Maybelline lasting drama in 01 black and eggplant

I got these still in New York last year, so it is a rediscovery. I love love love the eggplant gel eyeliner, used it today as a base for the eyeshadows, amazing :-)

 

 

Maybelline Pure Powder

These are my favourite powders, they are fine and keep my skin matte for longer. I used to think that the finishing powder is not so important, but how wrong can you be. You get 16 g, cca 10 EUR Krudivat. 015 is a translucent one and 021 natural beige.

 

Wishlist - Maybelline Colour Tattoo eyeshadows

It's been a while since I really had any real craving for makeup (OK, maybe not so long...), but I am very curious about these new Maybelline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadows, that have been compared to MAC's paint pots...They sell for 7 USD in the States, wonder what the price would be here in Europe, if EVER they decide to launch them here...sigh. 10 shades, raving reviews...let's start praying for a miracle ;-)

 

Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in 02

My beloved new blush, it blends like a dream (ha!), it has perfect amount of wonderful pigmentation, feels weightless and leaves a lovely sheen on the skin. I bought it in Germany and unfortunately, it is still not on offer in Belgium. But should you see it anywhere, make sure you get it!

 

Maybelline SuperStay 24H Concealer

Concealers are mega important in your makeup routine, I believe that even if you skip anything else, the one thing you can do to look instantly better, refreshed and well-rested is to apply a good concealer. Now, I expect a good concealer to actually really CONCEAL the dark circles under my eyes, to stay all day, not to settle into the fine lines (OK, wrinkles)...I just want it all :-). I love my Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer and it is still my number one, however, I got curious about Maybelline SuperStay 24 H Concealer so I decided to buy it. It costs 9 EUR at Kruidvat, 7,5 ml, my shade is 2 light.

Pros: really strong pigmentation and you only need a tiny bit to conceal large areas, no smell, stays put all day, does not settle into the lines, price.
Cons: it dries quickly on the skin so you need to work quickly and you can definitely put too much on, no SPF
I still absolutely recommend it if you do not want to fork out 20 EUR for Estee Lauder Concealer!

Catrice gel eyeliner 010 Black Jack with Jack Black review

Ever since I fell in love with gel eyeliners, I am always looking for a new one that I could test and see how to measures up again my current favourite - Maybelline lasting drama gel eyeliner.

And oh boy, did I find one...This lovely packaged eyeliner costs 3,99 EUR, 4 g, 0.14oz. 010 Black Jack with Jack Black. Purchased at Kruidvat (Dinant).

The colour is highly pigmented and the consistency of the product is...well liquidy gel, that is the best that I can describe it. Once you apply it, it dries up on your eyelid and DOES NOT move, budge, smudge ALL DAY LONG. I was very impressed first time I tried it (admittingly, my expectation were not too high) but I am a convert after I have tested it for days at work and in the evening.

What I love about this gel eyeliner in particular (apart from the perfect design and low price) is the fact that it stays where you place it, it does not smudge onto the lid, effectively ruining your makeup. To prevent that from happening with a Maybelline gel eyeliner, I put black eyeshadow over the eyeliner to settle it (this happens because I put it in a thick line, that is how I like it).

Hence, I highly recommend this product, if you see it - grab it, love it, wear it! Maybelling lasting drama costs up to 15 EUR in Belgium depending on where you buy it (Inno Galeria definitely the most expensive option) - in Aachen it costs 9 !! EUR...and they have a brown and blue variety. Life is not fair :-)

Bronzers - Essence Sun Club shimmer, Maybelline Terre Indienne

Being tanned used to be so popular that people were throwing themselves into sunbeds, effectively damaging their skin. No need for this when you have a bronzer in your makeup bag :-)

Choosing the correct shade is of extreme importance with bronzers, as any darker shade will make your face look dirty or shock and horror - yellow!

You can also use bronzers to contour your face or to warm up the neck or the cleavage. Place the bronzer where the sun would naturally hit - the cheekbones, chin and nose and blend well!

I am using Essence sun club all over shimmer for eyes, face and body (cca 5 EUR) for blondes (lighter skin), 8 g, in 01 ibiza sun (which I believe to be a dupe of Bobbi Brown shimmer brick) and Maybelline Terre Indienne poudre for teint clair (a little mirror included). I think this one costs around 10 EUR.

I really like both of them, but for different reasons. Essence one for its strong pigmentation, the smell and versatile use. Maybelline Terre Indienne blends perfectly into your skin, it was a lovely shimmery, glowy effect on your skin and it still manages to look very naturally. I will definitely repurchase these products!

Bottom swatch: Essence, top swatch: Maybelline

Powder blushes

Today is all about cheeks! I blame the sunny weather for that :-). So, here blushes that I use, and consider that a huge collection, because up until recently I did not think I would ever even apply it on my face.

The two blushes on the left are both Maybelline: , the top one is expert wear in 53 sweetheart rose, the messy one on the bottom is affinitone in 57 peach. Now, I am not really happy with neither of them. Both colours are very sheer, with low pigmentation. In fact, you have to build 3-4 layers of no. 53 to even notice anything on your skin, hence the protruding hole...I dropped No. 57 accidently, and I have not been able to fix it properly with rubbing alcohol. I think I paid around 10 EUR for each of them, which is a lot, if they do not perform all that well...I will not repurchase them.

The right top blush is in fact an eyeshadow, by Réserve Naturelle, no. 9. I simply found it too red to be applied on my eyes and it was only 1 EUR :-) It has a certain chalkiness, so you have been warned.

My favourite blush is my recent addition: Catrice multi-colour rouge 010 Riviera rose. It not a flat colour as it contains certain shimmery particles and you can build it however your need, from light to darker. It was cheap, around 5 EUR, and I got it at Kruidvat.

Rae Morris, a makeup artist, recommends NOT to smile when you apply blush, and you can easily see why, just notice the difference where the blush ends up when you do!

If you hesitate which colour to buy, go bulk and buy a 28 blush palette and you will have them all :-)

Gel eyeliners review

I am crazy about gel eyeliners so imagine my excitement when I discovered they were finally available at Di and Kruidvat (Maybelline Lasting Drama). This afforable product (cca 12.99 EUR) does not fade out during the day and the colour payoff is amazing. The gel in the container has not dried up for months. The fact that is it packed together with a flat bristle dome-shaped brush makes is a perfect starter combo.

I bought a plum version in New York, I do not think it is on offer in Europe yet. :-(

L'Oreal HIP (high intensity pigments) - I bought it in blue and I am happy to report that the pigmentation is indeed rich and the colour does not botch all day long (available at http://www.allcosmeticswholesale.com/).

ESSENCE gel eyeliner in grey (Denim Wanted line)- locally available (Kruidvat), very cheap (4 EUR). The colour is long-lasting, it has nice metallic sheen to it. Unfortunately, mine dried up within days after I opened it and it is difficult to transfer it to my eyelids.

Final tip: to remove eyeliner from the brush, it is best to use two phase (normally for waterproof makeup) makeup remover soaked in a cotton pad.