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

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

MASCARA REVIEW: Chanel Le Volume de Chanel

Hey all, here I am with another mascara review. This time I tried out a more high end mascara, the Chanel Le Volume de Chanel mascara in 10 Noir. Read on to find out more!

Quality:

This mascara separates and lengthens my lashes like nobodies business, but be careful because after a few coats, my lashes got a bit spidery. I'm still missing more volume and more curling strength in a mascara, and for the price of a high end mascara, it doesn't really seem worth it.

Packaging:

The wand of this Chanel Mascara reminds me of the Benefit They're Real mascara wand. It's not as easy as the Benefit one to poke my eyes out, but I'd still be cautious with this one, you eye pokers out there.  

Conclusion:

I find this mascara very similar to the Benefit They're Real mascara, both in wand and in effect on the lashes. It seperates and lengthens very nice, but I'm missing some volumizing purposes that I look for in The Ideal Mascara. Not really worth the high end price, I believe, so I'm sticking to drugstore ones for now!

What high end mascara's have you tried? 

Xoxo,

Anine   

PERFUME REVIEW: Jo Malone Nutmeg & Ginger

Every beauty obsessed creature on our planet has probably already heard of Jo Malone. The UK based fragrance company has taken over with its delicate scents, luxury feel and gorgeous packaging. I've wanted to try one of these scents for such a long time, but never had. Luckily, that changed! Thanks to Mr. Boyfriend, I am able to tell you more about a scent today.

As mentioned before, Jo Malone is famous for its beautiful packaging. The cream colored box, the black details such as the bow, and the beautiful glass bottle and classy label make this perfume bottle the eyecatcher of your dressing table, beauty stand or nightstand.

Now, time for a perfume lesson. What is the difference between a cologne, an eau de toilette and an eau de parfum? A cologne fragrance doesn't stay scented on your skin for very long, lasting up to 2 hours. Eau de toilette lasts between 2 to 4 hours and eau de parfum lasts up to 6 hours. 

The Jo Malone perfumes are colognes, but I feel like they do last a long time, for a cologne! 

I opted for the scent Nutmeg & Ginger. This spicy scent is like nothing I have in my perfume stash. That is also the reason why I chose Nutmeg & Ginger and not Orange Blossom, which was another scent I really loved. Nutmeg & Ginger was that perfect fall/autumn scent I never had. It was the start of a love affair.

I told myself I had to use up my summer scents first and had to wait until it would be fall/autumn before I was allowed to use Nutmeg & Ginger. But I just can't, I even secretly sniff the perfume bottle daily like a drug addict.

Because I'm not very good at describing scents, I will describe what jomalone.com says Nutmeg & Ginger smells like.

"Our first fragrance. Sandalwood and cedarwood seasoned with nutmeg and vibrant ginger. Unexpected and addictive."

Well, what better way to start trying out a new perfume brand than by purchasing their first fragrance. Totally meant to be. 

The scent is definitely very spicy, but not heavy at all. I used to think that spicy scents were always pretty heavy or just way too spicy. But this one is perfect. I'm starting to think spicy scents are the way to go for me, thanks to Nutmeg & Ginger.

This 30ml bottle costs £39/€44, which I think might sound more expensive than usual perfumes, but I do feel like these ones are so much more wearable, more unique and more scent-adapting to your skin.

I am still in the market for a second Jo Malone perfume to combine with Nutmeg & Ginger, since that is what Jo Malone is known for: combinable perfumes. Any recommendations?

I also would love to try out their bath oils and especially their candles! Have you tried any Jo Malone products? What did you think of them?

Xoxo,
Anine

NAILS: OPI Get Your Number - liquid sand

Hey everyone, today I'm showing you the OPI Get Your Number liquid sand nail polish from the Mariah Carey collection. I got my hands on this polish and was just in love with the dazzling color in the bottle. 

However, I hadn't really tried any liquid sand polishes yet and thus was a bit cynical. I never really liked the caviar nail trend and thought this was comparable. Well, I was wrong!

The color in the bottle had me bewitched, but it came out quite different on the nails. However I immediately loved the color and the finish.

Use:
I applied two coats and no top coat, since it says so on the bottle. At first it didn't look like anything special, but when dried the polish looked amazing on the nails. Very glam, but still quite subtle and wearable, especially for a blue color.

Quality:
It stayed on my nails for about four to five days, which I really can't complain about. It didn't really chip but just started peeling off. Of course, as predicted this polish was a pain to get off my nails.

Conclusion:
I couldn't stop staring at my nails, that's how amazing I find this polish. Also, it almost looks like very nice nail art or like you very patiently took your time creating this naillook, while it's so easy. I am in LOVE with this polish, which I hadn't suspected at all!


Have you tried any liquid sand polishes? Did you like them?

Xoxo,
Anine

REVIEW: L'Oreal Sublime Bronze bronzing wipes

Last month, my mom recommended me the L'Oreal Bronzing wipes. Curious about the results, I tried them, expecting not much of an effect. They were just wipes, right?

They come in a pack of two wipes, so we both tried one. You can use the wipes on your face or your body. The wipes felt really nice and refreshing on the skin, and softly smelled like sun screen.

After using the bronzing wipes, my mom left to do errands and I had work to finish. 

A few hours later she arrived back home and when she passed my room, I mistook her for a beach babe! She looked incredibly tan, even after a few hours. I couldn’t believe it! Did a simple wipe do that? 

It didn't take long for me to notice that I looked just as tan. We were both amazed by the effect of the wipes.

After a closer look, however, we did find out that the color had streaked out on our skin. We had some white stripes on our shoulders and arms, probably from quickly wiping the bronzing wipes on our skin, not expecting it would do anything. 

After two days, the miracle was starting to fade from my skin and it went back to normal. This wipe would be perfect if you want to tan up for a special event.

Here you can clearly see the the color difference between untanned and tanned skin.

Conclusion:
You definitely get a bronzing effect, there's no doubt about that. I only wish it lasted a bit longer than just 3-4 days. But they're so inexpensive, that it doesn't matter that much.

Have you ever tried bronzing your skin with wipes? What other weird bronzing products have you encountered?

Xoxo,
Anine

REVIEW: Bourjois Shine edition lipstick

Bourjois has come out with the Shine Edition lipsticks for some time now. They come in 8 colors and I was able to try out 4 of them! 

The four colors I tried out were '20 1, 2, 3 soleil', '21 Rouge making of', '22 Famous fuchsia' and '27 Oh my doll'. 

From left to right: Oh my doll, 1, 2, 3 soleil, Famous fuchsia and Rouge making of.

From left to right: Oh my doll, 1, 2, 3 soleil, Famous fuchsia and Rouge making of.

As you can tell, the lipsticks leave a very shiny, glossy finish but are extremely pigmented. I love how you can create an effortless colored lip without it looking like you're wearing a lot of makeup. These lipsticks are perfect for that!

Quality:

They feel very soft, buttery and not sticky at all. They also stay on for a pretty long time. The Shine Edition lipsticks usually last up to three hours, naturally if you don't eat or drink anything.

You do need to make sure your lips aren't chapped or dry, since the color of these lipsticks does tend to settle into the lines of your lips when your lips are very dry. To keep the lipsticks looking nice, you do have to reapply. 

Packaging: 

I do very much like the packaging of these. It is even possible to use the shiny tubes as a mirror if you're on the go. The only thing I kind of dislike (but this is just a minor teeny tiny OCD issue of mine) is that not all of the tubes have the color of the lipsticks on them. 

'1, 2, 3 soleil' and 'Rouge making of' do have the right lipstick colors on the packaging, but the other two colors have green and yellow color details, which I find a bit annoying if you want to store these lipsticks. Of course, that doesn't take away from the quality of these products.   

21 Rouge making of: perfect for a red shiny, effortless looking lip in summertime! LOVE!

22 Famous fuchsia: As the name clearly reveals: this is a shiny bright pink/fuchsia color. It is a bit too purple for my liking, but still is a very nice color.

20 1, 2, 3 soleil: My favorite color out of the bunch. Perfect for a light orange daily look with a pop of color on the lips. Couldn't live without this one anymore!

27 Oh my doll: I like this color the least, just because the pink is a bit too pale for me. However, I gave it to my mother and she loves it as a daily lipstick for a subtle pink lip!

Conclusion: 
- a nice color range
- a nice shiny, non-sticky consistency
- perfect for throwing into your purse
- pigmented


Have you tried any of the Bourjois Shine edition lipsticks? What was your favorite lip color this summer?

Xoxo,
Anine

MASCARA REVIEW: Rimmel Scandaleyes

Here I am with another mascara review! It’s been my first time trying a Rimmel mascara and since it looked so amazingly volumizing, I wanted to try it.

Quality:

This mascara volumizes and seperates quite well, but I still like to layer another mascara over it for lengthening and more seperating. However, I find it sometimes difficult to use because of the huge brush.

Packaging:

Yes, because of the huge brush! Seriously, how gi-normeous is this thing?? I had such a hard time not putting mascara on my eyelids because the brush is too big for my tiny, hooded eyes. Never thought I would ever bump upon a stupid issue like that!

 I don’t really dislike this mascara. It’s okay. It’s workable and looks nice when layered with a lengthening mascara. However it’s not jaw dropping. And I did notice I disliked it more and more once it got drier. I'm not repurchasing it.

Have you tried the Rimmel Scandaleyes?

Xoxo,

Anine

ORGANISATION: Acrylic drawers

For a few months, I had been struggling with my daily makeup organisation. I kept a makeup bag on my desk, where I daily apply my products. But the makeup bag just wasn't working out for me, and I secretly wanted the Muji 5-drawer set *pause for light ascending from heaven and angelic singing*. This acrylic drawer system is every beauty bloggers achilles heel, and I found myself wanting to give in as well.

However, since this beauty blogging thing is just an expensive hobby, I wanted to choose a cheaper option. On Amazon I got the InterDesign clear drawers, that look suspiciously alike to the drawer set from the Container Store (which you can't get outside of the US).

Price:
I paid around €18, shipping included. If you compare this to the Muji 5-drawer set, it is a bargain! The Muji is just as big as this one, but has five drawers instead of three and costs €19, without shipping costs.

Quality:
I was afraid the quality of these drawers wouldn't be as good as the Muji 5-drawer set, but I really can't complain. It is very sturdy and of decent quality, especially for it's low price range.

Conclusion: I love these drawers for storing my makeup. There's nothing much more to it. It makes me do a more minimal makeup application, it makes me use products I have to try out or products I have to use up and... it just looks so pretty!

You can find the drawers here!

How do you store your makeup?

Xoxo,

Anine

Makeup look: Parisian Windows

Whilst I was in Paris, I took some time to quickly try out my new products I purchased there. I created this look:

Lipstick: MAC Chatterbox

Blush: MAC Love Thing

I hope you like it! Have you ever been in Paris?

Xoxo,

Anine