Mario Badescu drying lotion

Yes, I'm back :)

This time I'd like to write about a rather hyped up beauty item that has gotten a dozens of good reviews and has been a HG for a lot of beauty gurus out there. I'm talking about Mario Badescu's drying lotion.

Basically it's a skin care product to treat acne.

Mario Badescu drying lotion

On the picture you'll see that the bottom is pink and the top has a yellowish clear color.
You don't shake the product before use, but you dip a cotton swab into the bottle and get a little bit of the pink solution (because basically, this is a acne treatment), take it out and you'll see the pink residu has a layer of the yellow oil. You dap this diretly onto the blemish and you'll let it dry, that's it. You do wash it off the next morning, unless you like to walk around with pink dots all over your face :)

This is supposed to be one hell of a product which is suitable for all skin types.
I have to admit, I used it a couple of time, and I must say: this did dry out the pimples I had and it did its job.

Does it work? Yes, it does.
Is it worth the hype? It is a good product, but there are other products out there that can treat blemishes as well.
Will I repurchase? I would if it were easy accessible.

Up to you to decide whether you want to give this baby a shot :)

NYC beauty haul

Hi everyone!

If you remember well, my last haul was a beauty haul from Thailand. If you haven't read it yet, click here to give it a read :) This time I've got another interesting beauty haul from the other side of the world: New York City baby!!

I went ALL OUT to get myself goodies, so let's jump right into it, shall we

Here you'll see my little beauty collection I got from  Victoria Secret/Pink (their junior line).

I got 2 body mists, a pink glittery nail polish and a rollerball of one of their best sold perfumes: Night.

Since I heard so much from US drugstores, I just had to drop by a Walgreens to get me some stuff :)

• Yes To Tomatoes moisturiser 
• Aveeno Postively Radiant moisturiser with SPF30
• Bioré Pore Unclogging Scrub
• It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product Keratin
• Maybelline Mega Plush mascara
• Essie polishes
• Tweezermans
• Tresemme's heat protection spray
• Eye shadow palettes: CoverGirl and Wet 'n Wild
• Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

3rd stop: Sephora, oh yeah!

If there's one place I splurged like a nut, it's Sephora. We don't have a Sephora in Belgium, we used to have one in the Netherlands, but unfortunately they've decided to break the Dutch beauties hearts and remove all Sephora's (all 2 :p)...

• Fragrance samplers are a great way to introduce scents without splurging a ton of money. There's a voucher included as well to exchange one of the rollerballs for it: I got the Viva La Juicy rollerball.
• Boscia luminizing black mask
• First Aid Ultra Repair Cream (travel size)
• First Aid Deep Cleanser
• Deborah Lippmann La Vie En Rose. I've already posted a NOTW on this polish. If you want to see how this looks like, don't hesitate to have a look.
• Butter London polish
• Fresh Sugar tinted lipbalm
• Boscia blotting sheets
• Shiseido eye lash curler
• Sephora dual end brush: powder and blush
• Dior Serum Maximizer
• NARS eye shadow palette: Charade
• NARS concealer: Custard

You haven't shopped in the Big Apple, unless you've stopped by Macy's :)

• Tarte Maracuja Oil
• Simple exfoliating wipes
• Maybelline clear mascara
• L'Oréal polishes
• Benefit Porefessional primer
• Benefit They're Real mascara (sample size)
• Maybelline Instant Age rewinder 
• Milani blush: Luminoso
• Revlon eye shadow palette
• Benefit PoreFessional: Zero Agent Shine

And my last stop was at Bath&Body Works. I wanted to shop here for a couple of years now, but unfortunately they don't ship to Belgium. I was extremely excited when I ran into a Bath&Body Works. This is what I got: 

Paris L'Amour: fragrance mist, body cream

Cherry Blossom: shower gel, fragrance mist, body cream

5 hand sanitizers: Pink Chiffon, Paris L'Amour, Cherry Blossom, Sweet Pea, Market Peach

I have to admit, I never went that crazy with buying beauty stuff as I have been this time. 

I got very enthusiastic when seeing all goodies I've been seeing in video's all these years, and finally... I could get them myself, in person!

Hope you all like this post. I'll be posting some reviews on some of the items, but if there are some you'd like me to post my thoughts on, you can go ahead and comment in the bottom box below :)

NOTW: Showgirl

To get in the holiday's spirit, I decided to slap on some sparkly red on the nails. A look that you can never go wrong with!

Ciaté - Showgirl

In the picture above I'm wearing Showgirl from Ciaté's Passionista collection.
This is a reddish pink polish with pink and purple micro glitters all over it. If there's one polish I own that screams Christmas it's definitely this one. 

The formula from Ciaté's polishes apply like jelly. I happen to like it, or let me put it this way: I can work with them. Some people I know love Ciaté's colors but dislike the formula.

I've applied 2 coats of Showgirl to make it look flawless, but most Ciaté's need 2 coats in my opinion.

And let us just take a moment of silence to admire the cuteness of the bottle :)
It looks gorgeous, fancy, expensive and cute thanks to the little bow they've put on the front of the polish.

Unfortunately Ciaté isn't easy accessible for those nail polish lovers out there who live in Belgium unless you order them online. I bought mine in a drugstore in the Netherlands.

Next time I'm trying a Ciaté, I'm picking a cream color. I have 2 glitter polishes by this brand and I was wondering whether 1 creamy color will do the job or not.

If you have a cream color by Ciaté, let me know in the comment bar below :) Is t worth the money?

NOTW: Raspberryfields Forever

Well hello!

So, I'm back with another nails of the week. I was wandering around the isles of the drugstore and I happen to came across this beautiful polish:

Catrice: 26 Raspberryfields Forever

If you've been following my NOTW's for a while, you probably know I love my drugstore polishes. Catrice is a wonderful drugstore brand that has a great variety of colors. Raspberryfields Forever is no exception.

It's a creamy polish and 1 coat will do it for a mani. It looks like a pinkish red in the bottle, but it comes out red on the nails. I was looking for a pinkish red, but I guess a girl can never have too many red polishes in their collection :p

I did notice that the Raspberryfields Forever can be a dupe for Essie's She's Pampered: a true red. 
You might say a red is a red, there ain't no difference in them. But there are SO many different kinds of red: orange red, pinkish red, true red, dark red, ...

What do you think of this classic look?

NOTW: Devotee

This is my very first Illamasqua polish and it was gifted to me.

Illamasqua - Devotee

Before I start rambling about this polish, my friend was inspired by the books 50 Shades of Grey to buy me this polish. And since I was totally into pink those months, this polishwas right up my alley... I thought!

It's a neon matte pink that's very in-your-face and would make a great color to put on during summer. It reminds me of a Barbie pink, which is just a bit too pink for my liking. 
In spite of nearing the coldest months of the year, this fun color can brighten up everyoutfit.


The formula is like a gel, which makes it look like you have fake nails on. That's how good it looks on your nails! When you apply this on your nails you'll understand why they call it the Rubber Finish Nail Varnish.
The matte finish is something that makes this polish special. Although I'm not a huge matte fan, it did muted the color a bit down.

I didn't expect to apply so many coats, but I had to use 3 coats to make it picture perfect.

As the brush, it's a standard size brush. I think it's somewhat too small, I prefer a little bit bigger brushes, but that's just my preference.

Devotee has opened the Illamasqua world to me, but I don't think I'll be trying out other polishes from this brand.

NOTW: Raspberryfields Forever ft. Showgirl

And the nail of the week is ...

Catrice: Raspberryfields Forever - Ciaté: Showgirl

A while back I purchased a a red drugstore polish called Raspberryfields Forever. It's a plain red that applies opaque after 1 coat. To spice things up I added Ciaté's Showgirl on top of it. This is a beautiful quite sheer red with pink and purple flex to it. This made the look just that little bit fancier.

Catrice:
This polish applies opaque with 1 coat. It's creamy, cheap and gorgeous.

Ciaté:
Because this is abit sheer, I prefer to apply this on top of another color. When I only applied Ciaté to my nails this is pretty as well, but several coats are definitely needed to avoid seeing my nail beds under the polish.
Ciaté's polishes are a little bit more expensive, they're right in the middle between drugstore and high end, to me that is.
Remark: Not all Ciaté's polishes are this sheer, there are other beautiful creamy polishes that apply opaque with just one coat.

I decided to top Ciaté on my Catrice because I wanted to achieve a pinkish red. Mission accomplished :)

NOTW: My Very First Knockwurst

Hi there everyone!

This week's nail will be one by OPI. I've always been into nude polishes, but I always think it's difficult to find one that applies opaque without having to slap on a gazillion layers (you know what I mean) and the right nude color that makes your mani per to the fect.
When I was passing by the OPI shelf, my eyes were immediately drawn to this mauve nude color. I looked up the swatches they had in the store and fell in love on the spot!

OPI - My Very First Knockwurst

Above you can see I'm wearing My Very First Knockwurst by OPI. I have to admit that I'm not used to spending a lot of money on polish, just because I think there are a lot of good cheaper alternatives out there. And let's face it, you're wearing it for maximum a week and then you'll be taking it off anyway.

When I invest more money in a polish, I just want the formula to be smoother, opaque, that it doesn't leave any streaks and that it's a beautiful color which will suit me. That isn't too much to ask, is it? :)

This is a mauve/pink nude color that's opaque in 2 coats. I think this color is darn pretty and looks very classy. It's simply a color that you can't go wrong with and it's something that will go with every outfit you decide to wear.

I own a couple of OPI's and I must admit, it's a brand that hasn't failed on me yet. Glad to have add this to my polish collection, definitely one that can be worn all year long.

But tell me, do you invest in your nail polishes? Or do drugstore polishes still do the trick for you?

NOTW: Rose Moiré

I finally got my hands on this polish. I've been eying this one for weeks and after stalking several shops I can finally say that I'm a proud owner of Chanel's Rose Moiré :)
 

Chanel - 593 Rose Moiré

This polish is from Chanel's newest collection. It's a greyish pink polish with a pearly finish.

I decided to leave my nails abit longer for this look, because I wasn't sure whether my stubby short nails would look good with this varnish color.

I have to admit that it's a quite streaky when applying, but a topcoat can cover some of that messy application.

Normally I do 2 coats, but I'm putting this polish to the test by putting only 1 coat. We'll see how long this will lasts on the nails...





Yes, Chanel is quite expensive polish, but I do have to say that I don't have anything in my collection like this. I have quite the pearly polishes, but this particular greyish pink color put the 'u' in unique. 

I'm not a huge fan of Chanel, the brush isn't all that great, but some of the colors are very easy for the eye. Until I see another stunning color, I probably won't be buying any other Chanels anymore...for now :p

NOTW: That's Berry Darling

Yes yes yes, I have another NOTW ready for you readers!

Let me introduce to you a gorgeous polish:

OPI: That's Berry Darling

I don't own a lot of OPI's, but this is one of my favorite polishes from the brand. It has a creamy texture and is opaque with 2 coats. The polish is a dark pink, almost pinkish red.

I'm a huge fan of natural and pastel colors, but every now and then I love to slap me on a sexy color. This is a great transition to a red, of you're not confident enough to wear a bright red.

A great color that has convinced me to step over to the colorful world of OPI :)

NOTW: 17

Hi y'all!

If you're wondering what polish I've slapped on my nails this week, you're probably just as much of a nail junkie as I am. In that case, welcome to the dark side, mwoehahaha :)

Last week I passed by HEMA (a Dutch drugstore) and I saw they had a new collection of polishes. As a beauty blogger I just had to know what the newest colors in store were.

I noticed they had released a collection with special editions such as chameleon effect, glitter and holographic polishes.

Hint: Chameleon Gold 65 is a great dupe for Chanel's Peridot!

I didn't buy any of the chameleons because the gold isn't really my cup of tea. The glitters are a hassle to take off, so the only polishes left to my interest were the holographic ones. I own nr 17:

HEMA holographic 17

Because of the poor camera quality and the holographic polish, it is very difficult to get the actual sheen on picture. I tried to take the picture with flash as well, but that didn't help one bit :D

I promise you this is holographic.
If you see it in real life, you'll get a glance of a pretty pinkish purple sheen to it.

Somehow this polish kind of reminds me of Ciaté's Halo. Now, I'm not saying it's a dupe, but the transparent look with the purple sheen is something they have in common.

For the money I spent on this polish, it's worth it. I'm not a huge fan of holographic polishes, but I do think they're pretty if you want something very subtle, yet special (if you know what I mean)

I only applied one coat of this, because I didn't want to bother applying another coat. A sheen will stay a sheen, right? I don't think you can emphasize a sheen that's already there from the first time.

Overall, this isn't a bad collection. They're fun to try out and to see whether holographic polishes are your thing. After all, they're very affordable and they do come in a variety of shades.

NOTW: Ben & Cherries

Hello there my precious!
I've got another NOTW for you all, and yes it's another drugstore polish. You know how much I like my drugstore goodies!

Essence - Ben&Cherries

This week's mani is by the brand Essence. It's one of the cheaper drugstore brands and when I saw the display I was immediately drawn to because of its cuteness!

Essence has a new ice cream collection.

This is Ben&Cherries (adorable name!) and it's a pink, slight lilac color. If you look closely you'll see subtle shimmer, which makes it just that little more fancy than it is.


It has a creamy texture and I have to admit that doesn't goes as smooth as I want it to be. You definitely need 2 coats since the first coat applies quite streaky.
Nonetheless, I can't complain for the price I have paid, which is about ... peanuts :)


The drying time takes some a while, but that's where my Sally Hansen comes to the rescue. That baby has cut my waiting time tremendously with every polish, and this is no exception.

All and all, not a bad polish, but I won't be repurchasing this.

Do you know any other good drugstore polishes you mind sharing?

NOTW Naked Pink

And I'm back with another NOTW!
This week I've been rocking Naked Pink, which is perfect for summer!

NYX - Naked Pink

Unfortunately the picture doesn't do the nail polish color justice. It's a real bright, in your face, kind of color. Since this does apply a little bit sheer, I did have to put on 3 coats for it to look like the color in the bottle. For the money I spent on this nail polish (which was practically nothing), I don't mind putting on several coats. Luckily my Sally Hansen's top coat makes the polish procedure a lot faster!

It's a very fun color to put on your nails and will look great with pretty much every outfit in the summer. A bright polish that truly screams SUMMER! :)

NOTW Fiji

I have another NOTW for you beauty readers!

Today I wanted to go for a look I have never worn before. It's a VERY pale pink, almost white, called Fiji by Essie.

Essie - Fiji

I have quite mixed up feelings about this polish. It's a gorgeous color, but I think the white undertone is just too pale for my skin tone. I prefer varnishes with more pink undertones. I think this would look awesome on beauties with a paler skin tone.

As for the formula, it's a very good creamy polish. I've applied 2 coats on the picture above and you'll see that I have gotten an opaque color.

I must admit, I have given Essie a fair chance to convince me of their polishes. I have 9 Essie polishes and besides Go Ginza there's no Essie polish that stands out for me...

Unfortunately I don't think I'll be repurchasing Essies anymore.
What is your favorite Essie polish? Maybe that will get me over the fence of having my first 10 Essies :)

NOTW Babydoll

Hi beautiful!

I haven't done a NOTW in a while. Not because I haven't done my nails lately, but because I've been going back and forth with my old polishes of which I have already shared my NOTW.

But, today I decided to put on a new color on my nails!

Everyone, say hello to L'Oréal's Babydoll:

L'Oréal - Babydoll (207)

This baby doll is from the L'Oréal Paris Color Riche Nails line. It's a baby pink color with a pretty sheen to it. 
I've applied 2 coats on the picture. One coat was way too sheer, 2 coats was okay and I'm sure that 3 coats will be awesome, but laziness took over before I got to coat 3...

This line has a great range of colors for you to choose from. You may have noticed I already tried out some of that of collection. If you haven't, check out this minty and this plummy color on my blog :)

The bottle only contains 5 ml, but it's a great deal seen the price you pay. Maybe you're thinking: 5 ml? Really? Is that all? But you have to admit, when have you actually finished a bottle of nail polish? I think it's good to give that little in a bottle. It gives the consumer the opportunity to try out various colors for almost no money. And don't forget that this little bottle of joy can be taken with you anywhere since it almost takes up no space!

They're gel based polishes and supposedly to stay on for 10 days. I'm not sure whether to believe that, but even with a top coat I think I should be happy if it would stay on for a whole week. We'll see :)

NOTW: 808

Hellooooo everyone!

Guess what day it is? Yup, mani day!!

This week I put some 808 by a Belgian drugstore brand called HEMA. It's a baby pink color, gorgeous I tell ya, GOR-GEOUS! :)

If you look at it clearly, I put a sticker on my ring finger. (Combining 2 trend in one mani? BAM!)
As I can't hide my love from people wearing glasses (love nerdy looks!), I decided to one of my finger. I'm making the nerd in me coming out haha!

I already mentioned I like HEMA's polishes; they're cheap, have a good variety in colors, have a creamy texture and are quite longlasting. What more do you want from a nail polish?

After rocking the strawberry look, I decided to keep it more subtle but still have something special...

Hope you all like this look! Tell me, what do your funky nail looks like?

Micro drugstore haul

Hey everyone!

I recently did some shopping because I wanted to try out some things, so let's get right into it shall we :)

Maybelline Illegal Length mascara - Rimmel Scandaleyes eye pencil - L'Oréal Color Riche: 207 Babydoll - L'Oréal Color Riche nail stickers

Maybelline Illegal Length Fibre Extensions Mascara:
As you might know I have the typical short, stick straight asian lashes. They can use all the volume and length it can get! After reading some reviews on this mascara, I decided to give this one a go. I usually buy asian mascara's, because in my head I'm thinking 'Well, if asians make it, they must be good for me because they understand what my lashes need' :D Might sound ridiculous, but I've been sticking to that theory for years. I tried to step out of the box, and give this Western mascara a go, haha!

It claims to give the lashes an instant extension effect, without any flakes thanks to the fibre-fix brush. It supposedly to give your lashes an extra length of 4 mm!!

I admit, this mascara is ok, but it still doesn't match up to the asian mascara's I have, for real. They hold my curl a little bit, but some lashes do droop down. Lengthwise, they do lengthen a bit, but definitely no 4 mm!
What I do like about this mascara is the formula: although it's a non-waterproof one, it doesn't smudge on me as bad as other mascara's do.

Tip: Don't let this mascara dry when putting several coats, otherwise it will clump.

Conlusion: I do prefer this mascara over other Maybelline mascara's, but they're not even close to being as good as asian mascara's.


Rimmel Scandaleyes waterproof eye pencil:
Apparently this eye pencil gets compared to the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil. If you know that by buying 1 Urban Decay pencil you can buy 3 Rimmel pencils, you will be quite astonished :)

The staying power of this kajal pencil is darn good. And not just for a drugstore, but in general. The only thing I wish there could do, is release a pure black one. I bought the 002 sparkling black, because this was the only black they had. Do you girls might know whether there's a black one?

I'll keep this one short: I LIKE this pencil very much! :)


L'Oréal Color Riche nail polish in 207 Babydoll:
Most of you know by now that I love L'Oréal Color Riche's nail polishes. They're cheap, have a good variety of colors and they last quite a long time.

This shimmering pink recently caught my eye. It's a pretty pink that will girlify every outfit instantly. The only thing I'm scared of, is that this may look cheap on the nails. Guess you'll have to stay tuned for another NOTW to find out! :)


L'Oréal Color Riche nail stickers: 
I've put a blog post on these stickers, so feel free to check it out.
Long story short, I like the stickers as long as they're not too 'in your face'. Only downside to these are probably the pulling it off-part. This can dry/ruin your top layer of your nail. Besides that, they look pretty darn good!

So that was a haul for this time. If you girls have any recommendations for me you think I should try or I might like, don't be shy to leave a comment and fill me in. Have a good one everyone!

NOTW: Pink

And I'm back beauties!

Today I have another NOTW for you guys.

If you've been following me for a while or if you live near Belgium or the Netherlands, you probably know HEMA, a drugstore from the Netherlands.

A few months ago they've expanded their polish collection, and I've been dying to try them out!

Since they are drugstore (read: cheap as hell!), I don't expect too much from them, but honestly... I must admit that they do last quite some while for a drugstore. But nowadays some drugstore polishes last even longer than my high ends ones!!

Unfortunately the HEMA polishes don't have any names on their polishes, but hey, if they do the job and come out in darn pretty colors, I don't mind the anonymity :)

Lately I've been in such a pink mood and I've been purchasing pink polishes of all kinds. Anyway, here's my latest purchase:

HEMA - pink

It's a beautiful hot pink with a duochrome with purple. Honestly, I can't get enough of the HEMA polishes. They apply beautiful opaque with just one coat, they're cheap, they're pretty and they com in a wide variety of colors.

MORE PLEASE! :)

NOTW: Orgasm

All beauties out there know that NARS has quite ... inappropriate names for their make up products, to say the least :)

One of their best seller's products is definitely their blush in Orgasm.
I have to admit, I don't own any NARS blushes because they're simply to expensive. But if I would ever splurge on one of their blushes, I'd probably try Deep Throat or Gilda.
Anyways, enough about their blushes. Let's talk polish!

I recently got the chance to try out NARS' polish in Orgasm:

NARS - Orgasm

It's a peachy pink with golden shimmers to it.
Downside? I had to apply 3 coats to get it opaque as it is on the picture above...

Do I absolutely love this? Not really. They apply a bit sheer and I want something more opaque from the first coat.
Would I purchase it? No, I have similar colors to this and which I prefer over this NARS polish.

BUT: I did notice that dark colors by NARS apply wonderful by just 1 coat! So I do suggest trying out those darkies :)

NOTW: Rose

Let's go pink, baby pink!

I decided to slap on some pink on my nails:

Nivea - Pastel Rose

This polish contains sea extracts that can strengthen the nails, but I must admit that I haven't notice a big difference when rocking out this polish.

Diorlisse 500 Pink Petal

It's a pastel pink, that actually reminds me of Dior's Diorlisse 500 Pink Petal. (I'll try to put up a NOTW when I'm wearing Pink Petal)

The formula is quite alike, gets opaque in about 2 to 3 coats. The only difference is the price, and I'm sure you know which polish was more affordable than the other...

Diorlisse 00 - Pink Petal

 
 They're both great colors for weddings or other fancy occasions. It's just a subtle color you can't go wrong with.

To be quite honest, I'd rather recommend the Nivea's polish as to the Diorlisse one. I'm more likely to repurchase Nivea's polishes, because I can buy about 2 polishes for the price of one Dior.

Nevertheless, I love seeing a little Dior bottle in my polish collection :)

Blush away!

Hi everyone!

I don't know about you guys, but during fall and winter time I just love using my blushes!
Recently I bought myself a NYX blush, and I must say: this one's goooorgeous!

I try to do some research on a certain product before I go out and buy it. If there's about 1/3 negative reviews on it, I won't buy it.

I've probably read a ton of reviews and seen youtubers reviewing and raving about this blush over and over again.

And yes, I gave in.

Here's Pinched by NYX:

Great thing about this?
It's affordable and you get 5,2g in a little pot. Hold it! You're probably thinking: 5,2g (0,18 oz)? That's nothing! Believe you me that you only need the smallest amount of blush, because it's very pigmented :)

NYX: Pinched

 

This is a a rosy-corally blush with a pretty sheen to it.

My most used blushes are:

Melba, Pinched and Coralista :)

MAC: Melba - NYX: Pinched

MAC's Melba is a light pink orangy color, which is more of a summer blush for me. Tap it lightly with your brush and that'll be more than enough to put on the (hollow of the) cheeks.

NYX: Pinched - Benefit: Coralista

Benefit's Coralista is like an all year round blush. No matter what season it is, I think this blush looks good.

It's a very light blush that you can easily build up for a more heavily made up look. I prefer to use a light hand on this, so it looks more natural like you just ran out the door.

A side note: it's just one of those colors that would look great on every skin tone.

Here's a swatch of every blush mentioned above:

Benefit - NYX - MAC

From left to right:

Coralista by Benefit: a baby pink with microshimmers (good to know: I've had my Coralista for a few years now, and I haven't hit pan yet! Score!)

Pinched by NYX: a coral shimmery color

Melba by MAC: a mat pink/orange color

I have some other blushes put away in my beauty case, because I just keep on reaching for one of these blushes.

I always wanted to try out Deep Throat by NARS, because NARS is the queen in blushes :) But I've put myself up to the task to use an entire blush before I go out and splurge money on a NARS blush. Beam me up! 

Maybe I'll do a blog post on my entire blush collection :)

Would that be interesting?

And what is your favorite blush by the way?