Products I've used up August '13

Welcome back my dear blog readers,

As you've read the title you know what to expect from this blog post. Today I'll be talking about my empties. Let's kick this into high gear, aight?

Koji Dolly Wink mascara

Lately I've been experimenting with mascara's and trying to figure out which mascara will do my lashes good. The Koji Dolly Wink volume mascara sure has done my lashes good :)

It's a simple black mascara that doesn't smudge, gives volume, gives me the natural look and has a cute packaging.

Vichy Normaderm

I've talked about this before. I mostly use this whenever I have a breakout. I have to admit that this worked very good in the beginning when I started off using this, but lately it just hasn't really done much. I'm not sure whether it's because it dried out a little bit. I already purchased another one. If that doesn't do the job anymore, I definitely won't be repurchasing it anymore.

Eucerin sun fluid SPF 50

Every summer my face becomes one big freckle, haha! I've become more aware of my skin condition this year and I started wearing SPF...finally! I saw this sample laying at my dermatologist's office and decided to give it a try. The word 'mattifying' got me over the fence. Don't you have the problem as well that a lot of SPF's leave a rather greasy feeling on your face? I'm not saying this one doesn't, but it's just not as bad as others. You may think the SPF 50 is rather high, but I prefer a high SPF for my face just to make sure no freckle gets through. Admitting that I haven't seen one new freckly appearing on my face, yay for SPF!



 

Signal White Now

I've been using this tooth paste for a few months now, and I must be hallucinating, but it's like my teeth are a little bit whiter than before. I'll be switching to another tooth paste, so I'll wait and see whether it was the tooth paste or not.
I liked the blue gel combined with the white. If you didn't know, if you have a blue sheen on your teeth it'll give the appearance of them being whiter.

Those were my empties of the month. I've been experimenting with a lot of products lately. I'm guessing this year my empties will be accumulating, so keep an eye for it if you like these kind of posts! :)



I've been using tons of goodies the last couple of months, so keep your eyed peeled for more empties posts! :)

Review 1st Anniversary Deauty Box

Not so long ago I posted a blog post on Deauty celebrating their first anniversary. I already got a mail announcing that my Deauty box was coming my way and to celebrate this occasion they made something special for the subscribers.

Apparently Deauty has hidden a golden ticket in some of the boxes. Those who have the ticket will be receiving something spectacular. Unfortunately I haven't won received the winning ticket.

A couple of days ago I was more than happy to open the door to the mailman to receive my package. I received, opened and smiled:

The first thing that caught my eye was the paper lying on top of it. It looked like recycled paper saying Deauty's blowing out his 1st candle and that this could be celebrated with us, Deauty subbies. A celebraton with a beauty box and flowers. Apparently the papers I was holding were actually 2 thin papers stuck to each other and in between there were little flower seeds that can be planted. A pleasant surprise although I'm, unlike most girls, not a huge flower fan. Nonetheless, a nice detail they added to the box.

Deauty's menu for August

Bioderma miscellar water for sensitive skin

I saw 2 cards lying on top of the products: Clinique long last lipstick and a Bioderma card. I got very excited seeing a Bioderma in my box. I've been a Bioderma user for about a year and a half and this little bottle is perfect to travel with.
On the back of the card I saw we could get a free shower gel by the brand Bioderma in a beauty store, where I always get my miscellar water. As soon as I tried it, I'll make sure I'll keep you posted on how I (dis)like it!
Seeing I use this famous product and like it a lot, this is definitely one of favorite products of I ever received in my Deauty box, whoot whoot! (favorite product of the box can be found below...excited!)

Clinique long lasting lipstick: All Heart

Then we got a Clinique lipstick in the shade All Heart. Since I'm a wuss and think red lipsticks are overboard for me, I'm sticking to tinted lipbalms for now. I did swatch the lipstick and I must say that this is a pretty darn good long lasting one. It's a pinkish red color that goes on smoothly and leaves a pretty sheen to it. As most long lasting lippies tend to dry out the lips, I was quite hesitant toward this product, but it actually didn't dry out my lips. A very nice product to have received in my box.





 

Next to the Clinique lipstick I just couldn't get my eyes off the Maybelline baby lips. Yes, as you all probably know, I'm a huge lip junkie, I admit it. I already own some of the baby lips, but the ones I have are from Hong Kong. The one we received, is the one from the States. Too bad it's a clear one, but I'm telling you: these are awe-some!

Maybelline baby lips: Hydrate

I got the Hydrate one and this smells a bit like lemon. It's not my favorite scent, but I can live with it. 
Apparently these babies are coming over to Belgium, YAY! The range that will be coming over to Belgium has 5 different lip balms: hydrate, freshen, repair (all transluscent), cherry me (hint of red), pink punch (hint of pink). They all have their own scent to them. Honestly, I can't wait to get a hold of these lip balms! This is definitely my favorite item of this month's box :)

What makes this lip balm different from the other ones? These contain centella asiatica extracts, which will heal chapped lips VERY fast.

Another cool detail: this contains an SPF of 20! For those who aren't confident enough yet to wear color on the lips, this is perfect to throw in your purse!

Avril: Cuisse de nymphe

This time Deauty also added a blush by the brand Avril. This is called Cuisse de nymphe (French for nymph's thigh). Somehow the name reminds of NARS' sexual tinted names. How they came up with that name, only Avril knows... As for the pigmentation, it's actually very good. It's a coral blush that, once applied, looks very natural on the cheeks. Thanks to Deauty my interest started growing for the brand Avril as the quality is quite good.

Garnier smoothing perfecting primer

The last item in my box is a skin primer by Garnier that should blur out the appearance of wrinkles, pores, imperfections an shine. When applied, I immediately noticed the velvety texture it left on my skin. It was as smooth as a baby's butt and it felt like I had nothing on.
I haven't tried it with a BB cream on top, but will be trying it out as soon as I have a fancy occasion to go to, because frankly, this looks like a darn good item!



I'm not sure whether I'm overwhelmed by their first anniversary, but I have to say that this box was one of their best beauty boxes they've sent out so far.

Deauty, keep it rolling and I wish you many more anniversaries to come! Congrats!

Review Bourjois cream blush

I think Bourjois is doing great: they've recently released beautiful make up items that really stand out to me: the So Lacque Glossy Nail Lacquer Shades came out in a gorgeous range of pastel colors, the Color Boost glossy finish lipsticks are great quality and came in 4 different colors and recently I found the cream blushes that happen to be awesome :)

These cream blushes are actually cream to powder blushes. This means that they're cream in the little pot, but once applied they come off as a powder. It's very soft to the touch when it's applied. These blushes contain poppy, apricot and mango butter extracts. These extracts will make your sking more glowy and softer.

Bourjois cream blush: 04 Sweet Cherry

They're all very natural colors and would suit those with a lighter complexion better.

The Cream blushes collection has 4 different colors:

1. Nude Velvet: the lightest matte color in the collection. 
2. Healthy Glow: A darker version of the first one. A warm peachy color with subtle glitter.
3. Rose Tender: A pink color with subtle glitter.
4. Sweet Cherry: The darker version of 3, an old spice matte color.

I have a light medium skintone and I own Sweet Cherry. The other colors were too light for my complexion, but the 4th blush is a perfect match for me. Loving this!

Tips&tricks:

• Apply cream blushes with a stippling brush. Fingers are a good make up tool as well. Just make sure your fingers are clean before dipping in the blush.
• Apply cream blush on the naked face. Make sure to put cream blush before powder. Remember: fluid on fluid and powder on powder.
• To make the color stand out more, apply several times or apply a powder blush of the same color on top of it.

Have fun beauties! :)

Top 5 lip balms

For those who know me, you had to see this top 5 coming :)
As for the newbies to my blog out there, I'm a lip balm junkie. I will buy pretty much every lip balm out there just to give it a try. I'm afraid of counting how many I have, because I think even I will be flabbergasted. So, let skip the count and jump right into my top 5!

5. Kiehl's lip balm #1
This lip balm has put its brand on the beauty map. I'm going to be honest, this is purely vaseline. But, I like to put this on my lips before going to sleep to hydrate my lips whenever they're chapped. I received this lip balm in my Deauty box a long time ago, and it's still one of my favorite products I've received from them. Not a bad product at all Kiehl's :)

Kiehl's lip balm #1

4. Maybelline Baby Lips
People have been raving about these Baby Lips in The States and in Asia like crazy. So, I can't not blame them for me wanting to try them, right? :) I've noticed that The States release other lip balms than in Asia. On my last trip to Hong Kong I grabbed about 6 Baby Lips (yes, 6!). If all those beauty guru's like it, I must like it! And yes, I'm weak like that :D

I must say, this is one of my favorite lip balms which are twistable and where you don't need to put your finger in it to get some of the product out. Plus, they smell goooood! I've seen that Maybelline's has released new Baby Lips and my hands are itching not to buy them online...

Maybelline Baby Lips:
left: Cherry
right: Berry

3. Nivea lip butter
I've never really liked Nivea, because they were always too greasy for me. The face cream was too thick and too oily, the body lotion just didn't do much for me. But since my lips can always use some moisture, I thought this time Nivea would be good for my lips. And I'm glad I was right :) These lip butters feel like butter (literally!). I usually slap this on my lips before going to bed so when I wake up my lips feel supersoft and moisturized. Nivea, you have done my lips proud!

Nivea lip butter: Vanilla & Macadamia

2. Smith's Rosebud Salve

Never did I expect to fall in love with a product as much as I did with this one. A few years ago I saw this on the counter one day and I was probably in the mood for 'I want to buy something to make myself feel better (don't tell me I'm the only one out there girls!). As soon as I used it for the very first time, I couldn't get enough of it. 2 years later, I have made a nice dent in my lip balm, but I still have a good amount of product. I got the strawberry scent since I'm a sucker for sweet scents. But honestly, a great investment!

Rosebud Salve lip balm

1. Korres lip butter
I haven't been into the beauty world that long, but one of the most talked about lip balms is the Korres lip butter. I just had to know what the hype was all about and I caved in to buy myself one. Man oh man... Let me tell you... this baby has changed my view on lip balms since I got this in my hands. No lip balm can beat this lip butter. It gives your lips a silky feeling, for those who don't like the greasy feeling on the lips. This does give your lips a little hint of color, but don't expect anything too bedazzling. Admitting that these aren't cheap, but let me tell you that they are worth the buzz in the beauty community.

Korres lip butter: Pomegranate

I don't mind if I feel the lip butters sitting on my lips, it makes me feel like they're actually doing something to them. The only thing I don't like about my top 3 is that you have to dip your finger into the little pots. It's quite unhygienic and you have to wipe off your finger afterwards (as in: wipe it off on someone you dislike, mwoehaha!). But frankly, in spite of the pots I still really like the formula of the top 3 lip balms. I guess you can use a lip pencil for every time you want to slap on some butter on those lips of yours, or you can have some wet towelettes on you to clean your hands with. Up to you!

Happy Bday Deauty!

Hi my beloved readers, glad to have back :)

I'm happy you decided to read this blog post. You've probably read the title of this post, and yes, Deauty has already celebrated their 1st anniversary! YAY! Come to think about it, I'm already a proud owner of my own little spot on blogspot for over a year. Time flies by so fast!

If you haven't heard about Deauty before (click here to go to their website), it's basically a Belgian subscription service that allows you to test out make up and skincare products for an affordable fix price every single month.

The beauty box offers a variety of (drugstore) brands such as Avène, Essie, Clarins, L'Oréal, Kerastase and many more. On a monthly basis you receive about 4 to 6 products. Some of them are samples, but you often receive full size products which is always nice to test out.

Honestly, I still have products laying in my Deauty box because I haven't gotten the chance to test them out. But so far, I'm a pretty darn happy customer :)

I've already gifted a friend of mine a 3 month subscription and she was very pleased with it. It shows that you don't have to be a beauty geek to appreciate a beauty box.

Deauty, keep up the good work and I hope to see a lot more surprises of you in my letterbox! Congratulations with your 1st anniversary and I wish you a lot many more years to come! Hip hip hooray!!

Miscellar water: Bioderma VS L'Oréal Paris

Howdy doody my beloved readers,

A few years ago, even before I was into beauty, I was shopping in Hong Kong and I saw a huge stand advertising these red bottles with a red or green cap. Little did I know, these were the upcoming HG's of many beauty guru's. These simple packaged bottles turned out to be miscellar water, a cleansing and make up removal.

I've been using Bioderma's miscellar water for over a year now, but my fingers are always itching if I see another miscellar water sitting there on a shelve of a drugstore.

In this blog post I'll be reviewing 2 miscellar waters: Bioderma Laboratoire Dermatologique and the L'Oréal Paris.

Although my face loves to be oily, I purchased the red version of the miscellar water which is for sensitive skin. Let's be honest, we ALL have sensitive skin next to having dry, normal, combo or oily skin.

	Bioderma	L'Oréal
Ingredients	Aqua, PEG-6, caprylic, cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, mannitol, xylitol, rhamnose, fructooligosaccharides, propylene glycol, disodium edta, cetrimonium bromide	Aqua, hexlene glycol, glycerin, poloxamer 184, disodium cocoamphodiacetate, dissodium edta, polyaminopropyl biguanide
Packaging	Transparent bottle with red cap. The sticker on it had black and red writing on it.	Transparent rectangle bottle. The background in the sticker has a faded red color.
Price	19,75€ for 500ml	4,29€ for 200ml
Claims	* cleanses * removes make up * soothes * fragrance free * hypoallergenic	* cleanses * removes make up * tones & soothes * fragrance free * hypoallergenic
Pros	* sinks into the face immediately	* bottle is easy to travel with * affordable price * took off more make up
Cons	* bulky packaging, difficult to travel with unless you buy the tiny version * rather expensive for what it is * took less make up off than the 'Oréal one	* leaves a wet residu on the face, takes a while before the face soaks in the miscellar water

Overall, I like the L'Oréal one better. Yes, I like the cheaper one over the Bioderma. Although Bioderma does sinks in faster into the skin, L'Oréal beats Bioderma on a lot of domains: it's more convenient, performs better and it's cheaper. L'Oréal has done a great job at putting this miscellar on the market long after Bioderma has. People had the opportunity to try out Bioderma's miscellar water, they did their research and now they move on to a cheaper version which gives equally good results. Nicely done L'Oréal!

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.

Top 5 blushes

Don't you love it how some girls have that beautiful flush of colour on their cheeks, like they've been running for a few minutes? Next to actually having to go for a run, you can achieve this look by applying some blush on the apples of your cheek

In my former blog post I explained how to apply blush. If you haven't read it, check it out here :)

Without further ado, let's get this blush party started!

5. Canmake
When I bought this blush I had no idea how big the brand Canmake was. Turns out it's a very well known brand and is famous for its cute packaged make up items. I have to admit I caved for this blush because of its packaging. It seemed compact and getting 2 colors for one, is something every girl with a budget can appreciate. It has a coral and a pink side. You can use the colors separately, but you can also mix these 2 colors together to get a light pink.

Canmake: 03

4. Physician's Formula
Even you didn't believe me when I said I'm a sucker for packaging, please let this blush be a great example to that theory. Look how freaking amazing this blush looks and you'll want it too, haha! It has different sizes of hearts and it has about 3 colors you can mix. It gives a lovely healthy glow to the cheeks and is just wonderful to have in your collection. This is perfect for those days you don't want a lot of color on you, but you still want to add a radiance to your cheeks too appear awake and happy of course :)

Physician's Formula Happy Booster: Natural

3. MAC
This blush is probably my most expensive blush I own. It's a matte corally blush that has a great pigmentation and will stay for quite some time. Just be careful when applying this because you have to dab in very lightly with your blush brush and you'll have more than enough on your brush. Yes, they're not expensive, but since a little goes a long way I don't see my finishing this blush any time soon. A good investment I'd say!

MAC: Melba

2. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blissful
Tarte is known for its blushes and I just had to get myself one to see what the hype was all about. Next to the pretty blush itself, it gives the lovely subtle sheen I love. I got Blissful and it's a very light coral color, so hence that it seems very light. This blush stayed on me the entire day. I'm withholding myself to get another color, must...finish...this...one...first. (which will never happen!). Another detail worth mentioning: this blush is formulated without mineral oil, parabens, petrolatum, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate and synthetic fragrance.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush: Blissful

1. Benefit Coralista
My number 1 blush... This coral color will suit a lot of skintones and just gives the perfect amount of color and sheen to your cheeks. A wonderful blush that has a pleasant fragrance as well. The blush will stay for a very good amount of time. I like this blush because it's a no brainer blush. You don't have to be careful when applying this. Just dab in your blush brush and apply to your cheeks. No matter how many times you go over it with blush, it'll look great!

Benefit: Coralista

Here's a swatch of the blushes I just mentioned above. The swatches are only 1 swipe because I usually go over my cheeks just 1 time:

Left to right: Benefit, Tarte, MAC, Physician's Formula, Canmake

It's obvious that MAC and Physician's Formula are more pigmented, followed by Benefit's Coralista. I like the 2 others because they give that healthy glow to the face.
MAC is a little bit darker and is more pink than the PF's coral blush. Coralista is a coral (duh?) with a sheen to it. Blissful by Tarte is more of a corally, almost golden sheen, while Canmake's blush is the pink version of it.

Anyway, these are my favorite blushes. Mind sharing your favorite blush with me? Maybe I'll turn out to like it as well!

How to apply blush?

Are you one of those girls that apply blush on the apples of your cheeks because everyone tells you to? Then keep on reading on how to apply blush properly.

I'm going to be frank. Yes, I was one of those girls that applied (a lot) of color on the apples of my cheeks. "If I can see it, I'm sure everyone will notice my blush." Haha! Unfortunately I didn't have anyone who told me I applied way too much color... So let this blog post guide you through the blush application process :)

First off, you have to determine your face shape. There are about 9 face shapes, but the 3 most known ones are: round, long, square and oval. 

Round = full face with round chin and rounded hairline (ex: Michelle Williams)

Since round-face shapes already have quite round cheeks, they shouldn't apply blush on their apples. Apply blush at a slanted angle: from the lower apple, under the cheek bone to the hairline. See it as if you're contouring your face to make it look more slimmer.

Long = length of face is significantly longer than its width (ex. Anne Hathaway)


To balance out the proportion of long shaped faces, they should apply color to the apples and sweep up to the midpoint of the ear. If you focus on the apples of your cheeks, it can give the appearance than the face is a little bit wider.





Squared = squared forehead and its width is the same as the width of the cheekbones and jaw line (ex: Keira Knightley)

Square-shaped faces should apply their blush at a slanted angle sweeping upwards: from their lower apple toward ear instead of up to their hairline. This will give the appearance that you have higher cheekbones and that you've cut the angular jaw in half. 

Oval = jawline is narrower than your temples (ex: Kylie Minogue)
Oval-shaped faces have a very good proportion of distance from eyes to forehead and to chin. Applying blush to these kind of face is quite easily since you can't mess it up :) Blush on either the apples or contouring will look exquisite.


As soon as you know which face shape you have, let's learn how to apply some blush on those cheeks of yours!

1. Take a blush brush
2. Dab it in your blush of choice
3. Tap off the excess blush before applying it to your face. Do NOT blow on your brush as you will be blowing on bacterias from your mouth on to your brush before putting the brush on your face!
4. Look in the mirror and smile. This will make the apples of your cheeks pop out.
5. Place the blush on your cheeks as soon as you've determined your face shape.
6. Tap tap tap :)

Hint: Start your blush application directly beneath the iris of your eye and don't go closer to your nose.

Remember you want to create a flush of colour on your cheeks like you've been out for a while. Apply the blush in a room with good daylight. Depending on how pigmented your blush is, you don't need to apply blush multiple times. You don't have to re-apply blush until you see a clear pink circle, if you get my point :)

In my next blog post I'll be sharing my top 5 blushes, so keep an eye open for that. Until then, what is your favorite blush?
 

Top 5 mascara's

If you've read my former blog post you were aware that I was planning on posting a series of top 5 products. Today I'll be talking about mascara. Of the entire make up routine, mascara wasn't something that really appealed to me. I liked curling my eye lashes, but I thought that was enough. Who knew mascara could make such a big of a difference to your look!

Let's start this top 5, shall we :)

5. Maybelline Illegal Length
This is a mascara which I normally wouldn't very like because it has a rather wet formula. The thing that got me over the fence is the fibres. Fibres will make your lashes look longer because the fibres claim to your own lashes. Imagine putting fake short lashes to your own lashes, only this comes in a tube instead of having to apply it everytime with glue. This isn't the waterproof version. Maybe I'll give that a go and who knows I'll like that one even more!

Maybelline Illegal Length

4. CoverGirl LashBlast Volume
I had to know whether the hype around this mascara was worth it or not. And I have to say, yes it is :) It's a very good mascara, but the only thing that I can live without is the scent to it. It has a light chemical scent to it in comparison to other mascara's that don't have anymore nowadays. All in all, this tube has become a good friend of my lashes.

CoverGirl LashBlast Volume

3. Koji Dolly Wink Black mascara volume
This was one of my first Asian mascara's and I fell in love with it immediately. This gave me the natural look I wanted, yet it gave it some volume to those boring lashes of mine.
I've finished mine, but I do have the elongating mascara from the same brand yet to try. Maybe I'll be loving that one just as much as this one?

Koji DollyWink

2. Sana Extra Large mascara
You have to admit that only Asians know how to make the best mascara for Asian lashes. This mascara is no exception. It lengthens and gives volume to my short stubborn lashes. I really like mascara's that have a curved brush to it so I can lift my lashes whenever I'm painting my lashes :) This waterproof tube doesn't smudge on me and is definitely a must have if you want to give your lashes that natural umpf! This tube is rather "boring" compared to other Asian mascara's. You can easily distinct the Asian mascara's from the other mascara's. Just by adding some red hearts it's already more attractive than most Western tubes. I know not to judge a book by its cover, but if the packaging's cute and the content's great, why not go for that little extra something?

Sana Extra Large mascara

1. Fairy Drops Platinum waterproof mascara
This baby is the best mascara I've ever used: it has fibres which will elongate your lashes, it gives volume and it gives a pretty black color to make those lashes stand out, yet it looks natural if you don't like the dramatic look. Another plus to the mascara is the pretty packaging (yes, I'm one of those suckers that will break down for a silly packaging, haha!)
I've bought mine at Sasa in Hong Kong, but if you can't get to Hong Kong as easily as I do, Pretty and Cute delivers them as well.

Fairy Drops Platinum

I know most of my favorite mascara's are Asian mascara's, but hey... they just know what our lashes need :)

What's your favorite mascara?

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?

top 10 drugstore products under 10 euro

Well hello there,

Are you like me and nosy to know what 10 products are good and affordable? Please, make yourself comfortable and let those eyeballs work! FYI: These products aren't in any particular order :)

As you may have seen, if I have to give you a list of goodies I like to work from the top down, so let's kick it into high gear shall we?

Maybelline 24h Color Tattoo - 9,99€
These babies are the B.O.M.B.! They come in a wide range of colors, they stay on for about 6 to 8 hours, don't crease (don't forget I have super oily eyelids y'all) and they're affordable. This was my go to product last year. Just keep in mind that depending on which country you live in the names of the Color Tattoos may vary.

top: 35 Tough as Taupe
left: 65 Pink Gold - right: 35 On and On Bronze

Essence STAYS No matter what waterproof eyepencil - 1€
I like to tightline (=lining your waterline). I don't like to line my eyes, because it doesn't give the appearance to having bigger eyes as good as I want it to be. It's a subtle line but it makes a huge difference to the eyes, if you ask me. I have trouble finding a good, affordable eyepencil, and I have found a Japanese eyepencil, but since they're not easy accessible I have to find ways to keep an eye out for pencils of which I can get a hold of easily. This waterproof eyepencil will wear out during the day, but for the first few hours this looks pretty darn good. The good thing is that this smudge just a teeny tiny tad, but it gives your eyes more of a sultry look than a panda look.

Essense STAYS no matter what: 01 Midnight Black

Essence coverstick - 1,99€
My cheapest concealer ever. I 'm not going to say that this is my best concealer I own, but it's in my to 3 for sure. It leaves a matte finish and the stick makes it easy to apply. The only negative point about this? It can melt quite easily due to the cheap packaging. Just leave it in a cooler place for a while and the concealer is good to go!

Essence coverstick: 05 matt beige

Rimmel Stay Matte long lasting pressed powder - 9,99€
Who of the oily faced girls doesn't like matte? This powder will leave you face matter than matte :) Plain packaging with the lid on top, although I do prefer a lid which is attached to the powder. Cheap packaging, but good face stuff!

Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder: warm beige

Bourjois Color Boost - 9,99€
I've posted a blog blabber on this product before, so you can click here to give it a read so I don't repeat myself. Long story short? I love this! Great colors, great pigmentation& affordable!

Top down:
01 Red Sunrise
03 Orange Punch
04 Peach on the Beach

NYC Applelicious Glossy lipbalm - 2,79€ (356 Big Apple Red)
Another tinted lip balm I've fallen in love with. This moisturizes your lips, gives it a lovely color and smells so goooood! The color is buildable and go on from a sheer red (one application) to a brighter red (3 or 4 applications). I like the sheer red because I've only recently learned to wear colored lip. This is my go to red for fancy occasions :)

NYC Applelicious Glossy lipbalm: 65 Big Apple Red

Nivea Pure Effect Peel Soft Mild Scrub - 5,99€
This leaves the face matte. The scrub contains little beeds that are very gentle for the skin and aren't abrasive at all. You'll need about a pea size amount for each wash. I've purchased mine about a year ago and I'm guessing I'll be able to use mine until the end of the year :)

Catrice nail polish - 2,99€
Catrice is one of my favorite drugstore brands for nail polishes, because they always have fun colors and their monthly collections are always fun to look at. One of my favorite polishes is from this brand: click here to check out a swatch. Some of their polishes do require 3 coats, but so do more expensive polish brands. I'd rather buy more Catrice polishes than 1 famous make up brand. Go Catrice!

Catrice: Walk On Air

HEMA nail polish - 2,95€
I'm not sure whether HEMA is known outside of Belgium and the Netherlands, but their polishes are good enough for me. They stay on for a good week, 5 days if you're a very busy (wo)man :) If you're wondering what it looks like on the nails, check out the swatches here! The wide variety of colors sucks me in every time, and the quality is just as good as some of the more expensive brands.

HEMA: 808

Garnier body calming gel L-bifidus Peach extract for dry&sensitive skin - 3,99€
You're probably wondering: gel for dry&sensitive skin? You? But you keep on whining on how oily your face is? Well, surprise surprise! My body has rather dry skin and after showering I need this baby to lock in some moisture before I become a dry banana!

Garnier Intensive calming gel

These were my 10 favorite products. I have always wanted to a blog post like this online because it just shows that great quality goodies can be found in drugstores as well!


Recently my fingers have been itching to set up a '5 products of each make up category'. So stay tuned for those blog posts! :)

Review Bourjois Color Boost

Yes, you're right. I'm back again with another post on lip blabber :)

As you all know I'm always on the hunt for a good lippy, and this month I discovered a Bourjois lip balm, but not just any, no no ... it's a lipstick that comes in one of those crayon forms. You know that a lot of brands have come out with their tinted lip balms such as Clinique's Chubby Sticks and Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. Well, Bourjois has come out with their version of it. They're called the Bourjois Color Boost and they've launched 4 colors: 01 Red Sunrise, 02 Fuchsia Libre, 03 Orange Punch and 04 Peach on the Beach.
Red Sunrise is a watermelon color which is a pinkish red. Perfect for those who are afraid of using a bright red on their lips. This is a great color to start your way to a red lipstick.
Fuchsia Libre is a cool toned pink. I don't think this color would suit me since I have a yellow undertone, but I'm sure this color would suit those with a more pinkish undertone.
Orange Punch is a color that appeals to me. Don't let the name fool you, it's not a true orange lipstick, it's more of a peachy pink color.
And then we have Peach on the Beach, a coral color that's very light and wearable. I think this is a great color because it's noticeable that you're wearing color on your lips, but it's not too much color.

Below you'll find 3 of the 4 colors: Red Sunrise, Orange Punch and Peach on the Beach:

Bourjois Color Boost: 01 Red Sunrise, 03 Orange Punch, 04 Peach on the Beach

Top down swatches 01, 03, 04

They're very easy to apply thanks to their creamy texture. It has a good enough pigmentation and it leaves a glossy finish on the lips. A plus? The crayon makes it more fun for you to draw it onto the lips since it's just a big, fat pencil :)

There aren't really downsides, but I do have to contradict what they claim.
It says to stay for 10h. I've eaten and drank with this lip balm and the glossy finish goes away like most lipsticks do. I'd say this will stay on the lips for about 5h.
It also says on the crayon to be a lipstick. I think it's more of a crossing of a lip balm and a lip stain. It applies as smooth as a lip balm and after half a day you can still see a hint of color on your lips.

Honestly I only have good thing to say about this collection:

• they have cute colors
• they're cheap
• they're creamy and don't dry out your lips
• they have SPF 15

The Clinique Chubby sticks are quite expensive, the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains aren't easy accessible in Belgium, so I'm a very happy lad to say that these drugstore lippies are one of my favorite products this summer. Great crayons to add to my make up collection I'd say! :)