Jewelry Jewelry

Further into my k-pop obsession... I just had to get some new bling bling. 

I am all about gold, rings and crosses nowadays. *Sigh* It is so sad how such little things can make so unbelievably happy ....

All items from Asos. Go figure...

Redken, save my hair again

Oh don't you just love the little pun there that I came up with. Yes, I am so funny and charming... Anyway... I have had some issues with my hair lately (well I have had issues with it all my life, but who has not) and since winter is knocking on the door, which means really dry and drizzled hair, I decided it was time to change my hair products. Previously I have been a devoted fan of Aussie products but lately they have not been working as good as before. Maybe it is due to the fact that your hair can actually get used to products and hence they stop giving the same effect or... I just imagined it and just had to come up with an excuse to buy new beauty products :D

On my last visit to the hair dresser, she used Redken products on me which I quite liked since they made my hair so much smoother and smelled really good as well. She gave me some sample products and after squeezing the life out of them, I had to get the real things.

I got the Redken All Soft Conditioner and Shampoo. Now the price of these babies is no joke, I think I paid something like 60 euros for them. But the result is really nice. It truly smoothens my hair, makes it soft, much easier to comp and handle after shower (my hair hates water...) and of course gives it a really nice smell. I am not going to say that they have somehow changed my life and made it better, maybe little bit easier. I would say that overall  a good investment and definitely worth the try. 

October Favorites

In this month I have been really obsessed with my Clinique products. 

After running out of my bodyshop moisturizer, I was looking for something new and exciting. Just for fun I got the Clinique moisturizing lotion and that was probably the best idea ever. It is just perfect! It absorbs really quickly and makes my face feel so soft and smooth. It also pairs up really nicely with the Clinique "all about eyes", eye cream. They both compliment each other so well. The "all about eyes" -cream is probably the best eye cream I have ever tried. It really makes a difference when my eyes are all puffy and tired looking, it brightens them up. If you use any eye makeup, including mascara, then you should definitely invest in a good eye cream. Unless you really enjoy wrinkles.... I would definitely recommend Clinique eye cream.

Another great discovery has been the Rimmel Scandal Eyes. It has entirely replaced my Isadora Big and Bold mascara. 

The brush is big, however I think it is much easier to use than the Big and Bold brush. It last much longer than the Big and Bold and does not smutch that much. The result however, is pretty much the same as with the Isadora one.

Oh, and I really like the bright orange casing. Super cute and fun :)

In love with K-pop

Do I really need to explain this? I guess I really should, but you know what not going to bother... ENJOY! :D

The Crimson Amulet Collection review

While ago I got the Nyx Crimson Amulet Collection inspired by the Dark Shadows -movie. 

Now, lets start with the packaging. I think it's just great. I love the fun gothic vibe it gives. It is so much different from the other palettes that I got. It is like having a little book full of yummy shades. The packaging in itself is so inspiring and really makes you want to experiment with the shades and create different styles. Also it is easy to travel with. It comes with a little mirror and applicators. 

The Collection includes 24 eyeshadow shades, a mirror, hd eyeshadow base, eyeliner, five different shades of blush, higlighter shade and four different shades of lipstick.

The eyeshadows vary from really shimmering shades to matte ones. There is a range of light and gothic dark shades. Unfortunately some of the shades are not very pigmented and might cause a minor disappointment. However I have been using this palette for weeks now to create day and evening looks and  have been able to create some really fun looks. One could say that the top section of the shades are more for evening looks since they are much more intensive colors and the bottom section could be more daytime shades.

I absolutely love the blushes. The blushes in this collection are very pigmented and really good quality. Also the highlighter color is just so much fun to use. I add it on my cheek bones chin and nose to create little bit of shine and glamour.

Also I am positively surprised about the quality of the lipsticks. They are really long lasting and feel light on your lips. I hate sticky lipsticks but these ones are just great. Although they are slightly impractical since none really wants to carry this palette around so that you could touch up on your lipstick.

Another positive surprise was the shadow base and the eyeliner. I am going to even state that the shadow base can easily match up to the Urban Decay Primer Potion. It is a really worthy competitor and much cheaper option to UD. The eyeliner as well is really good quality. Very easy to use and does not spread all over your lids during the day.

In overall I would say this is a good purchase. It has all the essentials that you need in order to create an awesome look. Me likey :)

What do you think?

Quick update: Shoppings

Yet again it is time to give a little update on my purchases this month.

Is anyone else obsessed with peplums? Well I am. I stumbled upon this really cute peplum top at topshop and just had to have it.

I just looooove belts. Especially waste belts with little trinkets on them. I got this lovely belt from asos sale.

Also I got this cute bracelet from asos. Lately I have been really obsessed with gold accessorizes. Silver is just a no no for me nowadays.

What do you think?

Lazy Sundays

Don't you just love those lazy Sundays when you do not have to do anything. You can just spend your day drinking tea and reading your favorite magazines or books. I had one of those Sundays last weekend. In short it was great. You need days like that once in awhile.

Dip dye clown nails

Few days ago I did this dip dye nail design.

Now, this experiment might not have been the most successful one. My nails look like something straight out of a clown show. However, I am going to share with you a small tutorial on how to do this dip dye nail design. Because.... well, why not :D

I started off by painting my nails white with Ciaté snow virgin. This color has become one of my favorite whites. It is really pigmented and only two layers is usually enough.

In order to achieve that dipped slowly fading look you need a sponge. Brush some nail polish on the edge of the sponge. The color I used here was Nyx girls grape fruit which turned out to be entirely wrong color for this design and really hard to work with. It is not really pigmented so I had to put on several layers.

The next thing you have to do is start dabbing your nail with the sponge. Add several layers depending what kind of look you want to achieve. To get the fading effect dab only one or one really light layer on the part were you want your color to fade in. Alternatively, you can add a little bit of the polish on the tip of your nail and dab it with the sponge to fade it out.

I finished my look with Seche Vite top coat.

There you go. Simple, huh? If you're looking for more subtle effect contrast to this circus look, use two similar shades were the other one is for example more of a darker shade and the other one more lighter.

Hah, what do you think?

My hair saver, the tangle teezer

Now, yet again the blog world has been swarming with post about the tangle teezer. Probably lot of you have heard of it long time ago and lot of you own it already (or you might be just really sick of these posts and might not really want to read this either). However I decided to put my finger in the pot and make my own review of it.

hmmm... there seems to one string of hair ruining the picture :D

I got mine already over a year ago. I believe I ordered it straight from the manufacture's website and it costs me like 12 euros. However you can buy the brush from most hair saloons or beauty websites.

I have to say that I have no idea how I ever lived without my tangle teezer and how I would ever live without it again. It has totally changed the way I consider how hair brushing should feel like.

My hair is really dry and I have to use a lot of conditioner in order to make brushing my hair just a little bit more bearable. That is why the tangle teezer has been a life saver. No more tears, no more pulling, no more hair snapping and a lot more smoother hair after every stroke. Best part is that I can even brush my hair while it is wet (which definitely has made my hair routines in the morning much easier).

Now, I am a puller. As in I really pull and stretch my hair when brushing (never ever do that!!!). Therefore using the tangle teezer has been really could for me since it prevents you from pulling your hair too hard. The design and the fact that it smoothens out your hair much more efficiently than a normal brush makes the brushing experience less painful.

As I said I got mine long time ago so it has taken some collateral damage. I take it with me everywhere and I really do not pack it well so some of the spikes are a bit bend. However none of the spikes have actually broken. But other than that it is in really good condition.

One of the best qualities about the brush is that it's so easy to keep it clean. My brushes, after year or two, always got so dirty, full of hair that you could not remove mixed with some dust and some unknown disgusting material. With tangle teezer it is so easy to just wash it and remove all the hair. 

So that's it. I have absolutely no bad things to say about the product. Except the fact that I really should order one in travel size and one to my work.

What do you think about the tangle teezer? Do you already have one? Is there too much hype around it?

Yes.. I Can-Can with sparkles

Today I had some fun with mixing up some sparkles and shimmery eggplant color. I think it actually turned out quite nice. I really love using the sparkling copper top coat. You can spice up any nail polish color with it and make the design a little bit more fun.

Items I used: Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat, OPI Yes... I Can-Can  and Sephora by OPI Traffic-Stopper Copper.

My new favorite: leopard shoes

I got these shoes last month and I am absolutely in love with them. I was craving for some slipper type walking shoes and then saw these beauties and could not help myself. They are super comfy and you can spice up any outfit with them.

What do you think? Aren't they cute :) I got mine from here.

Wedding nails

It's been a while since my last post. My apologies for that. It has been one crazily busy August. 

As a reconciliation :D I decided to cheer you up my dear readers with an easy wedding nail design. 

Items that I used: Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat, Orly Nail Defense, Viva la Diva mint green shade, Nail Art Paint in white, Ciaté snow virgin and Wild and Crazy Ticklish Toes.

It might be a bit over the top for some people but it's a fun and easy to do design. What do you think?

Mosquito bites = black pantyhose

I am spending the last few days of summer wearing black pantyhose or pants everyday. Why? Well, I spent a week up north and ended up being bitten all over my legs by mosquitos and biting midges. Nasty little buggers. You can protect yourself from mosquitos with mosquito spray but there's no way to hide from the biting midges, other than covering yourself in tar (not my favoite option) or just staying inside.

So as a result from my northern Finland expedition my legs look like I have had the worst case of chickenpox. Obviously not scratching the bites would have prevented this.... But it just was so darn itchy!!!

Anyway, the point that I want to make with this post (yes there is one) is that it is really hard to find good quality pantyhose. I have long time ago given up on buying pantyhose from the convenient stores or super markets. If you're in luck you can make the covenient store crap last in good shape for maybe few weeks before you get a hole in them. So annoying. Using nailpolish or hairspray to fix the holes in the pantyhose just gets so tiredsome and pointless after awhile.

So after a long and painfull hunt for the perfect pantyhose I found one. I fell in love the DIMs. They just make some really good quality pantyhose. They last in good shape for  a very long time, no holes no nothing. They feel super comfy on you and they have a thin waist strap so that not everyone can see your love handels or the awkward fact that you are wearing pantyhose. The best part is that after a wash they do not have any fuzz or nap on them.

I just had to share this big revelations with you.

Enjoy the last days of our short summer and do not scratch!!!

You can find DIM pantyhose for example here.

Make up tips: How to avoid eyeshadow fall out

Now we have all been there. You have applied your foundation and done an amazing eyeshadow design and you look just gorgeous and ready to head out or you are in a hurry and you really do not have time to do anything else but a quick make-up. Then you notice it.... eyeshadow fall out under your eyes. You panic and try to wipe it off making it even worse and spreading the eyeshadow all over your face.

Ok, maybe not entirely like that, but you know what I mean. Eyeshadow fall out is annoying and really annoying to get rid off once it is there. But there are few tricks that you can use in order to avoid this problem.

1. Dab it do not drag it

Glitter or shimmering eyeshadows are the worse when it comes to fall outs. Therefore it's important that when applying those sort of shades use a dabbing motion. Just gently dab (do not drag) the eyeshadow on your eyes with an eyeshadow brush.

2. Do your eyes first

If you are doing a really detailed eye design with really dark and shimmering colors, the best way to avoid fall out is just to do your eyes first and rest of your face later. This way you can just wipe off the fall out without messing up the rest of your make-up. Just use regular make-up remover or make-up remover wipes.

3. The powder method

Another good trick is to dab some loose powder under your eyes.  Now the idea is that the powder will capture all the fall out and the only thing you have to do is to swipe the loose powder fall out mix off with a big fluffy brush.

4. Try taping it

Glitter or shimmer eyeshadow fall outs are easily removed by using tape. Just take a piece of tape and start dabbing the fall out. Now this is probably the most time consuming way of getting rid off fall out but it does work. The glitter and shimmer particles are big enough to get caught in the tape. This trick is good if it is only glitter or shimmer eyeshadow that you have to worry about.

5. The tissue method

When applying your eyeshadow hold a tissue underneath your eyes. All the fall out will fall on the tissue instead of your face.

There you go. There are several ways to defeat the problem. I myself use the powder method and sometimes just do my eyes first.
Do you have any secret tricks on how to deal with eyeshadow fall out?

Carefree summer days: L'Eau de Chloé

My current favorite summer fragrance is the L'Eau de Chloé. It has a fresh, carefree and feminine scent. It is a lovely floral mix of scents which reminds me of those carefree summer days when you are sitting in the sun in your favorite pastel dress, eating ice cream and there is a lovely scent of roses in the summer air.

It has the notes of grapefruit, cedrat, peach, violet, rose petals, natural water of rose, cedarwood, ptchouli and amber.

Love you Anastasia!

Few months ago I got the Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes.

The reason why I waited this long to try it out is because I had to grow my eyebrows... Not a pleasant project... But when I tried on the stencils that came in the set, I noticed that I had committed one of the worst make up sins... I had over plugged my eyebrows. So therefore, in order to get the full Anastasia experience I had to wait for a while and let two little bushes grow over my eyes. Definitely not the most pleasant weeks of my life.

Now I cannot stress enough how much I love this set. It is a lifesaver. It has made my make up routine so much easier.

The set itself is tiny and does not take much space in your purse. Which is great, cause this is a definitely a thing that I will always take with me when I am traveling.

The set has a mirror, instructions, stencils, angled brush, brow wax cream, brow powder duo and an eyeshadow duo. Almost everything you need for your eye make up.

The set that I picked is meant for blondes so the shades are more light grayish.

The set is in my opinion a lifesaver for eyebrows. I do not understand how I have lived without it. The idea behind it is that with the stencils you can create a perfect shape for your eyebrows.

First you select the stencil of your liking. Preferably one that is closer to your current eyebrow shape. But the best part obviously is that you can spice up your appearance by changing the style. Then you apply the brow wax cream in oder for the brow powder to stick on better. Then you align the stencil on top of your eyebrow in accordance with the markings on the stencil and apply the brow powder to the open area. When you remove the stencil you can easily tweeze any excess hair outside of the powdered area. And there you go, you have perfectly shaped eyebrows.

The set comes with two great eyeshadows as well, which I quite prefer to use on my everyday make up.

I just love this set. At first I had some doubts about it. I found it impossible for a tiny set like this to suit all types of eyebrows. But I definitely was pleasantly surprised. The stencils are designed so that I believe everyone will find at least one for their liking. It has made it so much easier to shape my eyebrows and not over tweeze them. It can be really hard to get your eyebrows even and looking good but with this tool it is super easy. I would not give this up for anything. So thank you Anastasia you are truly the eyebrow queen :)

You can find more information about Anastasia Beverly Hills here.

M.A.C Shoppings

Yesterday I went shopping for some M.A.C products.

I got some brush cleanser, pressed blot powder in medium and the 217 brush.

I quite like the blot powder. It is not like regular powder, it is meant more for getting rid off shine on your face and it does it really well. I have it with me all the time. Especially on a sweaty summer day (which we have not experienced that much in Finland this summer) it is really handy to have it with you. You just whip it out of your purse, powder your face and there, the sweaty little piggie is gone :D

Tip: How to Clean Your Make up Brushes

Cleaning your make up brushes is essential. You want to keep your brushes in good condition and by taking care of them and cleaning them from time to time you can make sure the brushes last in good shape for longer. Also brushes are a nesting place for bacterias and germs which can be the cause for outbreaks on your skin. Therefore it is important to clean your brushes regularly.

Now I believe that in unprofessional use it is enough to wash your brushes thoughly once or twice a month. However foundation brushes should be washed after everytime you have used them.

For once a month brush cleaning I use the Marseille soap. But you can also use Le Chat soap or even shampoo. However I do not think shampoo is the best option since it might dry your brushes too much and you have to moisturize them afterwards with for example olive oil.

This is how you can easily clean your brushes:

First start by dipping the brush in cool water.

After that gently rub the brush on the soap by doing a circular motion. The idea is to get the soap foaming and remove all that nasty make up residue.

Then do the same circular motion on the palm of your hand and foam the brush. Try to get all the make up residue off. You can rinse the brush while you do this. Massage the brush on your hand untill the water turns clear and rinse the brush just to make sure you got all the soap off. Squeeze gently any extra water from the brush or dab the brush on a cloth or towel.

Lastly place the brushes on a horizontal position to dry.

An important thing is to always wash your brushes the hair part down. This way water cannot damage the glue holding hair in its place. Always when drying your brushes, dry them on a horizontal position on a flat surface. Never dry your brushes with the hair part up, this is a sure way to ruin your brush.

For everyday cleaning it is best to use brush cleasing liquids or sprays that you can get from beauty stores. For example M.A.C has its own brush cleasing liquid which I quite prefer. You can also use normal hand sanitizer to clean your brushes. Just put some of the product on a cloth or napkin and rub the brush on it on a circular motion to get rid off all that make up residue.