Big Bang!

Unless you live underwater, you must have at least once heard of this Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer ( or Rimmel London Show off, in the US ). I was not really interesting on trying because I am not really a fan of lip lacquer in general. But asos was having sale on some Rimmel London products and the apocalips were marked down to 4€ instead of 7 or 8€ so I decided to give it a try.

The packaging is okay for drugstore brand. It is nothing spectacular but it is not bad either. It comes with a doe foot applicator which does its job very well.

The shade I picked ; Big Bang, is a bright chili red. It is very bright it looks almost neon. The texture is lightweight and reminds me a bit of the YSL glossy stain. When first applied, it feels very liquidy, like a lip stain, but later it feels a bit 'lip gloss like'. The formulation is very interesting. Oh but it smells a bit weird , kind of plasticky.

I fell in love with how vibrant it is. But I don't really feel comfortable wearing super bright bold lips in Summer especially when it is 30'C outside. But I found another way to wear this lip lacquer without being too much. So, first I apply it normally then blot it with tissue paper. It then leaves a very nice  pinkish stain and it stays on very long.

To be honest, I like it better when it's blotted. Mainly because I have too many similar vibrant red shades so this one is not something very different. But the pinkish stain is something different as I don't own a lot of lip stain and this one is not drying at all and looks natural as if my lips were naturally pink.

Overall, it is a very nice product but I don't think I'll buy another shades in the near future because I have too many lip products I barely use.

Which finish do you like better? blotted or non blotted?
Love,
Pam

Essence Top 5 + 1

When I looked through my make up collection, I saw a lot of Essence products. Essence is a drugstore brand which is very affordable and easily accessible in Germany so that's why I have so many Essence products. But not all Essence products that I own are hits, some of them are also misses or average in terms of quality ( e.g the foundation/bb cream, eye shadows, lipsticks, and some nail polish shades ) . Here are my top 5 + 1 ( because I simply couldn't decide :p ) Essence picks.

1. Essence's Limited Edition Blushes - I notice that Essence does a lot of great limited edition blushes. I have tried their blushes from their permanent range but they are not as good as the ones from the limited edition. The pigmentation of Essence blushes are amazing , the quality is simply great for such a fraction of price.
2. Essence Fix & Matte Translucent Loose Powder - A very good finishing powder. The powder is finely milled and it does its job very well. It retails for 3.45€ and you get 15 gr of product which is a lot for the price. It is not the best finishing powder in the market but it is very affordable and a good drugstore alternative for people who don't want to spend more money on higher end brands.
3. Essence Stay With Me Lip Gloss - I've done a full review with swatches here. I am actually not a lip gloss person but I have almost every single shade of this lip gloss simply because they are amazing. And they are only 1,49€ each!
4. Essence Better Than Gel Nails Topcoat - My all time favorite topcoat. I've tried Sally Hansen Instadry and essie good to go and the topcoat from OPI which I forgot the name but none is as good as this one from Essence. It does dry up pretty quick and it gets gloopy easily but it is only 2,49€ so I don't mind buying one like once in a month. 
5. Essence I Love Stage Eye shadow base - I've emptied maybe 3 or 4 tubes of this eyeshadow base. It works for me better than Too Faced Eyeshadow Insurance, Artdeco eyeshadow base or the Rival de Loop one. It is so pigmented that it can also be use as concealer. 
6. Essence Eyebrow Designer - I don't own any other eye brow pencils because I am so happy with this one. I usually mix 2 shades ; the blonde and brown to get my perfect eyebrow shade. It is also perfect for touch up because it is easy and it has the brow brush on the cap. 

Is Essence available in your country? Do you have favorite product from Essence?

Love,

Pam

Bellapierre 5 in 1 Compact Mineral Foundation

I was never aware of Bellapierre cosmetics brand before. I can remember I saw some of their products in my local TK Maxx for cheaper price but I was never interested to try, mainly because of their packaging doesn't look appealing and their price is relatively high.

But few weeks ago, I was browsing in Galeries Lafayette and one very nice SA asked me to try out their products. He was very nice and sweet I couldn't say no -___-

And as predicted, I went home with the 5in1 compact mineral foundation, 30% because I liked the finish on my face and 70% because of the SA was just very nice and I would feel bad walking home with empty hand. >.<

The SA said to me that this foundation is made of all natural ingredients that it is very safe for our skin and it will make my skin looking better after some time. He even suggested not to remove this foundation at night and sleep with it, which I don't dare doing. I had no experience with mineral make up before so I was a bit skeptical with his claims. He also told me that this foundation was meant to be an easy solution for busy women because it is all in one product. Foundation, concealer, setting powder, finishing powder and sunscreen.  

The foundation comes in a compact case which is made of very light-cheap looking plastic. It doesn't have a good weight and it looks very flimsy. I am not impressed at all with the packaging since the foundation is not cheap. It costs 39€ / 10 gr of product.

This is what Bellapierre said on their website :

Mineral pressed 5 in 1 Foundation compact BellaPierre Pressed mineral foundation, 5 in-1 is a natural mineral makeup which can be used as a concealer, mineral foundation, setting powder and SPF 15 protection all in one. Our mineral foundation is made with pure mineral pigments ground to the smoothest texture and bound with soothing Jojoba Oil. Our full-coverage mineral foundation is actually good for your skin. Our mineral foundation combines the beauty affects you desire, with the natural skincare you deserve.

BEFORE

BEFORE-AFTER

AFTER

My main problem with my face is redness, spider veins and some hyper pigmentations, it is not difficult to find foundation that works for my face as I fortunately don't deal with acnes and major blemishes. But I have combination skin that tends to get oilier especially in summer. It is summer now in Berlin and the weather has been freakingly hot lately. And it is difficult to find a good base make up that doesn't melt or make my face even oilier.

This foundation from Bellapierre provides a very buildable coverage, you can apply it very sheer, medium or even full coverage, something about the formula is very interesting. It also works well as setting powder without being cakey if you need touch up on the go ( the compact case is not good for touch up though , as it is very flimsy and the powder is very powdery so it gets messy ). 

It covers my imperfections very well though some red spots on my cheeks still need concealer. It feels very lightweight maybe because of the powder texture. I can feel that it doesn't cling on to my pores as well. 

I had no big expectation on this foundation as my main reason buying it, was only because of the nice SA, but after more than 2 weeks wearing this foundation, I must say I started to love it. It is perfect for the hot temperature now because it keeps my face not greasy for a long time. I use my Benefit Porefessional as primer and sunscreen from Paul&Joe under this foundation but I don't really need to use concealer under my eye area, only on some little spots on the cheeks.

The finish is very natural like 2nd skin. I was worried at first because of the powder texture it might look mask-like and patchy but luckily it doesn't. 

It is overall a very very nice foundation and it deserves more attentions. But they really should work on the packaging as it doesn't look expensive at all. Other than that, if you have access to Bellapierre where you live, ask for sample first and give it a chance. You'll be surprise.

Have you ever heard of the brand before?

Love,

Pam

Catrice Pure Shine Color Lip Balm

Another beauty brand that jumps on the chubby stick band wagon ; Catrice. As a general fan of Catrice product and also this new chubby stick hype, I was surprised and excited when I found this new line of lipstick-balm-in pen form on my local drugstore as the press release said it won't be out till August. There were only 4 shades available at that moment ( the press release said 8 ) and I decided on this redish shade ; I don't Red It.

The new pure shine color lip balm from Catrice comes in a packaging that looks very very similar to the one from Clinique. The material of the packaging though, feels a bit different on my hands. The one from Clinique feels heavier and more sturdy while the one from Catrice feels more plasticky. But I don't see it as a minus point since the one from Catrice costs only 4,99€ while the Clinique one costs 19,99€.

I don't Red It is a sheer tomato red with glossy-balmy finish. The texture is very balmy and moisturizing and more similar to the chubby stick one, if I compare it with another version from Astor which is more similar to Revlon Lip Butter. 

The pigmentation is sheer to medium but I like to apply it sheer as it looks more natural and pretty. It looks like my lips are naturally plump and red. 

It applies very easy and glides on smoothly on the lips. It doesn't accentuate the lip lines as well.

The staying power is okay, around 2 -3 hours with no major eating. I am very happy with this new trend as they are easy to apply, looks natural on the lips and cause no fuss especially on hot summer months.

Good job, Catrice!

Love,

Pam

Shades of Grey

No, this post is not going to be about Mr.Grey but about grey nail polishes ;P

I've been wearing grey a lot on my nails recently. There is something about grey that makes it look shoppisticated, smart but not boring. Agree? 

1. Essence Colour & Go #142 "Grey to Be Here" - It is a sheer light grey nail polish with micro shimmer particles. It needs 3 coats to get opaque as it is quite sheer. 
2. P2 Volume Gloss Gel Look Nail Polish #020 "Business Woman" - The name fits perfectly as it is a very nice and office appropriate color. It leans a bit towards lavender. The formulation of this gel look nail polish from p2 is great. 
3. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure #312 "Greige" - My absolute favorite. It is the true grey shade, a bit darker than the others. I love the formulation and it stays on for dayyyys without chipping. Love love love
4. Manhattan Nail Polish #005 - This shade is a very pretty lighter grey. I always like Manhattan nail polishes as they have nice quality for affordable price.
5. Art Deco Ceramic Nail Lacquer #108 - A more blue-ish grey , looks similar to the Manhattan one, only a little bit darker in color. The formulation is a bit thick and creamy but it applies smoothly and not gloopy. But it chips easily no matter what top coat I use.

Do you like grey nail polish? What is your favorite grey nail polish?

PS : btw, did you read the book 50 shades of grey? do you like it? I have read it and i found it fun and interesting,but it is for me just another romance popcorn chicklit with a bit of erotic touch. But I am excited for the movie. :D

Love,

Pam