Empties #6

Yes, exams are killing me right now. No, let's not talk about it. This quick blogpost is the sixth in its series, it's EMPTIES TIME! So to any new readers, I basically explain to you what products I've been using up and what my thoughts were on them. Let's get started. 

Fashion discovery: Sessùn

Just today I discovered the Parisian brand Sessùn, which is known for its bohemian, eclectic style. Founder and designer Emma François was inspired to found her label in 1996 by a trip to South America. Her collections are feminine, comfortable and consist of cute dresses, cotton separates and fine knitwear.

Find my favorite picks from Asos below! 

INTERIOR: Tableware gorgeousness

So the obsession for interior and design continues. I never thought I'd freak out about something like tableware. However, these plates, glasses and bowls got me VERY excited. I now am truly convinced that these items can finish off any interior. I mean come on, tableware as gorgeous as this must make your meals more delicious, no?

Check out my Pinterest account to find the image sources!

INTERIOR: First Apartment Pinspiration

Dear readers, I have a confession to make. Lately I've been guilty of cheating on makeup with interior. I know I know, it just happened... What is the cause of this deceit? After four years of whining about my intense wish to decorate my own first apartment, my boyfriend gave me the green light to start thinking about interior stuff for our future First Apartment together.

Him scoring his first job enabled me to start looking for interior inspiration and I wanted to share with you what we came up with together.

We are lucky to kind of have the same style of interior. We both like modern design, with a sniff of Scandinavian and Asian design and vintage pieces of decor here and there, as you can see below.

Check out my Pinterest account to see the image sources!

First impression: & Other Stories beauty

I finally had some time to visit the & Other Stories store in Antwerp that opened a few months ago. I had a 40 euros coupon, and since I couldn't find ANYTHING for that price clothingwise, I wandered to the beauty section and went totally bananas at the sight of so many amazing scents and products.

Keep on reading to check out what I got at & Other Stories!

My Favorite Fall/Autumn Lip Products

My favorite thing about fall is probably the dark lip that makes its comeback. Whether you opt for a vampy shade with purple undertones or simply a deeper red that is more in your comfort zone, a darker lip in fall suits everyone. Plus it makes your teeth look whiter!

Keep on reading to find my favorite fall lipstick picks and my recent dark lipstick obsession! 

Six Weeks Without Lipstick Challenge

It happened six weeks ago. I went to visit my doctor, who had told me that I had to follow a diet for medical reasons. Then she dropped a bomb on me like nothing else.

After mentioning that I couldn't eat any crisps, I couldn't eat normal bread, barely any fruit, no sauces, and so much more food restrictions, she hesitantly said: "Oh. And you're not allowed to wear any lipsticks or lip products for three weeks, maybe longer." I blinked. And laughed. "What? No lipstick? Forrealz?" She nodded.

This may seem very superficial to you, dear reader, but no one keeps my lipstick away from me. Makeup is my identity, makeup is who I want to be in the morning, makeup is the choice of the day: will I be a nonchalant looking student with a smoked out lash line, a young woman with a bright red lip or a bronzed up goddess (no giggles allowed)? Most of all, I love my makeup. One of my favorite moments of the day is putting on my makeup because I can translate my entire mood into my look and look so much fresher, more daring, and create any version of myself.

So, what to do about six weeks without lipstick? I've been quitting lipsticks for five weeks now, and am losing my mind... I kid. Jokes aside, I miss it, but I do have some tips and tricks to draw the focus away from the lips.



Trick #1:
Giant lashes and lots of liquid eyeliner.
I've been making my eyes seem rounder and more doll like thanks to lots of mascara and liquid liner around the outer corners and middle part of my lash line. A little matte shadow in the crease and bam, you're done! I like to overdo it just a smidge, to recreate the sixties vibe.

Trick #2:
Pinched cheeks.
The I-just-casually-walked-around-the-English-moors look. Red, flushed cheeks will give the illusion of an inner glow and healthy color on the cheeks from romantically walking out and about along the English countryside at the break of dawn. If only. Can I live in a Jane Austen novel, please?!

Trick #3:
Just bitten.
When all else fails: a traditional approach. Biting the lips to achieve the 'just kissed' look. Classic.

FASHION: the beanie

The beanie trend has been here for quite a while, but I always considered it not to be something for me. Just recently, I was strolling around the men's department at H&M in the footsteps of my boyfriend since we were desperately looking for shirts for him. I then fell in love with a gorgeous beanie!

Read on to see what it looks like and what beanie outfits I am currently inspired by!

My MAC palette

Of all brands, MAC is probably the one that is pretty high up the list of best eyeshadows. People go crazy for them and they offer an insane amount of colors and finishes. Pre-made palettes aren't really a thing at MAC, instead you usually select shades individually or save up for a big palette. I decided a few years back on the latter.

If you take a look at my palette below, you'll see that it's not completely full yet. So yes, this is proof that I still show some form of resistance when it comes to makeup, right?

Stay tuned if you want to discover my MAC palette!

SKINCARE: Emma Hardie cleansing balm

Today I'm here with a review of the Emma Hardie cleansing balm. First things first, what the fudge is a cleansing balm? It is a product with a balm consistency that is used to cleanse off makeup. The Emma Hardie once is especially famous because of its luxurious scent and feel. Let's hop into the review!

My Red Lip Routine

It's inexcusable that my blog's name is Red Lips And Beauty Bits, but I actually barely have any red lip looks posted on it! I decided to film a Red Lip routine video, so you can all see how I apply my red favorite red lipstick!

Enjoy!

I hope you all liked it! ^^

xx Anine

FASHION: autumn/fall loves

Would you believe me if I'd tell you that I've been craving and wishlisting autumn/fall fashion since July?! Yeah, I'm an autumn girl through and through! I love all the wine red, oxblood red and rich warm, colors. I love the rainy weather without ice cold temperatures, the amazing seasonal Starbucks drinks, the cosy fireplaces and the amazeballs dishes with lots of heavy sauces.

Okay, you get it, I love autumn. My love for the UK and my 6 month stay there in 2012 certainly has something to do with it. But what sparked my autumn love so early on in the year? This campaign video by Mulberry. It brings me back to my second home and makes me want to only wear tartans, scarves and knitted socks all year round. Can we do that, please?

Anyway, I've been drooling over these fashion pieces for months. Check them out:

From left to right and from top to bottom:

Black top - & Other stories

Grey trickot top - H&M

Camel vest - H&M

Hat - & Other stories

Green midiskirt - & Other stories

Cargojack - H&M

Media lipstick - MAC

Knit top - Brandy Melville

Leather backpack - New Look

Beige ankle boots - H&M

Combat boots - unknown? I can't seem to find them anywhere online :(

They're all pretty basic, but that's what I love about them! Layering is key here, ladies and gents!

What fashion pieces are your favorites?

Xx Anine

LIFESTYLE: a day in Antwerp

Antwerp is my home and my city (although I grew up outside Antwerp, sssht don't tell anyone). Me and Mr. Boyfriend recently noted that we'd actually never gone sightseeing in our own city. To settle that matter right away, we spent a tourist day in Antwerp and discovered neighborhoods and shops we'd never been before. 

Follow us around!

REVIEW: YSL Touche Eclat Foundation

Yes, I've kind of been on an Yves Saint Laurent kick lately. I purchased the Touche Eclat foundation a while back, but it took me some weeks to find out exactly how to apply it best and before I was able to test its wear time. 

Here you can see a *beautiful* before and after photo, don't mind bare-faced me. 

The Touche Eclat foundation is an extent of the Touche Eclat pen, which has been one of YSL's bestsellers for years. 'Touche Eclat' literally means 'shining touch' or 'illuminating touch'. YSL claims the foundation should give you a glowing, healthy complexion.

Packaging: no complaints here. The product comes in a beautiful glass bottle with golden details. The pomp works perfectly and the see-through packaging ables you to see how much product is left in the bottle.

Shade range: I was able to choose between a wide range of 16 shades. Unfortunately the sales person first recommended me to pick up shade BR40, which is way too dark for me, even when my skin is tan. Since I couldn't return the bottle, I then had to purchase shade B10 so I could mix the shades. I really wasn't happy about this, since the foundation is already expensive enough without having to buy a second shade to match the color to your skin.

Left: shade B10 

Right: shade BR40

Application: 

1. Here I have no product on my face. Enjoy the nakedness of my skin. Oh, and I have acne-prone, combination skin with an oily T-zone, redness and dark circles. 

2. Here I applied the Touche Eclat foundation with my Real Techniques complexion sponge. The coverage is medium to high coverage, it's quite buildable. The sales assistant at Ici Paris XL told me this product wasn't very glowy or shiny, but I strongly disagree. It leaves a very glowy finish on my skin, so I definitely need to powder after the application of the foundation. It does hold up quite well during the day, which I didn't expect.

Without a primer, but with a light powder, it would probably last me around 8 hours. I'd have to powder the T-zone after about 3 to 4 hours though.

3. Then I applied some concealer.

4. Then I powdered and finished off the look with blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick.

PRO's

+ Looks quite skinlike but flawless at the same time

+ Sits nicely on the skin

+ Holds up well during the day

+ Many shades in the range

CON's

- Mixing shades: I hate that I had to purchase a second shade to match because the sales assistant didn't pick the right foundation shade. But this of course doesn't affect the quality of the problem.

- Price: it's definitely pricy, you'll pay around the €42 mark at Ici Paris XL

- The finish is a bit too glowy for me

Conclusion: I'll definitely keep wearing this foundation and enjoy it, but probably won't repurchase it. I like my foundations to be a bit more matte, and with a lighter coverage. It's not a bad product at all though!

Have you tried the Touche Eclat foundation? What's your favorite makeup base at the moment?

xX Anine

LIFESTYLE: summer reading material

Summer is pretty much over for now in Belgium, and as usual I've finished many many books while being on holiday in Greece. Here's a summery of my favorite summer reads!

1. George R.R. Martin - A game of thrones

Yes, I've finally jumped on the all-too-famous bandwagon. And yes, I'm extremely late to the nerdish party. I am so hooked, can't wait to read all of the other books of the series and am currently watching the series 'cause I just can't wait. The characters are great and the writing style is addictive! 

2. William Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet

A true classic, of course. 

3. J.K. Rowling - Quidditch through the ages 

I grew up with Harry Potter, and J.K. Rowling truly brings back the little kid in me. She wrote three booklets from the wizarding world for Comic Relief, which I find just as amazing as the cute stories from the booklets.

4. Tamara Mellon - In her shoes

This book tells the story of the co-founder of famous shoe brand Jimmy Choo. It was interesting to follow her professional journey in the fashion industry, she definitely did not take the typical career path to get where she was when writing the book, which was nice to discover, but also kind of irritated me at times. All in all a good book to get you ready for school, college, a new job or just to get back to work with a good attitude! 

5. Alexa Chung - It

I've always had kind of a girl crush on Alexa, so this was on my reading list for a long time. Don't expect any kind of memoirs or very personal story here. Alexa shares some of her best fashion and beauty tips and offers us some very light reading. Perfect for on the beach!

Have you read any of these books? What was your fave summer read?

xX Anine

OOTD: The girl in the red dress

There's nothing quite like a red lace-detail dress. It's cute in the summertime, beautiful for Christmas and romantic for Valentine's Day. So all in all, a wardrobe staple, I believe. I like combining it with some black accessories, which gives the outfit an edgy feel. 

Red dress: New Look

Leather zipped bag: H&M

Shoes: Eram

Hat: Vintage (it was my mom's when she was 16)

Leather bracelet: H&M

xX Anine

LOOK: Maxime's natural pop of color with the UD Naked 3 palette

A while ago, I did my friend's makeup and it turned out quite nicely, so I decided to write a post on it. I used her makeup, which is always fun 'cause I get to play with makeup that I don't own! Read on to check out Maxime's (http://laviedemaximee.blogspot.be) makeup look!

Products used:  

Laura Mercier Tinted moisturizer 

MAC pro longwear concealer

MAC Mineralize skinfinish natural

Urban Decay Naked 3 palette

MAC Mineralize blush in Petal Power

MAC Bronzing powder in Golden

Too Faced perfect eyes waterproof eyeliner in Black

Benefit They're Real mascara

YSL Mascara volume effet faux cils

MAC cremesheen lipstick in Lickable

Though this look is a very simple and easy-to-do look, it's definitely effective. It makes you look clean, and feminine. The pop of color on the lips and the winged out liner makes it just that tad bit more fun. I also fell in love with the Naked3 palette after doing Maxime's makeup. I just might have to take a look at it... ;-)


xX Anine

REVIEW: Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte

When I was a little girl, I really wasn't all that much into makeup. The only item that could spark my interest, when my mom went to beauty counters were the shiny, golden lipstick tubes from Yves Saint Laurent (YSL). When I started to earn some money as a teenager, I would take a look at these lipsticks every time I went to a beauty counter. 

I had a hard time finding the perfect shade for me, but when I took a look at the four YSL Rouge Volupté spring/summer 2014 shades a few weeks ago, I was completely smitten. I picked up two colors on the spot: the YSL Rouge Volupté in 31 Fuchsia Tourbillon/Fuchsia Storm and 32 Corail Jalouse/Jealous Coral. Read on to find out what I think of these hyped-up, legendary high-end lipsticks.

USE: When applying, the lipsticks feel extremely soft, buttery and comfortable on the lips. They are very creamy, and so don't stain the lips very much (the pink shade stains the lips lightly) and you'll definitely have to reapply after having a drink, eating or kissing.

Then why splurge on these babies? They're definitely a luxury item and you pay the price for the beautiful packaging and amazingly creamy texture that is unique. The shade range is also stunning. But keep in mind that you don't get a lot of staining or staying power out of them.

+ Extremely creamy and buttery
+ Beautiful shade range (especially the newer ones)
+ The more vibrant and newer shades stain lightly
+ Luxurious and beautiful gold packaging

- The price tag: about €30
- Wear time is around 3 hours, don't expect amazing staying power here

CONCLUSION: I feel like every beauty addict should have one of these in their collection. They are definitely expensive, and you don't get a good staying power in return. But they are stunning on the lips, feel very smooth and comfortable and simply make you feel chic and very ladylike. A feeling every woman has to experience once in a while.


Have you tried these YSL lipsticks?

xX Anine

Empties #5

My empties basket has been overflowing for a while, so that means it's time for an empties post! Can't wait to finally throw out all these items!

First of all, I used up two green tea sheet masks, one from Etude House and one from Missha. Both these brands are big Asian beauty brands. These were quite nice and felt refreshing on the skin, especially the Etude House one.

I actually haven't tried anything else from these brands, but definitely want to try more, especially the Asian BB creams are supposed to be amazing! It's not very easy to find these brands in Belgium or other European countries. I purchased these sheet masks via this webshop Koreacute. I actually met the owner of the webshop on Made In Asia 2014, a big annual convention in Brussels.

I've finished these two skincare items: the Lancôme soft cleansing milk and the La Roche Posay Mat moisturizer. I liked the Lancôme milk, it was very soft on the skin and got rid of makeup beautifully. I wouldn't repurchase because I like a cleansing miccelaire water so much more. 

The La Roche Posay moisturizer is perfect for combination/oily skin, and I will repurchase, but for now I'm still using an acne clearing moisturizer since my dermatologist made me... and she's scary!

Yes, another one of these... The Batiste dry shampoo in Tropical! I promise, I do actually wash my hair... That's the only downside for me: I finish these dry shampoo so fast, they don't seem to last me very long. The coconut smell of this Tropical one had me trippin' though, I didn't like it very much.

I really like these Simple cleansing wipes for any days that I wear loads of makeup and I want to get rid of most of it before deep cleansing or - don't kill me - when I've gone out and I'm so damn tired. But this happens rarely since I have the party life of a goldfish. Simple, if you're reading this, COME TO BELGIUM!! I always stock up on my wipes when I go to the UK.

I also finished these two sample sizes of the Chanel Perfection Lumière velvet foundation. I really liked it and would definitely purchase the full size when I finish my other foundations.

Another empty product is the Collection concealer (the writing's rubbed off). It was nice, and I finished most of it, but it was getting pretty old and was starting to look caky underneath my eyes so I decided to chuck it.

The Hema brow gel is gonna get thrown away as well, since it's gotten quite grosse and I wasn't really using it anymore. It did it job perfectly though and it's very affordable.

I finished the Smashbox Photofinish foundation primer in Light. No words for this item. It has changed the foundation game for me. My makeup lasts up to 10-12 hours, which is about 6-7 hours longer (!) than without a primer. Amazing.

Also, I emptied the NARS Smudgeproof eyeshadow base, which is quite as magical as the last item. I have very oily lids and this doesn't only make my eyeshadow last all day (and night) but also makes the colors so much intenser. A must-have for me.

Lastly I finished the Labello Fruity Smile chapstick. This lip balm is quite nice, it moisturizes your lips and gives a hint of color. One downside? I've noticed, after using it for years since I was teenager, that it kinda makes your lips addicted to it. It doesn't moisturize, it feels moisturizing and then makes your lips crave more Labello. It the end they're just as dry as before, so I'm not repurchasing anymore.

Have you tried any of these products?

Xx Anine

OOTD: Kimono/pyjama inspired outfit

When the runways showed kimonos and pyjama-like outfits several seasons ago, I was very cynical. "I'm so not wearing that, who looks good in those things?" were my exact thoughts. Well, against all odds, I've totally changed my mind. The reason? This beautiful kimono-pyjama pant situation:

White T-shirt: H&M

Kimono: H&M

Pants: New Look

Nude sandals: Eram

Necklace: New Look

Earrings: Primark

Bracelet: H&M

It may not be the most slimming outfit ever. But I don't care that much, it's just too damn comfortable! Normally I'm not a fan of floral prints, but these are so fine and look more modern with the stark blue background. I wanna wear these pants every day of the rest of my life!

Would you wear this kind of outfit?

xX Anine

LOOK: peachy summer make-up

Hot summer weather and make-up usually don't go together that well. I love the medium-coverage summer look I've been going for lately though, it involves lots of peachy colors. I threw the products I used together so you can take a look at them!

First, I use the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat foundation (review is coming up soon!). This product offers light to medium coverage and is nice for combination skin. I do recommend using a primer underneath if you have oil skin! 

The L'Oréal Magic Lumi highlighting pen (review is coming up soon!) is perfect to conceal slightly and highlight underneath the eyes in a triangle shape. 

Then I set the face with the Essence All About Matte compact powder, especially in the T-zone with a big fluffy brush.

Afterwards I apply the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pink Gold on the moving eyelid. The rose gold shade from the Wet 'n Wild Walking On Eggshells palette is perfect to put on top of that color tattoo. The light champagne color from that same palette is perfect to highlight the inner corners of the eyes. 

On to the cheeks: With a light hand, I like applying the Milani baked blush in Luminoso on my cheeks and slightly up on the cheekbones. The blush has a beautiful but natural shimmer to it, so applying highlighter is unnecessary for my fair skin.

I use some dark blue kohl eyeliner on the tightline (upper water line) of the eyes and finish it off with the Covergirl Lashblast Volume mascara.

Lastly, I apply my favorite summer lipstick from Yves Saint Laurent: the Rouge Volupte in the shade 32 Jealous Coral/Corail Jalouse. 

I hope you liked it! Would you prefer reading more of these posts?

Xx Anine