EOTD; Grey-Blue Smokey Eye Trial

Sar's blog is one of my fave's, I learn a lot from her and her topics are always very appealing to me. She made a contest last week, for the best smokey eye. I'm not a makeup expert, especially when it comes to eye makeup and eye shadows, I really suck :P But I would never miss her contest, so I tried a smokey eye. This is my very first smokey eye trial, so don't be too harsh when criticizing :P

I thought people will choose black as it is the regular smokey color, so I thought of doing something more colorful.. Plus I had the desire to try my Arctic Grey e/s for days :P It is a gorgeous color seriously. I'm glad I decided to buy Arctic Grey instead of Vex :)

Anyway, I liked the result actually, I have never used a blue e/s in my life, I still think it doesn't look good on me, but hey, I think I might have found a way to use it with this :P

Alright, here are the stuff I used: (All MAC, except Lancome Cils Booster XL mascara base)

• Under eye: Select Moisturecover concealer
• On eyelid, as a base: Blacktrack fluidline (Because I wanted to use a black base and I didn't have any other)
• Inner corner: Vanilla pigment
• Right next to inner corner: Arctic Grey e/s (LE)
• On eyelid: Tilt e/s
• Outer V: Black mineral e/s from Danger Zone trio
• Under brow: Shroom e/s
• Eyeliner: Blacktrack + Carbon e/s
• Waterline: Graphblack technakohl liner
• Lower lash line: First black mineral e/s from Danger Zone trio, then tilt on top of it, through 2/3 of the line, then I used Arctic Grey from inner corner to 1/3
• Mascara: Lancome Cils Booster XL + Zoomlash

I know, I always forget curling my eyelashes, they are straight like an arrow :P I should at least try to remember curling them, cos they don't look good this way. Aaand please ignore my crazy eyebrows :P

I'm waiting for comments :) Please don't be too harsh heheh :P

Marjo

MAC Hello Kitty Collection

I definitely need a MAC haul to get rid off depression! It was proved one more time yesterday.. I was so fed up with waiting Hello Kitty Collection at one instant that I decided to skip it... ...until I went to MAC Pro store :P My haul picture is on left, but it is missing 3 products; 1 is actually a sample from Milk pigment, my MUA gave me :) 1 is Fast Friends (because they gave me Nice to be Nice instead of Fast Friends mistakenly and I noticed it only after I came home :'( ), the other is Most Popular.

I asked them to hold it for me 'cos I wasn't sure at first, I thought there are dupeable colors in the permanent line but nope, there isn't any l/s as good as Most Popular. It looks really berry in the tube, but don't worry it is sheer and buildable! It doesn't make your lips too plum if you use lightly, instead it gives a great berry-ish healthy natural lips (my natural lip color is dark pinky ;) ). This l/s is moisturizing! When you apply it, it looks smooth, immediately moisturizes the lips and makes it look a little glossy. If I didn't know the finish is Lustre, I wouldn't believe it. This one is not a true Lustre I can assure you. I own other Lustre l/s's and I love Lustre finish, but the thing I love isn't this, don't get me wrong, this is waaaay better.. It stays longer, more glossy and moisturizing. The more I write about it, the more I want a backup LOL. Guess if I'd recommend it or not :P

The other lipstick I bought is Big Bow. This one was on my list, I wanted it the most in the entire HK collection. I suck when it comes to such colors 'cos I can't resist, 'cos they look good on me :P So I knew I was gonna love the color, I saw it and Oooo Goddd I fell in love at that instant!! It is a sheer, bright, intense blue-pink as described by MAC website and it truly is. The thing is, the lipstick is a pink color and there are purple-blue pearl in it! Beleieve it or not, it has the most appealing color I've ever seen from MAC (including my one and only love, Crazee. Big Bow is better... Imagine..). It may look neon to you in the tube, it is not when you apply it. So nothing to be afraid of.. If you are a lover of such pink colors, don't hesitate. Go and buy. You'll thank me :Ppp

I asked for Pink Fish TLC and my handsome MUA gave me Popster, he said it'll look better and guess what? He won :P Pink Fish turned my lips into dead lips, coral pink colored Popster gave me a great look, of course I ended up with it. It is a great moisturizer, my MUA also gave me a pile of disposable gloss brush wands. I'll apply it with a brush, I don't plan to finger this baby :P If you ask me whether this is a must-have or not.. I'd say, it depends. If you have other TLCs from MAC or other brands you don't need this at all. If you are a MAC or HK collector, then you need :P

I had an improvement in my gloss purchase habbit this time :P I didn't buy Mimmy or She Loves Candy, 'cos I have tons of them. Mimmy is an opalescent pink color, which is quite dupe-able, I think it is a no-need gloss.. She Loves Candy looks exactly like my Icescape (from Chill). It is a great color yes, but is it a must-have? Definitely no. You would even be disappointed with the amount of color you get (very little).

Glosses I bought are Fast Friends, Nice Kitty and Sweet Strawberry. Fast Friends is on hold in the store atm, 'cos they gave me the wrong one as I said above. It was the best gloss of the collection, I can't skip it, no matter what. It has a sheer color with a hint of purple, luckily, so you can use it daily. It has purple-blue glitter. It makes wonders when used with Big Bow.

Nice Kitty is awesome.. I loved it. I knew I was gonna love it :P I have some similar shade glosses but this one is too pretty, makes a great couple with Big Bow. It alone can be my everyday gloss, sooooo lovely.. It doesn't seem that way in the tube but when applied, it becomes a warm cute pinky color that you will not be able to say no :P Actually I have never heard any bad reviews about this gloss, imagine that.. Satisfaction is quaranteed :P (Should I get a backup?)

Sweet Strawberry was the surprise of this haul :P I skipped it totally, didn't even bother myself to try it. After spending like 1.5 hours in the store, I said why not I try it.. Wow, it is a sweet red/berry color with purple shimmer. Unlike the rest of the glosses (in HK of course), this one is a pigmented color. It can be used itself or with Most Popular, either way it will make you happy with the result. I'm sure of that :)) It can compete with my other glosses to be my favourite and it can be close to first place, maybe even first.. I don't know, I just love it.

The grey nail polish, On The Prowl, was looking so innocent at me at the stand :P I skipped it, thinking I could find a dupe. I still think it is a dupeable color; creamy matte midtone grey, no shimmer, no glitter. You can even find better ones in the US (I'm not sure about Turkey, we have a few brands that make brave nail colors). At first coat, it is uneven, it is streaky whatever you do. You need a second coat definitely to make it look perfect. In the store, I used it on my thumb only, when dried, I saw my hand in mirror and I was like; Can I polish my entire nails :P And my MUA knew what I was gonna say next: I'm buying this baby :Pppp

Final one is Tippy blush. It is a "wow". It is not a normal powder blush, it is a beauty powder blush and texture is different than them. When I first saw it and read the description, "midtone blue pink", I said; well I got tons of blue pinks, skip.. In the store I tired it, along with Fun&Games (it wasn't a unique color on me seriously, just another peachy, apricotish orange color.. I'm fed up with peachy colors, I go for pinks, maybe that's why I felt so). This blush is wonderful! I acted like a jackass and told my MUA that there are tons of similar colors to this one, Pink Swoon and Dollymix being the closest ones.. He said no way, so I made swatches on my hand, along with other pinks but nope. Tippy is different than all of them, when you apply on your face, although some may seem similar in the pan.

Awww I know I talked too much, so I hope this long post accounts for the days I couldn't write :P More reviews are to come, 'cos I had the chance to see Sugarsweet collection and Grand Duos, I ended up buying entire Grand Duo collection (7 blushes :S) and I had a MAC-gasm in the end LOL

Marjo

AVON Hydrating Face Mask; Product Review

I know I know.. I'm so slow when it comes to update this blog and I am deeply sorry for that :( I am not a big fan of AVON products but I still try their facial masks 'cos I'm a face mask freak.. I looove masks :) I have a few AVON masks already, I really like the mud mask (Name is Planet Spa dead sea minerals; facial mud mask) for example for soothing my face..

I have a lot of soothing and calming masks but I ran out of hydrating masks and the one I bought previously didn't work at all, it also caused several white heads on my face so I turned it into a hydrating foot mask instead of face mask :P The one is called AVON Solutions, Hydrofirming cooling moisture gel cream, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, so stay away from that :P

I'm a Mediterranean, we love olive oil and we know its good effects on skin :) I was planning to buy this mask for a long time but it didn't have a discount for a couple of months, I finally bought it this month and I regret buying only 1 tube! It comes in a 75 ml tube with a flat cap and offers you a soft, suppled hydrated and refreshened face and guess what? It does what it claims!

The product is a pale olive green gel and smells wonderful! I'm sensitive to all kinds of smells, if something smells terrible I immediately get sick.. I could never use AVON's Japanese Rice and Sake products, they smell terrible.. I couldn't stand it! But this mask has a fresh, calming smell and it is not too strong to bother you. The texture is gelly, when you apply it on your face it gets drier.

My face is normal/combination but very dry lately, I assume 'cos of the radiators and dry hot air inside the house and school and dry cold air outside. I mean dry in the sense that it lacks its own moisture (water), not in the sense that it is not oily. In fact my T zone is oily and I know that producing oil is my face's defense mechanism against of moisture loss. It absorbs my moisturizer in 5 seconds and it is very tense lately. So I definitely need a hydrating mask (and need to drink water more than before).

I felt relieved as soon as I applied the mask and my face was so happy after rinsing it off. It looks healthier, glowier, softer and definitely smoother! Some hydrating masks make your face become oilier than before but this one does not.. I'm very satisfied.

Product: 5 out of 5
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Quality: 5 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5
Would I buy again? YES! I'll stock up this mask next time there is a discount on it.
Where to buy? From any AVON representative or online if u live in the US.
Price: AVON's prices vary in each catalogue and country. You can always wait for the next discount if it is expensive for you.. I paid 7.90 TL (around 4.50 USD).

Marjo

How do I store my MAC glosses? :)

Ladies and gentlemen.. I'm presenting my MAC gloss's holder, just to give you an idea.. It's a plastic holder (originally a test tube holder, the ones that are used in laboratories), and I love it 'cos I can now keep my glosses organized..

Holes are just wide enough to insert wider glosses such as dazzleglasses and cremesheen glass but not enough to insert MAC lipsticks, unfortunately :(

I also use the empty places for my most-frequently-used brushes :) It saved a lot of space :)

Here are the names in case you are interested in what the glosses are.. Feel free to ask for swatches if you are curious about the shades or just want to see comparisons :)

1-5 (Nudes): Snowscene (LE) - Peroxide (LE) - Icescape (LE) - Cherry Blossom (LE) - Live and Dye (LE)

6-10 (Nudes, Pinks): Love Nectar - Fullfilled - Red Devil (LE) - Nymphette - Palatial (DC)

11-15 (Reds): Melt In Your Mouth (LE, cremesheen glass) - Plus Luxe - Possum Nose Pink (LE) - Venetian - Russian Red

16-20 (Dazzleglasses): 16 isn't from MAC but is like a dazzleglass; Flormar Glossy Splash 01 - Sugarrimmed (LE*) - Baby Sparks (LE*) - Like Venus (LE*) - Ms Fizz (LE*)

21-25 (Dazzleglasses): Glamour OD (LE*) - Glamour OD (LE*) - Love Alert (LE*) - Money Honey (LE*) - Spanking Rick (LE*)

26-30 (From Little Darlings Holiday Set, Pink): Fleur De Light - Song and Dance - Flashmode - Little VI - Magnetique

31-35 (From Little Darlings Holiday Set, Coral): Underage - Ola Mango! - Pink Grapefruit - Wonderstruck - Budding

36-37: Maybelline Watershine Diamonds, 515 and 12..

LE: Limited Edition and DC: Discontinued item.. Items marked with "*" means they were LE when first released but some of them will be permanent with new Double Dazzle Collection (May 2009) but I don't know which yet.. So I label them with LE for now, I will update once the color stories are posted :)

Marjo

Are you freaking kidding me!?

With this snail-speed, I guess my 20% discount will arrive when I hit my 50s..

Remember the 11% discount I got last month? Wow I'm impressed...

PS: I can't believe I originally sent this topic as "Are you freaking kissing me?" What was I thinking?? LOL

Marjo

Silk Naturals, Part 1 of 2

I know I keep delaying to write here, but I’m extra busy with work and school and sometimes all I want and need is a simple 8 hours’ sleep :) This weekend I’ll make my blog happy though :P

A very sweet friend of mine told me about Silk Naturals, late at night while I was working.. An attempt to online shopping instead of working? Sign me in babe :P That’s how I met with Silk Naturals, mineral and organic make-up brand it is.. There were tons of eye shadows and blushes, lip products, foundations and setting powders and skin care products; it was really hard to choose.. As I’m new to mineral make up, I decided to go for samples this time and if I can somehow manage to use them, then I’m to switch to original sizes.. For my first order, I bought a lot of stuff with a really good price; let’s see, eye shadows are full-size and only $3.75, blushes are sample-size and price is only $1.25 but you still get a good amount of it. Most of the blushes can be good dupes for expensive brands’ famous blushes (as stated in its website) and you don’t need to pay a lot for the same color. And for every $30, you get 2 free eye shadows..

I had to divide this topic into two, because there are lots of products to talk about and I can’t pile them up in 1 single post right now.. Too much to swatch :P To be honest, I was afraid of a loosy package but it was well wrapped and every product was covered with pink sheets and everything is in great condition, although traveled hundred miles from US to Turkey! I always have problems with packages from US, but I received this one in 10 days and there were no missing products (it always happens to me), instead there were many free ones! I so loved it :)))

Blushes are awesome! I can't choose which one I loved most.. Seriously I'm way too satisfied with the quality.. Tart is a matte light pink blush and it's a very pretty color, I'm definitely skipping Tippy blush from MAC's Hello Kitty Collection. Tart is very pigmented and for people with lighter skin, it might be hard to blend to look over-done, so you might want to choose Tart Light instead of Tart..

Forbidden is a brownish-apple red color with golden shimmers, it's a good dupe for NARS Outlaw and it's definitely gorgeous. It'll be great for people with medium and/or dark skin tones, it might look kinda muddy for lighter skin tones..

Babydoll is 100% natural! This is enough itself to make me try it, but it is a great clone for MAC's Dollymix, the color is a cute hot pink with shimmer, it is so cute that it'd look great on all skin tones.

Charming is said to be a clone for MAC's Pleasantry, I don't really remember that blush, so I trust it :) It looks pretty much like Babydoll but they are still different (I don't know if you could see from the pictures), Babydoll is a hot pink, whereas Charming is a cool pink.. They both have golden shimmers.

Lastly for this post, I had Deluxe Sample Kit; a foundation kit with an empty jar, sponge, measuring scoop, instruction manual and many others.. You should really try this kit, if you are a starter like me or if you want to surprise someone, this could be a lovely gift.. I loved the foundations, I'm going to play with them once I'm done here ;)

Marjo