Finished Products - March 2012

I haven't had finished products in ages. This month I managed to finish up some that I've had for ages. Tbh I run out of the eye makeup remover in few months but thought I should put it up here too.

Cils Demasq 2 in 1 by Maybelline is THE eye makeup remover for me. I like Clinique's Take The Day Off too but it's just too expensive since I use this daily. I use it with makeup remover wipes since cotton pads really soak this up. This annoys my eyes a bit if I put too much of it but I think I've learned how much I can have on the wipe without it tingling in my eyes. Cheap product, works well - what more can I ask?

Oriflame Beauty Face Primer is the primer I use on daily basis. I can't say this is the best primer ever but works for normal days. If I go out I usually use something more silicone-filled (thick clear ones) since this is more like a lotion. I already have a new tube in use - they have changed the look of this product between this one and the new one. I don't have preference of the tubes, this is a bit bigger (probably because of the cap) so takes more space in makeup bag if carried around.

Gosh X-Ceptional Wear Foundation in 11 Porcelain is my ultimate winter foundation. I finally got to use last bits of this one this winter. I think this has seen few winters already so it was time to use it up. I will definitely re-purchase this for next winter!

Dermosil For Faces Asebiol Night Cream for Oily Skin just got finished and didn't take a picture of the bottle so I just thought of adding the actual picture from Dermosil's site. Tbh I don't know why this is made for oily skin since it has oils in it. I have no idea if the oils are ok to use on oily skin but I didn't notice any change to better or for worse. It has biotin in it which is good for skin and hair but not sure how much of it is absorbed through the skin. Won't be buying this one again, have found more suitable products for my skin.

Hunger Games Inspired Collections

First I have to say I haven't read the books nor watched the film - and probaly won't in the future either. But since the Hunger Games is so hyped atm and a lot of people enjoy books and/or film I thought to spread word about collections I know were made for the story.

Everyone who've read the book and is into nail polishes have probably noticed that China Glaze revealed Hunger Games inspired collection called Capitol Colours earlier this month. I have no idea if this collection is sold only in selected shops that sell China Glaze so if you want yours - browse around.

Also some indie makeup companies have jumped into the Hunger Games fever and made their own collections.

Let's start with Shiro Cosmetics whose collection is named The Tributes Collection and includes 12 eyeshadows. Prices if you buy full collection:

Full Size Jars (2.0 gram each) $54.00
Mini Jars (1.0 gram each) $32.40
Sample Bags (1/4 tsp each) $10.80

Pic from Shiro Cosmetics' website.

Next up is Venomous Cosmetics' The Hunger Games inspired shadows. This collection includes 7 loose eyeshadows ($6.50 for full size), 6 pressed shadows ($6.50 for full size) and 5 lipglosses (if I read the site right). Unfortunately no pics of the collection for me to put up here but click the link and you see them.

 Darling Girl Cosmetics has Only One Can Win for $67.99 for full-sized products and $31.27 for petit set. Collection includes 12 eyeshadows and one lipgloss.

Taken from Darling Girl Cosmetics' website.



Last but not least is Catching Fire Collection by Evil Shades Cosmetics with four eyeshadows. Unfortunately Evil Shades has closed the shopping cart but should reopen soon. Full-sized eyeshadows cost $6 and samples $2.

If you know any other makeup company that has done Hunger Games inspired eyeshadows or lip products let me know by posting them below.

LOTD ~ Champagne Picnic

This was my Thursday's look to work. I decided to use my Tarte True Blood palette again and decided to use green since I haven't used green for a while. And you can guess from name I also used the champagne colour on lid too. Yes, I'm that good at picking up names!

I was at doctor's yesterday (Wednesday) complaining about my neck, again. It's inflammed again so got new meds. I was totally out at work today since the muscle relaxant makes me really tired - won't be taking it tomorrow. But yeah, have to call work physiotherapist to come and check my work spot so that I might find what's the actual thing causing this since it has to be work, at home I have good support for my arms/hands when on computer.

Thank something it's Friday!

Lumene Illuminating and Smoothing Primer review

~This primer by Lumene I received in a goodie bag in December bloggers' meet~

I've used this on and off for most of the winter and finally decided to do a blog post about it.

First of all I have to say that this is meant for dry/normal skin and I have combo/oily/acne-prone skin so I'm not really in the target group.

I had no idea lingonberry is brightening. Maybe I should rub lingonberries to my face (joking!).

What does Lumene say about this:

Brings clean light to your face. Light-reflecting micropearls bring unique light to a tired or aging face, helping to minimize skin’s lines. The translucent, ultra-light formula blends in the skin perfectly. Suitable for all skin tones. Fresh fragrance is a delight to the senses. Contains radiant Arctic lingonberry seed oil. 25 ml.

Anyway I used this in wintertime when my skin is bit drier and doesn't get as oily as fast. I didn't find any problem with this looking too greasy on my skin. Of course you can change the "shinyness" with the foundation finish - I mostly have matte or less dewy finishes so that played a big part in this not looking too greasy or shiny.

I used the base all over the face even if I know some people with oily/combo skin only dabbing this on to their cheeks and areas that don't get greasy during the day to give some light to their faces but not making overwhelming.

Here's swatch on the hand. On first picture it just shows what the primer looks like, on next one it's heavily applied and on last one well rubbed into the skin.

As you can see it gives nice shine to the skin. It also does blur a bit some fine lines and reflect the light so that skin looks smoother and even.

I also took pictures of it on my skin. On first picture - BEWARE - I have nothing on my face and on the second one only the primer. I'm sorry about spots and veins and freckles but I didn't want to photoshop anything since then it would show incorrect result.

It does make the skin look lighter and shinier. Irl it looks just bit more healthy but as I said you can use less dewy finish foundation to bring the shine down.

I like the scent of the product. It's nothing too overwhelming but nice touch - if you like fragranced products. Hard to describe what it smells like, bit sweet and flowery I think. Of course once you rub it to skin and put other products on top you can't smell it anymore.

I still don't think this as a primer, more like an illuminizer. If I want my makeup to stay on I wouldn't use this, I only use this if I want fresher looking face for work. I probably won't use this during spring/summer/autumn when it's more moist and warm since then my skin looks shiny enough without any help.

I probably won't buy this again when I run out since it's really not that necessary for me or suitable for my skin.

Have you tried this product?

Gimme Books! - What I read as a kid/teenager?

Today I thought of doing a book post since it's been a while since I did last one. So if you don't want to read about books - you can always skip to another makeup blogs - there is a list on the right sidebar.

Anyway I browsed through some miscallenous Facebook groups and found out that people were selling/buying books I read as a kid. So that sparked me to finally do this post (I know it's been on the sidebar for ages).

These are some books/series I loved when growing up. Mostly around the ages 10 to 12 since can't remember much what I read before that.

Let's start:

First up is Noidan Käsikirja (Supernatural World) which was the best book ever - as a child. Unfortunately this book isn't published anymore, me so sad :( It had horrible pictures in it. There is even a Facebook group (Finnish) dedicated to this book and there are some pictures and photos of the pages there. I just really miss this book and wish I would've bought it back in the day.

Next up is The Little Vampire books by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg. I probably would still enjoy these books. I have checked that our libraries have these. Have to tell my sister if they ever remove these I want one.

I doubt I was the only one who read Nancy Drew stories by Carolyn Keene back in the day. I had a lot of the books but never read them all. I think I still have some of these stacked somewhere.

I also read a lot of Stephen King books back then and my absolute favourite (as a book and movie) was It. And yes, I did read this when I was around 12. I think I first saw the movie too at that age. Me and my friend loved horror movies and we watched all the classics - Psychos, Birds etc. Nowadays I prefer The Shining more (as a movie the Jack Nicholson version since the actor in the one which was totally based on book was boring compared to him), also in a book. Cujo, Carrie, Pet Cemetery (or Sematary) were also amongst read books.

I also read some less intense books like Babysitter's Club but I prefered - even back then - the more twisted and terrifying stories. Maybe Nancy Drew is a bit lighter than the rest mentioned. I really did read a lot about supernatural world even back then. Nowadays it's a bit more about paranormal romance ;)

What did you read as a pre-teen/teen?

What's In My Bag?

A lot of bloggers or youtubers have done this so I thought I should jump into the bandwagon too. Today I'm showing you what I carry around in my bag. Don't worry I don't show all the tissues I have cramped in the bottom (not used tho!).

So here's my bag - one of them but this is what I use the most. I bought it from Aleksi 13 (a Finnish clothing and accessories store chain). Brand is My Bag and I'm not sure if it's store's own brand or not. I got it in sale for 40 euros if I remember correctly and I really like it.

It's big enough, maybe too big at times, to fit a lot of stuff in it. Mostly I have to find for a long time if I need to get a lip balm or something.

Other thing that I carry around always is my purse. I bought this years ago in a Finnish clothing store and you can see that it has worn a bit. Still it probably cost around 15€ so not a bad buy.

Then I can't go anywhere without my phone. I have Samsung Galaxy S Plus and I kinda miss my old Sony-Ericsson that was mainly a music phone (Walkman) since I listen to music all the time, and I mean all the time unless I have someone to talk to. That means I have plugs on my ears every trip to and from work (around 35mins each way) and even at work if I want to listen to radio.

I also carry around my Kindle in case I want to read and can't get hold of Metro. My bf bought this to me last Christmas including the case and the skin for it. I love it! Makes carrying books around so easy!

And then of course I have make up. Mainly lip products. This is what is lying around in my bag.

Gosh makeup bag looks tiny but it fits amazingly many products inside as you can see:

Eyelash glue and tweezers are leftover from when I had false eyelashes on at work. That little perfume bottle is from Oriflame. I always have a hair bobble in my makeup bag since you never know when you need one (in summer I can all of a sudden decide I want to tie my hair off my neck).

Then I have a lot of gum in my bag. That is mainly since my daughter eats gum and I just carry them around. I found some throat medicine too and painkillers but didn't photograph them since I doubt those are too interesting.

What do you always carry in your bag?

(My Daughter's) Smarties Nails

My daughter's grandma told me that they didn't have time to re-do my daughter's nails (she usually always has nail polish on) so I thought I could do it for next week. We mostly don't change her nail polish for a week or two so they are quite worn down in the end.

My bf's first question was "Didn't you learn anything from yesterday's document?". We watched Pushy & Proud: Pamper Parlour Mums about the kids' salon in Essex and in general mums that take their kids to spray tan etc. Nail polish is the only thing my daughter is allowed outside the flat - I don't let her go out of the flat with lipgloss on and she doesn't even have her ears pierced.

When my daughter was eating Smarties I thought I could do her nails with similar colours and here's the result:

 I used essie nail polishes for her nails and realised the wide brush for EU is a bit too big for children's tiny nails.

My own nails are boringly - and badly - done with Chinchilly atm.

Tick:Tock Cosmetics swatches #1

These are my first 5 shadows from Tick:Tock Cosmetics. I already have another order on the way but before it gets here I thought I could show you what I already got. I used Stop...Zombie Time! already in Spring Greens look and I just finished makeup with some other eyeshadows from them.

But here's my first order:

Swatches are done on top of Malu Wilz eyeshadow primer. Some colours have nice duochrome on top of black or white base and I'm sorry I didn't think about trying that but you can see all shadows swatched on those on Tick:Tock Cosmetics store.

Colour descriptions taken straight from the site:

Stop... Zombie Time! - a yellowish green with blue and aqua shimmer
Hugs & Kisses - a rich, deep, metallic red
Grandfather Clock - a rich chocolatey brown with loads of gold shimmer and gold glitter
Clepsydra - a dark greenish blue with a whole bunch of purple shimmer and sparkle
Time Warp...Again - a true black, loaded with every color of shimmer imaginable

Maybelline Fit Me review

Apparently I'm having a lot of reviews coming out at the moment. Just bare with me, probably won't last long before you'll get back to seeing only my face ;)

Today I'm reviewing Maybelline's Fit Me range - foundation, concealer, powder and blush - which I received in the Maybelline and essie evening at L'Oreal Finland. I go through products one by one and then show pics of me wearing them all at the same time in the end so you see a bit how they look on skin.

Let's start...

Foundation

I really like the bottles. They look sleek and more expensive than they are. You can clearly see the colour of the product through the glass plus the numbers are clearly shown on bottles so you don't have to take them off and check from cap. I also really love that these come with a pump. It might be harder to get right amount at first but after few uses you will learn how many times you have to press to get enough foundation for whole face.

I received two different colours - 115 and 120. Lightest shade is 110 which I would've probably taken myself if I had bought these but L'Oreal's dermatologist matched me to shade 115 in winter and 120 in summer. How close did she get? Here are heavy and bit blended swatches on my inner arm (which is pretty much just white).

As you can see 120 is way too dark. Also 115 is pinkier and 120 more yellowy based. I usually go for yellow-based ones but in this one I didn't really mind the pinkish undertone. It isn't too obvious and didn't make me look like Miss Piggy like some of the heavier foundations with pink undertone do. I felt like the foundation didn't apply as smoothly as some other drugstore ones but that could've been just my imagination - usually ones with lot of silicones apply smoother than those with less or without. I really liked the scent, it might be too strong for some but for me it was fresh and bit spring-y. I don't mind scents in makeup but I do understand if you are allergic or otherwise have sensitive nose you might not want to try this.

Foundation seemed to stay on my skin - with primer - as much as some other drugstore foundations. Then again it wasn't moist or hot day so can't say how easily it would melt away in those conditions.

Here is pic of all the rest of the products, didn't take pics of them separately:

Concealer

This was what I was most surprised about since I thought that it would be also quite sheer but even in shade 120 it was suitable for my skintone and it had enough coverage to hide my dark undereyes and disguised mostly my spots. I will definitely be using this and might even purchase another one (maybe in one shade lighter) when I run out of this one.

Powder

I didn't find anything wrong with the powder even in shade 120. It is quite sheer and kept my foundation and concealer in place without putting a mask over them. It isn't too chalky and is great for fixing up your makeup during the day (I rarely do this even if I have oily skin). Basic powder, nothing fantastic but nothing to complain about either.

Blush

I got Medium Rose blush which is meant for darker skintones but I don't mind since I usually wear heavier blush. I don't like the blush too much, it's a bit chalky and doesn't have enough colour payoff for my taste. Then again this is a good blush if you don't want to get as heavily blushed cheeks. It's really hard to overdose this one at least in one go. It does blend smoothly enough which also means it doesn't have too much pigment. I still managed to do my cheeks in few swipes but I prefer blushes were one is enough. I guess this is a matter of taste.

And here are all the products on my face at the same time:

On lips I have Maybelline SuperStay 10h Tint Gloss in Infinite Mauve. On eyes I have Dawn Eyes Cosmetics' Chrome Collection #4 eyeshadow and Maybelline Illegal Lengths mascara. On nails I'm wearing essie's Spaghetti Strap.

I still think 115 might be a bit too dark for my winter skin especially when my neck is really white - it's white all year around tbh! Luckily it will be spring soon and my freckles start to bloom (not happy about that but it means that my skin will get bit darker, or looks like it, so I can wear all the foundations that I have lying around because they're too dark atm).

My parents are coming over today which will be nice for my daughter to see her grandparents again. I myself have to worry if the flat is clean enough. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Maybelline SuperStay 10h Tint Gloss review

Apparently in US this is called Stain Gloss, not Tint Gloss. Same product tho.

All of us received 2 different tint glosses when we had Maybelline and essie evening at L’Oreal. You can read about the evening here.

I received colours Infinite Mauve and Endless Ruby. I’ve worn these on few occasions now and feel like I finally have something to say about them so here we go.

The packaging

This is actually the thing that wouldn’t make me buy the product on shop. The packaging looks cheap. I don’t like white tubes since they tend to get dirty when rolling in bags etc. I like the idea that the cap shows the colour of the gloss but it’s a bit off compared to what’s inside. Sleek black (or pretty much any other colour) would’ve been better.

Also I am not a fan of the applicator. It’s too bendy for my liking and therefore I can’t get sharp enough edges with it.

In case you wonder about the names they are apparently different in US too – Mauve Dream and Ruby Indulgence. No idea why the names of the colours changed on their way from US to Europe.

Product itself

As the name hints this is more of a lip stain than gloss. It doesn’t really have much gloss or shine to it, maybe a bit but it goes quite matte (or natural looking) fast. Weirdest thing is that it tingles when it dries. I’m not sure if this is the actual drying process or some ingredient. If someone knows please tell me since I'm quite interested to know if it's only me.

I have to say that this does feel weightless. Also it doesn’t dry lips and is opaque enough. I’m not the biggest fan of lip glosses so this is a good alternative to those. You will get to keep the colour longer on your lips too!

I don't think the gloss in itself stays on your lips for 10 hours. It looks like it since it stains your lips and even after a work day (didn't apply anything during the day) I had redder lips than normally but when I rubbed my lips nothing came off. I like stained lips since it looks like I have something on yet I don’t leave a trace to glasses and can use lip balm without making a mess with it.

Infinite Mauve

Endless Ruby

 Ingredients

Water, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Glycerin, Polybutene, Polyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate, Bis-Behenyl/Isostearyl/Phytosteryl Dimer Dilinoleyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Jojoba Wax Peg-120 Esters, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Peg-30 Glyceryl Stearate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Potassium Sorbate, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum / Fragrance, Aminomethyl Propanol, Limonene. May Contain: Mica, CI 77891 / Titanium Dioxide, CI 17200 / Red 33, CI 16035 / Red 40, CI 19140 / Yellow 5, CI 77499 / Iron Oxides, CI 45410 / Red 28, CI 42090 / Blue 1, CI 15985 / Yellow 6

Where to buy and how much for?

This is coming to Finland at the start of April, no idea about the pricing yet.

In US this is available wherever Maybelline is sold and in Ulta the price is $8.99.

In UK this is available at least in Boots and costs £6.99.

Would I suggest it or buy it again?

I might want to try different colours especially the lighter ones since those I might wear more than these darker reds. If you want to try a lip stain that is bit more glossy than normal stains then this is the product. Also a good start to try out lip stains. Pricing is a bit higher but at least the tube is big.

You will get to see me actually wearing the lipgloss in Infinite Mauve on Saturday morning's blog post (review about Maybelline Fit Me range). It shows the colour more accurately than on the swatch in this post.