My Week in Review #2

I saw a blue sky for the first time in what felt like ages and spent an afternoon walking along the Rhein River

This week was my last week of the Winter semester at University, so it was very relaxed as I had all of my finals last week, so I had a lot of time to relax and enjoy myself before my 2 month break starts :)  I definitely discovered some good stuff this week, if I do say so myself!

My Best Product of the Week:  I've been wearing MAC Twig Lipstick ($15) almost exclusively this week, which is something I bought in September and just never wore, but it's such a stunning shade and I've fallen back in love!

My Must-Watch of the Week:   I watched The Holiday one night this week, which is one of my all time favorite films.  Even though it's a Christmas film, it's not very Christmas-oriented, so I don't feel THAT weird. I also continued the Nancy Meyers streak by watching It's Complicated, which I also love!  It's another great film, though it's not Christmas related, so it's a little more season-appropriate, plus it has Meryl Streep!  What's not to love? ;)

My Must-Read of the Week:     Once again, I'm going to have to go with The Lord of the Rings - in particular, The Return of the King, as I've been working my way through that over this past week, definitely does not disappoint!  I'm such a nerd...

My Must-Listen of the Week:    I've been obsessed with Aminals by Baths (yes, that is how it's spelled - Aminals) this past week and I constantly listen to it!  It's just so good; if you're into electronic/indie music, you'll like it, I think, and you can listen to it above :)  I've also recently fallen in love with All Those Pretty Lights (Alternate Universe Version) by Andrew Belle, it's just fantastic, you can listen to it below!

My Must-Buy of the Week:       Well, I didn't get my hands on MAC Après Chic Lipstick ($15), as it was sold out at every MAC I went to (oh, well), but I've fallen in love with Benefit Sugarbomb ($28) this week after I stupidly swatched it (why do I continually swatch things when I don't have money?!), so I might be picking that up next week at duty free :) If London doesn't take all my money first, that is...

What did you get up to this week?

 bloglovin' l hellocotton

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Products I've Finished: Empties #1

I always like Empties Posts, I feel like it's a good way to figure out if products are actually good or not.  I know I have so many products that I'll never finish, but I'm doing my best!

Bobbi Brown Creamy Corrector in Porcelain Bisque ($23)

This product is HG for me, and I definitely couldn't live without it, I've already made a decent dent in my second pot of this stuff! My first pot lasted me about 6 months with everyday use, which I think is pretty good. 

L'Oreal Paris Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Eyeliner in Black Mica ($8)

This was actually my first liquid eyeliner, and it was okay.  I bought the Carbon Black version of this when I was in the US over Christmas, but I'm not very good at liquid eyeliner and I find this isn't a thin enough line for my taste.

Maybelline Mega Plush Volume Express Mascara ($6)

I used this for about 5 months, and as you're supposed to change your mascara every 3 months, I thought it was time to purchase a new one, so I went out and purchased it again.  I love this mascara, not heavy, not hard to remove, very lengthening, doesn't give any volume (which I like); it doesn't last all day, though, which might concern some, but doesn't really bother me that much.

Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum Sample

I love this product, it's so hydrating and absolutely fantastic.  I have another sample of this that I'm currently working my way through, but I will definitely be purchasing this once that other sample runs out!

StriVectin-TL Tightening Face Serum Sample

This was meant to visibly tighten and lift my face, which didn't happen.  This may be targeted at more mature skin, I'm not too sure, but it didn't really make an impression on me.

Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum Sample

I don't really have an issue with visible pores on my face, so this isn't exactly targeted at me, and it didn't really do anything for me either, which I guess is to be expected.

No. 7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser (£7-8)

I bought this cleanser when I was in London in June when I had one of the £5 vouchers for No.7 products.  I can't really complain for it only having costed about £2, but I didn't notice any massive differences with my skin due to this product.  It was gentle, which was nice, but I don't feel the need to buy it again.

Algenist Firming & Lifting Cream Sample
Words can't describe how much I loved this product, I even bought the full-size, even though it's the most expensive thing I've ever bought for my beauty routine :/ However, the sample (15ml, 1/4 of the full-size) lasted for almost 5 months, so hopefully the full-size will be worth it!

White Glo Coffee and Tea Drinkers' Formula Toothpaste (about £4)

I decided to get this while I was in England in June, it wasn't anything special.  It didn't really help with whitening and I think it's pretty damn expensive for a toothpaste.

NEOM Christmas Wish Candle (£42)

I bought this from Beautybay in November.  I was really excited about it (as I love NEOM Candles), but I was really underwhelmed by this candle.  It definitely wasn't worth the price.  It didn't fill up the room with it's scent like NEOM Candles usually do, and the scent wasn't all that spectacular, either.

NEOM Real Luxury Travel Candle (£15)

I loved this candle (review here)! It smelled luxurious and pampering and I'll definitely be buying another one of these in the future, though I need to finish off my other millions of candles first.

Yankee Black Cherry Candle (€10)
I really liked this candle, it filled up my entire room with the scent, plus it smells really nice!  I bought another Yankee Candle in Garden Sweet Pea and I don't like it as much, so I might need to repurchase the Black Cherry one soon!

Overall, this wasn't a batch of too many great products, but I definitely loved a few of them.  I'm currently trying to get through my massive amounts of skincare, make-up, and perfume, so these might become semi-regular (depending on how quickly I can finish them up).  All the same, I hope you enjoyed the post!

 bloglovin' l hellocotton
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MAC Capricious Lipstick Review

As the Winter continues, I am continually drawn to dark, vampy lips.  However, I don't really care for the deep, dark berry shades at this point in the Winter, but am drawn to something a bit lighter, a bit sheerer, but that still has that lovely berry stain.

Whilst in MAC in December, I was swatching lipsticks (as you do) and I couldn't get over how gorgeous Capricous ($15/€19) was.  It's a plummy-red shade, with some subtle gold shimmer, which barely translates to the lips. It's a lustre finish, which means it's a sheerer lipstick, but more pigmented than a tinted balm, and is also very hydrating.  This shade is dark enough for nighttime, but not too in-your-face for the daytime, either.

I think this shade is absolutely gorgeous and I've basically been wearing it non-stop since I bought it!  As far as longevity goes, I would place it around 3 hours and you'll definitely need to reapply after eating or drinking.  However, because it's a deeper color, it does leave a subtle stain on your lips even after the 3 hour mark.

I would highly recommend you to go and swatch this at your local MAC Store, it's gorgeous!  Even only after having had this for a few months, it has already become my most used MAC Lipstick.

 bloglovin' l hellocotton
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Valentine's Day Nail Polishes

That horrible/lovely day of the year is coming up.  You know the one I'm talking about, the one that can make you feel like the greatest person in the world and completely dreadful, too - Valentine's Day.  However, in my honest opinion, Valentine's Day doesn't have to be a day of dread, and even those of us, who don't have anyone special to celebrate that day with, can still celebrate, even if only by painting our nails!

I've come across two nail polishes in particular that I think can work really well for Valentine's Day - Essie's Ballet Slippers ($8) and the Limited Edition Dior Diorific Vernis Le Grand Bal Nail Lacquer in Marilyn ($26.50).

Ballet Slippers is a sheer, pale pink.  It's almost white in the bottle, but even then you can tell that there's a slight tint of pink that makes it a perfect choice for Valentine's Day.  You can wear it as a light, milky wash over plain nails, as a way to make your current color more of a pastel shade, or you can wear it on its own.  I've opted for the latter, using 3 coats (I did say it was sheer) to get a more opaque color on the nails, which I can only describe as pretty.  It's almost a nude shade, but there's something delicate about it, that works really nicely for when I'm feeling girly.  Whether staying at home or spending the day with friends or even for a date, this polish works for so many different occasions :)

Marilyn on the other hand, is the sexier color of the two.  It's a true red, that really channels its namesake.  If you're looking for a sexier shade for Valentine's Day, this is a great choice, or if you're really into Valentine's Day, this is probably the more festive shade of the two.  Unfortunately, this was part of the Dior Limited Edition Christmas Collection, so it's not in stores anymore, but you can use just about any true red you have (I know you have one in your collection!) and get the same effect! You can read my NOTD post on this shade here, if you want.

Obviously, there are so many more shades that you could use for Valentine's Day, it doesn't even need to be holiday related (honestly, my nails will probably be blue or something for Valentine's Day), but I hope these ideas are helpful!

 bloglovin' l hellocotton
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NOTD: Essie Mint Candy Apple

I fell into the hype with this one...

Everyone always raves about Essie Mint Candy Apple ($8/€8) and I've always been tempted by it, but I was always apprehensive because I thought that pastels (especially mint) never really suited me, I've always loved the color, but for some reason they just looked off on me, somehow.  However, I was pretty impressed with this one.

It's definitely a pastel blue-green, hence the name Mint Candy Apple, that may look a bit off in February (I mean, who am I kidding really? It's still Winter..) but I still can't resist how gorgeous it is.  It's very opaque, needing only two coats, and it lasts about 5 days without noticeable chipping, the usual with Essie nail polishes.

Despite the fact that I don't think pastels suit me, I still think it looks really nice on the nails!  I will say that it's a bit more blue than green (as you can tell by the photo), which is partially why I like it - seriously though, who can resist a blue nail polish?

Overall, I like this color, it's definitely not my favorite, but I will definitely be getting my money's worth out of this for Spring!

 bloglovin' l hellocotton

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Dolce & Gabanna Pour Femme EDP Review

In 2012, I went a bit perfume crazy and ended up buying much more than any person ever needs, but throughout all the perfumes I bought and tried and loved, one in particular stuck out to me: Dolce & Gabanna Pour Femme EDP (€60 for 25ml).

This was re-released last fall after about a decade of hiatus and I am so glad it has been re-released as I don't think I could live without this now!

It's definitely a Fall/Winter fragrance, it's fruity, but there is warmth to it that would seem too heavy in the Spring/Summer (except for maybe at night).  It has a strong raspberry scent, but there is definitely something more to it that gives it that warmth.

Here's the notes in it (according to Sephora):

Neroli, Raspberry, Green Mandarin, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Guimauve, Vanilla, Heliotrope, Sandalwood.

It's also a really long-lasting perfume, after about 8 hours of wear the scent is still present, though it is quite faded.

I can only say good things about this perfume! It's now something I don't think I could live without!

 bloglovin' l hellocotton
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NARS Isolde Duo Eyeshadow

NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Isolde ($34) is not what I typically look for in an eyeshadow, it's not a next-to-nude natural shade, but something a bit more bold.  It's made up of two very orange-based goldy-bronze shades.  I have blue-grey eyes, and I bought this primarily as a way to make them pop against the contrast of the orange tones.

The first shade is an orange-gold shade that I use all over the lid.  It's a shimmery shade and is highly pigmented.  It's velvety to the touch, and with the slightest dab on the pan you will have a lot of eyeshadow on your brush.  The second shade is of the same quality, but the color is much darker, a gorgeous copper that lacks shimmer but doesn't lack sheen (whereas the first shade has both shimmer and sheen, though the shimmer is quite muted and not too noticeable).  Both shades are really unique, I tried to look for dupes in my massive eyeshadow collection and nothing came close (I thought UD Half-Baked might be similar to the first shade, but I was completely off)!

The quality of NARS Duo Eyeshadows is overall quite good, but something I've noticed about them is that the quality isn't the same overall.  Whereas one set might be fantastic, another might have less pigmentation or be more chalky, so I would definitely recommend putting some research and doing some swatching for yourself (if you can) before you commit to buying one.  However, what is consistent throughout the selection is that they are not creasing at all! I own 4 of the Duo Eyeshadows and none of them crease even after about 14 hours of wear!

However, if you're looking at this one and you're warm-toned (that is especially important, I don't think this would suit cool-toned people), I would recommend it.  Sadly, it's not something that I tend to reach for everyday, as I'm quite partial to my more natural looking shades, but I do find that this look particularly nice on the eyes if I'm wearing something simple and white or off-white, as it gives this sort of 'Grecian Goddess' look to the eyes, due to the gorgeous metal-toned colors.  Not really a necessary purchase for me, not something I'll get a ton of use out of, but something I enjoy using on the off-day I choose to!


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