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?