Are the Maybelline Nudes Palettes any good?

Maybelline brought out their "The Nudes Palette" a few months ago and everybody wanted to get their hands on it. It did look promising and i had to visit the drugstore a few times to finally find one on the shelf. Then a few weeks ago i saw a picture of the "The Blushed Nudes Palette" on Twitter and i immediately wanted to have it. I am longing for the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette for quite a while now and this one looked as if it could please my desire in that department at least for now.

Shampoo & Conditioner for full weightless hair

I am on my neverending search for the perfect shampoo and conditioner. And i haven't found the perfect combo yet, but this one is close. Very close. My hair tends to get greasy very quick and even quicker when i am not using the right shampoo. It has to do a real good cleaning jpb, without being too drying on my skin. Otherwise i get an itchy scalp. Strange i know, but that's not all. My ends are quite dry and tend to get a bit frizzy if they don't get enough moisture. The problem here is, that my hair is fine and straight so a too nourishing conditioner will weigh my hair down even more.

What i want my hair to look like? Fresh for at least two days. Moisturized in the ends, so no dry ends and less frizz. Despite this volume especially in the roots.

And it seems i found a combo that is near to perfect. The Dove Oxygen Moisture line.

The shampoo is clearing my scalp very good from any greasiness and oils. It stays fresh up there for two to three days, although the third day is a day for a ponytail or bun of some sort. The effect that got me loving this shampoo is that it seems to lift my roots and make my hair look a lot more voluminous even on the second day.

The conditioner is moisturizing, but slightly too less nourishing for my ends. My ends are softer and less frizzy, but still not enough that i could say it is close to the perfect conditioner. One thing that i really really like about this conditioner though is the fact, that it is moisturizing but not weighing down my hair at all. That is crucial when it comes to making fine hair look voluminous and light.

All in all i really like this line and the Shampoo & Conditioner Combo and in combination with the hairmask i mentioned here it is my current Haircare Routine in the shower.

Do you have any recommandations for my type of hair/needs? What is your favorite Shampoo & Conditioner Combo at the moment?

THE Foundation for Summer

With summer beginning and the temperatures constantly rising i wanted something with a light coverage and no heavy feeling on my skin, but no BB Cream. The Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation was on my to try list for a long time and this was the right time to give it a go.

It has a light to medium coverage and feels light on my skin, so it's nice for the summer, because you don't have the feeling that all the sweat is stuck beneath your foundation. Gross. The finish is after a bit of blending skin like and sinks nicely into the skin. It has a dewy finish and gives your skin a healthy glow. It makes your skin look nearly naked just better. See what i did there? Haha.

Two things that aren't perfect about the foundation, but easy to get over are first of all that the longevity isn't the best. To be honest i don't expect a really longwearing time when it is a light coverage foundation, because my skin eats up foundation like nothing else. The foundation can cling and enhance dry patches, but if you use a moisturizer beneath that problem is solved immediatly. 

All in all i really like the Nearly Naked Foundation from Revlon, because it's a nice alternative for BB/CC Creams with a bit more coverage and foundation finish for the summer. The skinlike dewy finish is perfect for the summerdays, because i don't want to look like i wear a lot of makeup and a matte finish is in my eyes more something for the winter months. With a rich moisturizer underneath it is the perfect foundation for the summer months.

What is your favorite foundation for the summer months?

A hairmask i sleep in

The sun that is shining nearly nonstop and the chlor in the pool do some damage to my hair and make it feel dry and look frizzy in the ends. So i went and purchased a hairmask. 

The L'oreal Total Repair 5 Replenishing Mask was my pick and it is not only good for in the shower to make your hair feel smooth again and tame the frizz. 

My favorite thing to do with it is to put a good amount of it into my ends and lengths, massage it in, put my hair into a loose bun and go to bed. It does wonders overnight. 

Wash your hair like you always do in the morning and you are left with smooth, shiny, not frizzy, healthy looking hair. 

My hair hasn't looked that good in months and i don't want to part with this mask anymore.

What is your favorite hairmask and do you like to put it in overnight?

Moisture Surge from Clinique

Moisturising is key when it comes to good looking skin and good looking makeup on top. Nobody likes dry patches peeking through foundation or dull looking skin. "Moisture Surge" from Clinique should have changed the game for me and it did kind of.

The outside is typical clinique packaging simple and sleek. The pot is not out of glass as you could think first, it's plastic which makes it lighter and not so easy to destroy. Another benefit of the packaging is, that it's see through so you always know how much product you have left.

Inside is a pink gel-like cream with the typical clinique scent. Nothing special and also not too strong to be annoying.

The cream goes easily onto your skin and sinks in within minutes. It leaves your skin feeling soft and plump. The feeling on your skin isn't heavy as most moisturisers are and it nourishs your skin well with moisture. If you have dry or normal skin, this is definitely a product you should check out.

For the peeps with verydry skin (like me at some parts) it could be too less hydrating. Very dry areas do get hydrated but that doesn't hold on for long, especially throughout the day and with makeup on top your skin gets dehydrated. The moisture surge is also a great moisturiser for wearing it under makeup. The foundation glides on easily and doesn't get flaky or anything.

In combination with other products like serums or oils you can up the game in terms of hydration and then it is also for very dry skin peeps a great moisturiser.

Mascara Battle

I do own quite a few mascaras, like probably most beauty addicted girls out there. I tend to use one mascara at the time and the others have a lonely life in their container. So i thought i should show them all some love and compare them to be reminded of their greatness or their lack of one.

The last few days i was running around with a different mascara on each eye, which might have looked a bit strange

Three of the following mascaras are supposed to give your lashes more volume and one to give mainly length. The least favorite of the bunch is the L'oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara, which got a lot of rave since it came out. It manages the mixture between volume and length quite good and adds more length to your lashes than the other mascaras mentioned later. The one thing that makes it stand at fourth place is the fact, that it is a lot more wet than the others and tends to clump my lashes together.

On place three is the Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara which is more of a lengthening mascara than a volumising one. It contains fibers, which adds extra length to your natural lash length. It is great for layering on top of other mascaras, but on it's own i don't like it that much.

We get closer to the winner and the next contestant is just an inch behind the winner of this battle. The Max Factor 2000 Calorie Dramatic Volume Mascara was my favorite for a long time, but got recently hit off the throne. The Mascara gives you a good amount of volume but not that much length. It doesn't clump easily, but is a bit too dry for my taste.

Number one is the Clinique High Impact Mascara. It is the perfect mixture between volumising and lengthenig plus the texture isn't too wet or too dry. No lashes clumped together and if i want a bit more length i just add the L'oreal Illegal Length on top.

What is your favorite Mascara?

(P.S. If you fancy a blogger introduction than head over to Melissas blog. She seems to be my twin, when it comes to future plans, because we have the exact same plans...:D)

A lipstick range which knocked my expectations off the chair...

I thought essence is a brand only available in Germany and because of that i didn't want to rave a lot about products, that the most of my readers couldn't get a hold of (which i sometimes still do, sorry for that). But recently i found out that essence is at least available in Canada and in the UK. So here we go with the rave i wanted to hold back originally.

The essence longlasting lipsticks aren't that long part of the essence product range, but they knocked me off the chair right away. I mean first of all the packaging is so sleek and sophisticated and doesn't look or feel cheap at all. Although those lipsticks are a real bargain for around 4 bucks.

They don't only look good on the outside they are also pretty damn good on the inside. The formula is creamy, not drying, for a creamy drugstore lipstick pretty longlasting like they are supposed to be taken by their name and you are left with a smooth feeling on the lips. Plus the pigmentation is amazing with one swipe you have all the colour intensity you can get with this lipstick. It don't want to use the words amazing or good again, so i will just leave here.

The colour range does have some pretty colours too. I think they newly updated the range with some matte shades, but i'm not that sure about that. I own the colour "06 Barely there" a brown nude with a slight plumy undertone and "07 Natural Beauty" which turns out to be my favorite your lips but better colour. Left behind at home is the colour "Love me" an everyday pink and i have to say that i love all the colours i have and i intend to get some more shades sometime.

Serious helper against pimpels

I never had huge problems with pimpels, but from time to time i get some. Every time those nasty pimpels appear i know one thing that will help the pimpel disappear and make it less noticable.

I stole this cream from my mom and since then it mysteriously went over to my collection and she doesn't seem to miss it (sorry, mom).

I don't know if you can get the Azulenpaste from Dr.Eckstein in stores outside of germany, but if you can get your hands on this, you should.

It may looks a bit strange and it doesn't smell that good either, so be prepared to look like a monster with the green dots on your face. This is definitely material to scare any postman who disturbs you in your pampering time (like i did several times :D).

But i am able to ignore the look and the smell because it is working. I like to put it on top of my moisturizer before heading to bed. I dip my finger into the cream and then dab it onto the pimpel (don't be afraid to completely cover it). After a good sleep nearly all of the cream is gone and the pimpel is less red and less noticable than the evening before. It may not disappear after the first application, but the cream does take the healing process several steps forward. Depending on the state of your pimpel it should be gone after two to four applications.

Another Neutral Eyeshadow Palette

Yes, i love my neutrals (if you couldn't have guessed already). This one is from Zoeva, which i ordered along with the brushes (i've done a review about those brushes and i am obsessed with them) and it's name "Naturally Yours" describes it very well.

The palette has five matte and five shimmery shades, which is a good mixture to be able to create a daytime or evening look. My favorite shade is "Sweet Sound" a bronzy shade (i love my bronzy eyeshadows), which doesn't look like the normal boring one, due to it's slightly coppery undertone.

I love to use the dark brown and the black eyeshadow for creating an eyeliner to finsih up my eye makeup.

The packaging is as lovely as Zoeva packaging is always and they have different themes for those palettes (all of them here), so if you want more bright or more dark colours, they definetly have a palette for you too.

Now we are talking pigmentation and lasting power. After i used the brushes, i wasn't surprised to notice, that those shadows have amazing quality. The pigmentation is great nearly as good as Urban Decay eyeshadows and they do not have noticable fallout or anything. Those eyeshadows last ages with a eye primer underneath and you don't have to worry about having eyeshadow everywhere.

So if you are looking for a nice neutral eyeshadow palette you can use for a everyday or nighttime eye makeup, you should have a look at this palette. You won't be disappointed, i promise.

Zoeva Brushes, one of the best

I already mentioned them in my November Favorites and i am going to rave about them in this post a little more. I am always on the hunt for good but not too pricey make up brushes. Sephora, Sigma or Mac brushes are good, but i don't want to spend so much money on a brush, because you need more than just one brush.

Zoeva brushes are still high quality, their hairs are soft and smooth and the brushes aren't loosing hair.Something that is important for me is, that they stay in their shape after i washed them. The really big and fluffy ones tend to loose their shape a bit after washing, but i like to put them in the protection case they came in to get them back in shape

The hairs are a blend of exquisite natural and synthetic hair free of dye.

The brushes are not only super soft and nice to work with I also really like the desigb of them. They look chic, but still simple. And i am dreaming of the rose golden set for a long time now. These brushes are just gorgeous.

 The price range is between 23€ and 8€ for single brushes, but they also have different brush sets.

I own the 101 Luxe Face Definer for applying bronzer, the 102 Silk Finish to apply foundation, i am using the 105 Luxe Highlight for my highlight, 122 Petit Stippling is for the application of cream blush and the 142 Concealer Buffer is for applying Concealer seamless.

I also have some Eye brushes, for example the 227 Soft Definer for blending in the crease, which is by the way very similar to the Mac 217 brush, and last but not least the 226 Smudger for smudging the eyeliner to get the smokey Kate Moss look.

Skin Transformation in a Minute? Yes, Please.

Do you also scare yourself in the mirror after crawling out of bed in the morning? And you just have no idea how you should look nearly awake and healthy without putting your whole make up on your face? I know what i am talking about, but finally i found a solution.

I discovered the Miracle Skin Perfector by Garnier and was blown away by it's effect. It is incredible. The cream is white and looks like a normal skin cream when it comes out of the tube, but once you start to put it on your face it changes it's colour. At first it looks a bit scary, because the colour looks so orange, but once you apply it on your face, you are not able to see it anymore.

It not only hydrates your skin a bit, it also should have an anti-aging effect and make your skin look better in the long term.

The best thing about this cream is, that it transforms your skin from tired and dull looking into glowing, healthy and bright looking. You don't need to blend anything, you just put it on and you are ready to go.

I like to put on some concealer to cover my blue undereye circles and some mascara on days, where i don't like to wear make up, but don't want to go fully bare on the face.

Sometimes i am even doing a whole make up look, just using the Miracle Skin Perfector instead of foundation and i love it.

The first picture shows, how the cream is coming out of the tube. The second one is showing the colour transformation after you started to spread it.

And now here is the incredible (nearly Miracle...haha) differnce between before (left) and after (right).

Crazy huh? I tried the Miracle Skin Perfector on my hand for the first time and was convinced right away. The differnce is just so good, that i thought it was worth the try if the result would be half this good on my face.