Empties #3

Today I've got more empties to share with you! Keep on reading for some more mini-reviews of these products.

I used up another of the Maybelline Lumi Touch Concealer in the color 1. This concealer is just perfect for a light concealing effect. All my other concealers have been too creamy for my lighter foundation application I've been doing lately. This thing is my holy grail, I actually have to get myself to use up my other concealers for once since I can't stop using this one.

Hema nail polishes are by far the cheapest ones out there, and they really have been stepping up their game. I've been using their base and top coat for as long as I can remember (they're so darn cheap) and they do a good job too, I find. 

I've also been trying to use up some perfume samples. Here I have two Hermès Kelly Calèche perfume samples. Like, don't love. 

I love me some Rituals products, and their body scrubs are very nice and smell amazing, and they're affordable too. This Wai Wang exfoliating body scrub has tiny particles that don't scrub too harshly. Does the job just fine.

For some reason I had tons of these sample sachets of the Rituals Organic Bamboo and Ginger Face n°1 gentle facial cleanser. It lathered very nicely and left my face feeling very soft. I doubt if it cleansed very decently though.

I'm already almost at the end of my second tube of this Vichy Normaderm night cream. I used to like it when I was on my exchange program in England and my skin was drier, but lately I've been dreading using it. It separates when squeezing it out of the tube and leaves my skin oily in the morning. I think it might have been an old tube.

Last but not least I have this Biotherm claryfing lotion sample. It's not very much like a lotion, more like a micellaire water and it didn't do much for my skin.

What products have you been loving or disliking lately?

Xoxo,

Anine

NAILS: OPI Mariah Carey liquid sand set

I love the small nail sets from OPI, since I find the full size nail polishes too big to ever finish. I was able to try out a full size OPI liquid sand in the color Can I get your number, and loved it. Then I saw these natural colored liquid sand polishes and simply was sold.

In case you haven't heard about nail polishes with a liquid sand: as the packaging describes, they basically dry to a textured matte finish infused with reflective glints of light. 

Instructions: Apply a base and two coats of colors. Do not use a top coat.

In the nail polish set contains three small bottles with the colors Baby please come home (a champagne, light golden color), Make him mine (a dark purple color) and Silent stars go by (a rose gold color).

Baby please come home

Make him mine

Silent stars go by

Quality: As always with OPI polishes, the quality is perfect. They didn't chip on me and lasted for almost nine days. One down side, as usual with glitter polishes: they're a pain to remove.

Packaging: Nice as always. The brush also is perfect in size.

Price: I paid around 25 euros for this set, and later I found it online for 15 euros. Bummer!

Conclusion: LOVE them!

Have you tried any liquid sand polishes? From which brand is your favorite christmas/holiday nail polish?

Xoxo,
Anine

REVIEW: YSL cream blush

One of those high end items I've always wanted was a YSL cream blush. They always looked so luxurious and perfect and ever since I was a little girl, the golden packaging seemed to promise me eternal happiness. 

In the meantime I've realized that nothing of the sorts is true, but it can give you the necessary high feeling every beauty addict experiences when shopping at make-up counters they usually avoid because of the high price range.

I finally got my hands on this beauty, in colour number 2, and have to admit that I like it, but don't plan to spend my money on this blush product again. Read on to find out why!

Packaging: What can we say about this? It is gorgeous. It looks great on your vanity or dressing table. It attracts attention and makes you believe you are a princess.

Quality: It applies nicely on the cheeks, is easy to blend out and stays on a lot longer than most cream blushes I've tried. No complaints here whatsoever. 

Price: $38 - €36 The priciest blush I've ever purchased!

Conclusion: Then why wouldn't I repurchase this? For some reason, I don't seem to use this as much as I should, considering the price point of this product. The natural English rose blush look from Keira Knightley as Elisabeth in Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice is perfectly achieved with this blush. However, it takes more time than using my beloved powder blushes, and the effect is just so-so. I am not as much in love with it as it has already been the case with previous blushes. Sorry YSL, but I'm a little disappointed! However, it is still a nice product.

Have you used this product before? Do you prefer cream or powder blushes?

Xoxo,
Anine

WISHLIST: All I want for Christmas - beautyrelated

During Christmas time, all the major companies know exactly where to hit us beauty freaks. Shiny packaging, deep red lip products and luxurious palettes keep passing before our eyes and we simply can't resist!

This year however, I will be saving up my money and not splurging on a Christmas gift for myself. But there's no harm in making a wishlist, right...? 

1. Sleek - Contour kit
2. The Balm - Nude'tude eyeshadow palette
3. Topshop - Velvet lips in Velveteen Ribbon
4. Benefit - Coralista
5. Sigma - Basic brush set
6. Jo Malone - Pomegranate Noir perfume
7. Clarisonic - Mia 2
8. Bobbi Brown - Rich Chocolate eyeshadow palette

What beauty goodies have you been lusting after for Christmas?

Xoxo,
Anine

DECOR: Christmas creeping around the corner

As some of you might know, I am a gigantic sucker for Christmas. I guess it's a British thing that I've adopted. 'Cause when I do Christmas, I do it guuud! I've replaced my pumpkins with pinecones and my fall candle with an amazing Christmassy scent.

But what I'm most excited about is this candle set I put together myself *proud look on my face*. The three candles in different sizes, I bought at an Albert Heijn, as well as the tin plate underneath. I know, why buy decorative stuff in a supermarket...? Because it's cheap, that's why! Plus I really loved the color and texture of the candles.

I bought the pinecones from a store called Wibra, which is that kind of store you're embarrassed to go into because it only sells junk. Well, I searched my butt off for decorative pinecones and was so happy to find them!

I found the cute little bells in a Casa, which is a homegoods store.

As mentioned before, I replaced my pumpkins with more pinecones and switched up my fall candle with a nice spicy scent by Yankee Candle called Spiced Orange. I find the smell to be very addictive!

Last but not least: bed decorations! I went Primark shopping a few weeks ago and simply fell in love with this cushion. I've been totally into Scandinavian interiors lately, where textured pillows and blankets are key! I also added this pleated blanket, which doesn't really fit the Scandinavian atmosphere but reminds me of my Christmas in England last year.

Then I added some Christmas lights on my bedframe to fit in with the holiday theme and voilà, done!

Are you into Christmas decorations? Do you love decorating your room?

Xoxo,
Anine

Product battle: Champagne pressed eyeshadows

Here I am today with another product battle! This time I'm discussing pressed eyeshadows and my two favorites happened to both be in a similar champagne color. Let's compare the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in 90 Convoitise with the L'Oréal Color Infallible in 002 Hourglass Beige.

Quality:

Both products have a similar pressed shadow consistency. They feel amazingly soft and buttery and shimmer like champagne colored discoballs! The Chanel shadow probably feels the most buttery, while the L'Oreal one feels more velvety. Both show up very nicely when applied or swatched. They're not like pigments that contain lots of loose glitter and thus have a lot of fallout. These babies only have small shimmer particles in them without those big chunky glitters. I don't like to go for too much glitter, but these ones are just shimmery enough for a lively, awake look.

Packaging:Obviously there's quite a difference in packaging between the two products. The chanel Illusion d'ombre has a typical sleek, very fancy looking Chanel packaging with the see through jar, black screw-on top and the Chanel logo on it. The L'Oreal eyeshadow has a plastic packaging but it's sturdy and works perfectly with its product.

When looking at the product, you obviously notice a slight difference in color. The Chanel product (on the left) has more yellow tones in it, while the L'Oréal product has more white tones in it.

 Swatches:
On the left: L'Oréal Color Infallible in 002 Hourglass Beige.
On the right: Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in 90 Convoitise

Now we notice an even bigger color difference. Also, the L'Oréal Color Infallible seems to contain more shimmer than the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre.

Conclusion: 
I like both, but for the obvious price difference I have to say L'Oréal is really competing with Chanel when it comes to the Illusion d'Ombre pressed shadow. The product is quite similar in consistency and finish, only the color and the price differ. Want the Illusion d'Ombre but can't make yourself spend the money it? I think the L'Oréal Infallibles could really be a nice dupe, plus they have an excellent shade range to choose from.

Have you used one of these products before? Or do you know any similar products?

Xoxo,
Anine

REVIEW: Essence All about matt fixing powder

Hey lovelies, today I will be reviewing the Essence All about Matt fixing compact powder. I noticed a lot of Dutch bloggers talking about this product so I had to try it out for myself!!

Quality:
Surprisingly, for the price and though it is from drugstore brand Essence, it is very nice. I have to admit that I wasn't really an Essence fan, but this powder really got me converted! It doesn't add any coverage, but I like to set my face with it in the morning above my colored powder to avoid extra shine in the T-zone. I do have to be careful with it, since my mom noticed it when I used it (too) generously and she added drily: "I think something's wrong with your makeup honey, you look so white." So girls, use this product sparingly!

Packaging:
Obviously from one of the cheapest brands at the drugstore you can't expect high-end beautiful packaging. But this one just does the job nicely. Plus, I don't really feel like powders need amazing packaging anyway.

Price:
I almost can't believe it myself: I paid €2,99 for this powder. How is that possible??? I'm usually a believer that more expensive products grant more quality but in this case, Essence clearly proved me wrong.

Conclusion: 

For the amazing price, EVERY ONE should have this powder in her stash. Do apply it carefully and not too generously. Perfect for combination to oily skin.

Have you already tried out a lot of Essence products?

Xoxo,

Anine

New skincare routine

I've never been the greatest skincare geek/lover/goddess, but since I've started my new job, I decided my teen years were officially over and it was time for me to embrace the fact that I needed to take more care of my skin (before it's too late?). 

A friend of mine has always been so much into skincare, that I took some of her advice and along with that, some of her skincare products. She uses them religiously and has flawless skin. We also have the exact same skin type so I set as a goal to never have pimples again and try to achieve a similar beautiful skin as my friend. 

This Vichy face wash is from the same Vichy Normaderm line as all my previous skincare items, and I really have been loving it. It cleans better than my Biotherm cleansing sample and leaves my skin feeling very fresh. 

I used to use La Roche-Posay products back in high school, so it was a trip down memory lane to pick up this Effaclar Mat moisturizer. So far so good. I've noticed that my skin is producing less oil.

I'm pretty scared to try this night cream from Vichy. Right now I'm still using up the night cream from the Vichy Normaderm line, even though I don't like it anymore. But this one has the word Aqua in it, which worries me... I hope I won't wake up shiny-faced every morning when I start using this *fingers crossed*.

I've been using this Lancôme Cleansing milk for a while now as well. It takes off my makeup very nicely, but does leave a greasy-looking residue on my face which I dislike. This means I'm still in the market for a cleansing milk. Anyone got any recommendations?

Of course, Bioderma Micellaire cleansing water. I've used up a tiny bottle of this before and really like that it takes off any residue of my Lancôme cleansing milk and any makeup that is left on my face.

I still have to try out this scrub as well, since I'm still using up my previous one - that I very much dislike, I'll fill you in later. Excited to use this!

I've been using my Tea Tree Toner water from Lush for almost a year now and still love it. It leaves my skin feeling fresh and hydrated without feeling oily!

This is my new skincare routine, which skincare products have you been trying out?

Xoxo,

Anine