Brand Focus - Top 5 Products from Benefit Cosmetics

There are certain brands out there that I find slightly confusing. On the one hand, they come out with some great products that everyone raves about but, at the same time, they regularly release items that really fail to impress. I find Benefit to be one of those brands. They are great at enticing customers with cute packaging and some unique-looking products but there are as many misses as there are hits among the Benefit range. 

Taking that into consideration I thought that my next Brand Focus post should be devoted to Benefit Cosmetics to help you find and select some real gems among their offering, especially if you encounter this brand for the first time. 

Shopping Time - Testing New Products

Every time I go to Stockholm I end up treating myself to some beauty products. I just cannot help myself. Stockholm, being the capital city, has the best selection of shops and unique brands and only there can I smell, swatch and feel some of the products I read about on the Internet. My recent visit was no exception. Truth to be told, one item was a  re-purchase and two I considered 'necessary' as I run out of their predecessors but a few wishlist items ended up in my basket as well.

January Favourites - 2014

How exciting it is to start a year with some new cosmetics and new favourites. I got to try a number of amazing products last month and got to re-discover some old ones too. Some of them may even become my all-time favourites. Check out this post to read more about what I used in January.

Long-lasting Make-up - Face Primers

My friend Kristin asked me the other day to give her some advice on long-lasting make-up to use on her wedding day in August. So I thought I could turn it into a short series about those top-quality products that will help your make-up stay in place for many hours. Useful for weddings, parties and those important, long days at work.
We will start with face primers - something I use only occasionally, when I need my face to look perfect and smooth. Primers, often silicone based, are used after your daily moisturizer but before foundation  There are different types of primers: smoothing, matifying, brightening and colour-correcting but their major role is to create a smooth surface on the skin which helps the foundation look seamless, pores look smaller and make-up hold longer.

My tip is to let the primer set in before using foundation. I like giving it around 10 minutes.

TAG: All About Eyes

I am not a fan of those beauty and non-beauty tags which are so popular in the blogging and vlogging community. Usually I just find them a bit superficial and, frankly, boring, especially if you are out there to find some valid information about particular products. One tag, however, has caught my attention and I've been religiously reading posts and watching videos related to this topic. The tag - All About Eyes - is focused on cosmetics related to our eyes, both from skincare and make-up. And then I thought... why not to do the same thing on my blog so you can get a bit of insight into my top 'eye" products.

Sunday Spa - Ziaja Antibacterial Algae Gel Mask

Sundays are usually my spa days. I make time for some hair treatments, pedicure and manicure and for face masks. Those moments are particularly exciting when I get to try a new product and this Sunday it has been Ziaja Antibacterial Gel Mask with 100% algae spirulina.

I purchased this mask from my beautician who recommended it after hearing about my problems with hormonal break-outs. This mask is supposed to be perfect for problematic skin as spirulina algae has clarifying and antibacterial properties.

Winter Special: How to take care of your lips in the winter time?

 Together with dropping temperature and falling snow our bodies begin to protest. Skin becomes sensitive and red, hair frizzy and brittle and our lips chapped and dry. This is the time of the year when I stock up on moisturizing body butters, hair oils and lip balms. Especially when it comes to the lip balms, I have quite an obsession. I love bright and dark lipsticks but that means my lips have to be in perfect condition. Therefore, I do have quite a collection of lip balms - both from from drugstore and high-end brands - so let me give you a quick run-through of my top lip saviours.

Brand focus: Bath and Body Works

Remember how I told you about all the differences between America and Europe when it comes to shopping for beauty? Well, one of the major disadvantages of the European market is that many American brands are simply not available here. One of them is definitely Bath and Body Works. If The Body Shop and Yankee Candle had a baby together, Bath and Body Works would be that baby. I can only describe it as a scent shop: a place where you will find beautifully smelling candles and matching body lotions : things for your body care and for your senses.
Bath and Body Works has only recently opened its stores in three European countries: Russia, Turkey and... Poland. Therefore, I finally had a chance to get my hands on some of their stuff and I can now review them for you. Unfortunately, the brand is still not available in Britain or Sweden.

December favourites 2013

From left: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo, L'oreal Mythic Oil, Nivea Q10 Plus, Emma Hardy Amazing Moringa Cleansing Balm, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, Real Techniques Contour Brush, M.A.C Blot Powder

Ladies and gentlemen - last favourites for 2013! After careful consideration I decided to write about products I enjoyed using in December rather than make a long post about 2013 beauty favourites. I just thought that, given that my blog is still relatively new, it actually does not make much sense to sum up a whole year at this stage. So here are my December awards:

What I got for Christmas - Skincare and Make-up

I can't believe that December is already over and 2014 has begun. I spent Christmas with my parents in Poland and had an opportunity to meet both my family and my friends. Those last two weeks of December were so busy I didn't have time to look around the shops for new cosmetics but I was lucky to receive so many lovely Christmas presents that I thought I could show you some of the things I got.

Quick Look: Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

It's here - fresh from the bakery and still smelling new - the latest addition to the Naked family. When I heard that Urban Decay releases Naked 3, I knew I had to have it. When it comes to Urban Decay and their nude palettes I trust the brand so much I don't even feel like checking for similar colours in my collection. I just want them all because I truly believe UD makes the best nude eyeshadows.