Beauty Favourites during Malta Fashion Week

Sooo, I'm back for a short trip to Barcelona with my boyfriend where we went to see Coldplay live in concert and we also added in a few days for sightseeing etc. The whole experience, especially the concert, was truly magical and one I will treasure all my life. But anyway, the purpose of this post is to share with you some beauty favourites; more specifically, the products that made the cut day after day during the Mercedes-Benz Malta Fashion Week which came to an end a litte more than a week ago.

I couldn't make it to all the shows, but I really enjoyed the ones I attended and half the fun was actually getting ready. Here go my favourites for the most fashionable week in Malta!

First and foremost, to ensure that make up looks good, you need a great canvas to work on aka your skin. To prepare my skin for makeup application, I cleanse it with LRP Micellar Water Gel if I am not wearing any makeup already, but this takes away any sebum and dirt. Then, twice weekly, I also use LRP Ultrafine Scrub and I always finish with The Body Shop Drops of Light Essence Lotion to deeply hydrate my skin.
 

As for makeup, I definitely did have some staples which I'm sure you have grown used to seeing them featured regularly on this blog. Starting off with primer, I always end up reaching for Inglot Under the Makeup Base to ensure my makeup stays intact all throughout. I don't want to jinx it but my skin has been behaving really well these days, thus I didn't feel the need to use high coverage foundations. Consequently, I always reached for MAC Studio Waterweight Foundation SPF30 in NC15. Following my review of this foundation, you would know by now how much I love it's light-weight texture and the coverage it provides is just right to make my skin look even. As for concealer, Clinique Airbrush Concealer in 04 Neutral Fair always made the cut.
 

For my eyes, the Urban Decay Naked Smoky palette was definitely the winner together with MAC Mulch eyeshadow. They were the basis for most of my looks as I really love the texture and pigmentation in both. No matter what mascara I used, I always followed with MAC Studio Sculpt Lash in Sculpted Black to separate and define my lashes.
 

Lastly, on my lips, I always had a MAC lipstick shade - Velvet Teddy, Stone (both lip pencil and lipstick, Hot Gossip and Soar lip pencil were among my favourites.
 

In reality, these are the only makeup products I need to own, but you now, makeup is makeup! What were your favourites this month?

Monthly Favourites | February

This month was probably the most hectic I've had in a while and since we didn't go out much, makeup wasn't really something I spent a lot of time on - I lived the absolute majority of the month in joggers doing housework (except when I was working obviously) so I didn't really get to experiment.

Somehow, I do have some new favouites. First off, my fresh hair cut! I really needed a change and around the middle of the month I decided to go for the chop! My hair is now in a short bob style which took some time to get used to again but I'm really loving it!

I have also tried out some new skin care, mainly Teoxane Eye Contour which deserves a full review and I am planning on publishing that soon. All I am going to say for now is that I have seen a remarkable difference in my under eye circles. Sadly though, I accidentally dropped it once and the metal head detached itself from the rest of the bottle :(

Next is this Victoria's Secret Scandalous perfume which I got from my last trip to London. Now that I have all my perfumes organized again (another thing I am loving this month), I thought of trying this one out and I'm in love! This perfume really does give me a confidence boost and it won't be long before I buy the full sized version.

I finally got the chance to try Flormar and my favourite products so far have been the Calcium Nail Gel and the Twist Up Lipstick in the shade Raspberry. The latter has a very nice shade that I think will suit most skin tones and it lasts for a very long time on the lips. Lately my hands and nails have been in need of a lot more TLC and this Calcium Gel has been God-send. My nails have started regaining their thickness and strength from the first use so this product will definitely go down in my must-haves list. Another nail polish that I have worn quite a lot this month is Essie Chinchilly which is kind of a dark taupe that goes with literally everything.

Speaking of TLC for my hands, The Body Shop's Frosted Plum hand cream is once again my hand cream of choice when on the go; and when I'm at home, especially before going to bed, I switch to the richer formula of Planter's Natural & Young Aloe Vera cream and wake up to soft hands.

So I guess I did get to experiment to a certain extent this month ;) Which products have been your favourites this month?

Monthly Favourites | December

In my favourites post, I usually write about the beauty products that I would have enjoyed using most throughout the month. However, for this edition, I am going to start the post with some fashion items that I have literally been super obsessed with. First off, these River Island tassel loafers that literally go with everything and are super comfortable and stylish - they really have been my favourite pair of shoes this month. Another River Island purchase I am currently obsessed with is this fold-over cross-body bag which also features tassels and is great for both day and night use. The Charles&Ron scarf from their Ganutell collection is also a favoruite of mine as of late and I have quite a number of outfits planned around it which I cannot wait to wear! The last fashion related item I wanted to share with you is this dainty gold neckalce from Fossil at Sunlab which I have been wearing almost everyday as it looks good with practically anything!

Now onto the beauty products. So, my favourite eyeshadow palettes this month have been the Essence All About Greys and All About Bronze palettes (and now I'm really excited to try the All About Vintage palette) as well as the Sleek i-Divine Enchanted Forest. All of the palettes feature highly pigmented eyeshadows at small prices and I really like the quality of all three of them with respect to longevity. The Essence Merry Berry Eyeshadows have also made quite a number of appearances in my makeup looks this month as did the Catrice Deluxe Eyeshadow Trio in 010 Antique C'est Tres Chic.

I have also really enjoyed using the Essence Gel Eyeliner Waterproof in the shades 01 Black Blaze and 05 Gunmetal. These are just the best eyeliners I have ever used - they stay on all day even in the waterline without a chance of them budging! The last eye product I wanted to share is the Catrice Fixing Brow Wax which keeps my brows in place all day.

I have rediscovered an old favourite too, the Sleek Antique blush which is the perfect shade of warm pink during winter. It also has a hint of shimmer which I really don't mind as it makes my skin glow. Speaking of glow, I have also enjoyed using the Essence Merry Berry Highlighter which is not overpowering at all and offers just a subtle hint of shimmer so it is perfect for those who prefer a more muted approach to highlighting.

Also from the Merry Berry collection, the lipstick in the shade 01 Let The Berry-Tales Begin has been my favourite this month along with MAC D for Danger.

The Body Shop Frosted Plum hand cream is the last favourite I have to share with you for this month. I love how good this smells and how soft and moisturised my hands feel after using this - pity it is limited edition!

What were your favourites for the last month of the year?

My Top 5 Eyeshadow Palettes

Today I want to talk about my favourite eyeshadow palettes, my Top 5 to be exact. I think palettes are great for travelling especially when they have everything you could possibly need. Neutral palettes are what I usually reach for but palettes with different colour options are a nice, welcome change too (apart from being pretty to look at). Here are my top five palettes (in no particular order) and why I like them so much.

First up is the KIKO Queen Of Hearts Eyeshadow Palette in 03 Elegant Ebony. Unfortunately this was limited edition so you can't get it anymore but luckily you can find dupes of all four shades in the palette. Why is this one of my favourite palettes? The packaging is one of the reasons of course but also the fact that is comes in a portable format complete with mirror and all four shades in it are very wearable - you get a matte light brown, a matte medium brown, a matte dark brown and a shimmery copper-gold. All of them have exceptional colour payoff and the matte ones can also be used for your brows!

Next I have this very girly quad from Catrice Cosmetics in the nuance 100 F'rosen Yoghurt. I mostly like to use this at this time of year with anything plum/burgundy being my favourite during autumn/winter. However the colours are also very wearable in summer too especially the lighter ones. I also really like the all over transparent packaging. Again you get three matte shades and a shimmery one. The pigmentation is not that intense with this palette but I still like it because all the colours buildable.

Sleek i-Divine Palette in Vintage Romance is also another one of my favourites but I mostly like to use for night looks as out of twelve eyeshadows, you only get one matte shade, the rest are all shimmery. I like the colour selection in this palette especially the golds and purples. Not to mention the value for money of these palettes couple with exceptional quality and pigmentation!

Lastly, and this comes to no surprise, are my Naked 3 and Naked Smoky Palettes from Urban Decay. By now you all know how much I love these palettes and they are the ones I reach for the most. In each palette you get twelve shades with different finishes so you really have everything you could possibly need. Each palette also comes with a large mirror and a double ended brush, all encased in pretty packaging!

Those are my top five eyeshadow palettes, what do you think of them? What are your favourite palettes?

Malta Fashion Week Skin Care & Beauty Favourites

Malta Fashion Week has come to an end two weeks ago and in this post, I just wanted to share with you my favourite skin care and beauty products, or rather the products that I have used most during the whole week. Here goes!

Skin & Body Care

In between juggling work and fashion week events, I found Yves Rocher Blackberry Exfoliating Shower Gel to be a life saver as it exfoliates and cleanses my skin in one go apart from the fact that it smells good. This was a limited edition variety, though but they do have a fixed range of smells in their permanent line. I then kept my skin moisturised with the help of The Body Shop Dewberry Body Lotion which has a very nice texture that is rapidly absorbed - perfect for dressing up immediately after!

As for my face, I have been keeping it clean with Vichy 3-in-1 Cleanser for sensitive skin, KIKO makeup remover and Skin Food Cucumber & Lettuce Watery Toner. Of course, long days and nights require proper care and thank God I have Polaar Icy Magic, Lierac Mesolift Serum and Polaar Moisturiser to my rescue!

For my hair, Tres Emme Argan Oil Spray has been irreplaceable to keep frizz at bay and give my shiny hair all week long!

Makeup

Now for makeup! My absolute favourite foundation has been of course NYX HD Foundation in HDF02 Soft Beige which is very camera friendly and never made me look like a ghost in flash photography. The same applies for NYX HD Concealer in CW03 Light which I like to use under my eyes. For minor blemishes on my face, I switch to Catrice Camouflage Cream in 010 Ivory. MAC Mineralize Blush in Gleeful always made the cut as it matches my complexion really well and goes with practically any outfit.

I never left the house without these products on my eyes: MAC Gel Liner in Blacktrack, Urban Decay eyeshadows ABC Gum and Breathless, Essence I Love Stage Eyeshadow Base and Pupa Milano Made To Last Eyes 100. I also really enjoyed different shades of Essence Effect Eyeshadows as well as Pupa Milano Vamp! Cream Eyeshadow Shiny Silver from the Spring Sporty Chic Collection. As for mascara, I switched my favourite Max Factor one to Catrice Glamour Doll Curl & Volume Mascara and top it with KIKO False Lashes Concentrate Waterproof Top Coat Mascara.

Finally, my favourite lip products combination has been Essence Lip Liner 05 Soft Berry and The Body Shop Colour Crush Lipstick in shade number 335. My makeup held up really well all throughout thanks to a little help from Max Factor Facefinity All Day Primer.

Brand Hits & Misses | Sally Hansen

I'm sure you have seen this kind of posts on other blogs but for me, this is actually a first, where from time to time I shall be picking a brand and show you my favourite products and the ones I definitely won't repurchase.

First up is Sally Hansen, which I'm sure you've all heard of by now. The US brand has quite established itself in the nail care market and it offers a vast range of products to enhance and care for your nails.

I have tried quite a few of their products and although there are more hits than misses, some products have really let me down. Here go the hits first and then the misses!

Hits

Instant Cuticle Remover - probably my favourite out of the bunch! This is a little miracle in a bottle and I am always in awe at its rapid action in removing excess cuticle and it makes an excellent prepping product especially for gel manicures as on a clean nail plate, the polish adheres better. Oh and it's boyfriend approved too ;)

Cuticle Rehab - another favourite is this little wonder product that I always carry with me in my bag. It is basically a nourishing gel that you massage into the cuticles and it restores them after just one application!

Extra Strength Nail Polish Remover - although this is on the pricier side when compared to other polish removers, it is one of the best ones and it is ace for removing glitter polishes and darker colours effortlessly.

Xtreme Wear glitters - I love the glitter pay off with these polishes and my favourite two are 510 Strobe Flash and 540 Glitter Gun. They are stunners both when worn alone or layered on another polish.

Xtreme Wear Nail Colors - apart from the glitter polishes, the Xtreme Wear range also comprises some nice solid colours. I'm especially fond of them as they provide excellent application and some are even good with just one coat. The shade 300 White On is an exceptionally good white for French manicures too.

Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish - I only have one of these polishes but I can already foresee my collection expanding with a few of these shades. They have excellent colour payoff and the formula is a pleasure to work with. The brand claims that you don't even need a base and top coat with them and I really like the glossy finish.

Insta-Dri Chip-Resistant Top Coat - the last hit is this wonder top coat. I bought it after seeing a good number of positive reviews on it and now I can affirm that it lives up to the hype. It provides a high shine finish and manicure is dry to the touch within seconds. On me, this lasts for roughly 5 days before I can see some minor tip wear. Highly recommended!

Misses

Insta-Brite Nail Whitener - I bought this a while ago so it could help maintain my nails to a healthy colour but it didn't really do much. On the contrary, it made my nails look even more yellow than they actually were.

No More Breaks Nail Strengthener - again, another product bought out of desperation. I was going through a phase where my nails kept breaking all the time - something which was new to me so I thought of giving this a go. I made sure my nails were clean and applied it according to the instructions but after just a couple of minutes it kept peeling off. I tried whichever way to make it work but sadly, nothing could get it to work.

No Chip Top Coat - the last miss is this top coat which I bought as part of my search for the perfect top coat. Contrary to the Insta-Dri Top Coat, it says 'no chip' but as soon as it dried, it just cracked and peeled off together with the polish underneath. I tried it another time on completely dry polish and it did the same thing. Definitely not recommended.

And that concludes my first Brand Hits & Misses post! let me know what you think about this kind of post and also, what you think about Sally Hansen in general :) Any other products you recommend from the brand? Which brand would you like me to feature next? 

Tag | The Lipstick Tag

A few weeks ago, I came across this tag over at Makeup Savvy and since I am now a self-confessed lipstick addict, I thought I might as well go ahead and do this tag post!

How many lipsticks do you own?

 

Hmm...my collection has grown to 39 lipsticks at the moment.

 

What was your first ever lipstick?

My first ever lipstick was Maybelline Water Shine Diamonds 02 Beige Glace. Back then it was called Cocoa Shake and I thought it was discontinued before I read somewhere that they had changed some of the names!

 

What is your favourite brand for lipstick?

Can I choose two brands? I'd say MAC has to be my favourite high end brand for lipstick while Catrice is my favourite drugstore brand. They do some amazingly pigmented lipsticks that compare well to other high end brands!

 

What is your most worn lipstick?

Definitely Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick 190 The Nuder The Better...prefect for day and night and complements my skin tone to perfection!

What is your favourite finish?

It's gotta be Lustre and Crème finishes. I find they are the most moisturizing formulas around.

What was the last lip product you bought?

Wjcon Automatic Lip Liner Bimbo to match with one of their lipstick I bought before.

 

How many lip products do you currently have in your bag?

Right now, that's 4 (and that includes a lip balm).

How do you store your lipsticks?

I store my lipsticks in two designated containers and I keep the longer ones in a plastic box...I transfer all of them in the refrigerator during the summer months to prevent them from melting.

 

What lipstick do you use to rock a red lip?

Basically, I first line and fill my lips with NYX Long Lip Pencil CLPL20 Plush Red & then I go over them with Givenchy Rouge Interdit 20 Illicit Raspberry for the ultimate red lip that lasts for hours on end!

 

What lip products are you currently lusting after?

I really want to try NYX Round Lipsticks but I will wait till their store opens here this month ;) oh and I wouldn't mind adding a few more MAC shades to my collection!

Monthly Favourites | January

Favourites time again! Catrice has definitely been my most favourite brand this month especially where eye products are concerned...all 4 are from the budget-friendly brand.  Again, Glamour Doll & Mini Max mascaras have made to this month's favourites. They are seriously the best volumizing mascaras I have ever tried and when paired together they give a fantastic fanned-out appearance to the lashes. 5 stars to both!

The eye pencils are both brown and they offer a very good alternative to black especially for neutral smoky eye or day make-up. With regards staying power I much prefer the Long Lasting Eye Liner Pen in 070 Puddle Of Mudd as it lasts for hours on end.  However both glide on effortlessly and I like the smudger end of the Kajal Designer in 150 Up&Brown&Up&Brown... as well as the shade which is quite a unique shade and one I don't see often in eye pencils.

Moving on to lip products, I have been using Mac Lustre Lipstick in Naked Paris and Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in 206 Nude Pink both for day and night which complement any make-up look.  I would then pair Liptini Lip Liqueur Lip & Cheek Stain in 4013 Pink Lady with E.L.F. Studio Glitter Gloss in Sparkling Wine when I want a statement lip.

Finally to keep my lips free from flakes an protect them against the cold, I favoured E.L.F. Studio Lip Exfoliator, Bioderma Atoderm Levres and Essence Kiss Care Love Lip Balm in 03 Fruitylicious when I want a sheer tint.

As for face products, my favourites were Napoleon Perdis Ultimate Contour Palette which needs no introduction here and Catrice Defining Blush in 060 Rosewood Forest which brings winter cheeks to life! 

Lastly, I have been wearing this River Island gold cross bracelet almost everyday since I received it. 

What were your favourites for the first month of 2013?