OCTOBER FAVOURITES + MAC ALTERNATIVE!

October favourites

Hello girls,
here are my favourite products from last month!

Mac Nightmoth lip pencil - this is a very popular product I had always heard about, and I always knew I would eventually get it.
It is the most decadent blackened red/plum shade. Even if it is so dark, it is so perfect with that perfect balance between red, plum and black, that it always looks beautiful and sophisticated.

Here I am wearing it with another favourite from last month, Mac Smoked Purple lipstick.

Mac Nightmoth lip pencil, Mac Smoked Purple lipstick

Mac Smoked Purple lipstick is a blackened purply plum. Compared to Nightmoth it has more purple to it, while Nightmoth has more red.

Mac Nightmoth lip pencil, Mac Smoked Purple lipstick

Kiko Exquisite Jasper Green eyeshadow - a wonder-in-a-pot shimmery antique gold with a touch of olive, in a mousse texture, from the brand new Kiko eyeshadow line <3
You can see swatches and full review here Kiko Luxurious Collection: The Eyeshadows

Essence Jacob's Protection nail polish - this is my top favourite glitter nail polish, a beautiful midnight blue with light blue glitter - basically my life. Unfortunately it was a limited edition from their Twilight collection a couple of years ago.
Like all my nail polishes from Essence, with this one too I have the issue that it starts chipping within a few hours from application - but then again, we have to consider the upside and how inexpensive these nail polishes are. And I just love it too much.

Mac Everything That Glitters nail polish - this is another limited edition from the Holiday Collection 2012, and is a very opaque black with bright multicolor glitter.

As soon as I saw Exciting Dark Brown from Kiko, it reminded me of it.
This one from Kiko is not brown like the name suggests, nor black like Everything That Glitters - its base is a charcoal grey. And it has a textured finish, while the one from Mac has a smoother finish.
But if you missed out on the Mac one and you like dark glitter nail polishes, I am sure you will love the one from Kiko too.
If you don't like the textured finish, you can apply a gel top coat over it and make it shiny :)
You can see it on my nails here Kiko Haute Punk collection (Holidays 2014)

I hope you enjoyed these favourites of mine as much as I have.
Now I'll be catching up with your monthly favourites on your blogs and YouTube channels!!
Thank you for reading,

Love
MJ

Mac Everything That Glitters nail polish - Kiko Exciting Dark Brown nail polish

SEPTEMBER FAVOURITES + MAC ALTERNATIVES!

September favourites

Hello girls,
I am super late with my favourite products from last month, but I promise I have a good reason for it!
I really tried my best to find a dupe for at least one of the products I picked, but I just could not :-(
In my entire collection I couldn't find anything reasonably similar to be considered as a dupe :-(

Which in a way is great news for me, because it means that I got new new products, but on the other side it kind of sabotaged my "monthly favourites + dupe" tradition.

But not all of my efforts have been in vain, because while I can't give you dupes I will give you ALTERNATIVES!!

So let's get into it.

Mac Viva Glam Rihanna 2 lipstick and lipglass - love and obsession at first sight. So beautiful. So unique.
I'm going to get like 4 back-ups of each before they are discontinued after 6 months!
I didn't know, I found out in one of my friend Sarah's https://www.youtube.com/user/nytdollface videos :'-((((
If you want to know more and see swatches, I wrote an entire blogpost about them, so please go to Mac Viva Glam Rihanna 2 Lipstick and Lipglass

Mac Stone lip pencil - it changed my life. With its shadow-creating and contour-camouflaging magical powers, it broadened new horizons for my lip make up.

Mac Spite lipglass - your natural lips, but darker and glossier. In a word, perfection.

Mac Pink Cult blush - very pretty lavender pink. Being completely matte and such a cool shade, it might not appear as the most alive colour to some. But it sure comes to life when it's on our cheeks girls!! The only downside is that I don't see it as equally flattering on darker skintones.

Mac Taupe blush - the BEST shade for contouring light to medium complexions. No orange at all in it.
Shadows in real life fade into grey and black. That's why to create the most realistic shadows on our face - which is what we do with the contouring - we need a flesh-toned pink shade that is darkened and faded into grey, meaning a grey-ish brown a.k.a. our beloved Taupe colour.
Ok, now let's get over this and go back to bronzer for our daily make up game hahaha!! :-D

Mac Breaking Ground cream colour base - a grey lavender that, again, doesn't really send a chill down your spine when you look at in the pan, but it's incredibly beautiful on the eyes <3

Except for the Viva Glam lipstick and lipgloss, all the other products are part of the new Artificially Wild collection, so more pictures and swatches are here Mac Artificially Wild collection



Mac Stormy Pink paintpot, Mac Breaking Ground cream colour base, Mac Frozen Violet paintpot

And it's Breaking Ground the product I have found alternatives for, in case you missed out on it or in case your skin wasn't whale-oil-proof-kind-of-dry like mine.
Because on my eyelids Mac cream colour bases work like a dream, but I was thinking that on most other girls a paintpot would perform better.

So if you like Breaking Ground you could also try Stormy Pink paintpot (matte and a little more red-toned), or Frozen Violet paintpot (shimmery and a little darker), one of my all time favourite and most used product :-)

I hope you enjoyed this post!!
Thank you for reading ^_^

Love
MJ

AUGUST FAVOURITES + MAC DUPE!

My August favourites

Hi girls,
here I'm going to show you what my favourite make up products have been for the month of August!

Sleek Makeup Face Form palette in Medium
How convenient a product is for travelling plays a big part in me loving it, so this palette is such a winner!
You could just go with foundation, mascara, lip balm and this, and you would get a full face of make up in no time.
This palette has been my favourite to take my make up from day o night: I used the darker shade for contouring and for eyeshadow, the medium shade to blend and smoke out the eyeshadow and for blush, and the highlighing shade for highlighter on the top of my cheekbones and in the inner corner of my eyes, and MWAH!, perfection.

Dior Skin Flash radiance booster pen in 001
I have always liked this product, but only this month I have had the Epiphany of how incredible it actually is.
I had applied it to touch up my undereye area, while again taking my make up from day to night, and as I was getting ready in my hotel room suddenly some beam of light hit my face and :-O !!!!!!! I had The. Most. beautiful highlight in my face, and the best part was that it looked completely natural as if those vertigo-inducing curves of my cheekbones where the real structure of my face.
Really, I wish I could explain more but words just fail me.

Kiko 3D Instant Volume lipgloss in 216 Pearly Hazelnut
I immediately became obsessed with this new line of lipglosses as soon as I bought them, so I have an entire blogpost about them Kiko 3D Instant Volume Lipglosses
And this shade was love at first sight <3

Nyx Lipliner pencil in 827 Never

Nyx Lipliner pencil in 827 Never
Never??? More like Always!!!!
I have been using this lipliner as a lipstick, filling out my entire lips. It is a very unique deep browny mauve shade, I don't own any lipsticks like this and I would really like to find one!!
Can you suggest some?
The downside of this pencil is that its texture is drying on the lips so I have to keep touching it up with lip balm, but since it's not a lipstick to begin with I am not going to hold it against it.

Illamasqua

Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick in Buff
This is part of my London haul, when I went to visit the Illamasqua flagship store in Beak Street, I will soon write an entire blogpost about it :)))

Mac

Mac Dodgy Girl lipstick
I already wrote an entire blogpost about this lipstick and the Osbourne collection it is part of, so please check it out if you want to know more and see which dupe I found, in case you missed out on it :(
Mac Osbourne collection + lipstick dupes!!

I hope your September is going great my friends!! :-*

Love
MJ

JULY FAVOURITES + MAC DUPE!

My July favourites

Hello girls,
here are my favourite make up products from July!!

Mac Lady Danger lipstick and Mac Cheeky Bronze Mineralize Skinfinish - I already wrote an entire blogpost about them, with swatches and picture of the look that a Mac make up artist created on me with them, so you can find everything you want to know here Plastic Cheekbones in Milan Wearing New Mac MSF!! :-)

Kiko Street Glam palette 01 - you know that my go-to look is a smokey eye, so I love that this small compact has a black, a brown, a purple, a blue and a green, all at their darkest, very pigmented and easily blendable , to create a basic smokey eye with the brown or the black, and then if I want to, mute it with the purple, the blue or the green.
I got it on sale last month and it's been with me in my handbag at all times ever since.

Maybelline Tantalizing Taupe and Coffee Craze lipsticks - if you follow me on Instagram, you know that in all of my most recent looks I have been wearing 90s-inspired brown toned nude lipsticks.
Maybelline with their Stripped Nudes lipstick collection has been my main enabler, and these have been my favourite and most worn shades (Coffee Craze first from right, Tantalizing Taupe second from right)
This is the first 90s inspired look I created here on the blog The 90s - Supermodels and Madonna inspired make up look ^_^

Mac Honeylove lipstick - another brown toned beige nude, this one with a matte finish (the Maybelline lipsticks have a satin finish)

And Honeylove is my monthly favourite I have found a dupe for to show you!
It is NYC Expert Last Lip Colour lipstick in 440 Creamy Caramel, slightly cooler toned and not as matte as Honeylove, but still very comparable!

I hope August has been a beautiful month for you so far!!
I'll talk to you later ;-)

Love
MJ



L: Mac Honeylove - R: NYC 440 Creamy Caramel 

APIVITA NATURAL SERUM - HYDRATION

Apivita Natural Serum - Hydration

I have always been a little reluctant to talk about skincare, because skin is so personal that what works wonders for me might not work, or just do nothing, for somebody else - and vice versa.

But Apivita Natural Serum in Hydration is one product I truly feel everybody's skin would love and would benefit from.

Apivita is a lovely Greek brand, the first natural cosmetics company in Greece.
They say their ispirations are "the honey bee, Greek nature and Hippocrates' holistic approach".
All their products have a natural ingredients content ranging between 80% and 100%, and are free of synthetic ingredients like parabens, silicone, minaral oils and phthalates.
Even their packaging is produced using recycled and recyclable materials!

I discovered Apivita 2 summers ago in Thessaloníki, Greece, and I have been using their skincare products - serums, moisturizers, face masks, face scrubs - you name it, I have it - on a daily basis ever since.
Their Natural Serum in Hydration is the first product I got, and is still to this day my favourite!! <3

It contains aloe and hyaluronic acid, both very well known for their hydrating properties.
Its texture feels very raw and unprocessed and natural.
And its formula is actually made of 98% natural ingredients, amazing right??!
The smell is very fresh and natural too, I love love love its smell.
It absorbs quickly so it won't disturb any make up you put on top, and leaves your skin feeling fresh and hydrated and just overall kissed by some divine natural goodness.

I use it every day morning and/or evening. Sometimes I apply it alone, sometimes I follow with a moisturizer.

I have gone through countless bottles of it and I would definitely recommend it to anyone, regardless of skin type or age.

Have you tried any Apivita products, and if so, what are your favourites?
Please let me know if there are other Apivita products you would like to hear my opinion on. If I have them, I'll be happy to review them for you!!

Thank you for reading, I hope you are having a beautiful day :)

Love
MJ

Apivita Natural Serum - Hydration

THE LIP PRODUCT ADDICT TAG

Hello girls,
I saw this tag on YouTube so I decided to do it too :)
The tag name doesn't need further explanations so I'll just jump right into the questions!

1. Favourite balm / treatment?
Korres Lip Butters. They are made of mostly natural ingredients and are a true lip treatment more than just a lip balm.
There are 6 different flavours and colours, and I have 3 - mango (sheer orange), guava (sheer gold) and jasmine (sheer nude pink).
They come in a pot which wouldn't make it too practical to carry them in your bag, but since I consider them more as a treatment I keep them on my nightstand and put them on at night when I go to bed :)



Korres Lip Butters

2. Best eye-catching red?
Mac Ruby Woo, the most matte and bright red from Mac!
I wrote an entire post about it Mac Russian Red vs. Ruby Woo :)

3. Best luxury & best drugstore?
My favourite luxury lipstick is YSL Rouge Volupte in 01 Nude Beige.
This line of lipsticks has the most deliriously luxurious packaging, and Nude Beige is a gorgeous sophisticated pinky nude <3

YSL Rouge Volupte 01 Nude Beige

My favourite drugstore lipstick is Kiko Unlimited Stylo in 13 Cocoa - despite what it's called, it's really a mauve shade, I am wearing it here My #NoFilter #SelfieSaturday make up :)

4. Best Mac lipstick?
Again, Mac Ruby Woo :)

5. The most disappointing?
I have to say Eos Lip Balms. Their egg shaped packaging is the cutest of all time so I will forever be carrying one in my bag, but they are just not that moisturizing :(

6. Liner - yes or no?
On a daily basis - no
With sheer to medium opacity lipsticks - no
With nude lipsticks - no

With nude lipsticks when I want to create a more bombshell look - yes
With matte opaque lipsticks, whatever the shade is - yes
With dark or very bright lipsticks - yes

7. Best gloss?
Bourjois Effet 3D in 03 Brun Rosé Academic. Why didn't I discover this line of lipglosses before?? They are my favourite!!
I love their thick but soft consistency, they glide on super creamy and they shine like a dream!! *_*
I have a few of them - needless to say I plan to add many more ^_^ - and Brun Rosé Academic is my favourite because it is a mauvy your-lips-but-better shade.
I have just included it in my June Favourites June Favourites + Mac Dupe!!

Bourjois Effet 3D 03 Brun Rosé Academic

8. Something extra!
In this category I will to mention something I have never tried but would love to, and it's the lipsticks by Melt Cosmetics.
All their shades are so unique and sooo beautiful, so yeah I would really like to have them ^_^

My amazing friend Sarah has already done this tag on her YouTube channel so you can already see it Not Your Typical Dollface - Lip Product Addict Tag

And now I will tag my girls

Annika (HoSt Home Of Style - The Lip Product Addict Tag)

Ashleigh

Danielle (The Love Of Lipstick - The Lip Product Addict Tag)

and Rachel (YouTube channel Not Two Normal - Lip Product Addict Tag)

who are always game for tags, and my new friends

Sarah

who has the most extensive lipstick collection known to man,

and Evelyn (We Were Raised By Wolves - The Lip Product Addict Tag)

Please leave me the link to your blogpost or YouTube video if you have already done or will do this tag too!!

I hope you enjoyed mine, thank you for reading :-*

Love
MJ

JUNE FAVOURITES + MAC DUPE!

My June favourites

My beautiful and super sweet friend Annika asked me on her Instagram @annipr13 (her blog is HoSt - Home of Style) to show her my favourite make up products for the month of June, so I am now I am very excited to be writing my first monthly favourites post!!
Thank you so much for getting me started Annika!! ^_^

I won't include my all time favourite products that I've been using every day for months/years and that you always see in all my make up looks.
These will be products that I have tried for the first time, or re-discovered, and absolutely LOVED during the past month.

Mac Delphic Extra Dimension bronzer, from the new Alluring Aquatic collection - a beautiful bronzer (in an even more beautiful packaging!!!), it looks a little dark in the pan but its satin finish will make it appear a little more sheer on the skin.
To see what else I got from the Alluring Aquatic collection please go to Mac Alluring Aquatic collection

Mac Rio Mineralize Skinfinish* - I sweep my brush in the pink part, and it gives my cheekbones the most incredible frosty pink almost wet looking sheen.

Bourjois Effet 3D gloss in 03 Brun Rosé Academic - I have a few glosses from this line and their thick and volumizing while soft and creamy texture is probably my top favourite for lipglosses.
This mauve shade with silver flecks is the most flattering your-lips-but-better game.
I also chose this as my Favourite Lipgloss in my Lip Product Addict Tag!! Lip Product Addict Tag

Bourjois Effet 3D 03 Brun Rosé Academic

L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara - you know I never wear mascara without my white base coat, but to test this for the first time I applied it without the base.
As I built it up I couldn't believe my eyes, even without a base this mascara is truly SOOO volumizing, while giving real manga-like definition to your lashes.
That first time I tried it I then went out to dinner with my best friend and no joke, after saying hello the first thing she said to me was "What mascara are you wearing??? Your lashes look amazing!!" :-O Seriously.
I'm not sure I like the flexible brush because I believe it gives you less control on it, but when the final result is what it is then may the brush do whatever it wants to do haha :-D

Essie Bikini So Teeny - this month I've really been into icy blue nail polish shades, and this perfect light cornflower blue with silver flecks is my favourite.
Other nail polish in the same colour category that I love are Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Huckleburry and L'Oreal Colour Riche in Ocean Porcelaine.

Mac Myth lipstick - the first time I tried Myth a couple of years ago I found it gave my lips a very unflattering concealer effect, so I was like - NO.
So I'm very happy I finally gave it another try, because I realized I can correct that colour issue by lining my lips with a slightly darker lip pencil to give it more dimension.
My lip pencil of choice to do this trick is Flormar Waterproof Lipliner no. 201.

And now I have a dupe for you!
I searched my collection for a dupe for Myth, and I found that H&M new Matte Lipstick in Bardot is very comparable.
Its texture is not as smooth as Myth, but a smoother payment transaction (aka its price being a fraction of Myth hahaha!!!) will surely make up for it.

L: Mac Myth - R: H&M Bardot

Girls I hope you enjoyed my June favourites!!
What are yours??
Please link your blogpost in a comment or tag me in your Instagram pictures @mjintheskywithglitter ^_^

Thank you again Annika for tagging me, lots of love to you and to all of you reading too!!

And if you want to see what look I created with Delphic + Rio + Myth please go to My Lebanese Nights OOTN and Arabic inspired make up :)

Love <3
MJ

*Rio MSF was sent to me by Mac PR.

LIP DUO TAG

Lovely Ashleigh from Le Beaute Luxe tagged me to do this tag she created about our favourite lipstick+lipgloss combination for different colour categories.

Aren't you jealous you didn't come up with this idea first?? Because I am haha, I love this tag!! :-D

So here are my picks:

Lip Duo Tag

1. Nude
Nyx Summer Love + Barry M Lip Gloss 2
The lipstick has a satin sheen, and the lipgloss has a gorgeous subtle silver shimmer - and I see some pink and green particles too - which helps giving your lips dimension and prevents such a pale nude from sliding into concealer effect territory and wash out your face.
But the reason why this is my favourite nude lipgloss is its scent. It smells like the birthday cake of your dreams like you want to eat it with the entire tube, seriously.

2. Light pink
Mac Angel + Nars Turkish Delight
Kim Kardashian famously said this is her favourite lip combination, and yes, it really is the most beautiful and flattering milky pink.
Nars lipglosses are a little on the pricey side, but they have an incredible mirror shine and are very longlasting.

3. Coral / Orange
Mac Dreaming Dahlia + Mac Star Quality, from their new Fantasy Of Flowers collection.
For these two, words fail me. You can only stare at them in silence, wondering how such a unique shade of a blinding coral-y orange could happen. Just looking at them gives me life.
This is the look I created with this duo My Mac Neon Orange look + dupes

4. Bright pink
Mac Impassioned lipstick + Mac Impassioned Lipglass
This is one of the most iconic shades by Mac, I have an entire post about the lipstick here Mac Impassioned lipstick
The lipstick is part of the permanent collection, the lipgloss was released in limited edition as part of the Fashion Sets collection in spring 2012.

5. Red
Mac Russian Red + Mac Pro Longwear Lipglass in Driven By Love
Once you put on statement lipstick Russian Red (again, I have an entire post about it here (Mac Russian Red vs Ruby Woo), it's not like you feel the need to top it up with another product.

But if there's one thing that can top up Russian Red, that's Driven By Love lipgloss.

This formula is literally real paint. It coats your lips with a dangerously hot patent shine like I have only seen in portraits by David LaChapelle.

One time I wore it, I had girls coming up to me in the street to ask me what I had on my lips!!!!

6. Berry / Purple
This duo is actually a mauve shade. It is Kiko Unlimited Stylo in 13 Cocoa + Kiko Extra Volume Lipgloss in 13 Pearly Peony Pink.
The lipstick is my new favourite lipstick, I am wearing it here My #nofilter #selfiesaturday make up
I love the shade and I love the formula.
The lipgloss looks equally beautiful in the tube (I used it so much that the inner vial containing the gloss came off the outer part of the tube!), but once applied to the lips it's barely visible, so when I first got it I was pretty disappointed.
But now that I have Cocoa Unlimited Stylo, super pigmented and super opaque, just a thin coat of gloss in the same shade with a little shimmer is PERFECTION.
Definitely my most used lip combo.

7. Most unique colour in your collection
Mac Violetta + Mac Revenge Is Sweet Lipglass
My beloved Violetta!! One of my all-time favourite lipsticks and favourite things in the world!!
It is a divine magenta shade with a blueish pearlescence to it, please see it up close here Mac Violetta lipstick
And I course I couldn't pair it with anything else other than Revenge Is Sweet, the lipgloss it was released with in the Venomous Villains collection which took the world by storm in fall 2010.

I hope you liked my picks, thank you again Ashleigh for tagging me, I loved doing your tag!!

Super sweet Danielle from has already done this tag too The Love Of Lipstick - Lip Duos!, go check out what lip duos she picked!!

And now I am going to tag my favourite girls

BeautyAddict29

Amira

Annika (HoSt Home Of Style - Liebste Lippen Kombis)

Anoushka

Emily

Lyndsey

Lottie Mayy

Marta

Rachel (YouTube video Not Two Normal - Lip Duo Tag)

Amanda

Linzi Louisa

Justine

Tahana Lee

to show us their favourite lip duos!!
All of them have a make up collection that could bring a dead back to life, so I can't wait to see what their picks will be!! ^_^

Hugs to my girls and hugs to everybody else who's reading this, please write me in a comment the link to your blogpost or YouTube video if you do this tag too!!

Thank you for reading :-)

Love

MJ

MY FAVOURITE HIGHLIGHTERS

My favourite highlighters

Highlighter is my top favourite make up product!!

Now with the whole contouring craze it finally considered as one of the make up basics, but I feel it has been underrated for a long time.

They can make such a big difference in your finished make up while being so subtle.
You shouldn't really be able to see your highlighter :-)
It's not supposed to be seen in itself, it's only on your face to make the light that hits you bounce off it, creating more dimension.
If you can see your highlighter, you've probably applied too much or picked the wrong shade :-)

I have so many highlighters just because I love them so much!
My favourite texture is cream. It is easier to control than liquid, and it blends into the skin better than powder.
My favourite shade is champagne, not too frosty cold and not too warm, to look as natural and as skin-like as possible.

On a daily basis, I like to apply it on the top of my cheekbones and in the inner corner of my eyes.
When I'm doing a full face I also highlight my browbone, down my nose, and my Cupid's bow.

Here I'm excited to will tell you which are my favourite highlighters!

My favourite powder highlighter is Mac Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish.
This is one of the most popular highlighters, every day on Instagram I see many girls include it in their #faceoftheday picture.
It is a true champagne colour and it is SO beautiful. When the light hits it, it sculpts your face like only Michelangelo knows whats we're talking about.

I apply it with my beloved Mac 184 brush - a flat fan-shaped duo-fibre brush made for featherlight application.
Again, this is a tool I feel is so underrated. I use it to layer my highlighter where I want it to be more intense, and then I dust what's left on the brush down my cheeks for an overall satin finish.

Seriously, Mac Soft and Gentle + Mac 184 brush is just the perfection of highlighting.

As I mentioned many times before, I prefer not to take Soft and Gentle with me in my bag when I'm going out or when I'm travelling. I feel it is too fragile and a little on the bulky side anyway.
So my favourite highlighter for travelling is L'Oreal Color Infallible Eyeshadow in 002 Hourglass Beige (called 888 Iced Latte in the US).
It is small and compact and pretty much unbreakable. Being an eyeshadow, it is a lot more pigmented than a regular highlighter, but using a light application brush like Mac 184 still allows me to dose and diffuse the right amount of product.

My favourite cream highlighter is Mac Hush Cream Color Base.
It is sheer but very luminous and light reflecting.
I like to apply it with my foundation brush Real Techniques stippling brush to blend it into my foundation and into my skin for the most real-skin-like finish.

And my favourite liquid highlighter is Inglot AMC (Anvanced Makeup Components) Face and Body Illuminator in shade 63.
This is the sheerest one out of these I have talked about.
I apply this too with my foundation brush, and before I discovered my holy grail life-changing L'Oreal Lumi Magique (True Match Lumi) foundation, I would mix it with my foundation for an overall glowy finish.

Powder highlighters are usually more dramatic because they will sit more on top of the skin, so I'm more likely to reach for Mac Soft and Gentle for a night look, while I will pick up the Inglot Illuminator during the day.

I hope you found this post interesting!
I also wrote an entire post about some of the Nars Orgasm products, highlighters included, here Nars Orgasm blush, Multiple and Illuminator

What are your favourite highlighters? Please let me know, I can never have enough of them!! ^_^
Have a beautiful night *_*

Love
MJ

L'Oreal Hourglass Beige/Iced Latte, Mac Soft and Gentle, Mac Hush, Inglot AMC Illuminator 63

THE DRUGSTORE DIVA TAG

Hahahaha girls I just came up with this, I'm actually laughing as I'm typing!!!

The other day I did The Princess Tag about my favourite high-end / luxury products here The Princess Tag, and now I really want to do its drugstore / high-street version!

Ok all kinds of tags about drugstore products have been going around for ever, but instead of searching for past tags I just thought I'd create my own, The Drugstore Diva!!! Should I trade-mark it??? hahaha :-D

And hey, no princess ain't got nothin on The Drugstore Diva hahahaha!!!! :-D

So yeah, same categories, let's get back into it!!

FOUNDATION

My one and only L'Oreal Lumi Magique - True Match Lumi in the US. I use it in the shade W3/D3 Gold Linen, both a little darker and more yellow-toned than my natural skin, which gives me exactly the final result I'm going for.

I fake tan my face all the time anyway - except for when I am sick in bed with flu for a week or something! -, and Gold Linen perfectly matches my fake tanned skin.

And it's not a drugstore product, but I my holy grail self tanner is Dior Bronze Auto-Bronzant in Natural Glow.

First one ever tried years ago, loved it, never wished to look for alternatives.

CONCEALER

I really like the Garnier BB Cream Eye Roll On. And please note that for my undereye area I am so picky that this is the ONLY drugstore concealer I have.

POWDER

Like I already said in the Princess Tag, I never powder my face.

I really don't need it because I have dry skin, and I don't like how it looks on me anyway.

BRONZER

Summer Eclipse Bronzing and Shimmery Powder in shade Moonlight / Light Bronzer. I just really love this shade.
And I don't know about the other shades because I haven't tried them, but this one is sure not shimmery at all. Matter of fact, I also use it for contouring, and it gives my skin the most beautiful satin finish.
I was wearing it in this look Mac All Fired Up lipstick

BLUSH

Kiko blushes in the baked formula, because I love my cheeks to have a satin finish.
My all-time favourite is beautiful Celebrity Rose, a mauvy pink with golden veins *_*
It is unfortunately a limited edition from an old collection :'-(

HIGHLIGHTER

L'Oreal Color Infallible Eyeshadow in 002 Hourglass Beige (called 888 Iced Latte in the US), a beautiful true champagne shade.

Yes it is an eyeshadow, but I use it as the travel version of Mac Soft and Gentle :-)

Like all L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows it comes is a small sturdy pot, so it's perfect to fit into your make up bag, and dare I say, pretty much unbreakable.

In this look In The Sky With Glitter - Victoria's Secret inspired I am wearing it both as highlighter and eyeshadow :-)

EYESHADOW

Kiko Colour Sphere eyeshadows, a beautiful line of eyeshadows in the baked formula.
Shade 26 - shimmering grey infused with multicolour microglitter - was my first purchase ever from Kiko many years ago, and is still to this day my all-time favourite eyeshadow <3

Kiko Color Sphere Eyeshadow 26

Their baked eyeshadow quads, which they release / repromote from time to time, are my second top favourite eyeshadows.
My favourite quad is Unexpected Rosy Taupe eyeshadow palette.
This is like my guardian angel, it is with me in my handbag AT ALL TIMES. Even when I'm not wearing any make up at all, or when I am wearing totally different shades, I will take this quad with me as mirror.
It is currently in store in the Bad Girl collection and it's called Color Fever eyeshadow palette 100.

I used this quad for New Year's Eve in one of my favourite looks and most special to me My New Year's Eve make up

Really, I couldn't love Kiko eyeshadows more.

EYELINER
Essence I Love Rock Gloss eye pencil. It is a very intense black, very pigmented, almost too creamy, it smudges very easily, and easily bleeds from the waterline - and it is ridiculously inexpensive.

Now for me, all of this gives me EXACTLY the look I'm going for, because I love the kind of smudgy smokey eyes like Kate Moss or Brigitte Bardot.
But for the same exact reasons, this might not be the right product for everyone.

MASCARA

All L'Oreal mascaras. My very first mascara was their Voluminous X4 :-) <3
Then over the years I must have tried all of them. You name it, I have it / have had it.

Ok, all except one, and as irrational as it sounds it must have been because I don't like the celebrity who was the first "face" of that mascara.
So when L'Oreal ads offered me the opportunity to achieve even only the look of her lashes I was like "Hmm, no thanks" hahahaha!!!! ^_^

And a special mention goes to Multi Action mascara from Essence.
It was given to me as a gift with a purchase, and I really had no expectations when even the actual retail price is around 3 euros, so I left it in the back of my drawer for a while.
Then one day I tried it and :-OOOOO Really black, volumizing, it separates your lashes, the brush has the perfect size to fit both your upper and lower lashes, honestly just WOW!!
An amazingly performing ridiculously inexpensive product, I don't know how Essence did it!!!

LIPSTICK

I really really had to think a lot about this one. I mean, looking for your favourite lipstick in a drugstore is worse than looking for a needle in a haystack!!
But in the end I made my decision, and I choose 2 lipsticks.
This choice is based both on the product AND on the surprise factor of the brand, because they're two small little known brands, where you wouldn't really expect to find an all-time favourite product.

So the first is a lipstick called Belle, from the Mirror Shine line of brand 17 or SEVENTEEN, available in Boots, UK.
It is a gorgeous intense dusty pink, but the intensity of the colour is toned down by the sheer and glossy formula. Result: your lips but juicier and poutier.
So GORGEOUS, such a great find! :-D

The other one is lipstick R05 from Flormar, from their Revolution Lipstick line.
This is an intense deep pink, very pigmented, very opaque, with an almost matte finish.
I would describe it like - Brigitte Bardot and Lana Del Rey wear more apricot tones, but if they wore pink, they would wear this pink.

LIP LINER
I don't use lip pencils that often, unless there's a specific look I am going for, or unless I am wearing a very opaque matte lipstick and the lip contour has to be flawless.
My favourite lip pencils are by Catrice, shades 030 Lost In The Rose Wood (intense but very natural dusty pink) and 010 Choc'aholic (pale beige).
See in this look what I mean when I put a lipliner on hahaha Mac Reflects Antique Gold - New Year's Eve

LIPGLOSS

L'Oreal Glam Shine line. I love their formula that feels thick and soft.  

BROW PRODUCT

Like I said in the Princess Tag, I'm not a big fan of brows. I would say I only fill them in and reshape them a little when I'm creating a dramatic-borderlining-theatrical look like in Neon Glam make up look, hahaha if you know what I mean!
And in that look I used my favourite eyebrow product I was going to mention: Collection (formerly Collection 2000) Eyebrow Definer in shade 3 Blonde, very cold and ashy, even with a touch of olive.

NAIL POLISH

Essie. They're creamy, super shiny and crazy longlasting.
Their pastels are divine, they make you happy just by looking at them!!

My favourite shades are Lady Like (mauvy pink, you can see it here Nude nail polishes), Liquorice (black), Marshmallow (sheer white), Madison Ave Hue (fuchsia with shimmer), Smokin' Hot (grey-ish brown), and I am broken hearted I missed out on Bond With Whomever (pinky lilac) :'-((((

And OPI. Top quality too, and they have an incredible selection of reds.
My favourite shades are Lincoln Park After Dark (blackened plum, you can see it here Plum nail polishes) and Big Hair Big Nails (a sorbet watermelon red)

So ladies, this was my Drugstore Diva tag! :-D
And now I am going to tag my lovely girls

BeautyAddict29

Annika

Anoushka

Emily

Rachel (YouTube video Not Two Normal - Drugstore Diva Tag)

Marta (Nowoczesna Dama - The Drugstore Diva Tag)

Lottie Mayy (Lottie Mayy Loves - The Drugstore Diva Tag!)

to do my tag too, so please go check out their blogs to see their answers and have a look at their other posts!!

Everybody else who's reading this is invited to join in!
So please if you do this tag leave me the link to your blog post or video in a comment, and I'll be sure to come see you ^_^

Take care xx

Love

MJ

THE PRINCESS TAG

This tag is about our favourite high-end / luxury products.
I have been seeing it going around on YouTube for a while and decided I'd join in!

So here are all the categories:

FOUNDATION
If you read my blog you already know that there is just one and only foundation I use, and it's L'Oreal Lumi Magique - True Match Lumi in the US -, a drugstore product.
I like it to the point of almost feeling like it was custom made for me and my skin, and since I first tried it 2 years ago I have never touched another foundation again.

That said, there's a few high-end foundations I have been wanting to try, so I will include these in this category as a sort of wish-list.

• Nars Sheer Glow
• Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua
• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer
• Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk

If you use or have tried these foundations, can you please give me your opinions or recommendations in a comment? :-*

CONCEALER
Clinique Line Smoothing concealer. I like it because it is very creamy and doesn't dry my undereye area, and gives me a very natural but still brightening finish.
If you have oily skin, you might want to try it first to make sure it suits your skin type.

POWDER
I NEVER use powder to set my foundation, nor for touch ups during the day.
First of all, I just don't need it because my skin is dry. I think it looks really cakey with powder, which I HATE.
Second, I like my skin to look dewy and I would even say - not oily, but shiny :-)

What I do if I want to freshen up - literally - my make up is spray my Caudalie Beauty Elixir, a very luxurious-feeling toning mist of essential oils like orange, rosemary, mint, rose and grape, all of plant origin.
It is formulated without parabens, mineral oils or animal ingredients.
It contains alcohol so make sure you close your eyes when you spray it! :-) And shake it before use.

But there is a powder in my luxury products wish-list: one of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. I have heard such amazing reviews about them that I really really would love to try them.

BRONZER
I am choosing this both for the product and the packaging: Nars Laguna bronzer.
I have it as part of the limited edition Blush/Bronzer Trio from 2011, which unites three iconic Nars products: Orgasm blush, Albatross highlighter and Laguna bronzer.
The trio comes in a small (a little bigger than the palm of your hand) sturdy zip-up case with a big mirror in it, so in theory it has all the elements to be perfect when you are on the go or travelling.

Nars Blush/Bronzer Trio

All the elements except one: the price tag.
So you'd be crazy if you thought that I just carry it around carelessly everywhere I go.
I only save it for the most special occasions, and I have to admit, I feel at my most luxurious when I pull it out of my bag, unzip it, and touch up my Orgasm blush while looking into the big mirror hahaha!!!! :-D

BLUSH
One word: Orgasm.
Nars.

If you would like a more in-depth review on Nars Orgasm blush, Multiple and Illuminator please go to Nars Orgasm - Blush, Multiple and Illuminator :-)

HIGHLIGHTER
Again, Nars Multiple in Orgasm, a golden pink paradise.
I am wearing it here Mac All Fired Up lipstick ^_^

EYESHADOW
Dior 5 Colour Eyeshadow palettes. They're so buttery and pigmented, and over the years they have come up with some colour combinations to die for.
On top of this, in my opinion you really can't beat Dior packaging.

EYELINER
I have never had the chance to try them yet, but the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils are on top of my wish-list.

MASCARA
Dior Diorshow Black Out.
And Helena Rubinstein Spider Eyes mascara base as the base I just can't do without.

LIPSTICK
YSL Rouge Volupté lipsticks. They feel so smooth and creamy, and the packaging is deliriously luxurious.
The very first feeling I had about these is that they were so creamy that they almost didn't sit right on the lips, I don't know if anybody else experienced this. But I have then grown into liking them :-)
I am wearing them in different shades in these looks
My Mardi Gras make up
Mac Reflects Antique Gold - New Year's Eve
Neon Glam make up look

YSL Rouge Volupte 01 Nude Beige

LIP LINER
Estee Lauder lip pencil in Spice. It is a dark matte browny pink and it was one of the key products for this look The 90s - Supermodels and Madonna inspired, where I wore it all over my lips as a lipstick too.

LIPGLOSS
Dior Addict Gloss. They are lovely to wear and give your lips an amazing mirror shine! And again, I'm in love with their packaging too.
I am wearing one of them in a very dramatic shade in this look Halloween Queen

BROW PRODUCT
To be really honest, I'm not a big fan of brows :-/
I mean, even after Cara Delevingne's brows have taken the world by storm, I'm still not sure :-/
Anastasia Beverly Hills please cover your ears, but like, if I had to choose between a statement brow or a bleached brow, I would go for the bleached brow. Such a visionary, ethereal look!

BUT - Anastasia Beverly Hills, if you ever read this, please it would be my dream to have my eyebrows done by you, so if you have a spot for me in your Beverly Hills salon I will be beyond honored to come over!! ^_^

NAIL POLISH
Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Phallic, a B E A U T I F U L midnight blue with an electric blue shimmer.

If you want to do this tag, or have already done it, please write me in a comment the link to your blog post or video, and I'll be sure to come and see!

And if you want to see the drugstore / high-street version of the Princess, go to The Drugstore Diva, that's how I named the tag myself hahaha! :-D
xoxo

Love
MJ

1-WEEK-TRIP TRAVEL ESSENTIALS: MAKE UP BRUSHES

These are my most basic make up brushes:

FOUNDATION/BLUSH/BRONZER BRUSH: I wouldn’t normally use one single brush for all 3 purposes, but having been lucky enough to discover the Bare Escentuals Feather Light brush, now I do when I’m on the go.

I actually never bought this brush intentionally, because it was only part of a set I found on sale at Sephora. I also didn’t use it for a good while, because at the time I would apply my foundation with a flat brush. I eventually took it out of the box one time to apply a cream blush, and I liked it so much that I immediately decided to upgrade it to my official foundation brush!

The bristles are soft and dense for an effortless airbrushed result with no streakiness issues.

And when I’m travelling this brush is also all I use with my Essence All Over Shimmer blush/bronzer, because a little leftover from it doesn’t bother me when I use it again for my foundation.

CONCEALER BRUSH: this is going to sound pretty unlikely for a make up brushes brand, but I just love how this 2,95 euro H&M Eyeshadow Brush works my concealer.

I first saw the Pixiwoo sisters (http://www.youtube.com/user/pixiwoo) use eyeshadow brushes - MAC 224 and Illamasqua Blending Brush - for their concealer, and even if I don’t own those brushes that’s what inspired me to give this H&M brush a chance, since I wasn’t really using it much for eyeshadow anyway.

And this was like finding the Holy Grail.

Before Pixiwoo – sounds like a make up era, instead of the B.C./A.C. of history I am going to use B.P.(Before Pixiwoo)/A.P.(After Pixiwoo) lol! - I used to apply concealer with the typical small flat stiff “concealer brush”. What else was I supposed to apply concealer with, right??! Now I even question why that is considered as the typical concealer brush.

I find that soft dense bristles like in all of the brushes mentioned are ideal for both the delicate area under the eyes and the uneven surface of blemishes, so THIS is what a concealer brush should be like.

THANK YOU SAMANTHA AND NICOLA!!!

EYESHADOW BRUSHES:

·      MAC 217 brush is another A.P.(After Pixiwoo) product. Seeing them – and many other make up artists/guru on You Tube - use this brush in pretty much every single one of their tutorials, really made me go get one at the first opportunity.

Now I too couldn’t think of doing my eye make up without it. It works wonders with both powder and cream eyeshadows, for blending the edges or applying a wash of colour for a quick smoky look.

I believe this is a unique must-have brush like no other. No7 has a similar brush, their Eyeshadow Blend and Contour brush, but being softer (but also less expensive, to be fair) than the MAC 217 it doesn’t serve all of the above mentioned purposes quite as well.

·      The H&M Smokey Eye Brush doesn’t really have anything that you can’t find in another brush, but it’s definitely what I reach for when I am travelling because being double-sided it’s 2 brushes in 1. This only costs 2,95 euro too, so it’s more than worth it.

I hope this was helpful too, I would love to hear what you think!

1-WEEK-TRIP TRAVEL ESSENTIALS: MAKE UP PRODUCTS

These are my most basic travel essentials when I stay away for a week or less without any special plans for parties or nights out:

FACE

·      Foundation: 2 mini-size foundation samples – since one wouldn’t be enough anyway I take 2 in two different shades  so then I can mix them and adjust them to my skin tone

(I find that the samples sales assistants give you are very rarely in the right shade for you, so I always end up mixing a few together anyway! If the texture and finish of the foundations are completely wrong for your skin type, for example moisturizing and dewy with an oily skin, or mattifying with a very dry skin, that’s more difficult to fix, and in that case I just give the sample to a friend who can get a use out of it)

·      Concealer:  for me Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer works great both under the eyes and on blemishes, so I just take one product for both purposes

·      Blush/Bronzer: Essence Sun Club All Over Shimmer for Eyes, Face and Body is one of my favourite products EVER! I have it in the shade Blondes - 01 Ibiza Sun, while there’s also a darker shade for brunettes available. It looks very similar to the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick – PLUS THAT PINK STRIPE!! - at a fraction of the price (around 4 euro versus 38 dollars).

    It is super-pigmented that just a light touch of the brush will do, and I use it all over my cheeks.  Since I got it about 5 months ago, I have used it pretty much every day, and still barely dented it.

 And being so inexpensive for 11 grams it really is a wonder must-have product! LOVE IT!!

EYES

·      Mascara base: I know this might not sound like an essential, but since I first tried Helena Rubinstein 00 White, I can’t wear mascara alone anymore.  To me, there is no such thing as “too much mascara”. The “natural look” for lashes are bare lashes with no eye make up at all (since there is also no such thing as eye make up without mascara, right??!). When there’s mascara, it can only be full-on and dramatic.

I have also tried the Guerlain Supercils Base/Primer, but haven’t liked it as much. Does anybody have suggestions for other mascara bases?

·      Mascara: Dior makes great mascaras, and this mini Diorshow is perfect for travelling

·      Eyeshadows: the NYX Smokey Look Kit is pure genius! You can’t beat 9 eyeshadows + 2 lipglosses + A MIRROR! in a super cute cube smaller than the palm of a hand! It also contained a 2-sided mini sponge applicator for the eyeshadows and a 2-sided mini lip brush, but I took them out because being on the go they would only come in the way, and I would use other brushes anyway.

The eyeshadows aren’t the longest lasting unless a primer is applied first, but are well pigmented and blend very smoothly. And the price is only 11 dollars!

·      Eye pencil: black Pupa True Kohl 01, a product I’ve had since forever and never felt the need to look for another

·      Eyebrow gel:  there’s no need to spend a fortune on an eyebrow gel, so why look further than Kiko Eyebrow Designer?!

LIPS

·      Lipstick/Lipgloss: again, nothing other than the NYX Smokey Look Kit! The peachy shade is more opaque, while the rosy shade is sheerer, and they both give a very sweet looking touch to your lips.

I hope this was helpful to someone who is about to pack up and go on holiday! Or on a work trip! I always love reading other girls’ organization tips myself :-)