What it is
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is a molecule that stores energy our body needs.

What it does
Research on Adenosine Triphosphate is limited so far, but it seems to help in reducing inflammation and improve the appearance of the skin.

Side effects
Adenosine Triphosphate is generally considered to be safe.

Hello everyone,

have you been missing my bright looks? I certainly have so I’m glad to finally be able to show you a very bright, colorful and shimmering look I did with yellow, gold and blue shades. I really like this color combination, it’s fun and summery (yes I know we’re in the middle of winter and it’s been awfully cold lately but the shades still remind of a clear summer day). What do you think of it?

Products used:
- Too Faced Shadow Insurance
- Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
- Fyrinnae Arcane Magic Eyeshadows in Wizard’s Apprentice
- Barry M Dazzle Dusts in #76 Yellow
- Sleek Makeup I-Divine Au Naturel Eyeshadow Palette
- Layla Sparkle Eyeshadow in n.13
- Layla Pure Eyeshadow in n.2
- Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Electric
- Pupa True Eyes Eyeliner
- Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara
- Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint SPF15
- Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer
- Silkygirl Blusher in Flashing Rose
- Barry M Lip Gloss Wands in Bubblegum Pink

Directions:
- Apply an eyeshadow primer to your eyes (I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance) to help makeup stay put all day.
- Then, I applied Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy to make the color pop more and make the shimmers stand out. If you don’t have FPE, you can skip this step.
- Apply a bright, sky blue shade (I used Fyrinnae Arcane Magic Eyeshadows in Wizard’s Apprentice) on the outer V and crease.
- Apply a bright yellow shade (I used Barry M Dazzle Dusts in #76 Yellow) on the inner part of the lid. Leave the middle part bare. Then apply the same shade on the inner part of the crease and blend where it meets the blue.
- Sweep a matte light yellow (I used Honeycomb in the Sleek Makeup Au Naturel Eyeshadow Palette) on the browbone.
- Apply a very shimmering and bright medium blue shade (I used Layla Sparkle Eyeshadow in n.13) on the outer V and the lower lashline. Blend well.
- Apply a glittery and sheer pale gold (I used Layla Pure Eyeshadow in n.2) on the middle part of the lid. Blend well where it meets with the yellow and blue.
- Apply a bright blue pencil eyeliner (I used Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Electric) on the waterline and a black one (I used Pupa True Eyes Eyeliner) on the upper lashline. Apply mascara.
- Apply foundation or tinted moisturizer to even out the skintone (I used Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint in Bare) and follow with concealer (I used Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer) where needed (I used it to hide dark circles).
- Apply a matte pink blush (I used Silkygirl Blusher in Flashing Rose) on the apples of your cheeks.
- Apply a semi-opaque bright pink gloss (I used Barry M Lip Gloss Wands in Bubblegum Pink) on your lips.

I’m not a big fan of cream eyeshadows because they tend to crease on my somewhat oily lids, but I had a couple of eyeshadows that fell down and broke in a thousand pieces so I thought I’d put them to good use and create my own cream eyeshadows with them. Wanna know how I did it? Read on:

What you need

I prefer to use broken eyeshadows that just sit around in my drawers unused, but you can use loose or pressed powder eyeshadows too if you prefer. But if you choose to use a pressed powder shadow, you would also need a spatula or scraper to scrape it out the pan. In addition, you need either a clear gloss, vaseline or a lip balm and something to mix everything with such as a q-tip or a spatula. Oh, and a clean container to mix and store your cream eyeshadow in.

How to create your own cream eyeshadow

First of all, clean the container well with soap and water even if you’ve just bought it. You never know where it’s been and you don’t want to risk anything nasty to end up in your eyes. Once the container is dry, mix the eyeshadow with either a clear gloss, a lip balm or vaseline. How much of them? That depends on your preference. Just keep adding the ingredients until you get your desired consistency. And remember to stir well to get rid of all the lumps. And voilà, your cream eyeshadow is now ready to be used!

Safety tip

Before mixing any loose pigment, clear gloss or lip balm, make sure they are approved for use around the eyes. A quick way to do this is to compare their ingredient lists with those of your eye products. If you find any ingredients in a lip balm for instance that aren’t used in any of your eyeshadows/primers/eyeliners etc, don’t risk it and use something else. This will prevent negative reactions and infections.

Have you ever created your own cream eyeshadows? And what do you do with your broken powder eyeshadows?

How do you prep your lips before lipstick?

Beautiful with brains says: I usually apply just a thin coat of lip balm. But if I’m wearing an unforgiving lipstick shade then I’ll exfoliate my lips too.

Name: Mon Jasmine Noir
Brand: Bulgari
Size: 1.07oz
Price: €66.73

What I liked:
- nice scent
- not overpowering
- the bottle

What I didn’t like:
- not original
- may be too subtle for some people

I reviewed Bulgari Jasmine Noir a few years ago (back when I had just started blogging and didn’t know how to write a good fragrance review so if you think you can’t do that either, just keep practising and you’ll soon get better at them too ) and didn’t like it. The scent was so subtle it could barely be smelt and I could hardly detect any jasmine in it, which was somewhat ironic as that’s what gives the name to the scent.

So when I received a sample of his cousin Mon Jasmine Noir, which is supposed to be a lighter version of Jasmine Noir, I didn’t have very high expectations, but I still decided to give it ago. So, do I like it? Yes and no. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this time you can smell both the scent and the jasmine, but disappointed by how mainstream and common it is. It smells like most floral scents out there. Really, don’t companies even try to make original scents anymore?

The fragrance opens with a fresh burst of citrusy golden cedrat mixed with sparkling lily of the valley. It’s an interesting combination but sadly my skin didn’t seem to like it as it didn’t smell that good on me. Bummer. In any case, that doesn’t last long. Soon, the blend of jasmine and plum takes center stage. The notes are now stronger, warmer and somewhat powdery too. The scent’s sweet without being too sweet and, even though they’re not my fave notes, this blend smells lovely. The drydown is somewhat disappointing. It’s a mix of musky nougat, synthetic woods and patchouli, but it doesn’t smell as woody and musky as you’d expect it to. Fans of floral fragrances may appreciate that though.

Overall, Mon Jasmine Noir is fruitier, more jasminey (is that a word? lol) and less sweet than Jasmine Noir. It is also more sophisticated and intense although absolutely not overpowering. It still is quite subtle and only those close to you will be able to smell it. Lasting power is average. It only lasts about 6 hours on me before it starts to fade. The bottle instead is gorgeous and perfectly captures the luminosity of the scent.

Available at: Nordstrom, Sephora.com and Ulta.com

Summary
Bulgari Mon Jasmine Noir Fragrance is a subtle fruity floral scent that smells lovely but is not original at all. It’s fruitier, more intense and more sophisticated than Jasmine Noir, but staying power is average. The bottle is gorgeous, though.

Rating: 3/5

Name: Powdery Eyeshadow in Lavender Grey
Brand: Bottega Verde
Size: 3,5g
Price: €13,99

From Bottega Verde’s website:
An extremely thin powder, a perfect stay, a long lasting effect and an absolute pearly finish.

What I liked:
- provides a soft wash of color on the lid
- often on sale

What I didn’t like:
- not very pigmented
- creases and fades after a few hours without a primer
- very messy to apply, lots of fallout
- unpractical packaging
- brush provided scratches skin
- retail price is too pricey for what you get

Do you buy a product even if you know that the packaging is very unpractical? I usually stay away from poorly packaged products, unless they come in a set which contains more interesting things I’d love to try. And that’s how I got to try Bottega Verde Powdery Eyeshadow in Lavender Grey, even though a look at the packaging is enough to know application’s gonna be very messy.

Inside the packaging, you’ll find a brush that’s supposed to make application easier. It’s not one of the usual sponge-tip applicators that come with eyeshadows, but a small brush with bristles that aren’t soft at all and scratch skin a bit. Unfortunately the opening is so small that no other brush will be able to get inside and pick up the color so you’ll have to make do with it.

But the brush is not the only problem. The powder doesn’t adhere well to the lid and just flies everywhere. Every time I use it, I experience lots of fallout. I tried using a primer to help it stick to the skin better, and pat it on the lid instead than sweeping it (both of which are not that easy to do with the brush provided anyway), cos both tricks usually help reduce fallout, but neither worked this time. If you wanna try, I suggest you do your eyes first so as not to ruin the rest of your makeup.

I guess I could put up with the unpractical packaging and the messy application if the eyeshadow was really good but sadly even this disappoints. Lavender Grey is a grey shade with lavender undertones and a very subtle pearly finish. Color payoff is very sheer too. If a soft wash of color on the lid is all you want, you may like this but, if like me, you prefer pigmented eyeshadows, you’d better skip this. Staying powder is only average. It only lasts about 4 hours on my somewhat oily lids before it starts to crease and fade, but that can be fixed by applying a primer underneath.

Available at: bottegaverde.com

Summary
Bottega Verde Powdery Eyeshadow in Lavender Grey has a subtle pearly finish and sheer color payoff. The packaging is unpractical, the brush scratchy and application messy. It is very prone to fallout and needs a primer to last all day. It is also quite expensive for what you get, but can be often found on sale.

Rating: 2/5

Lorac spring 2012 collection features products for eyes, face and lips that emphasize your natural beauty and give skin a luminous and tanned look. Although I’m not usually a fan of neutral eyeshadows, I really like the look of the palette and would like to try the glosses too. Here’s what the collection includes:

UNZIPPED THE NUDE COLLECTION ($34.00, Ulta exclusive)
The set includes 4 Ultra-Rich Shimmering and Matte Eye Shadows, Plum Blush, Visual Effects Mascara and Lips With Benefits Gloss.

UNZIPPED PALETTE ($40.00)
This palette features a mini eye primer and 10 pigmented eyeshadows in Undercover (matte nude), Unbelievable (copper shimmer), Unattainable (bronze shimmer), Unconditional (matte fawn), Unbridled (matte merlot), Undiscovered (gold shimmer), Unreal (champagne shimmer), Uncensored (chocolate shimmer), Unspoken (matte sable) and Untamed (bordeaux shimmer).

TANTALIZER HIGHLIGHTER & MATTE BRONZER DUO ($32.00)
This compact features a luminizer powder in shimmering shade, and a browning powder in matte deep tan.

LIPS WITH BENEFITS ($18.00)
This hydrating gloss is infused with natural antioxidants to help nourish and protect lips. It is available in Alex, Josh, Nick, Mark, Chuck, Ben, Andy and Chris.

TANTALIZER DEEP BODY BRONZING LUMINIZER ($32.00)
A quick-drying and long-wearing, deeper, darker shade of Bronzing Luminizer for the body.

The collection is already available on sephora.com and ulta.com. What do you think of it? Has anything caught your eye?

Although there are lots of expensive, fancy cleansers on the market that include antiaging ingredients said to help your skin look better and younger, I always chose simple, basic and cheap cleansers without them. Why? Because, when used in a cleanser, they get washed off and end up down the drain and so, how effective can they be?

Retinoids, Vitamins C & E and other antioxidants need to stay on the skin to work, and so they’re useless in a cleanser. So, save your money and opt for a cheaper option instead. Some of the ingredients that could provide some benefits in a cleanser are Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids (such as Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid). These ingredients have exfoliating properties and, if you massage the cleanser on your skin for a few minutes, they will remove some of the dead skin cells left on the skin’s surface and enhance the penetration of whatever product you’re gonna apply next.

However, and this is especially true for people with oily or acne prone skin who use Salicylic Acid to prevent and treat breakouts, you would still get much better results if you use a leave-in product with these ingredients. The longer they stay on the skin, the better they will perform. So, that’s my advice for you. Instead than spending lots of money on a fancy cleanser that only provides limited benefits at best, or doesn’t work at all, opt for a simple cleanser that cleanses your skin without irritating it and invest money in a good anti-aging serum or moisturizer. Your skin (and your wallet) will thank you!

Do you use anti-aging cleansers?