Douglas Haul

Oh the irony... My last post was all about a makeup clear up (click here for reference), and this one is all about going crazy at the stores and buying new stuff... Hey, nobody's perfect! To be fair though, I got rid of 5 lip products, and only bought 4 replacements. Surely that's an achievement, right?? Though I did also pick up two more extra things... I have to be honest: my wallet was furious, but my heart sang with joy at the sight of my purchases.

Just to quickly explain, Douglas is like Germany's version of Sephora, except it's sadly nowhere near as good. But, they do have a nice NYX stand, which I just couldn't resist. Everyone has been talking nonstop about the Butter Glosses, that I finally succumbed to temptation. I ended up picking up two neutral shades, "Tiramisu" and "Creme Brulee", and one nice flamboyant orangey-red colour in "Peach Cobbler". I have tried them all, and don't worry a review will be up soon. I also jumped on the bandwagon and got the NYX Mega Shine lipgloss in "Beige", which as we all know has nothing beige-y about it. They are all beautiful colours and extremely wearable.

And of course I couldn't just stop with the glosses. Oh no, I decided I need the Batiste dry shampoo, and along with that the L'oreal Super Liner. Though to my defence, I got the liner because in my head I thought that if I had an easy to use eye liner (aka a thin stick form), then I would wear eyeliner more often and stop being so lazy about it. Yes, every beauty blogger needs some form of justification for buying a product - "it's pretty" doesn't always cut it.

I shall report back in the future on how I get along with these items! :).

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The Makeup Clear Out

Do you ever get those moments, where you look at a certain part of your makeup collection, and think: "My god... None of these suit me! Why do I bother keeping them?". Yup, I had one of those moments this week. Specifically, with my lip products. We've all been in that situation where you swatch a lipstick in the store and think it looks amazing, but when you get home to actually try it on, it looks awful or just really doesn't suit you. It sucks, but hey, that's life.

And I've been holding on to quite a few of them for no good reason. Let's face it, they will never magically one day suit me. They won't ever become my 'must-have' overnight. So it's time to say hasta la vista and move on. And the best part is that you end up creating more space, so you can now afford to treat yourself to some new products :D. Yes, my inner shopaholic did just type that, while my wallet wept a little in the background. Nonetheless, doing some early 'spring cleaning' does feel liberating.

If you're interested in which products I'm giving up, here are the details:

NYX Matte Lipstick in "Indie Flick" - This is a gorgeous, gorgeous orangey-red lipstick, but sadly really doesn't suit me. Not to mention, I'm also a bit of a wimp when it comes to wearing bright colours.
Astor in Soft Sensation Lipcolor Butter in "003 Caramel Envy"- this lip crayon swatches sooo beautifully, but when it's actually on my lips, they just look very bland and slightly dead. And it highlights dry patches. Yay.
Astor in Soft Sensation Lipcolor Butter in "011 Feeling Feline" - bright pinky/reds really don't like me. My lips just look way too bright and the colour really doesn't suit my complexion. Shame though because I really like the formula for this one.
Revlon Lip Butter in "Cupcake"- I have to come to the realization that blue-toned pinks are my enemy. So to summarize: just no.
Revlon Lip Butter in "Strawberry Shortcake"- This lipstick is a con artist or something. When it's swatched, it looks like a nice warm pink colour. But then when applied to the lips, it becomes a purply-pink! Warm-toned in swatches, and cool-toned on the lips. I've been tricked, and boy does it feel sad.

I encourage every reader out there to have a good look at their makeup collection, and ask themselves, "Will I ever wear this? Does it actually suit me?" And if not, well, you know what to do ;). 

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Review: Bourjois - Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation

I have to admit, I've been a bit of a foundation-whore lately. I just can't stop. All of a sudden, I've just had the need to try them all, thinking that surely the next one will be 'the one'. I'm happy to announce, that the Healthy Mix by Bourjois really does deserve all the hype it receives. But is it 'the one'? No, but it's pretty close.

Let me just quickly sum up for the formula for all of you: it's a gel foundation (though feels just like a liquid foundation IMO), light coverage - though buildable to medium, and has a dewy, fresh finish. It feels incredibly light on the skin and like all french products, it smells amazing.

But why do I personally like it so much? Well, it looks like skin. And to be honest, I've never been able to say that about any foundation I've tried. And the finish is just perfect, it's still dewy-ish but not too dewy *cough* Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation *cough*, where I just end up looking like a disco-ball and need loads of powder. Any foundation that doesn't force me to use a powder is already very attractive to me.

And best of all, it doesn't make me extremely oily. The fact that a dewy moisturizing foundation doesn't make my oily skin into a greasy surface is just incredible. Therefore, I officially declare it to be suited for all skin types. However, I will say this: it doesn't have a great staying power for us oily girls (well... you can't have everything). But a setting spray or primer will fix that with no problem .

Now, I bet you're all wondering: is there something that I don't like about it? Sadly, yes. It's slightly too light coverage for me, meaning I need A LOT of pumps to achieve the medium coverage I desire, which is a bit of a waste of product. It's definitely not one of those foundations where "a little goes a long way". The Healthy Mix also transfers like it's nobody's business. Yikes.

So that is why I am totally in love with the Healthy Mix Foundation, but can't declare it to be my soul mate. Oh well, I shall find my true love one day.

What are your thoughts on the Healthy Mix Foundation? Has Bourjois stolen your heart as well? :) 

€14 / available here at ASOS

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Review: Nuxe - Reve de Miel Lip Balm

Over the holidays, I had acquired quite a few "frenchie" presents from a friend of mine who is currently living in France. Of course, they had to include famous french skin care products. So I thought I'd do a review on my most surprising favourite: the Reve de Miel Lip Balm by Nuxe. Now, I'm sure you're all wondering: why is it surprisingly a favourite? Well, it's because my whole life my lips have only gotten along with one brand of lip balm (Lip Smackers) and therefore the idea of any other lip balm working for me is simply ludicrous (link to my post on All About Lip Balms can be found here).

At first, I actually disliked the Reve De Miel. But now? I can't live without it!

Now to explain why I initially wasn't in favour of the product, it all begins with the texture. The main ingredient is beeswax, meaning it feels super thick, waxy, and sticky on the lips when you first apply it. But I have to admit, once you get use to it, it's not that bad. And it gets more smooth and less sticky as the product warms up on the lips.

However, once it sinks in (which I admit, does take slightly longer than my beloved Lip Smackers), it is amazeballs. It feels like it has moisturized not just the top layer of your lips, but several layers beneath too! It's what I would describe as a "deep hydrating mask", but for your lips! The effect of it also lasts for hours on end.

Though my favourite qualities about this lip balm are: it's clear (not tinted whatsoever), it's matte and won't give your lips that usual lip balm shine and therefore can be used underneath matte lipsticks, and it's kiss proof! No more boyfriend drying up my lips! The only downside I have with this lip balm is that it's in a pot and not in stick form, but that's just personal preferences.

Needless to say, it's downright amazing. And coming from me, aka the girl who is incredibly picky and fussy over lip balms, that's saying something.

Also, as a Canadian, I couldn't help but have a laughing fit when I read this on the packaging: "effectiveness tested in conditions of extreme Canadian cold". Mind you, I'm from the Vancouver, where we rarely get any snow :P.

I'd like to know: what's your holy grail lip balm? Have you tried any products from Nuxe? :)

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Where Are You Applying Your Blush?

Now, I know this post might come as a shock or might even be slightly controversial, but it has to be said. It would seem that 99% of women have been told that the correct place to place your blush is on the apple of the cheeks. Even some skilled makeup artists continue to preach this method. Well, I'm here to tell you that the apple of the cheeks is in fact not the best place to apply your blusher. It's not completely wrong if you do, but it's definitely not preferred.

The best place to put your blush is actually along the cheekbone, so around the area where you would place your highlighter or bronzer. Now before you close this tab because you think this is all utter nonsense, think about it.

Placing makeup products on the cheekbone gives the face a more lifted look, whereas placing anything on the apple of your cheeks makes your face look a whole lot rounder. And I think it's safe to say that most people wish to make their face look thinner, not rounder. When it comes down to it, blusher on the cheekbone just looks a whole lot more flattering. Try it out! You might be surprised at how much you like the results :).

For further details and demonstrations check out these clips by the famous Wayne Goss:

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What a Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I'm sure I am not the only one who thinks 2013 was a crazy year. So many things happened in my life: I packed my Canadian bags and moved abroad to live and study in Germany and now I'm learning a third language. Talk about cray. I've had big downs and big ups this year and I hope 2014 will hold more ups than downs.

So without further adieu, here are some of my resolutions for 2014: 

1) Be a Better Blogger: I want to post much more often and more regularly, do more OOTD's, personal/life posts, and maybe even FOTD posts. Needless to say, I want to take my blog to the next level!

2) Learn German: easier said than done haha, but I'm getting there! And if any german beauty bloggers are reading this post right now, please can we socialize and be friends? :)

3) Learn new recipes: at the end of 2013, I was finally starting to cook up more dishes and I wish to continue this new trend. Though for that, I need to learn more recipes.

4) Learn to paint: weird one I know, but I have always wanted to. My boyfriend even got me supplies and lessons as my christmas present, so no excuses anymore! :)

So now that I've gone on and on about my personal resolutions, I'd like to know what are your new years resolutions? :) 

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