Monthly Favorites: May

Many products (skincare, haircare, foundation etc) are staple to me so I won't bother you again (you can always read about them here ) so, here are some items that I really enjoyed using this month.

In my shower, strawberry is the scent! One thing I don't get about TBS shower gels is why they don't come with a pump (or why they don't sell one separately) so, I removed the pump from a backup body lotion I have and placed it on the shower gel bottle. Perrrrrfect!

As for perfume, I am head over heels in love with the Jo Malone Sweet Lemon cologne I got at the Estée Lauder bazaar. It's fresh, it's sweet but with an edge, it's there but not in your face, I just love it (and got many compliments wearing it!)

I also used quite a bit of the Vitamin E Face Mist by TBS. It was in the goodies bag that we were given at the TBS bloggers' event (you can read all about it here ). When I return home from work I don't take off my makeup right away, so one spritz of the Face Mist on top gives my skin freshness and hydration. I still love my Mac Fix + but I use this one in the morning, after completing my makeup (and I keep a mini bottle in my purse at all times).

As for makeup, I've been mostly sporting coral/peach cheeks with lips in accordance and minimal eyeshadow. I was up since 6:30 in the morning everyday for work (I'm currently working at another location of my company - well, not MY company but you get the point, lol! - that's on the other side of Athens and I won't return to my basis for another week...) so, I didn't feel like doing much eyeshadow work.

I mostly used the Clarins Coral Tonic and the Tarte Blissful blushes, apart from being really pretty they also survive 11+ hours on my cheeks.

My YSL Glossy Stains have become everyday staples since I got them but this month I mostly used #7 and #12 because they fit into my coral/peach scheme. I also used Morange by Mac, a tiny bit with a lip brush over well moisturizer lips.

Morange, YSL #7 and #12

For eyes, my staple was Nubile paintpot by Mac because it is darker than my skintone so it defines my eyes in a natural, barely there way.

When I felt like putting a little extra on top, I used Pearl #390 by Inglot or Stilife paint by Mac or the champaign color from TBS Moonstone eyeshadow. Just a wash of color, nothing dramatic or complicated.

The rest of my favorites are miscellaneous:

• Garnier roll on concealer. I have this for some time but now that i'm a tiny bit darker, it suits my skintone better. I really like its thin consistency and the way it feels under my eyes.
• Bourjois eye brow pencil #4. Although I loved the Fling mechanical eyebrow pencil by Mac, it run out very quickly, so I decided to buy again this old time favorite.
• Prunella kohl eye pencil by Mac. I use this one everyday on my upper waterline, it's such an intricate color because it's not black, neither brown, nor plum, I really can't describe it.
• When I felt really adventurous, I used Undercurrent on my lower lash line, a tiny bit of this with Nubile on the lid gives an interesting twist to a nude look.
• Saunter lip pencil by Mac is the only nude lip color I have and I'm really liking it!
• Shore Leave is another lip pencil by Mac, this one is pinky-coral and used it quite a bit.

Here are some swatches

That's it for May favorites, June had better be warm because I have some aqua and teals to sport!

 

Mac for Daphne Guinness

The Daphne Guinness collection by Mac was launched in Greece 2-3 weeks ago. Although it's a substantial collection, nothing seemed very intriguing to me, apart from 2-3 items.

So, here is my little haul!

First item I wanted was the Azalea Blossom ombré blush (€29, LE, repromote) because I didn't have anything in this shade and I really liked the swatches I've seen online. In real life it is very pretty as well, a light and delicate cool pink that can be amplified depending on the amount of the deeper, lilac shade that you use. I usually swirl the brush on both shades and I get a pretty medium cool rose pink. Another thing I like is the discreet sheen it leaves on my cheeks. I was also tempted to get the Vintage Grape as well, a deeper, berry-plum shade, but it is a bit too dark for my liking.

Next thing I got is the Red Dwarf Pro Longwear (€21! LE). I really like this type of lipstick because it lasts on my lips for a while (contrary to any other lip product that disappears after a few minutes, I can't stand my lips, LOL!). This shade was also missing from my stash, it is a medium to deep pink a little mute and on the blue side.

Last item I got and totally outside of my comfort zone is the Narcissus cremesheen lipglass (€19,50 LE). It is a pink purple, quite vibrant and intense and depending on what I layer underneath it the intensity can be adjusted. When I wear it on its own, is very sweet and wearable purple pink. When I wear it over Red Dwarf, it's a deeper, very appealing purple-magenta.

Red Dwarf and Narcissus

Azalea Blossom: lilac shade, pink shade (you can't see it, LOL,), mixed together.

I 've been enjoying very much all three products, I wear them all together with light eye makeup (usually with Pink Venus on the lid, Quarry in the crease and Creamy Bisque as a highlight) and it the result is quite polished but with a little edge, I just love it.

Do you use a color that originally seemed to you a little over the top?

What's in my makeup bag!

WARNING: Loooong post ahead. LOL!

It is a fact that until recently I didn't feel the need to carry in my purse a makeup bag! I just did my makeup in the morning and all I carried with me was a lipbalm.
That changed radically one day at work: while washing my hands I glanced in the mirror and I saw a washed out resemblence of myself staring back to me! What had happened to my blush? To my strategically positioned highlight? Where did everybody go?
So, that day I decided to have with me at all times a little something for touch-ups on the go. 
 
The easy part was to make up my mind, the tough part was to actually make it happen, because I don't want to carry too many things with me since all my purses are moderately sized. 
That puzzle was solved with a little improvisation and it actually works for me just fine.

So, enough said, let me show you!

First item I wanted was a makeup bag and I decided to get this Mac one - €29 (€21,75 on a 25% discount) because:

• the size was ideal for my purses
• the black material is discreet enough (for work) but not boring
• it has an inner pocket that's perfect for little things

Next thing I wanted to carry with me was my Mac Careblend pressed powder but the included sponge/applicator applied too much product on my face and I needed a brush to blend it out. Instead of that, I got an Ecotools retractable brush - €11 from Ebay (very decent brush, soft and doesn't shed) and every morning, when I do my makeup, I dab it lightly in my Careblend and put the brush in my little bag. This way, I don't have to carry with me the Careblend compact, and I use what's on my retractable brush for a touch up.

Next item I wanted in my purse was concealer (just in case I need it) so I put a little of my Benefit Erase Paste in a jar and I use it with a little brush that I had from a free Sephora brush kit.  Also, Mac Fix+ is a necessity to me because it refreshes and hydrates my skin.

The puzzle to me was how on earth I could manage to have with me something for highlight, blush and contour, without having to carry all these separate compacts. The tougher one was blush, because I had to carry with me a different blush almost everyday (depending on what I had put on in the morning), but I also have a few in pan form in a Mac palette (not something to have in my purse!).

So, instead of going crazy over this I decided to think outside of the box and the result is simple and fuss free. That's how:

• I put in good use a Mac 4 pan empty eyeshadow palette that I already had
• I looked at my eyeshadows and chose one that would do for highlight but I wouldn't miss from my eyeshadows palette. Crystal Avalanche was the winner (I don't use it that much since I got Creamy Bisque, I also have a Korres one in a similar shade).
• next I wanted an eyeshadow as a contour. I chose Moleskin from my stash but I'm thinking of buying Omega or Kid because Moleskin is limited edition and I want to keep it for my eyes.LOL!
• last but not least I chose two eyeshadows from my stash that I could use for blush: Passionate because it is a cool pink shade and Free to Be because it is warmer. This way, I don't have the exact shade of blush that I wore in the morning but I have something to refresh it that matches with the rest of my makeup, in cool tones and warm as well. Both eyeshadows didn't get much use from me as eyeshadows, but I really love them as mini blushes on the go!

Here's a swatch of them all. It is heavy because I wanted to show you the colors, it goes without saying that when I actually use them to refresh my face makeup I use the lightest possible amount on my brush.

Here's my little highlight-contour-blush palette

So, what I basically do is that I buff the Careblend on my face and then I use the same brush for contour and blush (for the highlight I use my finger). Then I spray my face with the Fix+ and I' m done.

Next thing that I carry in my makeup bag is a lipstick and lipgloss. I rotate these everyday, depending on what I used in the morning.
For instance, yesterday I wore Sweet Eve After lipcreme and Show Me! lipglass (both Mac pro longwear), here they are

The last thing that I always carry with me is not makeup related but a necessity to me and that is a hand creme. Currently I have the EOS one (€12 on Ebay) because I love the packaging, it's like a little pebble, very slim and purse friendly!

Here's my makeup bag once more

I'm totally satisfied with the above configuration since this way I manage to have with me everything I will need for a touch up in a very compact and low volume way.

What makeup item do you always have in your purse?