MAC Zoom Lash mascara in Blue Charge (Beth Ditto Collection) : review

MAC Zoom Lash mascara in Blue Charge

Fortunately for my wallet nothing apart from Zoom Lash mascara caught my eye in MAC's Beth Ditto collection and luckily enough my friend Ania was in Edinburgh airport to pick it for me. 

This is the first MAC mascara I've ever tried and I like it so much that I feel I need to explore their range better. 

The mascara fulfils all my expectations. It's volumising, makes my lashes look fuller, longer and more curled. Although the formula is waterproof the mascara doesn't smudge or leave and marks under my eyes (like many mascaras, even the waterproof ones do). Lasts all warm and humid day but it isn't difficult to remove when the right time comes. My only grudge about this mascara is that it doesn't separate the lashes as well as as my new Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp does. 

And I saved the best for the end: this is a limited edition vivid blue mascara. I absolutely adore the shade! It looks very definitely blue creating a kind of blue haze around the eyes! Gorgeous! I wish it was permanent cause I already feel the need to repurchase!

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion. 

Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Mascara

I want to announce the fact that I've found my Holy Grail mascara! I'd never have come across it if it hadn't been included in my June Glossybox. Yves Rocher isn't normally the brand I reach for but I believe I need to pop in from time to time.

So why did I fall in love with Sexy Pulp?

First of all I like reasonably large, non-silicone brushes so I liked this mascara at first glance. But of course you don't value a mascara by what the brush looks like but by what it does.

Sexy Pulp is a volumising mascara which is not that dramatic when you apply one coat but two coats will definitely make your eyes pop.

I love the fact that it's buildable without glueing my lashes together, as you can see in the pictures below they are nicely separated, lengthened and volumised. My lashes are naturally quite curly so with the use of a good mascara I can achieve the same result as if I'd used a curler and Sexy Pulp is this kind of mascara.

The formula of this mascara is not waterproof but it behaves as if it was, the only difference being that it's easier to remove. I haven't noticed any smudging all day, even in hot and humid weather.

Although the brush is fairly large it's not difficult to manipulate. Even such a clumsy person like me can handle it without any problems even on bottom lashes.

All in all I absolutely love this mascara for it's amazing performance, the way it looks, wide availability and last but not least its price. It cost less than a third of my Lancome Dolly Eyes mascara and it's way better!

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion. 

DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom

I like to smell of flowers in spring and in summer so DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom turned out to be a perfect option for me cause it smells like.... fresh blossom! Neither too sweet nor too heavy, doesn't smell like candy floss and it's not musky at all. I'm not gonna try to list all the flowers I can smell here but I'll just say it's like the essence of all of them together. 

Moreover, I got the perfume in a 15ml bottle which is more than enough for the summer and it didn't cost a fortune.

I like the simple round bottle with the silver lid, the only problem is that it's hard to open.

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion. 

Loewe Aire Sensual: review

A sample of Aire Sensual was attached to the Glossybox in June. I've tried it and I'm sort of in two minds about it.

On the bright side, this smells like spring time. Flowers, shrubs, bushes, apple trees and all that smells lovely in full blossom locked in a bottle. It appeals to my senses a lot in this season of the year. 

The drawbacks are that this fragrance is a bit old-fashioned and might be addressed to slightly older generation mine.  Moreover, intense as it is in the beginning, it seems to evaporate quickly. It definitely doesn't linger on for ever. And finally it costs a fraction too much. If it was cheaper I'd put it on my wishlist, but with price tag comparable to Chanel or Dior, I'd rather pick some more established brands. 

Toni & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray: review

Toni & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray was one of two products in my June Glossybox which were worth any attention. Although the sample product was fairly large I left it for travel occassions and got myself the full-size one.

I use this spray to revive my hair when it looks wilted in the morning. It makes my curls look nice and fresh and also adds volume and texture. I have very dry hair fortunately it doesn't dry it out even more. 

I love the fact that they've changed the packaging from aerosol to simply a pump but I'd prefer the diffuser to distribute the product like a mist rather than in splashes like it does now. It's nothing I can't handle, though. 

I was also plasantly surprised by the price, not cheap perhaps but affordable. Much cheaper than when these products were traded exclusivey by Sephora, now they're available in drugstores like Rossman.

EDIT: I'm in the the midst of bleaching my hair platinum blonde (from red) and I've noticed that this spray tends to revive the redness in my hair!

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion. 

  

Winter approaching!

12°C and torrential rain. 

Am I going to wear my gorgeous new swimsuit this summer or not?

I'm starting to feel that by getting a new swinsuit I scarred summer away, just like last year when I bought all sun protection products I could think of and I hardly used them a all...

BM beauty Mineral Blush in Peachy Glow: review

BM beauty Mineral Blush in Peachy Glow

BM mineral blush was one of the contents of my June Glossybox. I'd never heard of the brand before so I checked them out and it turns out BM beauty is a Scottish brand which apparently makes skin-friendly, cruelty free make-up. 

This blush was a total miss for me for a variety of reasons. Actually everything about it was wrong but it it's a matter of my personal fancies rather than objective defects of the product.

First of all I'm not a fan of mineral cosmetics.

Secondly I don't like powder blushes.

Thirdly the shade is totally wrong. It seems sheer but looks on my cheeks like a splash of mud. Instead of making me glow it makes me look dull.

Finally it's has such a frosty shimmery finish that combined with the shade it looks almost like gold or peachy gold. I don't really sport  a King Midas look.

This product is supposed to be versatile, may be also used as an eyeshadow or mixed with a clear gloss. I'd never put such colour on my eyes, though I believe it may work for others. I tried mixing it with my ELF gloss, I used a substantial amount of product but the result was very sheer, not impressive at all.

As far as I know June Glossybox contained 2 shades of the blush and I'm sure that if I'd got the Velvet Dawn one my review would be at least a bit more favourable. 

BM beauty Mineral Blush in Peachy Glow

Neutrogena mineral sheers concealer kit SPF20 in Fair: review

Neutrogena mineral sheers concealer kit SPF20 in Fair

Neutrogena mineral sheers concealer kit SPF20 is my attempt to fill in a gap in eye area sun protection products in my stash. Eye products with a reasonably high SPF are hard to find. Perhaps the producers believe this area is sufficiently protected by sunglasses and perhaps they're right. 

Neutrogena mineral sheers concealer kit SPF20 in Fair

I have no idea if this works cause the amount of the product you use is tiny and moreover it consists of cream and powder and I'd like to know if I get the same protection if I use only the cream or the powder or do I need to use both?

Neutrogena mineral sheers concealer kit SPF20 in Fair

So, to the point. As I've already said the product consists of cream conceaer and setting powder. The cream is thick consistency wise, the best way to apply it is just to dab a small amount under my eye. I don't have typical dark circles, I use it to even out my skin tone to match my foundation so I'm no expert in terms of coverage but it seems to me that the coverage is pretty good. 

Neutrogena mineral sheers concealer kit SPF20 in Fair

The share Fair is really fair, perhaps too fair for my NW20 complexion but it makes me look more awake. If you use a small amount the concealer stays put all day without creasing or settling in wrinkles. I like it for the fact that it is non-drying but it may be slightly greasy.

Neutrogena mineral sheers concealer kit SPF20 in Fair

In order to set this fairly greasy formula the manufacturer provided a setting powder and this powder is something I don't like about this concealer. First of all it somehow doesn't apply well, I used both the applicator sponge provided and a brush and it turns cakey. What's more it has pearly white finish which I'm not sure looks best right under the eyes. It definitely does accentuate my wrinkles. I use my Dior loose powder instead and it works miles better.

Neutrogena mineral sheers concealer kit SPF20 in Fair

All in all I find this product satisfactory. It's not without flaws but it's really decent and it didn't cost a fortune. 

Neutrogena mineral sheers concealer kit SPF20 in Fair

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion. 

Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base: review

Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

After severe disappointment with the new version of Urban Decay Primer Potion (I loved the old formula) I decided to get something new. Having read a number of reviews I chose Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. And this one is now my favourite!

This primer differs from those I used before (UD and Smashbox). Whereas other primers are beige and have a kind of dry yet sticky finish, the one by Nars is white and it's sort of powdery when dry. UD and Smashbox made my eyeshadows look more vibrant and cling better but very hard to blend. Nars, although white in the tube, is invisible when applied so it's can't be used to even out any imperfections on the lids but it makes blending an easy process. 

I like the doe foot applicator which picks just the right amount of product. Two tiny dots on the lid, blended with a finger do the trick. The shadows stay put all day long without fading or creasing.

I have oily lids and a good primer is a must. I think I'll remain faithful to this one unless they change the formula just as Urban Decay did.

Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion. 

Inglot silver and black eyeshadows #143, #498, #391: review + swatches

Inglot #143, #498, #391

Here comes another set of Inglot eyeshadows with which you can create a classic smoky eye look.

# 143 is a medium silver pearl which looks pretty dark when applied. This is why I like it. Many silvers look like whitish glitter and this one doesn't. 

#498 is anthracite pearl, a very nice shade for contouring. Almost black, with silvery shine.

These two eyeshadews are pigmented, blendable and last all day (with primer). They make a very nice   classic match.

# 391 is matte black. This is the proper black not leaning towards blue, green nor brown. Powdery soft, pigmented and blendable. There's nothing unusual about this shade but if you're looking for a cheap black eyeshadow this is the one!

Inglot #143, #498, #391

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion. 

Obsessed with treasure hunt

Last Sunday was beautiful! Although the weather hasn't been spoiling us this spring we were lucky enough to get a bit of sunshine! We, accompanied by our friends in another car, headed towards Koscierzyna on our treasure hunt with a hint of hangover from the previous night. We knew the area well as I used to spend my teenage holidays there so finding the characteristic signposts which were supposed to direct is to the cache was a piece of cake. The problems started when our mobile phone gps devices refused to cooperate simultaneously with our boys ( and their friend Maly Mikolaj) loosing all interest in the search for the treasure and running across village road.

That was the signal for  break time so we drove to my favourite place there, a tiny lake in the forest with such  gorgeous clear water and sandy bed. Luckily there was no one there and we could have a picnic by the lake.  The boys kicked off their shoes and jumped into the icy cold water only to ask for their wellies a couple of minutes later. 

But I felt restless. I was dissafisfied with the unsuccessful attempt to find my cache. Suddenly I has a revelation and I knew where to search. As soon as the boys tired with water and sunshine we packed them back to the car and went to the spot. Bingo! It was actually Kuba who found the cache.

I was excited like a little girl but our friends didn't seem to share my enthusiasm. They were disgusted at the idea of digging something quite dirty out and playing with it.  

Like a dog on the hunt I couldn't let go off the chance of finding something else. Our friends decided to go home and we went on a cross country trip to find some more and solve a quiz puzzle which would enable us to register our finds on the website.

And I did find another one which brought us closer to being able to set up our own cache. If it depended on me I'd spend another couple of hours roaming the forest but my commonsensical hubby ordered a retreat and off we went home. 

Shall we see Nicolas Jaar live?

Nicolas Jaar is coming to Plock this summer. We're seriously considering the idea of seeing him live, especially that he's planning to take some live band with him. Hmmmm, tempting... Open air, on the river bank... why not?

Korean goodies: Skinfood Black Egg Pore Primer, a review

Skinfood Black Egg Pore Primer

Black Egg Pore Primer belongs to the family of silicone based primers which fill in your pores and make your skin incredibly smooth. They also have a mattifying effect and make your foundation last longer. I've had a chance to use such primers by Lancome, Sephora and Smashbox and this one by Skinfood and they seem to me very much the same. If I were to perform blind testing I think I would find it hard to see any difference. Perhaps in consistency, Black Egg pore primer was the most runny of them all. 

So the conclusion is that if you need a primer and you're considering this one, get it. It works perfectly fine. But if you've already got a primer and want to try something else out, don't waste your money on that.   

The only thing I don't like is the name of the product. It kind of associates badly and makes me feel suspicious of the product although there's no need to! 

Skinfood Black Egg Pore Primer

This review was based on a complimentary sample.

Inglot blue eyeshadows (pearl) #429 and #428 : review & swatches

Inglot #429 (left) and #428 (right)

Here are two Inglot pearl eyeshadows trom their blue range.

#429 is frosty, cool-toned whitish baby blue, although it's a very light shade it's highly pigmented and opaque. The formula is very creamy which goes on like butter.

# is cool-toned dark blue. I don't know why in the swatch it looks patchy and not pigmented enough but it actually applies smoothly and the colour is really intense. This eyeshadow is also creamy and soft.

Both of these eyeshadows perform well over an eyeshadow base, and last on my oily lids for at least 6 hours without creasing or fading..

Inglot #429 (left) and #428 (right)

Below you can see eye make-up made using these two eyeshadows: #429 on the lid and #428 on the crease and as a liner along the lashes, both were used on the lower lid as well.

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.

Time to start my holidays!

Time to misbehave!

Kuba's favourite  quick drink, small bottle and 8.1% of alcohol!

My favourite Polish cider Lajk (not as delicious as Lajk Jesienny, though)

Trzy Zboza: delicious non-corporate beer, malt was made from wheat, rye and barley.

If only the weather wasn't so bad...

My Inglot purple eyeshadows #379 and #67: review & swatches

Inglot purple eyeshadows  #379 (left) and #67 (right)

Time to start a series of posts on Inglot eyeshadows in my possession. Here are the two purples that I have: #379 and  #67.

# 67 is a medium bluish purple (darker in reality than in the picture, the swatch looks more true to life than the picture above). It's super soft and that's why it looks powdery at first but it blends wonderfully, may be applied both sheer and heavily. It's highly pigmented and lasts all day over a primer (I have oily lids so a primer is a must for me, but it doesn't need to be so for others).

Inglot purple eyeshadows #379 (left) and #67 (right)

#67 is a dark bluish purple matte base with sparkle. The sparkle is much more obvious in the pan than when applied, which doesn't mean there's a lot of glittery fallout. I love this purple cause it's dark but it very definitely looks purple. The problem with purple eyeshadows is that when they're dark they look blackish or simply dark ( with a shade that is hard to guess) but this one doesn't.  Looks beautiful on its own and as a contour. Again this eyeshadow applies and blends well and lasts all day.

Whereas I generally prefer MAC eyeshadows Inglot mattes beat MAC in terms of pigmentation, softness and blendability.

EDIT: Thought it a good idea to add a look created using these two shadows:

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion. 

Circle lenses: Geo Princess Mimi Sesame Grey (Bambi series)

I was eyeing these lenses for quite some time but when pinkyparadise.com offered them at half price I had no other option but to get them. I also used a promotional code which granted a "mystery gift"  which in my case turned out to be something that holds hair while doing make-up but in practice it's a piece of broad piece of velcro which really does hold my hair in place but gets tangled in my thin curly hair and is hard to pull out. I was also sent a cute animal lens case. 

Geo Princess Mimi Sesame Grey: front

Now on to the lenses themselves.

These lenses are fairly large for me with 15mm diameter.  They are 3-colour kind of lenses with yellowish shade in the centre, opaque light gray in the centre and a dark outer ring. The design is clearly visible in the pictures so I don't think I need to describe it. 

Geo Princess Mimi Sesame Grey: reverse

They are a bit difficult to pop into the eye because of their size but once they're in they're very comfortable and I can wear them all day long. They blend really nicely with my blue and green eyes but look kind of spooky without make-up. Quite heavy make-up, the darker the better, evens the proportions out. 

I must say I do understand the popularity of these lenses. They make a statement without being too weird. The colour is so opaque that I believe these look great on all eye colours. I really like the design and would love exactly the same lenses but with a smaller diameter.

velcro hair holder (don't waste money on this, use a pin)

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion. 

Korean goodies: Skinfood GoldKiwi Serum review

GoldKiwi Serum belongs to Skinfood's line of products intended to restore sun-damaged skin. I must admit I'm not in the position to say if it works or not and what the results are on sun drenched skin cause first of all I try to do my best to avoid sun exposure and secondly I live in a country which is far from being the sunniest place in the world.

The serum is quite liquidy, applies smoothly and absorbs quickly without the greasy film which sometimes characterises Skinfood products. It's fairly moisturising and like all products in the line smells lovely. It's a very nice product but I can't simply find any use for it. There are so many better products of summer skincare that I think I'll pass on this one.

Thr review was based on a sample

INGLOT GIVEAWAY

I thought it's high time I hosted a GIVEAWAY! Since I'm not sponsored by any brand I feel free to choose what I want to give away. My idea is that I should bring to you a product I really like and I can wholeheartedly recommend. As you may have noticed I can't stop raving about Inglot eyeshadows (plenty of reviews coming up!) and I'm proud of my native brand's contribution to the world of make-up, that's why I decided to offer and empty 3-pan pallette and 3 eyeshadows OF YOUR CHOICE to fill it !*

The giveaway is open worldwide, all you need to do is follow my blog and comment upon your favourite eyeshadows. Thanks to you I might discover some new brands or change my opinion about those I already know!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I would like to apologise in advance if anything doesn't work out as it should. This is the first time I've done it and I'm doing my best but I'm really computer illiterate so please bear with me!

*as long as the're available in my local store. If they aren't I'll consult the winner about optional choices