Nails: Spring In Pink

Pink enamel shades always make the nails look good. At this time of the year,  they very much relate to the flowers which are blooming here and there. If you have no garden to look at and enjoy, you can simply make your nails bloom with a (more or less affordable) nail polish.

1. New York Color Long Wearing Nail Enamel #156 (Target $0.94)
The nail polish is really great - a shimmery and vivid color. It gives a rather sheer coverage on the nails though. I like it anyway. It gets dry on the nails fast and makes them look pretty.
My rating
Packaging and brush: 5/5
Durability*: 5/5
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5
Price:5/5

2. Vernice Brillance Nail Lacquer #61 Rose Pastel by Yves Rocher ($9 - often available with 50% discount)
Another shiny polish. Although the Rose Pastel is a bright shade, it covers the nails well because it is well pigmented. The brush is rather flat which makes the application easy.
From the manufacturer: Tested under dermatological supervision.
My rating
Packaging and brush: 5/5
Durability*: 5/5
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5
Price:3.5/5 

3. Cutie Girl Nail Polish (Dollar Tree $1)
I came across it by accident and I am glad I decided to buy the nail color. A good brush, makes the application even, with no problems. The nail polish dries quickly and lasts on the nails quite long. I love the color which is more purple than pink of course. 
My rating
Packaging and brush: 5/5
Durability*: 4.5/5 
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5
Price:5/5

Great brush - makes even application really easy

4. Anna Sui Nail Color #305
The Nail Color is part of Dave Lackie's sweepstake prizes which I have won at the beginning of this year (I wrote about it here). It is a very delicate nude-like, pink shade with some shimmery accent which looks really elegant on the nails. The bottle is cute. However,  I need to get used to the shape of the upper, black part. Since it is rather flat, it makes the nail polish application a bit more difficult. But if you can manage dealing with it, the results are quite pleasing.
My rating
Packaging: 4/5 (esthetic impression 6/5)
Brush: 5/5
Durability*: 5/5
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5

 
5. Scented Nail Enamel Grapefruit Fizz by Revlon
It contains brocade-like, shiny particles. The scent, which is quite nice, appears when the nail polish gets dry. The brush allows an easy and flawless application. Although this kind of nail polish has been discontinued by Revlon, many shades of the Scented Nail Enamel series are still available at some online stores. I purchased mine in Poland some time ago. I cannot recall how much it cost there but the price was certainly quite resonable.
My rating
Packaging and brush: 5/5
Durability*: 3.5/5
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5

* My hands/nails & nail polish are 'exposed' to all the housework (including washing/dish-washing) I do every day


Whenever I decorate your nails with an enamel, I also use some base coat to protect the nail plates. This Quick Dry Coat by Revlon is one of the best I have ever tried.
From the manufacturer: DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde-free.

To make the nail polish last longer, prevent it from chipping, and add some extra shine to the nails, I also apply the Strengthening Top Coat by Sally Hansen at the end of my mani session. It was transparent when I bought it, it got some color due to the enamel shades used. Although the Top Coat dries quickly on the nail polish, I still have to be careful for an hour or so, not to mess up my nails which I most often do anyway. I simply have no time to sit doing nothing and wait till all the layers on my nails get totally dry.

Happy Spring nail coloring!

Makeup In Green

The black eye pencil used to be my no.1 makeup item in my teenage years. At that time I also enjoyed playing with various makeup styles. However, I never showed the results of my tries to the outside world. Once, I especially liked my 'green eyes' and decided to see how my neighbor (a girl at my age) would like it.  The girl was not at home and I only talked to her mum. The lady was a kind and polite woman so she sad nothing on my look, but I noticed it in her eyes - the impression my green and black makeup made. I could tell she found it rather surprising, if not improper.

Nowadays, it would be nothing very much unusual, but in the early 80s it was definitely not a kind of everyday teenage look. Anyway, I was quite happy with the effect of my 'ahead of time' makeup experiment then.
These days, I would rather use a green eye liner (along the upper eyelashes only) instead of the black eye pencil. I recently got a Kohl Duo, orange and grey black pencil, by Yves Rocher - also an orange line completes the green eyeshadow quite nicely.

Kohl Dou Eye Pencil is enriched with Cotton Oil. Both the green eyeliner and the Mandarine side of the pencil contain shimmery particles.

St. Patrick's Day is coming,  it is a good time to think of a special green or green-and-white look.

Luminelle Eye Pencil by Yves Rocher

What you need is: a green eyeshadow/green eye shadows, a white eye shadow, a green eye pencil/ eyeliner and a white eye pencil. To make it more colorful, you can also add orange shades to it, including the Mandarine eye pencil mentioned above. Play with various combinations of these  ingredients and choose your most favorite look for this year's celebrations. Have fun!

One of my tries...

For the nails: my choice is the matte green (seems to be discontinued by Sally Hansen) and pearl white (by Yves Rocher) nail polish.

Mini nail polish by YR gives a shimmering, light coverage. The green shade by SH was found at Dollar Tree

Makeup for Cooler Weather And Valentine's Day

This is my makeup suggestion for any bigger winter outing including Valentines' Day celebrations. The luminous elements: foundation, concealer and face powder make the complexion look fresh and radiant without unnecessary excess or mask effect.

1. Face
Teint Miracle by Lancome
I love this hydrating foundation which reflects light and makes the skin face look flawless and great. It is light like a delicate veil but covers red marks really well. The foundation contains Sun Protection Factor No.15 and is a long lasting Miracle too - no need to correct it even if worn for many hours.
I bought it in Europe where the shades of the Lancome foundations are marked in a totally different way than in the US (do not know why). If I wanted to repurchase it here, I would need to compare my item with the samples available at a store and then decide what my tone is called here. A bit complicated but the product is worth doing that research for sure.

Teint Miracle Concealer by Lancome
It moisturizes my dry under eye area, brightens the dark circles and smooths fine lines. On top of this, it is also very good for sensitive eyes. The concealer contains micro-fluorescent particles which give the radiant (and younger :) ) look. Its tone harmoniously matches the shade of the foundation. Long lasting. Who would want more?

Teint Miracle Concealer: Rose Lumiere by Lancome

Lucidity Translucent Loose Powder by Estee Lauder
This light and luminous powder is great - it very much adds to the radiant look and what is more important, it does not dry out my skin. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued but it is still available in some online stores.

Lucidity Translucent Loose Powder No. 01 Light

2. Eyes
Pure Color 14 Enchanted Berries by Estee Lauder - great pigmentation, long lasting, anti crease and very efficient. More and less shimmery shades create quite a few dimensional, non-flat makeup.
How I use them:
#1 inner eye corner + under eyebrow arch;
#2 eyelid;
#3 crease - at first I used #4 to crease but I decided the result was not very interesting so I changed it to #3;
#4 sculpt;
#5 a thin line along the upper eyelashes line + 1/2 of lower eyelashes line (I draw the lines using a moistened/wet brush).

1. Satin, 2. Shimmer, 3. Shimmer, 4. Metallic 5. Matte

The little sponge applicators are good and work well but I prefer using eye shadow brushes, especially to draw lines on the eyelids.

Brushes: Elite Professional & by Sephora - both are good and very useful

 Kohl Eye pencil Luminelle by Yves Rocher
I moisten the tip with water and use the pencil to enhance the purple line (#5) on the upper lid - simply draw another line on the purple eye shadow line. In real, the shade of the eye pencil is a bit darker than in the picture.

Kohl pencil Bleu pacifique by Yves Rocher

Black-Brown Waterproof Mascara by Max Factor

 

I have always liked this brand, maybe because the very first foundation (which I used for some time) was by Max Factor too and it was great in every way. Anyway, the mascara has quite an interesting shade - a mix of two colors but still more black than brown. The rubber brush is flexible and allows to apply the mascara evenly, without any problems. It is waterproof which helps to avoid any makeup mishaps.

3. Lips

#310 Rose Anemone lip pencil by Lancome
Yes, I have had it quite long and have been enjoying using it. Its color goes well with most pink lipstick tones.

Michael Kors True Hollywood Lipstick by Estee Lauder 
The lipstick was part of a limited edition - a vivid and long lasting color, covers the lips with an even and moisturizing layer. Love this fuchsia shade - it looks gorgeous when, after applying the lipstick, you also add some touch of a transparent lip gloss to the lips.

4. Nails
Extreme Wear Nail Color # 320 Fuchsia Power by Sally Hansen
This long lasting and shiny polish finishes the Valentine's Day makeup.

Have a great and enjoyable Valentine's Day!

Anna Sui Cosmetics from Dave Lackie

In January I was the lucky winner of one of the Luxury Giveaways by Dave Lackie, beauty editor and Cityline expert. I came across his Beauty The Guide a few months ago and since then, I have been enjoying reading his articles on the news from the makeup and beauty world. I am really glad I found Dave's website, not only because I won, but also because I had missed that kind of good reading/magazine after moving to this part of the world.
I learnt about Anna Sui from Dave Lackie and his online posts. Having spent most of my life in Europe, I am more familiar with all the bigger and some smaller European brands/names. That is why - when I won this set - I thought I would look for Anna Sui cosmetics in local stores, to see what they looked like. Well, I did not succeed as they simply did not have any items by her.
Now, when I have already received my lucky set, I am glad I was not able to see the products before. It made the happiness of winning them even greater. When the package arrived, I was so amazed (and happy of course) how cute the little things are! And the shades are so pretty too! They are the cutest cosmetics I have ever had and each of them is special in its own way.
Thank you Dave! Thank you Beth!

1. Nail Polish No.305 - shimmery and lovely - and the little bottle! Of course I am going to use it soon.

 

2. Rose Cheek Color No. 602 - more and less shimmery (which I love) and wonderful shades. And the box - so girly...

3. Lipstick V 303 - the shape of the little container and the lipstick itself are truly original.  Shall I start using it and destroy the cute star or keep it as it is, to look at it and enjoy the art? :)

4. Glittery Lip Gloss No. 601 - I love glittery shades/cosmetics. The lip gloss looks great on the lips and smooths them nicely.

In Red

Despite many trends in makeup, which come and go, change so often - almost every season, red lipstick and red nail polish have always been in. An intense red shade adds a touch of glamor to an evening image and enchantingly complements an elegant outfit. That is why it is good to have 'something in red' in our beauty/makeup collection.
My current choice is a Grand Rouge moisturizing lipstick by Yves Rocher which contains camellia oil, vitamin E and organic sesame oil. Thanks to the creamy texture, it is really smooth and covers the lips evenly. Another positive feature: the red lipstick stays on the lips long, I do not need to reapply it again and again. I got this lipstick as a free gift when I ordered some other cosmetics from the Yves Rocher store - a great and very useful present (regular price = $16)!

A lipstick shade looks better on the lips when they are defined by a lip pencil. It enhances the color of the lips/lipstick. More over, a good lip liner is also supposed to prevent  a lipstick layer from bleeding.
I like the color of the Red Love lip pencil by Oriflame. The deep red looks gorgeous on the lips, and the tip of the pencil is very soft. It is easy to 'paint' all the lips red. However, a disadvantage is that during eating/drinking, the lip liner smears beyond the lip line and messes up the look. It is not a perfect lip defining tool but I like its shade, that is why I have kept it.
A better, and not that totally soft lip liner, is Long Wear Lip Definer (4240 Berry) by Oriflame also. This self-sharpening liner matches matches my red lipstick well, is soft enough to define the lips and does not bleed at all.

A red nail polish complements our evening chic appearance.

Revlon Sheer Nail Enamel

The Red (Revlon Sheer Nail Enamel) by Revlon, in my opinion,  is truly great. An intense red tone, the nail polish smooth application is nice and easy. It gets dry on the nails quite quickly, does not chip and lasts long (usually about a week time, at least five/six days), even when I do all the regular everyday washing and cleaning at home.

In Red in practice. Happy New Year!

Marsala: Fashion vs Style

Somebody has decided that Marsala shades are in this season. To those of you who do not know - Marsala is a kind of (also fortified) wine made in the area of Marsala, a city in Sicily/Italy. The dark color looks interesting on nails, including toe nails. However, such tones may not be beneficial for each and every face.
A few years ago I used to know a lady who wore Marsala lipsticks and nail polish most of the time (although they were rather called Burgundy not Marsala then). It was her style, her image, which really suited her well (meaning hair color, complexion type etc.) and enhanced her beauty.

The point is, fashion trends come and go, following them uncritically might be disastrous. The personal style stays and makes a person. Or maybe it is a person who makes their style, despite what others regard as being in or out.

402 Urban Purple Professional Finish by Rimmel London. The shade is more 'Marsala' in real than it seems in the picture. Good quality and quite long lasting.

Colors of Autumn: Orange - Nails

The orange nail polish looks fabulous on the nails.

The two shades chosen by myself look quite similar  however, the one by Sally Hansen is less pricey. On the other hand, La Laque No.142 by Yves Saint Laurent (I discovered it much earlier than No. 170 by S.H.) looked good on the nails even for two weeks - did not chip. I loved it - I found its quality really worth the price. The consistency of the nail polish doesn't change - it did not thicken even after moths of using it. The practical brush almost reaches the bottom of the bottle which helped to use the nail polish entirely, nearly till the last drop.

Right now I am enjoying The Hot Tamale shade (Hard AS Nails Xtreme Wear) by Sally Hansen  . I like the shiny color. So far I have been quite content with the quality of the nail polish. It is quite durable considering all the dish-washing and regular housework I do. The shape of the brush allows to apply the layers of the color quite evenly and flawlessly. All in all, in my opinion - a good buy.