Cheeky Friday

I didn' t get around to doing an April Favourites but I still want to share with you two products I have been absolutely loving this month. One is a rather resent purchase and the other one I bought way back when I lived in Colorado.

The first product is part of the make up family, like I said, for quite a few months now and it is the Lancome Blush Subtile Palette in Rose Flush. 
It's a palette consisting of a contour powder, a blush and a highlighter. I have always loved this palette, since the powder is so fine, it feels like silk on your skin. But I have only ever really used the contour shade, which is perfect for paler skin by the way, and never payed much attention to the two other products. 

Well let me just tell you, I don't know how I have lived without this very blush. On ma face. All day, every day. It is the perfect shade of pink, leaving you looking healthy and fresh. 
It is a shimmery blush but the shimmer is so fine, your cheeks don't look glittery, they almost look wet. Dewy... This word. Put it on any product and I will most likely purchase it. Who doesn't wanna look dewy?! Yeah, that's what I thought. 

For a matte option I have been loving the Clarins Colour Accent Face & Blush Powder, which I believe was from a limited edition, but I was able to get my hands on very recently. It is a bronzer and blush duo and I especially like to use it to give my chubby face some shape. I don't exactly contour with it, instead I use a big fluffy brush and trace the rim of my face with it. 

This product is perfect in my book because of two things. It is a light bronzer for the paler people out there AND in combination with the blush it has a slightly reddish undertone, which is also a plus when you are pale.  


And some swatches: The first picture was taken in the middle of my room and the second picture near the window in daylight.  
 

Swatches: (rtl) Clarins all colours swirled together, Clarins blush colour, Clarins bronze shade in the very middle of the palette, Clarins darkest bronze colour and Lancome blush

Swatches in daylight: (rtl) Clarins all colours swirled together, Clarins blush colour, Clarins bronze shade in the very middle of the palette, Clarins darkest bronze colour and Lancome blush

What blushes have you been liking for the spring? I heard the Estée Lauder Gelée Blushes (LE) are supposed to be super nice but maybe, just maybe, the Lancome blush could be a dupe? Tell me what you think.


- Julia xxx


 

Shop My Stash

I am finally back at Uni, not living with my parents anymore but on my own in a tiny little dorm room not-so-near campus and that means: having access to the whole of my make up collection ... Amongst other things, like noisy neighbours or having to do my own laundry again, but it's all good!
So after two months of living out of a small make up bag, small for me, excessive for 'normal' people, I had a little look through my make up yesterday evening and 'discovered' a few items I have totally forgotten about. How exciting! (It's the little things in life people, don't judge me!)

Here we have them all. Aren't they beautiful. And on some of them I have even hit pan, which is even more exciting (oh gosh) and motivates me to use them up, put them in an 'Empties' blogpost, or even video (?) and throw them out. Nothing more satisfying than finishing make up products, am I right?

Ok, for the products we have:

L'Oreal True Match Foundation soft ivory n1 - And even two of them! Back when I lived in the USA for a few months I was obsessed with this foundation and because we don't have it in Germany (at least no that light of a shade), I panicked and bought two. Back home again, I just wasn't interested in it anymore. Story of my life.

NYX Blush Taupe - Great contour shade for fair skinned people like me. I really don't know what else to say about it, really. It's inexpensive (at least in the US) and it works. But ever since the Lancome subtile palette, I have stopped using it, because that's just a whole nother league. That being said, I will probably repurchase it.

Make Up Factory Matte Eyeshadow 08 - It's matte. It's brown. It's a nice contour- crease shade. But ain't nobody got time for single eyeshadows, anymore. I really find myself reaching for eyeshadow palettes these days. So the single eyesahdow needs to go. Nice quality, though. 

NYX EyeshadowTrio Nude/ Taupe/ Dark Brown - Back in the day when I started getting into make up, this was my very first eyeshadow- palette- love. And you know how they say you will always remember your first love. It's true ... at least with this trio. Muhahah. (I think the lack of sleep is getting to my head already?!) But seriously, these eyeshadows are amazing. Super pigmented, no fall out, very creamy. I only have nice things to say about it. I especially love the shimmery nude shade in the summer.

Maybelline Fit Me Pressed Powder 125 - Now that I have really dry skin, I don't want my powder to completely mattify my face but instead just setting my make up and leaving my skin look like skin, if that makes sense. I find that this powder really does the trick. You probably won't like it if you have oily skin and are looking for something to mattify your face. In that case I would recommend the Rimmel Stay Matte powder. 

Revlon Lip Butter Strawberry Shortcake/ Sugar Frosting - Since my lips are so dry because of the Roaccutane, these are the only lipsticks I can wear these days. These shades make me feel so summery and happy that I want to wear them more often.

Sleek Blush By 3 Lace - Again, think summer. I love oranges in summer. These can be quite scary, because they are so bright and pigmented. But I really wanna make them work. We'll see how that goes.

Benefit Blush Bella Bamba - Smells ah-mazing. And it is super shimmery. It's all about the shimmer this summer. And it's more wearable and easier to pull off, in my case anyway, than the Sleek blushes.

elf Shimmering Facial Whip Lilac Petal - Going with the shimmer theme: this! Supposedly a dupe for the Nars Copacabana highlighter. I wouldn't know. Besides the usual place where one would apply highlighter, I like to apply this as an eyeshadow. Looks super glossy on the lid. Gorgeous. and the pink really brings out the green in my eyes, which is always a plus. Be warned , though, it is a metallic-y colour.

left: Sugar Frosting / right: Strawberry Shortcake

It's quite fun shopping your own stash at home every now and again. And way more justifiable and easy on the wallet. What is a product that you recently re-discovered from your make up collection? I would be interested to know!


- Julia xxx

Dewy Light Spring Makeup

Now that we are slowly but surely (as it seems today) going into Spring, I tent to go more for a minimalistic and glowy make up look than in the winter. But since I do have acne, I still want everything to be (semi) covered up and I have found that there is one product out there, which covers up all my blemishes but still manages to look really effortless and like I am not wearing much makeup at all. And it is the infamous Maybelline Fit Me Concealer.

I like to mix my concealer (shade 15 - which is a little to reddish for me, but oh well I can make it work) with some of the Benefit High Beam Highlighter to make my face look dewy all over. I then apply it with a stippling brush so it doesn't go on too heavy.

I do have to fill in my brows, because they are real wonky and it just draws everything together and I apply some Mascara to make my eyes pop.

 If I am feeling fancy I like to apply some blush. But not any blush. The NYX blush in Mauve is my favourite for everyday wear, because it looks really natural and like my skin has been kissed by the sun. (What?) When you are really pale like me, than you can also use this blush as a bronzer because it is slightly brown and has a red undertone and that's exactly what I look like when I "tan". A little brown (less than a little) and a little red. And because the lipstick goes so well with the blush, I applied some p2 Via Medici, but on any other spring day, I will just be wearing lip balm, because I just can't be bothered. Aquaphor to be specific.