MAC's cleanse off oil

I am kinda late on the Bioderma band wagon and truthfully the tiny bottle in our pharmacies is priced exorbitantly thus I need alternatives! 

My product of choice is MAC's old fashioned cleanse off oil. I really love it actually. I use it before my cleanser and take off my eye makeup with one pump and then the rest of the face with a second pump. You use it on dry skin and then wash it off. When it comes in contact with water it turns into a milky liquid and is washed off quite easily. The skin does not feel oily or sticky and it does remove makeup very well, which is obviously the purpose. 

If you have oily skin don't worry it won't make you more oily. It might even help you to regulate some of the sebum production. 

Should you be uncertain if you want to try it they also do a 50mil travel size. This is how I started before I actually went for the big bottle.

Little duty free extravaganza

In case you read my blog you'd know that I did buy is exact same Chloe perfume a little less than a year go. So naturally you would wonder why I have repurchased it. Did I bath in it from head to toe or how else can the excess usage be explained?

Funny you should ask me since there is a story indeed! Last week I went to a football game. Israel was hosting the U21 UEFA Championship and the final was held in Jerusalem. We were running 10 minutes late and when our bags were checked at the door the girl told me that for some reason glass bottles were not allowed inside the stadium. Needless to say that this was the day when I have had my Chloe perfume with me. After a long discussion we agreed that I would hide it outside and then pick up after the game finished. It was left at a remote place and only the girl knew its location. Of course after I have returned after the game, the story I was told was as follows: "I am so sorry! I just went to the toilet and when I returned it was gone!". Very believable story since no one knew and wouldn't have left the finals game in the middle to steel my perfume. There was some yelling however I have obviously not gotten in back.

Since I was flying home this weekend I decided to take my chance and buy it again in duty free.

While I was there I also thought that after a hard week of work and life I needed some little pick-me-up and decided to buy myself a present. I was eying the Chanel Les Beiges powder ever since I have heard Anna and Liana talking about it. I was really close to ordering it on the boots website and then decided to wait and lucky that I did because I actually bought it cheaper. It is a beautiful finely milled finishing powder that leaves your skin looking healthy and glowy. A review will follow since I have only used it twice so far thus not ready to talk about it in detail just yet. One thing I will say though is that the packaging is STUNNING!

The last thing that I've got is an old classic. Yes I do love perfumes and maybe to some it seems excessive however it was on sale for 20€ and I just could no longer hold myself!

I am talking about Jil Sander's SUN! It is a beautiful summery fragrance which on me is very long lasting. I lusted after it ever since I was a teenager. I remember that my very first mascara was one from her SUN series. It was a dark blue and water proof specimen that of course smelled like the perfume. How I got hold of this mascara I truly don't remember but every time I smell it it minds me of those years!

L'Occitane - Huile de Douche

Unfortunately I am weak and have no self control… The beauty world is way too alluring and one has to splurge! As simple as that!

I went by the L'Occitane store and decided to go in because I have not been in a while and spotted the shower oil which used to be a super hyped up product and just spontaneously bought it. Obviously it looks lovely in my shower but it is also a very nice product. 

The concept is simple: it is a shower oil which turns into a milky liquid once it gets into contact with water. It is lightly scented of almonds and the skin feels great after usage. So far I have been using it sparingly because it is on the pricier side and not for every day use but I reckon that it wintertime it will find more use. 

Infaillible eye shadow

Although I do own eye shadows it's not something I use on a daily basis. Also a problem are my hooded eyes, however I am learning to work with them. 

One of my absolutely favorite eye shadows is "Sahara treasure" and is part of the infaillible range. It is a mix of a pressed pigment and a cream eye shadow and being held together with a lid. I was worried at first that it will go everywhere but due to its creamy consistency it does stay put.

Firstly I apply my Estée Lauder double wear eye shadow primer and then bust out a fluffy brush, take it slightly higher when my crease and also apply underneath my the eye. Then line my top waterline with Mac's "Teddy" and to finish of apply a coat of Clinique's high impact volume mascara. 

 

Current base of choice

As mentioned in my previous post I do have a current base of choice. The affair has been going on for some months now... The love is even so strong that I have repurchased! That is an absolute first for me because I'm absolutely rubbish in finishing products and most particularly foundations. 

Without further a due I'm introducing you to Estée Lauder's Day Wear BB Cream. It has the typical smell of the day wear range and is of a thicker consistency. This is how I imagine Asian BB creams to be. It has a decent coverage and hides some redness. I do not find it particularly moisturising and always use a different moisturiser before applying the product. It comes in two shades, light and dark, so the colour range is not great but the light shade suits me well. The skin still shows through and it sort of adjust to the shade. On my it lasts all day and on some days I do not even have to powder over it. One of the best things about BB creams is that they contain SPF and this particular one even has SPF of 35. 

The only downside for me is the price. This BB cream doesn't come cheap, however I believe it's totally worth the price. 

Laura Mercier - tinted moisturizer

I finally took a plunge. I have ordered Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer (oil free) from http://us.strawberrynet.com/main.aspx. The delivery came as expected and shortly after ordering I have received my purchase. I have picked the shade "nude". 

The moisturiser has a very nice texture and feels nice when applied. I cannot notice a particular smell. However I must admit that I have expected it to be a bit more opaque listening to people and reading the reviews. I also had to discover, that my forehead became shinny throughout the day and I had to powder more than with my other base product of choice. I am slightly surprised since I did buy the oil free version and I have combination dehydrated skin which is not on the very oily side. 

Personally to me this product is not worth the hype. I am rarely using it which defeats the purpose and on top of that it comes with a hefty price tag. 

Impressions

I have been to Jerusalem for a weekend and decided to try my new and beloved app called 

HDR. All photos were taken with that. 

Blog revisited

Today I was looking at my favourite blogs and decided that it is long that an overhaul is long over due. In a life of every blog comes the time where one has to decide how to continue. Is it time for the blog to retire or hasn't it passed its prime yet? 

I decided that although it is the fourth year of my blog's existence it never received the right attention from me, apart from the first months of its creation. This has to change!

A blog is a creation. A free space to share thoughts, likes, style, makeup or whatever comes to mind thus the structure of this blog will take a slightly different direction.