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.

OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips: review

Hello everyone! :)

My OPI 'Kiss me on my tulips' nail polish finally got here! But I have to admit, it wasn't what I expected, and I wish I said it the good way. You know, what happens with swatches you see online, is that half of those pictures have been post-processed, and colors tend to look brighter and beautiful. That's the thing, I was fooled into believing this was the ultimate bright pinky fuchsia, and I'm afraid to say, it isn't.

And the worst part is, even though I don't own many pinks in my collection (2 out of 27 polishes in total), one of them was an EXACT DUPE! Can you believe my (bad) luck? 

Even so, it's a pretty color, I can't say it isn't, but I just expected a really bright and beautiful pink, and it didn't meet my expectations. Anyway, here you have the swatches, (and comparison to my Bourjois dupe, in case you want to check it out!)

This is it! It looks pretty right? It is actually, but I'm afraid it's not as bright as you might imagine. Actually, I think in this picture it looks a tad brighter.

This is the Bourjois dupe I was telling you about, and I'm really mad I spent like 13€ or so, on some color I ALREADY had! (Blame it on my compulsive need to buy polishes I've merely seen a couple of swatches of!)

I admit Bourjois' nail polish, isn't AS BRIGHT, but it doesn't differ too much, really (there's a swatch below so that you can see how much they really look alike!)

This Bourjois nail polish is called 'Rose Vamp'. This isn't the cheapest nail polish I own, I think Bourjois polishes retail for... around 8-10€? Definitely less than 10€, and I think I bought it when it was 4-5€ or so, but this is a rather old polish and Bourjois prices HAVE been going up lately!

(OPI Kiss me on my tulips; Bourjois Rose Vamp) 

 The only main difference I can see when looking at both of these swatches is that the OPI nail polish just applies like a dream, opaque in just ONE COAT, while the Bourjois polish is less opaque, but probably with two or three coats it would be perfectly fine!

Overall, this color has really deceived my expectations of it, since I really wanted it to be bright and beautiful, and it just ended being one of the only pink shades I already own (and that I don't wear very often FOR A REASON, it's just not the perfect pink!!)

So, guys, I know I normally LOVE everything I buy, but I'd advise you to stay well away from this nail polish if you can, and purchase the Bourjois one instead (and I'm sure there are CHEAPER brands out there that make this pink shade, for sure!) This color is not a must-have, or something that you aren't bound to have, believe me, if I have it, you must have a really similar dupe in your collection too! 

I'm sorry if I didn't have anything amazing to say about this polish :( 

Hopefully, my OPI Rainbow Connection was able to save my nails from total boredom, and it actually looks good with these accent nails (on my left ring finger, my right ring finger and my right thumb; a little random placing always works wonders!)

Do you own this polish? What do YOU think about it, and how do you make this work for you?

Love,

Maria.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Hello everyone! 
Dia duit gach duine!
(in irish, according to Google Translator!)

I'm afraid in Spain we don't celebrate this lovely green festivity (and I thought it was the 20 something of March), so I'll be late when I post my St. Patrick's makeup tutorial! Hopefully, I'll make it as wearable as possible, so you won't regret watching it a little later than you should!

Love,
Maria.

On my wishlist... (part 2)

Hello everyone!

This is the second installment of my "On my wishlist..." post series! :) I've starting thinking lately about what kinds of products I really want to purchase, even if I don't have the money (ugh), or I might be willing to splurge on.

In this installment, I will show you a couple of nail polishes I've really wanted to buy for some time, and since it's the spring time, very spring appropriate too!
(I did say this second part would be about eyeshadows and eye-related products, but in the end I wasn't able to collect a big enough collection to show you, so the third installment will be about these, I promise!)

ILLAMASQUA VIRIDIAN

Well, I admit this isn't your usual spring color, but those peacock tones just won me over! I am JUST ABOUT to convince myself to click the "purchase" button on the Illamasqua site, but I just think: 

"Wow, they're so beautiful! But... two polishes for £13.50 is not an AMAZING bargain, and add the really high (£8.50) shipping costs, and that just adds up to £35.50, which comes up to 42,3€... and that is A LOT, for just TWO polishes. Don't you think?"

Yeah, that's what I think. And OMG, is it a beautiful color already, but will I spend 1/4 of my savings on polishes? I don't know yet (I probably will, clicking on a button seems to be such an easy way out of my dilemma!)

ILLAMASQUA COLLIDE

This bright pink neon polish is the sister of my beautiful "Rare", with all its neon beauty showing even from the bottle. I just can't resist bright colors, I'm afraid. This is the other nail polish I was going to buy, but... I mean, IT'S SO EXPENSIVE. :(

(Pictured by Temptalia)

OPI KISS ME ON MY TULIPS

It looks quite similar to Collide, right? Wrong, this is a very bright pink, but not a neon at all, I'm afraid.  And I think this color is on the bluer toned side of pinks, because compared to those pictures of "Collide" above, it looks way pinker!

The thing is, I have actually ordered this one already from BeautyBay, before I had started swooning over Collide and Viridian, but this one seemed to me to be the perfect spring color! If I hadn't ordered it, though, I don't know if I would have if I had thought about Collide a little before.

Even so, I am just really excited to see this nail polish arrive home. Come with mama! 

ILLAMASQUA LOAD

(Pictured by VampyVarnish)

This off-white with yellowish tinges has won my heart. In spring, I tend to do a lot of bright lips, and maybe even some bright eyes, and when I don't want my nails to compete for attention, I would totally put on a nude or a color like THIS ONE.


I really like this one, but it didn't make my Illamasqua basket because of my obvious problems with the price, and I really prefer Viridian and Collide to Load, I'm afraid to say. (I think I will be able to tone down my makeup for those beautiful colors. )


ILLAMASQUA LAMENT

(Pictured by VampyVarnish)

Oh you beautiful color!


I love corals. Really beautiful corals like this one, but I'm afraid I have a really nice KIKO nail polish which is similar (not a dupe, though), but taking into account Illamasqua's steep prices, I think KIKO will have to do for now!


ILLAMASQUA GAMMA

(Pictured by VampyVarnish)

If you know me even the slightest, or you have read a couple of posts on my blog, you'll know I love my nails BRIGHT. And neon is the brightest you can get, isn't it?

Well Gamma, is definitely that other sister, the third one in tow, after Rare and Collide, she's my third neon love. She still hasn't made THE BASKET (the legendary Illamasqua basket only few products are able to fit in!), because I'm not too much of an orange girl. I have a couple of cheapish (KIKO) orange polishes, which I love because they're great quality, but nothing like this neon, though!

Until I have a better financial situation, I think this beauty won't be able to come with me either! Oh, boo!

I hope you really liked my nail polish wishlist, because it has definitely given me a lot of ideas about what kinds of nail polishes I love, and what I am going to save up for! 

Are you eyeing any of these or other springy nail polishes? Tell me in the comments below!

Love,

Maria.