Hi ladies,

today Beautiful with Brains turns 2! It seems like yesterday when I was trying to find a nice name for the blog and writing my first post and now I can’t believe I’ve been blogging for two years. Time flies so fast!

I just wanna thank you each and everyone of you, from the bottom of my heart, for visiting my blog, reading, commenting and making it such a nice community. Thank you for your continuous support and encouragement, I really appreciate it very much. I feel so grateful and honoured that I got the opportunity to meet so many lovely people through my blog, it wouldn’t be here without you all.

A few days ago I told you I had a surprise in store for you. Well, here it is. To celebrate BWB second birthday and thank you guys for your support, I’m hosting a giveaway for all of you:

THE PRIZE:

Bottega Verde Anti-Age Shampoo (travel size)
Collistar chic green makeup bag
Essence Into The Wild Bronzing Powder
Eyeko Sparkle Powder
I Provenzali Lip Balm with Argan Oil
Pupa Diva’s Lashes mascara
Pupa Multiplay Eyeliner Pencil in #9 Black
Pupa Smokey Eyes palette
Revlon Runaway Collection fake nails
Vichy Oligo 25 Levres lipgloss in Gold Pink

HOW TO ENTER

- To win, simply leave a comment in the post telling anything you want: what you had for lunch, what was the last movie you saw, why you want to win.. Anything at all. Only 1 comment per person please.

- For a second chance to win, follow me on Twitter and RT the following message:

Entered to win BWB 2nd Blog Anniversary Giveaway! Follow @beautywithbrain & RT to enter! http://bit.ly/dqv5LE

- The contest is open to all readers. I will ship worldwide.

- The contest ends on 11th July 2010 at 11:59 PM PST. A winner will be chosen randomly and announced the next day, 12th July 2010.

Good luck everyone!

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Hello everyone,

today I want to show you a simple and quick look I did last week with blue eyeshadow. The look turned out pretty icy and it’s probably more suited in winter than spring, but I still liked it a lot. And please excuse my expression in the photo. I’ve had a hectic couple of weeks and didn’t get much sleep, something I plan to catch up on this weekend. I hope your plans are more exciting than mine. Have you got anything nice planned?

Here’s the look, enjoy!

Products used:
– Senna Totally Transforming Eyeshadow Primer
– Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
– Bottega Verde My Box Palette (pale blue and pale green)
– Sleek I-Divine Chaos Eyeshadow Palette (matte bright blue)
– Sleek Curious eyeshadow palette (white)
– Wet n Wild Kajal & Eyeliner in white
– Maybelline Volum’ Express Cat Eyes mascara
– YSL Teint Singulier Sheer Powdercreme Veil Foundation
– Max Factor Erace Concealer
– Pupa Lumynis Baked Blush #1 from Plastic Shine Spring 2009 (white and pink stripes).
– Senna Spot Lites Highlighting Pencil
– Senna Pearl Glow Lip Lacquer in Sunkiss

Directions:
– Apply an eyeshadow primer (I used Senna Totally Transforming Eyeshadow Primer) all over the lid to create a base for the shades to adhere to and last longer.
– Apply Fyrinnae’s Pixie Epoxy (if you don’t have, you can skip this step) on the lid to make the colors really pop.
– Apply an pale, icy blue shade (I used the one in the Bottega Verde My Box Palette) all over the lid.
– Next, apply a purplish blue shade (I used Fyrinnae’s Arcane Eyeshadow in Faerie Glamour) on the outer corner of the eyes and crease area.
– Darken the outer V with a matte, bright blue shade (I used the one in the Sleek Chaos palette). Apply the same shade on the lower lashline too.
– Highlight the browbone and the inner corners of the eyes with a white shade (I used the one in the Sleek Curious palette).
– Apply a very soft and pale green shade (I used the one in Bottega Verde My Box Palette) on the inner crease of the eye and blend well (you can barely see it photos, but it’s there and it’s very pretty in real life).
– Line your waterline with a white eyeliner (I used Wet n Wild Kajal & Eyeliner in white) and apply mascara.
– On your face, apply concealer (I used Max Factor Erace Concealer) to cover dark circles and any other imperfection you may have, and then your usual foundation (I used YSL Teint Singulier Sheer Powdercreme Veil Foundation in no.5).
– Apply a pink blush on your cheeks (I used Pupa Lumynis Baked Blush #1 from Plastic Shine Spring 2009) and highlight the cheekbones, middle of the nose and chin with a subtle white highlighter (I used Senna Spot Lites Highlighting Pencil).
– Apply a pink lipgloss (I used Senna Pearl Glow Lip Lacquer in Sunkiss) and you’re done.

Name: Anti-ageing shampoo
Brand: Bottega Verde
Size: 200ml
Price: €5,99

From Bottega Verde’s website:
Finally, a special product to protect hair from airborne pollutants and keep it looking full of life, shiny and strong for longer! An exceptional mixture of ingredients with extreme protective and anti-oxidant properties makes this shampoo particularly effective. The result: perfectly protected hair which regains its natural beauty and vitality, wash after wash.

What I liked:
– very gentle
– doesn’t dry hair
– leaves hair soft and shiny
– the scent
– the price
– the packaging

What I didn’t like:
– hair didn’t feel completely and throughout cleaned
– my (oily) hair was all dirty again the next day
– not recommended for those with oily hair

Last November, I raved about Bottega Verde Anti-Age Cream Conditioner, and it’s now time to talk about the shampoo from the same range, which, just like the conditioner, was a present from a dear friend of mine. The conditioner, surprisingly, turned out to be HG material for me, but what about the shampoo? Was that just as good?

Well, the AntiAgeing Shampoo is a really good product but I’m sad to say it didn’t impress me as much as the conditioner. White, almost transparent in color, the shampoo has a liquidy and slightly runny consistency and a divine scent. It smells like pomenagrade, strawberry and red fruits and is truly yummy and wonderful without being overpowering. Sadly though, it doesn’t last too long on the hair. What a bummer!

The shampoo is very gentle and doesn’t lather up much so if that’s what you’re expecting, you’ll be disappointed. I’m sure most of you will love how delicate the shampoo is, but I’m not sure how I feel about that. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like harsh products that dry and damage hair, but my hair didn’t feel as squeaky clean as it does when I’m using my fave shampoos from L’Oreal or Antica Erboristeria.

And the next day, my hair was all greasy again. Of course, having oily hair that’s something that happens to me with most shampoos, which is why, once I find something that really works for me, I very rarely stray and try new things. I wouldn’t really recommend this shampoo to those with oily hair, but if yours  is normal or dry I’m sure it’ll work much better for you than it did for me.

Besides, not everything about this shampoo is bad. Afterwards, my hair felt soft (this doesn’t dry hair at all ), shiny and moisturized! If only my hair didn’t get dirty again so soon, this would be a real winner, but considering this is marketed towards hair that’s dry and dull, not oily, I’d say it does its job pretty well overall.

I can’t really say too much about the packaging because as you can see from the photos, the travel size tube I’ve got looks different from the full size bottle. I do find it pretty and totally up my alley though. As for the price, €5,99 is a bit pricey for a drugstore shampoo but Bottega Verde often has sales and discounts so it’s easy to find this for €4 or less.

Summary
If you have dry and dull hair that needs a gentle cleanse, shine and moisture, this shampoo will give you all that at a cheap price. But on my oily hair it didn’t work very well. I didn’t feel like my hair was properly cleaned and the next day it was greasy and oily again.

Rating: 3.5/5

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.

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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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.

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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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.

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