Life Update : I'm off to England

Hello everybody,

Today's post in a bit different from my other ones. I've never talked about personal matters on this blog, but I've got a big thing going on now, which is slowly taking over my time and, to be honest, my motivation too.

As you'll probably tell from the title, I'm going to England ! I'll be living there for a year of university, until June next year. I'm so excited, England is my dream country so this opportunity means a lot to me. I'll stay there just for about nine months, but I'm willing to make the most of it and enjoy every second.

St Pancras station, from where I'll set foot in London, yay !

Although I'm sure I will have a lot of free time, I'm still unsure of how things will be going, and it'll take me some time to take a new rhythm. As a consequence, I think I will publish less posts on this blog, probably until the end of 2014. With so many exciting things to look forward to, I've already started to leave my blog aside these past few months, and it makes me sad to do so. But I'm sure I'll get back to it eventually, with more new posts and more inspiration.

Of course I'll still try and post from time to time when I've got things that might interest you, but I'm not sure there will be plenty of posts in the upcoming months. I guess taking this break will be a nice thing for me, I'll be coming with with a lot of new ideas and motivated like never before :)

Until then,
have a nice time !

Julia xxx

My Makeup Favourites for a Classic Chic Look ♥

Hello everyone !

Today, I'm showing you my favourite products to use when I want to create a classic but chic look, for example for birthdays or nights out. On these occasions I tend to go with a simple look, and put my efforts in my outfit intead ! 

So here are some of the products I usually use :

When you want to go for a chic look, you have to pay attention to skin and make it look flawless. The best thing for that is to wear a good foundation. Mine is the Mat Velvet + by Makeup Forever, which I reviewed here. It's quite thick and has a good coverage, so maybe some people wouldn't like to use it on a daily basis because of this coverage. But for a special occasion, it's perfect to make your skin look perfect and matte for a long time !

My eye makeup for this type of look is winged eyeliner and long lashes. There is nothing as lovely and easy as that ! Well, it can be difficult sometimes to match both eyes for the eyeliner but the more you practice, the better you get at it ! My eyeliner is the Super Liner by L'Oréal. The brush is not the thinnest you could find, but I don't really like thin eyeliner, so I don't mind. It's still quite precise and handy ! My mascara at the moment is the Millions de Cils So Couture by Maybelline. It is great ! It makes the lashes look longer and it gives it a nice curl. For a night look you could add fake lashes of course, to make the eye makeup look more dramatic.

To go with eyeliner, red lips are the way to go ! There are so many red lipsticks and mine is a Kiko. It's a simple satin red lipstick, with orange undertones. 

Finally, to give more definition to the face, you could use a bronzer (but I don't haha) and add a bit of red on the cheeks. The Benetint by Benefit is great for that, because I feel like when you have red lips, you want to have something more subtle on the cheeks to make your complexion look more natural. The Benetint gives you a slight red shade on the apples of the cheeks, and as it's a liquid formula it stays on the skin for a long time, no need for touch-ups ! (except for the lips of course ;) )

That's it for my classic chic look ! This combo works fine on everybody I think, and it's timeless :)

Julia xx

Fashion Selection : Kimonos

Hi y'all !

Today I've got a bit of a fashion post. I haven't been posting as much fashion as I used to lately, just because I haven't been too keen on new clothing and stuff, I focused more on beauty.

But right now I've think I've fallen in love with kimonos ! They're the perfect item for summer, when it's too hot to wear a cardigan on top of your clothes but you still want an extra layer for the evenings. It is so on trend at the moment that all shops have a large variety of kimonos, of different lengths and patterns and colours, so it's easier to find the one you'll like !

I've selected a few of them for you amongst the pages and pages of e-shops that I've searched through. Here they are, maybe you'll like them too !

1. Floral Print Kimono, Pull & Bear (£29.99)

2. Alayna Flower Trim Bell Sleeve Kimono, Boohoo (£18.00)

3. Beige Geommetric Crochet Tassel Hem Kimono, Sheinside (on sale, £11.77)

4. Black Floral Print Burnout Fringe Hem Kimono, New Look (£29.99)

5. White Paisley Print Kimono (£19.99)

Julia xx

Nails of the Week #9 : Nude is Better

Hello everybody !!

First of all, sorry for the lack of posts these past few weeks. I'm on holiday and strangely, I find myself with a lot more to do than when I was in uni/working ! So the posts are going to be sparse until, let's say, October (because I'm going to do something super exciting in September, I'll speak more about it later !).

Today I wanted to make a quick nails of the week post because I need to show you this pretty nail polish that I bought a few weeks ago (and I speak about it in my makeup favourites for a nude look, right here !) and that I can't get enough of !

It's the "Ivory Rose" by Maybelline. First of all, the colour is great ! Nude nails are always perfect, not matter the season or the occasion. If you don't really know what colour to wear, just put this on and you'll be ready to go with any outfit ! It goes with everything and makes your hands look so lovely.

As for the quality, it is also very good. The brush is like that of Essie nail polishes, it's big so it makes it quicker to apply the polish on the nails. It dries quickly, and stays on for quite a long time without chipping.

I can't find anything wrong with this nail polish, which is probably a good thing ! 

See you soon (well I hope haha) for a new post !

Julia xx

Review : Effaclar K, by Laroche-Posay

Having oily skin is one of the most annoying things in the world. You just have to check all the time if you're not shining like a disco ball haha. It's even worse during the summer, when the sun is out, because mattifying products don't last for so long. 

I'm trying to improve my skin by testing new products, and for about a month I've been using the Effaclar K by Laroche-Posay.

(Yes, it is Marie Antoinette in the background)

I read a lot of good reviews about it, and as it is a pharmacy product, I knew it would be more efficient than a drugstore brand product.

It is supposed to improve the look of the skin, diminish the spots and keep the face more matte and clear. It is a treatment that can be used in the morning and/or at night before bed.

In the morning, you can apply it under the makeup as a base, but I always apply my moisturising cream afterwards, and my makeup only after. 

After about a week of using it, I noticed a change on my skin. It is a lot clearer, I have fewer spots depending on the days - sometimes I have none at all (which happens very rarely to me !), sometimes I've still got a few, but they disappear quicker than before. 

Concerning the mattifying aspect, I'm not sure if it does help or not. My skin is not at its worse now so I'm quite happy about it, but it still gets oily after a few hours, especially when I'm out under the sun. But there is a product from Laroche-Posay supposed to make your skin matte, and I'm probably going to buy it and pair it with this one to see how it goes. 

But the Effaclar K is a really nice product in itself and does a good job at clearing your skin. There are several Effaclar (the letter after changes depending on the type of skin it is made for), I know there is one for sensitive skin for example.

If you struggle to keep a nice spotless skin, you should really try this product or any of the same range, they all seem very helpful !

Julia xx

Nails of the Week #8 : the Bronze Age

I don't know why I went for this title, but it sounds good to me. Maybe because I'm really into Ancient History at the moment... Anyways, it kinda matches the name of the nail polish I'm wearing so I guess it's okay !

I bought this nail polish a few weeks ago for 2.99€ only. The brand is Monop' Makeup, which is the new makeup brand of the shop Monoprix that we have here in France. It's a shop that sells various things, from food and drinks to homeware and clothes. They also sell a lot of makeup and beauty products, with brands that we can't find anywhere else in France (recently they started selling the Aussie brand which I need to try out, but they also sell Model's Own, Essie, etc.). But they also have their own makeup range, from which I haven't tried anything but two nail polishes. This one is called "Bronze Pailleté", which means Glittery Bronze.

The shade isn't really a bronze colour to me, but more of a silver with pink undertones. Either way, it is a very pretty colour, super shiny. When you are under the sun it sparkles so much !

This nail polish is exactly the same as another one I have from Kiko. I tell you, the colour is perfectly similar ! And I've almost finished it, so I'm glad I bought this one to replace it. It was even cheaper haha :P


Julia xx

My makeup favourites for a nude look ♥

Hello !

Instead of doing a post with my favourite beauty items in general, I've decided to split my favourites into a series of several themes. I'm starting with my favourite products to use to create a nude look !

Most days, I tend to go for natural makeup, without eyeshadow or strong lipstick, just because I can't be bothered to do it all the time. But a nude look doesn't mean a bare face either, and it's always pleasant to have a nice result with only a few products and very little time ! :)

Here are my favourite products I always use to achieve a quick nude look :

For the skin, I only use a bit of concealer (the Full Cover by Makeup Forever) to hide redness, spots and dark circles. After that I apply some powder, the Stay Matte by Rimmel, which is very good to keep a matte look for a while.

Then to add a bit of light, I use a tiny bit of High Beam highlighter by Benefit. It is so pretty, I adore it ! I put it on my browbone and on the top of my cheekbones, it gives a nice glow to the face without being too shimmery, which I really like - I'm not keen on proper glitter anywhere else than on my eyelids !

Of course you could add some blush on the cheeks and that's what I do usually, but I don't have a favourite in this category, I tend to use by Sephora pink blush (which has no name) all the time. Just a bit of pink on the cheeks make you look more alive !

For the eyes, I use my Vibrant Eye pencil by Kiko as an eyeliner. The colour is a dark brown which looks more natural and neutral than black, and which fits a nude look better. This pencil is really smooth and you can blend it easily if needed. The only other thing I wear on my eyes is mascara, and my favourite ever is the They're Real by Benefit - nothing new here, everybody knows how great it is !

(yep the pencil is disgusting and not even sharpened... sorry for that !)

Last but not least, I stick to a very light pink for my lips with the Apocalips by Rimmel (named "Show off" in France, no idea why they changed the name), this is the colour 201 "Solstice" - again the names are different in France, but this one really looks like the "Galaxy" colour you have in anglophone countries. It is not a real nude, more of a pink with a slight shimmer, but it looks natural enough.

I've added what I would use on my nails to complete the look : the is the Maybelline Forever Strong Pro  in the colour "ivory rose". It is a simple beige nail polish, which applied in three coats gives you the best nude nails ever. It is so chic and makes your hands look like delicate princess hands ! The brush is nice and thick also, like the Essie brushes, so you apply it very easily. A must have !

There you have it, my favourite beauty items for a nude look ! Maybe you have and love some of these already :)

These pinks and beiges are the best colours to make you look nice but effortless !

Julia xx

What I watched : Wuthering Heights (2009)

I think I've got a kind of love-hate relationship with Wuthering Heights. I find the story and the characters completely twisted and dark, but at the same time it is so well written and the feelings expressed are so overwhelming that I still find it incredible. 

I remember when I read the book, I was feeling so depressed at times haha, because the story is so sad. And I felt the same when I saw the 2011 film adaptation, by Andrea Arnold. By the way, I wouldn't recommend this version, I really disliked it - way too slow, too many shots of nature and dead animals (I'm not kidding, they show a lot of animal cruelty and it does make you feel bad), too dark but the kind of dark that makes you feel weird. I felt weird when I watched it, anyway. 

So I'm here to talk to you about the 2009 adaptation, which I watched recently and really enjoyed !

It is a TV film in two parts, directed by Coky Giedroyc (who directed several other mini-series, such as The Virgin Queen (2006) or Spies of Warsaw (2013, and on my to-watch list !)).

I stars Tom Hardy as Heathcliff, Charlotte Riley as Catherine Earnshaw/Linton, Andrew Lincoln as Edgar Linton (I must say the period costume suits him well !), Burn Gorman (despicable as Hindley), Sarah Lancashire as Nelly, the pretty Rebecca Night as young Catherine, etc.

Catherine and Heathcliff. Did you know that Hardy and Riley started dating after that ? Cute !

First, the images are stunning. By images, I mean the setting, the costumes, the landscapes, the way the film is shot... It is a real pleasure to watch, compared to the 2011 version I mentioned earlier, in terms of shots and setting. 

The characters are well depicted, the actors did a great job for them all, without falling into a caricature or into too much sentimentality. The film stays close to the novel, which is an important point to me in literature adaptations. 

And of course, the feelings and emotions are expressed beautifully : love, passion, sadness, despair, hate... The film, as the novel, moves you and makes you think about what is good, what is bad, what are the limits to love... Tom Hardy, especially, does a great work and in the end, you don't know if you should appreciate Heathcliff or totally despise him. He's such a mysterious character, and it's probably because of him and my judgment towards him that I'm not sure if I like the story or not. It is so disturbing, we can understand why some people were shocked when the novel was published, back in 1847 !

Anyway, if you're looking for a good adaptation of the novel, I highly suggest this one, you shouldn't be disappointed at all !

Julia xx

Nails of the Week #7 : Princess Nails

Hello people !

Here we are, for nails of the week n°7 ! I really love doing these posts, I've got so many nail polishes so it helps me to check everytime I put a different one.

I went for something light and pretty glitter over it - "Muchi, Muchi" by Essie, and "Jo is in the House" by H&M !

This Essie polish is one of my favourites. It is a really pale pink, perfect for nude nails with one or two coats, but if you want the colour to be exactly like it is on the bottle, you can go with three.

Unfortunately, like every nail polish, when the quantity diminishes it gets all thick and it is a pain to apply it evenly on the nails. But when it's done, it's worth it !

I felt like I needed a bit of glitter in my life these days. This nail polish from H&M is great for its price, and it goes with pretty much every colour. I tried to apply it in a kind of gradient effect, I find it prettier than applying it on the whole nail.

Kinda looks like princess nails, doesn't it ?

Julia xx

What I'm loving right now : Blogilates

I've never been a huge fan of sports and working out in general. In fact, I'm more of a lazy/"I can't run five minutes without being on the verge of dying" type of person. But last year I discovered Blogilates and the amazing Cassie Ho, and I'm slowly changing my mind about all this !

Blogilates is a YouTube channel run by the lovely Cassie, who is a pilates instructor and makes videos to help people like me to work out. She uploads new videos regularly, for every kind of people, every body part, every working out level. She also makes healthy recipes videos, which I've never watched because I can't be bothered with cooking haha but they must be cool too ;)

What I love most about her channel is that you can find videos with different targets. For example, I try to concentrate on my abs/my belly and my legs/thighs/butt when I work out, and I love that I can choose from many different videos concerning those areas : short "express" videos, longer ones, with different exercises so that I can pick my favourites... 

During the summer holiday last year I used to do some of her videos every single day in the morning, and I definitely saw a change in my body, and in my strength. Unfortunately with uni and my job I had to slow down the rythm and stick to two or three videos two times a week, which isn't enough to make a permanent change again. 

So now that I've finished university I'll have much more time, and I want to get back to it more seriously. 

That's why I thought I would make a blog post about it, it will keep me motivated and make you discover the channel, if you don't know it yet !

Last but not least, here are some of my favourite videos :

This one is a really short video to the song "what makes you beautiful" by One Direction. It literally is a butt killer, I tell you ! Short but veeery effective. 

This one is another "song video" focused on inner thighs. This one is quite easier than the butt one, but it does help your thighs to get a better shape and be more defined.

This one is part of the Victoria Secret Model series. I like it because it's longer than the song videos so you can make more moves and exercises. It is not the most difficult I've done, but to do it on a daily basis I really like it !

And this is one of the more difficult ones I've ever done. It makes your thighs so sore when it's finished ! And, in all honesty, I always have to take small breaks in the middle of the video because I literally can't lift my legs anymore. My goal : to finish it one day without taking any break at all !

If you'd like to know more about Cassie and her working out programmes, check out her blog ! Very useful to find anything about her videos and advice about workouts, food and lifestyle in general !

Julia xx

Nails of the Week #6 : Lilac

Pastel nail polishes are my favourite : baby blue, pastel pink, mint... the only one that I'm not sure about is pastel yellow, but maybe I'll buy one someday to see how it looks on me.

But for this week, I've chosen a nice lilac shade from Kiko :

This colour looks amazing at this time of the year, especially when you associate it with other light colours in your outfits.

Kiko nail polishes are really good, they are so cheap and exist in so many colours ! However, the quality depends on each product, some are great, last a long time and dry quite quickly, but others take more time to dry completely. You have to be lucky when you pick one !

Julia xx

What I watched : Wives and Daughters

I love love looove period dramas. I love the setting, the costumes, the types of characters, the atmosphere... And I'm always discovering new ones to watch. One of the last ones that I saw is Wives and Daugthers, a BBC mini-series from 1999. 

It is the adaptation of the novel Wives and Daughters : An Everyday Story by Elizabeth Gaskell (1864-66). 

The story takes place in the 1830s. Molly Gibson is a young woman living with her dear father as her mother died years ago. But everything changes when Mr Gibson decides to marry again : Molly has to deal with a stepmother she doesn't really like, and meets Cynthia, her new stepsister. Although they are very different in character and behaviour, their friendship grows and they soon become fond of each other. Molly also befriends Mrs Hamley, the wife of the Squire. She is accepted in the house of the family as if she were one of them, and becomes friends with the two sons, Osbourne and Roger. But because of her ties with Cynthia and her stepmother, Molly will be confronted to several intrigues and secrets...

This is a very typical 19th century type of plot, with love affairs, family crises, etc. The character of Molly is very lovable, she represents everything that a young girl ought to be at the time : quiet, nice, polite, pretty, learned...

I also really love the Hamley family : Mrs Hamley, who loves Molly as a daughter (played by the wonderful Penelope Wilson), Mr Hamley, whose age starts to drive him crazy (played by Michael Gambon, a period dramas afficionado !), and Osborne (Tom Hollander, forever Mr Collins to me !) and Roger, the one true gentleman (Anthony Howell).

The miniseries is divided into four episodes, so it is not a long show - it doesn't get boring at all, and you directly fall in the spirit of the story and want to know what's happening next to the characters. The ending, obviously, is happy (period drama tradition !), but the story isn't a fairytale all along... 

If you're into this kind of films, I really recommend you watch it, also it's a bit dated (1999 seems ages ago now !), the images are great, the setting is neat and timeless, and the characters really interesting. Another BBC wonder !

Julia xx

My Empties #2

Hello everybody !

I've been finishing a lot of products lately, so it's the perfect time for an empties blog post ! I've got hair products, face products, moisturisers... Quite a few essential items ! But are they good ? Let's see...

1/ Dove Hair Therapy Intensive Repair mask

I heard of the quality of Dove products through Faye's blog. She said their range of skin and hair products were really good, so it made me curious. After all, they're quite cheap so if they are efficient, that must be worth trying !

I went for their Intensive Repair mask, as my hair is dry I want to moisturise it as much as possible. And it is indeed a good product ! It leaves your hair shiny and soooo soft, that's amazing. I already bought it again !

2/ Huile Prodigieuse by Nuxe

(The label has come off but I hope you recognise the iconic bottle !)

Everybody knows the Huile Prodigieuse, I'm sure - and so you all know how good it is. It is a dry oil that yoy can use for pretty much everything : your skin, your face, your hair. It smells really good, and what I love about it is the fact that even though it's an oil, it sinks in the skin very quickly. It works very well as a hair treatment : you can use it as a mask, leave it for a few hours, and it definitely moisturises your hair. 

I bought it again because I can't live without it, and I'm thinking about buying the glittery oil for the summer, it would look absolutely wonderful on the skin under the sun!

3/ Moisturising hand cream by Sephora, cotton flower

I'm always trying new hand creams, because my hands are dry all the time and I like to take care of them. I had never tried a Sephora hand cream before, and I've got mixed feelings about it. The thing that I love the most about it is its smell : I love anything that smells like cotton or light flowers.

For the moisture however, this cream is not the most effective : it does give you some moisture at the beginning, but it is not enough for me, especially during the winter when you need a super protection from the cold. This cream is more of a "light spring hand cream", but as it is not moisturising enough, I won't buy it myself (I got this one for my birthday from a lovely friend).

4/ Nivea Aqua Effect refreshing cleansing gel

I've already made a blog post about how I love this cleanser, so I won't be too long for this now !

This Nivea Aqua Affect cleansing gel works so well for me, it really purifies my skin and leaves it soft and clear. It's the only cleanser that I'm using at the moment, and I've probably bought it over four times already, but I'm happy with it so I'll stick with it until I find one even better !

5/  L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Miscellar Solution

I made a review about this miscellar solution a few months ago saying how good it was, so if you haven't read it made you should check it out, if you're interested :)

This is a very nice product, it does its job well and if you're looking for a nice, neutral makeup remover, this is the one for you ! By the time I'm writing this, I've already finished my second bottle and I've repurchased it again haha.

6/ Garnier Moisture Match, combination to oily skin

The Moisture Match range has a lot of different creams, for all types of skin. The green one is for combination to oily skin. I'm always on the hunt for a good mattifying cream, and even though this one is nice (smells good, quite light and moisturising), I'm not impressed by it and it doesn't really have any mattifying power. I didn't rebuy it, but it is a nice product anyway, it would suit combination skin better I guess !

7/ L'Oréal Ever Pure Shampoo, colour care and moisture

I dye my hair red, and it is one of the most difficult colours to keep. And I heard that sulfate-free hair products helps the colour to stay bright longer, and of course this L'Oréal shampoo was mentioned as a good product to use. Now that I've tried it myself, I'm quite disappointed because it didn't do anything more than the shampoo I used before. The colour didn't stay on longer than before, my hair wasn't smoother nor healthier, as it was supposed to be because of the absence of sulfates.

I didn't repurchase it, and I'm still hoping I'll find the perfect shampoo for coloured hair one day !

8/ Kiko Invisible Powder

To end this post on a more positive note, I really recommend this powder if you're in a country where you can find Kiko stores (I konw they aren't everywhere yet).

It mattifies the skin very well, sets the makeup on and gives a really nice finish to the skin. Also, it lasts a long long time, I've had this one for more than a year before running out of it. I don't remember its price but I can tell you it's cheap (nothing like the HD powder by Make Up Forever !) and the quality is really good compared to the price. Needless to say, I bought it again already and I can't go out without having applied it on my makeup !

***

Well, that was a long one ! I've been collecting these over the past few weeks, but still, I think I have never finished so many products at the same time before haha.

I hope this can be useful to you, to give you an idea of what could be worth buying and what is not !

Julia xx

Nails of the Week #5 : Blue Jeans

Hi there !

This week, I decided to try something new on my nails, and went for a deep blue colour. I've never painted my nails blue, except for pastel/baby blue, which is one of my favourite colours. I thought dark blue wouldn't suit me, but then I was given this tiny Yves Rocher nail polish, so I had no reason not to finally try !
... and I don't know what to think about it. I'll just show you how it looks :

The blue is darker in real life than in the pictures, it looks lighter here.

I'm not sure this colour suit my skintone very well... I feel like my hands look almost yellow haha, because of the undertones of my skin. But the colour itself is really pretty ! a nice navy blue, which I like to pair with denim shorts, beige blouses, lace, blue and white striped tops...
Also, I had never tried Yves Rocher nail polishes before. I've got this one and a red one, I've tried them both, and they are really opaque (if you're on the go you could definitely wear one coat only) and, best thing of all, they dry really quickly !
I prefer to wear dark colours on my nails during the autumn/winter, but these days the weather has been quite dull and I thought this suited the atmosphere perfectly, unfortunately.
Maybe I will get used to this colour eventually, by wearing it a few times :P


Julia xx

Wishlist : Spring '14

I haven't made a wishlist in ages ! Maybe because I haven't bought many things either during the last months. But now that we're in spring (and almost in summer, who could believe time would pass so quickly !), I decided it was finally time for a new wishlist.

So here are all the things I want to buy in the upcoming months ! :

1. Dahlia Noir, by Givenchy (50mL), 62,90€ in Sephora. I got this perfume for Christmas and I've finished it, sadly ! It smells sooo good and is perfect for the season, that's why I need it again in my life.

2. Fit Me Concealer, Maybelline, around 9€. I've heard many good things about this concealer, and I'm almost running out of my Full Cover Concealer by MUFE, and I can't afford another one right now haha. We'll see if this one's good !

3. Effaclar K, Laroche-Posay, around 12€. This product is a sort of base/cream for combination to oily skin, supposed to reduce spots, regulate the sebum of the skin, make it look clearer, etc. Again I've heard good things about it, and Laroche-Posay is a nice brand for skin-related products. 

4. They're Real mascara, Benefit, 25€. I've got this mascara in sample size, and I'm afraid it'll run out soon. It is such a good mascara, I must buy it again !

5. Wives and Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell. I've watched the BBC adaptation of 1999 of the novel, and I loved it so much I want to read it now (I'll probably make a blog post about it by the way). Nineteenth century literature is my favourite, so I know I'll have a great time reading the book.

Well, that's it for my spring wishlist ! I could add some other things in it, but they aren't items in particular, more like "categories of things I need to get" : some pastel nail polishes, new black treggings, a mid-season jacket... Let's hope I will find all these things !

Julia xx

Nails of the Week #4 : Think Pink

This week I wanted to go for a light springy colour, and I ended up with a very girly manicure !

I'm wearing the "Eternal Optimist" by Essie, which is a light (but not pastel) pink, and I did an accent nail with a glitter nail polish from Claire's, which doesn't have any name nor number unfortunately.

The Claire's nail polish is sooo pretty, it has little holographic glitter and bigger pink sparkles. It cost me 3.50€ only, and the quality is really good, it stays on the nails for a long time. You can find literally the same type of nail polish in other brands like Models Own, but for a higher price. Sometimes cheap brands are more than okay, no need to spend a lot of money to get nice things !

Julia xx

Review : Green Clay Mint Mask, by Cattier

Hello !

I'm not sure if the brand Cattier is well-known or sold everywhere, but I've been using this clay mask for a while and I thought it would be interesting to make a review of it. It is the mask for oily skin (there is an entire range for different types of skin).

I'd never heard of Cattier before buying this mask, and I chose it completely randomly one day as I was looking around in a pharmacy. Clay is good for the skin, and especially for oily skin - it takes off the excess of sebum, purifies and matifies very well.

The clay looks like this :

So basically, you apply the clay on your face (obviously, be careful around the eyes !), and you leave it on for ten minutes, then you take it off and your skin's ready. The thing with clay masks is that you musn't let it dry on the skin, and I learnt that only a few months ago ! If the clay starts drying, you have to wet it a bit.

The product is sooo annoying to take off, it takes ages and leaves your washbasin green, but in the end it is worth it. My skin is so soft and nice and matte when I use this mask, but it is also kind of light and clear too.

Of course, you should always moisturise your face once you've used clay, because it is naturally a bit drying.

The other good thing about this product is that it is labelled as organic, which is always nice.

I haven't tried any other products of this brand yet, but I'll probably buy some others because I definitely wasn't disappointed with this one !

Julia xx

Nails of the Week #3 : a touch of gold

Hello everyone !

Here we are for the new nails of the week ! With something a bit different this time, I wanted to go with a dark shade for this week. Dark shades like greys and browns and purples are timeless and make you look somehow very classy and chic - at least I think so.

I've decided to wear my Chanel n°509, it's called "Paradoxal". It is a very dark purple colour, with the tiniest purple sparkles, you can't see them when the nail polish is on your nails.

As you can see, I added some glitter to do an accent nail. I thought the gold looked nice with the purple :)

And it is a nail polish by H&M, it is the "Stay Golden". 

They look great together, the gold makes the more "boring" purple pop instantly. 

I have to say, Chanel nail polishes aren't the best in terms of lasting finish ! Their colours are often great, but for the price you pay, maybe they should try and make them last longer on the nails... because when I wear it I have to apply some polish on the tips every other day, if I want to keep it for the week. 

So just a tip : if you want to try and buy a Chanel nail polish, maybe wait until you have a voucher or something, don't pay it full price, it is kinda not worth it in the end.

See ya !

Julia xx

Review : Sugarlicious Kit by Benefit

I got the Sugarlicious kit by Benefit for Christmas, and I've been using it quite a few times since. It was about time for me to make a review !

The box contains four small size products and a tiny blush brush :

On the left you have two of Benefit's best sellers, High Beam and Benetint.

High Beam is a liquid highlighter, which can be applied with the little brush inside of it. It is a very light pink colour with sparkles in it, and it looks sooo pretty. You can apply it on your cheekbones, under your eyebrows, or anywhere you want to make your face brighter.

I always apply it under my eyebrows, and sometimes on my cheekbones. I catches the light and gives a pretty glow to your face, without too much sparkle. I was afraid of shining too much with this because I have an oily skin, but it doesn't make it worse at all ! I would even probably consider buying this in full size. Also, you use a very small amount of product each time so it will last you so long !

Benetint is a lip/cheek red stain. It is very liquid and you also apply it by using the little brush inside. Everybody loves this product, but I must say I'm not so much into it. It is very sheer and liquid so not very handy to use when you're in a hurry, in my opinion. As it is very sheer, you have to be careful when you apply it if you want the colour to stand out. It is supposed to give a very natural look, both on the cheeks and on the lips, so if you're in for a deep rosy cheek this won't satisfy you. 

And I don't know if it's just me, but when I apply it on my lips it always gives the strangest result - some parts of my lips are more coloured than others, especially the middle of my lower lip. I can't seem to have an even colour and I always struggle to put it so that it looks right. That's why I don't use it anymore, I don't know what I'm going to do with it honestly ! I was slightly disappointed with it, since so much people raved about it everywhere.

Anyways, let's get on to the main product of the kit : the blush, Sugarbomb.

(The colour is very light but looks better in real life on the face, unfortunately I couldn't get a better swatch)

As you can see, the blush is divided into four little sections : an orange, a coral, a light pink and a mauve one. You can use them separately (which can be a bit difficult as this is the small-sized version of the blush) or you can blend them together. I mostly use them blended, but sometimes I try to pick the coral and the pink shades only, when I want more of a pink cheek.

The colours are amazing, and they have a gold shimmer in it which, when you apply the product, makes it look almost like a bronze colour. I love it, and I recommend it especially if you skin is naturally tanned, as mine is.

The little brush is quite cute and very soft, I usually use it to apply the blush just because it's already in the box and I'm too lazy to stretch my arm and take another brush haha. It's not the most practical (round brushes are generally better to apply blush), but I find it still okay to use.

The last product is the Sugarbomb lipgloss. It is a pinky nude colour with gold sparkles in it.

Although it looks very pigmented in the packaging, it is in fact very sheer and when you apply it without anything underneath, you can barely see the actual colour, it just gives a nice shimmer and glossy effect to your lips. It would be best to use it on top of a nude lipstick to give more dimension to the lips.

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That's it for the Sugarbomb kit !

It has proved me that Benefit actually make great products, of a very good quality, although I've been disappointed by the Benetint. Anyway I don't regret getting this because I use the High Beam highlighter all the time and I know I will use the blush as much when the weather will get warmer and I'll want this nice bronzy look on my face.

I can't wait to try other Benefit blushes now, this is my new goal for this year haha !

Julia xx