and come back someday.
Much love to everyone.

Tag: "summer besties"

I was tagged by the lovely Bethany from the blog ...OBSESSIONS to LIVE FOR..., check her out if you haven't. I found that tag quite amusing since summer is here so here I am, sharing with you my summer....(Warning: quite picture heavy)

1. Lip product- It's the time of the year to pull off bright colours, this year i chose MAC vegas volt to give me a fresh and fun lip colour. It's an amazing orange-coral that also acts as a lip stain when I don't want to look OTT. I don't use a lip liner with that one, to give it a more youthfull, street look.

2. Blush- I don't really wear blush often and during the summer time i prefer a bronzer or a blush that ressembles a bronzer:p It creates definition and a sun-kissed glow which I love. I always pair a highlighter with it to make me look more fresh. MAC refined golden and MAC CCB in hush are a must have for me during summer. A combination i recommend.

3. Nail polish- During the winter i ONLY wear dark shades. In summer, it looks quite ridiculous so pastels, turquoises and bright pinks are my best friend.

4. Liquid face product- In Greece the weather is way too hot to wear a liquid face product, unless it's sunscreen of course. That one is a given and common sense, so i rather show what i use to cover any problem areas on my face. I spot conceal or cover redness with a concealer or with a stick foundation that will give me coverage and not melt away after 2 minutes.

5. Powder face Product- It's futile to use powder in such heat, but sometimes if i really need to set my makeup I will use a Clinique face powder to keep oils at bay.

6. Hair product- Since i wash my hair so often during summer, after the beach etc...i am a bit lazy to use conditionner so i put on a leave-in conditionner that i also use at the beach to protect my hair. Lazyness being key here, i also tend to wear my hair at it's natural curlyness so a mousse is essential to stop the frizz. At 40 degrees, i doubt anyone wants to sit blowdrying their hair and straightening it.

7. Eye product- I want something easy, fast and that lasts. That's why i chose a paintpot, or any waterproof cream eyeshadow for that matter. No need for 5 eyeshadows and 10 liners.

8. Self tanner- I admit, i was never a self tanning addict. I don't mind being as pale as Dita Von Teese, and i don't mind being tan either, but only leading to long hours at the beach. I just don't like the smell and the mentality of self-tanning. I must be the only person in the world:p However, what i use religiously every summer is the Nuxe huile prodigieuse with shimmer. It makes me look shimmery and smells divine. I use that all over my body and in my hair. Also, for the first time in my life i wanted to tan a tiny bit my legs but without being orange, just golden and since i have sensitive skin, i ventured into Avene. It's okay but i loathe the smell of self tan. At least im not an oompa loompa.

9- Fashion accessory- Ray bans, vintage sunglasses and huge earrings is what i prefer. Maybe that will change as soon as i get a Chan Luu wrap bracelet.

10- Clothing piece- Nothing fashionable, but more like a necessity. Tank top and swimming suit. The top of the swimming suit can double up as a bra so it's quite versatile too.

I tag whoever wants to do this fun tag!

Shoes!

Trying on the Christian Louboutin leopard print pair of gorgeous killer heels belonging to my friend...who can walk in these? We sure can't haha!

Italian brand "sweet ballerinas" makes the cutest flats ever, they really remind me of some miu miu or prada but they are a bit less stiff and uncomfortable (I tried some prada ones that were so pretty but they didn't hold my feet too well)...and who doesn't love bows on their flats ? I can never find flats that are comfortable for me, they are either too big, too small, they slip away but these are just fine. This reminds me i need a new pair of Repetto's...

Have a great week!

I have been Shellac-ed!

I wanted a Shellac manicure since ages, actually since i saw Lisa Eldrige's video on it! For those of you who don't know what a Shellac manicure (or pedicure) is, it's a new type of nail polish that adheres to your nails for 15 days or more without chipping and without causing the nail damage. You can read more about it here. The price is 30 euros, so not so much more expensive than your standart manicure which would last much less.
When i booked my apointment i had a dark brown shade in mind, but since the weather has been so hot and sunny, it would look quite ridiculous so I opted for the coral shade called tropix which turned out coraly/pink on me and i love it!
I wanted to film the whole process and take pictures step by step, but the lady there didn't let me, and told me to call the PR company...pfff :-( (Which I may do when i get my second Shellac or my shellac pedicure for all of you to see).
The whole process took about 35 minutes, it just consists of alot of layering and placing your hand in the UV light activator, and the amazing thing is after you are done, your nails are hard as rock and you don't have to wait for them to dry!
I will take a picture each week, or once my nail chips so you all can see if this is long lasting. Also, my nails are TERRIBLE and nothing lasts more than 2 or 3 days on me, even with a top quality basecoat.

(Excuse my nasty nails, i have the worse cuticles ever despise all the hand creams, solar oil and Sally Hansen cuticle remover...sadly only a good manicure fixes that :-( )

Let me know if you have tried Shellac, and how long it lasted for you!

My thoughts on some products

Lately i have been loving purples, so i wanted to experiment with a new purple eyeshadow (I am loving pastels lately) and a new purple mascara. I went out and got YSL faux cils in vibrant violet and MAC beautiful iris eyeshadow, and after using them for about a week here are my thoughts.

• MAC beautiful iris eyeshadow: Extremely disapointed in it, the pigmentation is lacking and the staying power is beyond ridiculous. Now knowing it's a veluxe pearl, one of the best eyeshadow formulas from MAC I had high expectations. The colour is lovely in the pan but on the eyes as you can see, even with a base and packing it on 3 times it has no colour payoff. Mac purples seem pretty weak, and I regret not getting a Bobbi Brown or Laura Mercier purple. Mine fell on the floor as it slipped from my hands and broke, but honestly I am not too fussed.

• YSL faux cils in vibrant violet #4: My all time favourite mascara failed to impress me this time. I was looking for a purple mascara that has a playfull purple payoff on the lashes for spring, not too extreme and 90's looking either but not as subtle as this one.After reading all the positive reviews on makeupalley I knew I had to get this one. On the picture, taken in daylight and zoomed in, you can notice the colour is gorgeous on my lashes. However in real life it's not noticable at all and it almost looks like a grey/black. My lashes are quite dark but a bit lighter at the ends, which should have made the result way more vibrant but it didn't, and I don't want to use a primer underneath either because it doesn't work on my eyelashes with this mascara (clumpy and spidery looking). I would recommend this for daytime use, if you want a very subtle hint of purple not even noticable (or if you have blonde lashes) but if you want dramatic beautiful purple colourful lashes that make an impact for nightime, don't bother and skip it.

• Korres bright pink #12: Loving the Korres nail polishes even more, they last a whole week on my nails without chipping (usually chipping occurs within 2 days with other polishes on my nails), they are a dream to apply and extremely glossy. Yay for Korres once again.

Also, whilst at the YSL counter, I swatched the new pink celebration higlighter powder spring edition 2011, and i skipped it. It was glittery, and way too frosty for my taste although the pigmentation was good, the consistency felt really smoothe and almost buttery. (One more reason to get Dior Amber Diamond)

That's it!

Shiny!

I have a slight obsession with skulls and pyramids lately. I couldn't resist this ring i saw on net-a-porter by Kenneth Jay Lane, and the fact that it is an adjustable ring made me purchase it right away. I am hesitant when it comes to buying rings online, because i never know my size. I love my new ring, but the downside is that it's a bit heavy. I think it can be quite unisex as well.

(Wearing Illamasqua caress here)

On another note, i am loving lillac and purple on my eyes this week. I think i want MAC's beautiful iris. Last night i wore the MUFE aqua cream in #18 mauve and im not impressed with the staying power at all...I used it without a base and it was almost gone 5 hours later, and i packed it on and set it with an eyeshadow. I may try Laura mercier or bobbi brown...

I wish you all a great week !

The persian babe inspired

For those of you who follow the lovely Barbara on youtube (thepersianbabe), you must remember her latest tutorial on a smokey bottom lashline (Check the video here if you haven't). That is the video that inspired me to do my makeup a bit different lately, instead of charging everything on the top lid for day time, trying to smoke the lashline to create that messy, unkept effect that looks effortless and cool. I did my own twist on it, because I do not own all the same products, but also because my eye shape is different. She also has lovely brows so I tried to thicken my non existent brows a bit! In the video, she specifically mentionned to not necessarily use the same products and copy everything, so this is what I did.

Products used:

I used MAC rubenesque paint pot all over the lid, and smoked my lashline with MAC Cork, MAC handrwitten and Chanel ebony. The key is layering...And MAC fluidline on the lashline followed by coats and coats of mascara. For lips Crystal baby was perfect for this look, glossy and neutral!

I hope you enjoyed !

Which youtube video inspired you lately ?
xoxo

Estee Lauder Crystal Baby + NOTD

Yesterday I went to my Sephora with high hopes to find Revlon minted nail polish and Bourjois delice de chocolat bronzing powder, which have both been discontinued in Greece :-( Boo !!. I wandered to the Estee Lauder counter, to buy an item that has been on my wishlist forever (blame pixiwoo again), which is Crystal baby. I wanted to check out Crystal rose, and crystal pink but the SA who was extremely rude, couldn't find the testers so I ended up getting crystal baby.
If anyone watches amoderecommends on youtube and follow her lovely site, you know she loves Estee lauder nude nuance blusher and that it looks amazing on her, it makes her cheeks look so radiant and bronzed. I swatched it and it looked a bit orangey...have you ever tried it ? Let me know, because i think I may end up getting that one for summer :-p

I like the fact that it's glossy, moisturizing and buildable and you can slap it on without worrying too much. However the first time i tried it i was a bit disapointed, i felt that it's a "my lips but worse" colour because it wasn't anything exceptional (think of a more toned down version of MAC hue and way more glossy). I tried it on this morning, and it starts to grow on me, it's a very natural colour, non offensive and office appropriate. It smells delicious, a bit less fruity than the YSL rouge voluptes. I really like the formula, and now i want to try Crystal pink or Crystal rose.

Onto my NOTD ....Korres purple #27

2 coats, and i really like the colour. It isn't as purple as it looks in the bottle tho, it looks more like a dark red with a hint of maroon for me.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Korres nail polish vert amande #92

I am so impressed with these! For 6 euros you cannot go wrong, and the bottle isn't as huge as the OPI ones, so you don't feel like you waste product. Korres nail polishes are my new addiction, because i cannot be bothered to pay 15 euros for OPI in Sephora here, they are so opaque and long lasting and come in a great range of colours. It's  an exact dupe as Essie turquoise & caicos as pictured below. When i went to pick some up I found many Essie dupes with a better quality. Essie is always hit and miss for me (mostly miss)....For 11 euros i expect my nail polish to be flawless and not a streaky mess! I am so glad Korres put on the market more funky shades, I hope they release even more because  I will be buying.

During summer, i only want to wear turquoises and lavenders on my nails in every variation possible!

I also picked up a dark purple, that looks like Essie sole matte but isn't as streaky and a bright pink for summer. I will get my hands on a lovely grey and coral too to show you guys.

Haul

Latest collective haul. Let me know if you like these type of posts, i personally to read posts/watch videos about hauls, it helps me to visualise what people like and what is on the market.

• Bioderma Sensibio makeup remover. It is as great as everyone claims it is, i don't think i will ever repurchase another makeup remover ever. Feels like water, remove layers and layers of makeup incredibly.
• Klorane dry shampoo. I had never ever tried any dry shampoo, and i know alot of UK ladies rave about Baptiste dry shampoo, so i thought i would try the Klorane version (one of my favourite haircare brands). It gives me massive volume and smells great!
• Kerastase volumactive mousse. I was in a dire need of a mousse, this one is pretty good and leaves my hair soft.
• Clinique high impact mascata- Nothing dramatic about this mascara I must admit, i will use it for daytime as it's very soft and natural.(Nothing can beat YSL faux cils...)
• Korres nail polish in bright pink #12
• Korres nail polish in vert amande #92
• MAC something special cremeblend blush. I love this new formula, so easy to blend and buildable. I think i want posey now.
• Korres intensive colour lipgloss #13. I am in LOVE with these. The scent reminds me of MAC, very sweet and vanilla-ish, the pigmentation is amazing and it is the perfect colour for the "my lips but better" look. They feel like nothing on the lips, water based and they fade beautifully. I cannot wait to get more shades.

My makeup guard :-)

Also bought an amazing handcream, since my L' Occitane one ran out. I love french skincare!

 And a greek essential oil called Laurel oil for hair masks. Most greek girls I know, once a week deep condition their hair with olive oil and this particular essential oil that stimulates hair growth. It isn't as disgusting as it sounds, actually olive oil makes my hair so shiny and smoothe and doesn't weigh down my hair at all nor leaves it oily. I am also getting used to the herbal smell after so many years:P I will maybe do a post on how i do this hair mask.

Have a great week girls :-)

FOTD

Not sure how i feel about putting my face online, but i really like FOTD's on other blogs so I thought sharing mine would be nice.

Wearing:

On the skin:

• La roche posay Toleriane foundation spf 25 -shade 11
• MAC moisture cover concealer NW 25
• YSL touche eclat on top
• No powder as i was lazy, and this foundation is quite matte
• MAC harmony to contour

Eyes:

• Too faced shadow insurance
• MAC tan pigment <3
• Dior white highlighter to brighten the inner corners (from a palette)
• MAC brule to highlight the browbone
• Clinique eyebrow pencil
• Maybelline falsies mascara (quite decent mascara, not black enough tho !)
• Estee lauder double wear eye pencil

Lips:

• MAC chatterbox

...And...kitteh time!!!!!!! :)

Have a good weekend !

Perfect pink lipstick?

I finally got MAC Chatterbox I had been wanting forever, and I may have found THE perfect pink lipstick. Let me explain, most pinks are very cool toned, and do not suit me at all. I wish i could pull off MAC Saint Germain, YSL Lingerie pink, MAC Snob, MAC Pink nouveau...as much as i try they look terrible on me. Chatterbox however is a warm toned pink (hard to come across), will suit so many skintones and is the perfect fun but yet not too much lipstick you can wear day and night and look gorgeous, a bit doll-like, fun and fresh! It's an amplified which makes it very creamy and not drying on the lips. I will definitely wear this one every single day!

For reference, MAC Colour crafted on the left and Chatterbox on the right (excuse the kitty scratches:p):

How cute is this little necklace i got from ebay? I love everything Alice in Wonderland, so i could not pass on this one, it was super cheap too.

I hope you all had a great week!

March most worn

Falling in love with bright lips and bronze shades on the eyes all over again. I tossed alot of my expired products, this is what i do every spring as it feels great to renew your makeup stash and also your wardrobe. Here is what i have been enjoying this month, good staples.

• Korres japanese rose showergel. I love everything about it. The scent is divine, lathers extremely well and on top of all that it leaves my skin silky smooth which rarely happens with other body washes. It's free of alot of bad chemicals too, so thumbs up for Korres.
• MAC moisturecover concealer. I love this one because it's easy to move around and it doesn't look very cakey like MAC studio finish concealer. I use it under the eyes and buff it on my face where i need some extra coverage.
• MAC #224 brush. I don't think i could ever live without this brush anymore. I found a new use out if it, when I realised it's not that great for crease work and that I much prefer the #227 for blending. Thank god for pixiwoo, now i use this to buff my concealer under the eyes and on my face, which leaves an airbrush finish.
• MAC tan pigment. Perfect warm colour, great for an everyday look. Paired with melon pigment it's my definition of a summery eye makeup look.
• Stila kajal eye liner- tiger's eye. Lovely warm brown that makes brown eyes stand out. Most MAC liners smudge on me within 20 minutes, but this one isn't even waterproof and stays put all day on the waterline and doesn't settle in my crease on the eyelid. I highly recommend this product.
• Toleriane foundation. This is one of my favourite foundations and you do not even need powder with this one because the coverage is good. It's oil-free and great for sensitive acne prone skin. It leaves a semi matte/satin finish on the skin and has an SPF of 25. If you have sensitive skin and you think that vichy dermablend is a bit too thick, try this one.
• Revlon gloss #180. I admit that i usually do not buy alot of drugstore brands, reason being that where I am drugstore is as much as expensive as high end brands. Luckily, one of my friends gave me this gloss because she hated the colour.  Now I see why these are so hyped up everywhere. If you hate MAC sticky glosses and love the chanel ones, you will LOVE the consistency of these, especially if you are in the US and can get them for pretty cheap, i recommend them, silky smooth and feel like a balm and overall a pleasure to apply and they last very well on the lips fading to a nice stain. ( I also have a nude one, but I have used this one more). I consider this one a dupe of Chanel lazer.

Onto clothes! Since the weather has been on and off, this Juicy Couture jacket is the one i wore everyday. It's an aviator type jacket but in a cotton material. (wearing a Zara tunic underneath)

What are your favourites for March? I love reading these kind of posts!

Alexander McQueen & Aviators

I love scarves. Since currently the infamous Alexander McQueen skull scarf is out of stock, and frankly i am happy because i opted for another one that i love just as much. I plan on getting the skull scarf someday, but i much rather have the rare kama sutra skeletons one. This one is really me, not much colour but a touch of pink to embrace the start of spring. The scarf is sold out now sadly and i bought it on revolve clothing. Next on my list has to be a Givenchy. I am wearing ray bans on the picture, no makeup but just a dab of MAC sweetie which i adore!

Also, if you are seeking for a colourful summer bag i advise you to run to Zara and get this cute coral leather pouch, it's from the new collection. It was around 40 euros, real leather, it can fit alot and it's going to be my summer bag. I am already exited to pair coral with turquoise and golds!

Are you starting to incorporate spring/summer items into your wardrobe too?