Lip balm addiction!

Hello everyone! :)
And as much as I love my colourful lipsticks, I think I could live without them (in case of emergency or apocalypse or whatever). This is something I can't say about lip balms. I need them in my life. And I know probably this is an addiction, because if I go a couple hours without lip balm, my lips get dry and start to hurt!

But there you go. I bought three different lip balms, each of one a different flavour and type: a lip butter, a "Born Lippy" lip balm (in a little pot), and "Born Lippy" lip balm (in a tube).

 Born Lippy Tube in Plum, Mango Lip Butter, Born Lippy Pot in Pink Guava

Lip Butter in Mango: it's the first time I try the BodyShop lip butters, and I'm pleasantly surprised, because they're not super thick, which I expected, and they are SO SOFT AND BUTTERY (hence the name). The little pot they had as a tester smelled too strong, but I decided to buy it anyway, because I LOVE MANGO. And thankfully, my pot didn't smell that strong, and on my lips it just gives a very pleasant (and strong, don't get me wrong, this smell doesn't disappear after application) smell, which I adore! 

Born Lippy (tube) in Plum: I just went to the BodyShop to check these out, since they're new! Sadly, some of the classic scents that I love, such as Pink Guava (pictured below) are no longer present in this new line. :(

However, this lipbalm has quite a citrusy gone sweet smell, which I really really like, and it gives a little bit of a rosy color, even though for the most part I'd describe this as a clear lip balm. And I think the tube form is way more hygienic, so this is better for on-the-go. And what's not to love about the whole pop art vibe on the packaging? 

Born Lippy (pot) in Pink Guava: this is my all-time favourite lip balm. This scents and some others are being discontinued, which I hate because.. duh! This is the best balm ever, and has the best scent!!! But, luckily, my local BodyShop still sells them at a discounted price, so I bought one, ipso facto! 

And what can I say? If you are able to get your hands on one of these, DO! You'll thank me for it!

Have you got a lip balm you can't live without? Have you ever tried any BodyShop products you love?

Love,

Maria.

Summer's nail color

Hello everyone! :)


Just 18 days for me to finish my exams and be FREE, yay! Meanwhile, I'm leaving this summery nail combo with you guys, so that you can marvel at the brightness, and the fact that I didn't spend any more money on nail polishes (thank god, you might think!)

This is two coats of Nails' Inc "Hedonist" (reddish-orange) and a very thin layer on top of Nails' Inc "Bubblegum" (PINKPINKPINK), both neon colors. I reviewed both of them in a previous post, check that out in case you haven't already.

As I said in that same post, I expected Hedonist to have a pinky tinge, and it failed me in that sense, so I decided to put these two together, and... voilà, THIS was the shade I was lusting after!

Hope you guys like this combo,
will see you soon hopefully, wish me luck with my exams!

Love,
Maria.

Models Own: Hedonist, Bubblegum, Fluro Orange and Tangerine Queen

Hello, my dear readers :)

The Internet is always tempting me. Firstly, I've been constantly looking at amazing pictures of Lily Melrose, also known as Llymlrs, and she always wears this beautiful nail polish called 'Hedonist', by Models Own.

As I went into ASOS' website, I saw 'Hedonist' was on sale! I got TOO excited. And then, last but not least, I noticed there was a neon trio by Models Own on sale too! The price of the trio was too tempting, 16€ (approx.) for 3 neon nail polishes, full-size! I had to have it! 

So I ordered all four nail polishes. And they just arrived, so... 

here you go, lovelies.

Thumb: Hedonist, Index and Pinky: Fluro Orange, Middle Finger: Bubblegum,

Ring finger: Tangerine Queen

  Hedonist, Tangerine Queen, Bubblegum, Fluro Orange

 Hedonist, Tangerine Queen, Bubblegum, Fluro Orange

 Hedonist: I really love this colour's brightness! Even though, from pictures I had seen online, I expected this one to have a pink tinge, and maybe it's the lighting right now, but I definitely see an orangey-red, and that's it. So after all the searching, I definitely can say I like it, and it applies well, even though I find Models Own brushes to be too thin for a nice application. However, I achieved this brightness with just ONE COAT. (They're all one coaters, except for Tangerine Queen!) -Dries to a matte finish!

Fluro Orange: I didn't expect to like this one, but it got me, with all its brightness with just one coat! Will be definitely worn as a pedi, but you never know. I love this one! -Dries to a satiny-matte finish.

Bubblegum: for me, this nail polish was the best of them all! One coat and full opacity on my nails, although I always put two just in case, to ensure the best effect. It is amazingly bright, you won't need any base color or anything (none of them will), and it dries to a kind of matte finish, but as I'm not a big fan, I just put my shiny KIKO topcoat over, and I'm good to go!
[BTW: I bought this one as a substitute for Illamasqua's 'Collide'. I don't really know if they're dupes or not, but in swatches they do look similar!]

Tangerine Queen: oh, I wanted to like you, TQ! On pictures, it looked a little like Models Own Beach Party, but it's more orange, like this kind of orangey yellow, and I don't think I can really pull it off. But that said, I think it can be a great tan colour. Even though, I have to point out that this one applies so STREAKY, you just can't imagine. So 2-4 coats, depending on how thin coats are, to even it out. However, as the brush doesn't help too much either, I think this polish can't make it to my top list, and will probably be forgotten in my nail polish drawer :(.

You can see the matte finish on the pictures below, specially on Tangerine Queen:

Have you tried any Models Own nail polish you'd like to recommend? Any of you have any neon polish that you really really love? 


Love,
Maria.

Quick tip: SPF + foundation!

Hello everyone! :)

I am really sorry I haven't been posting too much lately, but I have my finals in a couple of weeks and I've been studying non-stop! 

Today, I wanted to post a quick tip I find that really helps my skin and that I personally love. Nowadays, lots of foundations come with SPF in them, which is awesome, but sometimes it's a low SPF or maybe you can't use them when flash pictures are taken because, apparently, it makes your face look white in the pictures.

That's why I have a little tip for you guys today! 

Since the summer is nearly on us by now, I am starting to sheer out my foundations with a dollop of moisturizer. WITH SPF 50.

It's quite simple really: you put a pump of your foundation of choice (mine is Bourjois' Healthy Mix Serum reviewed here) and a bit of moisturizer (I use ISDIN Fusion Fluid SPF 50+ oil-free moisturizer), mix them together with fingers/brush, and apply to achieve the desired effect!

I hope you liked the tip, and this also means that, without the moisturizer, you can use the same foundation if you go out at night and there are pictures taken with flash! 

Have you got any amazing tip or combo that you think definitely makes your look better? 

Love,

Maria.

Essie Turquoise and Caicos

Hello everyone! :)

I'm on a nail polish bender, as you will probably already have noticed! Two days ago, I received Essie's Turquoise and Caicos, which was from the 2010 collection and I purchased it on BeautyBay. This is my first Essie nail polish, I was so excited!!! And since my MAC Mischievous Mint fiasco (I really hate the color, I'm afraid), I was quite scared about turquoise-minty colors and how they'd look on me. 

So... What did I think about it?

For starters, I love the color, but I always expect extra brightness, and this doesn't mean the nail polish is dull, but if you aren't under the sunlight, you might not even notice the vibrant summery turquoise.

On the other hand, this needs a LOT of coats to look opaque, like 4 or so, or 3 thick ones. The first coat looks like a sheer watery blue that is completely see through, but I admit I even liked it sheer, so that's an option too! (See how I transform a con into a pro? Let's be optimistic, guys!)

1 coat

With a second, thicker coat. 

 3-4 coats (3 thick or 4 thin coats)

(Direct sunlight) 

 (Direct sunlight)

As much as I love it, I'll try to use it up and then CONSIDER if I liked it that much and if it's worth to repurchase. If not, I already have an eye on "Slapper" by Butter London, which I'll probably buy anyway, (just to let you know). 

Have you tried this Essie nail polish? Have you got any bright nail polish recommendations from this brand or any other? 

Love,

Maria.

KIKO City Summer collection nail polish

Hello everyone! :)
It's been some time since I posted anything new, I'm really sorry, but I'm starting to have a lot of exams, and my finals are just around the corner. I'm quite stressed at the moment!

But I didn't want to completely forget about my blog, because even when I stress, I buy beauty products, and I can show them to you!

This friday, I went into a money-spending craze, and spent around 70-80€, on some bright green shorts and a really beautiful embroidered top from Zara (both items), a black classic bag from Misako, and two nail polishes from the new KIKO summer collection.

ONTO NAIL POLISHES...

Initially, I thought one of them (polish number 395) was a dupe of Chanel's Péridot and Ciaté's Oil Slick (which I will get eventually, when I save a little more), but I was wrong :(. It's a duochrome nail polish too, and in the bottle, it really looks very similar to Péridot and Oil Slick, but apparently, instead of a gold base, this KIKO nail polish has a coppery/antique gold base.

395, looks like a clone of Péridot right?

It looks gold too.

Until...

Flash shows us its true color! 

(396 on the left, 395 on the right)

And as you can see, it's an orangey, tarnished gold, kind-of-coppery color, depending on the light. 

My ring finger has a layer of 396 (the green polish) over it, as an accent. 

I really love the combo!

I also bought a second nail polish from the collection (number 396), another duochrome, but the base is a bright green and it turns blue with light. I think this probably is a dupe of OPI's "Just Spotted the Lizard" nail polish that has just come out, but I can't assure it, because I don't think I'll purchase that one in a near future.

Under the sun, or flash, this polish looks sea-foamish, which is nice, but I really think it doesn't suit me too well. Maybe someone with a cool skin tone will be able to appreciate it more, but I personally think 396 (green) doesn't look too good on me, whereas 395 (copper) looks really nice and compliments my skin beautifully.

So, taking that into account:

If I were to choose, I'd pick 395 over 396, anytime. But, if you're into blues, and you think this light greenish (under direct light) color will be perfect for you, then go ahead! My tip, though, is mixing both together to achieve a cooler copper, or a warmer green. I think the mix of both would be perfect!

Two coats were used to achieve this opacity, and since its duochrome, you can see the streaks, which is something I don't love, to be honest.

I'd give these a B+.
Nice formula, nice colors even if the color doesn't change like in the bottle.
Price: 4,90€ (a little overpriced for my liking)
These are LIMITED edition.


Have you tried any of KIKO's nail polishes and any of their City Summer Collection products? 


Love,
Maria.