Take the day off - Part 1 evening skin care

I realised that I actually have no updated skin care on my blog and now with the season change I figured it would be the perfect time.

The first part will tackle the cleansing so let's dive in.

More towards the winter I need to adjust my cleansers since my skin gets quite dry and flaky on my forehead and on my cheeks. 

My magical trio works well for me. I use the Clinique "take the day off" balm on my dry face and really massage it in. For my eye makeup I prefer to use MAC's cleanse off oil just because it is more liquid to beginn with and thus easier to work around the eyes.

Bear in mind that I do not use a flannel to take it off but rinse of with water and then proceed to Clarins' gentle foaming cleanser for sensitive or dry skin. I massage it over my skin and I'm not gonna lie I do enjoy this because it feels very rich and luxurious plus the smell is devine. I then use one of those rubbery brushed to give my face a nice cleansing and gentle exfoliation and after that we are done. The skin feels incredibly smooth and is ready for further steps so stay tuned!

Bare Minerals - Rosy Outlook

So when your best friend work as a buyer in QVC it comes with some perks, especially since he used to work in the beauty department. There are always some goodies waiting for me when I'm coming home. 

This time around I was gifted a Bare Minerals blush in Rosy Outlook and I have to admit that it is swiftly becoming one of my favourite blushes. It looks very natural and is extremely easy to blend out. The blush looks very natural on the face since I am very fair.

Inglot Freedom System

At some point I discovered that we have an INGLOT store close to me and finally decided to go for a visit.

For those of you who are not familiar with the concept the store is a little like MAC. They have a freedom system which allows you to pick the eye shadows, powders, concealers and so on and create custom pallets. Now, I decided to first start with just 2 eye shadows that would be basic matte shades for when I go traveling so that I have one lid colour and a crease/liner colour. The palette itself is very handy and closed with magnets. Obviously they do have a huge colour selection and even some MAC dupes. The products are also less expensive than MAC and a lot bigger. 

I will report back on how the eye shadows are holding up since I haven't actually tried them yet.

The darker colour that I bought is number 335 and since the girl at the store already put them into the palette and I have no idea how to get them out to tell you the exact number of the lighter shade. 

I quite like the light colour all over the lid paired with MAC's Teddy along the lash line. It evens out the lid colour and looks very sophisticated because I am not one to wear a crease colour on a daily basis.

The repurchase

I do have to dedicate a whole post to this repurchase because this it the first time that I have fully used up a base product and even more so repurchased!

Since I have already written a review on it recently I will not go into too much detail but know that I seriously love this product and really don't know what I was doing without  it before!

Clinique - Turnaround Concentrate

You mind remember that I was using Estée Lauder's Idealist in the mornings and I used to like it until I realised that there are way better serums out there!

I have received a sample of the Clinique's Turnaround Concentrate (the sample was actually 15ml, which is half the size of the actual product) and didn't think much of it at the time. I then decided to leave it at my boyfriend's house for the nights when I'm staying over because I grew tired of carrying all my stuff with me when I was straying over. I don't know if anyone else is like me but I do like my stuff with me...

Anyways, I started using it one night and realised that my face felt extremely soft, much softer than with the Idealist and gradually it took over my morning routine. I did finish the Idealist because I decided that I didn't want to add it to the pile of unused and tossed aside stash and then purchased the full size.

I really love this product. It application is smooth and makes makeup glide on easily. It makes the face look brighter due to the acids but you have to make sure to use SPF afterwards since the face is more susceptive to sun burns and damage. All in all I can really recommend it and can feel a difference to my skin.

Avène - Gentle Gel Cleanser

So apparently I'm a bad blogger since I managed to use up more than half of the bottle without posting anything about it. 

But do not be fooled because it doesn't mean that I don't like it! I have been walking around it in circles in the store because when I bought it it was winter time and my skin was quite dry. But what I saw Estée talking about it I knew I had to get it! Now, I use it only in the morning or during the day when I need to re-do my make up because I don't feel like it actually takes off my make up well. In the mornings my face is clean though and it feels very smooth when applied. It doesn't lather so it is very gentle and doesn't dry out the face.

Face of the day

Believe it or not but this is attempt number 2 to write this post. I was smart enough to write it on my iPad and then close the app without saving it... Massive failure!

I decided that it is about time to show a picture of me again since it really has been a while and what could be better than a FOTD post? Plus You get to see my currently favourite products! 

Do not fear, it's just my face coming very close!

Face: Estée Lauder Perfecting Illuminating Primer, Estée Lauder BB Cream in light, Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Flawless Wear Concealer in 10 extra light, MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20, Chanel Les Beige finishing powder in 010

Cheeks: Max Factor miracle touch creamy blush in 18 soft cardinal

Eyes: Catrice Calligraph ultra slim eyeliner pen, Rimmer Scandaleyes waterproof khol kajal in 005 nude, Clinique High Impact Expreme Volume Mascara

Bows: MAC Spiked Eye Brow Pencil

Lips: Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant

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. 

 

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. 

A little bit more of MAC in my life

I was relaxing at home the other day and watching videos on Youtube. There I have seen Estée's great Get-ready-with-me video, where she was using an Illamasqua contour colour for her face. She seems to be as fair as me and maybe even a little fairer and since I hardly ever contour because I am worried to look orange with my bronzer, her video made my jump up and run to the nearest MAC store (there is no Illamasqua counter nowhere near me). You can see below what I managed to walk out with:

Unfortunately my store does not carry the pro lines thus there was no sculpting powder, however I managed to find a taupe blush from the "Strong" collection. It is called "Taupe Shape" and is a brownish greyish colour, that has a little shimmer to it since it is a satin finish. I have used it twice so far and really been liking it. It works as a very subtle contour shade for pale skins as mine. The shimmer has not been noticeable.  

Since I am slightly mad about MAC brushes and love the sets that they bring out with certain collections obviously I was one to pick up the "Archie's Girls" set. I know a lot of people don't like the short handle, however I love it. It fits perfectly in my make up bag and is easy to transport. For this collection I absolutely adore the little heart design.

This set came with quite useful brushes in my opinion. You get a 167 large powder brush, a 168 large angled contour brush, a 226 blending brush, a 242 shader brush and the 266 small angle brush. I personally think it is a great value for money. 

Estée Lauder Crazyness

Since we are not getting any younger and a concerned beauty addict and colleague of mine pointed out that my current eye cream (Lancaster Aqua Milk) clearly does't moisturise my skin enough since I was having  expression lines when smiling. Horrified I ran to my nearest drug store and purchased the Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme Global Anti-Aging Eye Balm (puh what a long name). This line has been launched quite recently and is designed for skin that just starts changing. 

The cream or rather gel has a very smooth and moisturising texture. After application the skin stays quite velvety and smooth.

The smell is quite light and soothing. And I LOVE the packaging and the whole campaign design. I am aware that packaging should be of very low importance in my decision process, however it is very nice to look at nonetheless.