Review: M.A.C Lipstick in Retro

 

Recently picked up this gorgeous lipstick. Isn't it just perfect for autumn and winter? This Mac Lipstick in Retro is a gorgeous teracotta/rusty red colour. It's not an in the face red, but almost a muted red, due to it's brown and peachy tones and pink undertones, making it perfect for every day wear.
It is one of Mac's satin formulas which means great and even pigmentation, non-drying on the lips and a semi-matte finish. It is creamy to apply and I would suggest using a lipliner. I picked up Mac's lip pencil in Chicory to go with this. It's just a tint lighter creating a soft gradient, ombre effect.
It is a lipstick not very popular in the blogging world, but it's my favourite. This colour will suit a lot of skintones and hair colours, so honestly, why not?

~Xx

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin' | YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram

 

 

Review: L'Oréal Paris Collection Exclusive Pure Reds

Hello loves! How are you doing? You're fine? Good, good.
Today I'll be doing a review on these pretty lipsticks which are part of the L'Oréal Paris Collection Exclusive Pure Reds range.
I've noticed we have different colours in the Netherlands than in the UK and probably more countries, so for most people these colours are hard to get by, sorry about that, but I wanted to show them to you anyway. And even though the colours and names might be different, the formula and packaging will probably be the same, so this post will hopefully still be helpful to you, or at least enjoyable to read.
If you're more of a nude lipstick person, I've also reviewed the Collection Privée Nude lipsticks from L'Oréal Paris, which you can check out here.

 

Just like the Collection Privée lipsticks, these come in the most gorgeous black packaging with gold detailing. However, unlike the Collection Privée lipsticks, these have a subtle engraving which looks to me like crocodile print. I really like this, because red lipsticks are a bit more edgy than nude lipsticks, which is visible in the packaging. It also has the signatures of the people by whom this lipstick was inspired on them, which I really like. This way you can find your perfect red lipstick by looking for the person with a similar hair and skin colour, although I didn't really pick my lipsticks this way.

I went for Doutzen's pure red and Laetitia's pure red. I wouldn't really call these lipsticks pure reds, but they're gorgeous, so no complaints from my mouth. The other two colours we have in the Netherlands are Blake's red and Julianne's red, which I believe are also available in the UK, together with Liya's red and Eva's red, if I'm right, correct me if I'm wrong.

Doutzen's pure red is a vibrant orangey red lipstick, which is perfect for summer, but I also like it for autumn with Halloween coming up, due to its very pigmented orange colour. I've been wanting an orange lipstick for such a long time, so I'm glad I finally got my hands on one, and I love it. I'm not really used to wearing this colour on my lips, so it still feels a bit weird when I look in the mirror, but I am looking forward to wearing this loads in summer.
Also I just needed to add this lipstick to my collection, because Doutzen Kroes is a famous model and from the Netherlands! We rule! (: Maybe it's not a coincidence her lipstick looks so orange, because it's our national colour.

Laetitia's pure red is a gorgeous dark berry purple red lipstick. Perfect for the upcoming winter season. I'm not sure yet if this lipstick suits me, but it might be because dark lipsticks are new to me, since I've always been too scared to try them. But I just love this colour so much. It's so deep and rich and amazingly pigmented.

Both lipsticks have amazing pigmentation. They also last a long time on the lips, but they are also very creamy and tend to slip and slide. However, this is easily prevented by using a lip liner. The creaminess also makes these lipsticks moisturizing, which is great for my dry lips and amazing since both lipsticks are semi matte.

I'm so happy I bought these two lipsticks, even though I'm not sure these colours suit me very well. What do you think? It probably just takes some time for me to get used to them, but they are so pretty and feel great on the lips.
I'm really tempted to buy the other two colours and maybe even see if somehow I can buy Eva's and Liya's red as well.

I'm so sorry these two colours aren't available in the UK. If someone knows how to get these, please let me and my readers know in the comments so we can help each other out.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this post, if not, I'm sorry, better luck next time. Let me know if you have tried, or will be trying these pure reds and what you think about them. I want to know.

~Xx

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin' | YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram

Review: Zoella Beauty Blissful Mistful Fragranced Body Mist

When I heard that Zoe (Zoella) was bringing out a range of beauty products I became very excited. A short while back her products launched on the FeelUnique website and I immediately had to order the body mist in the collection. Also, can we all agree on how amazing the launch party of Zoella Beauty looked? It was amazingly decorated and not forgetting Zoe looking more gorgeous than she already normally does, in the most beautiful dress I've ever seen.
I will be talking about the actual product soon, all that I want to say is congratulations Zoe on creating a super sweet collection of beauty products.
 

Let's start with a very important factor of a fragrance: The packaging, and this one is the cutest. It is easy to see that Zoe designed the packaging of the products. Her signatures are all over, from the polka dots, to the handwriting and the red/gold lid. It is a gorgeous glass bottle, which is very compact and looks pretty standing on your dressing table.

 

The bottle contains 45 ml of a gorgeous scent. This is one of a few fragrances which smell better on the skin than from the bottle. With most fragrances I find this to be the other way around, which always bothers me. So if you're going to try this body mist in the store, try it on your skin to sniff the actual scent of the fragrance.
 

The fragerance itself is very light and sweet. I'm not a big fan of strong scents, so this is perfect for me. It smells very fruity and sweet containing notes of wild strawberry, violet, jasmin, gardenia and vanilla, which create a perfect scent altogether. I think this body mist is perfect for younger girls who've just started wearing perfume, but it's also a very nice scent for girls in their 20's and all ages in between.
The lasting power of this body mist is amazing. It is still well noticeable at the end of the day, couldn't be more perfect.

This is a great body mist and only cost me 8 pounds. What a great buy. Thank you Zoe for keeping your products well affordable.

Will you be buying the blissful mistful body mist? Or have you used something else from Zoe's bath & body collection? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

~Xx

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin' | YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram

Review: L'Oréal Paris Collection Privée Nude Lipsticks

Hello Girls, and maybe some guys? Don't know, but if you're there: Hiii!

I've been searching for the perfect nude lipstick for so long now. I am usually quite scared of wearing nude lipsticks, because my lips are quite pigmented and nude lipsticks look really dramatic on me. Furthermore, they often don't have enough pigmentation to cover my natural pigmented lips. The struggles...
Most people buy a nude lipstick as their first colour, but not me. (I started with a coral lipstick) For a very long time, no nude lipstick has made it to my makeup collection, but that has changed recently, when I bought these two beauties, and I love them to death.

I'm talking about the L'Oréal Paris Collection Privée Nude Lipsticks. I have been walking into the drugstore to swatch them again and again, but it took me a while to actually buy them. Then two months ago, the gorgeous girl Kitty from KittyHearts blogged about them. I asked her about the pigmentation of the lipsticks and which colour she would advise me to buy. And as the sweet girl she is, she answered my question and suggested the colour Eva to me.
So out I went, into the drugstore and bought Eva's Nude. I also couldn't resist the lipstick standing next to it being Julianne's Nude.
I have been wearing these two lipstick constantly and probably never been happier with a lipstick. That sounds so sad..

Sorry for the long intro, I'm in a chatty (writey) mood, but I'll start with the actual review and swatches now.

What drew me to these lipstick from the start was the packaging. I just can't resist a gorgeous matte black with gold detailed packaging. It's gorgeous and looks very luxurious. Just look at it! *drools*

But no matter how gorgeous the packaging is, the most important bit is inside. L'Oréal has come up with 6 nude shades inspired by 6 of their spokespersons: Doutzen Kroes, Julianne Moore, Eva Longoria, Freida Pinto, Cheryl Cole and Liya Kebede. The result? A gorgeous collection of nude lipstick in which everyone is able to find their perfect nude, even me! The shades I went for are Julianne's Nude and Eva's Nude.

Julianne's Nude is described as barely peach. "Sensual and delicate to the extreme, enhances the radiance of pale complexions and endows them with elegance and sophistication." It is a gorgeous peachy pink colour and applies beautifully on the lips. The lipstick feels and looks sheer on the lips, but is actually still very pigmented. Perfection. It is definitely a my lips but better shade. Love it.

Eva's Nude is described as barely golden. "With a hint of gold added, the best to capture the radiance of matte skin and sublimate the complexion, the sun‑kissed effect is worthy of the influential woman!" This lipstick is stunning. It is a gorgeous combination between orange, brown and gold and my favourite out of the two. I've been wearing this day after day and don't think I will ever get bored of it. Again it is amazingly pigmented.

Both lipsticks slide on perfectly on the lips. The formula is quite buttery and smooth. Even Eva's nude which is leaning towards the more matte lipsticks. Both lipsticks are also moisturising and last a good while on the lips, but touch ups after eating is never a bad idea.

I'm so happy I've finally found my perfect nude lipstick(s). If you struggle with finding your perfect nude lipstick, definitely go and check these out.

Let me know what your favourite nude lipstick is, I'd be interested to know. Also do you own any of the L'Oréal Collection Privée lipsticks? If yes, which one? And do you love it as much as I do?

I've also recently bought two of the L'Oréal Pure Red lipsticks, which I will blog about very soon. So keep your eye out for that, or when it's up, see the link at the end of this post.

For now, have a great weekend. I love you!
Byeee!

Click here for the review of the L'Oréal Paris Collection Exclusive Pure Reds lipsticks.

~Xx

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin' | YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram

My Favourite Summer Nail Polish: Bourjois So Laque Glossy 07 Coton Sur Ton

I haven't been able to put a lot of time in my blog lately, for which I'm sorry.  Today I really missed this baby of mine and wanted to give it some love, attention and affection, which means: writing a new post!

I still don't have much time on my hands, so I decided to keep it quick and simple today, by showing you my favourite summer nail polish.

I'm much more of a autumn and winter person when it comes to the colours on my nails, and stick to dark colours only. But since my favourite dark blues, purples, reds and greens aren't really suitable for the nice weather we're having this summer in the Netherlands *cough cough* I decided to change things up.

I've been rummaging through my nail polish collection and found this little gem hiding away somewhere in the corner of my cupboard. It's the Bourjois So Laque Glossy in 07 Coton Sur Ton. Ohhh French, get's me every time. J'adore la langue Française. I totally didn't use google translate for that.

As you can see this is a gorgeous nude nail polish. It is quite sheer and let's your natural nail colour shine through giving you some kind of French Manicure effect. Again French... I'm hooked.

This nail polish is perfect for girls like me who don't want to, or feel like they are unable to rock bright colours on their nails in summer, but still want their nails to look summerish?, summery?

For my nails I used two coats, which is all right. But if you want your nails to look opaque I suggest looking for a different nail polish, because you need about four coats for that.

The consistency is quite runny which makes this nail polish a bit tricky to apply, but it's still doable.

On the bottle it says this nail polish will last 10 days. I think 10 days is a bit exaggerated, but 7 is realistic. Mine lasted 5 days, but do note I'm currently moving, which means my nails are being ruined by building furniture and carrying heavy boxes.

It takes about 15 to 20 minutes for this nail polish to completely dry, which is a bit long for my liking, but I love the outcome so much I don't mind.

Overall, the formula of this nail polish could need some improvement, but once it's on every struggle is forgotten, because your nails look so pretty.

This nail polish is perfect for girls who's nail are a bit longer. It would also look gorgeous with a tan, but because it's such a light colour, this nail polish will suit paler skin as well, and it even will make it look a bit more tanned.

Tell me in the comments below what your favourite nail polish is for summer, because I would like to add some more summer nail polishes to my collection, since currently, this is the only one.. oops.

~Xx

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin' | YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram

Review: Nars Duo Eyeshadow Isolde

In my Barcelona post I told you guys I was going to do a review on the Nars Duo Eyeshadow in Isolde. I've bought this as a souvenir knowing I would love it a lot. And I was right. It has quickly become my go to eyeshadow duo.

First let's talk about the packaging. Sometimes black can be a bit boring, but Nars knows how to do it right. It's simple and elegant. I love that it's matte black, because that just makes the packaging more chic. It also feels very strong, not something that would break easily. And a bonus, there's a mirror inside, which is always great.

Nars Duo Eyeshadow in Isolde €34.-

Nars describes the colours as Frosted Ginger and Shimmering Copper. Being orange toned, these eyeshadows look amazing on blue eyes, but it would suit other eye colours as well. It has just the perfect amount of shimmer. They are very shimmery, without being glittery, or simply too much.

Frosted Ginger and Shimmering Copper go really well together. Of course the eyeshadows can be used on their own, but together they also make a perfect couple.

I prefer applying the lighter colour on my eye lids and taking the darker colour in the outer corners and very lightly through the crease. I then add some liquid liner or just an eye pencil to finish the look. But there's no rule for applying these. You can do whatever you prefer.

Nars states that these eyeshadows have true colour application and I agree with them. What you see is what you get. Because of the micro-fine powders with amazing pigmentation, application is a dream come true. You barely need to touch the shadows with your brush and you've got enough product, it also makes blending a lot easier. These eyeshadows apply very smoothly and evenly, again because of the micro-fine powders. You don't need serious make up skills to make these eyeshadows work, which makes this a perfect product for beginners.

Furthermore Nars says that these eyeshadows are longwearing and crease resistant. I haven't tried these eyeshadows out without a primer, but with, they are indeed longwearing and crease resistant. Some nights ago I was too lazy to take my make up off, I know it's bad, I'm sorry. But that's not the point. When I woke up the next morning my eyeshadow was still there, it didn't even smudge. So if it's that great with a primer, it would probably do well without.

Sorry, look like a ghost here, couldn't find good lighting.

Since it's Nars this duo is quite pricey, but honestly it's worth all the money. The quality of these eyeshadows is something I had never seen before. They will last you a long time in which you won't regret buying it for even a second.

If you like warm toned eyeshadows Isolde is a great pick, but Nars has many more eyeshadows, both singles and duo's, to choose from, so give them a look.

Do you own any Nars eyeshadows? Which is your favourite? And would you buy Isolde? Let me know in the comments below!

~Xx

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin' | YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram

Review: Tanya Burr's Nail Polishes

A while back I reviewed the lip glosses of Tanya Burr's make up range and today I'm back with a review of Tanya Burr's nail polishes.

You can check out the review of the lip glosses here.

As you may or may not know, I love dark nail polishes, there are barely any brights in my nail polish collection, and the ones I do own, I never actually wear. So it may come as no surprise that I ordered the two darkest colours of Tanya Burr's collection: 'New York Night' and 'Midnight Sparkles'.

Nail Polishes by Tanya Burr RRP €7,79 Available on FeelUnique

Let's start with taking a look at the packaging. I love the simplicity, glass bottle, black lid, square shaped. It makes it look really classy. Just like the lip glosses, Tanya personalized her nail polishes with her signature, but I'm missing the heart on the lid. I've seen a few nail polishes with the heart, so I'm not really sure what's up with that.
The only thing I don't like about the packaging is it gets dirty really quickly, because you can see the finger prints really easy.

The brush is just a regular nail polish brush, which personally I like. I prefer the smaller brushes, because you can work really accurate with it, and it doesn't apply to much on your nails. Although I was expecting a less regular brush, like the lip glosses have. So nothing too impressing, but I like it anyway.

The first nail polish I tried was 'New York Night'. I was searching for a deep, almost black, purple colour for quite a while, so I was extremely happy when I saw this beauty in the collection. I already had a black/blue and a black/red, which I both wear week after week, but I couldn't find one in my favourite colour, purple.

I love the colour of this nail polish so much. In certain light it appears almost black, but in the sun or bright light it is a stunning dark purple.

So how did the application go? Well let me tell you, application is a dream. To get a perfect opaque colour you only need one single coat. In the pictures above I only used one coat, and look how dark it is. But that's not all. This nail polish dries so fast. Without using a topcoat, my nails were dry within 10 minutes. I could not believe it when I touched my nails lightly after a couple of minutes to find it completely dry. I always mess up my nails, because I simply have no patience to wait for them to dry, so this makes this nail polish perfect for me. I have been wearing it the last two weeks and intent to wear it for many more weeks to come. It has become my new favourite nail polish, and I think it might keep its first place for a long time.

Chipping started after wearing the nail polish for 3-5 days. Which I think is okay. It's not extremely long, but it isn't short either. And with the great application, I don't mind re-painting my nails after 3 days. 



On to the next nail polish 'Midnight Sparkles'. Just take a look at the colour. I'm normally not very fond of sparkling nail polishes, but I thought I would give them a try. And boy am I happy I ordered it. Midnight Sparkles is the perfect name for this nail polish, because it looks like the galaxy in a bottle. It is a very pretty purple colour with blue, pink and orange sparkles. The pictures won't do its beauty justice.

Since I normally never really wear sparkly nail polishes, I think I will save this nail polish for more special occasions.

Application wise, it's the same as New York Night. Only one coat needed, dried within 10 minutes and lasted 3-5 days.



I'm really happy with my purchase and again Tanya has done an amazing job with her collection. I was already a fan of her lip glosses, but I think I might love her nail polishes even more.

Have you tried any items from Tanya's make up line? Let me know what you think about them in the comments below.

~Xx

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin' | YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram



Review: Tanya Burr's Lip Glosses

First of all I want to congratulate Tanya Burr on creating and releasing her own make up line. I'm so proud of her and I think she did an amazing job. If you don't know Tanya (who doesn't?) here's the link to her YouTube channel and her blog.

Lipglosses by Tanya Burr RRP €9,09 Available on FeelUnique

I've ordered two nail polishes and two lip glosses. The nail polishes haven't arrived yet, but I'll review those when I can. Until then, here's my review of Tanya's lip glosses:

Tanya has worked together with eye CANDY for over a year (I believe) and the finished result is a gorgeous collection existing of 12 lip glosses and 10 nail polishes in the most beautiful colours and the most amazing names. Tanya chose the names of the products herself and I think she's done a great job choosing names that mean something to her personally, ranging from her favourite Disney princess to her love for penguins or some of her most precious memories.

The two lip glosses I ordered are 'First Date' and 'Vampire Kiss' and I was so exited once I got them in my mailbox, I wanted to put them on straight away. But as the good blogger I am, I waited till after I photographed the packaging.
I think the packaging of the lip glosses look really nice. Tanya did a good job personalizing them, so they can be easily recognized as hers. On the packaging is a picture of Tanya, looking beautiful as always, with her signature underneath.

The packaging of the lip glosses themselves is quite simple, which I like, but personalized with Tanya's signature and the little heart on top of the lid, which I think is really cute.

Let's get on with the product. When I opened the lip gloss a sweet, fruity smell greeted me. The scent is quite strong when applying the product, but leaves quickly. If your not a fan of scented make up products, that's a thing you should keep in mind. I'm not a huge fan of the scent, but I don't dislike it either. It's a bit mehh.. Although it smells fruity, it's a bit more like fruit flavoured sweets and not the fruit itself, if you get what I mean, a bit artificial.

The next thing I noticed is the applicator. I haven't seen one like this before. It reminded me a bit of those plastic coffee spoons with two holes in them, but than a bit thicker and without the holes. Application went really nice. The amount of product you get on the applicator is the perfect amount to do one lip. I had to get used to the applicator for a few seconds, but quickly found out how to work with it and my love for it grew fast. With this applicator you can work really accurate and neat, which is  handy, especially for the darker lipglosses. I also found it really easy to apply the lipgloss to the inner part of the lip, while with others I usually smudge some lipgloss on my teeth. This might have to with the fact that I'm clumsy.

The first lip gloss I tried was 'First Date'. I was a bit scared to try it, because the colour of the lip gloss is quite light, which usually doesn't really suit me. 'First Date' is a beautiful blue toned pink colour with a slight hint of lilac. Although on the pictures of the product in the bottle it looks more peachy, I don't know why. The colour of the swatches is more accurate.
 

L: Vampire Kiss, R: First Date



First Date

The lip gloss itself is nicely pigmented. It gives enough colour to be a little bit more than a sheer coat, but you can build it up to be fully opaque. I prefer to let a bit of my own lip colour shine through the lip gloss, because otherwise the lip gloss will be to light for my skintone.

Vampire Kiss

Next the lip gloss I was most exited for 'Vampire Kiss'. I was a little bit disappointed at first, because the lip gloss turned out to be lighter than it is in the bottle when I applied the first layer, but beautiful nonetheless. But my disappointment faded quickly, because to get the dark colour, you only need a little bit of a thicker layer.

On the photos of the swatches the colour looks a bit orangy, but in real life it's more of a true (dark) red.

First Date                                                Vampire Kiss

I've been wearing 'First Date' today and it stayed on quite well, with a few touch ups. Also the lip gloss isn't very sticky, depending on how thick the layer of lip gloss you're wearing is. Another bonus is the taste, which is really nice. I can't really tell what it tastes like, because I simply have no idea, but I can tell it is a lot better than make up which tastes like... well, make up.

Overall, I'm happy with my purchase and I think Tanya Burr can be very proud of her collection. I hope that some day her make up line will be sold in Dutch shops, so I can try out more products, because there are a few other lip glosses and nail polishes I would like to add to my collection. Until then I will have to buy them on Feelunique.

Have you tried Tanya's make up products? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear what you think about them.

~Xx

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin' | YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram