Make-up of the day - Laura Mercier Colour-To-Go Portable Palette for Eyes, Cheeks & Lips

Almost all the brands, from time to time, release those limited-edition, all-in-one palettes that contain mostly colourful eyeshadows, dodgy lip glosses (with no colour pay-off) and bad-quality brushes. Having said that, there are a few exceptions that confirm the rule and Laura Mercier Colour-To-Go Portable Palette for Eyes, Cheeks & Lips in Natural Nude (what a mouthful!) is one of them. I absolutely love it and use it almost every day. That's why I thought that, instead of reviewing the whole palette, I would I show you how it works as a part of my daily make-up routine.

Ecoholism or are we being manipulated?

Last Thursday my husband gave me an interesting albeit controversial article to read. It really made me think. It was written by Johan Norberg, a writer and historian, who decided to contribute to a heated debate about natural ingredients in food and cosmetics. His claim was that we were being manipulated by an overwhelming eco-fashion, enhanced by pseudo-scientific claims which makes us believe that chemicals means potential death and natural is the only way to live. 

November favourites 2013

Left: NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner, La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo, Lernberger Stafsing Blowdry. Front: Benefit Rockateur, O.P.I Make Him Mine

I'm sorry to come so late with my favourites but, as the saying goes, "better late than never." Here comes a list of products I particularly enjoyed in November. I chose something from skincare, haircare and, of course, make-up. You will probably notice that some products have already appeared in my previous posts - I guess this is a clear sign I am really obsessed with them.

Brand focus: top products from NARS

From left:  lipstick in Dolce Vita, Creamy Concealer in Honey, Bronzer Laguna, Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, Blush in Luster

NARS is definitely one of those brands I would like to try almost everything from. Expensive but beautiful, with stunning packaging, great quality and some absolute must-haves. NARS is my particular favourite when it comes to face powders and lip products.I haven't been disappointed with any of my purchases from NARS but there are a few little gems that I feel I can recommend to everybody.

Christmas nails

Me and my husband are going to a Christmas party tonight and I felt inspired to do my nails 'festive-style'. And then I thought: why not to share it with you? I might have gone a bit crazy there with colours and glitter but I just love the way it turned out.

How to: Shop online! Part One

Christmas is coming and we are all out on a hunt for those perfect gifts - not only for our family and friends but also for ourselves. The pre-Christmas time is a period of special offers, discounts and amazing value box sets. Particularly when it comes to beauty - online shops are filled with tempting treats and gift ideas. 
Now I know that I promised you a post about online shopping long time ago. It took me ages but I finally got round to doing it. Here comes a list of my favourite beauty websites. In Part Two I will focus on my personal tricks and tips when it comes to shopping online and all the pitfalls that await you on the Internet.

Quick look - review of Lush Big shampoo

I do like Lush. I know, that when it comes to this brand, there are those who absolutely adore the whole "Lushy" culture and those that get a headache just from passing by their heavily scented shops. I had an opportunity to try almost everything from their range and I truly enjoyed their unique types of formula, the way the products looked and the way they worked.
While - like with every brand - there are some hits and misses when it comes to Lush, one product stands out and I can sincerely recommend it to everyone - their volumizing shampoo BIG .

TOP 5 - Lipsticks for Autumn/Winter

Remember how I said that I liked changing the colour of my nail polish depending on the time of the year? Well, the same rules applies to lipsticks. Here is a pick of my 5 favourite lipsticks for this season. Read more for pictures and swatches.

Mail from America - Sephora Superstars 2013

We all know about a huge gap between beauty industry when it comes to American and European markets. How many times have we heard bloggers and vloggers complain about all the lovely products that are not available in Europe or about the limited releases that some brands offer only across the pond? The differences are also in prices - beauty products in North America are significantly cheaper, not to mention that their drugstores and Sephora- my favourite shop of all time - are far better stocked.
Especially when it comes to Christmas, every European beauty addict gets her mouth watery seeing all the amazing box sets, limited edition collections and saver deals. I usually try to keep it calm and wait for my chance to get my hands on a product but when I saw a video of Tati from GlamLifeGuru showing Sephora Super Stars Beauty Must Haves - I had to have it! Luckily, my friends living in America helped me with the purchase and I can share it with you.

My cleansing routine

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Toner, REN Clarifying Clay Cleanser, M.A.C Cleanse Off Oil, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, Bioderma Micelle Solution

I believe in clear skin. I also believe that making this extra effort to remove your make-up and wash your face every evening is a recipe for healthy and beautiful complexion. I'm sure I'd mentioned this before but - just to put it out there - cleansing is what I enjoy the most in my skincare routine. I love discovering new products and finding those that work well together to create a perfect combination for my skin type. The actual routine differs sometimes depending on my skin's needs and on the amount of make-up I have on but there is one thing I always try to be consistent about - washing my face every night regardless of how tired or lazy I feel.

The face mask fix....

Back: Origins Clear Improvement, Origins Drink-Up Intensive, Nude Miracle Mask, Bliss Steep Clean. Front: Ren Glycolactic Mask, Bio-line Red Clay, Ziaja Nourishing Mask.

 We don't always have time or means to go to professional beauty salons and get expensive hour-long facials. Having said that, devoting 10-20 minutes of our weekly time to a skincare treatment sounds doable and will definitely provide our complexion with many long-term benefits. Face masks are aimed at various problems, differ in formulas and are less or more effective but they all have one thing in common -  they are to make us look better, practically after one use, and improve the general quality of our skin. I am a dedicated user of face masks and I apply them religiously twice a week. I generally divide them into three categories - cleansing masks, radiance masks and moisturizing masks.

Quick look: review of M.A.C Pro Longwear Paint Pot in 'Perky'

Today is one of those weird, rainy and gloomy days when I know I have so much to do but have no incentive to actually do it. Feeling this way, I thought I could scribble down a short review of my new 'go-to' product - something fun and enjoyable to write to take my mind away from all those pending tasks. 

I do love M.A.C paint pots - they were my first ever cream-based products to stay on my eyelids for the whole day and function both as an all-over-lid colour and as a base for other eyeshadows. Perky is the new favourite in my collection, mainly for its amazing brightening effect and staying power.

Make-up of the day

I was just preparing a long post about Internet shopping (coming soon!) when I thought I could add a short note about my daily make-up. Of course, what I wear on my face changes all the time, especially when it comes to eyeshadow and lip colours. Hence, I decided to title the series "make-up of the day" rather than "make-up routine" as -let's be honest- I ain't follow no routine ;).

Treasures of...Greece

I hope for the "Treasures of..." series to be particularly useful to those of you who love to try new, often unique, cosmetics from all over the world. In today's post I focus on Greece - one of my favourite countries when it comes to natural beauty products. Greeks now how to transform raw ingredients, such as various oils and fruit extracts, into the most amazing and effective beauty remedies. 

Brand focus: goodies from Kiehl's

Left: Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner, Over-Night Biological Peel, Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser, Creamy Eye Treatment, Ultra Light Daily Defense.

I like reading blog posts devoted to a particular brand. Sometimes it is simply useful to know what particular label has to offer, especially when encountering their products for the first time. I had a look at my own stash and I realized there're certain brands I clearly lean towards. 
I hope to make this a regular thing on my blog and I thought I could start with one of my beloved skincare brands - Kiehl's.

October favourites 2013

Left: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused light, Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Grey Pearl, REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser, Origins Drink Up Intensive, Origins Plantscription Concealer in 02Light/Medium

October is one of my favourite months. It is the month of change. New, warmer clothes, different shades of lipsticks and nail polishes,weather-adjusted skincare. Last month I got to try a number of exciting products, both from the make-up and skincare department. Here comes a list with a brief review of each and every item.

Metallic nails

From left: Zoya Jules, Dior Destin, Chanel Quartz, Butter London Yummy Mummy, Orly Rage

The winter is coming, no denying that. I live in Sweden and at this time of the year we hardly get any sun. Along with the changing weather, my nail colour preferences change as well. I say goodbye to orange reds, bright purples, neon pinks and minty colours (even to my favourite Essie's Mint Candy Apple). I make room for burgundy and plummy nail polishes, for greys and browns and finally for that full-on sparkle and glitter.

The Brow Fix

We all love to make an impression with our make-up. Finding the right foundation, mastering your eyeliner skills and blending those eyeshadows seamlessly - ultimate goals of every make-up obsessed girl. But what about those eyebrows? Don't they feel a bit neglected from time to time? Yes, we do give them the occasional trim and pluck but to actually spend money and time to make them perfect?

First time for everything

Hello everybody,
I'm doing it! Writing my own beauty (lifestyle?) blog. It took me two years and two failed attempts but I finally made it here.
I've been following blogs and vlogs for over four years now. I love beauty but I never thought it could turn into a real hobby. I constantly read about products, ingredients and latest trends. I learn new things everyday - sometimes through other bloggers and sometimes simply by trying, testing and using the products.