Víva España!

I figured that a style post would be nice for a change and what better time than summer to show off all the lovely pieces in your wardrobe? My thoughts exactly!

Today's outfit is all Spanish attire. The shirt is from Pull and Bear, the shorts and sandals are from Zara. 

I love the gold detailing on the shirt and the fabrics are all natural. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

A little Duty free haul

Last month I have been in Germany on a business trip (not sure whether I have mentioned it) and hauled 3 things in the duty free in Frankfurt. Oh help me Lord what a duty free! With an absolutely none-existant restraint I ventured into undiscovered territories of Origins. 

After watching Lily Pebbles rave about Origins I decided that from all the masks there I need to try the Clear Improvement active charcoal mask. It comes out as a black paste and where applied on the face it looks like you rolled in mud. Immediately one can feel a little tingle and imagine the mask doing its work. It does feel like it is really cleaning the face and the skin feels incredibly soft after washing it off. 

At the time of the purchase my lips have been extremely dry and since I have heard so many good things about the original Elizabeth Arden 8-hour-cream I decided to give this lip cream. I do have to admit that I am the victim of all marketing campaigns and clearly the marketeers have me in mind when thinking about the placement of the products since this was right by the check out. However, I have not looked back because this product is amazing.

The Origins Spot Remover is another well loved product in the beauty world and since at the time of purchase my face has been in a bad shape I decided I really need this in my life. The smell of it is quite strong and it seems to contain a lot of alcohol. It is a clear gel that dries matt so if needed it can also be easily applied over moisturised and below foundation. 

And here we go again with the BB

I have been wanting to try this BB cream ever since I have heard that Estée Lauder will be launching one. But somehow I never managed to get my hands on it or rather was avoiding it due to the price (not to forget that everything is more expensive anyways). However one day I saw that there was an offer in one of the cosmetic stores and decided to finally give it a go.

The product comes in an elegant packaging with the printed textured Estée Lauder logo on the top. Contrary to the other BB products it does not list all the benefits which I like because I am still not sold that one product can be quite so multitasking. The cream is water based and comes in only 2 shades, light and dark. I was worried that it would be too dark for me since I have a very fair complexion but after I blended it out on the back of my hand I decided I will make it work. 

This BB cream provides an SPF of 35 which in my opinion is great, especially since I live in Israel where where sun shines for the most part of the year. It smells very fresh. When just out of the tube it appears like a thick paste and is quite a bit darker that it actually looks blended out on the face. The content is 30ml so it is the same size like a regular foundation. 

All in all I am very pleased with this product. It has a good coverage, better than my tinted moisturised, and a good lasting power. I was worried that it will make my face as shiny as a disco ball as it happened with other BB creams but the so much dreaded shine stayed away. My skin is quite sensitive but it does not seem to break me out.

The downside for me is the price. Due to its thick consistency it can be a bit harder to blend.

I do not think I will repurchase this BB cream purely because although I liked it it did not wow me and I would not call it a holy grail product but I will definitely use up the tube and enjoy the process.