Tanja Loves Makeup

Favorites: Happy 2012 and 2011 favorites!!

2012-01-05T00:00:00.001+01:00

Hello everyone!!

First of all, happy new year to all of you! Hope you had a great holiday season and that you'll have an amazing 2012!

Secondly, I apologize for being MIA for soooo long (again)... Since I never posted October, November or December favorites, I decided to just go ahead and put my favorite products from 2011 all in one post.

I've devided these products into different categories and tried to pick one or two favorites for each product. For some products I've chosen a specific shade or colour, for others I didn't. Since my list got pretty long, I'll get right in to it!

I wanted to take pictures of all the products, but I can't find the charger for my camera, so I provided a link for each product so you can have a look at it.

Face:
- Face wash: L'Oreal Perfect Clean wash gels (360 Go Clean wash in the US)
- Face mask: LUSH fresh face masks
- Makeup remover: The Balm Balms Away & Carrefour Discount face wipes
- Toner: LUSH Tea Tree Water
- Moisturizer: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizer Gel
- Foundation: Revlon Colorstay & Catrice Photofinish liquid foundation
- Concealer: MAC Studio Finish Concealer (mixed with Stobe Cream for under eye area)
- Powder: MAC Blot Powder & MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural
- Powder blush: MAC Stunner & MAC Dame
- Cream blush: NYX Rouge Cream Blushes, especially Rose Petal
- Powder Highlighter: MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in Lightscapade
- Cream Highloghter: ELF Shimmering Facial Whip
- Bronzer: Rimmel Natural Bronzer in 021 Sun Light & Benefit Boxed Powder in Hoola
- Eyebrow pencil: Catrice Eye Brow Stylist
- Eyebrow powder: MAC Eyeshadow in Brun & Catrice Eyebrow Set
- Eyebrow gel: ELF Lash and brow clear mascara

Eyes:
-¨Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion & MAC Paint Pots
- Single eyeshadow: MAC Mineralized Eyeshadow in Rare Find
- Eyeshadow palette: Urban Decay Naked Palette & Chanel Les Perles de Chanel
- Pencil eyeliner: Urban Decay 24/7 glide-on eye pencils
- Liquid eyeliner: L'Oreal Lineur Intense & MAC Superslick eyeliner
- Gel eyeliner: Catrice Gel Eye Liner & MAC Fluidlines
- Mascara: Max Factor False Lash Effect
- False Lashes: Red Cherry Lashes

Lips:
- Lip balm: Smith's Rosebud Salve
- Lip liner: NYX Slim Lip Pencil
- Lipstick: NYX Round Lipstick
- Lipgloss: NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss

Nails:
- Base coat: Orly Bonder
- Nail polish: Butter London, especially The Dark Knight & CND Shellac
- Top coat: Seche Vite
- Nail Polish Remover: Carrefour Discount nail polish remover
- Hand lotion: The Body Shop Almond Oil Daily Hand & Nail Cream & LUSH Lemony Flutter

Body:
- Shower gel: The Body Shop Coconut Shower cream
- Body Lotion: The Body Shop Body Butters (Coconut, mmm...) & Vaseline Deep Conditioning Cocoa Butter Body Lotion
- Deodorant: Garnier Mineral Ultra Dry deodorant
- Perfume: Diesel Loverdose

Hair:
- Shampoo: Bonacure Hairtherapy Hair and Scalp
- Hair mask: Garnier Fructis Nutri repair mask
- Styling products: Matrix Vavoom Gold Heat Iron In Control & Nivea Root Lifter
- Styling tools: GHD Classic Styler & Babyliss Rotating brush
- Hair spray: L'Oreal Elnett
- Hair colour: L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss

And that's all of them! What were your favorite products in 2011?

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to let me know in the comments!

Thank you for reading :)

x
Tanja

Basics: An eye chart / diagram

2011-11-06T22:49:00.000+01:00

Hello!

Today we're going back to basics! When I make an EOTD and explain where I put which colour, I assume most of you know where your crease, waterline, outer corner or brow bone is. I decided to make a little eye chart to show the different parts of the eye and explain the different areas.

Yes, you're allowed to laugh at this colourful mess :) I suck at using editing programs lol.

Light pink - Brow bone: This is the brow bone area. Usually light colours are used here to highlight the brow bone and make it stand out more. I personally prefer matte highlight colours here, but you could use shimmery ones just as well.

Red - Crease: The is the crease. The crease is were most people's eyelid kind of folds. If you touch this area with your finger, you can feel where the brow bone stops and your eye ball starts. Darker colours are used in the crease to define the eye. Or you could use a lighter colour to blend out the colour on the lid for a smooth transition.

Orange - Lid: This is the lid of the eye. It's the skin that covers your eye ball and moves when you blink. You can keep the lid light to make your eyes appear bigger, or go for a darker colour for a more sultry lid.

Yellow - Inner corner: The inner corner is often highlighted, like the brow bone, to make it pop. I like using pale shimmery colours here that will really open up the eye and make it look more awake.

Purple - Outer corner/outer V: The outer corner or outer V (referring to the horizontal V-like shape) is usually where dark colours are used to give the eye more depth. Darker colours on the outside of the eye give the eye a lift.

Black - Upper lashline: Usually the upper lashline is lined with black or brown. You can use pencils, eyeliners or eyeshadows for this. A smudged out dark colour along the lashes will make them look a lot fuller.

Blue - Bottom / lower lash line: I personally don't put eyeshadow on the lower lash line on a daily basis. I will put the same colour I used on in the crease or outer corner along the lower lashes when I'm doing a darker look. Sometimes I like to use a completely different colour for a more interesting look.

Green - Waterline: The waterline is the skin that is in between the lashes and the eye. For a very dark smokey eye, I like to use a black eyeliner, but usually I don't put anything on the waterline. To make your eyes look bigger, you can use a white or cream coloured pencil.

And that's it! I know there are different ways to name the parts or the eye but these are the names I use to explain where I used which colour.
I also know most of you don't need an eye chart to know what I'm talking about, but even if it only helped 1 person out there, I'm happy :)

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the comments!

Up next: October favorites!

x
Tanja

EOTD/swatches: Green and red look with the Sleek PPQ Me, Myself & Eye palette

2011-10-23T18:29:00.001+02:00

Hiya!

It's time for another EOTD! This time I used the PPQ, Me, Myself & Eye palette from Sleek (can you tell I love Sleek palettes?)

Swatches of the first row (over MAC Face and Body N2):

Swatches of the second row:

And here's the look I came up with!

Products used:

- MAC Vanilla: applied with a flat shader brush as a brow bone highlight.

- Sleek Supernova: to fill in my brows softly with an angled brush.

- Sleek Golden Silvers: as an inner corner highlight, applied with a pencil brush.

- Sleek Chris The Burgundy: on the lower lash line, slightly winged out, applied with a pencil brush.

- Sleek Blue Monday: applied all over the upper lid with a flat shader brush.

- Sleek Primal Green: used in the crease with a blending brush.

- Sleek Black Box: applied with a pencil brush in the outer corner and smudged along the lash line.

- MAC Blacktrack fluidline: used on the top and bottom water line with an angled brush.

- Max Factor False Lash Effect: couple coats of mascara on the top lashes, one coat on the bottom lashes.

- Ardell Demi Wispies: I added lashes with Duo lash adhesive.

I didn't know which colours to use when I started doing this look, but I like how it turned out! I like how the red on the bottom brings out my green eyes. I think this is a really nice way to make red eyeshadow wearable.

I bought this palette from Boozyshop but it's sold out there. It is still available on the Sleek makeup website for £6.49 or €9.

Hope you like it and thank you for stopping by!

Up next: different parts of the eye - an eye chart.

x
Tanja

Haul: MAC Posh Paradise collection + swatches!

2011-10-19T21:36:00.000+02:00

Hello!!

Source: Temptalia

About a week ago, the Posh Paradise collection launched in Belgium. It arrived earlier than expected and as soon as I heard, I ran to the nearest MAC store. The main reason I was looking forward to this collection was because of the paint pots. I love paint pots! I like using them as a base or just on their own, or the dark colours as liners.

I picked up all of them except for Treasure Hunt, which is the gold one. It's pretty but I rarely go for gold so I skipped it.

On to the pictures and swatches. I know the pictures of the pots are kind of dark but there's a link to better pictures at the end! The swatches are pretty colour accurate.

Nubile: Light peachy nude

Treasure Hunt: Reflects antique gold

Half-Wild: Mid-tone pruple

Idyllic: Mid-tone copper bronze

Hyperviolet: Deep violet

Imaginary: Blackened navy

Pure Creation: Mid-tone frosty blue

I love these! I'll definitly do a look with some of these soon! Here's a link to Temptalia's post with better pictures.
Did you pick up any of these paint pots? How do you use paint pots?

Thank you for reading!

Up next: EOTD with Sleek's PPQ Me, Myself and Eye palette!

x
Tanja

EOTD/Tutorial/Swatches: Sleek Au Naturel eye shadow palette (from the Nude collection)

2011-10-17T19:19:00.000+02:00

Hey everyone!

Today I have another EOTD for you with step by step pictures, but first I'm going to start off with pictures and swatches of the Au Naturel palette from Sleek. This palette came out with the Nude collection. It has a good selection of neutral colours, great for light daytime looks or darker looks for a night out. Three of the colours have a frost finish, one has a more satin finish, the others are matte.

Here are some pictures of the palette.

The colours swatched over concealer (MAC Select Cover-up in NW20)

On to the tutorial!

I started of by priming my eye with MAC Paint Pot in Nubile (this came out recently with the Posh Paradise collection, swatches coming soon!)
I filled in my brow mixing Nubuck and Bark and used Nougat with a flat shader brush as a brow bone highlight.

Next, I applied Taupe all over the lid and in the inner corner with a flat shader brush.

To define the crease and add some shading, I mixed Cappuccino and Bark and applied in the crease with a blending brush. Then I darkened up the crease and defined it even more using a crease brush with Mineral earth right in the crease and outer corner.

With the same crease brush, I used Noir in the outer corner.

On the bottom lash line I applied Conker with a pencil brush. On the bottom waterline I used a skin coloured eyeliner (Isa Dora Inliner Kajal in 56 Blonde).

I added MAC's Blacktrack fluidline to the top lash line.

Then applied mascara, Max Factor False Lash Effect, to the top and bottom lashes.

You could leave it like this, but I wanted to add some extra drama so I applied Ardell's Demi Wispies.

And that's how I created this look. I hope you like it!
If you want to know more about the brushes I use and which are my favorites, click here.

I purchased this palette from Boozyshop for €8.50. You can also order it from the Sleek website for €9 or £6.49

Thanks for stopping by!

Up next: MAC Posh Paradise haul;

x
Tanja

Review: CND Shellac + my first experience with a professional nail stylist.

2011-10-14T17:46:00.000+02:00

Hey hey!

Two weeks ago I decide to give Shellac a try and get my nails done professionally. I’ve been doing my own nails for years and I love nail polish. If I could I would have my nails painted 24/7, but because I swim 3 times a week and I sometimes work as a barmaid, my nail polish always starts chipping and peeling off after a swim or a day of work. I wanted to see how Shellac would hold up against the water.

What is Shellac?
"14-day wear. Mirror finish. Zero dry time. No nail damage. Shellac is a breakthrough, patent-pending UV3 technology that combines the ease of polish with the permanence of gels. No other products in the market can stand up to the claim – on like polish, wears like gel, off in minutes." (Source: Shellac FAQ) Sounds promising right? If you want to know more, go to the CND website or click here to watch CND's introduction video on Shellac.

When I got my nails a little longer and all about the same length, I booked an appointment at my local nail salon. Unfortunately, by day of the appointment, I had broken 3 nails. This is another reason why I wanted to try Shellac. I was hoping the extra layers on my nails would make them a little stronger and less prone to breaking or peeling.

My experience with a professional nail stylist + Shellac application:
When I arrived at the nail salon, I was the only one there, no other stylists or clients. The woman who did my nails seemed nice but a little preoccupied. I sat down at the manicure table and she offered me something to drink. She also gave me a nail wheel with swatches of the Shellac colours she had. I wanted to go with a darker colour and I like purple, so I went for Rock Royalty. The nail stylist made some phone calls while I was deciding what colour to choose, then sat opposite me. There were 2 UV lamps on the table in front of me to cure the Shellac but they also served as wrist supports, which I actually didn't find very comfortable. They also were starting to get really warm towards the end of the manicure.

First, she took of the layer of clear strengthening polish I had on my nails. Next she started to file my nails. I told myself in advance to just let the professional do her job and not ask any questions. I’m quite a perfectionist when it comes to my nails (or makeup, or hair) and when I do my own nails, I want them to look as perfect as possible. I had filed my nails down to the shape I wanted them to be right before going to the nail salon. I like my nails to be quite squared off with slightly rounded edge. If you want to see what my nails look like when they’re a little longer, click here. Keep in mind that my nails were a lot shorter at the time of the Shellac manicure.

Anyway, she started filing my nails. This was the first thing she did that I wasn’t too happy about. First of all, she didn’t ask what kind of shape I wanted my nails to be. This might not bother other people, but it did bother me. You don’t want a hairdresser to just start cutting your hair without asking what kind of style you want either, right? If I ever get my nails done again, I’ll be sure to tell them what I want my nails to look like in case they don’t ask. But I was just going to let her do her her thing so I didn't say anything. The next day some of my fingertips hurt (you know that feeling when you cut or filed your nails too short)

To prep my nail for the UV base coat, she went over each nail with a cotton pad with some ScrubFresh on it. It cleanses and temporarily dehydrates the nails so that the Shellac can adhere better to the natural nail.
Next was the Shellac UV base coat, a thin clear coat as a foundation for the colour. This has to cure for only 10 seconds. She then applied the first coat of Rock Royalty to my nails. I read that these colours have to be applied in a thin layer and noticed she had a lot of the product on her brush. She did 2 coats which had to cure for 2 minutes each (this was not timed and I think my hands were in the UV lamp for less than 2 minutes each time). The last step is one layer of the Shellac UV top coat for a shiny finish that keeps your manicure looking fresh. After the top coat, she went over each nail again to remove the sticky residue. And my nails are all done!

Overall, I'm in love with Shellac! I think the application could have been done better, but it still wore very well. I would have even been happy if it only lasted a week!

Pros:
- Wears up to 14 days. It might even stay on longer depending on what you do with your nails and how fast your nails grow.
- 100% dry after application.
- No damage to your natural nails. I can't say if my nails have gotten stronger, but a couple extra layers on your nails can only be a good thing right?
- You can paint over the Shellac with regular polish. (Remove nail polish with acetone-free nail polish remover)
- The shine really lasts.
- You can do it yourself. It's not as easy as nail polish, but if your confident about painting your own nails, you can do it yourself, all you need is a little practice. Also make sure you do some research before doing shellac yourself!

Cons:
- I don't want to pay 35 Euros every 2 weeks to get them done.
- I hope they come out with more shades in a wider variety. Right now most of the colours they have are reds and pinks.

Time for pictures!

Right after application.

Here you can see she didn't seal the tips

The edges aren't as straight as I would have liked them to be. I love the colour though!

Also you can see how she didn't cover the entire nail with the top coat.

Here are my nails after a week. I added some glitter on my ring finger (OPI - Show It And Glow It). A little part of my middle finger came off because she went all the way to the cuticle with the base coat on that nail. It started peeling when the nail grew out.

Can't see much tip wear.

My nails again after 2 weeks. They still look pretty much the same as they did a week before.

What you can't see on the first pictures though, is that the edges of the Shellac weren't attached to the nail anymore. I noticed this on day 11 but the Shellac stayed on fine, as long as I didn't pick at it.

Shellac Removal.

Here's how I took the Shellac off at home.

I soaked pieces of a cotton pad with acetone and wrapped them around my fingers with aluminum foil. I left these on my nails for about 10 minutes.

Then took them off and gently scraped off the Shellac with this little nail tool. I suggest taking them off one by one, so the Shellac is still soft when you're scraping it off.

Here are my nails after removal, cuticle butter (I use LUSH Lemony Flutter) and hand cream (I use Almond oil daily hand & nail cream from The Body Shop). They look pretty healthy right!

I really like the Shellac system and decided to purchase a UV lamp and the Shellac steps so I could do my own nails with Shellac. After taking off Rock Royalty, I did a French manicure. I don't have the white Shellac yet (Cream Puff), so I started off by painting the white tips with a regular white nail polish and then followed with the base coat, 2 coats of Romantique and the top coat. I really like how they turned out.

That concludes my (super long) Shellac review. I love it and I'm really looking forward to new colours to come out!
Hope this was helpful and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me in the comments!

Thank you for stopping by!!

Up next: EOTD with the Sleek Au Natural palette!

x
Tanja

EOTD: Fall eye look using the Sleek Original palette!

2011-10-10T17:00:00.000+02:00

Hiya!

Today's EOTD was kind of inspired by fall colours and I used the Sleek Original palette to create it.

Here's a picture of the palette. I love these colours!

Since these eyeshadows don't have names, I gave them numbers so it's easier for me to refer to which colour I used.

Here's how I did this look:

- MAC Brun: to fill in my brows, with an angled bush.

- MAC Painterly paintpot: applied on the lid all the way up to the brow with my finger.

- MAC Vanilla eyeshadow: as a brow highlight, applied with a flat shader brush.

- Sleek 7: in the inner corner and inner third of the top and bottom lid, with a pencil brush

- Sleek 12: applied on middle of the upper the lid with a flat shader brush

- Sleek 6: with the same brush on the outer third of the lid.

- Sleek 3: blended in the crease with a small crease brush

- Sleek 9: applied in the middle of the lower lashliner with a pencil brush.

- Sleek 10: with the same brush, applied to the outer third of the lower lashline.

- Sleek 1: smudged in between top and bottom lashes with a pencil brush.

- MAC Blacktrack fluidline: applied on top and bottom waterline with an angled brush.

- Max Factor False Lash Effect: a couple coats on the top lashes, 1 coat on the bottom lashes.

- Lashes from Claire's applied with DUO Lash adhesive.

A couple more pictures:

This look is pretty easy to do. All you have to do is make sure you blend the colours together really well.

Hope you liked this look. Let me know what you think!

Up next: CND Shellac review + my first professional manicure.

Tanja

Haul: OPI nail polishes

2011-10-08T16:41:00.000+02:00

Hello!

I got some nail polishes for you today! I got a great deal on some OPI nail polishes a while ago, kinda forgot about them, but sharing them with you today! They were on sale, 5 for €20 which is €4 per bottle instead of €14. Couldn't pass that offer so I picked out these 5:

- Sparrow Me The Drama: This is a cool pink with a cream finish, so no shimmer or glitter whatsoever. It came out with the On Stranger Tides collection. In general, I'm not a fan of pink, but this one looks surprisingly good with my skin tone I think.
The application was ok, not as good as I would have liked but no major issues. This is 2 coats with Seche Vite top coat.

- Planks A Lot: This came out with the same collection. It's another cream polish. I'd describe this as a medium pastel purple. I do love purple so when I saw this one, I had to get it. Not a great fall colour, but I'll definitely wear it next spring/summer.
Application was better than Sparrow Me The Drama, it went on smoother and more even. Again, 2 coats with Seche Vite top coat.

- OPI Ink - Suede: This is the first seude polish I've tried from OPI. Suede basically just means it doesn't have a shiny finish but dries more matte. I don't have the original OPI Ink but what I've seen from pictures online and the bottle in stores, the suede version looks nothing like the original. It looks like a purple base with silver shimmer in it.
This polish went on nice and opaque in two coats. I tried it with and without top coat.

- Suzi Skis In The Pyrenees - Suede: At least I think that's what this is because this bottle didn't have a sticker with the name on it on the bottom. Don't think this one looks like the original either (don't own it to compare). It's a gunmetal/charcoal grey with silver shimmer.
The application was pretty much the same as the other suede polish. Opaque in 2 coats, looks good with or without top coat.

- Me + Blue - Nicole by OPI: This was part of the One Less Lonely Girl collection from Justin Bieber (why he had to get a nail polish collection, I'll never understand...). I got it mainly to layer over other blues. It's has a sheer blue base with holographic shimmer in it.
I think I did 3 coats for this one, just to get it more opaque. Also topped it off with a top coat for a smoother finish.

I know these aren't exactly fall-colours, except for the suedes, but I wanted to share them anyway.
Thank you for stopping by!

Up next: Fall look using the Sleek Original palette!

x
Tanja

Favorites: September 2011

2011-10-06T00:50:00.002+02:00

Hi!

Is it October already?? September just flew by! I apologize for the lack of post suring September, I'll try and do better this month!

Anyway, these are some of the products I've been using/loving the most during September.

- Clear small storage unit: First up is this clear cube with 3 drawers that I use to store my daily used products in. It's not THE Clear Cube which a lot of celebrities supposibly use for their makeup, I just purchased this at Habitat in Antwerp for €15. I like the idea of The Clear Cube, but don't like the price so much. If you don't know what The Clear Cube is, click here. I like the fact that I can see through this little clear cube and how it's small so it doesn't take up too much space on my vanity, yet big enough for all my necessities. I try to switch up the products I keep in here every now and then so that I don't get stuck in a rut and use the exact same products every single day.

- MAC Stunner blush: This blush came out with the MAC Me Over collection which launched not too long ago (click here for my haul). I've used this blush pretty much every time I did my makeup because it just goes with everything. It's a stunner!

- MAC 130 short duo fibre brush: I bought this brush went I went to check out the MAC Me Over collection and I've been using it to apply my foundation since the day I got it. I absolutely love it. It's a lot shorter and more dense than the MAC187, which I used to use for my foundation. I still sometimes use it to make sure my foundation is well blended down my neck. It's also smaller which makes it a lot easier to work with around the eyes and nose.

- Catrice Prime and Fine Smoothing Refiner: Click here to go to the Catrice website to read a little more about it and to find the ingredients. It's a silicone-based primer which is supposed to fill pores and fine lines. It doesn't really keep my foundation on longer (I use Revlon colorstay which stays on pretty well by itself), but I feel like it does provide a smoother base for my foundation. I think this primer is very comparable to the L'Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer. I don't have the L'Oreal primer but I've seen it in durgstores and tested it on my hand and it looks and feels exactly the same to me. Not sure how much the L'Oreals Studio Secrets Primer costs, but the Catrice primer only costs €4.99!

- MAC Fire In Her Eyes eyeshadow in the 6 Smoke and Mirrors palette (LE from the Magic, Mirth and Mischief Holiday 2009 Collection): This is one of the products that I threw in the cube so I'd use it more often. And I certainly did use it a lot, the lightest highlight colour in particular. It's described as a frost neutral beige. I like it as an inner corner hightlight and a soft wash as a brow highlight. It's a neutral (not really cool or warm, but more in between) colour so it goes with everything and gives a nice shine without being too frosty.

- Loverdose Eau de Parfum from Diesel: I got two of these little samples not too long ago. I loved it the first time I smelled it and I've used up one of the two samples. I can't really tell you what it smells like because I'm horrible at describing scents, but I did some research and appaerntly it has notes of mandarin, jasmin, liquorice and vanilla. For me this is the kind of parfum that I'd wear at night. I also like the bottle of this parfum so I really want to get a full size bottle of this one!
Click here to go to the Loverdose website.

- BC Bonacure Hairtherapy Hair+Scalp Dandruff Control Shampoo (250ml): This shampoo saved my hair! Since may/june, I noticed I was losing a lot of hair and I didn't know why. I didn't know if it was because of a lack of vitamins, or stress or the shampoo that I was using at that time.
My roots get oily after a day and a half after washing it, but my scalp is usually really dry. I've tried many different shampoos but often go back to Head & Shoulders because other shampoo's would give me dadruff. Because I was losing so much hair I even asked my doctor if she knew what could be the cause. She said that it was normal to lose more hair around spring and summer. I kept using the shampoos I'd normally use which are all drugstore shampoos found at pretty much any supermarket, but the hairloss didn't improve.
About a month ago, I went to get my hair cut after about a year and a half or trimming my ends myself. The hairdresser immediately told me that my scalp was inflammeted which was causing the hair to fall out. He said the chemicals in cheap, drugstore shampoos are too harsh and can dammage your scalp so he recommended me this shampoo. I noticed a major improvement after 2-3 uses and the amount of hair I lose when washing or brushing my hair is back to normal. I'm really glad I got this shampoo and I'll probably never go back to cheaper shampoos again. I'd rather spend a little more money than lose all my hair.
I purchased this shampoo at the hair salon and I know it's available at Pro Duo here in Belgium (which is a hair and beauty supply store). It cost me about €14 at the salon and about €9 at Pro Duo with my discount card. I also found it available on Beautybay.com.

That's it for my September favorites! If you have a question about any of these products, feel free to ask me in the comments!

Thank you for reading and until next time!

Up next: some OPI nail polishes!

x
Tanja

Haul: Very late Mac Me Over + a couple other products

2011-09-22T18:38:00.001+02:00

Hello everyone!

I should have posted this like 3 weeks ago when the collection actually came out but better late than never right.
If you want to read my post on the entire collection, click here.

The MAC Me Over collection was a really big collection with a lot of nice products. I didn't buy too much from the collection though because even though the colours all looked really nice, they weren't all that unique.

Firts items I picked up were two fluidlines (there were 4 new shades in this collection). I chose Dark Diversion and Dark Envy.

Dark Diversion fluidline is described as a darkened plum which is exactly what it is. It looks like it has some shimmer in the pot but that doesn't really show up on the skin.

Dark Envy fluidline is discribed as a blackened green but it's actually not as dark as a I would expect a blackened green to be. Still a really nice green though.

Swatches! Dark Diversion on the left, Dark Envy on the right.

I didn’t get the two other fluidlines because Midnight Blues reminded me a lot of Siahi fluidline (which I have) and Avenue was pretty but the shimmer wasn’t very noticable.

I also picked up one of the two blushes. I liked both, but I have more neutral blushes than pink blushes so I decided to skip on Equilibrium blush and only get Stunner blush.
Stunner blush is described as a light coral pink. It’s a beautiful warm pink that’s not too pink and looks like a natural flush of colour on the cheeks. Gorgeous!

And that’s all I got from the collection. I didn’t get any of the eyeshadows or quads not becuase I didn’t like the colours bet because I have very similar shades.
I did pick up a couple other products.
I got a mini Fix+. Great for on the go. I like to use Fix+ underneath my foundation or after powdering for a more dewy look.

I also got Dazzlelight eyeshdow which is described as neutral with shimmer. It’s a veluxe pearl and a beautiful highlight colour. It looks like a creamy, off-white shimmery colour, but in certain lighting, it has kind of like a pink duochrome. Very interesting but I failed to capture it in the pictures.

My last purchase was the MAC 130 brush. It’s a short duo fibre brush with a flat head. I love using this for my foundation because it’s small enough to use around the eyes and nose. I often use it to blend out my concealer as well.

Really happy with my purchases. Did you get anything from this collection?
Thank you for stopping by!!

Up next: not quite sure yet :)

x
Tanja

Favorites: August 2011

2011-09-05T01:39:00.002+02:00

Hello!

September is here, so it's time for August favorites!
These are the beauty items I've been using the most during the past month.

- Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel:
During the cold months I like to use a moisturizer that's a little more rich. But during the warmer months, my face tends to get a little more oily, so I prefer a moisturizer that absorbs in to my skin easily and doesn't make it more oily than it is. This oil-free moisturizer leaves my skin soft and hydrated, but not shiny. It isn't super cheap, but for the amount of product you're getting (125ml) €41,24 is a good price to me. If you live in the UK or US, you're lucky because it's a lot cheaper there : $24.50 = €17,18 (!!! that's half the price we pay in €, not fair lol) , £27 = € 30.72.
US shop online (Clinique) $24.50 for 4.2 fl oz / UK shop online (Boots) £27 for 125ml / BE shop online (Ici Paris XL) €41,24 for 125ml

- MAC Prep & Prime Highlighter in Radiant Rose:
This a highlighter pen with a little brush that's meant to brighten and prime under the eyes (think YSL Touche Eclat). I like to use it underneath my concealer or on it's own when I want to quickly brighten up my under eye area. It can also be used as a highlighter on top of your foundation (browbone, cheekbones,...). I think this is a great multi purpose product and perfect to keep in your makeup bag.
US online shop $23 / UK online shop £17 / €18,50 in MAC stores and counters in Belgium and the Netherlands.

- Seche Vite dry fast top coat:
I've been painting my nails alot more the last couple of weeks. I usually paint my nails at night and thanks to this top coat, I don't have to wait an hour before going to bed after painting my nails. This dries my nail polish in a couple of minutes and leaves a super glossy finish. It also makes my nail polish last longer.I can't do my nails without this topcoat anymore!
US shop online (Ulta) $9,95 for 0.5 fl oz / UK shop online (Beautybay) £8,99 for 15ml / BE or NL shop online (Boozyshop) €7,95 for 15ml

- Catrice Brow Styler:
I usually use an angled brush (MAC 263) and an eyeshadow (MAC Brun) to do my eyebrows. I have been looking for a good eyebrow pencil for a while now for when I just want to fill them in quickly or to take with me for touch-ups during the day. Before trying the more expensive brands, I searched through the cheaper brands first. I decide to try the eyebrow pencils from Catrice and I must say, I really like them. I like that they're not too soft so they don't give off too much colour. The colours have kind of a grey undertone which make them perfect for filling in eyebrows. I also like how the have a little spoolie brush on the end, very convenient for on the go. Only downside about this product is the fact that it only comes in two colours, the lightest one might be too dark for blondes.
Catrice is a German brand but I'm not sure where you can find it internationally. I do know you can find Catrice in Kruidvat stores in Belgium and the Netherlands. These pencils were €2,49 each.

- Armani Code eau de parfum:
I discovered this parfum a couple years ago and I've loved it since. I like using it at night when I go out. I'm really bad at describing scents so I'm not going to attempt to. Here's what's on the Giorgio Armani website: "Orange Blossom is the Muse of this creation: a miracle of the nature, the quintessence of femininity. A unique creation reveals this flower's full magic and operates its metamorphosis by the incredibly soft embrace of Madagascar vanilla and a touch of honey. Sambac jasmine, from India, amplifies the radiance and elegance of this celebration of noble materials. An unforgettable fragrance that exudes a mysterious charm."
BE online shop (Ici Paris XL) €62,40 for 50ml / US online shop (Sephora) $65 for 1.7 fl oz / UK online shop (Boots) £52 for 50ml

- The Body Shop Coconut shower cream:
First of all, I love coconut! If you don't like the smell of coconut, you probably won't like this one. I love how this lathers up and how it makes my skin feel super softer.. Bought this huge bottle during a sale one time but I just refill it with the smaller bottles. I like the pump on this cause it keeps me from using way too much. The key ingredients in this are cocoa butter, coconut oil, glycerin and sunflower seed oil which make this shower cream great for normal to dry skin.
US online shop $8 for 8.4 fl oz / UK online shop £4 for 250ml

- Shu Uemura eyelash curler:
I don't always curl my lashes because they are pretty curled with just mascara. I do however curl my lashes when I want them to stand out more and appear longer, especially when I'm not wearing a lot of eyeshadow or not any at all. I like this eyelash curler because it curls my lashes really well without having to squeeze really hard. I've never pulled out an eyelash with this curler! It also fits the shape of my eye really well. I know this is pretty expensive for an eyelash curler, but it will last you for years!
US online shop $19 / Uk online shop £20 / BE: €25 at the Shu Uemura store in Antwerp (Address here)

That's it for this month. If you have a question about any of these products, feel free to ask!

What did you love in August?

Up next: MAC Me Over haul!

x
Tanja

Favorites: My favorite / must have / can’t live without eye brushes + comparisons !

2011-09-03T23:14:00.001+02:00

Hi everyone!

Today’s post is about my favorite eye brushes. The brushes I’m going to talk about, are the ones I use with pretty much every eye look. These are also the kind of brushes I would recommend to anyone starting out with makeup. I’ll talk about the different kind of brushes and my favorite of each kind. I’ll aslo include a little comparison to other similar brushes. I’ll have some more expensive brushes and some cheaper brushes that are similar. I see brushes as an investment. A good brush may cost you a little more, but if you take good care of it, it will last you for years and years! On the other hand, a brush doesn’t have to be expensive to be a good brush.

Let’s have a look at my must have eye brushes one by one!

1. Flat shader brush

Description: This kind of brush is fairly flat, pretty wide front and back and rather thin on the sides. They come in pretty much all sizes. I suggest looking for one that works best for your eye size. Another thing that can vary is the density of the bristles and the stiffness of the brush. The closer the bristles are packed together, the more dense and stiff the brush will be and the better it will be to really pack on colour on your lid.

Use: This is a basic eye shadow brush that is mainly used to place the colour all over the lid up to the browbone. The flat side of the brush allows it to pick up a lot of colour from your eyeshadow pan. The thin edge can be used for a more precise application, for instance on the lower lashline.

My favorite - MAC 239: This is my favorite flat shader brush because I like the size of it, it’s very stiff so it’s great for putting colour on the lid. It’s also thin enough to use under the eye. Another thing I like about it is the fact that the bristles are white. This makes it easier for me to see just how much powder I have on my brush.
You can find MAC brushes at your local MAC store or MAC counter. Or you can order them online (if your country has a MAC web store!).
Price: $24,50, £19 or €26,50

Comparison:
- Sigma E55: This is Sigma’s equivalent of the MAC 239. It’s a flat shader brush just like the 239, though not as stiff and not as thin. It’s also a little bigger. It works great for applying colour and it’s a great alternative if you find the MAC 239 a little too pricey. I use this brush quite often too, mostly for my brow highlight. I like how it’s a little softer and more fluffy for a softer application.
Price: $9

- ELF eye shadow brush: An even cheaper option for a good eye shadow brush. I have one of these and it is a lot like and works just as good as the E55 (couldn’t find it for the picture). Can’t go wrong for this price!
Price: $1, £1,50 or €1

- Covergirl brush that came with a quad: This brush came with a covergirl quad I bought a couple years ago. I don’t know if this brush comes with every Covergirl quad, but it’s just an example of a bigger shader brush. This one is a little wider, thicker and also softer than the E55. These bigger shader brushes are great if you want a quick, softer wash of colour all over the lid.

- MAC 242 and 252: I don’t own these brushes, but they are great shader brushes as well. The hairs are a mix of natural and synthetic and they are a little longer than the 239. Because of the synthetic bristles, these are great for cream products. The 252 is a bigger version of the 242.
Price $24,50 or £19 for the 242, $30 or £22 for the 252 (don’t know the price in €).

- Sigma E60: This is Sigma’s version of the 252. From what I’ve seen on pictures online, it’s seems to be alot smaller than the MAC 252. It’s more stiff than the E55 but has longer bristles than the 239, but they’re both about the same width. Also, the tip is not as thin as the 239.
Price: $9

(Covergirl, MAC 239, Sigma E55)

(MAC 239, Sigma E60)

2. Blending brush:

Description: There are so many different kinds of blending brushes out there. Any brush that is somewhat fluffy would be suited for blending eyeshadows. The blending brush I will be talking about is the kind that’s like the MAC 217 (pictured above). This kind of blending brush is kind of oval shaped and flat. You can see that the metal part of the brush is pinched, which makes the brush more flat than most blending brushes, which are round from all angles.

Use: A blending brush is obviously made for blending eyeshadows. It can be used to blend out the edge of a colour to make it softer, or to 2 colours together so that the line of separation between them looks less obvious and it turns into a smoother transition. Since this blending brush is more flat, it can also be used to apply colour. Because it’s fluffy, it will apply the colour more sheer, great for a quick wash of colour all over the lid.

My favorite - MAC 217: If I could only have 1 brush to do my eye makeup, I would choose this one. It’s flat enough to apply the colour and also fluffy enough to blend it out. Because it’s flat, it fits in the crease perfectly. Just like the 239, this brush had white bristles which make it easy to see how much product you have on your brush. I love this brush!
Price: $22,50, £16 or €21

Comparisons:
- Sigma E25: This brush is pretty much identical so I don’t have much to say about it. I love that you get a travel size version of this brush as a gift when you order from their website. I can never have too many of these lol.
Price $9

- Hema: This brush is only available in Hema stores (so only in Belgium and the Netherlands I think). I don’t know what it’s called but it kind of looks similar to the 217. I don’t think it’s meant to be a bleding brush, but it’s fluffy enough to be one. Also flat enough to pack on colour. So if you live in Belgium or the Netherlands, give this one a try!
Price: don’t remember the exact price, I’m guessing between €3 and €5.

- MAC 224: This is your ordinary belnding brush. It’s fluffy, it’s round and it blends out colours.
Price: $30, £22 or €33

- Sigma E40: This is Sigma’s version of the 224. I don’t have the MAC 224, but I do have the E40. I like it for blending around the edges of my eyeshadow, and I assume that the MAC 224 does the same thing. However, I don’t like it to actually apply colour to my crease because I find it to be too round and too big. The 217 fits much better in my crease. (The one I have is 2 years old so the E40 might look a little different now)
Price:$9

(Sigma E25, MAC 217, Hema eyeshadow brush)

(Sigma E40, MAC 217)

3. Pencil brush

Description: A pencil brush is a small, round brush with short bristles. Most pencil brushes have a tapered tip. They are designed for a more precise application in smaller areas. These come in different sizes which will work for different purposes.

Use: Like I said, these brushes are great for applying colour more precisely. They are small enough to fit in smaller areas and the smalled the pencil brush, the more precise it’s going to be (obviously lol). It’s great for defining the crease and outer V, applying eyeshadow to the inner corner and for smudging eyeshadow under the eye. I also like to use it to smudge out eye pencils after applying them on the top or bottom lashline.

My favorite – MAC 219: I don’t have too many pencl brushes but to me this one is just perfect. The tip is thin and tapered and it’s stiff enough to smudge out creamy products. And again, white bristles :)!
Price: $24,50, £19 or €26,50

Comparisons:
- Sigma SS219: I got this brush when they still used the SS numbering. Compared to the MAC 219 it’s alot less pointed and less stiff. I don’t use it to smudge out liner or to apply colour to the bottom lashline because I find it too fluffy for that. I do use it to apply eyeshadow to the inner corner or to intensify the crease.

- Sigma E30: This is a newer version of the SS219. It’s a lot more pointed than the SS219 but still not as stiff as the MAC 219. I like using it for an even more precise application than the MAC 219 gives me.
Price: $9

(Sigma SS219, MAC 219, Sigma E30)

4. Eyeliner brush

Description: For me, an eyeliner brush is any type of brush that’s thin an pointed enough to make a fine line with. Usually these types of brushes are synthetic bristles so they’d work best with cream products.

Use: This one is pretty self explanitory. An eyeliner brush is used to line the eyes. Usually with a cream or gel eyeliner. Because this kind of brush is so thin, it can be used to paint all kinds of lines, not only on the eye, but anywhere really, for the more creative looks.

My favorite – a thin paint brush: My favorite brush to apply gel or cream eyeliner with, is just a really thin paint brush I got at a craft store. I have two of these brushes, one being even thinner than the one I use the most. The thinner the brush, the thinner the line will be. I like these brushes more than my other eyeliner brushes just because they’re thinner. I don’t see much of a difference as far a quality goes. To me the quality of these brushes is just as good as my MAC 209.

Comparisons:
- MAC 209: This is a standard eyeliner brush. It’s a little bigger than the two paint brushes I uses and I also don’t find it as pointed. I do use it quite often, mostly when I want a line that’s a little thicker.
Price: $18 , £16 or €21 .

- Sigma E05: Sigma’s version of the 209. It’s a bit bigger than the MAC 209 but works really well as an eyeliner brush. I personally prefer thinner brushes so I don’t actually use this brush for eyeliner. I use it for my nail polish clean-up. (This brush is 2 years old as well, so the newer ones might look a little different).
Price: $9

- Sigma E10: I have this brush, but it’s completely ruined cause I accidentely put my flat iron on it, so I can’t use it anymore. It’s a really nice eyeliner brush though, or at least it was. It’s smaller than the MAC 209, so more like the bigger paint brush. Great eyeliner brush, just don’t leave it near your flat iron.
Price: $9

(Sigma E05; MAC 209, Paint brushes)

5. Angled brush

Description: This is a small flat brush with an angled tip. Usually they have synthetic bristles that are pretty stiff. They vary is size and width fir different applications.

Use: These are often used as eyeliner brushes with gel or cream eyeliners. They are also great to fill in eyebrows with an eyeshadow or line the eyes with an eyeshadow. Great for defining top and bottom lashline.

My favorite – MAC 263: This is my favorite because it’s not too small to fill in my eyebrows, and that’s what I use it for. The angle on it is perfect and it creates thin strokes that look like hairs. I don’t use these kind of brushes for eyeliner, but I do use this one for my brows every day.

Comparisons:
- Inglot 31T: This is the one that looks the most like the MAC 263. It’s a tiny bit bigger, but does pretty much the same thing. The only problem I have with it is that the angle isn’t as perfect as the 263.
Price: $11

- Sigma E65: This is Sigma’s version of the MAC 266. I don’t have the MAC 266 so I can’t compare them. The brush has synthetic bristles and works great with cream products. Because this brush is smaller but a little thicker, I like to use it to define top and bottom lashline with a dark eyeshadow.
Price: $9

- Hema angled brush: This one is very similar to the E65, only the bristles are a little longer. Great for lining top and bottom lashline too.
Price: around €3

- Elf small angled brush: This is the smallest angled brush I have. I like it for smudging eyeshadow along the lashes, but I don’t find it thin and sharp enough for precise work.
Price: $3, £3,50 or €4

(Sigma E65, MAC 263, Inglot 31T)

(Elf small angled brush, MAC 263, Hema angled brush)

Those were my 5 favorite eye brushes. These are the brushes I use the most and I think you can create pretty much any look with these!

Some links to where you can buy brushes:

MAC Cosmetics brushes on the US website

MAC Cosmetics brushes on the UK website

Sigma brushes (they ship internationally!)

ELF brushes on the US website

ELF brushes on the UK website

ELF brushes on the Belgian website / Dutch website

I hope this was helpful and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the comments!
Thank you for reading!

Up next: August favorites!

Tanja

Preview: MAC – MAC Me Over collection

2011-08-24T14:42:00.000+02:00

Hey!

Ok, I’ll admit, I’m a MAC addict! Everytime information about a new MAC collection pops up somewhere on the internet, I’m all over it to make up my wish list. I’m a loyal follower of Temptalia, who always posts great information, reviews, pictures and swatches of pretty much everything is every single MAC collection. I’m sure you all know her :). Based on what she posts, I decide what I think is worth checking out in person when the collection releases in stores. I often don’t even look at the other stuff because I just end up getting even more stuff if I don’t eliminate certain items in advance. She always puts up the US and Canada launch date, and when it’s launched internationally. For the exact launch date for Belgium and The Netherlands I always check Beautyscene.nl or call my local MAC store (usually the first saturday of the month for big collections).

The MAC collection thats coming out next is “MAC Me Over”. For this collection, they had a contest last year of which they picked 6 winners who got a MAC makeover. This huge collection is devided into 3 parts: Basics, New Black and Icelandic Cool.

Basics:

Things I want to check out:
- Moleskin eyeshadow: looks like a nice matte neutral brown, want to see how similar it is to Wedge.
- Mythical eyeshadow: looks really pretty but might be similar to other eyeshadows I have (Sexpectations maybe?), I love veluxe pearl eyeshadows.
- Carbonized eyeshadow: another veluxe pearl, supposed to be very similar to Center Stage (which I have) so probably gonna skip this.
- Equilibrium blush: neutral light brown-bronze.£
- Stunner blush: coral-pink, don’t have that many blushes from MAC and they both look really pretty and wearable.

New Black:

Things I want to check out:
- Dark Diversion: dark plum, nice colour for green eyes.
- Dark Envy: dark green, I really like fluidlines!
- 211 brush: fine tapered liner brush, looks interesting.

Icelandic Cool:

Things I want to check out:
- Lady Grey eyeshadow quad: these look like very soft colours that would be great for a daytime look that’s just a little different from the usual neutral colours.
- 226 brush: I have the Sigma dupe of this brush but it’s not as tapered as I’d like, if the MAC one isn’t as tapered as I want, I’ll probably get the Louise Young 38A tapered brush.

If you wonder why I haven’t put any of the lip products on my wish list, that’s just because I personally rarely wear anything on my lips, so I’m not going to spend a lot of money on lip products.

If you want to see bigger pictures of all the items in this collection, including all the before and after pictures from all the makeovers, click HERE to go to Temptalia’s original post with official pictures. For a complete overview of the collection and swatches, go ahead and watch her video HERE. Lastly, if you want to know what her recommendations and comparisons are, and links to reviews of all the products, go HERE.

The MAC Me Over collection launches internationally September 2011, September 3rd for Belgium and The Netherlands. If you want to know when the collection will hit stores in your country, I suggest calling your local MAC store!

Are there any items from this collection that you really want to get?

Up next: my must have, can't live without eye brushes!

x
Tanja

Pictures source: Temptalia.com

NOTD: OPI Serena Glam Slam England: Grape…Set…Match & Servin’ Up Sparkle

2011-08-24T01:03:00.000+02:00

Hi!

In my previous post I promised a sparkly NOTD, and that’s exactly what this is!

OPI has teamed up with tennisstar Serena Williams this year and they’re created a couple really cool duos for their collection. The collection consists of different smaller collections, England being one of them. The Glam Slam England collection includes two duos, the one I’m showing you today being one of them.
Out of all the sets, this is definitely my favorite one! I love purple and I love glitter, so how could it not be :).

Grape…Set…Match is a beautiful shimmery purple. Different from any other shimmery purple in my collection because of its magenta and blue-purple duochrome shimmer. The base of this polish is kind of a dark purple/plum. Looks absolutely gorgeous! What I didn’t like so much about this polish is thatI found it quite difficult to get it opaque. Also, because of the shimmer, it’s kind of hard to remove, but then again it also didn’t chip on me as fast as some creme polishes do.

Pictures taken indoors, with natural light and flash.

Servin’ Up Sparkle has a clear base with small round and a little bigger hexagonal holographic glitters in it. I love holographic glitter in general and I like how this one has different size glitters. It’s super sparkly in bright light and especially in sun light (unfortunately,I failed to capture just how sparkly it is in the pictures). I was hoping the glitter would be a little more dense and that there would be a little more hexagonal glitter in it, but that problem is easily solved with an extra coat (= more sparklyness! :) )

Pictures taken outside in sun light, one blurry one to show the holo sparkle :)

Not sure if this is still available in stores, but here’s a list of where to find it online!

Do you like this set and the combination of these two colours? Have you tried any of the other duos?

Up next: MAC – MAC Me Over collection overview!

x
Tanja

Favorites: Makeup artist and beauty blogger, Linda Hallberg

2011-08-21T18:02:00.000+02:00

Hello hello!

Today’s post is about one of my favorite blogs to look at when I need inspiration or when I just want tolook at beautiful makeup looks. The blog I’m talking about is the one from Linda Hallberg.

I love this girl, she’s gorgeous! I love the looks she does and the way she does her makeup. She’s a 24 year old Swedish hair and makeup artist who works for Make Up Store.

She posts EOTD’s mostly and I love them for inspiration. She loves to use colours and knows how to combine them. She also writes about products she likes, clients she worked on, personal stuff,… She writes in Swedish, but I always use Google translate so I know what she’s talking about.

I’ll show you some of my favorite looks by her!
Some colourful looks:

Smokey eyes:

Creative looks:

She does neutral looks too :) :

And she’s great with hair as well!:

So do you like her looks? Did you already know Linda Hallberg?
Definitely go check out her blog if you didn’t!!

Up next: a sparkly NOTD!

x
Tanja

EOTD: Sleek Makeup - Oh So Special palette

2011-08-19T15:02:00.000+02:00

Hiya!

I have another EOTD for you all today! For this look I used the Oh So Special palette from Sleek Makeup. This palette was added to their permanent line not too long ago. I bought it together with the Curaçao palette. I did a look with that palette here, and if you want to see my post on both palettes click here.

Sleek products can be purchased at SleekMakeup.com, or if you live close to the Netherlands, check out these online stores: Boozyshop.nl, Enchantra.eu, or Alicejohavesentials.nl.

On to the EOTD:

The Oh So Special palette:

Products used:

- MAC Brun: to fill in my brows, with an angled bush (MAC 263).

- NYX Jumbo pencil in Milk: applied on the lid all the way up to the brow with my finger

- Sleek Bow: on the entire lid and inner corner and as a brow highlight, with a flat shader brush (MAC 239).

- Sleek The Mail: applied in the crease to make it easier to blend the darker colours, with a blending brush (MAC 217)

- Sleek Gift Basket: applied on the lid with a flat shader brush (MAC 239)

- MAC Naked Lunch: in the inner corner, with a pencil brush (MAC 219)

- Sleek Boxed and Celebrate: mixed both and applied in the crease with a blending brush (MAC 217)

- Sleek Celebrate: to darken up the crease and outer corner, also applied on the lower lashline with a pencil brush (MAC 219)

- Sleek Noir: used with an angled brush (MAC 266) to line top and bottom lashline softly.

- Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero: to line lower waterline.

- False lashes from Claire's, with DUO Lash adhesive.

- Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara: few coats on the top lashes, one coat on bottom lashes.

Some more pictures:

This palette is really nice if you like neutral colours. I like that it has matte and shimmery colours!

Thank you for stopping by!

Up next: one of my favorite blogs for inspiration.

x
Tanja

NOTD: Blue My Mind & Disco Mix

2011-08-18T18:28:00.000+02:00

Hello everyone!

It’s been a couple of days since my last post, because my laptop gave up on me a couple days ago. I’m currently on my brother’s laptop which will have to do for now.

In my last post I said my next one would be another NOTD with glitter. Since the pictures for that post are on my laptop, it’s gonna be a different post, but also one with glitter!

Last time I was at my local drugstore, I noticed all Rimmel products were half off. So I had to pick up some of their products. I got two nail polishes, one of them being 810 Blue My Mind.

I'm not quite sure how to describe this colour. It looks like what I would call a dark royal blue on the pictures, but in person it looks more purple. Either way, gorgeous colour!
The formula was nice, though I did need 3 coats to get it completely opaque. It's pretty shiny on it's own, but I did use my trusty Seche Vite.

Here's a picture of the bottle in fluorescent light which shows how it can look more purple.

I couldn't wear it more than one day without putting some glitter on top of it of course :)
I added Models Own - Disco Mix, which is a blue and magenta glitter, starting at the bottom, fading it diagonally.

Here's a little picture I took with my old camera from a swatch I did when I first got Disco Mix.

I bought it during the 50% off sale that Models Own had on their website last year for getting 10 000 (it think it was) likes on Facebook. If you want to see all the polishes I got then, click here.
They're having another 50% off sale again this year as soon as they hit 50 000 likes. So go and like their Facebook page right now if you haven't already!

I hope my dad can recover my pictures from my laptop so that I can still post the pictures I wanted use for this post some other time.

Thank you for stopping by!

Up next: EOTD with Sleek's Oh So Special palette.

x
Tanja

Makeover: Magali

2011-08-13T20:40:00.001+02:00

Hello!

After I was finished doing Michelle’s makeup, it was Magali’s turn for a makeover!

Here’s the before picture:

And here she is again, after makeup:

Can’t forget the “Excuse-moi” mirror picture :) :

Before and afte pictures together (different pictures than the previous ones):

Did you see that sexy, smoldering look in the second picture? lol

Face:
- Revlon Colorstay for normal/dry skin in 110 Ivory and 180 Sand Beige
- MAC Select Cover-up in NW20
- MAC Blot Powder Pressed in Medium
- MAC Studio Careblend/Pressed in Gold-Go-Lightly (LE: Surf Baby collection)
- MAC Prim &Proper blush (LE: Give Me Liberty of London collection)
- ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal

Lips:
- She put on a lipgloss she bought in Spain, don’t know what brand it is.

Eyes:

How I achieved this look:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion Original: applied on the lid all the way up to the brow with my finger
- MAC Brun: to fill in my brows, with an angled bush (MAC 268). (I didn’t use anything on her brows)
- MAC Vanilla: as a browbone highlight, applied with a flat shader brush (MAC 239)
- Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Perversion: smudges along the upper lashes, blended with a stiff pencil brush (MAC 219)
- MAC Woodwinked: all over the lid, applied with a flat shader brush (MAC 239) and blended up in to the crease with a blending brush (MAC 217).
- MAC Mulch: Applied in the crease and blended out with a blending brush (MAC 217).
- MAC Vainglorious (LE: Venomous Villains collection): smudged along the lower lashline with e pencil brush (MAC 219).
- MAC Ricepaper: In the inner corner, with a pencil brush (MAC 219)
- MAC Carbon: used to softly line the upper lashline, with an angled brush (MAC 268)
- Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara: few coats on the top lashes, one coat on bottom lashes.
- False Lashes from Claire's applied with DUO Lash Adhesive. (Didn’t use lashes on her because I forgot to pack them)

Who wants to be my next model? haha

Hope you liked it and thank you for reading!
Up next: another NOTD (with glitter, yay!)

x
Tanja

EOTD: Colourful look with the Curaçao palette from Sleek Makeup

2011-08-12T20:48:00.000+02:00

Hello beauties!

I have another EOTD for you all. For this look, I used the Curaçao eyeshadow palette from Sleek Makeup that came out with the Caribbean collection. You can read my post about this palette and swatches here.
This palette has a lot of fun, bright colours in it which are great for summer. Even though we haven't seen the sun all that much yet here in Belgium, I decided to brighten up my day with these beautiful colours:

Here’s a list of all the products I used and how I used them:

- MAC Siahi Fluidline: as a base all over the lid up to the crease, applied and blended with fingers.

- MAC Blacktrack Fluidline: used to line top and bottom waterline, smudged between the lashes and lined upper lashline with a little wing, with a small liner brush (MAC 209).

- MAC Brun: to fill in my brows with an angled brush (MAC 263).

- MAC Vanilla eyeshadow: as a browbone highlight, applied with a flat shader brush (MAC 239)

- Sleek Green Iguana (from the Curaçao palette) : on the inner corner and the inner half of the lower lashline and over the Siahi fluidline, so on the lid with a flat shader brush (MAC 239) and blended in to the crease (MAC 217).

- Sleek Purple Haze (from the Curaçao palette): applied with a small pencil brush (MAC 219) and blended slightly upwards. Also applied on the outer half of the lower lashline, blended with the Iguana Green

- Sleek Singapore Sling (from the Curaçao palette) : applied right above the Purple haze, blended together and upwards with a pencil brush (MAC 219)

- Sleek Espresso Martini (from the Curaçao palette): used to darken the outer corner, with e pencil brush (MAC 219).

- Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara: few coats on the top lashes, one coat on bottom lashes.

- False Lashes from Claire's applied with DUO Lash Adhesive.

A couple more pictures from different angles.

Thank you for stopping by!

Up next: another makeover/before & after!

Tanja

Favorites: Makeup artists Samantha & Nicola Chapman from Pixiwoo

2011-08-11T19:12:00.000+02:00

Hey guys!

Today's post will be about ~~one~~ two of my favorite "beauty gurus" on Youtube.

I discovered the Youtube beauty community about 2 years ago. I set up an account and subscribed to a bunch of people. Right now I'm subscribed to 103 channels (not all are beauty-related though), but there are a couple people who's videos I always watch immediately when I see them in my subscriptions. One of the beauty channels' videos I always look forward to, are the ones from Pixiwoo!

This Youtube channel is run by 2 lovely sisters from the UK: Samantha and Nicola Chapman. Not only are they both awesome makeup artists and absolutely gorgeous, they also have great personalities and are very pleasant to watch.

I've learned so much from them since I started watching their videos. It's like having your very own private teachers! They do both teach makeup and you can really tell they know what they're talking about when it comes to using and applying makeup. I love how they have videos that show you the basics, but also more creative looks which would be more for photo-shoots and fashion. They also do a lot of celebrity inspired look and they look stunning every single time! They've organized their videos in different playlists on their channel which is very helpful to find the video you're looking for.

I know most people probably already know Sam and Nic, but I wanted to make this post because I think that everyone should know about them because they're simply amazing!

Here are some of my favorite videos from their different playlists:

TREND

BASICS

CELEBRITY INSPIRED

CREATIVE

PRODUCT REVIEWS

PERIOD LOOKS

They also have a website: www.Pixiwoo.com.

Also, Samantha Chapman recently came out with her own brush line which I really really want to try because I've seen so many great reviews on the brushes! They're the Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman and are available at Ulta in the US, and Internationally on Love Makeup and VictoriaHealth.

So definitely check out their Youtube channel and Website if you haven't already! And if you have tried some of the Real Techniques brushes, let me know what you think of them!

Thanks for reading!

Up next: a colourful look with the Sleek Curaçao palette

x
Tanja

NOTD: Funky Glitter Tips

2011-08-10T20:03:00.000+02:00

Bonjour!

It's been a while since I've posted a NOTD (nail of the day) or anything related to nails really, but today I have a nail-art look for you guys! I was inspired by ThePoshPolish who did a funky french glitter manicure (you can have a look at her post here). I loved this idea so much that I wanted to give it a try. It's a great way to use glitter without it being too much and I love nail art that I can easily do on my right hand (using my non-dominant left hand).
Definitely check out her blog, she has gorgeous nails, posts really nice pictures and had great nail art ideas!

Here are my pictures:

I used China Glaze - Below Deck from the Anchors Away collection. This was limited edition but I'm sure you could find a dupe for it. It's very similar to OPI - Metro Chic, Essie - Merino Cool or Catrice - From Dusk To Dawn. The glitter I used is OPI - Show It And Glow It, from the Burlesque collection.

I don't like it as much as I liked her combination. She used Essie - Master Plan and OPI - Mad As A Hatter (which I wish I owned :( !! ), but any combination you like is possible.
Overall, I don't think this came out too bad for a first try.

Hope you like it too and until next time!

Up next: one of my favorite YouTube guru's!

x
Tanja

Makeover: Michelle (part 2)

2011-08-09T21:39:00.000+02:00

Hi!

I love playing around with makeup on myself but also on other! I enjoy just hanging out with friends and doing their makeup. Especially the ones that don't really wear a lot of makeup because the the transformation is a lot more noticeable. But most of all, I love making them feel beautiful (not that they aren't without makeup!).

Last week, I did another makeover on my friend Michelle. I did one last year which you can check out here.

Here is the before picture (and thank you Michelle for letting me post this ;) )

And here she is again, with makeup this time:

One more for fun :) :

Both pictures together:

What did I use?

Face:

- Revlon Colorstay for normal/dry skin in 180 Sand Beige

- MAC Select Cover-up in NW20
- MAC Blot Powder Pressed in Medium
- MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Medium Dark

- MAC Dame blush

- ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Golden Peach

Lips:
- NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss in 141 Silver Plum

For the eyes, I recreated the look on myself so I could take a close-up picture (click picture for a larger view!):

I used:

- Urban Decay Primer Potion Original: applied on the lid all the way up to the brow with my finger
- MAC Brun: to fill in my brows, with an angled bush (MAC 268). (I mixed Wedge with a little bit of Groundcover for Michelle's brows, I need to buy Omega for blondes!)
- MAC Vanilla: as a browbone highlight, applied with a flat shader brush (MAC 239)
- MAC Vintage Selection paintpot (LE: Cham-Pale collection): applied on the lid and inner corner with a flat shader brush (MAC 239)
- MAC Quarry and Shale: mixed both and applied in the crease with a blending brush (MAC 217)
- MAC Sketch: smudged along the upper lashline and the outer 1/4th of the lower lashline with a pencil brush (MAC 219)
- L'Oreal Lineur Intense: made a winged liner on the upper lashline
- Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara: few coats on the top lashes, one coat on bottom lashes.

We had fun and she liked the look so everyone was happy :).

Thanks for reading and until next time!

Up next: some glitter nail art!

x
Tanja

Favorites: Top 10 MAC eyeshadows!

2011-08-07T23:25:00.001+02:00

Hey everyone!

Today I'm sharing my 10 favorite MAC eyeshadows with you. These are my go-to colours that I reach for the most.

With each colour I'll put the finish, the colour description that's on the MAC website and why I love the eyeshadow as much as I do.

Here they are all together:

Swatches in daylight

Swatches with flash

1. Vanilla (Velvet): "Peachy-ivory with reflects"

I use this colour as a brow highlight with pretty much every eyelook. I like my hightlight to be matte and even though this eyeshadow has some reflects in it, they are barely noticeable. You can only really see them when bright light hits them. You can tell by the amount of pan showing how much I use this colour.

I also use this as a inner corner highlight when I don't want it to be shimmery.

Vanilla (Flash, daylight)

2. Naked Lunch (Frost): "Minimal pink with shimmer"

This was one of the first eyeshadows I bought from MAC, and you can see I've gotten some good use out of it! I love this one as a inner corner highlight or all over the lid when I'm using lighter colours. I think this would be suitable for many different skin colours. Beautiful!

Naked Lunch

3. Wedge (Matte): "Soft muted beige taupe"

It's a nice warm brown that I always use as a transition colour in between the colour in my crease and my browbone highlight. It makes the transition much smoother and makes it a lot easier to blend. I only got this colour recently but I fell in love with it the first time I used it.

Wedge

4. Quarry (Matte): "Soft muted plum brown"

I love this matte colour. It's very pigmented and easy to blend. I use it a lot in the crease or on the lid for a darker look. It shows up darker and more purple on my skin than it does in the pan which I like. Love this for a matte smokey eye!

Quarry

5. Shale (Satin): "Mauve plum with subtle shimmer"

This was the second colour I ever bought from MAC (after Beauty Marked). I love the shimmer in this. When applied sheer it's super wearable for any day time look, but you can really build it up to make the colour a lot darker for an evening look. Goes with neutrals and colours, especially with purples!

Shale

6. Satin Taupe (Frost): "Taupe with silver shimmer"

I know this is a favorite of many and I decided to get it cause it was mentioned so often. I love taupes in general and I love this one too! I like how it looks with my green eyes. I often use it in the crease with Naked Lunch on the lid. Also love wearing it on its own with some black along the lashes for a smokey look. (Click for a look I did with Satin Taupe)

Satin Taupe

7. Twinks (Veluxe Pearl): "Deep plum with pearl" (can you tell I love plums? :) )

Another one I only got a couple months ago. Great crease colour or smudged along the lashline. Compliments my green eyes because of the red undertones. Veluxe pearl is also my favorite finish by MAC. I love how they apply, blend and how pigmented they are.

Twinks

8. Brun (Satin) : "Muted blackish-brown"

Not necessarily a pretty colour, but I always use this one to fill in my eyebrows. It's a satin but looks matte, which is great for eyebrows.

Brun

9. Club (Satin): "Red brown with green pearl"

This is the main colour I used in my previous post. I love how duochromes look like you applied more than one colour. When blended out you can see more of the red brown base colour. When it's packed on or applied over a dark base, the gorgeous green shimmer really makes it pop. It's like a toned down version of Blue Brown pigment.

Club

10. Sumptuous Olive (Veluxe Pearl): "Khaki with pearl"

I don't use it as often as I should but everytime I use it I remember why I love it so much. It's not really a duochrome but it's kind of in between a gold and a green with some brown in it. Also like using it on its own, like Satin Taupe. Great if you want to use some colour but in a subtle way. (Click for a look I did with Sumptuous Olive)

Sumptuous Olive

And that's all ten of them!

Before I go, here's an overview of the different finishes MAC eyeshadows come in and how MAC describes them (Source)

- FROST

An iridescent shine that adds a highlight to any colour.

- LUSTRE

Smoothly pearlized; intensely frosted with deluxe ultra-fine "conditioned" finish.

- MATTE

Hi-colour pay-off in a no-shine matte finish.

- SATIN

Pure colour in a satin-style finish. Provides a soft subtle non-frost, light-refractive sheen.

- VELUXE

Superfine pigment rich and very luxe. Supple to apply. Provides silky smooth matte finish.

- VELUXE PEARL

Vibrantly-toned. Velvety soft. Shimmeringly metallic. Veluxe eye shadow, now overlaid with high-shine pearl.

- VELVET

Soft look finish with high-colour intensity. Has a plush velvety look and feel.

That's all folks!

Up next: Makeover on my friend Michelle + EOTD (did one previously here)

x
Tanja

EOTD: MAC Club eyeshadow and Blue Brown pigment

2011-08-02T18:13:00.001+02:00

Hey hey!!

It's me again with another eye of the day. Today I did a look using one of my favorite MAC eyeshadows: Club. I love this duochrome eyeshadow. Its a dark warm brown colour, with blue-ish green shimmer in it. Gorgeous!! These are the kind of colours that look different depending on how you apply them and once they're on your eye, it seems as though you're wearing multiple eyeshadows. (I get too carried away when I'm doing my makeup so I did use multiple colours :) )

Here’s a list of all the products I used and how I used them:

- MAC Blackground paintpot: as a base all over the lid up to the crease, applied with a stiff flat shader brush (MAC 252), blended out with a blending brush (MAC 217). Also applied on the lower lashline with a short shader brush (MAC 214).

- MAC Wedge: used with a blending brush (MAC 217) to blend out the paintpot.

- MAC Brun: to fill in my brows with an angled brush (MAC 263).

- MAC Vanilla eyeshadow: as a browbone highlight, applied with a flat shader brush (MAC 239)

- MAC Blacktrack fluidline: lined along the upper lashline, on the top a bottom waterline and smudged between the lashes (to make it super dark, so no skin is visible) with a small liner brush (MAC 209).

- MAC Club: applied with a flat shader brush (MAC 239) all over the lid and on the lower lashline

- MAC Blue Brown pigment: this is like a more shimmery/metallic version of Club. I applied this right in the middle of the lid and lower lashline with a flat shader brush (MAC 239). This just adds a little more shimmer and is very subtle.

- Sleek Green Iguana (from the Curaçao palette (click)): used a little bit of this colour on the bottom part of the inner corner for a pop of teal, using a pencil brush (MAC 219).

- Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara: few coats on the top lashes, one coat on bottom lashes.

A couple more pictures from different angles cause I love this eyeshadow so much :).

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by!

Tanja

Favorites: July 2011

2011-08-01T19:00:00.004+02:00

Hi everyone!

Today is August 1st, 2011 and I'm going to attempt to do monthly favorites from now on, starting today with my July favorites. I don't have too many products to show you this month but I have a few.

- Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Stray Dog: This came with the 15th anniversary set and is new and exclusive to this set. It's a soft brown/taupe. I love taupe in general and it's just a little different from your average brown. Also, these 24/7 liners go on super smooth and once they've dried they stay on beautifully!
I don't know if there's a dupe for this colour from a brand that is available internationally but if you live in Europe and Catrice is sold in your country, definitely check out their Kohl Kajal eyeliner in 100 Name It As You Like!

Urban Decay Stray Dog 24/7 Eyeliner

- MAC Face & Body: My skin is far from flawless and I usually use Revlon's Colorstay foundation which has a really good coverage. I've really been liking my Face & Body foundation this month when I felt like wearing just a light layer of foundation. It's a water-based foundation with a light coverage which you can build up to a higher coverage. I like that it's not a matte finish and that it actually looks like skin (like your own skin but better). It seems pricey ( around €30 / £25.50 /$32.50) but you do get 120 ml / 4.0 fl oz. when most foundations only contain 30ml / 1.0 fl oz. (so 30 ml of this would only be €7,5 / £6,3 / $8.12). Definitely worth the money if you ask me! (I just hope mine doesn't go bad before I can finish the bottle haha)

- MAC Dame Blush: I used to be scared of pink blushes. I always stayed away from them because I didn't wanna look like a Barbie doll. Even though this blush looks like a barbie-pink, it just gives you a soft, healthy flush of colour on the cheeks. It's a satin finish so it's not completely matte and easy to blend, but doesn't leave a lot of shimmer on your face. It has a very sublte blue-ish shimmer to it.

MAC Dame blush

- Babyliss hairdyer: I love this thing. It does take a while to get used to the rotating brush and it takes a little practice but it is so worth it. It's like having two hands in one. No more wrestling with the big round brush in one hand and the hair dryer in the other, this thing does it all for you! My sister got one for her birthday and she loves it too. She's a busy mom with 2 kids so she needs something that will style her hair quickly, and this brush/hair dryer does that for her.

- L'Oreal Perfect Clean foaming gel wash: (This is called Go 360 Clean Cleanser and comes in a different bottle in the US.) I use the purifying one for blemish prone skin.
What I love about it: it does foam (I don't like cleansers that don't), it cleans my skin without leaving it dry and tight afterwards and it comes with the little "scrublet". The scrublet is supposed to give a deeper cleanse and i believe it does. It doesn't look like it's going to do much but it feel super soft on the skin. I've tried washing my face without the scrublet first and then with the scrublet and a bunch of makeup/dirt still came off! I don't know how to describe the smell of the wash gel but to me it just smells fresh and clean. I plan on trying the other ones soon.

- MAC MSF in Semi Precious Pearl (LE: Semi Precious collection): I got this in the beginning of July when the Semi Precious collection came out. I love the outer part as a highlight and the inner part as a blush. I'm quite pale so I can even mix both as a blush colour for a light shimmery colour.

MAC Pearl MSF swatches (outside, center, both mixed)

That's all for this month!

What have you been loving in July?

Tanja

EOTD: MAC's Bows & Curtseys: green smokey eye

2011-07-30T22:23:00.003+02:00

Hello!!

Today I did a look using Bows & Curtseys eyeshadow from MAC which came out with the Fashion Flower collection not too long ago. It's a blackened green with shimmer, perfect for a smokey eye, so that's what I did!

Here’s a list of all the products I used and how I used them:

- Urban Decay Primer Potion: all over the lid up to the brow, blended out with my finger.

- MAC Brun: to fill in my brows, with an angled brush (MAC 263).

- MAC Vanilla eyeshadow: as a browbone highlight, applied with a flat shader brush (MAC 239)

- MAC Ricepaper: inner corner highlight, applied with a pencil brush (MAC 219)

- MAC Wedge: applied with a blending brush (MAC 217) right above the crease, as a transition colour between the dark green and the brow highlight.

- MAC Fresh Approach (LE: Makeup Art Cosmetics collection: Photo Realism quad): on the lid and lower lashline, applied with a flat shader brush (MAC 239).

- MAC Bows & Curtseys (LE: Fashion Flower collection): applied in the crease and outer corner with a blending brush (MAC 217) and on the lower lashline with a short bristle shader brush (MAC 214).

- MAC Blacktrack fluidline: lined along the upper lashline, on the lower waterline and smudged between the lashes with a small liner brush (MAC 209).

- Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara: few coats on the top lashes, one coat on bottom lashes.

- False Eyelashes from H&M (no name or number) with Duo lash glue.

For a softer, less dramatic look, just skip the liner and lashes.

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by!

Tanja

Haul: MAC - Fashion Flower

2011-07-27T14:55:00.004+02:00

Hiya!

On July 16th, the Fashion Flower collection was released in Belgium and the Netherlands.

(pic credit: Temptalia)

After looking at severals hauls and reviews (which I always do before going into the store), I made a wish list:
- Alpha Girl and Light Sunshine beauty powders
- Budding Beauty lipgelee
- Groundcover and Bows & Curtseys eyeshadows

I really liked Lucky Green eyeshadow as well, but that's a permanent colour, so I could pick that up at any time in a refill pan.
After checking out and swatching all products in store, I decided to get everything I had on my wishist.

Here are some pictures of my purchases (in daylight):

Budding Beauty lipgelee

Bows & Curtseys eyeshadow

Groundcover eyeshadow

Light Sunshine beauty powder

Alpha Girl beauty powder

I like the flower pattern on the products, even tho it will eventually wear off.
I love using Alpha Girl as a blush and Bows & Curtseys as a nice smokey eye colour.
For better quality pictures and swatches of the entire collection, check out this video from Temptalia (if you haven't noticed already, I love this girl haha, she always makes such helpful reviews!)

Next MAC collection I'm looking forward to: MAC Me Over, launches internationally in the beginning of September.

Thanks for reading!

x
Tanja

EOTD: Katy Perry Grammy’s 2011 makeup & Sleek Monaco palette

2011-07-27T01:16:00.005+02:00

Hey everyone!

Did this look today after seeing this picture from Katy Perry at the 2011 Grammy awards. I loved the purple and green combination with the glitter and decided to recreate it.

(Click for larger view)

For eyeshadows I mainly used the Monaco eyeshadow palette from Sleek from their Mediterranean collection.

(Click for larger view)

Here’s a list of all the products I used and how I used them:

- Urban Decay Primer Potion: all over the lid up to the brow, blended out with my finger.

- MAC Brun: to fill in my brows, with an angled brush (MAC 263).

- Sleek Bamboo (Monaco palette): as a browbone highlight, applied with a flat shader brush (MAC 239)

- Sleek Martini (Curaçao palette): inner corner highlight, applied with a pencil brush (MAC 219)

- Sleek Sand Walker (Monaco palette): applied with a blending brush (MAC 217) right above the crease, as a transition colour between the purple and the brow highlight.

- Sleek Lotus Flower (Monaco palette): on the lid and blended into the crease, applied with a flat shader brush (MAC 239).

- Sleek Midnight Garden ( Monaco palette): softly applied with a tapered blending brush (MAC 226) in the outer corner over the purple to make it a little darker and add some depth. Also on the outer forth of the lower lashline over the lime green with a pencil brush (MAC 219).

- Sleek Kiwi Zest (Monaco palette): on the lower lashline with a short bristle shader brush (MAC 214).

- Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Mildew: on the lower waterline and smudged between the lashes.

- NYX cream glitter (Paradise palette): applied over the purple with my finger.

- L’Oreal Lineur Intense: thin line along the upper lashes.

- Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara: few coats on the top lashes, one coat on bottom lashes.

- False Eyelashes from Claire’s (no name or number) with Duo lash glue.

Hope you like it and thanks for stopping by!

Tanja

Review: Sleek Oh So Special and Curaçao I-Divine Palettes

2011-07-26T22:45:00.002+02:00

Hello folks!

Sleek makeup recently came out with a new collection: The Caribbean collection. The collection consists of an eyeshadow palette, a blush and a tinted lipbalm. I only picked up the eyeshadow palette. After I bought their Storm palette when I was in London, I started collecting their palettes. I think the quality of the eyeshadows is amazing for the prize (around £7 or €9 or $12).

This palette from the Caribbean collection is called "Curaçao" and is filled with bright and fun colours.
Lets have a look:

Sleek Curaçao palette (click for larger view)

Like all the Sleek palettes, these eyeshadows are nicely pigmented. The matte shadows are usually a little less pigmented than the shimmery/metalic ones. The darker matte colours usually show up better I find. Over a base or primer they work great though.

I swatched each row on bare skin and over Urban Decay's Primer potion.

Top row, bare skin, flash

Top row, over UDPP, flash

Bottom row, bare skin, flash

Bottom row, over UDPP, flash

My favorites of this palette are Green Iguana, Purple Haze, Green Martini and Singapore Sling.
Not all the palettes I have from Sleek have names for the colours but I'm glad all these new palettes do.

Sleek also came out with another palette, with more neutral colours, which is called "Oh So Special". I believe this is part of their permanent line since it isn't part of a collection.
This palette has got some great shadows to create any kind of neutral look with. It has some matte and some shimmery colours, going from really light to black so you could do an every day eye look with this but also a really dark smokey eye. If you can't get your hands on the Urban Decay Naked palette or it's too expensive, definitely check out this palette!

Sleek Oh So Special palette (click for larger view)

Here are the swatches, with and without primer.

Top row, bare skin, flash

Top row, over UDPP, fash

Bottom row, bare skin, flash

Bottom row, over UDPP, flash

My favorites: Glitz, Celebrate, Boxed and Wrapped Up.
I'm not too crazy about the matte pinks in this palette. Not as eyeshadows anyway, but I've found they work nicely as blushes.
I love how pigmented the matte black (Noir) that comes with a lot of these palettes is. I won't have to buy a matte black in a looong time, haha.

I'll probably do some eye looks with these palettes in the future, so look out for that!

x
Tanja

EOTD (Eye Of The Day): MAC Rare Find

2011-07-24T23:39:00.005+02:00

Here’s a look I did with MAC’s Rare Find mineralized eyeshadow from the Semi Precious collection. I’m actually really glad I picked this up cause it’s so pretty. It looks even better in real life than it does on the picture.

These are the products I used and how I used them:

- Urban Decay Primer Potion: all over the lid up to the brow, blended out with my finger.

- MAC Brun eyeshadow: to fill in my brows, with an angled brush (MAC 263).

- MAC Vanilla eyeshadow: as a browbone highlight, applied with a flat shader brush (MAC 239) and inner corner highlight with a pencil brush (MAC 219).

- MAC Rare Find mineralized eyeshadow: all over the lid, applied with a damp flat shader brush (MAC 239, I used Fix + to wet my brush, but you could also use water) and used dry to blend it out just above the crease with a fluffier brush ( MAC 217).
Also applied wet on the lower lashline with a short bristle shader brush (MAC 214)

- Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero: on top and bottom waterline and smudged between the lashes.

- Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara: few coats on the top lashes, one coat on bottom lashes.

- False Eyelashes from Claire’s (no name or number) with Duo lash glue.

I love the shimmer in this eyeshadow and I think it looks great on its own!

You could make this look a little darker and more smokey by adding some black on the outer corner.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tanja

Haul: MAC Semi Precious

2011-07-13T16:45:00.001+02:00

Hello folks!

Hello!

Last saturday the new MAC collection came out in Belgium: Semi Precious. After watching Temptalia's video review, I wanted to check out mainly the MSF's and the blushes. The eyeshadows did look really nice in the pans, but wasn't impressed by the swatches.

At the store I swatched the MSF's and blushes and I decided to pick up Semi Precious Pearl MSF and Warmth Of Coral blush. I liked the other two blushes too, but have similar colours in my stash. Same for the other MSF. I chose the Pearl one cause I can use the outside as a highlight, and the inside as a blush.

From all the eyeshadows, Rare Find was my favorite after watching the review. I swatched it at the store and decide to pick it up anyway cause it was alot more pigmented than I expected it to be. I've done a look with it and I love it! (I'll do a post on it)

I also picked up the 234 brush cause I love the 217 and it looked really interesting. I've used it for concealer a couple of times and I like it. Not a must have brush though in my opinion.

Here are some pictures:

SEMI PRECIOUS PEARL

WARMT OF CORAL

RARE FIND

234

If you want to see pictures and swatches from the entire collection you can watch this video from Temptalia.

Until next time!

Tanja