My sample collection (....)

Hi Everyone!

I consider this to be a rather embarrasing post.. Here is why

I just want to say that all of the above was given to me with purchases, at stores or online. To me, this is a lot! But even worse, is the fact that i don't use them! And that's why i haven't and probably won't sign for any of those subscription beauty boxes. Just to be fair, i have used some of them but only a few, compare to the pile above.

Some more organised pictures...

scincare related samples

makeup related samples

I am not ashamed to ask for samples, especially if i want to try out a specific product! If the sales person tells  me that she/he can't, oh well! No harm! But if they give me and i end up liking the product, i go back  and purchase the product from them!  And then, they give me more samples! 

There is no doubt that just with a sample, you will form an opinion about a product, i agree that the amount of the product is small, but you get an idea! Just from a sample, i have loved and i have hated products in the past. Especially in the second case, think of the money you will save. Let's just say that i was keeping the Sephora smoothing primer samples for the photo, now they all lay in the trash..

As most people, whlist travelling i prefer not bringing with me full size bottles, but i much prefer special sized products to sample sized. But i've decided to use them up! There is absolutely no reason for them collecting dust!

Do you ask for samples? Do you actually use them?

♥

My best makeup purchase

Hi Everyone!

I was thinking a few weeks back which is the best buy - beauty related- that i have ever made. Three things came to my mind but one of them i have for two years and i am still using and loving so i will dedicate this blogpost to it! The other two products are the Bourjois healthy mix serum foundation and the Mac 187 brush but the winner is the Clarins Mosaique Bronzer because i had it the longest.

without flash

with flash

Almost for the past two years this was my one and only loved bronzer! I have a Clinique one but i don't use it as it is too red for my skintone. I purchased maybe two months ago the Nars Laguna bronzer which i am starting  to love as well but it is way more expensive and regarding the quality of these two products, i have to say that the Clarins one is the winner. It doesn't crumble at all. You don't waste nothing of this bronzer and it blends amazingly. It is 20 grams and i believe that i payed around 22 Euros for it (it was on a summer sale when i bought it).    I just hit pan on it a few days ago and i have been using it regularly all this time. I use it on my face with a Mac 138 brush and on my neck with a Mac 167 brush. My neck is pure white and i haven't found a foundation quite as light so i always add a little bit of bronzer on my neck. It is the perfect color for that and it is completely matt.  On my face in general i don't use bronzer everyday but when i do, i use this one. A small amound of it is  perfect for a pale skin or you can definitely build it up.

And of course, the one thing that make this product extra special is the fact that it was limited edition! Clarins brings out collections including bronzer at the summer time, so if you have tried any of the newer limited edition bronzers please let me know if they perform as lovely as this one!

I am addicted to makeup products and having this bronzer, i had no desire for a substite. After two years i decided to search for a new one. The reason i bought Laguna is because every single beauty guru on Youtube raves about it. Also, i have my eye one the new Mac ones from the Rising Temperature collection. I'll let you know which one i pick and how i get on with it! 

What is your best beauty purchase?

♥

Empties!

Hi Everyone!

Since Christmas i was collecting all of my empty containers in a very large bag- i was driving my mother crazy for keeping so much trash in my room.. But i knew that i was eventually going to get over my self and create a blog and wanting to make an empties blog post so almost six months later, here it is! Just a quick note, i have been collecting them since Christmas- God knows when i started using them.. It takes me forever to use up a product.

My very large bag is almost full so prepare yourselves...

I took some photos of the products divided into groups by category. I'm not going to get into details on all of the products because i am planning on doing separate posts on some of them, but if you have any specific request just leave me a comment telling me in which product you are interested in and i will do a review!!

So..
(the names are from left to right)

Lip Balms

Liposan in pomegranate
Neutrogena lip balm
Blistex ultra lip protection, SPF 30
Liposan classic care
Liposan with SPF 25
Liposan-Lip effect Q10 plus (Really Old)
Elizabeth Arden eight hour cream lip protectant

Now, in Greece the Liposan is the exact same think as the Nivea a kiss of moisture i think it's called. When you are in the sun it is very important that you protect yours lips and not only your face. If you suffer from oral herpes it is crucial that you do so. I don't like the liposan one with SPF (the yellow one) but i really like the Blistex one. But both of them smell really but. I am thinking about getting an Elizabeth Arden eight hour cream lip balm with SPF. Have you tried it?

Avene Thermal Water

The Body Shop- Facial Radiance Powder Mix

Vichy - Facial Cream, Skin Cell Sun Protection, SPF 50+

It is OK, nothing special. It leaves the skin very greasy so it's not suitable for city use-in my opinion.


Face creams

Elizabeth Arden  Eight hour cream intensive daily moisturizer , SPF 15 (50 ml)
Elizabeth Arden  Eight hour cream intensive daily moisturizer , SPF 15 (15 ml-sample)
ROC Enydrial- Emollient cream for very dry and atopic skin
ROC HYDRA+ Anti-fatigue (The Rich formula)
Bepanthol Intensive cream for Eyes and face

More Face Creams

Clinique redness solutions daily relief cream with probiotic technology
Lierac  Hydra-Chrono+ Intense Rehydrating Balm
Aveeno positively luminous night cream

Hand creams

Nivea Soft cream for face, hands, body
The body shop Candied Ginger Hand Cream (it smells incredible, limited edition though)
Neutrogena hand cream, concentrated - norwegian formula

Body Creams

Bioclin Body milk for very dry and atopic skin. It moisturizes the skin really well but it aggravated my eczema patches.
Aveeno Dermexa soothing emollient cream- for dry and irritated skin (THE BEST for skin with eczema)
Vichy - Nutri extra cream 2-day continuous comfort, smells like peaches but caused me eczema
Johnson's baby soothing naturals intensive moisture cream

Eye Creams

Clinique all about eyes rich
Clinique all about eyes
Dior Hydra life pro-youth sorbet eye cream (sample). It reminded a lot of  MAC's fast response eye cream . I don't think that the Dior one is worth the price tag.

Mascaras, Eyeliner, Concealer

Clinique High impact mascara (sample)
Clinique High Impact mascara
Clinique  High definition lashes
Korres easy-to-layer, lengthening mascara
Liquid eyeliner by H&M- I am never buying this again, every time i was  going to wash it off my eyes were burning!
Clinique air brush concealer in number 4 

Eye makeup removers

Johnson's face care daily essentials lotion
Elizabeth Arden - All gone eye and lip makeup remover
Clinique - Take the day off makeup remover
Estee Lauder - Gentle eye makeup remover

All the above, except the Johnson's one, are oil based removers. I have used in the past a Clarins one and right now i am using the Sephora one and i have to say that they all are pretty much the same. I won't be repurchasing any of the high-end ones because i don't believe that they are worth their price tag! The don't do something that a cheaper oil-based eye makeup remover won't do. But i have to say that i didn't like the lotion type, i prefer oil-based eye makeup removers.

Face Cleansers

Avveno positively luminous demaquillant visage-yeux (makeup remover for face and eyes). It is like an emulsion-milk type product. It didn't irritate me but i didn't really like as a makeup remover.

Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser for Dry or Sensitive skin. I love this SO much. It is so gentle on the skin. It calmed my skin down like no other product but it's not an excellent remover and i used it up pretty quickly, but it doesn't burn if you get it in your eye. It is not extremely expensive nut not exactly cheap either so i can't repurchase this every month.

Clinique redness solutions soothing cleansers with probiotic technology- First of all, it breaks me out on my forehead. I do not care for that! Also it is not a good makeup remover at all and it burns my eyes. Also, it leaves something like a film on the skin-  i feel that i have to cleanse my face again with soap just to get rid of  it!Definitely a no no for me.

Sephora Dry Shampoo

I didn't really like this. It is expensive for the amount that you get (it is pretty small) and it does nothing for your hair! At first your hair might look refreshed but it lasts for half an hour.. But i admit that it smells really good and it doesn't leave your hair grey at all.

Finally i should mention that during these months i backed-to-MAC 3 times.. I am afraid i don't have pictures but the products mostly were skincare related, brush cleansers, plush lush mascaras, couple tubes  of clear brow set and  MSF Natural powders. I do have some MAC products that i really like! If you want i'll share them with you!

On a different note, this was my view Saturday night...

Nothing better for a quite date with your significant other.

♥

New Make Up For Ever Brushes

Hi Everyone!

A few months ago i bought some of the new MUFE brushes from Sephora. I decided to get one for the face and one for the eyes. Here are the two that i got:

Up: 122 Brush - Straight and Wavy
Down: 210 Brush - Wavy

These are expensive brushes, in my opinion, but then again they are MUFE. Firstly, i love the design of them and the fact that they are brown! They are synthetic, extremely soft and the girl that was helping me at Sephora actually told me that for the wooden handles, new trees were planted to replace those being used. I thing this is quite a meaningful touch from a make up company. 

Now, onto the brushes! As i mentioned before, these are SO soft, their handle is very light and they do not shed at all.

The bigger brush, the 122, i purchased for foundation. I love duo-fibre brushes for my liquid foundation so i decided to give this one a go. 

As you can see, the brush hairs are structured like a MAC 188 brush, except this one is all one color. The part that is white at the MAC brush, in the MUFE brush isn't dense at all which makes it not suitable for foundation whatsoever. I was really disappointed but it is a 40 something euro brush so i decided to give it another try, only this time i used it with my setting powder - which is the MAC prep+prime transparent finishing powder, in loose form. You always hear from makeup artists in videos/blogs that you should use a powder puff for your setting powder or use a very light hand with your brush in order not to move the foundation underneath it. Well, i believe that i've found the perfect brush! Its light handle and the sparser hairs really don't give you any room to mess up with the previously applied liquid foundation.

The second brush that i got, is the 210. I purchased it specifically for underneath the eyes to smudge eyeliner or putting on e/s.

 It's amazingly soft! It is just a very nice brush! I had in the past the Sigma equivalent for it but it was terrible. It was so scratchy,i hated it.. Anyway, i bought this and i am very pleased with it! Have you tried any of them?

♥

FOTD - May 8,2013

Hi Everyone!

This is my first face of the day (FOTD) post. This doesn't come easy to me and i hope i get better with time!

I wear makeup on an everyday basis because i like doing so! I love putting on makeup, it just relaxes me. I never go for a full coverage look but i love eyeshadow!

So here is my look for the day! I hope that the light isn't washing me out and you can still see the details.

On my face i wore:  -Estee Lauder Daywear Sheer Tint Release SPF 15
                              -Benefit Erase paste concealer unter my eyes in number 2
                              -MAC prep+prime transparent finishing powder
                              -MAC MSF in stereo rose on my cheeks (l.e.)
                              -Clarins Mosaique Bronzer just on my neck (l.e.) (my neck is lighter than my face and chest area)
                         
On my eyebrows i had MAC's charcoal brown e/s and Anastasia Brow Gel

On my eyes i had Urban Decay e/s Primer Potion, Suspect e/s all over the lid with Snakebite e/s just at the outer part of the eye, Blackout e/s as a liner and as an inner corner highlight i used Bootycall, all from the Naked 2 palette by Urban Decay. As a browbone highlight i used in the buff e/s from the Naked Eye palette by Too faced.

On the lips I combined MAC's See Sheer lipstick with Apres Chic (l.e.)

Now, a little bit more about the Estee Lauder Daywear Sheer Tint. This product gives a little bit of color, not coverage-it just evens out your skin tone. I was sceptical about it because i am very fair  but i had a couple samples so i tried it out. You definately need to bring a small amount of it on your neck and  i had to use some bronzer on there as well but i liked the result! What really caught my attention was the fact you cannot feel it on your skin! It is just like a moisturizer!Also, it doesn't set into fine lines or pores and it blends amazingly-like a moisturizer.. I am really impressed and i am thinking about purchasing the full size. Any thoughts? 

♥

What's in my makeup and toiletries bag for a 3-day trip

Hi everyone!

This weekend was the Orthodox Cristian Easter. So if you celebrated it, Happy Easter! My family and i visited my grandparents for the holiday. At this time of year and also at Christmas we always go there as we are all together- us, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, my cousins... We have a great time! Eating, chatting, eating, fighting, eating, laughing. By the end of the day we are finally full! I really cherish those moments! I love my big familly!

I thought i would share with you what i brought with me in my make up and toiletries bag for three days.

Here are the two bags:

Let's start with the big striped one- my toiletries bag

From left to right:
-Septona cotton pads.
-My Proderm baby wash for 0-12 months in a Sephora travel bottle. I use this to cleanse my face and i have used it for years! It's a little drying but i much prefer this over some Clinique cleansers for instance that leave an awful residue. Also, when i am away i use this for my hair and body as well.
-Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive daily Moisturizer for Face SPF 15. This is one of my all time favorite skincare things. It does wonders for a dry skin and it is a really nice base for your foundation.
-ROC Hydra+ Anti-fatigue Nourishing cream (the rich one). I use this at night time.I had a sample of this cream, i loved, i purchased it and i can tell you that is not as good as the sample! From the very first use this idea got stucked in my mind.. Even the smell i believe it was a little bit different! Nevertheless, i liked it, i used it all up. Even though it is the rich formula, i don't find as rich as i would like it to be. It's not moisturising enough for my extremely dry face, especially in the winter months. I would repurchase this but maybe for summer. Another thing is the smell. This product has a very strong, flowery smell but it didn't irritate my face and bare in mind that i have eczema.
-Clinique skin calming moisture mask  in a little Sephora sample pot. I love this mask so much. It's perfect for me. I don't use it as a mask per se but as a night cream every two to three nights. I am planning on doing a blogpost for it!
-The Body Shop Nutriganics Smoothing Eye Cream. I believe in eye creams but i have yet to find my favorite one. This, i have used for over two months, i like it, i would repurchase it but it's not a phenomenal product! It is really good, especially for the price but i will keep searching.
-My Sanex deodorant. I DO NOT like this. My all time favorite one is the Sanex with the dark blue cap. In fact i won't wait for this bottle to empty..
-The Body Shop White Musk perfume. I love this as an every day scent. I also have the eau de toilette and the body mist and i wear them literally every day.

Also, in this bag i keep my brushes in a Real Tecniques case

From left to right:
-MAC 188 for foundation
-MAC 217 for e/s
-Sigma E25 for e/s
-MAC 184 for highlighter
-RealTechniques pointed foundation brush for concealer
-MAC 234 for concealer
-MAC 129 s.h. for blush

Now, onto my make up bag!

The clear plastic case is a MAC one from a Christmas collection two years ago. It used to have a stupid silver disc in the middle but i took it off.

Some closer photos of the products:

-Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Mascara in Black

-Anastasia Beverly Hills clear brow gel

-Mini Urban Decay e/s original primer potion

-Anastasia Beverly Hills little dual ended brow brush

-MAC eyelash curlers

-Bourjois healthy mix serum foundation in 51

-Clinique airbrush concealer in 04

-MAC Amplified lipstick in Impassioned

-Estee Lauder Pure Color lipstick in Mandarin Spice

-MAC Eye Kohl in Powersurge

Here are their swatches!

Mac's Powersurge, Mac's Impassioned, Estee Lauder's Mandarin Spice

-Dior Shimmer Powder in Amber Diamond

In the following photo, at the left side i swatched the lighter colors and at the right side i swatched all the colors mixed together.

 -Lastly, i put together a MAC palette with the products that i wanted a.k.a. MAC's melba blush, Patina e/s, Charcoal Brown e/s and in the buff e/s from the Naked Eye Palette by Too faced.

Melba blush, Charcoal Brown e/s, Patina e/s, In the Buff e/s

On a different note, as lovely as this trip was, it was very stressful at the same time because of my cat . He gets car sick. Oh my god! This was the second time we trevelled with him. The first time, on our way to my grandparents we could tell that he wasn't feeling well but he made it just fine and on our way back he was perfectly normal!

Now, from the moment we put him into the car- in his cage of course,at the backseat- he started miewing very loud and weird, he peed on himself, he made number 2 and then he started vometing.. We stoped two times to clean him. We found a pharmacy and a lovely lady there suggested to give him vomex in a syrup form, just 3 mg, with a syringe-without the needle of course. He wouldn't take it. The same thing happened on the way home. Im going to ask a vet for a proper medicine next time.. The interesting thing was that the whole time we were away he was very scared, he wasn't eating almost anything but the moment we arrived home it took 10 minutes max for him to feel well again! I am glad he is fine now!

 ♥

My April Favorites!

Hi Everyone!

This post is going to be about my monthly favorite products that are beauty related. Also i have a product that didn't live up to my expectations.

Fist things first, brows! This month i discovered MAC's charcoal brown e/s - it's a matte finish- and i fell in love with it! Before that, i filled my eyebrows every now and then with random e/s but it wasn't something staple to my makeup routine. But know it is! I am going to insert a close picture and a swatch for you to see.

This month i tried for the very first time Nars Laguna bronzer. After 3 or 4 years constantly hearing about it on youtube, i was pursuaded to try it! It was love at first use! I have a very fair complexion and it is just perfect! Let's just leave it there.. Mine came with the Happening Palette which i am going to review soon.

Next there are two more MAC products. MAC's Prep+Prime SPF 50 and MAC's Volcanic Ash Exfoliator. The first one basically it's a sunscreen. It is oil-free,i wouldn't say that it is moisturising but it is doesn't dry out my skin-which very dry to begin with- and it is an amasing base for make up! I am so impressed with this product!! And here it is..

As far as the Exfoliator is concerned i was very pleasantly surprised! I didn't expect to like it. The reason that i wanted to try it is that this is the first best-selling item on best-sellers tab on the UK MAC's website! I don't know if this is the number one best-seller but then again why is this at the top of the list? :P So i went into my local MAC store and i kindly asked for a sample and later on i purchased the full size bottle.. It hasn't irritated my skin and i've used it three weeks for sure.  It is not drying and  i considered it to be a gentle exfoliator but i wouldn't use it more than two times a week.

Next on my list is the Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush. This is part of a set- the one with the buffing brush- but it is just a flat foundation brush which i love for concealer!

This month i discovered a dry shampoo that i actually like! In Greece there aren't many to choose from. Dry shampoos just aren't that popular here. The one that caught my attention is the SYOSS one. It is light, it does its job, it smells good and it is budget friendly!

I have one thing that i purchased this  month from feelunique.com that really dissapointed me and that is the Bare Minerals Well rested concealer. Everyone says how brightening this is to your under eye area so i really wanted to try it. I thought maybe this could replace my Benefit powder flage which sadly have been discontinued. But it's not! I find it so thick and not that finely melted. It settles in every single one of my fine lines so badly.. I tried it as a finishing powder as well as a stand alone concealer and the result is the same, cakey  and really not flattering. Here is a picture with a rather heavy swatch..

Lastly, one non-beauty related thing that i love is my Converse!

My little helper at taking pictures!

                                                              ♥