Favourites of the moment!

Sorry for the long break between posts (again!). But I've been feeling a little un-inspired lately due to personal things that I won't weigh this blog down with, so let's get down to business!

Favourites of the moment; I won't call them spring or summer favourites because to be honest, it does not feel like spring OR summer in Holland at the moment. The past week or more, it's been grey, rainy and cold. Not really what you'd expect for mid-Europe at the end of May, right? Luckily I am heading south in a little less than a month for a few days in Paris! I will most likely do a short blogpost about the trip, showing pictures, maybe things I bought, etc. Not sure about that yet! Anyway, I digress. Favourites! (Dont forget to click the pictures for high-res larger pictures!)

I am still recovering from a flu that's been bugging me for a little over a week, but even before then I've been doing a lot of minimal make-up with bright lips. That shows in my favourites, for sure!

Let's start with the basics, shall we!

Excuse my "naked" nails, but I've been sick, okay?!

This doesn't need any introduction really, does it? Especially since I've been sick, I've not been able to live without this baby. My lips are so dry, and this is the only thing giving me any kind of relief. Elizabeth Arden 8 Cream travelsized tube, 30ml. Bought at a Kruidvat for €5.00.

Even if it may not be summer at the moment, I still protect my VERY pale skin everytime I go outside. Having very pale, very senstive and very burn-prone skin I opted for maximum protection and bought this Eucerin Sun Fluid SPF 50 mattifying. It controls oils, is a very light texture and protects my skin nicely. It contains 50 ml of product and ought to last me the summer. Eucerin is available at pharmacies in Holland and costs €16.49.

This travel/handbag sized eau de toilette by Kruidvat is a new staple in my routine! It's a new scent they've recently released and it's RIGHT up my alley. Most things with the words "cherry blossom" usually catch my eye, since I love that scent. The packaging says the main notes are: raspberry, cherry blossom and blond wood. Don't ask me what blond wood smells like, but if this is it, it smells amazing! It's a little "warmer" than scents I normally wear, but I am completely obsessed with this. It smells like summer to me and if the weather won't give me summer I'll just make my own.
The bottle contains 15 ml and is available at Kruidvat only. I believe this was €3.99, but I am not sure anymore. The fullsized product is 50 ml and €7.99. Definitely worth a shot when looking for a new scent, they have 5 different scents, for both men and women.

As far as my skin goes, I've been opting for a more natural look lately as well. I've been using the Catrice BB Cream almost every single time I've worn a foundation type product. It's just a great natural option for every day wear. It looks natural, not cakey and the colourmatch is great for me. For an extensive review I direct you towards this post, in which I did a review of several Catrice products. The tube contains 30 ml and is available at Kruidvat (In Holland, that is.) and it costs €5.99.

For basic concealing I've been using the Catrice Camouflage Cream every time. It's a great creamy concealer, and so very budget proof too. For a review I once again direct you towards this post. The Camouflage Cream costs €2.99.

As a subtle under-eye highlight I've been using the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer. This contains light-reflective particles and helps disguise dark circles. Lord knows I need that, eh? It's a normal "click-pen" type of concealer, which is packaging we often see with this formula. I use this on top of the other concealer, I must say, as it does not give me enough coverage on it's own. But I like the effect it gives enough that I don't have a problem with that. Mine is the colour 01 Ivory. Maybelline is available at all drugstores in Holland and the product costs €9.99.

As I stated earlier I've been keeping things fairly simple, and these two palettes give me all the basics I need for that!

Oh Urban Decay, how I love you... There's absolutely nothing I hate about this brand (except the price) and since Sephora is leaving Holland, I might also lose access to Urban Decay. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Ahem. Anyway. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. Five beautiful matte eyeshadows and a satin highlighter, what more does a girl need for a simple eye-look? For an in-depth review go here, and read my thoughts on this and see better photos of it! Urban Decay is available online and at Sephora. This palette is €25.95 and I found it worth every cent.

L-R: Chantilly, Guipure. Crochet.

For blush I've been keeping it easy too, which is why this palette especially has been a favourite. I've been doing some travelling and such and this just provides me enough choice for whatever mood I might be in. This is the Sleek Blush By 3 Palette in Lace. For review and swatches go here and enjoy the eyecandy!
My most used shade is Guipure and then Crochet. I don't find myself using Chantilly too often as it is just too orange on my light skintone. Sleek is only available online in Holland and this product costs  €12.95.

With a soft eyelook, the easy way out is always a bright lip for instant glam! And I personally always feel more confident in a bright lip, I find it makes my face look brighter and generally improves my complexion.

First up is the GOSH Soft'n'Shine Lip Balm in the colour 31 Passion Pink. It's a bright fuschia with subtle silver shimmer in it. I love this formula and it's cheap too. In one swipe it's not very opaque, but coverage is easily buildable. GOSH is avilable at some Kruidvats in Holland and otherwise not very widely available world-wide, I believe. It's a Danish brand, for those wondering! The Soft'n'Shine Lip Balms check in at a very affordable €8.49

Second up is my newest Rimmel Apocalips in the colour Stellar. This is a bright coral-red. Perfect for summer in my opinion. It's just such a happy colour and wearing it makes me happy. For my opinion on the Rimmel Apocalips, feel free to check out my review here. Rimmel is available in drugstores world-wide and the Apocalips check out at €10.99.

On the first picture you also saw this box and may have wondered: "What is that thing?!" . Well, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.... BEHOLD!

Are you in love yet? Urgh... I know I am! My (amazing, wonderful, lovely) husband bought me this as a surprise and once I started playing around with this, I felt like a kid in a candy store. Knowing bright shadows especially is very hit and miss, I was VERY excited when I found out that these are mostly amazing quality. As with any large palette, there are some bad apples, but all the AMAZING shadows make up for it. The biggest duds are probably the dark mattes, but then again that's not the end of the world to me. I'm in love with this baby! This was ordered from Boozyshop and is their own brand. Many brands have things like this, think BH cosmetics and Coastal Scents 120 palettes. The facepowders in the bottom are all three very pigmented and are all matte. The two light ones can be used as shadows or as matte highlighters. The dark one is (with a light hand) a good contour colour for me. My husband tells me this was around €35, but since I can't find it on their site anymore, I can't be sure. I want to do some bright tutorials with this palette, but I'm coming up short for ideas. Let me know if you have any, or photos of awesome, bright makeup you'd like a tutorial on.


What are you favourites of the moment? Let me know in the comments below!


Thank you for reading and untill next time!

XXX

Favorites of the moment!

Thought I’d make a post about which products are my favorites at this point in time. Often you’ll see them done each month on blogs, but that’s not a commitment I’m ready to make yet!

First up is a scent: Kruidvat Master Perfumer in Amber No. 53. It’s a fresh but fruity scent and most of all very feminine. It’s a very easy scent to wear, perfect for work/school/every day. It being extremely cheap does help a lot too; this bottle is 50ml and costs € 7.99 at Kruidvat. (Dutch Drugstore. And my former employer!)

MAC Fix+ which many beauty freaks will recognize. I use this to set my make-up, to make a foundation brush damp before application, to wet eye shadows before I use them for more intense color. This baby does it all! MAC Fix+ is available at all MAC counters and online retailers and costs €16.50.

Elizabeth Arden 8hour Cream. This is a beauty legend and has been in the game for many, many years. I use this for dry, chapped lips and any dry patches of skin. Been using this a lot lately, must be the season! I bought this travel size at Kruidvat for €4.99

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in 22 Beige Rose. The formula of this is amazing, very light but gives plenty of coverage (for me at least.) .  The color of this is too pink for me so I mix it with the other foundation. Available at Chanel counters and luxury beauty stores, €41.18

Catrice Photo Finish Liquid Foundation 18h in 010 Sand Beige. This is a tried and true favorite of mine, but slightly too yellow for my skin, which is why I mix it with the Chanel. It’s fairly long-lasting, and great on normal/combo skin. Available at Kruidvat, € 5.99

Catrice Liquid Liner Waterproof in 010 Don’t Leave Me. This is a great fluid liner, very black and does NOT budge until you remove it with waterproof make-up remover.  Available at Kruidvat, €3.75

MAC Chromographic Pencil in NC15/NW20. I use this on my lower waterline for a more “awake” look, practically every day. It’s more natural looking than a stark white and dark liner on my waterline tends to make my eyes look small. Only available at MAC Pro stores, €17.00

Catrice Absolute Eye Color Mono in Bring Me Frosted Cake and My First Copperware Party.  Bring Me Frosted Cake is a very light pink, almost white, which makes for either a good eyelid base shadow or highlight. It’s completely matte. My First Copperware Party is almost identical to MAC’s Satin Taupe, a cult favorite in the beauty community, and is a great all over shade for the lid or the crease. It looks great on all skin tones and eye colors. Available at Kruidvat, €2.79

Accidentally swatched these opposite of the first picture and BMFC barely shows up, but then again it IS a highlighter.

Catrice Prime and Fine Highlighting Powder. This is a gorgeous pinky-gold, very subtle highlight. It’s great for cheekbones, inner corner or brow highlighting due to being so subtle it’s also good for daytime without being too shimmery. Available at Kruidvat, €4.49

NYX Blush in 06 Peach. A very pretty, natural blushing color on me. It can be very subtle or prominent, depending on application. Goes with everything! Bought this online for €6.66

Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick in 01. A very beautiful deep, true red color. I don’t often wear this full on, but tend to apply very little in the center of my lips and then dab it out with my fingers for a nice stained “just bitten” look.  Available at all drugstores around the world that carry Rimmel, €9.49

Catrice Ultimate Color Lipstick in 160 Tell me a Berry-Tale. A very intense berry-plum color which looks beautiful when worn full on, or as a stain. I’m a big fan of this for fall/winter! Available at Kruidvat, €3.99

Lastly there are two polishes I’ve been wearing non-stop since I got them and they are both China Glaze. First up is Watermelon Rind which is a beautiful dark teal, with lots of tiny glass flecks in it which makes it a very interesting polish to wear and look at, especially in sun light. The other is Four Leaf Clover which is a bright teal/green crème finish. Not exactly what you’d expect for fall as it is practically neon, but I love how happy and bubbly it looks, so I wear it a lot! I’ll probably switch over to burgundy, reds and grays soon enough! My husband bought these for me online. China Glaze retails for €5.95.

That’s it for now, thank you for stopping by and thank you for reading! Let me know your favorites in the comments below!