Christmas Skincare/Haircare Wishlist

The third and final Christmas Wishlist!

Ojon Rare Blend Oil Total Hair Therapy - $35

My Hair has been looking a bit dull lately, so I thought this would help to boost it's shine and make it look healthier!

Bioderma Crealine H20 Micelle Solution - approx. $30/€18

I have heard SO MUCH about this stuff, I've been wanting to try this for ages.  My make-up remover is running out and I desperately need to replace it.  Unfortunately, it's difficult to get outside of France :( Thankfully, a friend of mine is going to Paris this weekend, so maybe he'll be nice and pick this up for me!

Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst Quenching Serum - $48

I've had samples of this before and I love it!  I really want the full size as I think it'd be a great serum for the dry, cold winter that will be hitting soon.

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Cleansing Balm - $48

I've heard a lot about this from Youtubers and Bloggers and I really want to try it out!  However, I really don't need another cleanser, so this will have to wait until I run out of my current one.

Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream - $30

I am not a fan of my current Eye Cream, so I've been looking for one to replace it, and this one has got to be it!  I've tried it before, but for some reason I didn't buy it, hopefully I'll have it soon, though :)

Laura Mercier Crème de Pistache Soufflé Body Cream - $55

I am a major fan of Laura Mercier Skincare and I know this smells amazing - it will be mine!

I hope you enjoyed this post :)  Anything I've missed on my wishlist?

You can check out my last two wishlist posts here and here!

Christmas Make-up Wishlist (Not Including Burberry Beauty)

You may have recently seen my Christmas Burberry Beauty Wishlist (post here), but as much as I love Burberry Beauty, I still like some diversity in my make-up collection.  So here is my Make-Up Wishlist for Christmas (Not Including Burberry Beauty)!

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain in 4 Mauve Pigment - $32/€30

As you can see by my wishlist, I have been lusting after YSL Lip Products!  I've never tried them before and I'm extremely curious.  I've heard about the Glossy Stains on Youtube and I think I'm going to have to get one!

Dior Celebration Collection Eye Palette - $65

This palette looks absolutely gorgeous and I think I'll have to snatch it up if I ever see it in store :)

YSL Rouge Volupté - Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick in 12 Forbidden Burgundy - $34/€31

I've almost bought this shade I don't know how many times, but I keep finding myself swatching it and falling deeper in love with it, plus just look at that packaging!!  The pictured lipstick is NOT the same as the one I want, which is a deep dark red, but I couldn't find a picture of Forbidden Burgundy :(

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Club Mix - $24

This is described as a sheer grape, and I think it looks beautiful! You can see the swatch of the pencil behind it up above :)!

Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer - $64

I've heard so much about this Tinted Moisturizer on Youtube and on Blogs.  It sounds absolutely amazing and one day I will get it, despite the hefty price tag!

YSL Volupté Sheer Candy - Glossy Balm Crystal Color in 05 Mouthwatering Berry - $30/€31

My recent obsession with Berry lip balms has made me want this so badly, I've swatched it and now I need it!

I hope you enjoyed the post :)  Anything in particular on your wishlists for Christmas?

You can check out my most recent post here!

NOTD: Essie's 'Sole Mate'

Winter is coming, which in my mind means one thing: vampy everything.  I've recently been rocking vampy lips, so I thought I would let my nails rock a similar look.  Although I already have a few dark, almost black red/purple colors, I couldn't say no to the look of this color!

Sole Mate is a really deep red, which shows up almost black on the nails, but I would even say there is a bit of purple in there, as well, even though it looks like a deep red in the bottle.

a base coat, 2 coats of Sole Mate, and a top coat

This is another color from Essie that has a thick brush, which I believe that makes it part of their diffusion line.  The color is beautiful, just like the consistency, the polish glides on like a dream!

However, I had a problem with this particular shade like I've never had with an Essie nail polish before - the lasting power.  Normally, an Essie polish will last at least 3 or 4  days on my nails, but this last barely two before it started majorly chipping! 

Now, I'm hoping that I had just accidentally chipped it by hitting a table with my nails or something, because normally Essie has great lasting power, but maybe it has to do with this particular shade or maybe I just got a weird one - who knows!

Also, this shade is basically the same shade as OPI's 'We'll Always Have Paris' (post here), so if you're looking for a dupe for either one, there you are, but I would definitely recommend OPI's over Essie's due to the lasting power that I noticed with this shade.

I will be testing this out further, so hopefully it was my fault and not the polish's fault that it chipped so easily, but I'll be sure to keep you posted :)

I hope you enjoyed the post :)

You can check out my most recent post here, and my most recent NOTD here!

Christmas Burberry Beauty Wishlist

It's getting to be that time of year, so I thought I would kick off the season with a wishlist of my own!

My Wishlist for Burberry Beauty is always about 3 feet long - but these are my top picks!

Burberry Effortless Mascara in Midnight Black No. 01 - $28/€29

I've been wanting to try this mascara for a while, and it's about time for me to get a new mascara, so this might be it!

Burberry Sheer Compact Foundation - $55/€45

I am absolutely in love with my Burberry Sheer Fluid Foundation in Trench No. 01, so I think I'll have to try out the pressed powder foundation to see if it's any good (though I'm sure it's amazing)!

Burberry Complete Eye Palette in Mocha No. 02 - $59/€51

These palettes were just released and I already have my eye on a few of them, so I'll definitely be purchasing at least one of these!

Burberry Lip Velvet in Bright Poppy No. 311 - $30/€27

The Lip Velvets came out a little over a month ago and I have been wanting to try them ever since, they're matte lipsticks, and this shade in particular (which is a dark, vampy purple/red) looks perfect for this time of year :)

Burberry Lip Mist in Blueberry No. 06 - $30/€28

I've come close to buying this before (they were out of stock), and it's still on my mind.  It's a berry tinted lip balm, something with which I've recently been having a bit of an obsession! This definitely needs to be in my life :)

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in Khaki No. 08 - $29/€25

I've been wanting this eyeshadow for months and I think the time has come for me to finally just buy it!  I only have one other khaki shade - Edward Bess's Intimate (review here), which I don't particularly care for, so I think I'll be needing to get this one!

I hope you enjoyed the post :)

You can check out my most recent post here!

NOTD: Dior Le Grand Bal Marilyn Diorific Vernis

If you saw my last NOTD post (which you can check out here), you'll know that I recently bought a few items from the Dior 'Le Grand Bal' Christmas collection.  I ended up buying two nail polishes, and this one - Marilyn - is by far my favorite of the two!

It's a beautiful true red, a color I oddly hadn't owned before now. I also love the name of the polish, when I put this polish on, I really feel as though Marilyn Monroe could have used this polish, too.  Especially due to the lovely vintage-style packaging, which is a little pill bottle.

base coat, 2 coats of Marilyn, and a top coat

Beyond the name and the packaging, this polish has even more to offer: quality.  The consistency of this polish is beautiful, it's so thick and glides on so easily onto the nail.  It also has great lasting power, I wore this for about 5 days without any issues!

Needless to say, this turned my opinion around about the Dior nail polishes after the flop that I had with Diorling, and I definitely think I'll be trying out some more Dior nail polishes in the future!

I bought this from Galeria Kaufhof for €25.50.

I hope you enjoyed the post :)

You can check out my most recent post here!

October Favorites 2012

The days are getting even shorter, the wind is crisper, the crunchy leaves are starting to get frost-bitten - it's officially November, which means one thing: October Favorites.  Yes, I realize that it is now already half-way through November, but better late than never, right?

Beware: This contains a fair amount of the things I purchased while I was in the UK in September (if you want to check out my haul, you can read about it here, or if you want to see what I did, you can see my post here), but what can I say?  They were great purchases!

Burberry Fresh Glow - $48

My first favorite is definitely my Burberry Fresh Glow.  I purchased this this summer, but I didn't really use it very much.  I use this as a primer and honestly, if it weren't Winter, I wouldn't even need to put foundation on.  It makes your skin glow so beautifully and so naturally, and even when I put foundation on top of it, it still glows through my foundation and makes my skin look so great - which is perfect for my dull skin months in the winter! I got this at Nordstrom - a bit pricey, but absolutely amazing!

Burberry Sheer Fluid Foundation in Trench No. 01 - $52/£35

I bought this foundation at Harrods in London in September and I feel confident in saying that this is my perfect foundation! It is the perfect color for my skin tone, it blends beautifully and gives just the right amount of coverage for me (which is light, by the way).  It's pricey to say the least, but I highly recommend checking these out if you have a Burberry Counter near you - I will say that there's definitely no way for you to just guess which color matches you, make sure you test out multiple different shades, it took 3 or 4 tries for me to find my shade!

Burberry Sheer Luminous Concealer in No. 01 Light Beige - $40/£26

I also bought this at Harrods (spur of the moment decision, I might add) whilst in London this Fall and I am in love! It is the perfect concealer to put on top of my Bobbi Brown Creamy Corrector, just enough coverage, but it also has a luminous effect!  It's Burberry's answer to the YSL Touche Éclat, and though I can't compare it to the YSL (as I've never tried it), I can only give praise to this one!  It also can be used for highlighting, which is a bonus :)

Burberry Sheer Luminous Pressed Powder in No. 01 Porcelain - $45/£31

I was talked into this by a Make-up Artist at John Lewis on Oxford Street in London and I can say that this is the best powder I've ever used.  It glides on like a dream and doesn't leave you looking powdery in the slightest.  It illuminates the skin slightly, which is something I'm always looking for!

Burberry 'Light Glow' Natural Blush in No. 07 Earthy - $42

If you've seen any of my FOTD posts, you'll know I love using this particular shade as my contour color - which is the only contour color I've found that actually works for me.  However, in October (due mostly to laziness) I decided to start using this as my blush, as well - and let me tell you, it gives the most natural color to the cheeks! It's a light brown with some hints of an apricot-y color, but it looks so lovely on the cheeks - basically, it's everything I was hoping NARS Luster would be!

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in No. 18 Midnight Black - $29/£22.50

On the night before I left London this Fall, I decided I had to have this particular eyeshadow, so on the morning of my flight back to Germany, I ran to John Lewis and picked this up, and I am so glad I did!  I use this as an eyeliner and I don't think I've used anything else to line my eyes since I got it.  It lasts forever and gives a subtle amount of definition to the lash line - it's basically flawless.

L-R: Era, Patina, Satin Taupe

MAC Eyeshadow in Era/Patina/Satin Taupe - $12 each

I use these shadows together on the days when I'm going for a smokier eye - they work perfectly together!  I use Era all over the lid, Patina in the crease, and then Satin Taupe in the Outer V, it's not too OTT that I can wear it during the day, but it's gorgeous and glamorous enough for night, too! Era (Satin) is a light golden-brown with Shimmer, Patina (Frost) is a bit darker than Era and slightly taupier, but still has some gold to it, and Satin Taupe (Frost) is more of a slightly shimmery Mulberry-Taupe color - hopefully my descriptions weren't too confusing!

Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Mascara - $26

I only have the sample size of this mascara (thank you Sephora), but I have been loving this mascara for a bit of extra definition.  It volumizes your lashes, but it doesn't create clump-central like so many volumizing mascaras do!

CHANEL Charactére

CHANEL Rouge Coco 45 Charactére - $32.50/€28

I bought this lipstick at Douglas in September and I think I've worn it every single day this month!  It's a darker, muted red, which is perfect for this time of year, but it also has gold sparkles in it.  Now, I am usually opposed to sparkles on the lips (which is part of the reason that I refuse to wear lip gloss), but somehow the sparkles don't really show up very much on the lips, they just give your lips a little extra shine and reflection!

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler - $20/£20

I bought this at Space NK at One New Change in London and this has completely changed my world.  I never used to see the point of curling lashes - maybe because my eyelash curler was crap, but who knows?  But now, I do it everyday, this curler works like a charm!  Plus it comes with a replacement pad - bonus :)

MAC 208 Angled Brow Brush - $20/€24

I bought this at Douglas and I use it everyday with my Burberry Midnight Black eyeshadow to line my lashes.  I initially bought it to fill in my brows with MAC's Omega and Charcoal Brown - but that didn't work out, but this brush works amazingly for eyeliner! It's so easy to work with :)

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - £14.25

I finally ran out of my old cleanser and started using this.  It definitely lives up to the hype!  It makes removing make-up so easy.  I will say that I think it smells like puke (literally), but I can get over that for how well it works!  I just wish they would add some perfume or something :(

Paco Rabanne Lady Million EDP 30 ml - $49

I bought this perfume a while ago, and I finally started using it (it's more of a Fall/Winter scent in my opinion).  I hadn't used it before October, but I think within the last month I've used about 1/4 of it, as I feel the need to wear it everyday - it smells that good! It has these notes in it: Neroli, Bitter Orange, Raspberry, Orange Flower Absolute, Sambac Jasmine Absolute, Gardenia, Patchouli, Honey, Amber.  It smells very luxurious and sexy - I would highly recommend going and taking a whiff :)! 

I had quite a lot of favorites this month, so hopefully this wasn't too overwhelming!  I hope you enjoyed :)

You can check out my most recent post here!

NOTD: Dior 'Diorific Vernis - Le Grand Bal' in Diorling

A while ago I was browsing through the Dior section of Galeria Kaufhof in Frankfurt (always dangerous) and I saw that the Holiday section (Le Grand Bal) had been released - although I really have no need to ever buy a nail polish again, I couldn't help myself when I saw the collection.  It's filled with deep reds and stunning golds, I just couldn't say no to a couple of things!  This nail polish - Diorling - was one that I couldn't pass up.

I've always been a huge fan of gold nail polishes - in fact, during the holidays, I generally only wear gold nail polishes, so this particular shade basically screamed my name!

a base coat, 2 coats of Diorling, and a top coat

I will say that I was a bit disappointed by this particular shade.  I was hoping for the lovely soft gold shade that the bottle seemed to promise me, but as you can see it is in fact quite sheer.  It's not even really a gold color, I would call it more of a champagne with soft gold shimmer.

However, what it lacks in color it makes up for in it's amazing consistency, it glides right on the nails!  As for the lasting power, I also can't say too much about it, as I only left it on for about 3 days, but it didn't chip within those three days, so that's pretty good.  

As for my future with this shade, I think I'll use it as a top coat when I'm going for a more sparkly finish, but I doubt I'll wear it on its own in the future :(  Also, I will say that it is damn difficult to get this nail polish off!  Even a week and two polishes later, I still find a few golden sparkles on my nails!

This is a limited edition nail polish, which is priced at €25.50.

I hope you enjoyed the post :)

You can check out my most recent post here, and my most recent NOTD here!

LUSH Fresh Face Mask 'BB Seaweed': First Thoughts

Last week, I stumbled across a LUSH store, so I went in with one product on my mind: BB Seaweed.  I have always wanted to try the LUSH Fresh Face Masks, but I've mostly come across LUSH stores whilst in Europe, making it impossible to buy them (as the masks require refrigeration)!

So, when the opportunity came up for me to buy one, I couldn't pass it up.  Naturally, the one mask that I wanted, BB Seaweed, was completely sold out.  Fortunately for me, one of the lovely LUSH workers gave me two generous samples!

Here's how LUSH describes BB Seaweed:

Finding the right mask when you’re working with sensitive skin can be risky. Redness inducing, inflammation causing… even painful! BB Seaweed is a best-seller for its ability turn every rough patch into smooth, supple skin. No surprises here, BB Seaweed is packed full of none other than the ocean greenery itself! Seven pounds of it in each batch, in fact. Finely ground almonds gently slough away dry skin, rose absolute balances skin tone and organic extra virgin olive oil moisturizes. Slather up in seaweed and feel your skin smile.

I had tried BB Seaweed out on my hand on my first LUSH experience ever in Glasgow, Scotland, where one amazing lady took me and my mom throughout the entire store to show us everything that LUSH had to offer.  When she showed us the masks, my mom and I both fell in love with BB Seaweed.  It left my hand feeling so soft and supple and it's been on my mind ever since!

Now, the first thing I did when I got my samples home was test them out.  The mask itself is a very 'stereotypical' clay mask, meaning it leaves your face covered in green clay/paste with little seaweed bits dispersed throughout.  It could definitely be scary, so I generally just stay in the bathroom and wait it out until the mask is dry and ready to be removed.

However, the removal is a bit tricky.  This sucker doesn't want to leave your skin without a fight!  It definitely takes a little patience to remove the mask, but if you were to cleanse your face afterwards it won't be an issue!

The mask itself also feels like it exfoliates a bit as I apply it, which is great me, since I always forget to exfoliate - oops!

Overall, my skin feels baby soft afterwards, and it's a nice cleansing, quick-drying mask, that isn't too poorly priced (€10.45)!  Although I don't have sensitive skin, I definitely think I'll be purchasing this once I run out of my samples :)

Once again, these are just my first impressions of the product, my mind could definitely change in the future, so I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Also, if you'd like, you can check out my most recent post here!

NOTD: OPI 'We'll Always Have Paris'

My mind has been on one thing all week: Paris.  A friend of mine lives in Paris and has invited me to go visit him there one weekend.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'll be able to go until December or January, so for now, I'm just going to have to dream!

In order to ease my heart from the sorrow of not going to France for a few months I decided to paint my nails one of my all-time favorite nail colors: OPI's 'We'll Always Have Paris' from their France collection from a few years back (I'm a hoarder, what can I say?).

Base coat, 2 coats of OPI's 'We'll Always Have Paris', and a top coat

As you can see, it's a really dark purple shade, which is perfect for the cooler months.  It's so dark, it almost looks black on my nails, and I know that I've said before that I think dark colors don't work on my skin-tone, but I really think this is an exception!  It makes my fingers look really long, and the color itself is more of a red-purple than a blue-purple (if that makes sense), which I think makes it a little less harsh against my skin-tone!

The lasting power is decent, I've had it on for a couple of days without any issues, but I would say that 5 days is probably the maximum for the lasting power.  I believe the country collections from OPI are limited edition, so you probably can't pick this shade up, but maybe I'm wrong, otherwise give eBay or Amazon a go!  I would definitely recommend the shade for anyone looking for a dark purple shade - it's my favorite purple :)

OPI polishes retail for $8.50.

Hope you enjoyed :)

Check out my last NOTD post here!