The Balm - Meet Matt(e) Nude!

 

Guilty pleasure - creamy consistency, amazing payoff, lovely colours, who could say no to Matt Nude? ;-) Di, 35 Euro.

La Roche Posay goodies from IU

 

Effaclar puryfying foaming gel for oily sensitive skin - simly amazing, leaves your skin clean, completely removes make up (125 ml). As a gift, I got Effaclar Duo, corresctive and unclogging antiimperfection care (40 ml), powerful, so you need to be careful not to overuse it, as my skin got dry after using it. Absolutely adore Physiological micellar sollution (400 ml), it removes last traces of makeup beautifully, gently and effortlessly, I will be definitely buying more of this! And last, Physiological eye makeup remover, I have not tried it yet, but hopes are high :-)

Urban Decay Vice 2 palette

Urban Decay Vice 2 palette caught my attention straight away, 20 vibrant, super-pigmented eyeshadows with the most amazing colours, what is there not to love? ;-) 48 EUR, Sephora, France. Plus a double-ended brush (not particularly useful and a huge mirror, compact, travel size, in other words, PERFECTION for the winter time).

 

 

Maybelline The falsies Big Eyes mascara

Being vulnerable to marketing is only one my weaknesses ;-). Ever since I saw the commercial for the new Maybelline The falsies big eyes mascara, I was determined to get it. I love the idea of the double ended wand, one for the upper lashes and the other end for lower lashes. When I have tested, I will share my experience, in the meantime, some quick photos.

 

 

 

New MAC store at Rue Neuve

Just a quick info about the new MAC store being opened at Rue Neuve (right opposite to Inno entrance, I think it used to be 123 store). It's nice to have another store to stop by when shopping on a rainy Saturday ;-).

The Balm cosmetics at Di

What a huge surprise today! I can't quite phantom how it happened, but Di drugstore in Woluwe Shopping Center has put on display the Balm cosmetics stand (I always wanted to try Meet Matte Nude and Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter...). Which is lovely, but I don't see many girls spending 39 EUR on a palette in a drugstore, as the Balm is definitely higher end cosmetics, confortably being the most expensive brand in Di. Anyway, I love the fact that now it is readily available up for grabs ;-)

Benefit Hello flawless! oxygen wow foudation

Sephora is being missed here in Brussels, badly, some makeup addicts might say ;-). Holidays in France were a bless in many ways, not in the least because Nice sports at least 3 Sephoras, I had plenty of time to be trying things out ;-). I would describe the feeling as Alice in wonderland ;-) (the whole NAKED range by Urban Decay, Too faced Sephora 15 years palettes...)

Anyway, I wanted to get another Benefit product, as I absolutely love their Erase paste. So, I went for the Hello flawless! oxygen wow foundation, as it evened out and calmed my hot complexion under the Provencales skies. The consistency is rather runny and so the coverage amounts to sheet to medium. It feels very light on the skin and it does not last the whole day (but then, who wears the foundation the whole day).

Currently, I am testing the foundation to see how it holds during the day in Brussels, where it is still nice and sunny, yeey ;-) In the meantime, you can consult the video below for more info:
youtube:

Caudalie peeling and travel kit

Caudalie peeling is simply the best gommage I have ever tried and as such, I did not hesitate to repurchase it again (in a pharmacy in Nice, for some reason they sold everything about 30 % cheaper, Nice CAP 3000, I paid 15 EUR, normal price around 20 EUR).

Also, I wanted to try more Caudalie products (I had divine peeling, and it was just that DIVINE, the smell is amazing), so I got a travel kit with micelar water, moisturizer, divine oil and a shower gel. I love all of them, but perhaps the divine oil stands out (for my sun damaged hair). I am now very keen on expanding my experience with Caudalie and possibly even go to Bordeaux, where the beauty grows (founded by Mathilde Thomas). What a fantastic way to combine the hobbies ;-).

You can buy Caudalie product in all pharmacies, in IU shops or online via Online pharma box. 

The Body Shop sale goodies

The best way to get rid of the temptation is to yield to, I know my classics ;-), hence a short stop at the lovely smelling Body Shop. The body butter, makeup remover - very good, btw, body, face and hair oil, aaaa, you are spoiled for choice ;-)

Probably the most efficient nail polish remover - Essence studio nails better than gel nails

Honestly, I have not come across a better nail polish removed than this, it is fast and efficient, it removed my red varnishes like they have never been there...what a joy, plus it is dirt cheap, yes, there is aceton, but it is perfect for my toe nails, no hassle ;-)

Latest MAC additions - Mineralized skin finish and Select moisturecover

For my birthday, I got a gift card to MAC - my friends know how to make me happy ;-)
So I got Mineralized Skinfinnish Natural in light (a super fine yet compact face powder) and MSF Lightscapade (as a highlighter) - honestly, I just fell in love with its sheen and light texture. To complete the haul, I got Select moisturecover, the MAC lady said it was not going to settle in my fine lines (ha, we will see about that ;-)). Very happy with my purchase and once again, thank you Ursa and Klaudija ;-).

 

MaxFactor goodies

My sister sent me a lovely package consisting of MaxFactor cosmetics - Colour Elixir Giant Pen stick (amazing, feels great on the lips and has a soft matte finish with a subtle glow), Glossfinity nail polish in no 70 cute coral and a 2000 calorie mascara. And as a bonus a glass nail filer, excellent for keeping my nails in shape ;-)

Inno purchases

During the 4 crazy days of sales in Inno, I bought my second bottle of Revlon Colour stay foundation, Benefit's Erase paste (excellent but expensive beyond belief - and it's never on sale, but I have wanted to try it for a long time) and Eyelure party lashes.

 

UI shopping

Part re-stocking, part trying new things. This is my third tube of Redermic-R, I love to use it as a night cream. Antihelios by La Roche-Posay is my favourite sun screen and this one has a dry finish, if you have oily skin, you will appreciate it a lot!
Caudalie is amazing, I absolutely adore their face peeling and this body peeling is simply - as it is called - divine! It has a lovely smell and leave a slight oily finish on the skin.
I also got two free samles ROC retinol (very nice smooth texture) and Eucerine eye makeup remover - it's ok, but nothing to write home about. ;-)

Blow hairdressing

Today I just would like to share a link I found on another blog, as Toni&Guy is my preferred hairdressers for highlights. Blow hairdressing is located near Merode and is open on Sunday, yey!
http://bestofbrusselsblog.com/2012/10/17/blow-hairdressing/
10 Rue Charles Degroux, 1040 Etterbeek
Tel: +32 2 734 08 00
Open: Tuesday & Wednesday, 11am-7pm, Thursday & Friday, 11am-8pm, Saturday 9:30am-6:30pm, Sunday by appointment (closed Monday)

L'Oreal Mythic Oil

Continuing the latest obsession with oils, my sister highly recommends L'Oreal's (professional) mythic oil to nourish your hair. Retail price 15 EUR, available via the Internet.

Enriched with a special blend of avocado and grape seed oil, this lightweight oil cares and pampers all hair types. Nourishing even the finest hair, the formula leaves hair looking shiny, feeling nourished and supple.

Nashi argan - for hair

The benefits of argan oil are widely known and heavily promoted (just pop in to your local Di store and you will what I mean) so it will not come as a surprise that I decided to try its beautifying properties on myself :-). I got Nashi argan hydrating hair mask at the hairdresser's but there are plenty of products with argan oil available all around so feel free to share your experience, recommendations. Yes, it is amazing, it soften the hair, making it shinier...you know the rest ;-). I have been buying sweet almond oil, castor oil, coconut oil so argan oil is just the next logical step ;-).

 

Caudalie - deep cleansing exfoliator

It was due to lack of time that I bought this gem: Caudalie peeling for skin, having run out of my usual product. The brand Caudalie was not on my beauty radar but I am a huge fan. It is not cheap (19 EUR) and is only available in pharmacies, but if you have oily skin and are looking for an excellent physical exfoliant, do try this. All is based on the benefits of wine and grapes, with roots in Bordeaux. I use it more often than the recommended 1-2 a week, but my skin can take it. Love.

Naked 2 palette

Probably I am the last person on the planet to get Naked 2 palette, but let me tell you that it is amazing, an excellent choice, if you have the first one, you will enjoy this one all the more. I love combining the shadows from the two palettes. I got it from France, Sephora, 40,50 EUR via a friend, otherwise 45 EUR. I believe Ryanair sells these for 35 EUR.
As this palette has been described and reviewed ad nauseum, I still stick to the pictures only ;-)

 

M.A.C makeup - part two

After having been made-up by the M.A.C makeup artist, I decided to buy Studio Fix concealer in NC 15 (rather thick, excellent coverage), an eyeshadow club satin and an eyebrow pencil strawberry blond. I paid around 50 Euro for all three.

NAKED palette after two years

In two years, I hit the pan on the following shades: virgin, naked, sidecar, half baked, smog, dark horse, hustle, gunmental. 8 out of 11, not too bad ;-) I am currently really into getting NAKED 2, Ryanair, here I come ;-)

 

Nail crisis

My nails are unfailingly lettting me know that they are not happy, so, I decided to try to beef them up both on the inside and  the outside. Here is the current status and the attempted combat plan:

 

 

Paul & Joe Beaute in Brussels

Casually strolling through the streets of Brussels, I came across Paul & Joe cosmetics, available in marianne gray, Rue de Chapelliers. Their cute retro design and an excellent word of mouth makes me very curious...

 

M.A.C. Paint Pot - Painterly

Taking a leap of faith never felt better :-) A quick stop in M.A.C stored at Woluwe shopping and I got two things, the famous M.A.C paint pot, 19 EUR, 5g (essentially an eyeshadow base) in painterly and an appointment for a 30 min makeup session, 35 EUR (after the session, you leave with products worth 35 EUR). Cool!

 

 

Bourjois Fan-Tastic volume mascara

The packaging is cool!

Catrice Neo Geisha limited edition

Absolute Eye Colour

Kohl Kajal

Patch Eye Liners

Lip and Cheek Colour

Lip Brush

Ultimate Nail Lacquer