Colours that Emphasize your Eyes

 (Slovensko verzijo najdete tukaj)

If you pick up an old magazine with beauty tips, you may find this outdated "rule" that in order to make your eyes pop, you should use an eyeshadow that is in the same shade as your eyes. Unless you know nothing about colour theory or you've never experimented with eye makeup, this will sound wrong to you and you'll know that it's the complementary colours that work ideally when you want to emphasize your eyes. Complementary colours intensify each other and create a pleasing colour combination. 

If you're familiar with the colour theory and the wheel, it's all very simple and logical. For instance if your eye colour is blue, opposite to blue is orange, therefore the best colours to emphasize your eyes are orange shades. Now I don't mean you have to wear orange on your eyes (honestly, when was the last time you saw someone wear orange eyeshadow in public?), rather that you simply pick shades that contain some orange, for example copper, peach, gold, warm brown,… But you shouldn't limit yourself only to orange. Explore all the warm shades. Since blue is a typical cool colour, any warm shade will work as a contrast. I don't really take colour theory too seriously on a daily basis, nor should you, but it comes handy when you want to emphasize your eye colour and you can achieve a lot with just small details, like changing the colour of liner from black to navy if you have brown eyes, but you still wear a classic neutral smoky eye to go with it. Regardless the colour of your eyes, there is a general rule that if you use a colour that is darker than your eyes, it will make them appear lighter and vice-versa. When picking your eye makeup, don't forget to consider your skin tone and hair colour, as one shade will look different on two people, also appropriate the makeup to suit the occasion. 

BLUE EYES

As I said in the intro, the opposite of blue is orange, which means that the best shades to emphasize such eye colour are variations of it, but of course, any warm colour will create a lovely contrast. 

Bronze, gold, terracotta, copper, peach and warm brown shades: these warm shade balance the cool tones of blue eyes and create a nice contrast, which brings attention to the eyes. 

Purple shades: Purple suits any eye colour because it's a mix of warm red and cool blue. If you want to wear more colour on your eyes, you can't go wrong with purple.

Blue and green shades take away the attention from the eye colour. If you have blue eyes and you ever tried wearing these two colours, you may got a feeling that it looks too monochrome, but not necessarily. If you do choose blue, pick a shade that is much darker than your eyes, like navy, so your eyes look lighter, but if you choose a really light one, it'll make your eyes appear darker. It's best to avoid colours that are exactly the tone of your eyes.

BROWN EYES

Brown is a mix of several colours, so theoretically it doesn't have an opposite colour. But just as at every eye colour, there are so many versions of brown eyes. Some have tones of yellow or amber, some are more green also known as hazel, some have brown eyes that are almost black and also reddish brown eyes exist. Again think of the contrasts for each of these undertones, but if you consider that brown eyes are often warm, cool colours will emphasize brown eyes best.

Amber and reddish brown eyes: turquoise, navy blue, emerald and mint green. Opposite of orange (amber) and red are blue and green shades, so these will work best for you.

Dark brown, almost black eyes: bronze, coral, sand and terracotta. Theoretically you can pick any shade you wish, or at least one that suits your skin and hair colour.

Honey (gold) brown eyes: aubergine, lavender, royal blue, lilac and light blue. You can emphasize the gold specks with gold and bronze shades, then add some navy or cobalt blue as an eyeliner for example .

Hazel eyes (green brown): Most such guides have a separate category for hazel eyes, but it's exactly the same as at green eyes. The same applies at this eye colour, so best colours are cranberry, burgundy, copper, terracotta, all shades of purple, peach and warm taupes. 

Choose a navy blue eyeliner instead of black for definition. Blue will emphasize the warmth in your eye colour and as a bonus also make the whites of your eyes look more white.

Bright colours like blue and green aren't exactly every day colours, so you can still relay on all neutral shades, while the golds and coppers will make your eyes sparkle. Dark brown eyes are sometimes cooler, so emphasize them with warm shades.

GREEN EYES

Though green eyes are the rarest, there are so many different shades of them. Emerald, forest green, jade, chartreuse - each shade has a slightly different composition of colours and colour theory again comes to the rescue. but if keep things simple: the colour opposite of green is red. Red is not an easy colour to wear (though I think Taya does it brilliantly), however, again don't take the theory too seriously and pick a shade that contains some red, but keep it wearable and subtle for every day. 

Cranberry, burgundy, copper and terracotta: Copper shades are the easiest to wear from this selection, but don't be afraid to experiment with something more red, like cranberry shades. I have found the perfect such shade in TheBalm's Nude'Tude palette called Sexy. What's the most important thing when wearing such shades is to make sure that the eyes are really defined with lots of mascara and black eyeliner, otherwise it might just look like a massive eye infection or the largest dark circles known to mankind. I also like to blend it out with a warm medium brown.

All shades of purple and plum: Plum looks good on all eye colours, but it's especially gorgeous on green eyes. Everything should work, from lavender shades to aubergine. Purple contains red and it's not nearly as scary to wear as reddish shades. If your eyes have gold specks or are chartreuse (pale yellow-green), purple will look awesome on you.  

Taupe: Pick warm version of taupes, so those with more brown or even gold-yellow (think Mac's Patina and L'Oreal's Sahara Treasure). If you pick a more grey shade, it'll look very neutral and won't bring out your eye colour that much.

Peach: Peach is great for a subtle every day makeup and it's much easier to wear than copper or purples. I never wore peach until making this post and I discovered a great new every day look. Coral will work too of course, but again as at reds, make sure the eyes are defined with a lot of mascara.

GREY EYES

Everyone neglects grey eyes when talking about making your eyes pop. They just shove it under blue and that's it. Well, as a proud owner of stormy grey eyes, in my post they get their own category. Grey eyes are so much more complex than all the colours above. Why? Because they are truly neutral. They are neither warm nor cool, and there is no opposite colour. But just as at all other eye colours, so many variations exist. They may have shades of blue, green, brown, some are even a bit purple or a mix of colours, but they can be just classic grey. Mine are a mix of blue, green and grey. They look blue with the help of gold, copper and cranberry shades, but purple makes them look more green. With no makeup, they look stormy grey. So how to deal with grey eyes? You can approach the issue two ways: 

You can treat them as neutral and you focus your selection of shades only on complimenting your skin and hair colour, so warm shades for warm skins and obviously cool for cool skin tones. Every colour suits grey eyes, just avoid pink because you don't have a strong counteracting shade that would act as a sort of a neutralizer and it can make you look like you have a pink eye. 

If you're like me and have a bit of an undertone, then emphasize it with a complimentary colour.

To emphasize blue tones in your eyes use light peach, rich bronze and copper shades, so shades that have an orange base. Gold makes my eyes look blue as well, but I find copper is the best shade for the task. (It's my non-photoshopped colour of eyes under blue eyes middle eye makeup).

For emphasizing green use reddish shades, purples and corals, so colours with a red base. Cool purples work best for me, while reddish shades make them look closer to blue.

For emphasizing brown tones use purples and plums, but also chocolate shades and light browns. You may be wondering why not blue or green. I can say from experience that these kind of don't work that well on grey eyes. But you may have a different experience.

THE CASE OF GREY-BLUE-GREEN EYES

1. Row: Makeup 1 - Makeup Factory Shimmer Cream 4, Catrice Baked Eyeshadow ViennART Lovely Lace (LE), TheBalm Nude'Tude Sophisticated. Makeup 2 -  Max Factor Excess Shimmer 25 Bronze. Makeup 3 - L'Oreal Color Infallible 005 Purple Obsession
2. Row: Makeup 4 - Essence old navy blue eyeliner as base (Nightfever), Freedom Makeup Jewels and Riches last row 3. shade, TheBalm Nude'Tude Sophisticated and Sultry. Makeup 5 - L'Oreal Color Infallible 021 Sahara Treasure. Makeup 6 - TheBalm Nude'Tude Sexy and Sultry.
3. Row: Makeup 7 - Catrice Chocolate Nudes palette, Makeup 8 - Max Factor Excess Shimmer 25 Bronze as base, Urban Decay Naked palette Half Baked and Darkhorse.   Makeup 9 - Sleek Sunset 2. row 5. shade, TheBalm Nude'Tude Sultry.  

So obviously all the eyes above are mine, but with photoshopped eye colour (I don't feel comfortable with stealing borrowing pictures. I know how much work it goes into a picture). I'm including the originals as well, so you can see how all these different makeup influenced my eye colour. I know my eye makeup skill aren't the best, well, to be fair it's my eye shape that's not the easiest to deal with, so don't focus on that, it's not the point of this post. I have the type of eye colour that does change a bit depending on what makeup I wear, that includes lipsticks and blushes, and of course what colour of clothes I'm wearing as well. See how purple brings the green in my eyes? Peach too, while copper, gold and burgundy make them more blue. The royal blue eyeshadow just overwhelms the eyes and takes away the focus off the eye colour, same happens to me with green, unless it's gold green like L'Oreal's Golden Goddess. I gave you the general guidelines to finding shades that might enhance your eye colour, but experiment yourself to see what really suits you. 

I also wanted to share a similar post that my fellow blogger Petra made a while ago, so check her version as well. I hope this post was helpful and have a great day!

Empties #17

I posted the first part of empties yesterday and here is all the rest.

PRINZESSIN STERNENZAUBER Märchenhaftes 2 in 1 Shampoo + Spülung

2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner

This fails as a shampoo and conditioner for me because I feel it doesn't clean well, but it's great as a shower gel. It smells like peach sweets so I loved it.

Repurchase: Yes

YVES ROCHER Pear Caramel Shower Cream

I actually won this in a giveaway hosted by YR - the first time I won anything in a proper giveaway. I loved this. It was so creamy and it foamed well plus it smelled so good, like real pears. Yummy! The only thing I didn't like was that the is no nozzle or a pump on this, so it ran out way too quickly. The cap also broke very quickly.

Repurchase: It was a LE, but if it's released again during Christmas time, then I would.

THE BODY SHOP Honeymania Body Butter

One of the best body butters I've tried, even among TBS ones. The texture was just perfect, thick, but not too much and it was very moisturising. The scent didn't really resemble honey, it was more like wild flowers, but I still liked it.

Repurchase: Yes, in a different scent. Maybe Shea Butter or Satsuma.

BALEA Pflegecreme

50's Forever

I actually used two of these, but I already repurposed the tin, so the other, the Golden Twenties version, is missing from the picture. I adore these and I currently have four others. I use them as hand creams because they are super moisturising, but sink in quickly (I really hate greasy hands). They don't have this version any more, but it smelled like cherry candy. The Golden Twenties one smelled creamy with notes of lavender and honey. I love the packaging of these, it's so cute.

Repurchase: I have four, including one back-up of this version

HAIR

L'OREAL Elvital Glatt-Intense

By far my favourite drugstore shampoo. It's perfect for my dry hair because it nourishes it, not just cleans it. By the way the Extraordinary version is pretty much the same, except for the scent (I think it serves as a replacement for this one). It's like a bit of conditioner was added to the shampoo, but it doesn't weight my hair down, just smooths it a bit. When I'm rinsing it off, there is none of that annoying squeaky clean, dry, my-hair-I'll-be-a-tangly-mess feeling and the hair can be combed a lot easier than at a lot of other shampoos. If you have really dry hair like me, give it a go, it's very affordable anyway, but if your hair tends to get greasy fast, there may be a chance it'll build-up on your hair (it doesn't on mine, but bear in mind this was made for dry hair). 

Repurchase: I have a 400 ml bottle in my stash, but yes.

KÉRASTASE Nutritive Bain Satin 1 Shampoo

This grew on me. Initially I wasn't that impressed because even though it's meant for dry hair, it felt too light for me. But when I started using it regularly, my hair got better. It's a product that shows its effect with long-term use and I think people whose hair tends to get greasy fast, but have dry ends, might like this a lot (though I again can't assess if it builds up on the hair.) It's expensive, but if your hair is dry and you like the squeaky clean feeling, this might work well for you.

Repurchase: I still prefer Oleo-Relax, though this one is nice too.

PHYTO Phytosquam Intense

I like the concept of this, but unfortunately it did not help me with my dandruff. This is like a pre-wash treatment and shampoo in one. You apply it on dry scalp, leave it on for 7 minutes, then emulsify the product under water and it behaves like a normal shampoo, so it lathers well and cleans the hair. It left my hair feeling a bit striped, but I didn't mind that and it smells like burnt rubber, though it wasn't terrible. The packaging leaked, so I had to use a cap that I got from another product and by the end it was hard to get the last bits out because the tube is metal.  

Repurchase: No.

SEXY HEALTHY HAIR Soy Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner

This is my absolute favourite leave-in conditioner. It nourishes my hair, keeps it hydrated noticeably longer, reduces frizz and it has made my hair a lot more healthy since I started using it. I use it after every wash on damp hair and one bottle lasts me about a year. Because it's light, I think that a majority of people can use this with no problems. I can't be without it.

Repurchase: Already did.

L'OREAL Total Repair 5 Hair Mask

A great drugstore treatment for dry hair. I don't often find treatments that are nourishing enough for my hair and this one is. I've seen the effect of it on other people (because they nicked mine) and the result was amazingly shiny, less frizzy hair. 

Repurchase: I repurchased it immediately when the pot was empty. 

FRAGRANCE

ESCADA Marine Groove edt

A limited edition from 2009, this was the only absolute love at first smell out of all my fragrances. I got it for my birthday and treasured it dearly, of course in my typical manner saved it like crazy, so it's actually gone off (I am laughable). This was my favourite Escada's LE. It smelled fresh and sweet like passionfruit. I think they have this version in Refan as a dupe and there are probably still bottles of this sold in some online shops.

Repurchase: It's was a LE, but I might get the Refan's dupe version

ESCADA Taj Sunset edt

Another ancient limited edition, actually only a year younger than Marine Groove. It smelled like super sweet mango and had typical short lasting power of these LE Escada's. It's another one that I had for way too long and it's gone off, but that's a standard for me. This one may also sold be in Refan and in some online shops.

Repurchase: It's was a LE, but no.

BEYONCE Pulse

Another fragrance that I felt was about to go off, so I dedicated myself to use it up. It had a lovely orange candy scent that later turns into a more powdery-floral one. I absolutely loved the modern bottle, but as it turns out, even though it's supposed to be kept upside-down, this appears to have broken the pump, so it leaked and sprayed in weird directions.

Repurchase: Yes, but not straight away.

REFAN fragrances

You may know I used to have tons of these. I think they are really good, they smell and behave just as the originals, but for a fraction of the price. The only thing is that they do go off in about two years, so if you suspect you won't use them often, get the smallest 15 ml size.

N.034  (Imitation of Lancôme La Vie Est Belle)

A super sweet, gourmand scent. This one smells to me like an expensive box of pralines with a fruity filling (black currant and pear), but not completely gourmand because of the floral notes (iris, orange blossom, jasmine) and patchouli. Staying power was great.

N.001 Miss Dior Cherie 

A super girly scent, but in a very sophisticated way. The sweet fruity notes of strawberry and cherry are mixed with sticky caramel and cotton candy which are then rounded by patchouli to give it a more grown up feel. This is the only fragrance I notice the difference from the original and even that only in silage. The Refan version is fainter, however, I owned Dior Cherie years ago and swapped it due to it being absolutely too strong (it felt so suffocating to me at the time), so I actually prefer this one. 

N.177 Burberry Body

It smells like roses, but not like a grandma type of rose. Normally I dislike rose scents with passion, but not in this composition. There are other notes that temper the rose scent, which makes it smell more fresh, creamy and powdery. Basically, it's a clean skin scent. There is supposed to be peach in it, but I don't smell any fruity notes at all.

Repurchase: Not these scents, but definitely yes.

TRIBUTES8 01 Molecule 01 Iso E Super

This was such a waste of money. You know that fragrance Molecule One from Escentic Molecules that so many bloggers rave about? Well that famous molecule is called Iso E Super and it's not spectacularly rare or so exceptional that it might justify a hefty price tag. There are a lot of these Molecule 01 dupes on eBay, which are just a dilution of Iso E Super in perfumer's alcohol. I didn't quite know what to expect as it's a fragrance that's supposed to smell different on each individual and you yourself can't smell it, but it should smells nice to other people. Except that is doesn't. Well, it doesn't smell of anything to be honest. It's such a weak scent that smells like water, earth and wood, like walking in a forest or similar to the oris root note in Britney Spears' The Naughty Remix, but super gentle and it lasts just a few seconds. It's just lame. It just felt like I was spraying water on me. I tried mixing it with other scents to maybe give them something extra, but this did nothing.

Repurchase: No. 

Empties #16

I have 32 empties and that's just too much to cram into one post, so there will be two. I should have done this sooner, but I always had a product that was just about to run out, in fact I have many such products right now, but enough is enough, so here is the first 16. 

MAKEUP

L'OREAL False Lash Wings Intenza

A classic plastic brush mascara that excels mostly in definition. Once it thickened a bit it was also nicely volumising. I liked the effect of it and I think it's a great mascara, but because it's a regular formula, it didn't hold my lashes curled at all. However, my cousin did really like this mascara when I gave it to her to try, that was at least until she heard how much it costs.

Repurchase: No, the main reason being the price.

ESSENCE Lash Princess Volume Mascara

The volume this mascara creates is insane. You seriously get the biggest lashes with this, it's just full on glam. Unfortunately, it's a very wet formula and my lashes drop in a microsecond. Having said that, I would repurchase this because I don't want to remove waterproof mascara every day and I do actually use regular formulas at times, even though uncurled lashes isn't the best look for me. This is a mascara I recommend to everyone who asks me for a very volumising formula. It's cheap, easily accessible and just brilliant if your lashes hold a curl well.

Repurchase: Yes.

BORN PRETTY Smooth Liquid Eye Liner with a Panda Design

I loved this. It's one of my absolute favourite eyeliners so far and I never expected it from something that looks like a kids toy. It's very black with a super smooth formula and that brush-like bendy applicator. It also lasted a really long time. Great stuff.

Repurchase: Yes. 

L'OREAL Super Liner So Couture

Either I'm incredibly unlucky or this just sucks so bad. I've never tried a worse liner than this. I thought I got a bad one because it was all dried up when I tried it at home, so I went to exchange it and that one performed exactly the same. Still pissed I wasted 10 € on this. However, I love their Super Liner Perfect Slim version.

Repurchase: Absolutely not. 

ESSENCE Eyeliner Pen Waterproof 

This is really good for the price. It's a classic felt tip liner, so the tip isn't as bendy as at that Panda liner, but the formula is very black and lasts very well. I liked it and it's the most affordable decent liner, so I'm sure I'll buy it again sometime. 

Repurchase: Yes. 

NAILS

LADY LYA Bionature 3 in 1 Nail Polish

Base Coat - Top Coat - Nail Polish

This was one of the first PR products I got and I ended up using it with every nail polish as a base for years. It takes too long to dry to be used as a top coat, but as a base coat I think it worked great. It protected the nails from being stained and it might have even contributed to every nail polish lasting eons on my nails, but the latter part might just be the because of how strong my nails are. 

Repurchase: I would if it were at least half cheaper.

SKINCARE - FACE

THE BODY SHOP Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil

I liked this in terms of how well it removed makeup, especially waterproof mascara, but I had to be very careful not to use it too often because it made my skin unclear. It's a bummer for me, but I still recommend this, since it probably won't do the same on you and it's very affordable. The packaging started leaking, which I wasn't terribly pleased about. 

Repurchase: No, I prefer L'Occitane's.

EMMA HARDIE Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm

I liked this and I didn't like it. Complicated I know. I loved the texture of this, it is sublime, so amazing to use and it removes all makeup with ease. But the general effect on my skin was not worth 50 € (mine is the small size, though). My skin even developed some patches at one point meaning that this was not enough for my skin. Also it just wasn't as clear like at Balance Me's version or Good Thing Manuka Honey version. The packaging is incredibly rubbish for the price. The lid cracked almost instantly, then it fell apart and the pot even leaked. Just terrible. Nonetheless I'm happy I tried it out.

Repurchase: No, I got the Balance Me one again.

BALEA Enzym Peeling

I didn't like this. I actually haven't used it up, but I'm throwing it away because it separated (I bought it in May). It's an enzyme peeling, so it contains AHA, however, it's so gentle, it actually doesn't do anything at all on my skin. It does smell nice though, like papaya, but warmer.

Repurchase: No.

BOCASSY Serum

A serum that is more reminiscent of a light lotion, so in warm months I could even use it on its own. I liked the effect of this, it made my skin look healthier, but I had to use a larger quantity than I'm used to at once. It has a nice scent of apples plus some warm base, it sinks into the skin very quickly and it has nice ingredients (even some vitamin A). The pump broke when it was nearing its end which wasn't cool. If I feel that my skin will worsen without this, I'll buy it again, but I'm in general not a fan of additional steps in my skin care (I'm a cleanser + Nuxe oil girl all the way).

Repurchase: I don't know yet. I like it, but it's expensive. 

REN Resurfacing AHA Concentrate

I will sorely miss this. I could buy a new one, but it's so expensive. I had this way past its expiration date, but I'm a crazy woman who obsessively saves the good things, instead of actually using it (I really, really need to stop doing this), so it actually got a bit bad at the end (the scent became more acidic). I truly relied on this when my skin was acting up. This and Queen Helene's mask was my power combination. I'm sure you've gathered from the name that it's a serum (or concentrate. Same thing) with fruity acids (glycolic lactic, tartaric and citric acid), so it's a chemical exfoliator. I don't want to write another novel about it here, so just read my review if you want to know more, but I loved this.

Repurchase: I would, but it's sooo expensive.

PALMER'S Swivel Stick

My favourite lip balm and basically the only one I use (I have Labello's Peach version, but that's not exactly the most nourishing lip balm). It's not a proper lip balm, it's actually a multi-purpose stick made out of cocoa butter (plus some extra stuff). I think that after years of using this my lips have improved so much that I never need to use a lip balm during the day because my lips are never dry. Even if I forget to use this before going to bed, my lips are still fine. It's very different from regular lip balms because it's not waxy, so it's not just a coat of stuff on your lips that prevents the moisture disappearing, but this actually nourishes the lips. It looks ridiculous when you're applying it because it looks like a giant glue stick, but I love this. 

Repurchase: Already did. 

EMMA HARDIE Amazing Face Age Support Cream

Such a rich and thick moisturiser that reminds of universal creams like Nivea or Solea. I found it a bit much for my skin, but it would work fantastically on really dry skin. Tt has a strong floral scent, so it's different from the cleansing balm. 

Purchase: No.

SKINCARE - BODY

BALEA Rasier Gel

Just an essential that I always have in stock. It's a great quality shaving gel that does its job and is very affordable. This one has a floral powdery scent.

Repurchase: Already did.

NIVEA Pearl & Beauty Anti-perspirant

Another essential that I always have a can of. I love this anti-perspirant despite being in a spray. It smells so lady-like and it contains some powder that absorbs moisture. 

Repurchase: Already did.

REXONA Clear Pure Crystal Dry Deo Stick

You must be tired of seeing this in my empties, but this is my standard deodorant for maybe two years now. I just like it because it's the only one so far that hasn't stopped working on me before I had a chance to use it up. I don't even know which one in a row this is, but it's probably 5th or 6th.

Repurchase: Already done.

The next 16 products are coming soon. It's some more body products, hair care and fragrances.

Have a great day!

Essence Lipliner 11 In the Nude

The fact that I'm not what you'd call the biggest fan of Essence's standard lip liners has never stopped me from getting, well, almost every colour that exists, so this is the latest one - 11 In the Nude. The reason I got this one, even though it's not what's you'd described a "me colour" is that I heard it's a dupe for Mac's Velvet Teddy. Petra from Adjusting Beauty clearly showed us that that was another exaggeration, probably designed to get more likes (why don't people get what a dupe is?) Any way, it doesn't really matter to me that it isn't a complete dupe, I just wanted to see how this type of colour looks on me. 

11 In the Nude looks very different on the lips from the colour of the pencil, for one it's lighter. It a warm nude with peachy tones that are probably a bit more exaggerated against my pale skin than on others. It's different from what I normally wear, but I like the change.

  

You may have noticed that the cap is different now. Essence literally changed the packaging overnight with no warning and it looks like they decided to change the formula too. The new formula is drier than before, it's closer now to Catrice's Longlasting Pencils. Personally, I don't mind. I've been complaining that Essence's lip liners are too creamy and therefore lack precision, however, that creaminess was the reason so many people loved them. Whether  the change was a good move, only time will tell, but I'm glad I don't have to constantly sharpen it any more.

These still cost 1.19 €, which is a bargain and I think they are still the best way to see if a type of colour suits you. I wish they had a vampy red shade in their selection, I feel that's the only colour that's been missing for years. Links to reviews of other shades I own: 06 Satin Mauve, 07 Cute Pink, 12 Wish Me a Rose, 14 Femme Fatale and 15 Honey Berry.

Have a great day!

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Nail Paint Road Rage

A while ago Barry M released a new range of nail polishes that promise to dry very fast, but I actually don't care about that part. What actually got me was the prettiest shade range I've seen so far. It's mostly made up of pastels, which is totally up my alley and not surprisingly I have a huge chunk of the line on my wishlist, but for the first time I went with the good old classic mint green. 

As I said Road Rage is a mint green. It's a greener Mint Candy Apple and a brighter version of Kiko's Jade Green. I expected a completely other colour based on the swatches I've seen online, I though it's a bit darker and brighter, but I can't say that this shade isn't gorgeous, I just love mint green. 

The formula is so annoying. Almost the whole nail polish world switched to the gel formulas, but this is still that pesky pastel formula that drives you crazy. It's thick, it takes three coats for a decent even finish (if you can manage it). But's it's not useless, just terrible to work with. The brush is a classic one.

If you plan on getting one mint green nail polish to have in your collection, go with Kiko's Jade Green as that is by far the best formula of such a colour I've tried and tried a lot of them. I would still like to have all those shades that caught my eye (I like to torture myself like that). I have, however, heard that formulas differ quite a lot in this range. The yellow one (On your Marks) is another difficult one, but coral one (In a Heart Beat) is supposedly nice.

It costs £3.99 on Boots International.

Have a great day!

Freedom Makeup Pro Lipstick Pro Red 108 Expression

It's been quite a while since I got this lipstick. I even had a review ready for at least a month, but I sort of avoided posting it because honestly, this is a boring lipstick. It's not bad, just unimpressive. I did a couple of reviews of Freedom Makeup products already, which are essentially just Makeup Revolution products in a bad disguise, so the lipsticks don't differ much from MR's classic ones. So nothing new, nothing exciting, insert a dispassionate review bellow:

Colour: It's a pinky red that is semi-transparent and has a creamy-glossy finish. The colour in the tube is so different from what you get on the lips, it even swatches pinkish red, which really surprised me. It needs a few layers to get a nice colour going, so it's more reminiscent of all those lip balm-lipstick hybrids. I'm not a big fan of glossier-creamier reds because there is a bigger chance of it moving too much, so I'd prefer this was matte.

Texture: is nicely creamy and it applies without tugging. It feels waxier than for example MR's Iconic Pro, which is to me a good thing because it sticks on the lips better. Staying power is ok, better than I expected, but reds have so much pigment that it's easy for them to stick on. It almost survives eating, the inner edges of the lipstick do wipe off, but the rest is ok, still I would reapply.

Scent: It has a light scent of chemicals.

Packaging: The tube is pretty much the same as at Makeup Revolution lipsticks and MUA ones, so it's rather basic, but it works. I tried to pull out that coloured part out, but I can't.

 

These are very cheap at 1.95 € from Ličila.si. It's a ok sheer red for those who want to just try if reds suit them, but for red lipstick addicts like me, it doesn't quite cut it. 

Have a great day!

*PR product

Kiko Nail Lacquer 375 Bois de Rose

Last month when I was in Kiko for the first time (for more than two seconds now that I know that this is actually a decent brand), I wanted to pick up a muted powder pink-grey nail polish. 508 Rose Sand was top on my list, however, unfortunately I was quite disappointed when I saw how much smaller the selection of shades was in Palmanova compared to the website. They of course didn't have Pink Sand, nor did they have a navy nail polish I wanted (522 pearly sapphire blue), but 375 Bois de Rose looked closest to the powder pink colour I wanted. 

375 Bois de Rose is a warm muted medium pink. It's an interesting colour, but not what I was looking for when it's on my nails. The formula is that of a classic nail polish and thick, so you get full opacity quick. It is however, not a gel formula, which means you get ridges during application and it doesn't even itself out, but stays like that. A coat of Seche Vite on a slightly wet layer of nail polish fixes that problem. The finish is almost satin, it's definitely not as glossy as most nail polishes. Two coats are needed for full opacity, but even one coat is close. The brush is a classic one and it works fine.

It's an okay nail polish. I'd say it's nice for the price, but Essence actually has better ones for even cheaper. What's truly impressive at Kiko is their shade range, they have literally any colour you can imagine, however, I have yet to it the full range in a shop.

This nail polish cost 1.90 € in Kiko, Palmanova.

I have another shade called 345 Jade Green from before and I actually like the formula a lot more, especially for a pastel colour.

Have a great day!