Blue lip tutorial - Inspired by Kat von D

Hi sweethearts,

 I love the new Kat von D blue lipsticks, BUT!! I can't find them in my country, so I figured out how to make the shades myself. For everyone who loves her products, but don't have them, just follow my tutorial and you will see how to create your own blue "Slayer" and "Poe" shades.

Here is a link to my YouTube channel. If you like it, thumbs up and subscribe. Also I would love to see the results so send me a picture with the look and I ll post it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x_KgNGAuAA

Stay beautiful !
Love,
Sophie

My "Summer wine" dramatic makeup

Hi my lasses,

I love theatrical makeup with bold velvety wine lips and deep purples and reds. Especially in the fall, or during the evenings. So I decided to create this look for you.
I used several techniques here too,so if you like this look and you have tried it on, just send me a pic, I would love to see how it all turned out.
You don't have to use the exact same brands I've used, you just need something similar.

Here is a link where you can watch it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvgUgFNGR48

 

Stay beautiful. 

Love, 

Sophie

A gothic inspired tutorial

Hi my dearies,

I like the goth vibe in my makeup routine, so here is the look I have created. 
A romantic, yet gloomy and dark one, called "the Edgar look" as a tribute to one of my favorites poets from all time, Edgar Allan Poe.

Enjoy! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs9I0APGvuU&feature=youtu.be

Love,

Sophie

Clinique Tracy Reese set review

Hi my sweethearts,

I always love makeup kits because they have many lovely products for me to try on, before I purchase the bigger versions of them.
So, what I got here was an 8 pieces set, from Clinique.  I will be reviewing 2 of them today and will get back to you with the others next week. I just want to try them on and see how they go with my skin, before I will make my review.

I never have tried their makeup so I was so excited when I saw it online, and ordered it without any second thoughts. It cost me around 40$ and I really think this kit totally worth its money.
Here's how it looks:

It contains:
- A a small eye and cheek palette with 2 amazing eye shadows (23 rock violet and 33 graphite), a small sized mascara (High impact), a soft pressed powder blush (01 new clover) and 2 applicators (one for the eye shadows and one for applying the blush).
 - A beautiful long lasting lipstick "Silvery moon"
- A small sized eye cream "Repairwear laser focus"
- A  hand cream "Even better"
- "Take the day off " make-up remover for lids, lashes and lips
- "Dramatically different moisturizing lotion" for dry to very dry skin
- An eyelash curler
- A colored cosmetic bag

The palette
This small palette would fit in every bag and it is perfect for touch ups.
Even though its quite small, it has plenty of product in it. 

 The 2 eye shadows are highly pigmented and very easy to work with. They both have a subtle shimmer and they last soooo long, even without any eye primer. They re on a cool lavender and dark purple tone but they work amazingly well on any eye color.

You could build a perfect smokey evening look, and even a day look, if you are applying less product.

The blush is a warm natural peachy-pink color that gives cheeks a radiant glow. Has a silky, fresh finish, too.
The mascara (on black) is giving instant volume and length to your lashes. If you want to learn more about it, I have made a more detailed review to this product on my older entries.

The lipstick

This is a pearly cool lilac color. Not so pigmented, but so rich in texture. It makes your lips velvety, hidrated and innocent looking. Has a subtle scent, and can last long on the lips.
It is ideal for natural looks or in combination with smokey bold eyes.


Ok gals, that is all for now, like I said in the begining of this post, I will review the other products in my next tutorial, until then...
Stay beautiful !

Love ,
Sophie

Estée Lauder's 'Perfectly Clean' Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask review

Hi ladies,

We all want flawless skin with barely no effort, don't we?
So, I am going to introduce you a product that works great on every skin type and does wonders with your complexion.

I have a mixed skin type and  have tried many products for daily cleansing but they failed my expectations.
I must confess that I hate when I am coming home tired at evenings, to spend too much time removing the makeup. I also hate makeup wipes, they just seem to clean the face, but actually they leave a greasy result instead. The makeup products seem to be gone but they are not, they are kept in the pores causing blemishes, wrinkles and acne.
So I prefer to wash my face, for just 2 minutes, fast and efficient.

This product will not only do that, but can be used as a purifying mask twice a week.
It smells amazing, like an expensive luxury product. Its texture is white and velvety soft, and you don't need to much product when you are cleaning your face with it. Just put a bean-sized amount on your fingers and blend it on wet skin. It will form the most dense foam ever, you won't believe it.
Your skin will look radiant, luminous, perfect cleaned - you will feel this deep in the pores. No greasiness, or other unpleasant sensations.
You can do this two times a day : mornings and evenings.
As a mask, just apply the product on  dry skin and leave it for 2- 3 minutes. Rinse and you are ready to go.

Other facts :
- Dermatologist tested
- Ophthalmologist tested
- When applying avoid the eye area though, it stings.
- It costs 25 $ online, for 5 Oz. (150 ml).

Will definitely repurchase this product.

Ok, gals that is all for today, 
Stay beautiful.

Love,
Sophie

Halloween Chipped Doll tutorial

 Hello ladies,

So Halloween is approaching and I started to think what makeup I should do for this occasion? I had a nice doll like dress so I thought I should go dressed as a doll and make a creepy but sweet makeup.
This is my first youtube tutorial so hopefully you will like it. Feel free to comment and if you will try yourself this makeup, please share it with me, I m looking forward to see you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKdV96Yoztc


What you will wear this Halloween ?

 Love,

Sophie

10 affordable beauty products for a million dollar look

Hi my dear lasses,

I know how it is to want to look your best but can't afford big brands. I've tried both of the categories and I will make you a list with the best beauty items that in spite of their price, they can compete with those luxury products we crave for.

•  Hair and body 

1.Shampoo - my favorite cheaper shampoo is Advance Tehniques Ultimate Volume from Avon with Collagen

It is a clear beautiful scented shampoo, that even if it dedicated to fine hair, it works for all hair types. It makes your hair so smooth and silky yet gives volume and for its price it is a bargain - only 6 $ (4.5 Euros) for 350 ml.

2.Conditioner - Nivea diamond gloss with liquid keratin
 Keratin hair treatments smooth out and straighten wavy or curly hair, making the hair shine. This white conditioner is very thick and smells heavenly (like professional products that are used in hair salons). It spreads easily on the hair and washing it off is not a hassle. Also it leaves your hair incredibly soft. It costs 5 $ (3.5 E) for 200 ml.

3.Shower gel - Yves Rocher Organic Raspberry
 Well this delicious shower gel makes me feel like a princess. It is one of my favorites and i adore the fact that its made only with organic components.
When you apply it, you feel like you are in a garden full of berries, it makes you feel alive and optimist. The scent lasts for hours on your skin and lives it smooth. 
It costs 9$ (7.5E) for a big 400ml bottle.

4. Hand and foot scrub mask- Planet spa Avon-Blissfully Nourishing with Shea Butter
For me it is very important that a product has great ingredients, but also a nice smell. This intensive treatment for dry, rough skin - hands and feet-smells like a gourmand butter pecan ice cream. Yum!
Its easy to apply, and has great results if you use it at least 2 times a week. Really luxurious for only
9$ (7.5 E) for 75 ml. 

5.Hand and body lotion- Rosebud and Blossom -A posy full of Peonies
Just like the previous choices, this bio lotion is free from parabens and artificial colours, great for your hands and skin. The delicate scent of peonies relaxes you after a warm shower. I truly love this product because it does not leave my skin to oily or too dry, but its composition is perfect.
Also i like the glass bottle. It looks vintage and chic.
It costs around 7$ (4 Euros) for 275 ml.

6. Perfume
I don't know your taste in perfumes, you maybe like the soft-romantic ones, or the oriental-vanilla ones. I like 2 perfumes from Yves Rocher that are affordable- you can find them in the purse sized version for only 13 $ (10E).
So the first one is for day time, summer eau de toilette called Flower party. And I have done a review for it on this blog, you can search it.

Also I recommend for a colder season or evening occasions the "So elixir purple" eau de parfum. A warm spicy, floral scent with a gourmand twist.
You won't fail with these perfumes, they smell really posh and expensive.

• Face 

7. Face cream for day time : Anew vitale .
I use this cream every single day, it is brilliant! It has spf 25, brilliant You feel the complexion energized and smooth, reduces the signs of stress, it makes it firm and all the fine lines are gone. This is a +30 cream so if you are younger, don't use this. Price? 22 $ (25E) but there are a lot of sales on Avon catalogs so keep your eyes open. For 50 ml and what it does, it is an acceptable price.

8. Argan oil for night time- also for cuticles, eye area, hair. 
This is a multi purpose miraculous product, that I strongly advise you to have. I don't use too many night serums or creams, I am just applying good old argan oil on my whole face after I washed it, and leave it over night. The result is like I had a 200$ face treatment 
It costs in the range of 18-25 $ (14-20 E) for 60 ml, and you can order it online or just get it from a herbal store. 
I wrote an article on my blog about the other uses of the argan oil that you could read.

9. Face mask - Clear Skin Avon pore penetrating black mineral mask- with salicylic acid 0.5%
 The salicylic acid has an anti-inflammatory action ideal for greasy and acne troubled skin types.
I am using it 3 times a week and you can really see the difference.What it does is to deeply clean the pores from all the excessive sebum your skin produces. The black color comes from cosmetic pigment -iron oxides. I think its a bargain for 7$ (9E).

10. Face cleansing gel -Yves Rocher Pure Calmille
I have used this for years, and have gone through multiple bottles. It doesn't foam too much, which I love, it smells pleasant (contains camomile that calms the skin) and leaves your skin nice and smooth. Not dried out like similar products do. It cleans your make up also your pores. If it accidentally  gets in your eye, its ok! No tears at all, ladies. Like all Yves Rocher products this is made out of natural ingredients.
It costs 6$ (4E) for a 200 ml bottle.

That is all for today, hoped it helped. I will make soon a list of  10 affordable makeup brands for a million dollar look.

Love, 

Sophie

Benefit's Sugarlicious kit review

Hello ladies,

I bought this amazing kit from Sephora and I must say I am not disappointed at all.

Like every Benefit kits this includes a lot of miniatures. This one has a few products that go amazingly well with tanned skin. Its a kit with neutral tones perfect for day time - office, lunch, beach etc.

Here are the products on my skin:

1- benetint - this is a great stain for both lips and cheeks and it is Benefit's signature product. I've tried other lip stains but this is the best. It smells delicious by the way- like sweet rose petals. When I apply this, it reminds me of my childhood and the yummy rose jam my grandmother used to make. 
2- high beam iluminator - a baby pearly rose color ideal for the areas you want to iluminate- the cheeks, the nose bridge, the brow bone, the cupid's bow.
3- sugar bomb powder - comes in 4 beautiful warm shades (peach, soft plum, pink and rose). It goes great on tanned skin or more darker complexions. Just apply it on your apples of the cheeks and you instantly have a sun kissed glow.
4- It comes with a brush that makes the application easy.
5- the sugar bomb lip gloss- a plushy nude (cold light brown) lip gloss with a moisturizing formula that not only leaves the lips shimmery but hydrated as well. You could either apply it over the benetint or on your natural lips. Either way it gives a plump yet discreet look.
  - also these products inlude instruction cards to help show you how to use the products well. The case is great too. It contains a mirror and it s quite small so it can fit in your bag.

   All of the products in the Sugarlicious Lip & Cheek Kit are available as larger full size products.
 Price ?  28 Euros and it is worth it.
I will definitely purchase this again.
5 stars out of 5 and thank you Benefit for making such wonders for us.
What do you think about this kit ?

That is all for today gals,
Love,

Sophie

How to make your own illuminator

Hi ladies,

 What are illuminators ?

Illuminators are meant to add a hint of pearly shine and to give your skin an overall healthy glow.
You also need to know where is the best to apply it.

- on the nose bridge to make your nose appear thinner
- on your cupid's bow to give the illusion of bigger lips
- on the brow bone and the inner eye corner  to make the eyes open more
- on the cheekbones to define your face
- on the middle of the lower lip to make the illusion of fuller lips
- on your chin and forehead to balance the makeup

They come in different tones: mostly peach tones, pearly beige tones,lilac tones, pinks and golds.
They can be applied over the makeup for a bolder look or under the makeup. I prefer to apply it over the makeup.

How to make your own?

What you will need ?
-your bb cream or cc cream
-shimmery pigments or eyeshadows you are willing to sacrifice
 You can use colors like : pearly pink, beige, lilac, gold, peach, coral, white etc.
 -a small recipient like an old eye cream or an old compact powder case will do just fine.

Take the bb cream put 2 table spoons in a small bowl, then add the pigments or the eyeshadow. Stir.
Put the composition in the recipient and put in in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
Done!

Trick :
You can use more then one pigment for the illuminator. I love to mix baby pink, with gold. Or lilac with coral and white. Or beige with gold.
You can get creative with this.

Don't over do it because your skin would look oily.

In the 80's women would applied illuminator all over their faces, you don't want to do that- except if you want to recreate a look from that period of time.

Ok, ladies, that's all for today, take care, stay beautiful.

Love,
Sophie

Quick homemade face scrub for all skin types

Hello ladies,

Today I want to give you my personal face scrub recipe.
This is well documented, and its all 100% natural, way better then the products you find in stores.

You will need :

-argan oil-7 drops
-grapefruit essential oil (NOT aromatherapy oil, that's not good for you) -1 drop
-rose essential oil -2 drops
-brown sugar -3 teaspoons
-olive oil- half of teaspoon
-honey -2 teaspoons


How these work ?

Argan oil

It is high in vitamin E, essential fatty acids and antioxidants, and experts believe it can help with many skin conditions, from dry skin and wrinkles to psoriasis, eczema and acne.

Grapefruit essential oil

Fights acne and oily skin, rejuvenates and cleans the pores.

Rose essential oil

Contains anti-inflammatory properties that delay the aging process, fills in the wrinkles and also gives elasticity.

Brown sugar

Brown sugar is a wonderful natural exfoliant that works for all skin types.

Olive oil

Revitalizes and hydrates especially that dull, dry skin.

Honey

Honey is known as a natural cleanser which exfoliates your skin to bring out a radiant and glowing complexion, reduces scars and blemishes.


Be careful when applying this mask, though all these oils might be good for your skin, but not so good for fabrics.

Put in a bowl the honey and oils, blend well with a spoon, then add the sugar.
Massage gently with your fingers avoiding the eye area for about 1 minute then leave it for 1 minute more and rinse off.

If you make this once every week you will have a beautiful, glowing skin and your friends will ask you how many hundreds of dollars you spend on cosmetic treatments.

See how we can find all these wonderful ingredients in nature and can make natural wonderful face and hair masks ?

Have a great day. Stay beautiful.

Love,

Sophie

Homemade hair mask for all hair types

Hi ladies,

I want to share with you my own recipe of hair mask that I absolutely love.I had really dull, horrible hair, because I was always using the curling iron. Then I 've tried this after I read about all the benefits of all these natural oils, and it works! Its like I ve been to the hair salon and got a 200$ treatment.

 It's very simple, you will need :
- olive oil -2 spoons
-argan oil -5 drops
-grapefruit essential oil (not aromatherapy oil) - 2 drops

Olive oil prevents hair for falling, makes your hair shiny and soft. That's why it has been used for centuries as a natural hair conditioner.  It is loaded with antioxidants, which can keep the skin of your scalp in better shape. It can even reduce the damage done by hair care products or overuse of styling products.
Can remove any hair die you hate,also it fights off dandruff, helping keep your hair healthier.

Argan oil with lots of vitamin E, works on those split, dry ends.

Grapefruit oil gives the hair o boost of energy. Makes it thick and if you have oily hair, grapefruit essential oil is the solution.

So, take a bowl, mix the ingredients together with a dye brush or a spoon (whatever works for you) , and then you apply it from the ends, to the scalp. You insist on the ends of your hair.
Take care though, it stains so you might want to wear something that you won't miss after.
After you apply it, wrap your hair in a towel.
Wait for 20 minutes and wash your hair with your favorite shampoo. 

Done!

Love,
Sophie

Estee Lauder's "Smashed" nail polish review

Hi ladies,

I promised that I will review this nail polish, so here's my opinion about it.

I was super excited when I first purchased it because it was my first Estee Lauder nail polish, it was in the Lilly Pulitzer set and I was amazed by this wonderful sophisticated dark purple color. So I tired it on to see how many days it will last on my nails.

Despite the classy look of the bottle, and the wonderful color, for me it was so disappointing.
The brush made the product so hard to be applied. I hate that brush. Also the polish is hard to work with- too thick, dries so fast but not in a good way, and you definitely need 2 coats to have that professional finish.
Also I don't own a dishwasher so I need a long lasting nail polish because I m always doing the dishes, so my nails were intact just for one day. Just one ! After, they were a disaster.
I did not expected this, because I am satisfied with all of their other products... but this nail polish is a fail - despite the lovely appearance of it.

I give it 1 star out of 5, and if it would not purchase it in the future.
I think it costs about 15 to 20 $ I am not sure because I got this with the Lilly Pulitzer set, but for its high price I expected something else.So ladies, think twice before you purchase, that's my advice.


Take care , stay beautiful

Love,
Sophie

Estee Lauder 's Lilly Pulitzer set review

How are you , ladies?

I am super happy today because I got this beautiful makeup set from Estee Lauder -Lilly Pulitzer.

Who was Lillly ?

She was a famous fashion icon especially in the 60 's and 70 's. She started her career at her hubbies lemon juice stand. How crazy is that ?
 She designed a sleeveless dress made of cheerful, colorful printed cotton to wear when she was working. She found that customers loved her dress more than the juice, and decided to focus on designing and selling what had become known as her "Lillys".


The set

I love Estee Lauder products, they never let me down.
This kit contains : a colorful  makeup bag , a beautiful 8 colors eye shadow palette with a nice blending brush, a lipstick, one nail polish, one small sized mascara, one firming creme and a night serum.

The eye shadow palette

 -Has 8 beautiful neutral colors easy to work with, especially if you are using an eye primer first.
                             - hot cinnamon shimmer (n0. 33)
                             - nude fresco satin (n0. 47)
                             - sugar biscuit satin (n0. 60)
                             - tempting mocha shimmer (n0. 63)
                             - ivy envy satin (n0. 33)
                             - ivory slipper satin (n0. 10)
                             - smoky ember shimmer (n0. 07)
                             - amethyst spark shimmer (n0.09)

- Its more of a day time palette, but you could build a nice smoky eye too for evenings thanks to the darker shades
-I love the fact that this palette s design is small and compact, you can just throw it in the purse and you are ready to go.
-The shades are on a warm tone, very classy and not dusty at all, they can last all day on the lids.

The lipstick

N0. 86 called Tiger eye. It s long lasting, has a very nice, sweet scent.
Its a neutral color you can wear it on every occasion - day or night, summer or winter, office, restaurant, club.
It goes great with tanned/ caramel/ darker complexion because it has some gold shimmery flakes in the composition.

 The mascara (Bold volume lifting mascara)

This small sized mascara is really amazing just like every mascara from Estee Lauder. This one is black and gives thickness to your eyelashes.

The nail polish

I absolutely adore this nail polish. Its my first one from Estee Lauder and I will come back with a tutorial to inform you exactly how many days it lasts on nails.
It is a sexy plum color called Smashed. It works great especially on short nails.

The Skin products

Advanced night repair  Serum

Serums are working their wonders at night when you are indoors , away from the toxic chemicals and dust.
During the night skin repairs itself so this serum is helping a lot.
You just need a few drops of this potion to apply all over your clean face. It makes the skin so soft like you had a very expensive cosmetic treatment.
To complete the routine you can use the second product from this kit :

Resilience Lift - Firming/ sculpting face and neck creme

It smells great, it has a nice loose, consistence, i love the small recipient looks so precious.
It can be used on any type of skin, any age but i highly recommend not to use firming creams if you are too young. I think this is a more of a +25 range cream.
I leaves your skin so hydrated and soft and the bonus is that you can wear it also during the day time. Has a SPF of 15.

I payed for the set 32 Euros.
I give it 5 stars and will definitely repurchase it.
Ok, ladies so I hope this review helped.
Have a lovely day , stay beautiful.

Love,
Sophie

Make Up For Ever - Midnight Glow Palette review

Hello ladies,

Today I will be reviewing the Midnight glow palette from Make up forever.
I purchased it from Sephora (I payed for it 50 euros) and I was really excited because I never had any product from this brand.

Even though it is a winter edition I find this suitable for every season. 

It has 8 lovely colors (2 of them are matte)

1. Snow White
2. Gun Metal
3. Icy Blue
4. Icy Pink
5. 04 Matte Black
6. Gold Pink
7. Midnight Purple
8. 127 Metallic Taupe

What I liked :

-  the look of the palette, small compact, elegant.
-  the colors are lovely
-  the fact that it comes with 2 small professional (synthetic) brushes (one to be used for the crease and one for the inner corner of the eye)
-  the matte colors are easy to work with,  they blend really well.

What I did not liked

-  the shimmery colors are not very pigmented (they can barely show applied only once) and they are hard to work with so you need multiple layers of color to build a nice eye makeup
-   also you need an eye primer before applying them so if you don't have one, you will need to invest in a good primer (I recommend the Eyeshadow primer potion from Urban Decay)
 -  the palette is very pretty but the price is too high for what it offers I am disappointed and I thought this brand could offer more then it did
-  even though the final eye makeup result is wonderful , it lasts too long to conceive it, because you need to apply more then one, two layers of color (if you work with the shimmery ones)

Conclusions ?

I give it 2 stars out of 5
I won't repurchase it again

That's all for today ladies,

Love,

Sophie

Black XS Paco Rabanne for her Eau de Toilette review

Hello ladies,

I wanted to buy this perfume since I first got a sample from Sephora. So I did.

 

It is sharp after you apply it, and you can definitely feel the pepper in it, almost masculine. So spicy and woody, I like this effect on fragrances. It subtle reminded me of Jimmy Choo eau de parfum.  Also I loved the design of the bottle, so dark, mysterious and Gothic.
After a while, you can sense the berries,the warm vanilla and the creamy cocoa. But the notes are not that balanced, so the berries and the pepper are suffocating all the other ingredients (rose, violets).

I purchased the set (80ml Eau de Toilette+ 100ml body lotion)--60 Euros from a duty free shop. I thought its a great price, but when I got home I was disappointed. It does not last on my skin more then 2 hours. Also after using it for several days you tend to get bored with the fragrance because its too plain, too common. Like many other scents.

You can wear it during the day, night, summer, winter, autumn. Its a pleasant perfume overall, a bit sexy but it is definitely missing something.
The body lotion is smooth and lovely.

I give it 3.5 stars out of 5. I don't know if I would purchase it again, I think not. Just too common for my tastes.

 That's all for today,

Kiss you all

Love,
Sophie 

Agent Provocateur perfume review

Hi guys,

My name is Sophia and I am a perfume addict.
I own a LOT of them and I was really curious about this fragrance. I heard about Agent Provocateur a lot of rumors like its for "old ladies" but also I heard its incredibly seductive, so I purchased it. Blindly. Because they didn't had any tester.

I did a GREAT job.

And in spite of all the bad reviews, my nose is absolutely drawn by this sexy eau de parfum.

So, when I first smelled this, it was like a shock because its not a scent that you find easily these days. Its heavy. Really heavy. Not sweet heavy. Spicy-woody-floral heavy.
Its definitely a vintage-like perfume. Not for little girls, not for amateurs, not common at all. You need a lot of confidence to wear this.
Opposite to the "lolita" inocent look of the bottle, the aroma is incredible alluring, teasing to the point of mentally collapsing and seducing everyone in the room including yourself.
At first its really sharp but the scent opens after 10-15 minutes and it becomes warm, animalic, musky and leathery.
Saffron, amber, vetiver, a small hint of rose. I must say: I hate rose scents in my perfumes but in this one I think is a must and it doesn't bother me at all. 
Its more suitable for nights, but I love to wear this classy old school fragrance also in the middle of the day. Also I recommend this to be worn during the cold(ish) seasons because it can be really intense and even intoxicating if its to hot outside. Also a big plus - its extra long lasting.

From me this perfume would take 5 starts out of 5. Love it.
Price? 100 euros (105 $)
Definitely I ll repurchase this again.
I advice you to try it out before buying it because -like i said- its unique and you might love it, but hate it as well. There s no mediocrity with this one.

Kisses from me,

S.