My Makeup Favourites for a Classic Chic Look ♥

Hello everyone !

Today, I'm showing you my favourite products to use when I want to create a classic but chic look, for example for birthdays or nights out. On these occasions I tend to go with a simple look, and put my efforts in my outfit intead ! 

So here are some of the products I usually use :

When you want to go for a chic look, you have to pay attention to skin and make it look flawless. The best thing for that is to wear a good foundation. Mine is the Mat Velvet + by Makeup Forever, which I reviewed here. It's quite thick and has a good coverage, so maybe some people wouldn't like to use it on a daily basis because of this coverage. But for a special occasion, it's perfect to make your skin look perfect and matte for a long time !

My eye makeup for this type of look is winged eyeliner and long lashes. There is nothing as lovely and easy as that ! Well, it can be difficult sometimes to match both eyes for the eyeliner but the more you practice, the better you get at it ! My eyeliner is the Super Liner by L'Oréal. The brush is not the thinnest you could find, but I don't really like thin eyeliner, so I don't mind. It's still quite precise and handy ! My mascara at the moment is the Millions de Cils So Couture by Maybelline. It is great ! It makes the lashes look longer and it gives it a nice curl. For a night look you could add fake lashes of course, to make the eye makeup look more dramatic.

To go with eyeliner, red lips are the way to go ! There are so many red lipsticks and mine is a Kiko. It's a simple satin red lipstick, with orange undertones. 

Finally, to give more definition to the face, you could use a bronzer (but I don't haha) and add a bit of red on the cheeks. The Benetint by Benefit is great for that, because I feel like when you have red lips, you want to have something more subtle on the cheeks to make your complexion look more natural. The Benetint gives you a slight red shade on the apples of the cheeks, and as it's a liquid formula it stays on the skin for a long time, no need for touch-ups ! (except for the lips of course ;) )

That's it for my classic chic look ! This combo works fine on everybody I think, and it's timeless :)

Julia xx

Review : Effaclar K, by Laroche-Posay

Having oily skin is one of the most annoying things in the world. You just have to check all the time if you're not shining like a disco ball haha. It's even worse during the summer, when the sun is out, because mattifying products don't last for so long. 

I'm trying to improve my skin by testing new products, and for about a month I've been using the Effaclar K by Laroche-Posay.

(Yes, it is Marie Antoinette in the background)

I read a lot of good reviews about it, and as it is a pharmacy product, I knew it would be more efficient than a drugstore brand product.

It is supposed to improve the look of the skin, diminish the spots and keep the face more matte and clear. It is a treatment that can be used in the morning and/or at night before bed.

In the morning, you can apply it under the makeup as a base, but I always apply my moisturising cream afterwards, and my makeup only after. 

After about a week of using it, I noticed a change on my skin. It is a lot clearer, I have fewer spots depending on the days - sometimes I have none at all (which happens very rarely to me !), sometimes I've still got a few, but they disappear quicker than before. 

Concerning the mattifying aspect, I'm not sure if it does help or not. My skin is not at its worse now so I'm quite happy about it, but it still gets oily after a few hours, especially when I'm out under the sun. But there is a product from Laroche-Posay supposed to make your skin matte, and I'm probably going to buy it and pair it with this one to see how it goes. 

But the Effaclar K is a really nice product in itself and does a good job at clearing your skin. There are several Effaclar (the letter after changes depending on the type of skin it is made for), I know there is one for sensitive skin for example.

If you struggle to keep a nice spotless skin, you should really try this product or any of the same range, they all seem very helpful !

Julia xx

My makeup favourites for a nude look ♥

Hello !

Instead of doing a post with my favourite beauty items in general, I've decided to split my favourites into a series of several themes. I'm starting with my favourite products to use to create a nude look !

Most days, I tend to go for natural makeup, without eyeshadow or strong lipstick, just because I can't be bothered to do it all the time. But a nude look doesn't mean a bare face either, and it's always pleasant to have a nice result with only a few products and very little time ! :)

Here are my favourite products I always use to achieve a quick nude look :

For the skin, I only use a bit of concealer (the Full Cover by Makeup Forever) to hide redness, spots and dark circles. After that I apply some powder, the Stay Matte by Rimmel, which is very good to keep a matte look for a while.

Then to add a bit of light, I use a tiny bit of High Beam highlighter by Benefit. It is so pretty, I adore it ! I put it on my browbone and on the top of my cheekbones, it gives a nice glow to the face without being too shimmery, which I really like - I'm not keen on proper glitter anywhere else than on my eyelids !

Of course you could add some blush on the cheeks and that's what I do usually, but I don't have a favourite in this category, I tend to use by Sephora pink blush (which has no name) all the time. Just a bit of pink on the cheeks make you look more alive !

For the eyes, I use my Vibrant Eye pencil by Kiko as an eyeliner. The colour is a dark brown which looks more natural and neutral than black, and which fits a nude look better. This pencil is really smooth and you can blend it easily if needed. The only other thing I wear on my eyes is mascara, and my favourite ever is the They're Real by Benefit - nothing new here, everybody knows how great it is !

(yep the pencil is disgusting and not even sharpened... sorry for that !)

Last but not least, I stick to a very light pink for my lips with the Apocalips by Rimmel (named "Show off" in France, no idea why they changed the name), this is the colour 201 "Solstice" - again the names are different in France, but this one really looks like the "Galaxy" colour you have in anglophone countries. It is not a real nude, more of a pink with a slight shimmer, but it looks natural enough.

I've added what I would use on my nails to complete the look : the is the Maybelline Forever Strong Pro  in the colour "ivory rose". It is a simple beige nail polish, which applied in three coats gives you the best nude nails ever. It is so chic and makes your hands look like delicate princess hands ! The brush is nice and thick also, like the Essie brushes, so you apply it very easily. A must have !

There you have it, my favourite beauty items for a nude look ! Maybe you have and love some of these already :)

These pinks and beiges are the best colours to make you look nice but effortless !

Julia xx

My Empties #2

Hello everybody !

I've been finishing a lot of products lately, so it's the perfect time for an empties blog post ! I've got hair products, face products, moisturisers... Quite a few essential items ! But are they good ? Let's see...

1/ Dove Hair Therapy Intensive Repair mask

I heard of the quality of Dove products through Faye's blog. She said their range of skin and hair products were really good, so it made me curious. After all, they're quite cheap so if they are efficient, that must be worth trying !

I went for their Intensive Repair mask, as my hair is dry I want to moisturise it as much as possible. And it is indeed a good product ! It leaves your hair shiny and soooo soft, that's amazing. I already bought it again !

2/ Huile Prodigieuse by Nuxe

(The label has come off but I hope you recognise the iconic bottle !)

Everybody knows the Huile Prodigieuse, I'm sure - and so you all know how good it is. It is a dry oil that yoy can use for pretty much everything : your skin, your face, your hair. It smells really good, and what I love about it is the fact that even though it's an oil, it sinks in the skin very quickly. It works very well as a hair treatment : you can use it as a mask, leave it for a few hours, and it definitely moisturises your hair. 

I bought it again because I can't live without it, and I'm thinking about buying the glittery oil for the summer, it would look absolutely wonderful on the skin under the sun!

3/ Moisturising hand cream by Sephora, cotton flower

I'm always trying new hand creams, because my hands are dry all the time and I like to take care of them. I had never tried a Sephora hand cream before, and I've got mixed feelings about it. The thing that I love the most about it is its smell : I love anything that smells like cotton or light flowers.

For the moisture however, this cream is not the most effective : it does give you some moisture at the beginning, but it is not enough for me, especially during the winter when you need a super protection from the cold. This cream is more of a "light spring hand cream", but as it is not moisturising enough, I won't buy it myself (I got this one for my birthday from a lovely friend).

4/ Nivea Aqua Effect refreshing cleansing gel

I've already made a blog post about how I love this cleanser, so I won't be too long for this now !

This Nivea Aqua Affect cleansing gel works so well for me, it really purifies my skin and leaves it soft and clear. It's the only cleanser that I'm using at the moment, and I've probably bought it over four times already, but I'm happy with it so I'll stick with it until I find one even better !

5/  L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Miscellar Solution

I made a review about this miscellar solution a few months ago saying how good it was, so if you haven't read it made you should check it out, if you're interested :)

This is a very nice product, it does its job well and if you're looking for a nice, neutral makeup remover, this is the one for you ! By the time I'm writing this, I've already finished my second bottle and I've repurchased it again haha.

6/ Garnier Moisture Match, combination to oily skin

The Moisture Match range has a lot of different creams, for all types of skin. The green one is for combination to oily skin. I'm always on the hunt for a good mattifying cream, and even though this one is nice (smells good, quite light and moisturising), I'm not impressed by it and it doesn't really have any mattifying power. I didn't rebuy it, but it is a nice product anyway, it would suit combination skin better I guess !

7/ L'Oréal Ever Pure Shampoo, colour care and moisture

I dye my hair red, and it is one of the most difficult colours to keep. And I heard that sulfate-free hair products helps the colour to stay bright longer, and of course this L'Oréal shampoo was mentioned as a good product to use. Now that I've tried it myself, I'm quite disappointed because it didn't do anything more than the shampoo I used before. The colour didn't stay on longer than before, my hair wasn't smoother nor healthier, as it was supposed to be because of the absence of sulfates.

I didn't repurchase it, and I'm still hoping I'll find the perfect shampoo for coloured hair one day !

8/ Kiko Invisible Powder

To end this post on a more positive note, I really recommend this powder if you're in a country where you can find Kiko stores (I konw they aren't everywhere yet).

It mattifies the skin very well, sets the makeup on and gives a really nice finish to the skin. Also, it lasts a long long time, I've had this one for more than a year before running out of it. I don't remember its price but I can tell you it's cheap (nothing like the HD powder by Make Up Forever !) and the quality is really good compared to the price. Needless to say, I bought it again already and I can't go out without having applied it on my makeup !

***

Well, that was a long one ! I've been collecting these over the past few weeks, but still, I think I have never finished so many products at the same time before haha.

I hope this can be useful to you, to give you an idea of what could be worth buying and what is not !

Julia xx

Wishlist : Spring '14

I haven't made a wishlist in ages ! Maybe because I haven't bought many things either during the last months. But now that we're in spring (and almost in summer, who could believe time would pass so quickly !), I decided it was finally time for a new wishlist.

So here are all the things I want to buy in the upcoming months ! :

1. Dahlia Noir, by Givenchy (50mL), 62,90€ in Sephora. I got this perfume for Christmas and I've finished it, sadly ! It smells sooo good and is perfect for the season, that's why I need it again in my life.

2. Fit Me Concealer, Maybelline, around 9€. I've heard many good things about this concealer, and I'm almost running out of my Full Cover Concealer by MUFE, and I can't afford another one right now haha. We'll see if this one's good !

3. Effaclar K, Laroche-Posay, around 12€. This product is a sort of base/cream for combination to oily skin, supposed to reduce spots, regulate the sebum of the skin, make it look clearer, etc. Again I've heard good things about it, and Laroche-Posay is a nice brand for skin-related products. 

4. They're Real mascara, Benefit, 25€. I've got this mascara in sample size, and I'm afraid it'll run out soon. It is such a good mascara, I must buy it again !

5. Wives and Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell. I've watched the BBC adaptation of 1999 of the novel, and I loved it so much I want to read it now (I'll probably make a blog post about it by the way). Nineteenth century literature is my favourite, so I know I'll have a great time reading the book.

Well, that's it for my spring wishlist ! I could add some other things in it, but they aren't items in particular, more like "categories of things I need to get" : some pastel nail polishes, new black treggings, a mid-season jacket... Let's hope I will find all these things !

Julia xx

Review : Green Clay Mint Mask, by Cattier

Hello !

I'm not sure if the brand Cattier is well-known or sold everywhere, but I've been using this clay mask for a while and I thought it would be interesting to make a review of it. It is the mask for oily skin (there is an entire range for different types of skin).

I'd never heard of Cattier before buying this mask, and I chose it completely randomly one day as I was looking around in a pharmacy. Clay is good for the skin, and especially for oily skin - it takes off the excess of sebum, purifies and matifies very well.

The clay looks like this :

So basically, you apply the clay on your face (obviously, be careful around the eyes !), and you leave it on for ten minutes, then you take it off and your skin's ready. The thing with clay masks is that you musn't let it dry on the skin, and I learnt that only a few months ago ! If the clay starts drying, you have to wet it a bit.

The product is sooo annoying to take off, it takes ages and leaves your washbasin green, but in the end it is worth it. My skin is so soft and nice and matte when I use this mask, but it is also kind of light and clear too.

Of course, you should always moisturise your face once you've used clay, because it is naturally a bit drying.

The other good thing about this product is that it is labelled as organic, which is always nice.

I haven't tried any other products of this brand yet, but I'll probably buy some others because I definitely wasn't disappointed with this one !

Julia xx

My empties #1

Hi everyone !

Today I'm trying a new type of posts that I've seen in many other blogs but that I never thought about doing before. Empties posts are quite nice to discover new products or see if something is worth the try or not.

I've got five things that I've finished recently, so I'm going to show them to you and tell you what I think of them and if I'm going to repurchase them or not !

1/ Le Volume mascara, Chanel

I've spoken of this mascara in my all times favourites, some months ago. It is a really good product, makes your lashes look great. The brush is quite thick and takes every lash perfectly.

Although because of its price, I won't be buying it again for now (and I have a sample size of the great They're Real by Benefit to use hehe). But I'll surely buy it someday, because I loved it !

2/ Blueberry body butter, The Body Shop

I've had this body butter since last year, and I finally finished it ! I only used it during the autumn/winter times, so that's probably why it lasted me so long.

The smell is quite good, not too strong nor too sweet. And it lasts a few hours on the skin, which is always nice ! But I won't rebuy this one, because I want to try new scents from The Body Shop.

3/ Exfoliating body scrub, Galeries Lafayette

I bought this last summer during the sales, mainly because it was cheap and smelt good haha. It smells of iris, so a very floral and light scent. I used it as a scrub before using my shower gel, and it did a good job and left my skin soft. The exfoliating bits are tiny so they don't hurt your skin as some scrubs could do. But I won't be buying it again, because I have another one of the same brand to use !

It is only sold in the Galeries Lafayette in France I guess, but it is maybe something to try if you are in France and want a nice shower product !

4/ Gliss Ultimate Repair mask, Schwarzkopf

As I have curly coloured hair, I'm always on the hunt for a good mask that will moisturise my hair and leave it soft. I've tried sooo many that I couldn't list them all, but as I've just finished this one I can really say what I think about it.

It is one of those masks that you apply after your shampoo for a few minutes - I always left it for about three to five minutes. It does make your hair soft, and pretty shiny too. But this effect doesn't last, at least on me. If you have normal to dry hair I think it should work well - but if your hair is damaged or frizzy, it probably won't be enough.

Not sure I'll rebuy it because I'm always changing my hair routine (at this point this is not even a routine haha), but I can say that it's a pretty good product anyway!

5/ Vanilla dee-lite body lotion, Lush

I got this lotion on the Lush box I received for my birthday. I was excited to try it out, because I haven't had the chance to use a cream/body lotion from Lush before.

First, the smell is amazing. Although it is called Vanilla dee-lite, it doesn't smell of vanilla, but rather of jasmine, and it even reminds me a bit of lilac, which is my favourite flower ! So as you can imagine, I love the smell of it. It is very light-weight as it is a lotion obviously, and it is very refreshing. I would recommend it for the months of spring especially, because it is not at all a winter smell.

As it is very light, it doesn't moisturise your skin deeply, and if you have a very dry skin I would probably advise you to use a thicker texture. But I'd love to buy this again for spring and summer, I love it !

***

That's it for my first empties ! A lot of shower/body products as you can see, but naturally these are the ones we can finish the most easily. 

I'll do another empties post in a few months maybe, see if I can find new interesting products to show you !

Julia xx

Review : L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Miscellar Solution

Since I've discovered miscellar water and miscellar solutions to take makeup off, I haven't really found another type of makeup remover that satisfied me completely. Whenever I use a gel or a creamy texture, I feel like my face is still dirty and oily and I need to use a cleanser straight away to take off the makeup remover. With miscellar solutions, this didn't happen anymore !

My favourite one is the Bioderma miscellar solution for oily skin. As it is a French brand, I think you can't buy it in other countries, unless you buy it online of course. So I decided to try the L'Oréal one, which came out quite recently, and see if it was a good alternative to Bioderma.

Basically it's like water, but it does an incredible job at taking your makeup off. It doesn't have a scent, which is good if you don't like the (sometimes strong !) smells of common makeup removers.

It is really effective and takes off everything you have on your face very quickly and leaves your skin clean. I haven't tried it with waterproof mascara but I guess it should work well too.

The product claims to be good for dry and sensitive skin, and even though my skin isn't sensitive, from what I've heard it does indeed work well on these types of skin.

One thing though, you have to be careful when you put it on your cotton pad, the hole on the bottle is a bit too large so you could easily drop much more product than what you actually need.

It is nonetheless a good product, you won't be disappointed about it's efficiency ! But I think I still prefer the "eau miscellaire" by Bioderma (and that's the one I'll be buying next time). But for people who can't have easy access to Bioderma, this L'Oreal miscellar solution is still a good alternative !

Julia xx

Lush birthday haul

Hey there !

Since it was my birthday on the 25th of October, I received some Lush products (all of my friends know that I'm a huge Lush fan !). I thought I would share them with you, and give my thoughts on the items that I've already tested. Let's go !

I'll start by my favourite items, the bath products !

I've got the Sunnyside bubble bar, which I can't wait to use - I looove glitter ! And it smells really good, a bit like lemon and orange and fresh citrus fruits like that. 

Also I have the Shoot for the stars ballistic. First, the name is really cute ! and the smell is amazing, it actually smells like the "Honey I washed the kids" soap, a.k.a. my favourite Lush scent ever. And it is a big ballistic, you could use it in two or three baths if you cut it.

I have two more more bath products, from the Hello Gorgeous present box.

The huge white and pink thing is the Comforter bubble bar. Again if you buy this you'll get a good use out of it, it is so big that you would probably have it for quite a while ! and it smells delicious.

The pretty pink ballistic with flowers on it is called Think Pink. Although I'm repeating myself a lot there, it smells very good and can be divided in two for more use. A thing that may be a bit annoying is that the flowers keep falling and I lose it everywhere, but it won't matter anymore when it's melting in the bath !

Then, as you can see from the picture above, I've got the Vanilla Dee-lite body lotion. It is a very light product and actually doesn't smell of vanilla, it is more flowery and somehow reminds me a bit of lilac (which is my favourite flower, yay !). It is not very moisturising though, so for autumn-winter I would not use it all the time as a real moisturiser.

Speaking of moisturiser, a sample of the Gorgeous face cream came in the box. It is a very good moisturiser and does a great job. The smell this time is not really my cup of tea, it smells of orange blossom so it is quite strong - but other people may like it. It is nonetheless a good product and I'll still use it at night to moisturise my skin before bed !

Last but not least, a shower product : the Rub rub rub shower scrub. 

 

First of all, can we talk about the colour of this ? I love it ! It is so fun to use. One more time, the smell is quite strong and reminds me of lemon and citrus fruits. It has sea salt in it to exfoliate the skin, and it is very good - not too gentle but not too strong either. You can also use it as a simple shower gel, that's what I've been doing since I got it.

So that's all for my Lush birthday haul ! I really enjoy these products and I'm kind of using them all at the same time haha. 

And now that the Christmas collection is out, I think I'm gonna buy some new stuff soon... I can't fight against Lush, unfortunately !

Julia xx