ANASTASIA CONTOUR KIT

I would like to start another post with "Oh, how gorgeous is that?", but that would be quite repetetive and I believe you can see the beauty yourself. This spring is albout contouring, right. Contour, contour, contour, I hear everywhere, Youtube videos focused on contouring (Tati here, Pixiwoo here), Sephora's website dedicated to best contouring bits the market can offer. Choose yours!

My face is not perfect, bit round and bit big. Yet this does not make me a big fan of contouring. My contouring skills are very poor, bad lightning and unprofessional tools result in me looking like I was slapped, long time ago. Blending, blending, it's all about blending the edges away , they say. Ain't noboy got time for this. I am not Kim K, I am not furiously contouring every morning before leaving to work. But the odd days, that's a different story. Now and then there comes a day (or night) when I want to look my best, with beautifly sculpted cheekbones and thinner, oval face. 

I have been using the Sleek Conotur Kit. This used to do the job quite well, yet I was longing for something more professional. Like menioned above, this spring is like made for contouring, just choose your favorite. I am not really on the creamy side, so I definitely wabted something bit more powdery. Could not decide between Anastasia and Kevyn Aucoin (also amazing and beautiful conoturing palette). After considering all pros and cons, I opted for Anastasia as the colors seemed more versatile, multifunctional and the reviews were great. Also, Kevyn Aucoin is slightly more pricey.

W7 IN THE NIGHT PALETTE

Have you heard about this brand W7? I have not, I have a feeling I saw their eye shadow palettes somewhere, don't reckon where though. Anyway, I got this eye shadow palette as a Christmas present and my one is called "In the Night" and it's dedicated to the party girls who like to go out for a drink or two and who like to go to party and dance. Regula readers know I am more kinda into natural shades, like brown, beige and nude. But, this is a nice change. I have dark broen eyes so this purpely-violet shades really suit me and did not have that much to choose from before so I have to say I am very pleased. Other palettes from W7 are also: Lighly toastes, In the nude and In the Buff. These three are more in the natural/nude range.

In the night has these 12 shades:
Dusty - very light pinky shimmery shade
Wonderland - absolutely gorgeous bronzey tone with golden undertones
Summer - very light greyish shade
Atlanta - very cool light violet shade
Abracadabra - dark grey matte shade
Top Hat - another beautiful shade, dark purple shimmering shade
Razzamataz -  dark purple matte shade
Lady Luck - bright dark pink/plum shade with shimmering, very beautiful
Laura E - gorgeous medium warm brown shade
Party Pooper - very light silver shimmering color
Gate Crash - dark grey shade
Bologna - black matte shade

The problem seemed to be glitters that are in each shadow and make the whole palette look bit scary. I guess when you are getting ready for night out you probably should add bit of a glitter, but this looked like crashed disco ball ingredients. Fortunately, after applying all the glitters dissappear. 

 The quality is not bad, but it's not the best. The shadows are quite powdery and need to be blend in very precisely. Typically, for budget palettes, the matte shades have again a problem with pigmentation. But the shimmery shades are very good, almost stunning. More buttery and last longer. 

In this particular shade range, I have 4 favorite shadows I have never seen anywhere else, so I will be using these a lot. Then there are 4 shades that I can imagine using, especially when going out. And then the remaining 4 eyes shadows I don't think I will use unsless as a highlighter underneath my eyebrows. But I guess in every palette, no matter if from drugstore or premium brand, there will be always shadow you don't fancy, so. 

Overall, I am quite happy qith In the night palette. Nice budget buy: I think the price is aroud 10eur and you're buying 12 eyes shadows in a really cool tin packaging. Quite curious about the nude shades so will probably try to get my hands on these too. 

L'OREAL VOLUME MILLION LASHES MASCARA

Have you seen the name of this mascara ? L'Oreal Million Lashes So Couture So Black mascara. Isn't it the longest name for a mascara you've ever seen? Okay, back to the review. This mascara is good. As you may guess from the name - it' s very very black and that's a good thing. I don't like mascaras with brown black colors, because most of the times I just feel my lashes are not enhanced that well. So in this case, definitely points for the color, deep dark jet black. 

I have been using this mascara almost every day now and I haven't experienced any clumps or flaking, so duration is also outstanding, considering that my makeup is on between 10 to 12 hours. So what effect can you reach with this mascara? Volume, definitely. Length, too. Doesn't curl the lashes that much, but we have tools for this, right? Bonus points go for not sticking lashes together - Oh I hate when it happens! 

The wand is not the wand I go usually for and when I saw it for the first time I just wasn't sure at all. But it's great, so it's so easy to paint even the tiniest little lashes. Also, there is no product build up on the wand, you just get a small amount of color, so you are not wasting anything. Duration of the mascara is also stunning, got this one at the same time as my Maybelline Falsies which is dry already and goes to the bin.

Overall, it's a fabulous mascara. You can get very natural look after one application or build up up to 3 times and get more dramatic look.  Worth the buy, because the quality of this product could compete with some premium mascaras. 

FAVORITE MAKEUP BRUSHES

And here it comes! My favorite brushes I use every day. I have been thinking about making a post about my favorite brushes for some time now, but just last week I finally made the decision the choose "My top 5 makeup brushes". I am proud owner of something around 30 brushes. This amount of brushes is absolutely unnecessary and unless you are planning going pro, there is no need to go crazy like this (althought I call myslef a "collector" and I take pleasure in owning so many brushes, haha). 

Real Techniques Blush Brush - it's the pink, very fluffy one. Althought its name says blush, I ain't using this one for my cheeks. This brush is great - big, soft and fluffy - just perfect for powder. I can't imagine using this one for anything else, really. Distributes the product gently and softly, and doesn't eat the product at all. Would recommend as Nr. 1 powder brush!

Real Techniques Stippling Brush - pink one again, rounded and with short bristles. Honestly, I am not sure what is the purpose of this brush. I saw videos girls using it as a foundation brush. Why not, althought I use it as my blush brush (I am a rebel, I know)! My face is big and rounded and without any definied cheekbones, jeez, so it' s kinda difficult for me to apply blush to a certain part of my face and not to look like I've just attended slapgiving. This one is great for that job - soft but very precise, allows you to work the product in without any problems. 

Zoeva - 227 Luxe Soft Definer - the eye shadow blending brush. Hallelujah ! This is my best friend, really. I tried the MAC 217 blending brush but had to come back to this one. It blends the eye shadow in magicaly, it's absolutely foolproof and even the clumsiest Picasso can have eye shadows like a pro! The only downside is the duration of the brush - will have to repurchase soon. Feeling no guilt though.

Zoeva - 102 Silk Finish - foundation brush. Amazing brush, would not change this one for any other. Tried RT Expert and Buffing brush, but this is my thing. Again, foolproof application, the finish is abolutely gorgeous, works the product in precisely and is just absolutely amazing. Eats my foundation though, but I can forgive this sin as it's really worth it. If you're looking for a move from RT, would go for this one. Still bufget friendly, but the quality is amazing. 

Real Techniques - Accent Brush - ehm, eye shadow applying brush? I believe accent brush is for applying small amount of eyeshadow or glitter to the tiniest part of my eyelid, right? Not my case, again, my rebellious nature: I just use this one for application of eye shadow all over my lid. My eye lids are quite small (yeah, in my big rounded face, haha) and this brush is so small it allows me to spread the eyeshadow evenly without any drop offs. Works for me. 

So, these are my everyday brushes. I like them all, they are good quality brushes, all very budget friendly. What are your favorite brushes? Do also use them in a way they were not meant for?

AU NATUREL

I have to admit I get lazy to do my makeup sometimes. Especially when I know I am going to spend a day mostly at home. I don´t count the little shopping in off-license as a big social event to create some amazing smokey eyes or bold red lips. So then, I usually reach for just a few products to eliminate my zombie look a bit. Today I picked the following:

Garnier Miracle Skin Cream - I just don´t like wearing foundation when I am at home all day, because my damaged skin now needs to breath as much as possible. This cream makes me feel like I am not wearing anything, just another layer of day cream. But yet still, covers a bit all the red spots and dark circles, making the skintone even.  I reach for this one very often these days.

Solar Powder by Soap and Glory - It´s a must have bronzer. I am really bed at bronzing, but with this one it´s easy peasy. Even when going for very natural makeup, it´s a good step to add little bit of color to your complexion. 

Rimmel Soft Kohl in shade Sable Brown - This shade especially is amazing. The perfect brown eyeliner. You can´t find much of reddish undertones, it´s more like cold medium brown - so difficult to find. And not expensive at all. 

LÓreal Volume Million Lashes So Couture So Black - I just love this mascara so much at the moment and I am using this one for the every day look. It´s not too dramatic like Maybelline False Lashes or Lancome Hypnose Drama, but still makes a difference in the look of my lashes. 

That´s it basically. Going Au Naturel in four easy steps, 5 minutes maximum. 

LAZY DAY BASE

Sometimes I just feel like I can't be bothered with the whole 'perfect base' action. Sometimes it's  just too much effort. And sometimes I am just super lazy. Or ill. Or hangover. Or I slept in. Or I have a good skin day. In cases like these, I for just don't want to apply foundation, because let' s admit it, it can take ages to create the perfect canvas and it can be one hell of the work. But still, I want to look good, I want my skin to be radiant, glowing and healthy looking. Not the pale white ghost face I wake up to. With my massive under-eye circles.

Let's meet our two little helpers. One is by Garnier, the other one is by L'Oreal. The common thing these guys share is that they have something to do with all this anti-aging and revitalising magic I don' t need yet.

I have never properly understood all the madness around BB creams, CC creams, DD creams and 123 creams. For me it's unecesary complicated and not what I am looking for. I need a cream that I could apply and spread with my fingers in like 15 seconds. I dont want it to look cakey, thick, layered, too dark, too plastic or oily. I want to look natural, effortless, yet bit more perfect then my 'zombie morning'. 

These two buddies can do the job. Garnier Miracle Skin Cream is a white sparkly looking cream you can apply instead of your moisturizer or on top of it. After spreading, it turns intro natural color and gives you very nice, healthy and glowing complexion with some light coverage. Smeels delish, very fruity. Sometimes, to look bit more flawless, I dust little bit of pressed powder on top of it just to smooth things up a bit. L'Oreal Revitalift 10 is probably something more fore mature skin, but I use it anyway. This is supposed to be a replacement for your ordinary day cream, when you need to pop a bit of color in to your complexion. Again, smells fresh and fruity (I know it does not matter that much, but still, you don't want to spread over your face some socks stinky mud, am I right?). I use this one when little bit more coverage is needed. Revitalift can be found in three shades" light, medium and dark. On the pictures below you can see 'medium' shade, which is (as usual) very dark. Garnier cream is sold in one color that will match your skin color. 

What is your favorite BB, CC, DD or just any tinted moisturiser?

THE FESTIVE RED

Like I mentioned in my previous post, there is a deal going on in Boots with L'Oréal. I am not sponsored by anyone, I just would like to mnetion it again as I think it' s an absolute bargain and every budget friendly deal is great thing for make up lovers. 

Also, the little "present" you get is absolutely brilliant. You can find there a red Color Riche lipstick in shade 461 Creme de Rogue / Scarlett Creme, red Color Riche nail polish in shade 408 Exquisite Scarlet , Volume Milion Lashes So Couture So Black mascara (I will do a review soon) in Extra Black shade (how perfect is that?) and white eyeliner (I don' t really use a white eyeliner, but it' s good to have one).

In this post I would like to mention the nail polish and lipstick, because they both are in such a beautiful shade of red, very festive Christmas-y red. I can imagine the Christmas party or dinner, wearing LBD with some lace details or with few sparkling gems and as a festive statement I would definitely choose these two for lips and nails. Both colours are very rich (very) matching each other perfectly. I love Color Riche lipsticks, because they smell so nice and feel like balm on my lips, but they are so rich in colour, great product. Both, the lipstick and the nail polish have a gold packaging whick makes them look quite luxurious. Perfect as a treat for yourself or a present for someone else...

L'OREAL LA PALETTE NUDE

Well... How gorgeous is this? I think it was love on the first sight as you just HAVE TO love these beautiful colours. Let me tell you something, we have been waiting for a good drugstore affordable palette that could be so daring to actually beat some high - end ones, and here SHE comes: this little mademoiselle La Palette Nude by L'Oréal .Here comes 10 beautiful rose - nude shades. Well, the palette is called Rosé, but I would say the colours are more purpely-violet than rosé which makes them pefrect for the autumn and colder months as burgundy is number one colour of this season. At the same time, the shades are so neutral, perfect for casual every day and I think they must suit to any skin tone and any eye colour. 

You can find here 4 matte shades and 6 shimering shades. The shimering shades are slightly better and kind of easier to blend. The packaging is lovely, really. Looks quite posh amd fancy, but it is very thin and narrow, which makes it perfect for travelling. I like the sleek black design with golden details, looks really beautiful. I am happy with the quality of these eye shadows. You have to keep on your mind that you are buying a drugstore product, so please don't expect Naked 3 dupe. But good quality one with 10 amazing shades ! 

With price 14,99 pound it's basically must-have, especially now - if you pick up L'Oréal make up products for at least 14,99 pound in Boots, you will get amazing present with lipstick, nail polish, eyeliner and mascara. This deal is until the 31st December and I think it' s totally worth it. The review for present coming soon :).

BUDGET EYE KOHL LINER

This must be the best kohl liner you will ever try. Budget buy, a must have of every beauty bag. Affordable product, great quality. Scandaleyes products have been around for some time now and these waterproof kohl kajal pencils gained some good reputation. Just went to pick new supplies (I have these everywhere: handbag, drawers at work, bathroom, bedroom) and realized that I should mention these. 

If you should invest in two colors, make it black and nude. Black one is like a gem. You can use it in your waterline for little bit of rock look, or as a thin line underneath your lashes, to add bit of shape to your eyes. Use on uppoer lid, either thin line for every day look, smudge it with bruh for bit more casual look or create nice wing for more fancy look. It´s up to you, but you can get any look with this one. The nude is an essential for a camuflage kit. After sleepless night, pop som nude color into your waterline, just to erase the redness from your eyes. Makes wonders! Waterproof, so lasts all day. Super soft, so easy to apply. You can´t go wrong here.

Just make sure you use Waterproof make up removal to get rid of every bit when removing your make up and cleansing your skin.

THE BARGAIN PALETTE

Beautiful colors, aren´t they? I bought this little palette last weekend out of curiosity, mostly because I was wondering how good can actually be a palette that cheap. And I was very surprised. All about the eyes palette by Collection costs 3 quit, I picked up my one in Superdrug. You can see there are six shades, from left to right: 

Feather - skin alike shade, perfect for "no make up make up"

Sunkissed - bronzey shimmering shade, very warm shade

Golden Sand - golden glittery shade, perect for party

Dazzling Brown - taupe shimmering shade, my favorite

Cocoa Dream - darker brown matte shade

Blackbird - black maete shade 

I would say the shades are really great as I managed to wear each one last week at least once. The pigmentation is bit weak, but buildable, so you can actually get very intensive look. The shimmering shades are better to work with, but generally drugstore matte shades are never great. But yet still I could create very nice looks. With an eye shadow primer they can stay perfect for maybe six to eight hours. The packaging is very cute, similar to the Soap and Glory one. 

I would like to say that I am nicely surprised. Of course, this is not a perfect palette, but it is a good alternative for someone who is new to make up, or just to have it in your handbag as an emergency eye shadows. 

SHOWGIRL

Showgirl! This little lady arrive into my shopping basket as a little bonus when spending 10 pounds for Barry M cosmetics. There were two versions of Showgirl - the volume mascara and the length mascara. As I have quite some supplies in the length department, I decided to pick up the volume version of Showgirl. 

And I was so surprised! You can see the packaging is quite something. I must say I love it, it looks really fancy and glamorous and not cheap at all. The product itself is great as well. It gives some ohhh volume and is very easy to apply in to the corner lashes that are sometimes very difficult to reach. The color is very very black, no complaints in this area. No smudging, no dripping, good pigmentation.... What I did not know, Showgirl is waterproof which makes it best friend to all fans of Clint Eastwood movies, enthusiastic scuba divers and the sensitive ones. Overall, Showgirl is ideal for every day casual look - for a bit more dramatic look just apply two or three layers. 

You can find Showgirl in Boots, on the Barry M shelves, it costs around 4,99 pounds. 

FLAWLESS

For few weeks I have been looking for something nice and new from Soap and Glory. I love their body products, especially body butters - they smell divine. But I wanted to try something from the make up range as well. After watching many many youtube videos and reading many many blog post from fellow bloggers I found out there are few bits we could possibly call must-haves aka go and buy it, now.

I am fan of a flawless base. I like my skin smooth, spots covered, eyes brightened up and basically all perfect. Soap and Glory have few powders to offer and I picked up this one - One Heck of a Blot. Sounds.... interesting, right? What I love: transparent/transculent/invisible which means that it does not make your complexion darker or lighter and leaves the colour job on your foundation. After application the skin is really smooth, looking so perfect. No cakey effect. But no coverage either. Nevermind, you have your foundation. Total verdict: The best drugstore powder ever.

Another one little buddy so praised among beauty gurus: Solar Powder. It is a bronzer. Guys, I hate bronzers. I am very bad with bronzers. I usually look like someone smacked me in the face. All my bronzers are too orangey, too warm, too pigmented (who would say that is a con), too everything. So I did not want to buy another useless bronzer, right. But I was so wrong, using bronzer can be actually very pleasant and in the end it is my favorite one and I have been using it ever since I have bought. This bronzer is absolute must. No orangey or warm undertones, not too dark, easy to apply and so easy to blend. Total verdict: Te best drugstore bronzer ever.

The last beauty bit is this lovely Kick Ass Concealer. It is like a little magic pot, inside there are two tiny pots, one for under eye concealer, one for redness or spots. And there is also one more pot in the packaging and that is the setting powder. How cute is that? So cute and so good also. I use the one for covering under eye circles every day - makes me very happy because it covers all the darkness so well and stays also. The part that is supposed be used for spots redness is not that good, but it is not dissapointment as I think that any concealer works for me and my spots (any advice?). After all, I would say it Kick Ass is better than average drugstore concealer. 

LITTLE MAKE UP HAUL

As every beauty blogger, I am bit make up junkie. That´s probably the reason why I spend almost every lunch break in Boots or Superdrug looking for news in make up aisles instead of having proper lunch. For me it´s a proper break though.

I was longing to try the new L´oreal Mono Eye Shadows especially when they have such beautiful colors and they all are so pigmented. I picked up Nude 201 and Lumiere 502. They look fantastic, but last only couple of hours. I also got L´Oreal So Couture Super Liner. I should be a waterproof one, but I am not so sure. The application is very easy, the brush is thin and short, quite firm. Only lasted on my eye lids for few hours and it easily gets smudged. Double dissapointment for me.

I also picked up my all time favorite foundation - Bourjois Healthy Mix. I love this one. It smells so healthy and fruity, stays, medium coverage, easy to apply and the finish is just so natural. Although, I went one shade darker and that was a mistake as my tan is slowly fading and I would need my former one - the lightest one. Bourjois Healthy Mix Powder is my favorite drugstore powder as well. I also picked up one shade darker one and I should not have done that. Argh. Nevermind. It´s a good stuff and I might still use it. I like this powder because it is so light, has velvety like finish and the smell is fruity as well. Allegedly Channel dupe. 

And because I had 2 quit on my Boots card to spend, I quickly grabbed Miss Sporty nail polish. I actually quite like Miss Sporty nail polish - they last 4 days minimum, they get dry quickly, they are cheap. The only downside are the colors. They are not that nice. 

L'OREAL GEMS

Minihaul. Three items from L'oreal everyone was raving about. As I was browsing the adorable aisles in Boots I realised I would need a new primer. And yet, there was a deal 3 for 2 for all L'Oreal, so I just bought them all. The Primer, the Foundation and the Mascara. The Good, The Better and The Best. Let me explain. 

Number one: The Primer. Menntioned several times by youtubers, many reviews by bloggers all over the internet and few mentions from friends/family/random/magazines. So I thought let's give it a try. Why not. I needed a primer, there are not many of them, let's have a look. And guys, it' s a good one. Makes really great canvas for further application, the face is glowing (healthy glowing, not radioactive glowing), pores are smaller and the foundation just sticks. Into? On? Not heavy, not sticky, not smelly. Really good. The only thing I have: not that it would prolong the duration of foundation. Might update later after few more weeks of observation. Points for the consistency and base it leaves. A good one.

Number two: The Foundation. L'Oreal True Match, the one that supposed to match your true color. The alleged dupe of Giorgio Armani Luminious Silk foundation. Probably one of the best drugstore foundations.A gem.  And I can confirm that. This is one of the best foundations I have ever tried. It is so easy to buff it into skin, so easy to apply, holds quite long and it is not cakey at all. Medium coverage, buildable. Really impressed. And I was quite worried when I saw it first as there are little golden "particles" - not even glitters. Like tiny golden sparkles. So I was a bit scared that I might look like I just quit my career in figure skating. Not at all, the golden bits just aren't there. The only thing I have here is the color. I just could not decide. Boots and Superdrug just did not have any proper samples and I was absolutely hopeless. As I have dark chocolate hair and my skintone is yellowish I picked up the W - warm tones. My skin is very fair though, now I still have some natural summer tan, but this one will be gone in couple of weeks and after comparing to my usual shades from different range, I opted for W1, the lightest one. Not sure if that was a good move as it seems bit too light. Maybe in couple of weeks it might be the perfect shade. The irony is that this foundation supposed to match your true skin color and yet many people struggle to pick up the right shade. The only flaw here. 

Number three. The Mascara. Carli Bybel used to use Telescopic mascara in her every video. Vivaina from Vivana does make up mentioned this one more than just a couple times. Still, when I saw the brush I was terrified. This one just can' t be any good. Maybe avarege, yes. How wrong I was. This mascara is amazing. I am so addicted to this one right now. It makes the lashes superlong, definied, perfect. Holds there well. It isn't clumpy at all, well buildable, after two or three layes makes it look like proper false lashes. I am so happy I found one in Boots and bought it, because I am in love with this mascara. One of the best.