I love Missoni

I wanted to share my new headband by Missoni. Since i cannot afford any new knitted scarf or dress from this amazing fashion house  at the moment, i got myself this beauty and i will make sure to wear it everyday this summer! I love their knits and the purple was just too inviting to pass upon.

Did you get anything you wanted badly lately?

Dior Lip glow and why you don't need it

...Because there are cheaper alternatives out there. I admit, I adore lip products and I never have enough, so when i was at the counter i took a quick sniff at this and fell in love with that minty-chocolate smell, it was unusual to me. Also after reading the post from the Yummy Mummy I was really curious, since I always like what she recommends. I think it costs around 28 euros, and i profited of a discount and got it for 23, which is still overpriced for something i am not head over heels with. I just got sucked in, thinking i will have juicy, fresh lips (sometimes i feel like it turns fushia on me and sometimes i feel like it does nothing, just like a clear balm). If you want a product just for the "I finally own something from Dior", grab something else.

What it is:
A color-awakening lip balm with SPF 10.

What it does:
Dior Addict Lip Glow responds to the color chemistry of your lips to create a shade that is uniquely yours. Smooth it on to moisturize, add sun protection, and enhance your natural lip color.

I am using mine all the time so i can get rid of it, I thought the minty-chocolate smell would last more or be stronger but at the end it smells like nothing and just moisturizes your lips. My lips are naturally red, I guess that if you have very pale lips and want a bit of colour this could work, but here are cheaper alternatives that i own, and love. These are great if you want a tint of colour!

• Korres lip butter in Quince
• Vaseline rosy lips
• Liposan fruity sparkle

My dry lips before the lip glow.

After 10 minutes of lip glow, usually it turns a tad bit pinker after 15 minutes but nothing that promising.

Little experiment on a napkin:

You can notice the pink tint it leaves behind, it may look colourless but there are stains.

What are your thoughts about this product? Do you own it and like it ?

What i have been loving this month

These are my most used products this month and my most worn lip combination of day and night.

• Givenchy Very irresistible perfume- I adore this musky, sexy and strong perfume. I only wear it at nightime though because it is definitely too strong for day.
• TIGI Catwalk Curls rock- I have been wearing my hair curly this month, i am too lazy to straighten it. This product adds definition to my curls, but you have to be extremely careful and use a pea size ammount otherwise your hair can look greasy.
• The Body Shop- Almond milk body lotion. It smells amazing, and moisturizes well.
• Clinique Instant lift for brows in soft brown. It's my new cult product for eyebrows, it puts MAC lingering to shame! The colour is neutral enough and not too cool or warm for my brows and it lasts all day.
• MAC Brow set in mink. Combined with the Clinique pencil, it makes your eyebrows defined and look fuller.
• Clinique Superbalanced foundation. I quite like that one, the coverage is medium and very easy to blend, it looks glowy on the skin and hasn't broke me out, which is always a good thing. I am trying at the moment some samples of Superfit, which to me seems like the matte sister of this foundation, same coverage and consistency but matte.
• YSL Faux cils mascara- Best mascara ever. Mine is a bit battered, time to replace!
• YSL #2 Sensual silk rouge volupte lipstick. So easy to apply and creamy...
• MAC moisturecover concealer. I love how it blends underneath my eyes and brightens.
• Korres lipliner pencil in neutral light- This is the ultimate shade of "my lips but better", the Korres lipliners are my favourites, so pigmented longlasting and extremely moisturizing. It puts MAC and Dior ( too drying) to shame!
• Korres shimmering eyeshadow #645 pink. The consitency is amazing, think Stila but better. I love the colour for an everyday eye, i just pop this on and i'm ready to go and it brightens my eyes. I am going to get way more eyeshadows from korres as they are so buttery and non irritating.

Favourite lip combo of the moment is Korres lipliner pencil in neutral light paired with YSL #2 Sensual silk rouge volupte on the top.

I never really liked Guess bags, as sometimes they look too tacky for my taste. But the new collection is amazing, i want all of the bags! I need them all in my life !

That's it for my favourites! What are yours at the moment?
(I also have a blogsale going on with a lot of LE MAC items, feel free to check it out!)

Huge blog sale, mostly LE MAC items.

I want to get rid of some products i have backups of, that i don't use or i never used. I have an account on makeupalley with 12 positive tokens. This is an overview of everything i have, if you want a detailed picture or information about any product, please do not hesitate to contact me at ellysmakeupbag@yahoo.com. I can ship anywhere, and if it's within Europe it should be around 3 euros i think. I would appreciate if you had paypal, it makes things easier and way faster.Thank you.

Eyeshadow palettes (I would like to swap one of the palettes for the UD naked palette or Chanel ombres perlees, that is also an option:p)

• MAC spiced chocolate quad, never used. 35 euros
• MAC Too dolly palette, swatched yogurt once.30 euros
• MAC Natural flare eyeshadow quad, used each colour once with a clean brush.10 euros
• MAC Mi'Lady, used about 5 times.10 euros
• MAC Love to love eyeshadow trio, never used. 13 euros

Highlighters and CCB: (i also have a MAC New vegas MSF with a quite battered box if anyone is interested)

• MAC Lucent mineralize sheersheen lose powder. Never used. 12 euros SOLD
• MAC moon river, used 3 times with a clean #187 each time. 12 euros SOLD
• MAC perfect topping MSF. Never used, i have a backup.20 euros
• MAC Porcelain Pink MSF. Used once with a clean brush.19 euros
• MAC fresh morning CCB, from Emanuel Ungaro collection, used twice with a stippling brush. 9 euros

Random products

• Britney Spears Fantasy, about 70% left. 15 euros
• Chanel Paradoxal nail polish. It's my backup, so never used. 12 euros
• MAC select cover up concealer in NW20. Never used. 13 euros

Eyes Part 2:

• MAC hot contrast duo, used once and only the black side.10 euros
• MAC Cotton Candy paint, used 2 or 3 times maximum. 9 euros SOLD
• MAC flammable paint, used once. 10 euros [SOLD]
• MAC Smoke signal pigment, never used. 15 euros
• MAC Liquid last eyeliner in pop iris, used twice.(purple one) 9 euros
• MAC liquid last eyeliner in auto-orange, used once.(copper one)9 euros
• MAC Visionaire liquid last eyeliner, never used.(pink one)9 euros
• MAC red velvet shadestick, never used. 10 euros

Cheeks:

• MAC well dressed, used once with a clean brush.12 euros [SOLD]
• MAC breath of plum, used about 2 times with a clean brush.10 euros
• MAC Dollymix, used about 2 times with a clean brush.10 euros SOLD
• MAC Blushbaby, used about 2 times with a clean brush.10 euros

Lips:

(All lip products have been used with a lip brush and disenfected. When i am unsure about a colour i use one, in case i want to swap the lipstick)

MAC Lollipop lovin, used 2x. 12 euros

MAC Colour crafted, used 2x 12 euros

MAC Lavender Whip used 2x 12 euros [SOLD

MAC Fashion mews used 1x 12 euros

MAC 2N lipglass. Never used, it's my backup. 10 euros

[SOLD]

Thanks for watching!

Hair caviar

Small post dedicated to my current hair products. I always adored Kerastase, its a fabulous hair brand which is quite pricey but well worth it. I know some products are directed towards more damaged hair than mine but i still love to take care of my locks to the extreme. Previous to the bain satin range, i was using the volumactive range which is great too but since it's winter i need a bit more moisture than volume. I think a good heat protectant and a serum make all the difference.

• Lait vital 1 conditionner
• Nectar thermique leave in conditionner and heat protectant
• Bain satin 1 shampoo
• Serum apres soleil serum, i have it since this summer but i still use this and alternate with Biosilk silk therapy
• Chroma reflect hair mask

(If you want more in depth review of any of these products let me know)

Here is my hair after blow drying, i hate curls so i usually straighten it or create waves with my straighteners. I have quite healthy hair, but it's fine and breaks easily so i have to take extra care of it and i rely on Kerastase most of the time.

I just adore that hair colour for fair skin, and i love Catherine Zeta Jones all together, isn't she gorgeous?

I also adore the messy hair look, which does not last on me whatever i do, my hair is just too slippery and i have too much. I love Diana Vickers hair, if i was blonde i would do my hair like that all the time.

Tommorow i am going for a trim, like every 2 months to maintain my mane without split ends. I used to dye it a cool dark brown like Catherine Zeta Jones but i am a bit lazy now, and undecided between red or black, so i try to embrace my natural side (let's see how long will this last!).

What hair products are you using now? What are your HGs for hair?

 Elly

A little bit of this and a little bit of that ...

I want to share with you the things i have been loving lately, a disapointment and a recent purchase i am head over heels with :-)

• Benefit Skinny Jeans creaseless cream eyeshadow. I now understand why this product is so talked about. The colour is beyond gorgeous and the staying power exceptional. I think now i am addicted to cream eyeshadows. Too bad the Benefit range has no colour i am drawn to apart perhaps birthday suit, but i will now be looking into Bobbie Brown.

• My custom made MAC neutrals palette. As you can see, be gentle when you try to break the palette to fit 5 eyeshadows, mine broke immediatly and looks very beat. However i wear these eyeshadows very often. From left to right: Mulch, Brule ( i can honestly say i prefer Blanc Type over this one, it feels a bit useless and you could for sure use powder instead of it, but i want to use it up), Handwritten, All that glitters, Cork.

• My new gold plated earrings from http://www.liberty.co.uk/, i am in love with them! The designer is Wendy Mink, and i quite like her jewellry. I m not really a fan of rose gold, i prefer silver, but these are an exception.

• This week, i borrowed my mum and grandma's perfumes just to switch it up a bit. I used to own J'adore by Christian Dior years ago and i think its time to revisit it. I like wearing it at night time, its not my signature scent and it can lead to headaches sometimes but overall it's not so bad. I think if gold had a scent it would smell like J'adore i don't know why ...My mum and I always loved YSL opium, so when the new revisited younger version of Opium came out, we gave it a chance. At first i thought it would be a lighter, youthfull Opium but it's not that at all. The staying power isn't all that great and its a light floral with no reminescence of the original Opium. I wear it but it's not me.

Now onto my disapointment. I wanted to shop my stash a little bit, and to experiment with blush. I have bought this Clinique blusher which looked amazing and very promising, but once on the skin the lack of pigmentation is obvious and no matter how much i try to build the colour, very little shows up. I think that this Clinique blusher is Limited Edition, i bought it last year and it's called mixed berries 01.
 (I had to rub hard for the swatch)

In and Out...

In

• Central hair parting. All of last year i tried do a side swept fringe, which resulted of looking terrible and not being really my style. I still love it on others though.
• Berry lips. I adore MAC craving lipstick for that, as a stain or packing this amazing colour on. I think its the perfect winter colour.
• OPI nail envy. This product is the only reason my nails grow faster and stay strong.
• Wearing dark colours. Black, navy, emerald are my kind of colours. Luckily summer, is far enough so i can enjoy these colours still.
• The video of 30 seconds to Mars called Hurricane. I love this long video, and the song is quite good. I usually dislike this band, but they managed to impress me now.

Out

• Statement shoulders. Only Alexander McQueen or Lanvin can do this right. I never liked statement shoulders on me and i don't think its a trend that will stay. It looks too 80s, rigid and costumy.
• Blazers. I cannot understand the hype. I much prefer leather jackets or trenchcoats.
• Leather satchel bags, Alexa Chung Mulberry type. I don't like this trend as well either, it is beyond ugly to me. Investing in a Balenciaga or Miu Miu bag is the way to go.
• My anticipated Givenchy scarf being sold out. Bummer! ( Thanks to http://www.liberty.co.uk/ for processing my order and then telling me it's sold out!)
• Dry lips. I hate hate hate dry lips. It looks bad with any lipstick and it hurts.
• Avoiding carbs.

I hope you enjoyed :-)

NOTD and 1 minute eye look

Featuring Barry M Mushroom.
This is one of my go-to shades ever, i love taupes and dark nails and honestly, i own Chanel Particuliere which looks exactly the same on the nails with no difference whatsoever,  and it chips on me within 24 hours so i reach out for this one way more often. Maybe i will do a review on both of them swatched side by side. I think that Barry M is amazing at duplicating the "it" colours that come out every season, with lower price and better quality.

This is my go to look when i want a quite defined, messy but still made up eye if i have 1 minute to get ready.
Products used:

• MAC Cork
• MAC coffee eye pencil
• White shimmery eyeshadow from the Dior palette in Endless shine for the inner tearducts´
• Maybelline Lash stiletto mascara (It´s an okay everyday mascara, not dark enough for me but lengthens well)
• Chanel Amethyst eyeshadow
• MAC #227 #219 brushes   

What i do is: 

•  place some highlight colour on my inner tearducts with the MAC #219 to help brighten up the eye
• sweep MAC cork all over the lid with the #227
• trace a thick line of pencil and smudge it with the same #219 
• Apply the black Chanel eyeshadow on top of the liner to set it and darken it even more
• line the waterline and place some shadows to set it, to avoid racoon eyes
• Apply mascara and done!

It honestly takes me less than 1 minute to do and i love the results.

What is the makeup that is failproof for you, or that you do when you have no time at all?