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

What’s in my travel makeup bag

For my trip to Paris, I tried to pack very light on makeup. I thought of it as a way to make myself do a more minimal makeup application.

The products shown above from left to right:

MAC Studio Fix powder in C4

Labello lip balm

Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in Coralberry

MAC Kohl eyepencil in Bluuz

Bourjois Brow pencil in 04 Blond Foncé

Maybelline Master Precise liquid eyeliner

Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara

Nars eye primer

Estée Lauder Double Wear concealer in 02 Light Medium

Maybelline Lumi Touch concealer in 01

Wet ‘n Wild eyeshadow palette in Walking on Eggshells

Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara in 10 Black

Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector for oily skin in Light

E.L.F. Blush in Candid Coral

Last but not least, my brushes. I pretty much use all Bubbi Brushes and Real Techniques brushes, some Hema and some MAC.

What essentials do you always have with you in your travel makeup bag?

Xoxo,

Anine

Empties #1

It was about time for a first empties post! Empties are the products you use up. Since you've used them all up, you know quite well if you like them, if they work like they're supposed to and if you'd repurchase them.

I've collected these empty items in the last months:

  

Let's start off simple. The first item I used up is this base coat from the Dutch drugstore Hema. It's cheap and it worked just fine. Since I've never used anything besides this, it's not relevant to compare this.

I also ran out of my MAC Oil control lotion, that I use as my daily moisturizer. I started using this about a year ago and it definately helps to control the oil in my skin. I always thought I had oily skin, but since I started using the MAC Oil control lotion, I know that actually I have a combination skin since only my T-zone gets oily. This is probably my second bottle of it, and I've already used a fair amount of my repurchased one. It's still going strong!

 This Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express Mascara has been gone for a while and I've had several tubes of it. It's the best mascara I've used so far, but I won't be repurchasing it for a while, since I'm testing out a lot of new ones. I do think I will eventually go back to this one.

My Vichy Normaderm exfoliating gel has gone too *snif snif*... I loved it, it left my skin pretty much spotless (which is extremely rare for me). I have a lot of samples and exfoliators I need to try out, but after that, I will definately be repurchasing this.

The Vichy solution micellaire is from the same Normaderm line as the exfoliator. I liked this, but tried out the Bioderma one afterwards and simply liked that better. I still have a second bottle of this have to use up though. 

So naturally, here is the small Bioderma Sensible H²0 Solution Micellaire bottle. I tried it out and loved it. On my trip to Paris I will be stocking up! This is the one for sensitive skin and it worked perfectly, but I know that there's also one for oily skin in this line. However, from the online reviews it seems to be less effective. Have you tried both? What do you think I should try?

I also finished this L'Oréal Elnett Satin Hair spray for extra volume. I love it and have been using it for a long time. It doesn't make my hair crunchy, it gives it that extra *Ooomph* that my hair needs in the morning. Will be repurchasing this.

And last but not least, I've used up this Urban Decay Naked skin foundation in color 3.0 a few months ago. I liked the light to medium coverage and easy application very much, but was disappointed by the staying power. This shouldn't be the case when you buy a more high-end foundation. I am very interested to see if the Revlon Nearly Naked (which is supposed to be the drugstore dupe) stays on longer? They don't seem to be selling it in Belgium, though. But I won't be repurchasing the Naked Skin foundation.

Have you used any of these products? Which ones did you like and dislike?

Xoxo,
Anine

Obsessed: Nail polish

In the month of March, we barely saw any sun in Belgium. While the American bloggers were bathing in their precious sunlight, it was either snowing or raining here. I was dying to get some spring feels, and so I wore a lot of new pastel colors on my nails. It was the only way for me to get some color into my look, because knitted pastel sweaters and cute floral skirts looked ridiculous amidst the snow.

I actually wanted some of the polishes from the L'Oreal spring collection, but since they're not being sold in Belgium, I tried to find some dupes. Two I actually found in their own range of polishes.

L'Oreal Marie Antoinette

I love this nude pinky/peach color, since it's subtle and yet so perfect for spring and it really brightens my mood.

L'Oreal Jade de Perle

This color is the perfect mint! (Don't mind the awful application, it was all my fault - applying polish while cooking is never a good idea)

I also purchased this for some nail 'art':

Matte top coat

For example, I used it here:

The L'Oreal polishes apply very easily, two coats suffice for me and it doesn't chip on me at all. I actually even find them comparable to Essie polishes when it comes to 'chipproofness' (is that even a word).

Another polish I've been loving was this color from Hema (a Dutch drugstore): This color is a bit more 'in your face', without thinking "Woooow girl, whatcha got on your nails?!"

They're the cheapest out there, and recently they really have been stepping up their game and adding some really nice colors! Application goes well, but chips easily. I don't think they even have names, these polishes.

The last polish I got for you, is this one from Pieces in Peach. My mom bought this for her last summer and didn't like it, so she gave it to me. I tried it recently and damn, I don't think any nail polish has lasted so long on me like this one! The color is a vibrant, not-yet-neon-but-still bright pink.

What spring colors have you been rocking lately?

xoxo
Anine

Turquoise breeze: A make-up look

Me and my friend Maxime decided to film a make-up tutorial. I had tried this look a few times on myself and felt like trying it on someone else. For fun we decided to film it and then decided to put it online! We had so much fun creating this! 

The song in the background is Maxime singing a song she wrote herself. I hope you like the video, the make-up, the music, everything! Enjoy, I hope it makes a difference for you :)

 

Kisses! xX