Review: ORIBE Moisture and Control Shampoo and Conditioner

I was really lucky to get the Oribe Shampoo and Conditioner for Moisture and Control as a gift this year from my lovely mommy. It was so thoughtful of her, especially because she knows I love trying new beauty products.

New favorite drugstore mascara

Stick version of Nuxe Rêve de Miel lip balm! (and not the one Nuxe makes - it's way better)

Review: Nuxe Rêve de Miel Lip Balm + full ingredients list

Beauty Scenario Tag

This tag was started by Lily Pebbles, one of my favorite beauty bloggers. It sounded fun, so I thought I'd do it. I tag all of you, too.

1. You have to get rid of all your foundations and you can only keep one high end and one drugstore, which do you keep?

I don't use foundation really, so I'm going to replace that with concealer. I'd keep the TimeBalm from TheBalm concealer and I'd keep the Revlon Photoready concealer. I prefer TheBalm, but the Revlon's not bad, and I've used up a bunch of those. They're actually about the same price depending where you find them...

2. You go for an interview and the lady interviewing you has lipstick on her teeth. Do you approach the subject or ignore it completely?

It depends on the interview. If I'm feeling comfortable, I'd say something along the lines of "You have a bit of lipstick on your teeth. I'd want someone to tell me the same if I had the same thing going on!"

3. You're not feeling yourself and need a pick me up. Which lipstick do you put on to make yourself feel beautiful?

I barely wear lipstick, but I'd go for my Fresh Lip Balm in Berry though.

4. You go back in time for a day to your teenage years, how would you do your hair and makeup differently?

I would not do the ugly slicked back bun with the hair clips (like really, what was I thinking??) and I would fill in my brows but go lighter on the eyeshadow.

5. You ask your hairdresser for a shoulder length Pixie Lott hair cut, but they hear wrong and give you a pixi cut. Do you a) Smile, say thank you, leave and call your mum hysterical b) Cry in the chair and things get awkward or c) Complain to the manager and demand a refund.

I would probably just say, "Sorry, but this isn't really what I had in mind. I should've been more clear. Is it possible to fix this?"

6. Your friend surprises you with a 4 day city break and you have 1 hour to pack. Which 'do it all' palette do you pack in your makeup bag?

The MUA Smokin' palette. It has gorgeous colors, and there's a good shade for the brows in it.

7. Your house has been robbed, don't worry everyone is safe, but your beauty stash has been raided. What's the product you really hope is safe?

Only the weirdest of robbers would be digging in my beauty stash, but I'd really hope that my Trish Planner and it's contents were safe. It would be the most expensive to replace.

8. Your friend borrows your makeup and returns it in awful condition. Do you a) Just pretend you haven't noticed b) Ask them to repurchase it or c) Secretly do the same to something of theirs

I'd probably pretend I just didn't notice, but really, I don't lend out beauty products, and if I did, I'd really hope they wouldn't do that.

Liebster Award

Like Adrie, the lovely girl that nominated me for this thing, I didn't know what on earth it was. Now that I do I can tell y'all: It's an award for bloggers that have less than 200 followers. I felt really touched that she liked my blog enough to nominate it for this, so thanks, Adrie. :)

The Rules:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and make a post about the liebster award.

2. Write 11 interesting things about yourself.

3. Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.

4. Nominate 11 other bloggers (under 200 followers) and notify who you have nominated.

5. Write 11 questions for your nominees.

11 Facts About Me

1. I have been a vegetarian since I was 8 years old. I am now 21. 
2. I have three dogs. All are mutts, all are rescues.
3. I have an older brother (3 years older) who is a percussionist.
4. I speak English (obviously), French, and Spanish.
5. If you count gibberish as a language, I also speak gibberish and can use it with French and Spanish as well. (It’s kind of like pig latin).
6. I don’t like it when people touch my face. It just freaks me out.
7. I work in a beauty store as a Sales Associate makeup artist and skincare consultant. It’s local and family owned (not my family, however). We sell more hard to find makeup and skincare (the quality of Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, etc).
8. I’m a quarter Japanese, 1/8 German and 1/8 Italian, and half South African.
9. I am a university student. I double major; I study Romance Languages and Literatures (French and Spanish) and International Studies (Comparative Culture and Identity). I'm in Paris right now for five months, but before January I studied in Spain for four months, and I studied 6 weeks before that in France (Grenoble, not Paris).
10. At my university I belong to the squirrel club. We go around and feed the already people-ized squirrels on campus.
11. I am super good at whistling. Like really good. Haha I also enjoy singing, and even though I’ve since quit, I used to play violin and was in a Grammy award-winning orchestra in high school.

Adrie’s Questions: 

1. What is your favourite makeup/skin brand? Makeup: Trish McEvoy Skincare: Tata Harper (If I have to just choose one in each category...)
2. What can't you leave your house without? Lip balm. I hate feeling like I have dry lips.
3. Favourite subject in school? Translation. It’s like a fun game to me, but it’s the hardest thing ever. I love the challenge.
4. Favourite musical artist? So many, but I love the Beatles, Belle and Sebastian, Explosions in the Sky, Of Monsters and Men, Queen, etc etc
5. Most played song on your iTunes? Boulevard of Broken Dreams... I think that was the first song I had ever downloaded on iTunes when I was 12, and I had to cycle through it billions of times because I had nothing else to listen to.
6. What kind of phone do you have? iPhone 5s
7. What is your favourite colour? Probably green. But I love the combo of blue and orange (next to eachother - combined they would be brown...)
8. What is your most used social network? Facebook or instagram. 
9. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A doctor, then an environmental lawyer. Now I just want to be in beauty.
10. Something you once obsessed/fangirled over. American Girl dolls and Panic! At the Disco.
11. Dream Job? Anything in beauty. I’d love to be a makeup artist or the creative director of a makeup/skincare brand. Or I’d just like to swap lives with Lisa Eldridge. Please?

My Nominees

1. http://www.fashionrubies.com/

2. http://kateberlinsays.blogspot.fr/

3. http://gingercatqueen.blogspot.fr/

4. http://serenbird.blogspot.fr/
5. http://becandbeauty.blogspot.com
6. http://jasminecara.blogspot.com
7. http://faithopeloving.wordpress.com
8. http://blondeteaparty.blogspot.com
9. http://lanasmakeupbeauty.blogspot.com
10. http://bbyspice.blogspot.com
11. http://justineelucyy.blogspot.com

My Questions:

1. What are your biggest pest peeves? It’s okay, rant it out.
2. If you got stranded on a desert island (and you already have your phone, pocket knife, matches, ropes, fresh water, basic survival things with you), what one beauty product would you bring?
3. If you could only use one brand of makeup for the rest of your life, what would it be?
4. Who’s your hero and why?
5. When you go out to eat or to a bar, what beverage do you usually order?
6. If you had to live anywhere outside of the country you live in now, which country would it be and why?
7. What piece of advice would you give to your 15 year old self?
8. What’s your favorite desert?
9. Dream pet? Even if it’s illegal...
10. If you could raid a celebrity’s closet, whose would it be?
11. What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you?

Thanks again, Adrie!

Products I regret buying/Disappointing products

We see so many people hauling and raving about products, which is nice because you know some good things on the market. However, I think some of the most important posts on the internet are these kind of reviews that tell you what NOT to buy as well. So here are the products I wish I never had bought or disappointed me in some way.

Nail Love: Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Lychee

Looking for the perfect neutral polish?

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Lychee is your answer. It's just the perfect not too grey, not too pink nude that looks so flattering on the nails. I'm obsessed. 

I can't comment on the lasting power because I'm using the horrible Mavala base and top coats right now, but this lasts better than the Mavala polishes sandwiched between those two things, so that says something I think.

While it doesn't apply the best (it's a bit thin and streaky) and takes about three coats to get to full opacity, it does look nice once you've finished all your coats and have slapped a top coat on over it. 

I have three coats on under Mavadry. Natural Light.

I do like the Deborah Lippmann formula better than this one (I love Fashion and Naked), but this will be more accessible for those of you who live in the UK (you can get it at Boots and Superdrug), and it's cheaper. Boots is on 3 for 2 all the time.

If you've been on the hunt for a nude polish, I'd say give this a try.

Empties!

Even though I've been hauling some things, I also use up a bunch of stuff pretty regularly.

Review: Bioderma Sébium Mat Moisturizing Mattifying Fluid

      I picked up the Bioderma Moisturising Mattifying Fluid on a whim last time I was at my favorite pharmacy here in Paris. I wanted something that would help control my oily skin without drying it out.

                            

7 Deadly Sins of Beauty Tag

I'm doing this tag because I love tags. So here goes!!!

1. GREED: What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?

My most inexpensive beauty items are a couple of Wet n Wild shadow singles. I have the shades Brulée and Nutty. They are incredible, and Brulée is a dupe for Mac's Brulée, and Nutty will be your Mac Satin Taupe dupe. I got them for probably a buck each, or it was BOGO, so even less than that, like 50 cents. Gotta love Wet n Wild. My most expensive is probably my Trish McEvoy planner and brushes, but I got those as a part of work, so the most expensive makeup thing I've actually paid for is the Sonia Kashuk palette I think (that's not that great btw) for 30 bucks. I avoid buying expensive things by searching ___ dupe. It's awesome.

2. WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with? What product has been the hardest to get?

I have a love/hate relationship with the Sonia Kashuk palette I just mentioned above. I love it because it has a bunch of great colors, some colors with good payoff, and then it's versatile because it has 12 mattes, a bunch of which are good eyebrow colors (so it multi-tasks). I hate it though because it was expensive for the product you get, most of the shadows don't have that great color pay-off, or they have a ton of chunky glittery fall-out. 

The product that has been hardest to get is probably the Wet n Wild singles or palettes. Whenever I get to a Wet n Wild stand at the drugstore, the products are usually cracked open from people swatching them, cracked just from being dropped, or just completely not in stock. I always kind of have to look around different drugstores to find a WnW product that's in tact.

3. GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products?

My most delicious beauty products are probably the Boots Extracts Mango showel gel and body butter. They smell like candy. Love 'em.

4. SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect, due to laziness?

Lipstick. I hardly ever wear lipstick (colored balms and lip balms are my thing) because I know I have to touch it up. I never wear lipgloss either, but that's just because I hate lipgloss. 

5. PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence?

Concealer. If I've got a zit, everything will always be okay with just a little bit of concealer on it. I feel so self conscious when I have a spot on my face. 

6. LUST: What attributes do you find most attractive in the opposite sex?

I really love nice eyes and a kind smile. I also have a weird thing for broad shoulders. There's nothing I love more than a tall, lanky guy with broad shoulders, dark hair, and blue/green eyes.

7. ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as a gift?

I would love to get the Naked 3 palette as a gift definitely. I'll be in London for five days at the end of February (this will go up early March), and I plan on buying the MUA dupes for Naked 1 and 2, so I'd love the Naked 3 to top that off. And I love pink eyeshadows with my brown eyes. 

I tag you!

London and L'Oréal Haul: LUSH, Boots, Superdrug, Space NK, Liberty, Pixi, etc

The last week in February I went to London, and it's pretty safe to say I went a bit crazy. I had a list of things I was after while I was there, like anything Caroline Hirons has ever mentioned on her blog, the MUA dupes for the Naked palettes, Lush stuff (because it's SO much cheaper in the UK), and a bunch of things from Soap and Glory, and I think I hit just about everything. Grab a cup of tea. This is going to be a long 'un.

Nail Love: The duochromes

I love nail polish in general, but there's a certain type of nail polish that I absolutely can never pass up, and that's a duo chrome polish. I just think they're so interesting to look at, because in one light they'll be one color and then you flip your hand, and it's another color. Too cool, right? 

I rounded up all my duo chrome polishes here to show you the awesomeness. 

Firstly we have the Maybelline Downtown Brown. This color was limited edition for Fall 2012, so it might not be available now unless you really search for it (the formula isn't great though, so I wouldn't recommend it anyway). The color is a green to brown duochrome. It is cool, probably not my favorite duochrome though.

I also have the Sally Hansen HD polish in Laser. Again, I don't know if you can still find it, but I know that Butter London has a color that's very similar called Scouse, and the Butter formula is way better. This is a very shimmery blue/purple duochrome. To get full opacity I have to paint on four coats, but I like to wear this over one coat of the Sally Hansen Pacific Blue to get the duochrome effect without the time commitment. 

Another Sally Hansen option that I do think is still available is the Insta-dri polish in Grape. It's blue to purple and opaque in two coats. As the product name may suggest, the drying time is really quick.

Another limited edition one I've got in my stash (sorry, y'all) is the Chanel Peridot. It's a green to gold duochrome. I do have some dupes for you though, including OPI Just Spotted the Lizard (limited edition, too, but if you can find it or have it, it's the same thing) and Deborah Lippmann Swagga Like Us (NOT limited edition). 

Swagga Like Us, which I just picked up on sale from beautybrands.com for $7 for when the Chanel Peridot runs out, is very similar. It's more gold/bronze to green than gold to green, but I actually like it better, as it looks more dimensional. I also like the Deborah Lippmann formula more than the Chanel. I'm almost out of the Chanel color because I use it so much, and I always get compliments and questions about it, like "Is that gold or green???," when I wear it (even from guys). 

I have some Deborah Lippmann Duochrome options, too, of course. First up is Private Dancer, a dirty gold to purple duo chrome, then Sugar Daddy, which I just ordered online and is not pictured, a bright gold to rose. I just ordered Swagga Like Us as backup for Peridot, and next on my shopping list is Wicked Game, which is like Butter London Knackered without the glitter. 

Butter's Knackered is a lavender to green duochrome with silver micro glitter. I'm almost out of this polish as well because I wear it so much. However, I've discovered that instead of using four coats to reach full opacity, I can layer one coat of my Revlon Colorstay in Provence under one coat of Knackered and still get the same effect. 

My last two duo chrome polishes are from Model's Own's Beetle Juice collection.  I got them on sale at urban outfitters a really long time ago, but you can still find them online. They're really pretty and opaque in two coats. Aqua violet is a turquoise to violet, Purple Blue is a blackish purple to reddish purple. They do smell toxic, however, so just a word of caution. 

Do you love duochrome polishes, too? What are your favorites?

Bioderma UK Spotting!

If you don't know already, yes, Bioderma has landed in the UK. I don't really care for micellaire waters in general, but since a lot of you know and love Bioderma's offering, when I spotted it while I was in London by Carnaby Street, I thought I'd share it with you.

You can find it at Zest Health and Gifts on Berwick Street.

Happy hunting! ;)