Colors of the Rainbow TAG

Hi everyone! I've seen this tag going around like a fruit fly smelling sweets :) So I decided to do this as well.

If you don't know what this tag is about, you should basically name a product you like according to the colors of the rainbow. In exception the last 'color' which is a multicolored item you can pick. Without further ado, let's jump right into this tag:

Red

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip top coat

For all those polish junkies out there, this shouldn't come as a surprise: Sally Hansen Insta Dri.

This top coat is hands down one of the best top coats I've ever used.
I like how this covers the mistake you've made with your polish. One coat of this and you'll have a flawless mani! Plus, this baby dries in just a few seconds.








                                                                                        Orange

Bourjois Color Boost: 03 Orange Punch

I would have to mention my Bourjois' crayon in Orange Punch. It's a fat stick that's a tinted lipbalm. It's smooth, gives a subtle color pigmentation and it's from the drugstore. It doesn't give a true orange tint to the lips, it's more of a coral color that leans to the orange side. This is probably one of my best buys of summer '13.






Yellow

Clarins Lotus Face treatment Oil

I haven't shared much about this product, but that's because I'm still trying this out before sharing my thoughts on it with you. This Clarins' oil is for treating the face to get it less oily. Sounds weird? If you'd like me to do a review on it, let me know in the comment bar below.





 




                                                                                                            Green

Macadamia Healing Oil Spray

I've purchased this healing oil about a year ago, but I've only been using this product consecutively for about a month.

I spritz this oil when my hair is damp. This makes it more easy for me to comb through. When my hair's dry I notice my hair's shinier and less dry.

It might be a detail to some of you, but I like it how this oil comes in a spray.







Blue

Clarisonic Mia

I kept thinking what product I could use for my something blue. Looked around my room, checked out of make up collection and then suddenly my little light bulb went on: my Clarisonic Mia is blue!

See it as a electronic toothbrush, only bigger and for the face, haha!

You can use this with your cleanser of choice and go over your face with the brush. It will get the impurities out leaving your face squeaky clean.






                                                                                                            Indigo

Britney Spears: Midnight Fantasy

I was hesitant to put this as my indigo item, because I only use this for special events during the winter.

Since I suck at describing scents, I looked it up:
In the top notes there are exotic framboise, black cherry and plum. Floral midnotes followed by warm vanilla base notes.
It's a quite heavy sweet fragrance, so be aware. But if you like the scent of blueberries and vanilla, this will be right up your alley :) 






Violet

MAC Girl Trouble

This is a silver based lilac with a metal finish.

If you look closely you'll see glitter in the bottle, but rest assured that the glitter is so densely packed that you won't even notice it on your nails when applied.

As most polishes with fine glitter, it isn't easy to take it off. But honestly, the color's so pretty that it's worth fussing about.

                                                                                                            Pink

Fairy Drops Platinum waterproof mascara

Fairy Drops! Fairy Drops! Fairy Drops! If I haven't stressed it enough on my blog, I LOVE this mascara!

This mascara has fibres which will elongate your lashes, and the thick wand has a curve to it too make your lashes curl better when applying mascara. If you want to check this baby out, click this link to get you some.








Multicolor

Batiste dry shampoo

Over the last years dry shampoo has become a staple in my beauty collection. I have very oily roots and dry ends, so I try to avoid washing my hair as least as possible. The last couple of weeks I've been experimenting by washing maximum 1 to 2 times a week and use dry shampoo for those greasy hair days.

Most cans of Batiste have more than just one color, so I decided to put this as my multicolored item.








Try to pick out one product for every color of the rainbow. So... *tick* You're it! Do this tag and share your answers with me! :)

I ♥ Summer TAG

Hi everrrybody!

I saw the fun tag and decided to do a Q&A, so let's jump right into it :)

1. Favorite bronzer?
Well, I'm getting off with a good start since I don't use bronzer! It's just one of those makeup steps that doesn't excite me.
2. Favorite summer drink?
I like drinking a safe sex on the beach mocktail, since I don't enjoy drinking alcohol.
3. Favorite summer lip product?
That would probably be my Rosebudsalve. Whatever lip balm I use (and I have A LOT), I always go back to this baby!
4. Pool or beach?
I prefer the beach. You have sand, sun and sea! What more can you ask for? I don't go swimming in the sea that often anymore, but it's just more fun than going to the plain ol' pool.
5. Summer = crazy hair! What's your must-have styling product?
Wella Professionals Lifetex sun vitamin shake preps my hair before getting those UV-rays on my hair.
6. Sun bathing or fake tan?
I should be ashamed of answering this, but sun bathing... I've tried the fake tan before, but I'm not a huge fan of having a tanned skin. I happen to have skin that gets tanned quite easily. I just like sun bathing because I think it's relaxing to lie on the beach with my friends, doing nothing.
7. Favorite summer nail polish?
NYX's in 241 Dance in Havana is a hot pink color that just screams summer.
8. Any summer traditions?
I don't have a true summer tradition, but I think I do get together with my friends more often to catch up on everything.
9. Favorite summer scent?
I especially like the scent of my Dove Go Fresh in pomegranate.
10. Favorite BBQ food?
Sausages covered with honey!
11. Favorite summer-proof product?
I'd go with blotting sheets. They're my friends for the entire year, but during summer they become my bff for a while, haha!
12. Summer vacation plans?
I've postponed my summer vacation plans to October-November. I'll be going to Thailand with a friend of mine. I'm really looking forward to it and can't wait for my true summer vacation to begin :)

That was it for the day! I enjoyed doing this tag. You're tagged if you read this, and don't be shy to put your URL in the comments down below. Have fun! :)

My makeup story

Hi my beloved blog readers!

This blog post will not be a regular 'here's-what-I-like-to-share-with-you post, but be aware that this will be a text post on how I fell in love with makeup.

Growing up with 2 older brothers didn't exactly encourage my femininity to come out of me. I often played with the typical boys' toys such as lego, cars and action figures even after being spoiled with Barbies, dolls and all that jazz.
My mom and my aunties used to bought me dresses to dress me up. I never actually REALLY enjoyed wearing dresses, but being an '80 girl, I had to work with what I got!
One of my first makeup memories was - like most girls - going through my mom's make up collection. I remember pulling out a dark red nail polish out of it and asked my mom to help me painting my nails because I couldn't. It made me feel so proud... If only I knew it was ugly as heck :D

Until the age of 19 I didn't act much of a girl...
I liked my baggy pants and never thought about acting ladylike or whatsoever. So I'm sure you get it that makeup didn't interest me at all.
When I was in college I remember seeing these doll like girls who were more occupied by their makeup than by their studies. The only makeup thing I was interested in was my performing well at school (and my lip balm because I didn't like the feeling of dry lips, haha!)
I do have to admit that by seeing these girls doing their make up, wearing sexy dresses, talking about what new make up items they bought, ... it lit a little fire inside of me. I didn't act like them, but I did start to pay attention to what I looked like: getting a new hair cut every year, looking for what clothing suits me, learning about my skin type, ...

During my college years I discovered the following (in that exact order!):

• eyelash curler (drugstore one which broke off the majority of my lashes, causing me to walk around lash less for weeks!)
• moisturizer (Nivea moisturizer which turned out to be way too greasy for me)
• concealer (drugstore one as well and was way too pink for my skin tone)

After graduating I was finally prepped to take a step into the grown up world: to get a job.
That's when I did some research on 'how to become presentable for dummies', haha!
I finally got my hands on a Shu Uemura eye lash curler, an Olaz (Olay in the States) moisturizer targeted for combination to oily skin and a concealer with a yellow undertone. I was good to go folks!
It wasn't until the age of 22 I actually started to act like a true girly girl.
I wore dresses and skirts (voluntarily!) and wore a teeny tiny bit of makeup (as in moisturized, curled my lashes, concealed and put on some lip balm). 

But now the interesting part you've been waiting for:
I discovered makeup when I was 24 (knowing that I'm 26 for the moment, that hasn't been long at all!)
It all started when I got unemployed for quite a while. Spending all those hours on your computer was very tiring and you know how it goes: whenever you need to spend your time doing something useful, you start finding all sorts of distraction. My distraction was Youtube.
I accidentally bumped into makeup video's and saw these girls talking about how they put their makeup on, how they did their hair, what new makeup items they bought, ... I got sucked into it LIKE A FOOL, hahaha!

That's when I started to collect makeup items as well. I'm lucky enough to get to travel to Hong Kong every few years and buying makeup there was so exciting, because they're Asian items that Europe and the States don't have. I'd have the best of ... three worlds, right?
It was confusing seeing the brands' name change depending on which continent you are. I started recognizing product which were performing the same, but had a different name.
As I watch a lot of American beauty gurus on Youtube, I know what the name is in the States. Living in Belgium makes it easy for me to find out what the European name is and being able to travel to HK, allows me to compare those with the ones I've heard about from the other side of the world. That's why I started this blog, to introduce the people to all makeup items from 3 continents!

By now my makeup routine has changed tremendously, but I'm sure this beauty blog proves it all. I truly hope this blog post doesn't push you to put makeup on, because it has just become something that happens to interests me. I'm glad to share my knowledge with my friends, but I do have to admit that I still don't wear a ton of makeup as some of my friends do... Let's just say that I'm still digging the natural look, and let's keep it that way for the upcoming years, shall we? :)

Best of 2012 TAG

Goodbye 2012 and hello 2013!

I've seen beauty guru's doing this tag and I thought: "Why not? Let's start this year's blog with a tag called 'Best of 2012'. 
And oh, I tag everyone to do this tag! If you do, don't be shy to share the link to your fav's of the year. Let's jump right into it, shall we? :)

My Favorite....

BEAUTY
1. Face product

Nivea Ideal Finish Mattifying powder: 04 sand

A drugstore mattifying powder. No matter how much you put on, this doesn't get cakey. I usually powder my face lightly after applying some concealer and leaves it mat for about 4 hours.








2. Cheek product

Benefit Coralista blush

I'm most of you have already heard of this blush, if not you already own this one!
I LOVE this blush!

It's a gorgeous corally color with some light shimmer to it. As soon as you apply some of it on your cheeks, it gives your face a certain glow (a nice glow, not the greasy looking glow!). And yes, you can build this color up to get some vavavoom on your cheeks!

This blush will suit a wide range of skin colors, so you can't go wrong with Benefit's Coralista!




 3. Eye product

Fairy Drops mascara

This mascara has become my holy grail. It gives volume, it lengthens and yet, it makes it look natural as the eye lashes are your own. I'm loving the waterproof version as well. A must have in my beauty kit!






4. Lip Product

Maybelline Baby Lips

As most of you already are familiar with Maybelline's Baby Lips, these Baby Lips came out in Asia. They're not exactly the same though.

The Asian ones aren't tinted lip balms, they just hydrate the lips like hell :)

Unfortunately I haven't got the chance to try out the US versions...








5. Skincare Product

Bioderma Sensibio H2O

This toner has gotten a lot of hype on the internet. It's a toner which I use to remove my make up with, or if I'm not wearing any make up, I'll still use this to freshen up my face. In spite of my combination skin, I 'm using the one for sensitive skin (which I have as well). I have just read a lot of good things about the red bottle (sensitive skin) compared to the green bottle (combination skin).







6. Nail Polish

Sasatinnie - Rose

I bought this polish when I was in Hong Kong. Unfortunately I can't seem to find this on the Sasa website. It was 'buy 1, get 1 50% off'.

It's a gorgeous corally, pink color that's great during spring and summer.

You know I LOVE my polishes, but if I can only choose one for the year 2012, it has to be Rose.








7. Hair product

Biosilk Silk Therapy

This hair serum should be applied on towel dried hair and makes your hair freakishly soft! :D I like the scent because it's non-chemical and not overpowering. A must try!






8. Body product/Perfume

Christian Dior perfume: Addict To Life

I'm very bad at describing fragrances, but this smells sooooo good! I had to cheat and look up some words to describe the scent: rose, floral, slightly woody, fruity, musky and sweet. I have definitely fallen in love with this perfume and am considering of buying another bottle (which I have never done :O)
Only downside? This is quite expensive...






FASHION
9. Clothing piece

H&M skinny jeans

Man, have I lived in this pants during 2012 :D
They're a skinny low waist jeans, but do stretch which makes it comfortable to wear this pair. Often when I wear skinny jeans, it can get quite uncomfortable because it's just too tight. Thanks to the 2% elastane, it makes it wonderful comfy! They do have some distressed details, which makes it more "edgy" ;)












10. Accessory

ASOS glasses ring

 



 I got my pair from an asian website, but apparently these can be found on ASOS as well. You can easily bend this ring bigger and let it fit appropriately to your finger. There's quite a wide range of colors you can choose from: red, black, blue, white, even gold!
A cute accessory, for almost no money, and which will give that umpf to your outfit!








11. Pair of shoes

New Look boots

I have a pair in camel color, but unfortunately (after wearing them a gazillion time), they're worn off. Thanks to a friend, who was still a college student at that time, I used her discount card...mwoehahaha! You can easily style these boots with pretty much anything: with skirts, dresses, skinny jeans, ... Loved these!



RANDOM
12. TV Show/Movie

Dexter

This is without a doubt Dexter. For those who don't know the show, it's about a loveable blood spatter analyst who works for the Miami police department. During his secret life his dark passenger (himself) kills criminals who got away by the legal system. A quite addictive show that knows how to keep the tension!








13. Book

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

For those who don't know me very well since I only talk about beauty stuff, I'm a huge sucker for books :)
I have always loved reading (except when it was obliged at school, haha!). But this year, I accidentally picked up the first book of 50 shades, and didn't know what to expect at all. After finishing the book and liking the story, I suddenly noticed a lot of hype around this book. My friends asked me whether I've heard of this book, seeing a lot of commercial in the book stores, ... Then I found out the 1st book I bought was part of a trilogy. I bought no2 and no3. By then this book became viral, all my friends kept talking about this book, people talking about this on television, ... It became HUGE! I loved the books. I read them in Dutch the first time, but I read the books a 2nd time in English, just to compare, because books are never translated exactly the same.
E.L.James, I'm sure you didn't know what was coming at ya girl!







14. Food

sushi

 I learned how to make sushi early 2012, and I've made sushi whenever I was in the mood for some raw fish :)









15. Beverage

SPA water

I had to taught myself to drink water, since I used to be a soda junkie.
I have to admit: I like drinking water and only drink soda whenever I need some sugar. I can't imagine going through a day without drinking any water. Only downside? I only drink SPA water (Belgian brand)... Water all the way!







16. Song

Emeli Sandé - Our Version of Events

The first time I heard Read All About It, I fell in love with Emeli's voice. I started to get into her and looked up some songs. Around the beginning of April, a friend of mine invited me to go to her concert. I didn't hesitate for one second, and man oh man, it was the greatest concert I have ever attended! I've already bought another concert ticket for 2013 and I'm soooo looking forward to it! :)








That's it beauties, wish you all a happy new year! May 2013 be even better than 2012! :)