New lip combo!

Hello everyone! :)
No luck with the YSL Glossy Stains, I'm afraid. I found a couple of them, but they didn't let me take any pictures of the swatches, and I didn't like any of the five colors that were shown on the YSL stand, but I'll try another day, I promise!

However, I have the most amazing discovery to show you guys. Actually, no. It's not a discovery at all, because I have created a lip combo with products I already owned, but despised and didn't use at all. As much as I love my NARS Lip Velvet Matte pencils, I own "Damned" and I'm afraid this color is too vampy to work on me, and made me look really dull and corpse-like. (It's way too brown for me, and I was about to give it to my mother!)

On the other hand, I have one of those Josie Maran's lip stains which has the appearance of a marker, and I find it doesn't work at all, because it doesn't apply evenly on my lips. Any kind of marker will do, but I really don't like this one because of it's crappy application, and I bought this product when I was in New York. It's a hot pink/red kind of color, and as much as I love the color, I can't bring myself to use this one at all.

I have heard that the Josie Maran apply well, on the internet. But I don't know if mine had already dried out before my purchase, or whatever, but it applies quite patchy on my lips. So if you find you really love this one, then, forget my mini-review on this product!

I think mine is the third starting from the right, if I'm not very mistaken.

The thing is, this morning, I wanted to look out for old products I don't use, and see if there's any way to use them up.

And this combo jumped out of nowhere. Since the "Damned" NARS pencil is quite dull, and the Josie Maran lip stain is bright but patchy, I decided to use first "Damned" on my lips, which looks quite brown-plum on my lips, but with the pink pop in the middle of my lips, and a little bit of vaseline on top (or clear gloss), this just looks like the MOST AMAZING burgundy red lips but still very bright, which is something I need to make my skin not look dead-like.

So, today's little tip is: guys, try to make any old dull lip color with a brighter one that matches it more or less, and see how the color DRASTICALLY improves and makes you look really lively and beautiful. Add the clear gloss/Vaseline to achieve that fruity and kissable look on your lips, or go matte if you are a matte-girl at heart.

Love,
Maria.

New on my wishlist: YSL Glossy Stain

Hello everyone! :)
If you've been browsing through the blogosphere, and reading different beauty blogs, you might've read something about the new YSL Glossy Stain products, which are a kind of mix between a gloss, a lipstick and a stain, according to the brand itself. As a stain lover, I couldn't skip the chance of trying it out, or wanting it desperately at least.

This afternoon, I'm heading to the YSL counter. I actually don't know if it has been released yet in Spain (very professional of me, but I really think it has, because of all of the ads everywhere), but I always love looking at pretty expensive and beautiful things, so I will go on my trip anyways!

Just in case you have been living under a rock for the past month, I will take some pictures for you guys this afternoon, and some swatches too! For now, I will show you a little sneak peek into the product itself:

If I actually purchase any of these, I will go for any of the brighter colors, in the middle or first column, probably. The thing with the YSL Glossy Stains is that they change over time, like the kind of oxidization process that occurs with some foundations, so the color changes and can become deeper. This is something to take into account before purchasing a really dark color, I think, because it can end up looking really vampy!

I have heard a lot about #11 Rouge Gauche, a true red, but I really wanted a hot pink or fuchsia, so I will swatch them all and decide if I buy a couple of them! (They are 25€, so I will have to pick really well!)

I hope you are as excited as I am, because I wouldn't spend 25€ on any other lip product, I assure you! They better be as exceptional as they sound like. I will tell you everything about them this same afternoon, I hope you have a great day! 

Love,

Maria

Nails Inc 'Baker Street': a love story

Hello everyone :)!

I remember telling you guys that I had finally ordered Nails Inc 'Baker Street' on BeautyBay. It arrived some days ago, but I wanted to try it out first to tell you how well it has performed and how much I like it (or not, I want to keep the mystery). 

This is my beautiful friend, 'Baker Street'. Now, I don't remember the street, from when I visited London, but the nail polish is definitely something to remember! 

This cobalt blue is a TRUE BLUE, dark but still very bright, intense but still very wearable, and I think this color will suit absolutely anybody, even if you're the palest (like me) or have the darkest skin! 

The tip wear has been minimal in 4 days of use, but I consider that no chipping after the 3rd day means that this polish is very good quality. The top and bottom coat (I use the same product for both: KIKO's Shine Top&Bottom Coat) is a very important step which helps maintain the quality of the color and shine, as well as the time of wear, but I think the product itself always has a say in it too.

The veredict?

I am in love. If you love blues, then why don't you have this already? If you don't normally wear bright colors but are tempted anyway, why don't you have this already? I can't stress enough how much I adore this nail polish, and I'm really glad I bought it! It looks good with ANY nude or black or white clothing (which is mostly what I like to wear), and it can be pulled off quite amazingly with bright colors too.

Are you trying to decide if you should buy it or not? Is it worth it or not?

IT IS, GO BUY IT! RIGHT NOW!

[I don't work for Nails Inc or anything, it's just an amazing color and I just want everybody to know about it! It's a hidden affair I want to make public!]

Love,
Maria.

The Big Issue: Foundations

Hello everyone :) !

As makeup addicts, we know there are many different brands of eyeshadows, liners, etc. that are pretty great, and even if sometimes we encounter bad quality eyeshadows, we know most do a decent job, even if its a cheap brand. Mascara-wise, I think most separate and lengthen a little bit the lashes, but few of them are really amazing and holy grail products, but even though, you can own hundreds of mascaras, and none will make your lashes look WORSE. 

The only product I think is more extreme is foundation. You can either LOVE a foundation, or downright HATE IT. I see no middle ground, even if you try some foundations you wouldn't normally use, you still love something about them. And I believe most of us want similar things from our foundations, even if some of us want matte or dewy finishes, full or light coverage, powder, liquid, mousse, gel texture...

But what you want is that the final result is natural, not cakey at all, beautiful and that makes your skin glow. And that it STAYS that way, so it doesn't oxidize or melt away.

I own three foundations (at the moment, I threw out previous ones I didn't use at all and didn't like either):

(L to R: BodyShop Extra Virgin Minerals Powder, BodyShop Oil Free Balancing Foundation, Nars Sheer Glow) 

(My foundations are pretty messed up, I'm sorry. But on-the-go,
it's quite difficult to put on foundation without messing them up a little, right?)

One of them is (was) my holy grail foundation: NARS Sheer Glow, in Montblanc. But lately, I decided that this sat too much on top of my skin and it wore off after a couple of hours, because of my oily skin, I didn't want that, even though I love the glow it gave to my skin. So if you're trying to look for some coverage, and you have combination skin, or dry skin, this foundation will work wonders for you. It doesn't cling on my dry patches, which is something I really appreciate from a foundation, and it just delivers GLOW. (And you guys know I love my glow.)

After that, I bought two BodyShop foundations, one was a mineral powder foundation (Extra Virgin Minerals with SPF 15, which was 20€) and a matte "liquid" foundation (Oil Free Balancing Foundation SPF 15). My initial idea was to use the liquid foundation and use the mineral powder as a finishing powder.

 (L to R: BodyShop Oil Free Balancing Foundation; Nars Sheer Glow; Real Techniques Stippling brush)

(I  apply them both with my RT Stippling)

I have ended up ditching any hope of using correctly the Oil Free Balancing Foundation, because it dries INSTANTLY, and it cakes A LOT on me. It's way too matte to look natural, so even if this stays for hours on my skin, I don't think it makes my skin look beautiful, fresh or anything. It just looks dull and matte. The shade range is not good at all, and the lightest color was still too orangey and dark for me. It accentuates any bump you might have on your skin, or any dry patch, so I wouldn't recommend this to acne prone skins, or dry skins. I actually wouldn't recommend this to anyone, if I'm honest.

I'm in shade 04.

You can practically see the mud-like, mask-like consistency of this when blended downwards,

which dries into a sort of waxy mask. [Sucks!]

Comparison between top (Nars Sheer Glow, lightly applied) and bottom (BS Oil Free Balancing, blended)

(You can definitely see the top foundation camouflages pores and lines, 

while the BodyShop one just makes them more obvious!)

On the other hand, my Extra Virgin Minerals Powder has worked wonders for me. The coverage is really light, and so you definitely need to use concealer under your eyes and on blemishes, but this gives the most amazing finish ever. I think my shade is also a little bit darker (nothing that you can really notice at all) so it also makes me look bronzed. I can't use it as a finishing powder, but it evens out your skin beautifully, it gives a really natural sheen to your face, it doesn't accentuate dry patches, and just looks NATURAL. It gives the effect of your skin being tanned and glowy, but not greasy at all. I just fell in love with this powder. It does absolutely everything I wanted it to, without full coverage, but when my skin is looking good, this is the foundation powder I use to make it look EVEN BETTER.

Tap some onto the lid, like the TINIEST amount possible, and then brush it softly with

a kabuki brush, such as mine. [Perfection!]

I'm in shade 205 rose vanilla,
a little bit darker than my skin, but doesn't look orangey at all, only beautifully and glowy tanned skin.

Right now, NARS Sheer Glow has too much coverage for my liking, so EVMP I think this will be a great alternative, specially for spring and summer! With a kabuki brush, you just put it on, and it's a breeze, there's no blending needed, just a little powdering and you're done! 

Bottom line
I love my NARS Sheer Glow as much as the next girl, and it has definitely been there when I was in need of some SERIOUS coverage, to look air brushed and beautiful. But my skin is better now, and packing it with foundation will only make matters worse, right? So I think that the mineral powder foundation will be an excellent alternative for me, so that my skin can breathe.

On the other hand, if you need coverage and a beautiful foundation, then I CAN'T stress enough: NARS Sheer Glow! NARS Sheer Glow! NARS Sheer Glow! NARS Sheer Glow!
MUFE HD Foundation I heard is also really good, but I haven't tried it on myself, and don't know anyone who wears it, so I can't recommend you something that I have not previously tried out on myself or at least, a friend. And there are many others you can try out, hopefully you'll find the perfect match for you!

I can go on and on about foundations, so I hope this post wasn't too long and boring, guys!


Do you own any REALLY AMAZING foundation? (Or would you rather keep it a secret?) Do you have any kind of oily, combination or dry skin and you find that there's this one product that solves all of your problems? 


Any question, ladies? Post a comment below!


Love,
Maria.

I took the plunge. I ordered Nails Inc 'Baker Street'.

So much for saving money!

H&M duo nail polish

Hello everyone! :)

Yes, I know, ANOTHER nail polish related post. I've been such a sucker for nail polish lately. But I wanted to share the love with you guys, specially because yesterday I found an amazing duo nail polish by H&M for just 3 bucks, and THAT IS SOMETHING I OUGHT TO SHARE.

I already owned a nail polish duo by H&M, and I actually bought a similar one, but that doesn't mean I don't LOVE both of them. It's quite ironical, but my favorite golden foil nail polish is the H&M duo that I already owned, and even though it's SO CHEAP, the quality is amazing. But now I own the new generation of duo nail polish (the packaging is way better), I think they also made their formula a little more opaque and less prone to showing strokes and other marks. 

I wasn't able to swatch it on my own nails because I am wearing still my OPI 'Kiss me on my tulips' and OPI 'Rainbow connection' (as accents). I am so lazy, and taking off glitters is such a long and boring process, I will just stick to these, even though I'm crazy in love with my H&M nude polish (THIS IS A NUDE POLISH, NAILS INC), and I really want to try it out!!

The first duo (top) is called "GOLDEN NAILS" which is quite appropriate since it has the most beautiful golden foil polish I have ever tried (and I have like... four of them, and more expensive), and it is paired with an amazingly beautiful bluish toned purple polish which goes on like a dream. As you can see, the packaging is really battered, and it's sometimes a little hard to open, but it's quite a nice way to take nail polish when you're on the go. The only con of this nail polish is it's tiny tiny TINY  brush, but with great care, you can apply nail polish perfectly, even if it takes you a little longer.
I am actually not sure if they sell this duo anymore, or if they have started selling it with the new packaging already (I imagine they might've), but I guess these aren't really unique colors, so don't worry if they aren't available anymore. I just wanted to show you H&M's polish evolution!

The second duo (bottom) is called "LAVENDER FROST", which is NOT appropriate at all, since the purply color is not lavender, nor there is any frost in any of these two polishes. But whatever, I didn't buy this for its name, but because of its nude. I actually bought it thinking the purple tone would be the same as my first duo's. But apparently not, thankfully, because I like having variety. This purple is more on the red side, an aubergine color which I really like and I'm very glad that I got.  

The packaging is also way better, just look at those polka dots! I feel it's more cute and has less edges, which made the first duo look way cheaper. On the brush... oh, my, god. It's so much better! Very large and wide, it will cover my nail in a swipe, I'm sure. (Haven't tried it yet, as you already know, but taking swatches of the colors was a dream with this brush!)

Even though the second duo seems to carry a lot more product, apparently, they carry the same (0.3oz/10ml in total, both nail polishes).

Left to right: nude and aubergine [Lavender Frost]; purple and golden [Golden Nails] 

You can really see the difference in color between both purples in this picture. And the gold isn't a full on YELLOW gold,
it looks quite toned down and bright, so it goes with absolutely everything you wear, (don't worry). 

 (Blurry swatches, yaaaaay!): Golden Nails

 Lavender Frost

Top: Lavender Frost; Bottom: Golden Nails.
Swatches and duos, side by side.

In this picture you can see what the gold foil polish looks like in real life.
Do you see the whitish yellow tinge? Not full on yellow, at all! 

I definitely didn't think I was going to like this new duo, but I think it looks wonderful, and I really think you should try it out! I mean, it's 3€, which is 1.5€ per polish. They're fantastic quality, and have amazing colors. They can be worn for days without chipping, although DO wear base and top coat, because I didn't use to, and they chipped in a couple of days, specially the dark purple one. 

Overall, great quality for such a cheap nail polish combo! 

I hope you liked it, and maybe the next time you pop into H&M you will be looking into these, and maybe picking other shades I overlooked. 

Do you guys already own any H&M polishes? What do you think about them? Any other cheap but awesome brands we should try?

Love,

Maria.

In my basket: Ciaté 'Oil Slick' and some Nails Inc

Hello everyone! :)

Do you remember I told you I REALLY wanted the Topshop 'Hidden Treasure' nail polish? (Yeah, I'm talking AGAIN about nail polish!) Well, I found an amazing dupe, and I will probably order soon! This is it, in case you were wondering:

(Picture by Fleur de Force)

The color is Ciaté in 'Oil slick', and I will order it online in BeautyBay, this amazing website that now has free shipping worldwide (are you still reading my blog or did you just go to browse it?) 

I discovered this site thanks to Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup, and I love looking for the most amazing brands and purchasing polishes I am not able to get in Spain as freely as I would like to! So this way, I get my polishes or whatever I order, and I don't have to pay ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING (0€, 0$...) for shipping fees! AND it's not a sketchy site or anything like that (I still wonder if the OPI Rainbow Connection nail polish I bought on eBay is a fake...), so if you DO buy something, you can be quite sure you'll receive that exact product with all kinds of guarantees and you can also return it. I LOVE BeautyBay, what's there to say. (And no, I'm not working with them or anything, in case my enthusiasm made it look that way.)

But yeah. I really wanted 'Hidden Treasure', and even if Ciaté is a little pricier (it's like 10.50€, and Topshop is around 6€), it is quite worth it, specially since, if I had ordered any Topshop nail polishes I would have to pay 5€ or so of shipping fees. You see how BeautyBay really makes you want to buy EVERYTHING there? 

This is the Ciaté 'Oil slick' bottle. HOW CUTE IS THAT LITTLE BLACK BOW? 

So, after all, I AM going to be able to wear this shade! Yaaaaaay. If you too where wondering where to get a dupe of Chanel's Péridot, but weren't able to get your hands on Topshop's 'Hidden Treasure', here you have it. It's Ciaté 'Oil slick'. 

And it looks (effing) amazing.

By the way;

I'm still dwelling on the Illamasqua polish issue, and I recently noticed Nails Inc 'Nudes & Neons' Mini collection carries a couple of neons that I really love (and the pink looks a lot like Collide, but I won't let myself be fooled again by swatches I find on the Internet.) On the other hand, the price is quite good, it's €19.30 on BeautyBay, but if I tell you the truth, I really love the neon shades, but I can't be bothered by ANY of the nude ones. I love nude colors, like off-whites, and pale skin colors, and such, but these just aren't my definition of nude, just muted colors (grey, camel and dark taupe), and I wouldn't wear any of these comfortably, I'm afraid.

(nudes: Porchester Square, Cadogan Square, Jermyn Street; neons: Portobello, Notting Hill Gate, Holland Park)

I think I might even be able to wear the grey one [Porchester Square], since it's the lightest, and you can probably use a topcoat like OPI 'Rainbow Connection' to put some life into that greyish color (I HATE grey, it's just the worst color of them all). But... I don't think I'd like the camel [Cadogan Square] or the dark taupe [Jermyn Street] with whatever I am able to put over them. They just aren't my beloved shades, and I didn't even own a camel bag until a couple of weeks ago, even if people have been raving about that color, it just doesn't suit me at all.

So, I'm thinking that mini collection through, because I don't want to purchase a pack of six, and just use three, although it's a good deal, price-wise. But I just love the neons, I'm afraid, so if you guys are interested in a nude polish giveaway or a swap, let me know! 

Another Nails Inc polish I've been eyeing lately is:

Baker Street

I think this is just... WOAH. This is a beautiful royal blue, but very bright too, which I love. This will probably be on my basket along with Ciaté's 'Oil slick'! 

You can find this one too on BeautyBay, if you're interested.

I'm a nail polish addict. Aren't I?

Have you been loving any nail polishes lately, following the bright trend? Do you know how to work with those nudes in the Nails Inc mini collection? Any Baker Street owners?

Love,

Maria.