Aromaleigh Haul. Vol. 2&3. Lipsticks (samples). And extra.

I had these hauls "documented" for quite a while. I just didn't have time to organise them all this time. That being said, here is what I got with my 2nd order:

Natural light, flash

Natural light, contrast added

Noreservation rocks! sonic lips sample was a freebie.

Not pictured: sample baggies of Silk Powder (2 USD), Pure Cover mineral concealer in shade Nr. 9 (vert/green) (2 USD), Nocturne Overnight mineral treatment (2,25 USD), "Smoothy" Premium Flocked Sponge for Mineral Makeup (4,5 USD).

International shipping was 5 USD. Ordered on 5.2 (Friday), order was shipped on 8.2 (Monday), arrived 15.2 (Monday). Impressive! One of the fastest companies! Yay!

My initial thoughts:

Have yet to try Silk Powder and Pure Cover concealer in action. Yep, I have them for almost 1,5 month and haven't worn yet! I just "swatched" this green concealer on my face once. I have to figure out how to work with colour correctors. I still don't get how to cover them with foundation when they're on. And, overall, why on Earth concealers can cover everything, foundation can cover concealer, BUT not everything!? Do you get my point? lol

I read so many good things about Nocturne Overnight mineral treatment, so I decided to give it a go. I've been using it for more than one month. I'm not sure if it works, or if it's just my imagination again, but I can definitely see some slight favourable changes in my skin condition (less breakouts! yay!). Some minor negative things: you have to literally stop breathing when applying it as you surely don't want it to get into your nose. It's an extremely unpleasant feeling, believe me! :) The scent (i.e. how it naturally smells) is quite annoying too... Remember, I'm quite sensitive to some scents! :) The sample baggie lasted only for about two weeks (had to skip several nights before the full size jar arrived). I had to order at least 2, or 3 samples to see if it really works. I learned my lesson! :) And last but not least, it's quite expensive (28 USD at the time of ordering). Oh well, if it works, who cares, right? :) And, the jar is huge (14 g)! Let's wait how it'll go!

Sponge is ok, nothing special though.

As always eyeshadows are gorgeous! Pretty shades and great pigmentation!  Tapestry is a very interesting shade of black. It's silky metallic-looking black with smooth holographic (it reflects different lights, but it only could be my imagination lol) shimmer. Oh my, does my explanation make any sense? lol Other shades are green, so no comments here! :)

Noreservation looks very bright in the baggie. And you probably know that I'm not a fan of bright lip colours. So you can only imagine how surprised I was when I tried it on. It is very sheer and looks very natural and pretty. Feels like a balm, smells great too (chocolate). It was at that time I "suddenly" decided to look for perfect'n'healthy lip products, especially lipsticks. So, I decided to place my 3rd order:

Sunlight, flash (yep, it was on the same day I took pictures of my Silk Naturals Haul. Hence, it was a great combo of sunshine & flash. lol)

Sunlight, contrast added (tiny-tiny contrast! :) )

Sunlight, flash

Nocturne Overnight mineral treatment (28 USD), Rocks! eyeshadow in Moonagedaydream (4,23 USD, but got it for free as my order was >40 USD), aromatherapy lip balm in Gingersnap (4,85 USD)

International shipping was 5 USD. Ordered on 25.2 (Friday), order was shipped the same day (how great is that?), arrived 9.3 (Tuesday). Impressive!

My initial thoughts:

Check my short initial review on Nocturne Overnight mineral treatment above.

Eyeshadow are, once again, pretty! I'm totally in love with Italian Ice!

Lipbalm in Gingersnap. I got a baggie sample of it with my first order. I really liked the scent (kind of vanilla with mint/spice/ginger), but wasn't very much impressed with the texture, but decided to give this lip balm a chance and ordered a full size. Ironically, it seems the opposite now. I really like the texture and how it feels on my lips, but the scent appears different. It's not that sweet as I remember it was back then, it is much spicier and more sour. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. My hubby liked the scent of the sample I got, but says this full size version is indeed kind of spicy and sour with a tiny hint of a ginger cookie sweet scent. I guess it's a natural variation in scents due to the handmade nature of the product. Oh well, at least I don't have any problems with my lips now! :) I don't even need to apply it in the morning, my lips feel so good!

Onto the lipsticks:

Sunlight, flash

Sunlight

Not pictured: freebie - Wallflower lipstick. Baggie samples cost 1 USD.

Lipsticks. I really like the texture of these lipsticks. They feel balm-like: light, creamy and moisturising. All of them except Wallflower are sheer. Due to their creamy texture it's quite difficult to build the colour (i.e. making it more opaque), as it starts to feel a little bit too greasy. You know the feeling, don't you? :) Oh! The scents are fantastic! Orange and chocolate! Yummy! 

These are all pretty and wearable shades. They give a slight tint to your lips. Gossamer looks similar to Coquette, Rosebud to Darling. I was debating whether I should go for Rosebud or Darling. But then my Silk Naturals order came, and I decided I don't need any more sheer colours right now. Besides, as you might know, natural handmade lip products have shorter shelf life (6-12 months), and I don't want to end up with a bunch of spoiled lip stuff. I hate not using products. I'd better give them away "to a better home" and be sure that they'll bring some joy to another person. :)

Yep, I ordered a sample of Wallflower and got it as a freebie. Ironically (again), this colour is my least favourite of the bunch (btw, it's the most opaque of them!). I just don't like how this shade looks on me. It looks pretty in the baggie though. :)

And I am not complaining, I just wish that they added another shade for me to try. I'd have more choice options then, right? :) Btw, I placed my order just a few days before Aromaleight announced their sad news about discontinuing lip products. How lucky am I with this discontinuation "trend" when I am almost one step from finding my HG?.. :/ :) 

What are you thoughts? Have you tried Aromaleigh lip products?

PS I really like Aromaleigh's product pictures, they're very true to what you see irl! :)

DRAMA

Now onto some nasty stuff. I couldn't even imagine everything could turn that way! But I just have to share, as this shocked me so much yesterday. Jen from Jennifae's Beauty Blog posted her awesome recent Aromaleigh lipsticks haul with a statement that got my attention: "However, with the changes in sales/promos, rewards points, and the attitude (not the best customer service in my opinion), I highly doubt I will order from Aromaleigh again." I commented about my experience with lipstick samples telling her that "I really like the scent (orange) and consistency (soft, silky, like a lip balm), I won't buy them because they're too sheer and too similar to each other. And the main reason - I already have too many lippies. Plus Aromaleigh ones are "supposed" to go bad in 6-12 months. :/" and asked about the bad attitude.

Jen replied that "The customer service is not bad, but it could be better. <...> I like Aromaleigh's products, but I'd rather order from those who have equally great products (if not better) AND doesn't make me feel like answering my questions and concerns is a complete waste of time, y'know?" This is the main point! She didn't mean the service was bad (not bad and bad are different things, don't you think?), all she meant that attitude was hmmm... a bit rough in her opinion? It's not fun when a seller or, what's most frustrating, the person who you admire, eventhough trying to be polite, makes you feel you're wasting his/her time, right? Moreover, everyone has his/her own opinions and standards on what the good or bad, or not bad customer service is, right? Please, take a look at the comments section. 

Miss K is very nice in her copy-pasted letters, making it feel that Jen is "seeing things". Here is what Jen says: "What Kristen failed to mention/post is the email response I was referring to. The one that made me feel like answering my emails were a waste of time." Check it out! Now you clearly can understand why Jen became frustrated. Check also my comment. It's not perfect, but it can clear up some things about some certain things. E.g., everyone's time is precious! Service is not just about giving discounts, it's about the attitude too. Making a customer feel he/she is not worth spending a precious time is not a good tone, for sure.

Now, tell me where is "slamming" (i.e. attacking)? Why calling dishonest, unappreciative, greedy and nasty? Why calling names? Why wishing "may karma treat you well"? It's SO sad, I can't even express what I felt the moment I read it! Why am I taking it so personally you might ask? Because I feel it was my fault to some extent, as I became that "fuel for the fire". Plus, I feel that Miss K misunderstood the whole thing and took it all wrong. I really admire Aromaleigh and Miss K, but this "accident" just seem so unreal! It kind of reminds me 2 dramas over Coastal Scents and Lime Crime. SAD, very sad! :(

Jen, I really hope everything will be ok! Take care! *hugs*

Do you see what I see? What are your thoughts, girls?

Silk Naturals Haul. Swatches.

So my quest to find perfect'n'healthy lip products continues! :)

I've heard so many good things about Silk Naturals, so I finally decided to give it a go one day. :)

Here is what I got:

 Sunshine, flash (yep, you've heard that right! It wasn't a good idea to take pictures under such a bright sunlight! But flash saved the day! Who would have guessed? lol)

I ordered 3 solid lip glosses (4,5 USD each) in Berry Crush, Foreplay, Precious, and 1 liquid lip gloss (4,95 USD) in Summer Fling. I got 2 free eyeshadows: full size in IDK (I guess there was a campaign) and a sample baggy in Twilight (oh my, it follows me everywhere?! lol).

Shipping was 4,2 USD for International. Quite reasonable, isn't it? There is also a discount for first time buyers. Check the website for more info.

Ordered on 25.2 (Friday), order was shipped on 3.3, received on 11.3 (Friday). I guess it's ok.

My initial thoughts:

I've already swatched all the products. I love my new lippies! Wearable shades, smooth application, pretty long lasting, nice smell (kind of toffee with spice?)! And they feel like lip balms on my lips! :) Surprisingly (as I didn't expect to get any eyeshadows) I really love these shades, and the pigmentation is as usual for mineral eyeshadows - decent. I am very pleased with my order!

One thing I want to mention is the size! Solid lip glosses come in sleek tubes, liquid - in tubes that appear (read further for more info) to be smaller than that of Fyrinnae. Baggie sample is considerably smaller than that of Aromaleigh's for instance. That being said, I'm in love! You had to see my face when I saw these tiny beauties! :) The tube of Summer Fling is such a cutie! Aww! :)

Sunshine, flash

Sunshine, flash

Fyrinnae Lickable on the left, Silk Naturals Summer Fling on the right

As you can see from these 2 pictures, Summer Fling although appearing to be smaller due to the "optical illusion" contains more product than Lickable. I can't say the exact amount though. My guess would be 4-5 ml. I'm not sure if I saw the info on the website. :/

I was a bit skeptical when I first saw Summer Fling in person. It looked so dark in the tube, but when I tried it on I instantly fell in love with it. It's such a gorgeous wearable shade! Take a look:

Natural light, flash

Here are the swatches of all 4 plus a little extra:

 Natural light

 From L to R: Everyday Minerals lipstick in Icing the Cake, Summer Fling, Berry Crush, Foreplay, Precious

Natural light, flash

From L to R: Everyday Minerals lipstick in Icing the Cake, Summer Fling, Berry Crush, Foreplay, Precious

I organised Silk Natural products from the sheerest to the most opaque from R to L. These are all buildable though.

Description from the website:

Precious- light pink with gold pearl- Hunny Bunny Clone

Foreplay- shimmery golden pink Climax gloss

Berry Crush- Golden Berry Gloss- MAC Viva Glam V Clone 

Summer Fling- Warmish Rosey Pink

Why did I include the EDM Icing The Cake (btw, I got it for free with my last order) I hear you asking? Just because I wanted to show you how it compares to Summer Fling (in shade) and Berry Crush (in consistency). I really love the shade of Icing The Cake, but the lipstick itself (especially its smell) is awful! If you've ever tried lippies from EDM I bet you can understand me. :)

Have you tried Silk Naturals? What are your thoughts? Any favourites?

PS Silk Naturals doesn't repackage!

Share the love: Cat

I'm continuing my "tradition" of non-beauty related posts for the weekends.

This time I present you cats! Sounds a little bit banal, doesn't it? I don't think so though. :) I really enjoy reading stories and watching pictures of animals/pets. And I noticed that many of bloggers have pets. So why not to share one of my greatest loves, i.e. CATS! I can go on forever speaking about their beauty, grace, intelligence, personality, and... attitude! :) But I won't! You know it yourself, right? :)

I had only fishes, hamsters and cats as pets. I was "babysitting" a dog several times though. My parents got a first cat when I was 2, naturally I don't remember much of that cat... I only remember how we got our second cat when I was almost 6 y.o. Ever since my heart belongs to cats. :)

Ok, enough writing. I'll do two parts post anyway, because I can't find pictures of my cats (who live with my family in my home country) on my laptop.

Did I mention that apart from my little passion to take pictures of wild flowers and nature, I also snap pictures of  animals (if I get a chance of course)? :)

Canterbury castle (UK)

 Windsor castle (UK)

Could he/she be Her Majesty's kitty? :)

Castell de Montjuic/Barcelona Fortress (Spain)

Alicante (Spain)

 This kitty was huge!

 He/she spent a little time with us. Cute and friendly cat! :)

A little teaser for you (before I find other pictures): my cat when he was just 2-3 months! :) Oh my, he was so tiny! Now he is huge and heavy! :)

Do you love cats? :)

Hope you enjoyed!

To be continued! Stay tuned!

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND! :)

Beautiful Girl Minerals (BMG) haul. Swatches.

Have you already heard of me getting rid of all (well, not all actually, my HG from Dior and Avon stay with me until the end, or until I find their perfect dupes! :) )  my lip products that contain mineral oil and other nasty stuff? Be prepared for my massive (in my opinion, obviously) attempts to find perfect'n'healthy lip products. :) On a side note, I'm SOO behind writing about my hauls, gotta hurry up before I got lost in all those packages... and pictures... lol

I didn't want to order a lot as I don't like to waste products (I mean, who wants to have a bunch of spoiled lip stuff? lol) and, most importantly, because BMG's pictures and colour descriptions (if any) were not that good.

I ordered 2 All natural lip glosses (small wand 3,5 ml, the same tube as of Fyrinnae's lip lustres, 3 USD) in Cosmo (it's called Cosmo Kiss on the website) and Tainted, and 1 (1/8 tsp, 0,5 USD) Multi purpose powder sample in Impatient.

I got 2 free Multi purpose powder samples in Irresistible and Innocent.

Natural light, contrast added

Natural light, flash

Note: Impatient is a little bit greener irl, it's a shimmery bright chartreuse described as "a stunning yellow/green shade!" on the website.

 

Shipping was 3 USD for International. Quite reasonable, isn't it?

Ordered on 1.3 (Monday), order was shipped on 7.3, received on 18.3 (Thursday). I guess it's ok.

My initial thoughts:

I've already swatched all the products - the pigmentation is as usual for mineral eyeshadows - decent. Although keep in mind that I haven't tested these eyeshadows "in action" yet. The only product that got my full attention is Cosmo lip gloss.

Now here comes a "weird" story of me trying to figure out what shades to choose. The first thing that caught my eye was the inconsistency in description of lip glosses. Some have lip swatches, some have bottle pictures, some have a "swirl of colour", some have colour description, some not, some have it all wrong... :/

Let's take a look at 2 lip glosses I got. 

Cosmo is defined as a "gorgeous pink with gold". I would add that it's pink with a hint of blue (cool toned), but the fine golden shimmer makes it appear warmer. I was a little bit skeptical of wearing a cool toned lip gloss (I prefer warm tones), but, man, it is MEGA gorgeous!!! And, it's pigmented! Surprisingly, I like the mild scent (in fact the lip gloss is not scented, or flavoured, but my guess would be that it's castor seed oil's "fault"). :)

Here comes a sad story. Tainted is described as "gorgeous pink with shimmer". Now, don't be mad at me, but can you, please, tell me if I'm seeing things? lol It's plain shimmery brown/tan to my eyes. I can spot some tiny tiny shimmery pink bits on the picture with flash, but I honestly think it's just my camera's "wonderful" ability to see things; and then it still should be pink with shimmer, not something with pink shimmer, right? :) The "best" thing, BGM sent me 5 ml bottle (although it says 5,9 ml on their website) instead of the small size I ordered. I guess they ran out of small bottles, or put it by accident, or just wanted to please me as a first time customer, but all I felt is a frustration and shame. :/

On one hand, I probably have to inform them that I got a wrong size bottle and pay the difference (1,5 USD), on the other hand - I absolutely don't like this colour! It's not what I expected it to be (gorgeous pink? with shimmer? NO?!). And it doesn't suit me. At all! I tried to make it work by mixing it with some other shades, but it's too dark and intense to do something wearable for my taste. And the bottle is huge (I much more prefer those tiny bottles)! And I hate wasting (aka not using) products. I wish it'd be in a mini size, I wouldn't feel so bad. :/ 

The worst thing is that I tried it straight from the tube at first (when I didn't yet realise how different the shade is), meaning that I can't give it to anyone else, as it now "belongs to me". lol I know I might be weird sometimes. :)

Take a look:

 Natural light

Cosmo on the left, Tainted on the right

Natural light, flash

Cosmo on the left, Tainted on the right

Natural light

Cosmo (after about 4 hours of wear!)

Note: Have yet to figure out why my lip swatches look so washed out and "see through" even without a flash. :/ Swatch pictures look more colour accurate.

As for the Multi purpose powders... I really admire their universality as they're said to be suitable for eyes, lips and nails. But, why couldn't they arrange these colours (although they have not that many) in some certain order (by colour, or by name at least?). It would be so much easier to find (and compare!) shades you like. But no! You'd better play "spot your favourite", or "what catches your eye?". lol

I laughed so hard when I got  my order. Let me explain. I ordered a green shade, right? That is Impatient. When I opened my order, I thought why on Earth is word "impatient" doing here, did they mean I'm impatient? lol Then I realised it was my choice. I was so much into colour, I didn't even pay attention to its name. :) Remember me speaking about "buying products because of their names" thingy? And they "called" me Innocent and Irresistible! lol To be honest, I don't like these (I mean freebies) shades simply because I wouldn't wear them as I already know that some certain colours just don't look good on me. Maybe I have to mix Innocent with that Tainted lip gloss? Hmmm...

Overall, I will buy other (as Cosmo became one of my favourites!) lip glosses from BMG again, when (and if) they will improve their colour descriptions. :)

I saw Phyrra mentioned that BMG offers 20% discount till the end of March. Be careful with those descriptions before ordering.

Have you tried BMG? What are your thoughts? Any favourites?

PS BMG doesn't repackage!

40 Beauty Questions

 I tagged myself, again. :)

1. How many times do you wash your face daily?
Usually twice - in the morning and before going to bed. Sometimes I take my foundation/makeup off right after I come home (when I am sure I don't need to go anywhere else).

2. What skin type do you have?
Horrible! Combination. And I sometimes get those dry patches-flakes on my oily skin! Weird!

3. What is your current facial wash?
Eucerin Dermo Purifyer Soap & Fragrance Free cleanser for almost 3 months! The range promises to clear skin in 3 weeks! I don't see any improvements really... :/

4. Do you exfoliate?
Yes, lately 2 times per week.

5. What brand do you use?
Korres scrub and mask from pomegranate range.

6. What moisturiser do you use?
Eucerin Dermo Purifyer Oil Free moisturising cream-gel. The same story as with Eucerine's cleanser. Hate this cream even more!

7. Do you have freckles?
No.

8. Do you use eye cream?
Eucerin Q10 Active Fragrance-free Anti-wrinkle cream. It's ok. Nothing special though.

9. Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
I had occasional breakouts since I was a teenager, but it wasn't this bad as I have now. Don't play with those hormonal contraceptives, ladies! They promise a perfect skin as a "bonus", but none (not even your doctor, or cosmetologist!) can tell you what you'll get once you stop taking them! :/

10. Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
No.

11. What foundation do you use?
Still trying to find a perfect match from the bunch of samples I got from different mineral makeup companies. Trying not to mix them. Don't want to trouble my skin even more.

12. How about concealer?
Sometimes I use Everyday Minerals Intensive Fair concealer on my blemishes when I'm not very lazy. :)

13. Do you know your undertone color?
Still trying to find it out. I guess I'm more fair to medium neutral.

14. What do you think of fake eyelashes?
I have several from Ardell, but haven't tried them yet. Can you imagine? :) I like how they look on others. Once I'll try them on, I'll tell you. :)

15. Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yes, even though it usually says 6 months. Unfortunately, many of my mascaras don't even pass 2 months mark. :/

16. What brand of mascara do you use?
Currently, Lumene True Natural Volume Mascara  with conditioning Arctic cornflower. Nothing special! My HG mascara was Maybelline Lash Stylist. It's been discontinued for quite a while now. :(

17. Sephora or MAC?
Neither. I've never been to Sephora. Although we have MAC counter here, I shopped there only once (and for skin care only!). MAC is too expensive here.

18. Do you have a MAC Pro-card?
No.

19. What makeup tools do you use in make up application?
Lash curler, brushes, fingers. :)

20. Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?
UDPP. It's ok, but it kind of cakes (i.e. leaves dry patches) lately.:/

21. For the face?
Fyrinnae Powder Primer. Must Have! :)

22. What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?
I love greens! :) Aromaleigh's Aloe and Loden is my favourite combo so far.

23. Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
Pencil.

24. How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
Never! But I poke my eyes with a mascara quite often! :(

25. What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
I use only loose eyeshadows at the moment. Gave all those pressed ones to my wonderful friend. :)

26. Do you use mineral makeup?
Yes, a lot lately. :)

27.What is your favorite lipstick?
Avon Pro-To-Go in Nude Peach, closely followed by Fyrinnae lip lustres in Lickable and Flavor Of The Day.

28. How about lipgloss?
Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect in shade 347 Orange Raffia, closely followed by Silk Naturals lip gloss in Summer Fling and Beautiful Girl Minerals lip gloss in Cosmo.

29. What is your favorite blush to use?
Avon Colour face pearls in pink still is my favourite. I really like Alima Pure matte blush in Apricot lately.

30. Do you buy your makeup on ebay?
I bought only Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara once. Sometimes I also buy nail polish on ebay.

31. Do you like drugstore makeup?
I used to. Now I'm into mineral makeup. :)

32. Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets)
No, I don't think we even have one here in Finland.

33. Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
Yes. And I wanted to be a manicurist when I was in high school! :)

34. Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
When it comes to dark eyeshadows then yes, I am, a little bit. :) Plus, I ALWAYS get some mascara on my eyelids, doesn't matter how careful I am! Thankfully, it only takes 10 seconds to clean everything. :)

35. Name a makeup crime that you hate?
Too dark pencil or tattoo (permanent makeup) defined eyebrows (especially thin overplucked eyebrows!), visible mascara marks/stains (the ones I clean in 10 sec :) ) on the eyelid or on the lower lashline.

36. Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick, eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
Neutral ones. Green can be neutral too. :)

37. Which celebrity always has great make up?
Hmmm... Angelina Jolie looks very good most of the time. :)

38. If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item, what would you use?
Eyebrow pencil.

39. Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
Yes. I wouldn't feel confident on my bad skin days though.

40. Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?
When my skin is in its better condition than it is now, the answer is positive. I look as a completely different person. But I quite like this person. lol Imagine, one with VERY light eyebrows and eyelashes. Now imagine the same person with much darker eyebrows and black eyelashes. :) I prefer the second person though. :)

41. In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
I really don't know. :/

42. What do you think of Makeup?
It is SO MUCH fun! Too bad that men (at least my man) don't understand the POINT! lol

If you read this post and haven't done this tag yet, I tag YOU! Let me know in the comments, I'd like to read your answers as well! :)

Eyelashes. HG mascara?

Do you remember my question "To curl, or not to curl?" I asked you in February? So, I finally "gave up" a month ago. I brought home these 3 products:

Eyelash curler from Cailap (with two refill pads). It looks like Shu Uemura curler, doesn't it?
It definitely makes a difference. My eyelashes don't look flat anymore. The only negative thing (or I'd better say - concern) is that it somehow curls the base in a "sharp-angled" shape, not in a "naturally round" shape. Do you get my point? Is it normal like that? :/ This weirdness is not visible when mascara is on though.


Special THANK YOU (for helping me to decide) goes to PowerLifterChick, Thess, Sagu and Bebo! :)


L'Oreal Renewal Lash Serum
I've been testing this "miracle product" for one month only, so can't say anything about its power yet. Strangely enough it was sold out almost everywhere (except for the grocery shop, where I was lucky to find it) in the Helsinki city center and in large shops around the metropolitan area. The only thing I can say so far, that, thankfully, it doesn't irritate my eyes. I'll keep you updated on the progress (if I'll see any). :)

Lumene True Natural Volume Mascara  with conditioning Arctic cornflower
"90% natural ingredients" coupling with "voluminising" effect  sounded like a perfect promise. Plus it was comparably cheap (around 9 EUR), it is made in Finland, and, the most important thing, it was sealed (only with a duct tape-like label though)! On a side note - it indeed is a serious problem here in Finland. Why do those sellers (Rimmel, Maybelline, Max Factor, I'm speaking to you in particular!) sell us unsealed (aka open) mascaras? :/ Nea, I'm totally with you on this issue. :)

I really wanted to like this mascara, but here comes the huge BUT. It worked fine for about one week only. Afterward it became just an ordinary "almost 3 months old" mascara. I mean, it becomes drier and flakier each time. And, I know how to keep mascaras safe and fresh! Where are my promised 6 (I'd be fine with 3) months  after opening?! Weird, huh? :/

One more thing, I noticed a comparably high loss of eyelashes over this month. Can't say the exact number, but earlier I didn't even pay attention to it as I saw one "dead" eyelash per month at most, now I see several per week. :/ Have no idea what might be the problem. Or, it might be, that it's my imagination only? I hope it is. :)

Now I'm on a quest to find a new mascara! Again! REQUIREMENTS: it should volumise, lengthen, look natural (no flakes, no clumps) and stay fresh for around 3 months or more. Is it too much to ask for? :) Help is much appreciated! :) What's your HG mascara?


Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts?

China Glaze Side-Saddle vs Sinful Colors Rich In Heart

Natural light

Check the golden shimmer in the bottle!

 Natural light

Now tell me it's not black? lol

Natural light, flash

I do sparkle!.. in sunshine (or flash) only. lol

 

14 ml (0,5 oz), exp. date: 36 months after opening, made in USA.

Rodeo Diva Collection, fall 2008.

Nail lacquer with hardeners (Kaolin/China clay).
3 Big free (but contains Formaldehyde resin).

Colour: this colour is strange but still quite pretty. By "strange" I mean that it appears to be dark chocolate with golden shimmer in the bottle, appears deep shimmery burgundy on my nails, and appears (well, actually disappears would be the right word in this case) violet (!) on the cotton ball (during the removal process, obviously)! Strange, isn't it? :) Do you remember my rant from yesterday's post about those "almost black" nail polishes? Here are two of my fails! lol

Finish: shimmer.

Application: pretty average application, because the nail polish is on the thick side, but at least only 2 coats (or even 1 would do!) are enough for a full coverage.

Retail price: 2,5 USD - 11 EUR.

Pros: good coverage (1-2 coats!), pretty bottle, big 3 free.
Cons: difference between what you see in the bottle and what is actually on your nails, brush is too sharp-edged and small (meaning that you have to be extremely careful, or master "clean up" strategy), the fact that it's so expensive here!

PS Don't want to wear plain shimmery black? Check this out! :)

On to the comparison... I was wearing Side-Saddle the other day, when I realised this polish looks very similar to Sinful Colors Rich In Heart, which I bought to "ease my pain" of not getting CG Branding Iron (shimmery dark burgundy).

Natural light, flash

See? I told you, they're almost black, if they seem so dark even with a flash! :)

They look different in the bottles, don't they?

Natural light

Don't they look similar now?

Note: In case you haven't noticed, I'm still wearing CG here, just holding SC bottle. :)

 Artificial light (energy-saving lamp), flash

Sinful Colors Rich In Heart - I took this picture long looong time ago. Hence, the bad quality is here again. :)

Sinful Colors Rich In Heart

15 ml (0,5 oz), exp. date: 24 months after opening, made in USA.

3 Big and Camphor free.

Colour: deep burgundy shimmer in the black base. Appears almost black most of the time.

Finish: shimmer.

Application: pretty average application, because the nail polish is on the thick side, but at least only 2 coats (or even 1 would do!) are enough for a full coverage.

Retail price: 3,5 EUR.

Pros: good coverage (1-2 coats!), big 3 free.

Cons: pretty strong smell, brush is too sharp-edged and small (meaning that you have to be extremely careful, or master "clean up" strategy), ingredients text colour - black on almost black - are they kidding? lol

PS Don't want to wear plain shimmery black? Check this out! :)
PPS These two look almost completely identical when on the nails. If only I knew they're THIS similar before!!! :) Gotta give it to my friend, who is into heavy metal music. :)

Depend nail polish in Nr. 115 (deep violet)

 

 Natural light

Looks a little bit lighter here than irl

 

 Natural light, flash

Power of bright light! :)

Note: I'm terribly sorry for my dry hands! I only noticed all these "beauties" when I uploaded my pictures. :/And it's a 3rd day of wear. Hence, "scratchy surface" look is becoming more obvious. :)

5 ml, exp. date: no info, made in Sweden (not sure though).

Have no idea if it's 3 Big free. Any thoughts?

Colour: deep violet. It looks much lighter in the bottle than on the nails. Under the "no light" (when it's cloudy for instance) it looks very dark deep violet, in worst cases it looks completely black. I like it best under the bright light, when it looks close to what you see in the bottle. Honestly, I'm a little bit tired of all those "showing under the bright light only" shades (OPI DS Fantasy, I'm talking to you in particular! China Glaze Side Saddle, take a note too! lol). It's funny when I have to explain that I'm not wearing the same black nail polish over and over again. :) "Check this out, it's not that black actually! And it's another nail polish...actually!" lol

Finish: creme.

Application: very smooth application , 2 coats (or even 1 would do!) is enough for a full coverage.

Retail price: 3,5 EUR.

Pros: perfect coverage (1-2 coats!), easy application, quite nice brush (not tiny as you would expected from this tiny bottle), pretty tiny bottle.
Cons: no ingredients (even on Depend website!) and no exp.date info!? no name, just a number (boring!!!)? darker than in the bottle, brush is too sharp-edged (meaning that you have to be extremely careful, or master "clean up" strategy :) ).

PS Don't want to wear plain creme black? Check this out! :)

What do you think about all those "almost black" nail polishes? :)

Share the love: Ground

I'm continuing my "tradition" of non-beauty related posts for the weekends.

This time I present you the ground! Sounds weird, huh? :) Ever paid attention what's under your feet? Sometimes there might be really interesting (although quite simple and usual) things. Take a moment and look what's "underneath". :)

Helsinki, Finland

Dover, UK

Vitrupe, Latvia

 Can you see corals and shells?
Egypt

London, UK

Hope you enjoyed! :)

To be continued! Stay tuned! :)

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND! :)

Alima Pure Haul. Have you ever (not)bought a product just because of its name?

One not very sunny day, I was searching for the info about mineral foundations. I've already tried Everyday Minerals, Sassy Minerals and Aromaleigh, but still wanted to try something new. You know that feeling, don't you? :) Then, I came across wonderful Sagu's post about Alima Pure and decided to give it a go. I'm very glad I did! Thank you, girl! :)

Here is what I got this time from Alima:

 Natural light, contrast added

Note: Maya is golden olive, whereas Cedar is dusty green+gold.

 

Natural light, flash

Note: Maya is golden olive, whereas Cedar is dusty green+gold

Natural light

Free samples

Natural light, flash

Free samples

Not pictured: Foundation samples of Beige 2, Cool 2 and Neutral 2; Shimmer Bronze in Belize, Color Balancing Powder in Buttercup.

Shipping was 6 USD for International (check their new policy regarding orders from the EU). Quite reasonable, isn't it?

Ordered on 5.2 (Friday), order was shipped on 9.2, received on 15.2 (Monday). IMO it's quite fast!

My initial thoughts:

All samples come in clear little jars (tiny bit smaller than samples of Fyrinnae, or Sassy Minerals, and exactly the same size with aforementioned for foundation) with a cute birdy on the lid! Great pigmentation! Generous samples! Eye shadow, blush, balancing powder and shimmer bronze samples cost 1 USD,  foundation samples (these are packed FULL) 1,5 USD. 

All the wrapping is made of recycled paper (wanna mention the labels on free samples too). It's a big PLUS in my book. Honestly, I don't like all those bubble wraps, colourful paper, vinyl duct tape (!!! hate!!!), cellophane, etc. Such a waste!

I've already swatched all the products. I love them all! Such a wonderful shades! 12 points (Eurovision, anyone?) for me for making a perfect choice! lol

Here comes a "weird" story and a question from the title. I never pay attention to names of the makeup products, unless it contains "taboo words" for my liking, such as *evil (first letter D), *ell (*=H). One might find it weird, but I do find it completely normal. :) I'm a little bit superstitious with this kind of things (you know?), and I was raised in a pretty religious country. So, bear with me please! :) That's the reason I would never buy *evil Horns lip lustre from Fyrinnae. :/ In any other case, I care about the shade, not the name. 

That being said, I was really surprised I decided to buy an eyeshadow of an unusual colour (for my taste obviously) with a name Twilight (yep, I am a fun, I admit it lol). The weird thing is that I really liked how the colour looked on the "enlarge picture". But it was all about the name at first. I wouldn't notice this eyeshadow otherwise. Then I decided to get a complimenting colour for Twilight, i.e. Milan. And let me tell you - I wasn't disappointed! I LOVE the combo of these two. My picture just doesn't give them a justice. Check the website for colour description and don't forget to press "enlarge picture" there. 

Note: I saw a huge amount of products with Twilight name before, but they just didn't appeal to me.

I wore Twilight on the lead and Milan on the crease and outer V. It wasn't just my first time buying because of the name, but also my first time wearing what I call "true dramatic smokey eyes". That dusty violet undertone of Twilight really complements my eye colour. Too bad, we don't go partying very often. I wouldn't dare to wear this look during the day.

Pigmentation is pretty good. Colours look a little sheerer and lighter than in the jar.

Apricot blush (matte) and Belize Shimmer Bronze coordinate really well together. Especially when I wear my favourite Dior lip gloss in Orange Raffia and Fyrinnae lip lustre in Flavor Of The Day.

I bought Blond eyeshadow (matte) for eyebrows. Alima recommends this shade for blondes. Well, I'm blonde (not blonde-blonde, but wheat blonde), and I'd say this shade is too yellow and pale for me. It works as a blending shade with my Lumene pencil in Gray Brown though. I'll try darker colour next time.

I tried foundations several times. Worked pretty well. I should have ordered darker shade though (3 maybe?). Number 2 is a little bit too light. The coverage is medium, but buildable. I even managed to cover my blemishes. Yay! The only thing I don't like is that it kind of "sits on the surface of the skin". Gotta keep trying further. :/

Have yet to try Color Balancing Powder in Buttercup.

I want to try their lip glosses next time too. Any experience, thoughts?

Have you tried Alima? What are your thoughts? Any favourites?

Have you ever (not)bought a product just because of its name? Was it worth getting?

PS Alima Pure doesn't repackage!

BUK nail polishes. International Women's Day.

I had this post waiting for me in the draft section since January. The time has come! Finally. :)

BUK was the first brand of nail polish I tried back to 1994! And it is still on the market! At least on the Lithuanian market. The only visible difference I noticed over all these years - bottle shape. It has changed only once as far as I remember. The first bottles used to be "rounded squares", the latest (since around 2000) are as pictured below. Since 2008 (?) BUK changed its logo. Check Nr 16 (old version) and the rest (new appearance). 

Nr 16 is the only nail polish I had ever repurchased! Two times! This is my third bottle, and as you can see it's a little bit neglected. Can you guess why? lol

I honestly have no idea what's the origin of this brand. It says "Made in EU. Coop Bergerac NC France". Strangely enough it doesn't have any website. I used to think it's a Lithuanian brand because of the name. BUK (Būk) means "Be" in Lithuanian, but now I don't know what to think.

What's still the same: 

The good:

• HUGE range of colours and finishes (cremes, glitters, shimmers, glass flecks, etc). And it seems BUK constantly releases new collections (these collections are not specified though). I was very surprised to see holographic polishes back to 2008 when I wasn't yet that much into nail polishes.
• Price. These polishes are freaking cheap! They retail for around 0,5 - 0,7 EUR for 9 ml. Can you beat that? :)
• Pretty bottle, nice brush.
• Decent application. Some require more than 2 coats, some are opaque in just 1.

The bad:

• No list of ingredients. I guess these nail polishes are not Big 3 Free.
• They have a pretty strong nail polish scent. I really hope it's not highly toxic and dangerous. But for less than 1 euro, who knows?! 
• No names, just numbers! Why on Earth a brand with such a long history and such a huge variety of colours couldn't come up with names? Mystery! :)

So, here is my little collection of BUK. I bought 8 of these colours in summer 2009. Quite trendy colours for "no name" brand, what do you think?

  

From L to R: 112, 168, 169, 4C, 16

Natural light, flash

From L to R: 112, 168, 169, 4C, 16

Natural light

From L to R: 101, 189, 188, 191, 145

Natural light, flash

From L to R: 101, 189, 188, 191, 145

Natural light

Have you ever heard of this brand? The bottle shape looks like S-he nail polish from the first sight, but you can see the clear difference when you look closer. So, nope, it's not the same polish just under the different name.

PS I have NOTD pictures with some of these polishes. Will post some day. :)

Today is the International Women's Day. :)

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY! WISH YOU OCEAN OF LOVE, SMILES AND FLOWERS! *hugs*

 

A present from my friend. Thank you! :) I LOVE these flowers SO MUCH! :) *dreaming of an ocean of these flowers*

Share the love: Green

I'm continuing my "tradition" of non-beauty related posts for the weekends.

This time I present you green. I especially love warm green! Green grass, green leaves, bright sun and blue sky - what could be better? :)

 

Green beauty!

 

Can you see a green guy? :) I was really surprised to meet this little guy in London!

 

Green on green. :) A little guy from Barcelona. :)

 

Simply beautiful! :)

Hope you enjoyed! :)

To be continued! Stay tuned! :)

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND! :)