A blast from the past: last January on BWB
It’s Friday, at last! It’s time to relax and look back at some of my fave posts from this time last year:
What is mineral makeup?: a small guide about everything you always wanted to know about mineral makeup: what it is, what ingredients are used, benefits for the skin, how to apply it and more.
Product Review: Chanel Exceptionnel De Chanel Mascara: if you’re looking for a mascara that gives a va-va-va-voom, fake lashes effect to your lashes this is it. It’s expensive and the wand takes a bit getting used to but it adds both volume and length without clumping or smudging.
Skin Irritation or Allergy?: sometimes the ingredients used in cosmetic and personal care products can cause irritations and allergies. But how do we tell the difference between the two?
12 Ways To Use A Q-tip: q-tips are a very inexpensive, useful and versatile makeup tool we all have at home. Here’s 12 beauty tricks you can do with them.
Product Review: Bottega Verde Purifying Mud Face Mask with Olive and Wheat Extracts: an organic mask that cleanses and exfoliates skin, leaving it clean, soft and bright. It doesn’t cause irritations and the packaging can be recycled.
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Looks: Gold + Green
Happy New Year Everyone!
I hope you had fun celebrating the New Year last night. What did you get up to? 
I thought I’d start the year by posting a simple look I did a couple of days ago using yellow, gold and green. I know the eyeliner looks weird in the first pix but that’s because the photo was taken at a weird angle. It looked fine in real life!
But overall, I like how the look came out. The colors complement one another very well and it was nice to go back to wearing bright makeup after all the smokey and neutral looks I did recently. Here’s the pix:
Products used:
– Urban Decay Primer Potion
– Sleek Curious palette (yellow and green)
– Bottega Verde My Box Palette (gold)
– Sleek Original palette (copper and light pink)
– Prestige Eyeliner pencil in Kiwi
– Pupa pencil liner
– L’Oreal Telescopic Explosion mascara
Directions:
– Apply UDPP all over lid as a base.
– Sweep a yellow shade (I used the one in Sleek Curious palette) on the inner part of the lid. Using MAC 219 pencil brush, apply some on the inner lower lashline too.
– Apply a gold shade (I used the one in Bottega Verde My Box palette) on the outer lid and crease. Blend.
– Apply a copper shade (I used the one in Sleek Original palette) on the outer corner and blend well.
– Sweep a nude pink shade (I used the one in Sleek Original palette) on the browbone to highlight.
– Using MAC 219 pencil brush, sweep a green shade (I used the darker one in the Sleek Curious palette) on the outer lower lashline and blend where it meets the yellow shade you previously applied.
– Line your upper lid with a black pencil liner (I used Pupa’s) and your waterline with a green eyeliner (I used Prestige Eyeliner pencil in Kiwi).
– Finish off with mascara.
Best of Beauty 2009
Hello everyone,
as the year is drawing to a close, I thought I’d share with you the products that rocked my world in 2009. The list includes the products that I tried this year, not those that were released this year, and they are all things that I love very much and use again and again. Curious? Read on:
FACE
Pupa Professionals Smoothing Foundation Primer is a silicone-based primer with a very silky texture that applies like a dream. An excellent base for makeup, it diminishes small imperfections, makes skin smooth and helps makeup last longer. And I love that it is also available in a mini size which is a better value for money for people like me that don’t wear face primers often.
The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals Foundation SPF 25. Although it’s not HG material (mainly because it is available in very few shades and doesn’t control oil too well), it’s one of the best foundations I tried this year. It is a pure mineral foundation that provides a light to medium coverage for a very natural finish that lasts long.
EYES
Barry M Intense Eyeliner Pen is a retractable liner that doesn’t need to be sharpened. The colors are bright and intense, easy to apply, last for hours even on the waterline and don’t smudge.
Unfortunately for my wallet, Chanel Exceptionnel De Chanel Mascara is the best mascara I’ve tried this year. This long-lasting, smudgeproof mascara provides volume, length and separation without clumps. It takes a while to learn to use the wand properly, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll get a dramatic, false lashes effect.
Sleek Eye Dust Pigments are easy to blend, last long and have great color payoff. I wouldn’t say these are the best pigments on the market (although the quality is great), but what I love the most is the size: they are almost as big as MAC pigments (actually I heard MAC is reducing the size of their pigments again so Sleek’s are bigger now) but only cost £2.99. A real steal!
And obviously, I couldn’t forget to mention my beloved Sleek Eyeshadow Palettes. The ones I got these year are Curious (LE, featuring a mix of green, blue and purple shades), Safari (LE, a mix of neutral and colorful shades), Acid (LE, bright and neon shades) and Chaos (permanent, bright and matte shades), but all the others are amazing too. They feature 12 soft and highly pigmented mineral eyeshadows that last all day. And they are super cheap too!
CHEEKS
Barry M Blusher comes in six bright shades that, if applied with a light hand, look very flattering on pale skin too. The packaging could use some work, but the blush is very pigmented, soft to the touch and provides a rosy and healthy glow to the cheeks.
E.L.F. Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder contains a pigmented blush that gives cheeks a rosy glow and a pigmented bronzer that is perfect for contouring. Unfortunately the bronzer is not suitable for pale skin, but overall, this duo is a steal!
Lumiere Blushing Bronzer in Sugarberry, a dark mauve that gives cheeks a natural flush. And because it has a matte finish with just the sightliest hint of shimmer, this is perfect for contouring pale skintones. In addition, it is nicely pigmented and lasts all day.
Senna Cheeky Blush was a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t expecting to like this much since I prefer powder blushes cos they last longer. But this cream blush lasts for hours and doesn’t feel sticky at all. The color is pigmented and because it is very shimmery (too shimmer for some people) it provides a nice flush with a sparkly glow that allows me to skip highlighting powder.
LIPS
Although I’m a lipgloss girl, my favourite lip products this year are both lipsticks. My favourite is Lancome L’Absolu Rouge Lipstick for its creamy and moisturizing texture. It is available in lots of beautiful and pigmented shades and it’s fairly longlasting too.
NYX Round Lipsticks aren’t as longlasting as Lancome lippies, but they are still a great and much cheaper alternative. They’re also available in a wide selection of shades, are creamy and have a great color payoff. And most importantly, they aren’t drying on the lips.
BRUSHES
E.L.F. Studio Powder Brush is my favourite brush to apply both liquid and mineral foundation. The dense bristles feel like silk on my skin and provide medium to full coverage for an airbrushed look in just a few seconds. And it’s very inexpensive too!
MAC 219 Pencil Brush is one of those brushes that, once you have them, you wonder how you could have lived without. It’s definitely a must-have. The soft and dense pointed tip is perfect for precise work. It defines the outer V and crease perfectly, deposits eyeshadows on the lower lashline effortlessly and it’s great at creating shapes and smudging colors.
MAKEUP REMOVERS
I’m still on the look out for a cheap and effective makeup remover. All the ones I tried this year are average and the only one that truly impressed me is Helena Rubinstein All Mascaras! Complete Eye Make-Up Remover. If it weren’t for the high-price, I would stick to this and never use anything else. It completely removes all traces of eye makeup, including waterproof mascara and eyeliner, in just a few seconds and is gentle on the eyes.
HAIR
I like trying new products all the time, but when it comes to my hair I usually stick to my old favourites. But this year, I had the chance to try Bottega Verde Anti-Age Cream Conditioner and I completely fell in love with it. It conditions hair well, leaving it soft, moisturized and tangle free. And it smells gorgeous too!
Can you see something missing from the list above? Yeah, that’s right, skincare products. That’s because none of the skincare items I tried this year have blown me away. Some of them are great and worked well for my skin, but I haven’t found any HG or must-have products.
What are your favourite beauty products from 2009?
Disclosure: all the products in this post, apart from the Lumiere and Senna blushes which were provided by PR for consideration, were purchased by me. For more information, please see my disclaimer.
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Looks: Orange and Red
Hello ladies,
I hope you are all doing well today. Can you believe we are in December already? How time flies! The month here has started with nice weather. The sun is shining and it’s quite warm for this time of the year.
For today’s look I used red, orange and green and I’m quite pleased with how it turned out. The color combo reminds me of that time of the year when summer turns into autumn and I think it is very appropriate for the upcoming Christmas holidays too. Here’s the pix, hope you like the look:
Products used:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- Bottega Verde eyeshadow palette (orange and yellow)
- Sleek Chaos palette (red)
- Barry M Duzzle Dust #65 green iridescent
- Sleek Original palette (green)
- Helena Rubinstein Glorious mascara
Directions:
- Apply Urban Decay Primer Potion all over lid as a base.
- With E.L.F. eyeshadow brush, apply an orange shade (I used the one in the Bottega Verde Jewel Box palette) on the lid.
- Swipe a reddish color (I used the matte one in the Sleek Chaos palette) on the crease and a pale yellow (I used the one in the Bottega Verde Jewel Box palette) on the browbone.
-Apply a thin line of shimmery white eyeshadow (I used Barry M Duzzle Dust #65 green iridescent) just under the brow.
- Using MAC 219 pencil brush, swipe a green shade (I used the one in the Sleek original palette) on the lower lashline.
- Finish off with mascara.
Product Review: Bottega Verde Anti-Age Cream Conditioner
Name: Anti-age Cream Conditioner
Brand: Bottega Verde
Size: 200ml
Price: €7,99
From Bottega Verde’s website:
This product restores vitality, shine and strength while protecting hair from airborne pollutants and offering precious anti-ageing benefits. Argan Oil, a priceless and unique treasure from Morocco with abundant cosmetic benefits, intensively nourishes and revitalises hair while helping to smooth out tangles. Panthenol hydrates and restores shine, and an advanced conditioning agent repairs the damage caused by airborne pollutants and UV rays. The result: perfectly protected, stronger hair with long-lasting vitality.
What I liked:
- conditions hair well
- makes hair soft, shiny and easy to manage
- the scent
What I didn’t like:
- I can’t think of anything. Maybe the price, but then this is often on sale
Regular readers of my blog know how much I love L’Oreal Elvive Nutri-Gloss conditioner. I tried lots of conditioners in the past and that’s the only one that keeps my hair tangle-free. And it makes them so shiny too, so I never stray.
But this summer, a friend of mine has got me a travel size of Bottega Verde Anti-Age Cream Conditioner for my birthday and so I had to cheat. And boy, it felt good! So good, in fact, that I can’t decide which one, between this and L’Oreal, I like the most!
The conditioner is white in color and has a light and creamy consistency that doesn’t weight hair down. It comes in a pink tube and the first thing I noticed when I opened it was the fruity smell. It’s a bit strong but not overpowering and reminds me of pomenagrade and strawberry. It’s delicious and I can’t stop smelling my hair for the entire day!
Just like any other conditioner, you apply it after shampoo on wet hair,
wait a couple of minutes and rinse off. My fine hair, which tends to get very knotty, detangled really easily and was much softer, shinier and hydrated. My hair felt great and looked even better!
The price is a bit expensive for a conditioner, but Bottega Verde often has sales and discounts so you can easily get it for 3€ or less! And because you only need a small amount the bottle will last you for ages.
The conditioner contains Cetyl Alcohol, a fatty alcohol that can be derived from coconut oil, that has effective conditioning properties and makes hair soft. Ethylhexyl Palmitate, derived from palm oil, is an emollient often used to replace silicones because of its dry-sleep feel.
The advanced conditioning agent that is supposed to repair the damage caused by the sun and pollution is simply a silicone called Polysilicone-19. This is a recent type of silicone that helps heal damaged hair by coating it with a protective and conditioning layer.
Argan Oil, which has emollients and anti-aging properties, and Panthenol, which conditions and lubricates hair so that it looks shiny, are also present in the formula but their concentrations aren’t high, so they don’t really do much.
Summary:
Overall, I love this conditioner. It hydrates, softens and detangles hair, making it look shiny and smell wonderfully for the entire day! It doesn’t weight hair down but the price is a bit steep. You can often find it on sale though.
Rating: 5/5
Disclaimer: this item was a present for my birthday. The review is based on my own personal and honest experience with the product. For more information, please see my disclaimer.