All posts tagged: make up

Winter Bases

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Also known as “The One That Was Supposed To Be Called Summer Bases But Evolved Into Winter Foundations” ( somehow I hardly wore any bases between May and October). Foundations and coverage have found their way back into  my make up stash, and these 4 bases have been tried and tested these last few months. Spoiler alert, there were 2 absolute winners, one that was just so-so, and one that turned out to be a complete no-no. First up, I went straight fo the Shiseido Waso Colour Smart Day Moisturizer. After originally dismissing this little tube as not being moisturizing enough for my Sahara dry skin,  I dug it back out a month or two ago and reintroduced it into my routine, but with a little twist. Instead of just going by its moisturizing mismatch with my skin, I started layering it over my Sukin Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin as a base, a little cover-up operation without having to go for a heavy hitter foundation or a glitter-ball, all too quick at disappearing BB/CC Cream, …

Friday Beauty

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Also known as back to basics. Some days you just wake up, jumping for joy at the idea of doing a three or four shadow look, foundation, concealer, eyeliner, the whole shebang. Today is not that kind of day! Today, less is more rules the roost! My skin is in tip top shape, my under eye area is neither blue nor baggy for the first time in God knows when, and I am just loving that ‘no make up’ make up freshness at the moment. Today I took that even further, and took Casual Friday to another level, and streamlined my beauty essentials to the bare minimum. Not pictured, but a firm fixture is my favourites in the Givenchy Teint Couture Balm. I’ve raved and raved and ravved about this one before, so I won’t go into details, but I’m on tube nr 3 (tube nr 4 has already been bought…), and it’s been used so much the lettering has faded from the packaging…. Givenchy and my daily make up stash have found each oher …

Bourjois Rouge Velvet The Lipstick

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It’s Friday, I’m in love! What better way to start the weekend than a kick-ass lipstick and an overflow of shades to choose from? A girl has to have options, right? Bourjois understands that like no other, and launched their Rouge Velvet The Lipstick Collection late last year. A mouth-watering series of 12 matte lipsticks promising to be intensely pigmented and long-wearing, a touch of French glamour and va va voom. Oh la la…. The Rouge Velvet The Lipstick is not the first lipstick collection I’ve tried from Bourjois, and they’ve  proven themselves to be a premium drugstore brand with their previous lippie launches. Their attention to detail sets them aside from their competitors, with the lipstick bullet shaped for precision application and the casing of the lipstick matching the shade inside. Now all that could just be unnecessary extra’s if the lipsticks themselves turn out to be a dud, so I put the 6 shades that I have at home through the ringer over the holidays, and to be honest, I was suitably impressed! The …

Sometimes, a red lip is all you need

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No really, hear me out! As much as we like to do a full on 3-colour eyeshadow look, wing that liner into oblivion or bake ourselves in bronzer, sometimes, a clean red lip really is all you need. Paired with a flick of the right mascara and a little touch of a transparant powder, less really is more. French chic, quoi?! Over the last few weeks some Make Up For Ever bits and bobs have snuck into my daily make up bag, and even though some items are loved more than the other, they all uphold to that sacred standard of quality above all (#personalpreferencesatplay). Finally available in Belgium, I could not contain my curiosity (Curious George – the beauty edition) and started playing around with some of their classics. I start of with a little dusting of the Ultra HD Microfinish Loose Powder, and if it’s good enough for red carpets and HD movie close ups, it’s more than good enough for my day filled to the brim with pitches and meetings! This ultra-finely milled silica …

Givenchy Noir Couture

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A mascara? I can see you sitting there, reading this, saying to yourself “what can be said about a mascara?” A whole lot, if you believe the world wide beauty web out there! Mascara is one of those beauty items that ignites one discussion after another (drugstore vs high end, black vs brown, mascara vs lash tinting and so on), but also seems to be the prime beauty bit that is always evolving and infinitely improvable. A new wand, improved formula, an intenser black, curlier curl or a  bolder result than ever before. Like the perfect little black dress, the perfect mascara needs to work for you on all fronts. It needs to be the perfect shade to complement your eyes, sublimate you lashes with what they may lack and boost their strong suits. In my case that would be emphasize their length but add that much wanted vertiginous curl… So when Givenchy’s Noir Couture 4 in 1 landed on my desk, I was, as always, intrigued and ready to rip into it. First thing …

Monday Make Up

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Another weekend has come and gone, and what lies ahead is a week filled with boring meetings, tight deadlines, excel sheets, mails and numbers. The weekend flew by, and to say that it was a busy one, is a major understatement. Two birthday parties, a bbq, friends, family, a battalion of toddlers and maybe a glass of bubbles too many… My face is showing on the outside how I feel on the inside (hint: not that fabulous…), so I popped out a few helpers to make me look half decent. The Sisley Sisleÿa Le Teint Foundation in 0R Vanilla needs no explanation (just check the archives for an astonishing amount of love for this brand and it’s foundations…). Many have tried, but never succeeded as the Sisley foundations continue to reign supreme in my collection. A soft touch of the Sothys Radiance Blush in Nuit Orangée as the perfect pick-me-up shade, but as this soft, satinesque powder is heavily pigmnted, I have to go in with a gentle hand. The eyes have it, but not too …

A Little Spring Wishing

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Aka my weekend shopping list…. Spring is in the air, and I feel like shedding those dark winter tones and step into the blush and camel hints of those rays of that perfect soft first Summer light. The perfect shirt dress accompanied by the ultimate pair of high heeled sandals, a classic pair of glasses with a twist, a swish of powdery sunshine on my cheeks and a hint of coral to mak my lips pop. A few finishing touches in  the form of a sleek bag and stunning delicate earrings, and I am ready to fully savour that first Spring lunch al fresco, ginger ale in hand and the sunshine on my face! Rue Blanche Shirt Dress / Bobbi Brown Art Stick Liquid Lip in Papaya / Chloè Glasses / Giorgio Armani Beauty Life Is A Cruise Sunrise Palette / Dcember Zoé Crossbody Bag / Scapa Sandals / Dinh Van Pulse Earrings / Schweppes Ginger Ale      

Testing Testing

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Not all that comes in, makes it onto the blog. Mainly because t didn’t work for me, wasn’t suitable for my skin or simply because I only have one face, and rather test certain things thoroughly than go for a new product every week. These products have been tried and tested over the last few months, and most of them have been added to my cabinet or routine without much fanfare or mention on this blog, but I still wanted to shine a light on them. The Origins Gin-Zing Energy Boosting Moisture does exactly what it says, it moisturizes and boosts. My Sahara skin needs more when the temperatues drop, but  this might be the perfect summer moisturiser. However, when combined with the Collistar Hyaluronic Acid Drops and Avène Hydrance Hydrating Serum, it becomes (for a while) a different story. The hydration levels go through the roof at first, and keep my skin going until well in the afternoon. However, having to top it up late afternoon is what’s stopping me from going full on …

Lippie Friday

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Friday Lipday! I’m all in! What better way to start that final countdown to the weekend or liven up that final day at work than a bright lippie, and I am more than happy to oblige. Two days ago we celebrated International’s Women’s Day, and both this year’s motto “Be Bold For Change” as this article by Sali Hughes inspired me to break out my favourite reds again. ” Red lipstick is a kiss to womankind” – Sali Hughes First up, and my utter favourite by a landslide: the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl. It’s praises have been sung by countles beauty afficionada’s, and there really is no other like it. Vibrant and intensely pigmented with the most beautiful perfect deep red, this stunner offers that perfect balance between grace, elegance, strength and attitude! Up next, and gracing my lips today is the MAC Viva Glam I. A slightly darker blue-ish red. A touch darker than Ruby Woo, but texture-wise the same, and holding power is also equal. I find that I …

Soft Eyes

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After a good few months of rocking a strong lip, I’ve slowly been venturing back into the world of eyeshadows. Electric blues and gold glitters still scare the bejesus out of me, but slowly but surely those soft taupe, sand and copper tones are popping up more and more in my daily make up look. Bourjois takes me straight back to my late teens, when I first started wearing make up behind my mum’s back and would sneak into my local beauty hall to buy their rond pots with my allowance. Fifteen years later, we seem to have come full circle. Last summer they released their Nude Remix combinations, and the golden sand that I first bought all those years ago made it’s way into my collection once more (Oh the memories!). Extra-ordinaire, combined with a touch of brown courtesy of Extra-vertie, is the perfect daytime combo of a nude golden hue with an added darker shade for extra depth. The days that I want to go for a bit more oomph, I’ll whip out …