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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75897279700446329912017-04-27T09:08:36.839-04:00Rocaille WritesA beauty blog for the curiousMonika RocailleWriteshttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-82795199461152064582017-04-08T10:50:00.003-04:002017-04-08T10:50:56.802-04:00A Week in Lipstick #1: Keep or Declutter Wait, how could I possibly have more lip products to declutter? Surely I can't have all that much left after taking stock and envisioning what my ideal lipstick collection would be, as discussed in this post. Except that I do; I still seem to have some lip products in my stash that I've never worn - those mostly join the troops via gifts with purchase - or older products I haven't worn in months and need to reassess.

I find that it's a completely different beast to look through your lip stash and decide what you want to part ways with just by what you remember about the products you're looking at, versus actually pulling out those items and wearing them again for a day or two. If you're anything like me, when I look at my lip products all neatly lined up in the acrylic container, I immediately think 'Nooo, there's no way I can declutter any of my pretties!'. However, once these pretty bullets get applied and reapplied to the lips, I often notice that in fact there is a valid reason why I rarely reach for a given product - be it because of the shade, finish, fragrance/ taste or texture.

So I've decided to go through my lipstick collection with a fine tooth comb again by wearing everything for a full day and then deciding whether it stays or goes - very much like PetitePearStyle in her Keep or Donate series (here). I slowly go through all of my make-up stash anyway by using a monthly make-up basket, but because I switch out my products quite infrequently, it would take me a long time before I got to every lip product I own - and then I'd probably omit these 'special occasion' shades since my basket (in reality, a drawer in a desk organizer - I'll show it to you some other time) consists of casual everyday wear type of products. Anyway, without further ado, here are swatches of what I wore recently and my final thoughts:

I'm attempting to wear brighter colors for spring 🌈 but when I tried on this @essencemakeup Stay With Me #lipgloss in Candy Bar 🍭this morning, I immediately thought NOPE 👎 . It looks more neon on the lips than in this photo and I almost can't believe I used to love this shade. The gloss is about 2 years old now so I think it's time to part ways 👋 I'm also in the process of going through all my lip products and reevaluating what I want to keep. I gravitate towards more neutral shades these days (with the exception of some reds and berries) and I don't want to have a lot of brights 'just in case'. Let me know if you want to see what I end up #decluttering. #bbloggers #lipswatch #brightlips #wakeupandmakeup #essencecosmetics #drugstoremakeup #springmakeup #ultabeauty #corallips #shopmystash #makeupdeclutter

A post shared by Monika (@rocaillewrites) on <time datetime="2017-03-30T17:55:46+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 30, 2017 at 10:55am PDT</time>

Essence Stay With Me Long Wearing Lip Gloss in Candy Bar (also swatched here): DECLUTTER.
This is the product that spurred this declutter on, which I also shared on Instagram - and had many of you express interest in seeing the rest of the purging process. Like I said in my IG post, I used to really enjoy wearing this very bright coral shade, but now I find that it's just way too much and I feel overly made-up when I wear it. It's also 3 years old at this point, so I've just decided to toss it.

Fresh Sugar Shine Lip Treatment in Rose (deluxe sample; I reviewed the Clear shade here): KEEP.
I still really like this gloss formula from Fresh - it feels almost more like a lip oil than an actual gloss, and like the Sugar lip balms, it's very nourishing. Rose is a sheer warm rosy red on me; it's nothing spectacular but it brings some life and definition to my lips. One thing I dislike about these Lip Shine minis is that the stopper pulls too much of the product of the wand, making me dip in at least 5 times to coat my lips, and who has time for that? And once you take the stopper out, the tube usually becomes too messy to carry the product around. Still, I'm keeping it and intend to try and use it up this year; I've just noticed that Sephora now only carries one shade of this product, so it's probably being discontinued :(

LORAC Alter Ego Lip Gloss in Goddess (deluxe sample from a GWP): DECLUTTER.
Goddess is this super trendy muted cool mauve shade with an almost greyish undertone, and since I really like cool-toned mauves, I was excited to try it. Aaand... big fat NOPE. Unfortunately, this shade makes me look quite ill, and I don't need additional help in that direction with how zombie-like I look nowadays (pale winter skin + lack of sleep). Yes, it could be a statement lip if that's your thing, but for a strange but wonderful purple lip, I'd prefer to wear Pacifica Beach Goth (reviewed here). On the plus side, I found this gloss to have a nice even pigmentation, comfortable texture and pleasant vanilla scent, so I would consider purchasing a different shade. Goddess is going though.

SUQQU Creamy Glow Moist Lipstick in no. 3 Fuyuzakura (reviewed here): KEEP.
I still really enjoy this luxury lipstick, both because of the shade and the onctuous formula that feels nourishing on the lips. I would probably purchase another shade if SUQQU was more easily available to me (and less expensive), but as it is, I'm intending to use Fuyuzakura down to the smallest nub and enjoy it as much as I can in the process.

bareMinerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil-Balm in Pink Passion (deluxe sample from a GWP): DECLUTTER.
In fact, the lip swatch you're seeing here is only half Pink Passion and half Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Tulip (reviewed here). You probably were not able to tell right away though because these hot pinks are near exact dupes. However, the textures of these two products are completely different: where the Fresh Sugar is soft and thick, the bareMinerals is thin and waxy. Pink Passion also somehow migrates towards the outside of my lips right after application (which you can somewhat see in the photo). I have no need or want for two hot pink tinted lip balms in my stash, so I'm giving away the formula I like a lot less.

That's it for this round; I've decided to only include five products in this post because truthfully, I usually don't wear make-up every single day of the week, but even if I do, I usually repeat a shade or two at least once. I hope this was interesting to read - I'm getting more and more ruthless in downsizing my make-up collection, you guys. I think once you catch the decluttering bug, it's hard to stop scrutinizing your possessions (unless you did an exceptionally thorough job the first time round and haven't added anything new since). Have you given away or trashed any lip poducts recently?Monika RocailleWriteshttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-32805240756439939882017-04-04T13:51:00.005-04:002017-04-04T13:51:57.624-04:00Drugstore Acid Tone: Nip + Fab Exfoliate Glycolic Fix Night Pads ExtremeI love trying out new products (hence this blog, duh) and I keep purchasing new things even when I know I've already found a favorite in a given category. Case in point: I love the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads (reviewed here), and I've repurchased them multiple times. But then I heard some buzz about these Nip + Fab Exfoliate Glycolic Fix Night Pads Extreme ($14.99 for 60 pads at Ulta), and I immediately thought 'Fabulous! These could be a dupe for the FAB pads at half the price!'. Uhm, yeah. So I bought them. Because I'm also cheap.

Needless to say, they're not a dupe, neither in terms of ingredients or performed function in my skincare routine (and speaking of dupes where it comes to skincare is tenuous at best, to be honest). But let me back up a little: the Nip + Fab exfoliating pads contain 5% glycolic acid and an undisclosed concentration of mandelic, salicylic and lactic acids; I'm guessing not very much since they're towards the end of the INCI list. The pads also contain glycerin, niacinamide and panthenol, and they're alcohol-free. They're not however fragrance-free; there's a prominent lemon scent which strongly reminds me of floor/ bathroom cleaner - that's probably my biggest gripe with the product.

The directions specify to use these pads 2-3 times a week at night, or just once a week if your skin is sensitive. I use these every night; 5% glycolic isn't actually very high (same as Pixi's Glow Tonic, for example, which is my second favorite - reviewed here), and I don't find these pads to be overexfoliating. They do however seem to be 'stronger' than the First Aid Beauty Pads - on my skin, Nip + Fab tingle a lot more, and I'd say they keep my complexion a bit clearer (but also a touch drier) than the more expensive pads. I can definitely see the difference in the texture of my skin when I use these, and I think they're effective at keeping pores a bit tighter and minimizing breakouts.

HOWEVER. That's not exactly what I was using my First Aid Beauty Pads for. I always liked to use the FAB pads in the mornings to give my skin a little exfoliating boost and help with the absorption of other products layered on top, overall providing a nice glowy canvas for make-up application. The Nip + Fab pads leave my skin a bit too red to be used in the mornings, be it due to AHA/BHA concentration, added fragrance or the rougher texture of the pad itself. Soo... for me personally, the Nip + Fab Night Pads Extreme definitely are NOT replacing the FAB pads in my routine, and I am going back to the more expensive option once I finish my tub.

As for trying to save some pennies (or being cheap, lol): that didn't work out all that great either. I actually cut my FAB pads in half, therefore paying $30 for 120 applications. With the Nip + Fab pads, they don't have enough solution to be cut and used over the whole face, working out to be $14.99 for 60 appplications, so pretty much the same cost per use as my favorite pads. Lesson learnt, folks - I'm not going to try to mess with a firm favorite. I've now tried A LOT of different AHA/BHA products, both drugstore and high-end, and I usually go right back to the FAB pads for my morning acid tone (I'm still more adventurous with the night time routine though). I hope this review was helpful and please let me know what your tried and true exfoliating product is!Monika RocailleWriteshttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-57595571965221662262017-04-01T18:23:00.001-04:002017-04-01T18:30:41.097-04:00Casual Red: ILIA Tinted Lip Conditioner in Bang Bang*Oh, hai - I'm that beauty blogger you used to follow who all of a sudden kinda disappeared off the face of the Internet. But seriously, I know I said I'd like to start posting more a few posts back, and then couldn't get my sh*t together for the entire month of March, but hey - life's not easy with very little sleep. Anyway, I'm not here to talk about THAT; instead, I've wanted to show you my favorite red as of late.

You may remember I was quite a fan of ILIA Beauty Lipsticks that I first tried last year, and after that discovery, my interest was piqued and I couldn't wait to get my hands on one of the brand's cult products, the Tinted Lip Conditioner* ($26 for 0.14 oz/ 4g, available on Ilia's website here, as well as at Sephora). I asked my lovely PR person for the shade Bang Bang, hoping for a brightening red suitable for everyday wear, and I wasn't disappointed.

In terms of formula of the ILIA's Tinted Lip Conditioner, I would actually refer you to my review of their Lipsticks (here). That's right - I don't find that there's major difference in texture between the two. The Lip Conditioner is a rather firm lip product, very unlike my other favorite sheer lip formula, the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment (here's my review of the shade Tulip in case you're curious). Ilia's tinted balm is waxier and feels a lot thinner on the lips than the Fresh, so if you find that the latter is too slippery for your liking, you'd be much happier with Ilia's Lip Conditioner.

I was also quite surprised at the level of pigmentation in Ilia's 'sheer' formula - maybe it's down to the shade, but I found Bang Bang to be nearly as opaque as Ilia's Lipstick range. You will get a more translucent look with one of two layers of both the Tinted Lip Conditioner AND the Lipstick; I've built up several layers of both products in my arm swatch, and you can see that the Lipstick is more pigmented, but you could also keep on going with the Tinted Lip Conditioner for near full opacity. That's exactly what the brand intended though so no complaints here - just know that if you're picking one of the brighter shades in the Tinted Lip Conditioner range, you won't get a 'barely there' tint but rather a nice pop of color.

L-R: Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner in Bang Bang, Aveda Nourish-Mint Lip Gloss in Chuparosa, Ilia Lipstick in Lucy's Party

Bang Bang is a neutral classic red - on my cool-toned skin it reads rather warm, but I think it still suits my coloring, and would be a great choice for nearly all skintones. I actually love experimenting with mixing and layering Bang Bang with other lip products; I loved doing a gradient lip with the above-mentioned Fresh Sugar balm in Tulip, and I also think it looks great mixed in with my other favorite from Ilia, the Multi-Stick in Fine Romance (reviewed here).

There you go - I hope you enjoyed this little review of another product from Ilia's range. In case you were not aware, Sephora US now carries a few more Ilia products, including my beloved Multi-Sticks, as well as most of their lip range: regular Lipsticks, the Tinted Lip Conditioners, AND Lipstick Crayons. All of these products can be found here (non-affiliate link). I'm myself very tempted to purchase At Last, a dusty rose in the Multi-Stick formula, during the spring sale event :) What have you got on your wishlists at the moment? I'd love to know!

Disclaimer: Product featured in this post is a press sample I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the product featured was purchased with my own money or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading! Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-21741739922204812162017-02-13T18:27:00.001-05:002017-02-13T18:27:38.117-05:00Do I Need It? Cremorlab Mineral Treatment Essence ReviewThe Cremorlab Mineral Treatment Essence ($42 for 270ml/ 9.1 oz on Peach & Lily, or ~$35 on Amazon) is a prime example of a product that sucked me in purely by its beautiful packaging. I spotted it at the Peach & Lily K-Beauty sample sale last summer and even though I'd never heard about the brand let alone this specific product, I thought it just looked too beautiful to pass up, and one can always incorporate an essence into their skincare routine, right?

Uhm, on that note. How do you guys feel about essences, the curious in-between a toner and a serum? Do you love them and always remember to apply for an extra boost of hydration, or do you find them completely superfluous and not worth the time? Because I can't make up my mind, and the Mineral Treatment Essence has only served to confuse me further.

As you can see, this beautifully designed bottle houses a clear liquid that's just a hair thicker than plain water in consistency - I forgot to show you but once you unscrew the cap, there's just a small hole at the top for dispensing the essence. The instructions advise you to either pour a little bit out into the palm of your hand and pat directly onto the face (which is what I prefer), or to use a cotton square and wipe like you would with a regular toner.

This Cremorlab essence does contain mostly water - according to the brand's marketing, their proprietory T.E.N. thermal water - as well as several flower waters/ hydrosols (rose, chamomile, lily and cornflower), a ferment extract (akin to the cult SK-II Essence, reviewed here), niacinamide and glycerin. There's no added fragrance although I think there's a very faint scent from the niacinamide, which to me smells a bit like nicotin - not my favorite but I've always liked the effect of this active ingredient on my skin. Cremorlab claims their Essence will hydrate, brighten and smooth your skin's texture.

Do I think the Mineral Treatment Essence actually works? Yes, I do - but the results are not very noticeable. Overall, I would say my face feels softer and smoother, and a bit more even-toned. However, is the effect worth paying over $40 for and in my particular situation (tired new mom), worth spending an extra minute or two to complete my skincare routine? I'm not so sure. Here's the thing - I don't think I can consistently stick to a routine with the added step of an essence between my toner and a serum. What I can do is replace a toner with an essence - which is how I'm using the Cremorlab Essence currently - but in all honesty, I do prefer the speed and convenience of using a spray toner. I wouldn't replace a serum with an essence though; I believe I get better results in terms of hydration or other concerns (hyperpigmentation, breakouts, what have you) from a serum than an essence such as this one. I also haven't noticed the essence working to boost the performance of my serums; I don't see any 'deeper penetration' of ingredients or anything of the sort, and while you can notice better absorption, that's also true for most regular toners (applying any serum on damp skin).

All in all, I think the Cremorlab Mineral Treatment Essence is a good product, but I'm not planning to repurchase it, or any other essence for that measure. Once my bottle runs out, I'll just go back to using a spray toner, because of, erm, mostly laziness, I guess. How many steps/ products are there in your skincare routine? Do you prefer to do the basic cleanse/tone/moisturize or do you go full throttle K-beauty with its 10+ steps?Monika RocailleWriteshttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-60811385009877646592017-02-04T17:10:00.002-05:002017-02-04T17:10:26.536-05:002016 Skincare No Buy and Make-up Low Buy FinaleTsk tsk, I know - so very late of me to be posting the finale of my 2016 Skincare No Buy and Make-up Low Buy (click here for the Introduction post) in February of 2017. Nonetheless, given how much you guys enjoyed my updates on this project I embarked on last year, I thought I'd share one last post on how I was doing the final quarter of 2016, and my overall experience and thoughts on this volontary beauty shopping ban I subjected myself to.

In short, I didn't REALLY follow my skincare no buy and make-up low buy anymore from October til December of last year. I wasn't really beauty shopping a lot either, given that about 98% of my energies were focused on the tiny human who joined our family. To be completely honest, I couldn't really be bothered anymore to follow my strict self-imposed rules. So yeah, sometimes when I was slumped on the couch during one of Julian's naps and I needed a little pick me up, I'd go online beauty shopping - mostly at Ulta to be precise. I somehow managed to hit Platinum status there, but in my defence, a lot of the things I buy from there were for my husband or gifts for other family members, so I don't feel too guilty about that.

While I'm not going to hunt down every purchase and list it in this post (not just because I'm lazy - I also think that would be boring for you guys), here are some of the make-up things I bought that I can recall right now: 3 MLBB mauvey lipsticks, one cream finish and two mattes, because that's what I've been wanting to wear the most, one liquid pen eyeliner (as I had none in my collection and wanted to wear one again) and one waterline pencil liner (not satisfied with the longevity of the ones I own), one brow pencil I've had on my wishlist for over a year (so now I own 3 brow products total), one blush and a holiday set from Laura Geller including a blush (not sure how I feel about it, may give it away), a lipgloss and a face primer. I also purchased a liquid lipstick and a new foundation, but returned both - I'm now resigned to the fact that matte liquid lipsticks make my lips look dry and shrivelled up, and the foundation was a wrong shade and I thought made me look too oily in the T-zone halfway throughout the day. Looking at this list, definitely most of what I bought wasn't necessary, and I certainly surpassed my allowance of two products a month. But you bet it was fun and I am in fact using and enjoying my new pretties - the ones I felt iffy about went back immediately. Isn't that the whole point?

The other aspect I wanted to touch on is free gifts with purchase, which I somehow scored quite a lot of in 2016. I'll come clean with you - I really, really enjoy hunting down coupon codes or buying during retailers' special events to get freebies. So even if I'm not placing orders for myself or only purchasing replacements, I'll usually still receive extra products to add to my collection. What can I say? I know it's a loop hole and if the GWP doesn't contain items I was going to buy anyway, there's no sense in striving to get one - so I do try to only go for the ones I'm genuinely interested in trying. Sometimes I will still receive something that I don't care for, or that doesn't work out when I do test it, and on such occasions I simply pass on the product, be it full size or deluxe sample, to someone else who may get more enjoyment out of it. The same applies to PR samples I'm occasionally sent for review.

In terms of skincare, I purchased two affordable products: a new cleansing balm (my current cleansing oil is half used up already) and exfoliating pads, which I'm already using as I managed to finish some other acid toners from my stash. I could have postponed these purchases until a bit later, say beginning of 2017, but I was placing an order for something else and wanted to get to free shipping (or a GWP, in all honesty), so that's what I opted to do. Again, I don't feel too guilty about breaking my no-buy: sure, I didn't absolutely need those products right away, but I am using or will shortly be using what I bought, so it's not a big deal really.

Back-up drawer as of last update, September 2016

Back-up drawer in January 2017

Throughout the last quarter of 2016, I did continue using up my back-up skincare as well as giving away products I realized I wouldn't use, and as a result I believe that my back-up drawer is looking much better - I even have some space in it now should the need arise to store a new purchase or a PR sample. My husband has also been using more skincare, so I have his help in getting through at least some categories of products, like face wash and facial oils.

Overall, I have to admit that I haven't had huge success with my limited shopping allowances in the last months of 2016 if you look at the number of products I purchased. However, I don't actually care about that and weirdly enough, I do feel succesful about this year-long project. The main reason is that I believe my mentality towards beauty shopping has in fact changed for good. Yes, I still love buying and trying out new make-up and skincare, but I don't go crazy purchasing every new release and most certainly I've stopped buying products which are not relevant to my preferences or lifestyle. I buy products that I enjoy and use consistently. Do I buy too many? Definitely - it's not like anyone NEEDS to own as many lipsticks or blushes as I do. I like having them though, and that's okay.

This is also how I feel about going on low buys or no buys in the future: I think I'm ready to move away from doing structured projects and instead just continue working on keeping a healthy balance between shopping and using what I already own. In the skincare category, I still want to continue using up my back-ups and ensure I'm not purchasing extra products that are not needed at the time. In terms of make-up, I do want to give myself leeway to get something I'm interested in if I believe I'm going to be able to enjoy it right away, but at the same time, I'd like to give some love and attention to the beautiful products already in my stash. If I happen upon something in my collection I don't like anymore, I will pass it on or throw it away with a clear conscience, but I don't really care about 'ideal numbers' or inventoring my make-up - as long as I enjoy everything I own, even if it's a lipstick I only wear a few times a year, I'm completely fine with 'having more than I need'.

I will also be working on actually using up some make-up products from my stash - and not just mascara - and I'll be documenting my progress on Instagram if you're curious to see it. Last year I managed to use up 23 make-up products (both full size and minis, which I counted as half of a product, so 2 make-up minis = 1 full empty), but I think this year I'm not going to have as much time to wear a full face, so I'm going to set my goal at 17 (17 in 2017, get it? Not an original idea by the way but I don't know who started these '16 in 2016' and other challenges so I'm sorry but can't give credit). Who knows, maybe I'll surprise myself and use up even more. Knowing myself, I know these products will mostly be of the cream and liquid variety and not pressed or loose powders, so for my eyeshadows, blushes and bronzers I would like to see some pan occasionally, but not at the expense of forcing myself to use one and the same product for months if I don't feel like it.

Whoa, now that was a long and rambly post to get through, wasn't it? I felt however that I needed to get some closure on this Skincare No Buy & Make-up Low Buy challenge, and wanted to share my current thoughts on the spending bans and panning projects (more ramblings on make-up panning can be found here, and my opinion still stands). Were you satisfied with the results of your limited spending projects in 2016? What are your plans going forward?Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-38644855673603935642017-01-31T16:26:00.000-05:002017-01-31T16:26:42.203-05:00Not My Kind of Red: NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Le PalaceHow 'bout I distract you from this dark and dreadful time we seem to be going through with some make-up? I was really excited to score this deluxe mini of the NARS Velvet Lip Glide ($26 for 0.2 oz/ ~6 ml) with a Sephora order late last year. I've heard really good things about this new formula, including adjectives such as 'unique', 'weightless' and 'long-lasting', and I'm all about innovation when it comes to beauty products. Also, how beautiful is this simple yet elegant packaging?

However, having acquainted myself with my Lip Glide over several days of wear, I'm a little confused. First of all, shouldn't the shade be called Le Palais? (Uhm, seems like Le Palace is a famous hotel/ night club in Paris, so probably the brand didn't just mean any palace. Okay then). But joking aside, I feel very conflicted over this lip product. Is it a gloss? Is it a liquid lipstick? Is it a stain?

The texture of this product is quite slippery and feels silicone-y on the lips - a little bit like a 'dry oil' or one of those dimethicone-heavy face primers, if you will. The brand promises a 'semi-matte' finish', but to be honest, I see quite a bit of shine on my lips, especially right after application, but then it dries down to more of a satin as the time goes on. It seems that you can vary the finish depending on the amount of product you choose to put on: one fine layer is a satin, a thicker coat or two layers look quite glossy. The overall formulation quite reminds me of Fyrinnae Lip Lusters, which are not a new product by any means - I reviewed two shades of those (Shangri-La and Visual Kei, here) back in 2012. There's a pleasant sweet vanilla scent to the NARS Lip Glide but luckily no taste.

I would agree that the Velvet Lip Glide feels quite weightless on my lips, which you'd expect from something with a rather thin formula. Unfortunately, as the day goes on, it feels neither comfortable nor hydrating. If anything, my lips feel a lot drier than with just about any standard bullet lipstick, and having looked at the ingredients' list, I'm not surprised - kaolin clay is the second ingredient. You know, clay as in stuff you put on your face to help with oily T-zone and to tighten pores. Am I the only one confused by that?

To top it all off, I don't find my Velvet Lip Glide to be any more long-lasting than just about any cream finish lipstick in my collection. Sure, once it wears off (which it does very quickly on cups and tissues and so on), there is a bit of a stain left behind, but that's also true for my other lip products in red and deeper shades. But overall, my biggest gripe with this formula is the fact that it feathers and bleeds outside my lip lines, even when I use the smallest amount of the product.

L-R: NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Le Palace, NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella, ILIA Beauty Lipstick in Lucy's Party

The shade Le Palace is described as a 'deep cherry red'. I can't say I agree with that description - to me, cherry red suggests a cool-toned red a la Revlon's 'Cherries in the Snow', while Le Palace is decidedly warm and even pulls a little orange on my fair skin with cool undertones. I'd describe it more as a 'paprika red'. It's not really a very deep red either; don't expect a vampy look out of this Lip Glide. While Le Palace doesn't do anything for me, I think it'd be a flattering hue on skin with yellow or olive undertones.

L-R: NARS Le Palace (one dip of the wand into the tube), NARS Cruella, ILIA Lucy's Party

There you go; can't say I'm too smitten with this new release from NARS, and Le Palace has now been placed in my give-away make-up pile. Have you tried the Velvet Lip Glides? What did you think?

PS. Thank you for all the caring, wonderful comments on my last personal update post and an even bigger thank you for those who shared their stories with me - I feel very grateful to have such amazing readers as you. To those of you who seemed very worried and urged me to see a doctor: like I said, I do already feel much better but should it get worse again, I will of course talk to my health practitioner. Also, look who was trying to help me take photos for this post - you're welcome ;)

Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-18812458255958123772017-01-25T16:10:00.001-05:002017-01-25T16:10:43.345-05:00Keep calm and blog on.Long time no post, dear readers! I'm hesitating to write this update; however, I've always been striving to share with you exactly what's on my mind, in the hopes it may be at least a little useful for someone. This is probably the most difficult thing I've ever written, but also maybe the most necessary. So, here goes - if you're interested in just my beauty reviews, this post is not it - so check back soon for regular service.

Life's been a bit difficult for me these past few months. I know you guys are probably thinking 'Duuh! You've just had a baby!', but I'm not really talking difficult as in 'have no time for anything - feeling tired' kinda way. Before Julian was born, I'd been expecting that and I *think* I'd been mentally prepared, but what I hadn't been prepared for was feeling utterly lost and not like myself. Call it what you will - mood swings, baby blues (I'd hesitate to call it postpartum depression since I don't think it got as severe as to be diagnosed as such), existential crisis - the point is, I've been really struggling lately.

There were days and now thankfully just episodes during the day when I feel unexplicably sad, and worried about the baby, and somehow empty inside, like a hollow husk of a person I used to be. I can't wait until the day is finally over because it seems like such an ordeal to get through, and I'm so frustrated and angry at myself for even thinking it. At the same time, I dread the night time, because if he - and I - keep waking up again and again and again, I know that the next day is going to be even harder. You know how other mothers say - "Oh my gosh, time flies, they grow up too quickly!", and here I am, thinking "No, not at all, the days drag on without end, I can't wait for this to be over - but will it ever be over? Will I ever feel normal again?'.

Before you all write it in the comments, I AM incredibly grateful to have Julian in my life - a beautiful, happy, healthy baby - but at the same time, I feel broken and undeserving of such a blessing. Every little challenge I face with him makes me think I'm a bad mother, and he'll suffer because of my stupidity or lack of insight. Reasonably, I KNOW these are ridiculous thoughts but oftentimes I cannot help thinking them, and I am so mad at myself that I can't just snap out of them.

The reason I've decided to write about my state of mind is because I think that we women don't talk about the postpartum recovery process enough. We gush about the cuteness of our babies and brag about having our figures back while glazing over the more challenging facets. Obviously, we don't all struggle this much as new mothers, but some of us do, and I believe it's important to acknowledge it so that we don't feel so insane - and alone.

I was fortunate enough to have a very easy pregnancy and a standard, safe delivery, but now, at 4 months postpartum, I'm still not completely well - both mentally and physically. The ailing hip/ groin area I was experiencing towards the end of my pregnancy has not gone away, and it's since been joined by a backache. My hair is falling out so much I decided to chop it all off. I'm not just 'not sleeping enough' - at the lowest point when Julian was waking nearly every hour at night I was so sleep deprived I didn't even feel human anymore. I still feel weak and sluggish, and there's absolutely no way I feel up to working out to shed those extra pounds or to 'get my body back' - at the moment, I couldn't care less to be honest, and heading out for daily strolls is about all I can manage right now.

Well, enough of the pity party; I just wanted to say that the going's been rough, but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel. We've been sleeping better lately, and I think that maybe my hormones are becoming more balanced, and I'm starting to feel like myself again. I've also been taking more magnesium and it seems to be helping. The point of all this rambling is that I feel that I'd like to start blogging again. Writing is still my passion and I think it's something I need to do for myself, now maybe more than ever before in my life. However, I do realize it's not going to be easy, mostly due to time constraints - I'm not going to lie though, I know there will be days when even if I do have the time, I just won't have enough energy to write. And I think that's okay too.

To sum it all up, I'm back - sort of. I'll do my best to post, but I'm not going to be posting as often as I used to in the past. The reviews may get shorter and not as thorough. Photos may not be as plentiful. At times I may even not make any sense, and I apologize in advance. But carry on I shall, and carry on I will. Thank you for sticking with me, friends - I'm clicking 'Publish' before I chicken out.Monika RocailleWriteshttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-29790783772539036012016-12-21T13:08:00.001-05:002016-12-21T13:08:43.711-05:00Merry Christmas! I'm taking a break.Merry Christmas to all of you who are celebrating! I hope your holiday season is filled with joy and wonder and you get to spend it with your loved ones. The three of us wish you all the best from the bottom of our hearts :)

Coincidentally, spending this special time with the family is the reason I've decided to take a little break from blogging. I have lots and lots of new amazing products I'd like to tell you about and other beauty-related thoughts to share, but I won't lie to you - I just can't do this right now. While I may have thought that 2 months would be enough to pull my shit together with baby Julian on board, that has simply proven not to be the case. Sleep deprivation has hit me pretty hard and I can barely muster enough presence of mind to make myself a cuppa most days (wait, did I put the kettle on? Oh, I did - an hour ago. Well then... Have I already put sugar in this tea? Oh, seems like I did - more than once...), much less be able to take precious time out of my day to pour words onto the page.

I'm definitely not complaining though - while some days are rather challenging, spending time with my little one is infinitely rewarding and I wouldn't have it any other way. I just need to focus on what's essential in my life right now, which is taking care of my family - and myself. I love this beauty blogging business to bits, but helping the boy grow and showing him this strange new world is my topmost priority at the moment.

I shall return in the New Year - not really sure when exactly, but that's just how it's going to be for a while now, taking one day at a time. I'm hoping to post little life updates and snippets on Instagram/ Twitter in the meantime if you're interested. Thank you, dear readers, for another beautiful year together, and I will see in you in 2017! How crazy is that, huh?Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-13341588903137501472016-12-15T09:31:00.000-05:002016-12-15T09:31:03.966-05:00Luminous Nude Cheeks: Surratt Artistique Blush in La Rosée du SoirTime for blogging is rather sparse these days, but I had to come on here to show you the newest member of my blush stash, the Surratt Artistique Blush in La Rosée du Soir ($32 for 0.14 oz/ 4g). After trying the Surratt pressed powder 'slurry' formula via his eyeshadow in Scintillante (reviewed here), I was really interested in trying a blush from the line, and I was finally enabled to do so by the Sephora VIB rewards card - even though I really do not need any more blushes in my life.

In the same manner as his eyeshadows, the Artistique blushes come in single resin pans which can be glued into a Surratt custom palette, available separately. For the time being, I'm too cheap to actually spring for that beautiful compact and just use the pans as is - luckily they're more substantial than a regular metal pan and also come with a sliding plastic lid to help protect the powder inside. The shade name is printed on the back label, which is also a sticker you'd use to secure the pans in the palette.

Well, since my window for blogging isn't very long at the moment, let me keep this post brief and just say that I really, really like the formula of this Surratt blush. It's just as pillowy soft as my Scintillante eyeshadow and applies like a beautiful glowy cloud of color to the cheeks. I feel like La Rosée du Soir certainly isn't the most pigmented blush formula out there, but that's my preference - I find opaque blushes very difficult to work with on my fair skintone.

The texture is creamy and blendable and looks natural on the skin; there's no trace of powderiness (is that a word? Don't think so...) once applied. The subtle luminous finish is also incredibly believable. I would compare it to one of my HG blush formulas, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes - it's the same amount of ethereal glow without obvious shimmer or, God forbid, glitter. However, I may even like the formula of the Surratt blush better, because it feels less dry than the Hourglass both on the skin and in the pan.

L-R: Surratt La Rosee du Soir, Hourglass Mood Exposure, NARS Douceur, KIKO Trio Blush in no. 1 Natural Rose

I know what you're going to say - La Rosée du Soir isn't a terribly unique shade. In fact, I have an almost exact dupe in my stash already. But the finish and tactile feel of the Surratt blush is unique enough for me to warrant keeping it, and this nudey rose color family is my favorite at the moment, so I don't mind having several to choose from. I've swatched it here against three other similar blushes to give you an idea of the shade if you're planning to order sight unseen. I've seen La Rosée du Soir described as a nude pink (Sephora says it's a rosy nude) but I would keep in mind that this shade pulls rather warm, especially on a fair skin tone. I would even say it looks a bit more like a nude muted peach on me; it's definitely warmer than NARS Douceur and less rosy than something like KIKO Shade Fusion Trio Blush in Natural Rose (here).

So while this purchase was definitely superfluous for my collection, I'm really pleased with Surratt La Rosée du Soir, and I would gladly buy more shades from the newly expanded range. It's also worth mentioning that yes, the brand's Cheek Brush (reviewed here) works exceptionally well for picking up and blending their blush formula. Have you tried any of the powder products from Surratt Beauty? What is your favorite everyday 'goes with everything' nude blush?Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-72490847535281551372016-12-11T14:43:00.000-05:002016-12-11T14:43:00.208-05:00Customized Lashes: Pacifica Beauty Dream Big Mascara* ReviewHave you ever tried one of those customizable mascara wands? You know - like those brushes that are actually two in one - a large one for volume, and a small one for definition - or a newer version, where you twist the top of the cap to change the length of the wand and the distance between the bristles. While I'd always been curious about this type of mascara, I've actually never pulled the trigger to try it, fearing it would be more of a gimmick than a useful feature. So I was quite skeptical yet interested when I was given a chance to test the new Pacifica Beauty Dream Big Lash Extending 7 in 1 Mascara in the shade Black Magic* ($16 for 0.25 oz).

Right of the bat, let's choose to ignore the '7 in 1' claim. Pacifica is basically trying to convey this mascara will change your make-up life: on top of volumizing, lengthening and lifting up your lashes, the Dream Big mascara contains a conditioning lash serum. There are two settings you can use for the wand - the 'Length' setting elongates the brush and moves the bristles more further apart, whereas the 'Volume' setting shortens the wand and makes the bristles more dense.

Left: Wand at the Volume setting, right: Length setting

I'll get right to the heart of this review: I quite like this Dream Big mascara, despite my initial wariness. HOWEVER. Frankly speaking, I don't see any difference in terms of look or performance on my lashes between the Length and Volume settings. In both cases, the result of applying two coats of this mascara is pretty much the same: nicely separated lashes with a bit of extra volume and length. If you like va-va-voom lashes, this is not a mascara for you. It definitely gives more of a natural daytime look, and if your lashes are already pretty good or you dislike to see product on your lashes, I'd say to give it a try. But if you're hoping for a more dramatic effect, I think the Dream Big would leave you disappointed.

Top: bare uncurled lashes, bottom: two coats of Pacifica Dream Big Mascara

The formula itself is perhaps a bit on the wetter side, and I tend to get a glob of product on the tip of the wand every time I open up the tube. But thanks to the rubber bristles, it doesn't clump up on the lashes too much unless I really rush my application. The mascara also wears well throughout the day; I don't get the dreadful smudging under my browbone but I've noticed it can sometimes flake a little bit, especially if I happen to touch my eye area by accident.

All in all, if you're looking for a natural - both in terms of effect and ingredients' list - mascara, the Dream Big from Pacifica is a great option. Like all Pacifica's products, it's also vegan and cruelty-free. Green beauty addicts, what is your favorite brand for mascara? From what I understand, mascara is a more difficult product to get right if you want something with clean ingredients, so I'd love to hear some recommendations from you!

Disclaimer: Product featured in this post is a press sample I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the product featured was purchased with my own money or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading!Monika RocailleWriteshttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-84546476453635895402016-12-05T13:49:00.001-05:002016-12-05T13:49:28.473-05:00What's In My Daily Make-up Bag: Mom of a Newborn EditionI can't believe my tiny baby bean is 2 months old already! It's really fascinating to watch how Julian changes right before our eyes - and while those fast changes can be quite challenging to adjust to, we're constantly being rewarded by his toothless smiles and new skills. But focusing all the attention on our very, very small gentleman often entails forgoing a lot of my own needs; so to practice a little bit of self-love and increase my well-being, I've been trying to put a little bit of make-up on most days, and I thought I'd share some current 'busy mom' favorites.

These are the products I've decided to pull out for the ultimate quick, easy and rather minimal make-up routine. I've opted to arrange them in the order of priorities; if I don't have time for anything else (Julian suddenly waking up from a nap or some other unexpected occurence), I only apply a fine layer of BB cream (Missha Perfect Cover BB, reviewed here) all over my face with my fingers and call it done. I've actually taken to storing my base product of choice in the bathroom cabinet (separately from the rest of my make-up, which I keep at my vanity in the bedroom) and I'll usually apply it right after my serum instead of a moisturizer; however, this may not work all that well in a few weeks when the weather turns a lot drier and colder.

If my timing is right though, I'm able to go for a few more steps; I keep all of those products in a little make-up bag (they call it a Multi Pouch) from a Korean brand Pour Vous. My next order of business is concealer; these days I mostly use it to conceal dark under eye circles and skip trying to spot conceal any little marks or blemishes, which thankfully have become quite rare. I'm doing my best to use up what's left of my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly; I feel like it's a lot drier now and I dislike how crepey it looks under the eyes. I'll then set my T-zone with a little bit of powder; I'm quite surprised actually by how much I like the bareMinerals Mineral Veil loose powder (just finished my deluxe sample, which is why it's not in the photo).

Next up are my brows: I reach for either my Holy Grail Shu Uemura Seal Brown pencil (reviewed here), or a new product in my stash, the Essence Make Me Brow in Browny Brows. It's basically a much, much less expensive version of the Benefit Gimme Brow, which I wasn't a great fan of (mentioned it here); however, maybe because I went for a darker shade this time, I don't hate the Essence gel, and it definitely has a leg up over the Shu brow pencil in terms of speed of application.

Then, if I'm running out of time or will to play with more steps, I'll just do a quick swipe of powder blush - I've gone back to my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette, which is still love - and then dab a bit of a lip product on. I've been wearing sheer lip glosses in nudey pink or mauve shades a lot more than lipsticks, maybe because I feel like they're a bit kinder on dry lips and don't make me look overly made up when paired with the rest of my barely there face. I have a couple favorites I've been rotating; in fact, I keep my lip glosses in a couple different locations (vanity table, purse, stroller, next to where I feed the little dude) so that I remember to apply or, if I'm lucky, even reapply throughout the day. Both Maybelline Color Elixir in Caramel Infused (reviewed here) and the Buxom Lip Cream in Dolly (here) are old stand bys, but I've also been happy with a new addition to my stash, the Aveda Nourish-mint Rehydrating Lip Shine in Chuparosa* (available here) from their F/W 2016 collection.

Some swatches; L-R: Benefit No Pressure, Pixi Deep Plum, Aveda Chuparosa, Maybelline Caramel Infused

For whatever reason, making up my eyes is the lowest on my priorities list (well I guess I know the reason - I'm too tired and lazy to spend extra time removing eye make-up at the end of the day...). If nothing else, I'll do either a little bit of mascara (currently switching between the L'Oreal Voluminous*, reviewed here, or Pacifica Dream Big*, here), or tightline with Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Deep Plum (here), or both. Now, if I'm really going for it, I'll even do a little something something on the eyelids, usually in the form of Benefit's Creaseless Cream shadow in No Pressure (reviewed here), and the same pencil eyeliner along the lashline. And then if by some miracle baby boy is still not up yet and I'm feeling super indulgent, I may even play with some powder eyeshadows. But in all honesty, that's not a part of my regular routine but rather a rare treat these days, so no point in telling you about it :)

There you have it; here's what I try to do to make myself feel more human between feeding, changing diapers and rocking little prince to sleep. Speaking of - I better wrap this post up, someone just woke up hangry :) What's the most important step in your basic make-up routine that you don't want to do without?

Disclaimer: Products marked with an asterix (*) are press samples I received from the brands' PR for review. I purchased all the other products myself. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading! Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-47104563695479817262016-11-28T15:56:00.001-05:002016-11-28T15:56:32.700-05:00Black & Gold: Clio Gelpresso Waterproof Liner in Golden Black no. 7Believe it or not, but for a while this year, I didn't have a single black eyeliner pencil in my stash. While I used to consider black an absolute essential, I actually don't find a huge difference on the eyes between black or any other darker eyeliner shade, be it navy, plum or deep green. However, when I found these Clio Gelpresso Waterproof Pencil Gel Liners ($15 for ) on a deep discount at a sample sale, I couldn't resist picking up the shade Golden Black no. 7, a creamy black shot through with black microglitters.

Clio's Gelpresso Liners are close to cult classic status for many K-beauty lovers, so I was curious to see how they compared to my favorite Pixi Endless Silky Eyeliner Pens (reviewed here) or even Urban Decay eyeliners. The first major difference is the packaging: Clio's pencils are retractable and come with a built-in sharpener at the end. In theory, I'd consider this to be an improvement (because uhm, LAZY), but in practice, I kinda miss that freshly sharpened tip to my pencil liner; yes, you can make the tip a bit finer by using the provided sharpener, but it's not as precise.

I believe there are multiple shades in this range, including neutral and bold shades, in both cream and shimmer/ microglitter finishes. The black base of the shade Golden Black isn't quite as deep and inky as my Marc Jacobs Highliner in Blacquer, especially when smudged or blended out, but I don't really mind that.

In terms of texture and wear, after about a month of use, I have to say this Gelpresso Liner hasn't surpassed the Pixi liners or Marc Jacobs Blacquer for me. For whatever reason, it's just not as smooth and creamy as the other two formulas; it drags and skips just a little bit on the lashline. On my upper lashline, it wears well throughout the day, but for tightlining, it transfers down and smudges at the outer corners within a couple hours (which the Pixi and MJ do as well, but at least feel softer to line with).

I've also tested how well the Gelpresso in Golden Black could withstand vigorous removal with a cotton square soaked in micellar water, and as you can see below, it faded A LOT more compared to the Marc Jacobs Blacquer. It also seems to wear off more when rubbed with a finger, so that's something to consider if you tend to rub your eyes accidentally throughout the day.

For me, while I do find the quality of the Clio Gelpresso in Golden Black to be quite decent, it's definitely not my favorite gel eyeliner pencil I've ever tried. If you like the convenience of a retractable pencil and you can find these on sale somewhere, I think they're a nice option, but I wouldn't go out of my way to seek them out in the future. I would also be interested to see whether the cream (no shimmer or glitter) finish pencils in this range perhaps feel a bit creamier and smoother; in my experience, pencils with microglitter tend to have a somewhat drier texture. Have you tried any of the Clio Gelpressos? What is your favorite black eyeliner pencil?Monika RocailleWriteshttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-69122557219878583532016-11-21T12:22:00.000-05:002016-11-21T12:22:15.125-05:00Aveda Fall 2016 Fōklôr Make-up Collection: Single Eye Colors* and Eye Definers* Review & SwatchesEven though I haven't been wearing a lot of eye make-up lately, I was instantly inspired by the eyeshadows in the Aveda's Fall/ Winter 2016 Foklor Make-up Collection to try some new color combinations on my eyes. The Fōklôr Collection was designed with two eye looks in mind: Sage Smoke, using the Petal Essence Single Eye Colors* in 981 Balsam and 980 Dusted Sage, and Risør Rose with Eye Colors in 982 Chia and 983 Rose Quartz ($15 for a single pan).

I've actually never tried any make-up products from Aveda or even heard much about them in the blogosphere, so I was even more interested to test out the contents of the PR package I was sent. First of all, I was plesantly surprised to see that Aveda's Single Eye Colors are available in pan form - I pretty much depot all of my singles into a free form palette anyway, so to me, single pans without a compact are the most convenient.

Let's start with the Risør Rose color scheme. Chia no. 982 is a very dark brown aubergine shade with a matte finish. In the pan, it looks more like a satin, but it applied matte both in my arm swatch and on the eyes. Out of the four eyeshadows I tested, I was the least impressed with the formula of Chia. The texture is quite stiff and dry and overall, I find this shadow poorly pigmented. I couldn't achieve any depth of color on the eyes even despite multiple layers, and I felt like what I did manage to apply faded significantly throughout the day (tested on top of Too Faced Shadow Insurance).

Rose Quartz no. 983 fared a bit better, although I would also classify it as a rather lightly pigmented shadow. It's a warm rose shade with gold and orange shimmer/ microglitter particles, which gives it somewhat of a rose gold feel on the eyes. Again, the texture wasn't very creamy and I had to press my brush quite hard into the pan to get enough powder on the bristles.

I had much better experience with the two eyeshadows from the Sage Smoke colorway. Balsam no. 981 is a cool-toned dark emerald green with a matte finish. In my heavy arm swatch (applied with a finger), this shadow looks very uneven and patchy, but I found that it applied quite well on the eyes, although again, it's not the darkest, most pigmented green out there. The formula is still quite dry but softer and easier to pick up from the pan.

I was possibly the most excited to try Dusted Sage no. 980. The name of this shadow is spot-on: it is indeed a muted, silvery light sage with a satin or a lightly pearlized finish. However, I was a bit underwhelmed with this eyeshadow's performance: again, it's very lightly pigmented and also quite hard and dry in the pan, which makes it difficult to build it up on the eyes. On my cool-toned skin, it also surprisingly turned a bit more warm than I expected; I couldn't see much of that silvery sheen.

I also received two shades of Petal Essence Eye Definers* ($17 each for 0.04 oz/1.14 g) included in the Fōklôr Collection: Gypsum Gold no. 981 and Slate Shimmer no. 980. Gypsum Gold is a warm gold (pearl/ metallic finish), while Slate Shimmer is a deep charcoal with silver shimmer. In terms of formula, Aveda's Eye Definers seem to be the more standard khol formula for an eye pencil; they're quite firm and don't glide on nearly as easily as the gel-like formulas (e.g. Urban Decay or Pixi) I usually go for. This formula also doesn't really set, although I didn't have issues with either Gypsum Gold or Slate Shimmer migrating throughout the day.

Again, I wish both of these eye pencils were a bit more pigmented; I had to go over my lines several times for the colors to show up properly. I used Gypsum Gold to brighten inner corners of my eyes in combination with the two shadows from the Risor Rose look; however, the overall effect was so sheer and subtle that it didn't even register properly on my camera. I had better luck with Slate Shimmer, which I used in my interpretation of the Sage Smoke look below; I applied a very fine line along my upper lashline and to tightline. I don't think you can really see the silver shimmer all that much but I used it very sparingly - it would show up if I drew a thicker line or blended it out with a brush.

I had a lot of fun playing with eye products included in Aveda's Fall/ Winter 2016 collection, but I have to say I wasn't overly impressed with their performance. I understand that not all eyeshadows have to be deeply pigmented and a lot of make-up wearers prefer sheerer washes of color, but even so I found the dry and hard texture quite difficult to work with. I also prefer the newer gel-like eyeliner pencils to the khol formula, although if you like khols, I think these are a nice option and I love the subtle silver sparkle in the Slate Shimmer shade.

In the photo above, I'm wearing Dusted Sage all over the mobile lid with Balsam in the outer corner; I blended out the crease with Velvet Revolver from Too Faced for a more seamless transition. Like I mentioned earlier, I applied the Eye Definer in Slate Shimmer in a fine line along my upper lashline. On the rest of my face, I'm wearing Clinique Cheek Pop in Heather Pop on the cheeks and Aveda's Nourish-mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze in Pink Lupine* on the lips together with NYX Lip Liner in Nude Suede Shoes. For the base, I used Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream set with bareMinerals Mineral Veil, and NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly under the eyes, and defined my brows with Shu Uemura Hard Pencil in Seal Brown.

What eyeshadow shades have been inspiring you lately? Are you all about the warm neutral trend, or do you wear bolder color accents?

Disclaimer: Products featured in this post are press samples I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the product featured was purchased with my own money or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading!
 Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-21003521708789821202016-11-18T11:14:00.000-05:002016-11-18T11:14:21.684-05:00Cheap Thrills: Essence Lipliner in Satin MauveWhen was the last time you bought a make-up product at the drugstore for less than $2? I feel like the days of finding awesome deals at the drugstore are coming to an end, and there's just a few brands left that offer truly inexpensive products that work well. Fortunately, one of these brands is Essence, and when I felt the itch to experiment with lining my lips again, I decided to take my two bucks and invest in their Lipliner in Satin Mauve ($1.99 for 0.035 oz, I bought mine at Ulta).

Just for the sake of comparison, at the same time I also ordered the NYX Slide On Lip Pencil, which costs $7.99. Eight dollars for a drugstore lip liner is getting up there, am I right? Anyway, back to the Essence Satin Mauve. This pencil looks like the most classic, old-school lip liner in the world - it has the standard wood casing (don't you just love the smell of these?) and it's definitely NOT one of the newer generation 'gel' pencil formulas; just your typical firm pencil that takes a bit more work to apply to the lips.

In terms of texture and pigmentation, it's not as good as the NYX Slide On, especially when you're swatching one next to the other on the back of your hand. The Essence Lip Liner is not as smooth or creamy and it doesn't just glide on the lips with the slightest pressure. HOWEVER. In terms of actual performance and feel on the lips, I really like it. While it may look a bit patchy in the heavy arm swatch, I find it applies evenly on the lips, and feels a lot thinner and more lightweight than the NYX; in fact, I can't even tell I have it on. The finish is completely matte so yes, it will exaggerate all your vertical lip lines, but I don't think it's uncomfortable or drying in itself. In terms of wear, I also feel like it transfers less and lasts better than the NYX.

L-R: Essence Lipliner in Satin Mauve, NYX Slide On in Nude Suede Shoes, Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Warm Me Up, BITE High Pigment Lip Pencil in Rhubarb

In terms of the shade, Satin Mauve is - finally! - a true mauve shade on my fair skintone with cool undertones. There's a lot of purple to this shade and it even pulls a little grey, which seems to be right in line with the current lip color trends. I was hoping it would be a bit lighter in depth but on me, it's more of a My Lips But Better (Darker) than a nude shade. When I use it to lightly line the lips, it works well even when paired with a lighter nude lipstick, as long as it's more of a cool undertone as well.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this extremely inexpensive find - I mean seriously, it was two bucks. It actually makes me wish I bought two of the Essence Lipliners instead of that $8 NYX one. I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a cheap lip liner to play with, and the shade Satin Mauve would be a great way to try out that 'purpley mauve with a hint of grey' lip trend without spending $20 for a liquid lipstick. What is your favorite inexpensive product at the drugstore - do you usually go for Wet n'Wild or something from Essence and/or Catrice?Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-77311930601315587452016-11-14T15:57:00.000-05:002016-11-14T15:57:00.346-05:00Neal's Yard Organic x Deliciously Ella: Rose, Lime & Cucumber Facial Wash* and Moisturizer* ReviewsRemember that White Tea Facial Spray from NYR Organic that I liked so much (here)? I'd never tried any other skincare from the brand but that my experience definitely piqued my interest, so when I was sent Neal's Yard's newest collaboration with Deliciously Ella, I was eager to give it a try. I'll be the first to admit here that I had no idea who Deliciously Ella was - turns out she's a UK plant-based food blogger, entrepreneur and healthy lifestyle advocate, and since her values align so much with what NYR is all about, it makes a lot of sense why they would come together for this project.

Two products suitable for all skin types were born out of this collaboration: the Rose, Lime & Cucumber Facial Wash* ($25 for 3.38 fl oz/ 100ml) and the Rose, Lime & Cucumber Facial Moisturizer* ($40 for 3.38 fl oz/100 ml). Both are packaged in beautiful limited edition boxes adorned with drawings of roses, cucumber and lime slices, while the product is housed in NYR's signature blue glass bottles with a pump mechanism. I was a bit surprised to see that both products are the same volume; I feel like most people would use more of the face wash than the moisturizer and brands usually cater to that, but I guess it doesn't really make a huge difference in the long run.

As you would expect, a big selling point for these Deliciously Ella face products is their refreshing rose, lime and cucumber scent. Unfortunately, I have to say that for me, the combination of these three notes isn't the most pleasant, and I've actually had a similar experience before with the Fresh Soy and Lotus ranges, which I believe are rose & cucumber scented. There's something about cucumber and rose together - maybe the leafy aspect of rose geranium essential oil, which both products contain - that makes me smell dill pickles, and it's a bit hard to ignore that connotation once it sinks in. My husband, who's roadtesting the Facial Wash with me, said the fragrance reminded him of weeds. Either way and regardless of the pickles, I do believe you're going to smell a very earthy, herbal type of rose cucumber scent and not a zesty and floral rose, so bear that in mind if fragrance is your priority.

Let's start with the Facial Wash, shall we? It's a clear foaming gel containing Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate and Coco-Glucoside as the main cleansing agents, but there are also some nice nourishing ingredients like glycerin, cucumber water and some plant oils like pumpkin, coconut and avocado. The brand claims this cleanser will remove dirt, daily grime and make-up, and that it is formulated with anti-oxidant blueberries and acai.

As you may know, I'm not a big fan of foaming face cleansers, and the Rose, Lime & Cucumber Facial Wash hasn't really changed my perspective. While I do find it quite gentle on the skin but effective at removing last traces of make-up (after using a separate remover first) or to cleanse the face first thing in the morning, I also find it makes my face feel just a little too tight and dry after use. I still prefer to reach for my milk or balm cleansers, but if you like a foaming wash, I think this works very well - there's a nice soft lather with very little product and it rinses off very easily. I would recommend it more for oily, combination and normal skin types as I think it may leave dry skin types feeling a bit parched after use.

I've had better luck though with NYR's Rose, Lime & Cucumber Facial Moisturizer. It's absolutely chock-full of lovely plant oils such as coconut, baobab, avocado, sunflower and pumpkin oils, as well as moisturizing cocoa butter and glycerin. Similarly to the Facial Wash, it also contains cucumber water and the anti-oxidant blueberry and acai oils. The brand describes it as a light and gentle moisturizer to leave your skin feeling soft, supple and glowing.

The texture of this Moisturizer isn't very thick - definitely more of a lotion than a cream. I find that it spreads easily on the face but I wouldn't call it lightweight; at least on my combination skin and in the humid summer weather, I can definitely still feel a thin layer of the moisturizer on my face once it's fully blended in. For that reason, I currently prefer to use it at night, but I can see myself switching it to daytime use once cooler weather sets in. I don't actually mind that slight 'product feel' on my face in the least; my skin doesn't feel heavy or sticky, just nicely moisturized and nourished, similar to the result I achieve from using facial oils. I've been trialling the Rose, Lime & Cucumber Moisturizer for about 4 weeks now and it's been keeping my face feeling soft, comfortable and yes, I would say quite glowy. I find it to be a straightforward, effective moisturizer and I would recommend it most to combination and normal skin types; may be too much for those who are truly oily but not rich enough for the dry-skinned.

All in all, while I'm not completely head over heels over these two Rose, Lime and Cucumber products from Neal's Yard, I think they're very decent products and I can see how they'd be great building blocks for someone looking for a simple but effective skincare routine. As a skincare fanatic, my routine is anything but simple, but there are times when I wish I could do it all with just cleansing and moisturizing my face (uhm, like maybe when taking care of a newborn? I'll get back to you on this ;).

Disclaimer: Products featured in this post are press samples I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the product featured was purchased with my own money or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading! Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-25052202746313836682016-11-09T11:08:00.000-05:002016-11-09T11:08:31.029-05:00Make-up Inventory: What Would Be My Ideal Lipstick Collection?When I first heard about counting all the make-up products in one's possession across different categories - in short, doing a make-up inventory - my first reaction was a major cringe. At the time, even with the mindset of wanting to only keep products I loved and was using, I just didn't see the point of inventories, other than a form of self-punishment for buying too much make-up that wasn't all going to be finished before expiring.

However, I've recently started looking at it a little bit differently. I still don't understand all that counting just for the sake of knowing the number (unless you're trying for a shock tactic to scare you off any more shopping) but I can see how listing and describing what you already own can give you a better understanding of your collection and hopefully help curate it according to your tastes and needs. This has led me straight to thinking about what I would like to see included in that ideal, well-rounded stash: which color families, undertones, finishes, product types. I've been doing a lot of panning and decluttering these past two years and my end goal would be to achieve that ideal edited stash tailored exactly to my personal preferences - my capsule collection. And since I'm a big lipstick junkie, why not start with the lip stash and talk you through my thought process?

I used to think it would be impossible to narrow down my lipstick collection to some arbitrary number. Last year, I owned two acrylic lipstick organizers for storing 24 lipsticks each. They were never full to capacity - hold your horses - but I do think I must have owned at least 40 lipsticks when my stash was at its largest. And that's counting only standard lipstick bullets; I also had a separate little drawer for my lipglosses, lip crayons and lip liners. Out of those I've had the most of those fat lip crayons/ pencils, and thankfully just a few (5 or so) of glosses and liners.

I reached a big milestone last year when I was able to get rid of one of those lipstick organizers. That was mostly due to doing several declutters rather than using things up, although I have mostly finished 4 lipsticks, 3 glosses and 1 crayon as well. Earlier this year, another big change I introduced to my make-up storage was emptying out my small lip drawer (shown in this vanity tour post) and consolidating all lip product storage is one space, using the remaining lipstick organizer for shorter, stubbier tubes of products and a longer box right next to it for longer tubes of lip gloss or pencils. It was the result of a lightbulb moment - I'm simply not into layering my lip products. I only ever wear a lipstick, or a gloss, or a lip crayon. And since I have multiple color choices across all three, how would I ever know if I had shade or functional dupes (products serving the same purpose) if they weren't all kept together? The separate storage was effectively causing me to reach for the glosses and crayons a lot less even though I had some lovely products in there that I wanted to wear more often. So this is what my current lip product storage looks like in my large vanity drawer, and I'm a lot happier with it.

I have started talking about functional dupes of products quite often in the past few months, and discussing my ideal lip product stash is the perfect place to elaborate on the concept. You know how the online blogosphere is obessed with finding cheaper drugstore dupes for high-end or limited edition products? Usually what is meant here is finding a product in a very similar or sometimes even identical shade - and while I don't wholeheartedly believe in duping because there are other factors than just shade to consider when making a purchase, I find the idea of a 'dupe' very helpful when trying to edit down one's stash. Because while colors, textures or finishes may be very different across all your different lip products, you would usually wear one or the other to suit a particular make-up look, a particular occasion, or a particular season. Obviously your individual decision process may be different, but I believe that's how most of us do it, and given these selection criteria, one could categorize their lipstick collection according to several factors: not just shade but even more importantly, function - or purpose. Do you wear only nudes and My Lips But Better (MLBB) shades to work or school? Do you wear corals or bright pinks only in the summer? Or maybe you like sheer finishes for daytime and fuller pigment lipsticks only for going out and/or weekends? Then there's your function for these product categories, and you can make your keep vs. get rid of choices for all of the lipsticks in that category, often regardless of the fact how similar or different the colors may look swatched on the back of your hand. I hope this theory makes some sense to you - but if it doesn't, here's how I applied these principles to my actual lip stash.

First, I took out all of my products and thought about which ones I wear the most and least often, which ones I like for specific seasons, and which ones I love to pull out for special events. I also reflected how my color preferences have changed somewhat throughout the years, and which of my products that used to wear constantly were not getting enough love in more recent times. I've actually kept these reflections in the back of my mind for a couple weeks, going back and re-evaluating, until I reached some conclusions about what I would realistically wear and want out of my existing collection. Some things I realized: I definitely prefer lipsticks or lip crayons over glosses, I like moisturizing lip products so matte finishes tend to be tricky, I currently like nudes and MLBBs for everyday because I tend to play up my eyes, and I'm not a big fan of classic red lipsticks.

I then looked at my stash, which is organized roughly according to color family, and thought about how many products I would be satisfied with per their respective function. For nudes and neutrals, which I wear often, I own 4 lipsticks - in different shades and formulas - and one lip gloss. I'm quite happy with that number, although I do think I don't need a nude gloss; pale shades in sheer formulas tend to wash me out too much, so once I use mine up (or simply decide to toss it), I won't be buying anything to replace it.

I reach for my MLBB shades even more frequently than the nudes, and I currently own 4 lipsticks, 2 lip crayons, 3 glosses (one unopened) and 2 lip liners in that category. I do think I have some overlap here in terms of similar enough shades and formulas, and would prefer to own a few less (maybe 3 lipsticks and 1 crayon? Just 2 lip glosses instead of 3?), but at the same time I'm not particularly motivated to get rid of anything at the moment. I'll try to rotate my wear of products in this category as much as I can within the next few months and at the end, re-evaluate again - maybe I'll finish some, maybe I'll pass some on to friends and family.

Now for my trouble area: brighter lip products in hot pink, fuschia, peach and coral shades. While I used to use them very frequently, I just haven't been inspired to wear them much this or last year. In the past, I would usually reach for them more in the summer months, and sometimes wear a bolder pink in the colder season. But right now, I've come to the conclusion that I don't need or want to have a lot of variety here, and having just a few would suit me perfectly.

However, this realization is clearly not reflected in the state of my stash: I currently own 3 full-size bright pink lipsticks, 2 unopened (and slightly more muted/ easier to wear) pink lipstick minis, 2 reddish corals and one bright coral lip gloss. I also own two completely oddball bold shades: 1 sheer purple lipstick and 1 matte bright orange lip crayon. Uhm... surely that's too many for my needs. But for whatever reason, I'm having a hard time getting rid of any of them: they're mostly all high-end and fantastic formulas, and what if my preferences change again and I go back to wearing them a few times a week? I kinda feel like I should get rid of at least one, and some days I'm close to putting it in the declutter box, while other days I try it on and I can't find anything wrong with it. But in the future, I will not be purchasing any more bright shades without reducing what I already own in a significant way.

Moving on to reds and darker vampy shades, while I don't wear them daily - because hello, high maintenance - I still absolutely love, love these shades and will pull them out whenever I get a chance, meaning weekend and evening wear, or sometimes casually in the fall and winter. I don't like classic reds on me all that much and I've pretty much decluttered all of them at this point, but I enjoy the two slightly darker red options I have left. In addition to these 2 reds (1 lipstick and 1 crayon), I own 2 vampy wine lipsticks, and 1 bright berry lip crayon. I don't feel like this is excessive in any way, and I'm happy with what I have; even though I realize these products will probably never get completely finished, they will all be worn and loved quite regularly anyway.

That's it - that's my full lip product inventory and my reflections on what I would like my collection to look like going forward. At the moment of writing, I own 18 lipsticks (including three minis), 5 lip crayons (including 4 minis), 5 lip glosses (1 mini) and 3 lip liners (I didn't know where to include my clear one). However, it's a very fluid number - I feel like most of this year, it's been changing every few weeks both due to decluttering a few items here and there and adding in new PR samples or free Gift With Purchase minis (so far I have decluttered the two lipsticks I purchased myself this year). Overall I strive not to inflate my stash even more, so if I decide to keep something new, something older in my stash will usually have to go into the giveaway box; you know, trying to keep some balance in here :)

I don't think I want to put an ideal inventory number to my lipstick collection at this point, but I do know that I don't want to have any more lip products in my stash at any given time than what I already have, and if possible, I would like to reduce even further - especially when it comes to my MLBBs and brights. (Okay, so I've now gone and put that one sheer fuschia pink I was debating over in the giveaway pile, and swatched two of the unopened minis against my other shades. One of them turned out to be a rose pink MLBB very similar to what I already have, so it's also going. Are you proud of me? So I guess now I own 'only' 16 lipsticks ;). I don't really see any gaps in my stash either, but I would like to try a liquid lipstick in a cooler mauve MLBB shade this year, so that's something I've put on my wishlist for the Sephora November VIB sale. I'm also very nearly out of my clear lip liner and have recently tossed two old lip pencils in a red and a wine shade, and I would like to own one transparent lip liner in my collection for bolder shades of lipstick - so that's going on the list as well.

There you have it; I hope looking at what I own and my thought process with regards to my ideal lipstick stash was somewhat helpful and maybe inspired you to look through your own collection as well. I have not mentioned actual product brands and names here because I wanted this post to be more of a general reflection than a 'look what I have', but if you're interested in the specific products I currently own, let me know and I'll show you everything. What are your feelings on doing make-up inventories and working towards achieving goal numbers for certain products? Is this something that you're already doing to maintain a curated stash or do you think it's completely unnecessary? How would you go about creating your ideal lipstick collection?Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-5881715552385341142016-11-04T12:04:00.000-04:002016-11-04T12:04:43.995-04:00Cult Classics: L'Oreal Voluminous Original Mascara in Blackest Black*Bad beauty blogger strikes again: would you believe I'd never tried the cult L'Oreal Voluminous Original Volume Building Mascara* ($5.50 - 8.50 for 0.28 oz) before? My first lash love from L'Oreal was the Telescopic, but when I repurchased it more recently, it turned out to be a bit of a fail (review here). After that, I wasn't too tempted to try another L'Oreal mascara, even though the brand releases at least a few new iterations every year. However, I was recently sent the original Voluminous and since it's a HG product for a lot beauty bloggers and gurus out there, I was very curious to give it a try.

In general, I increasingly believe that mascaras are a rather personal thing - what one person expects in terms of result may be the worst nightmare for the next. My lashes aren't in their best condition currently: they're fine, they're not very dark, they're not as long and full as they used to be, so I feel like I need help across all departments. Mascara also has a tendency to transfer onto my browbone easily, so that's another thing I like to watch out for. When it comes to my preferred mascara look, I like long, full but soft and well defined lashes - anything that fails to separate is usually a no-go, regardless of how voluminous it may look.

The Original Voluminous (I have the shade Blackest Black) comes in a very simple dark grey tube with a gold cap. The brush also looks like the most old school, standard, run of the mill wire bristles at the first glance; but when I first pulled the wand out of the tube, I was surprised how fluffy it looked. I tried hard to show that in the photo by angling the wand - hopefully you can see that this brush has lots and lots of rather short bristles. I've had mascaras with this general type of wand before, but the bristles were usually spaced farther apart and/or longer. The tip on the Voluminous tapers down a bit and usually gets rather clumped up with product when you pull the wand out, so I always clean it off on the neck of the tube and only use it to add drama to the outer corners of my eyes.

My expectation for the Voluminous was that this would be an 'extreme drama' type of mascara - meaning that it would absolutely load the lashes with mascara at the barest swipe of the wand, and that it probably wouldn't separate them. Well, I was wrong - it's nothing like that. The stopper very effectively cleans the brush off the excess mascara (with the exception of the very tip) and that combined with dense rows of shorter bristles allows you to control the end result very well.

I hope that you can see this from my slightly creepy eye close-ups, but one coat of L'Oreal Voluminous gives very natural, soft, pretty lashes. It gives plenty of fullness at the roots while at the same time, leaves pretty much no clumps at the ends, meaning that it doesn't really look like you're wearing mascara at all. Every single lash is defined, volumized and lengthened, and the wand fans them out nicely (I haven't used a lash curler for these photos).

At two coats, my lashes start to look a bit more dramatic, but still not overloaded with product or over the top for daytime - two coats is actually my perfect balance. The lashes are even thicker but still not clumpy, and there's a little bit more length there as well. Now when it comes to wear time of this mascara, so far I haven't noticed any issues - I do see however that it can take a few minutes for the Voluminous to dry completely on my lashes, so looking up right after application or trying to mess with your eye make-up is not the greatest idea. But once it dries, it stays on well the entire day without smudging, transfering or crumbling under the eyes. My lashes also remain quite flexible and soft to the touch - not dry and crunchy like with some other formulas - and the mascara is quite easy to remove at the end of the day, it just melts off nicely with an oil-based make-up remover.

I don't think there's anything else I can say about L'Oreal Voluminous Original - I really love it. I haven't liked a mascara as much as this one in a really long time, and now I want to go around yelling 'Why did nobody tell me sooner?!', except they all did, didn't they ;) I can see myself repurchasing this formula over and over again in the future when I just want something that works really, really well for my lashes. Have you ever tried the Original Voluminous? What is your Holy Grail mascara at the drugstore?

Disclaimer: Product marked with an asterix (*) is a sample I received for free from BzzAgent for testing purposes. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading! Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-10192351445912690482016-10-31T17:22:00.000-04:002016-10-31T17:22:20.158-04:00Multi-Benefit Korean Beauty: 24/7 Touch Up Skin-Perfecting Cream* ReviewHow often does it happen to you guys that you see a beauty product and have no idea about its purpose or function? As a seasoned beauty fanatic, I pride myself on being well-versed in the world of make-up and skincare, yet Korean beauty products sometimes still baffle me - like this 24/7 Touch Up Skin-Perfecting Cream* ($22 for 0.61 fl oz/ 18ml, available here) I received to try from the US-based K-beauty retailer Peach & Lily.

If you've never heard about Peach and Lily, they carry a curated selection of mostly Korean skincare from popular brands such as Mizon or May Coop, but they also specialize in bringing new and exciting K-beauty launches to the US. I have previously never heard about the brand 24/7 so it was interesting to read that they focus on releasing make-up products with skincare benefits. When I first opened the box of the Touch Up Skin-Perfecting Cream, I thought it was a concealer; but it's actually a subtle shimmer cream that can be applied as a highlighter on the cheeks, dewy make-up primer or used throughout the day to bring more glow to the face. The Touch Up Cream contains castor oil, glycerin and adenosine to provide anti-ageing benefits for your skin.

The Cream is packaged in a simple squeeze tube with a small opening at the nozzle, which is great because you certainly don't need a lot of product to achieve a glowy result; I also find that the amount of product you get in a tube is great value for money. Now, the first thing I noticed about this product is the scent: unfortunately, it smells very strongly of something akin to baby powder, and at least on me, the fragrance really lingers on the skin after application. A lot of Korean products have these strong fragrances, so I guess it was to be expected, but I could certainly use without it in this product or at least I wish it was not as tenacious.

The texture of this highlighting cream also took me by surprise. It is quite thick, and very, very rich and creamy. I'm not sure why Peach & Lily descibe it as lightweight on their website, because to me, it's the exact opposite: it's viscous and dare I say, quite oily on the skin. Even when applied in the tiniest amount possible on top of my cheekbones, it leaves behind a glow that's due more to its glossy finish and not any visible sparkle or shimmer in the product. It does contain a very subtle, refined pearly sheen, but honestly what I notice more is the wet effect of the product sitting on top of the skin. Throughout the day, it doesn't set and remains tacky on the face, and unfortunately gathers a bit in my fine lines - I've also tested it as a brightener layered under concealer on my under eye area, and it caused creasing there as well. Mind you, the skin on my cheeks is normal, and I would say my under eyes are a bit dry and dehydrated... so I'm not sure how dry your skin would have to be for this product to absorb more into the skin. Needless to say, I have not tested it on my entire face as a primer - that would just be a catastrophe waiting to happen.

I speculate that my somewhat negative feelings towards the formulation of this 24/7 Skin-Perfecting Cream may stem from cultural differences between the West and the East. Yes, I like to highlight my face in strategic areas, and yes, I sometimes like my base to look extra glowy - but I absolutely prefer something that sets on the skin and doesn't move throughout the day. Who knows, maybe in Korea they like their mul-gwang so much they don't mind a wet gloss to their cheeks - or maybe it would work better if your skin were in need of some serious boost of moisture. For me, I guess I'll stick to my powders and thinner textured highlighting sticks. Do you prefer to enhance your glow with liquids and creams or powder highlighters? Would you wear a 'wet' highlighter on your cheeks?

Disclaimer: Product featured in this post is a press sample I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the product featured was purchased with my own money or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading!
Monika RocailleWriteshttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-36805395273770422752016-10-28T13:10:00.000-04:002016-10-28T13:10:17.345-04:00Fall Eyeshadow Update: NYX Hot Singles in Heat and Nude Matte in Dance The TidesWhile I may have sworn off buying eyeshadow palettes ever again (here), it doesn't mean I haven't been eyeing any new eyeshadow singles to add to my collection. That's right - even me, a sworn cool undertone lover, have been bitten by the warm eyeshadow bug. And because I've traditionally always gravitated towards silvery taupes and cool browns, I couldn't actually shop my stash to find exactly the shades I had in mind. One sneaky order from Ulta later and I'm a happy owner of two new eyeshadows from NYX: the Hot Singles Shadow in Heat ($4.49 for 0.06 oz) and the Nude Matte Shadow in Dance The Tides ($4.99 for 0.05 oz).

I've only ever owned one other eyeshadow from NYX and that was eons ago when they still came in square packaging (anyone else used White Pearl for a face highlighter before highlighting was such a huge trend?). I actually quite like the updated versions - my plan is to depot these two babies and pop them in my old MAC palette. Interestingly, the Hot Singles have the cute bow detail on the lid, but not the Nude Mattes.

I'm not entirely sure, but I believe all the shades in the Hot Singles range have varying amounts of shimmer - from satins through pearl to even more metallic shades (although not as reflective as the brand's Prismatic Eyeshadows, which give a foiled effect). All of the Nude Mattes are obviously matte finish, but unfortunately the range is limited to very neutral shades of ivory, beige, brown etc. - I really wish the color selection was wider there because I'm currently on the lookout for a killer matte plum shade.

Starting with Heat, the shade I had in mind when I placed that order was a shimmery red berry shade. And in the pan, Heat looks very red, with a slightly more pink berry shimmer shift - this is actually not a very sparkly shade, I would say applied to the eyes the finish is somewhat more satin. The texture of this shadow is quite firmly pressed in the pan but easy enough to pick up on the brush with little to none powder kick-up. I'd say the pigmentation is medium - I definitely own shadows that are a lot more pigmented than this - but it's smooth, easy to blend out or layer for more opacity. I mean, for under $5 at the drugstore, I'm actually rather impressed.

I do wish though that this shade appeared more berry pink on my fair cool skintone; as you can hopefully see in my arm swatch, unfortunately Heat pulls more of a rusty red shade on me. It's obviously darker and a lot more red than my copper shade from Wet n'Wild or a rosy brown Push Up from Too Faced, but it's certainly not a berry. Le sigh.

L-R: NYX Hot Singles in Heat, Wet n'Wild Eyelid shade from Dancing In the Clouds trio, Too Faced Push Up

As for the Nude Matte Shadow in Dance The Tides, I was looking for a very warm chestnut/ cognac brown I could use to slightly deepen the outer corners of my eyes but also in the crease paired with other warm shimmery shades on the lid. I was a little concerned Dance The Tides would end up being a dupe for something I already owned in my stash, but luckily it isn't - it's definitely the most orangey brown I own, and from looking at swatches of the NYX Nude Matte range online, it's the warmest brown in the brand's line-up.

As you can see, on my cool skin it pulls rather orange - even compared to my other two warm matte browns, the Balm's Sultry (depotted from the Nude'Tude palette) and Inglot no. 337. Sultry is more of a yellow camel brown, Inglot 337 is more peachy - both are also lighter in depth. The formula of NYX Dance The Tides is also quite impressive: smooth, creamy, pigmented and blendable, although there is quite a bit of powder kick-up when you press your brush into the pan - although not as much as with my Inglot matte shades. I find it easy to work with and it doesn't fade or get patchy throughout the day (tested on top of eyeshadow primer, as always).

L-R: NYX Nude Matte Shadow in Dance The Tides, theBalm Sultry, Inglot Matte no. 337

Here's a simple look with Heat in the outer corner and Dance The Tides in the crease; I used a metallic copper and gold on the lid from my Makeup Revolution I Heart Chocolate palette. There appears to be a blank spot on one of my eyelids but I think that may have been my fault when I was fixing a mascara smudge with a q-tip. My blush is KIKO Shade Fusion Trio in Natural Rose (here) while the lips are the recently reviewed Ilia Beauty Lipstick in Madam Mina.

I would definitely look into purchasing more shades from the NYX eyeshadow singles range in the future; unfortunately I don't have an Ulta close to where I live and ordering online is always a bit of a gamble. What is your go-to brand for eyeshadow singles? I've been very faithful to Inglot in the past but again, I always prefer to swatch in person before purchasing and getting to a counter is currently a bit tricky...Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-17493312317125590012016-10-24T12:08:00.000-04:002016-10-24T12:08:08.367-04:00Here's Why I Won't Be Panning Make-up AnymoreRight now, for the first time in over 2.5 years, I'm not actively trying to use up any make-up. In 2014 and 2015, I participated in two year-long Projects Make A Dent, and then since July 2015, I did three back-to-back Project Pans, completely finishing or at least getting very good use out of some older products in my stash. My initial plan for 2016 was to do three 4-month seasonal Projects 10 Pan, and I managed to complete two - but as you know, with the arrival of our baby, I decided against doing that third Project, reasoning that I wouldn't have much time or mental energy to wear any make-up.

And you know what, I'm really, REALLY glad that I don't have any panning challenges going on anymore. Even if it wasn't for my imminent new mama lifestyle, I think I would have probably copped out of that final Project Pan for 2016 anyway. I've been thinking a lot about this for the past two months of desperately trying to finish as much as I could from my last Project Pan, and I came to the conclusion that at this stage, I really need to take a step back and reevaluate my reasons for doing these challenges in the first place, and whether they still apply to what I want to gain out of my make-up collection and make-up hobby in general.

If I'm being completely honest with myself, my main reason for panning make-up is to use up as much as I can from older and/or unloved products, and thus be able to remove them from my collection without feeling the guilt of 'good products going to waste'. That's it. Yeah yeah, I could also say that I love rediscovering old favorites, or experimenting with combining, layering and repurposing my products, but at the end of the day - no, I just want to get them out of my stash. Not because they're bad products; I've thankfully learnt my lesson and never include product hates in my Projects anymore - but for some reason or another, I know they're nearing their time and I just want to give them that last chance. Or, uhm, more like multiple months of daily wear number of chances. They may be old favorites I've abandoned at some point and no longer remember why; they may be products I've worn only a handful of times and don't know very well; they may be products I already have functional dupes/ back-ups of already in my stash. Either way, I just know I don't really need them anymore, and want them gone.

So if I want them gone so bad, why wouldn't I just declutter them, or in case or really old products, pitch them straight in the trash? Well, uhm, because like I said above - I mostly like, or at least used to like these products, and getting rid of them straight away triggers a lot of guilty feelings. And then it does happen on occasion that I just didn't know the product very well, and including it in a Project Pan makes me realize how much I actually enjoy it. But I don't think guilt trips are such fantastic motivation to make yourself use a certain product for months at a time. And in my two and a half years of panning, I've realized there's a lot of downsides to my method.

Unfortunately, I believe most project panners fall into the phenomenon of absolutely hating at least some of their chosen products at some point in their Project Pans. Obviously sometimes, a product just turns out to be a complete dud, but even in the case of the good ones, forcing yourself to use them day in and day out can quickly turn a favorite into 'I just can't look at you anymore'. You may have included your Holy Grail red lipstick in your challenge, but do you really now want to wear it a couple times a week? What if it turns out you're not into red lips at the moment? This is something I've privately dubbed 'abusing your make-up products'. You'd rather wear a My Lips But Better shade, but you've made the committment, so you reach for the red anyway. What used to be a cherished shade for special occasions becomes a high maintenance make-up statement you're dreading to wear on a casual Tuesday.

What I'm trying to point out is that whatever product selection you pull out for a given Project, those products become the driving force of your make-up style and application for the duration of the Project. Here are examples of some conundrums I've personally come across during my challenges: I like contour and bronzer SOMETIMES for certain looks, but I absolutely don't want to wear them every day with everything. I really like shimmery cream eyeshadows, but no, I don't want to wear shimmer on my eyes every day for months. I enjoy wearing a bold lip, but I'd rather decide spontaneously when and which shade exactly as opposed to making myself wear a deep berry at least twice a week. When I make myself wear these products as if on a schedule, I lose the joy of wearing precisely what I want at the time. That makes me feel frustrated, and unhappy with my make-up, or even itching to buy more products for my collection just to feel inspired again - even though I may already have things in my stash I could use to achieve my desired look.

Some of you may say that what I'm describing here can be easily avoided if I just allowed myself to rotate my chosen products with other things in my stash when I feel like switching my looks. However, based on my individual experience, I can't do that at all if I'm hoping to finish my Project Pan products in a reasonable amount of time. And by reasonable, I don't mean a short amount of time at all - in fact, I'm absolutely incapable of using up anything within a couple months. Examples of my personal panning 'times': 3-4 months for a creamy pencil eyeliner. 4 months for a lipstick or lip gloss when rotated with two other lip products. At least 12 months for a pressed face powder and foundation. Closer to 2 years - or more - for a concealer. Probably about 2 years for a bronzer or a blush, used exclusively. Don't even want to think how long for an eyeshadow palette - here's my progress on the small-ish Nude'Tude, used for 8 months straight. See what I mean? If I was also wearing other make-up while trying to finish items from my Project Pans, I would probably need to spend over a year doing just one little challenge.

And ultimately, what for? Just to proudly display my empty make-up containers for all the Internet to see? To feel a little less guilty about having a crap ton of stuff in my collection that will never be used up completely? What am I trying to prove to myself? Maybe the time has come for me to finally accept that most of my make-up will expire before I'm able to finish it. Is that such a bad thing? Is it so terribly wasteful to pass on, or toss an eyeshadow before I scrape the last bits out the pan? Can't I just enjoy it for as long as I want and then simply move on?

I've realized that I don't want to force myself to use anything in my stash at the expense of completely abandoning other perfectly good products that I'm naturally more inclined to wear at the time. While in theory, it makes sense to get good use of older or less used products first instead of constantly reaching for the same selection of current favorites, in practice you're just making yourself miserable by preventing yourself from using what you're inspired by at the time. Make-up should be fun, right? Then why go to all these lengths to make it seem like a chore?

Now, I feel the need to point out the obvious and say that this is just MY (current) experience. I do feel a great sense of achievement in finishing make-up products and I think it's a lot of fun to share my make-up empties here on the blog or on Instagram. However, that fleeting satisfaction from seeing a large amount of pan in my powder doesn't outweight the fact that I'd probably much rather be using something else and just remove the damn thing from my sight. Your experience may be different though; make-up is extremely personal and I can see a whole number of reasons why panning may work much better for other people. So you do you - I'm just trying to explain why it no longer works for me. You know, all in the spirit of friendly discussion :)

This is also not to say I'll never finish another make-up product in my life - I AM hoping to use up things in my collection, but I'd just much rather not put any deadline on myself to do so. I'd rather it happen organically and spontaneously, just by me wearing what I feel like at any given time. I now want to get to know every single product in my stash, not just a select handful. I'm hoping that by having a better grasp on everything I own, I will not only become more creative and satisfied with my looks, but maybe also be able to further downsize my make-up stash (uhm, we'll see about that). In terms of an actual 'game plan', I'm planning to utilize the 'make-up basket' system from now on - basically rotate my products every couple weeks or so to make full use of my stash. I don't want to be super strict about it though - if I feel like using something else and have the exact picture in my mind of the product/look I'm aiming for, I'll just reach for that instead. If after a couple months, I notice there are certain products I'm actively avoiding in the rotation, then that's a good indicator that they should hit the road. We shall see how that works out - let me know if you sometimes want to see my make-up baskets in the form of a blog post!

How do you feel about Project Pans and using up make-up in general? Is this a system that works great for you or you can't even imagine making yourself reach for a specific dozen of products for a few months? I'd love to hear your thoughts!Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-78419398596393560352016-10-20T09:14:00.000-04:002016-10-20T09:14:12.356-04:00Revisited Step: NYX Slide On Lip Liner in Nude Suede ShoesRemember when I said lip liners were entirely superfluous products in my make-up bag? Yeah, that was 2.5 years ago now, and nearly all of the lip liners shown in that post have since been decluttered. Until a few weeks ago, my lip liner stash consisted of a red and a universal transparent liner, and I found myself hankering after something else - a neutral nude shade to define the contours of my lips for a more perfected everyday look.

What I've been noticing more lately about my lips is that my natural lip line is not very well defined; the pigment of my lips gets sort of fainter and uneven towards the contours of my lips, and on top of that, I have freckles exactly on my lip line (especially top lip) which make it look even more messy. I don't mind it most of the time, especially when I'm wearing a sheer lip (either a gloss or tinted balm) - but when I opt for a more pigmented lipstick in a shade deeper than a very pale nude, the haziness of my lip line becomes very obvious and the overall look is sort of unfinished. I sometimes use concealer around my lips to help with that, but I thought lip liner could be a quicker option with the benefit of prolonging the wear on my lip products and preventing them from bleeding outside my lips.

To cut my long story short, I decided to pull the trigger on NYX Slide On Glide On Waterproof Lip Liner in Nude Suede Shoes ($7.99 for 0.04 oz) after hearing it recommended numerous times by Emily Noel on YouTube. I liked my NYX Slide On eyeliner pencils in the past (reviewed here - those two dried out though and had to be thrown out!), so I thought this product was worth trying out, even though the price is quite up there compared to other drugstore lip liner options.

The NYX Slide On Lip Liner is a simple non retractable pencil that easily sharpens with my Urban Decay Grindhouse. The formula is similar to that of the eye Slide-ons, meaning gel-like, very soft, creamy, smooth and highly pigmented. It's one of those newer generation lip pencils that glide on the lips without tugging, and are easy to blend out before they set. The finish is completely matte, no shimmer whatsoever, and I can't detect any scent to the product. On my lips, it doesn't feel too too drying, but I'd also say it's not entirely budge-proof: it will partially come off on cups or during a meal, but it certainly enhances the wear time of more emollient or glossy products layered over the top.

L-R: NYX Nude Suede Shoes, Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Warm Me Up, Ilia Beauty Lipstick in The Brides, Bite High Pigment Lip Pencil in Sable

Now, is the shade Nude Suede Shoes my perfect natural nude? Uhm, not really - but it's still a lot better than other 'nude' lip liners I've had in the past. On me, it pulls a beigy brown shade that sits somewhere between darker nude and a My Lips But Better in terms of depth. I believe that on people with warmer (and deeper) skintones, it would be that ideal muted pink nude for everyday. As you may be able to tell, with my coloring, NYX Nude Suede Shoes is more of that trendy Kylie Jenner lip - I don't necessarily hate it but it's slightly out of my comfort zone. Compared to my favorite darker nude lipsticks, Nude Suede Shoes is definitely warmer and more brown.

NYX Slide On Lip Liner in Nude Suede Shoes worn all over bare lips on NW15 skintone.

That doesn't disqualify it though as a layering option. Sure, it doesn't pair well with very cool/ mauve nudes and MLBBs in my stash, but it does work with the two lipsticks from the right side of my swatch (ILIA The Brides - sneaky peaky of their Fall 2016 release - and a now completely used up Bite Sable High Pigment Lip Pencil), and a lot of my sheer nude options, especially when used with a lighter hand and softly blended in. It's also a lip liner you could absolutely wear on its own, but as you may be able to see in the mug shot, currently my poor dry lips can't take that matte finish without something creamier/ more emollient layered over the top.

I've also realized why I really have such a love/ hate relationship with lip liners. When I give myself a more defined and filled in lip contour (I'm not talking about over lining here! Just evening out my natural lip line), my lips instantly look A LOT bigger. And I'm not used to seeing myself with such full lips - even without lining they're kinda on the big side, and with the liner, I feel like my face is dominated by those fat pouty lips. I'm guessing you guys are probably rolling your eyes at me right now, but for whatever reason, I haven't been able to fully embrace that look on me (also, some people have commented my lips have gotten even bigger/ more swollen in pregnancy). I don't know though - maybe it's time to just go with it and experiment with playing up my lips instead of the eyes? We shall see.

Back to the NYX Nude Suede Shoes, I think it's a really good drugstore lip liner and I would safely recommend it - just be aware that if your coloring is similar to mine, it's not going to be a real nude on you. I actually picked up another drugstore lip liner in the same order that's a lot more of a cool mauve shade, so I shall experiment (and review) that one next. Do you guys wear lip liners? Is it an indispensible part of your make-up routine or something you only pull out for special occasions?Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-65217192503969980342016-10-17T10:17:00.000-04:002016-10-17T10:17:01.459-04:00Welcome to the World, Little Julian Edgar!If you follow me on Instagram, you may already know that on Monday October 3rd, I had my precious baby boy, Julian Edgar. He was born strong and healthy at 5.55pm and has been nothing but a joy to his whole extended family ever since.

Less than 24 hours old in this photo; he's turning 2 weeks old today!

I'm not planning to share a detailed labor and delivery story - I just think it's quite private and maybe not all of you would appreciate the extra information - but let me just say that I was forunate to have a normal, relatively stress-free birth, although it turned out to be a bit of a slow going; I started having contractions at about 1am so about 16-17 hours altogether. I did opt to have an epidural and I absolutely do not regret it as I believe it helped me keep my strength til the very end. At 2 weeks post-partum, I'm feeling quite well though the recovery process is not without its challenges; but I'm learning to accept my limitations and to be grateful to my body for bringing us our beautiful son without complications.

We're also incredibly blessed to have a very chill baby. Our son eats voraciously and sleeps like a champ (okay, not going to lie - he pees and poops a lot too ;), and so far - knock on wood - we're adapting to life with a newborn without any major issues. That being said, things are going to be a lot slower now on the blogging and social media fronts, as I'm sure you all understand. Prior to Julian's arrival, I have scheduled lots of posts for you to enjoy before I'm back to full - or maybe just half, let's not get too ambitious - speed.

Thank you for all the congrats and well wishes, I really appreciate you sending good vibes our way. Hugs to all of you from our new family of three!Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-31354077129691529892016-10-14T09:18:00.000-04:002016-10-14T09:18:04.648-04:00Glotion Trend: Tatcha Pore Perfecting Water Gel* ReviewIt comes as no surprise to say that I'm a fan of Tatcha skincare ever since I tried two of the original products from the range, the One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil and the Rice Enzyme Powder (here), which I still use in my skincare routine today. So I'm always looking forward to trying out their new releases, and I was especially excited to trial the Tatcha Balanced Pore Perfecting Water Gel Moisturizer* ($68 for 50ml/ 1.7 fl oz, available at tatcha.com and Sephora). My skintype is combination pretty much all year round, but in the summer it tends to get especially oily, so this moisturizing gel seemed like a match made in heaven for my skin.

The Pore Perfecting Water Gel quickly became 'the' skincare product of summer 2016. Wherever I turned, I heard nothing but raves - it was part of Sephora's 'Glotion' campaign, and every self-respecting beauty guru had it and touted it as a firm favorite. It seems to me that within a few months, it already became a cult classic everyone needed in their routine. I received mine a little later - in mid July - and have since been testing it as an integral part of my morning skincare routine.

On that note: I realize it is now October and beauty stories have already turned to nourishing products for the colder season. Yes, it would have been more fitting of me to put up this review in July or August when there was potentially more interest in a lightweight summer moisturizer. However, this is not how I work. I just don't think it's fair to you guys to write a full review of a product - especially when it's skincare, and expensive skincare at that - after just a few weeks of testing. When I trial a new product, I do need to use it consistently for at least a couple months to firmly establish what I think of it and rule out any hasty conclusions. In the case of the Tatcha Water Gel Moisturizer, I have tried it on bare skin, with different toners and serums underneath, and layered with several sunscreens, make-up primers and foundations over the top to fully evaluate its performance. I know there's a constant pressure in the beauty community to be the first to feature a newly released product and I do feel it too - but what's the point if I can't give you my honest and balanced opinion? My personal priority will always be to provide a thorough and detailed review instead of staying abreast of every trend. I hope you understand :)

Okay, rant over - let's get back to the point. Tatcha's Pore Perfecting Water Gel claims to offer 'ultralight, oil-balancing hydration', and 'features Japanese Wild Rose, Leopard Lily and Dokudami extracts to balance and clarify skin, while visibly tightening pores in 28 days'. There's also a fine 23 karat gold dust suspended in the formula, which aims to impart a shine-free glow to the skin. The ingredients list includes lots of lovely botanical extracts (green tea, rice, chamomile, licorice, silk, algae) as well as glycerin, propanediol and squalane from olive oil. The product comes in a sleek pistachio green glass bottle with a hygenic pump dispenser, and the gel itself has a definite herbal scent (maybe the closest to chamomile tea?) that dissipates quickly once on the skin - there's no artifical fragrance in this. One pump is sufficient for my whole face.

The Water Gel is especially recommended for normal, combination to oily skin types or to be used as a primer prior to make-up application. Unfortunately, after testing it in every way I could think of, I have to conclude it just doesn't work for my combination skin. Yes, the texture is a liquidy gel and it seems like it should absorb quickly into the skin - but for me, it just never fully sinks in, no matter how long I wait. Every time I tested it, the Water Gel left an unpleasant sticky residue on my face. It definitely hydrates my skin, but I just can't get over the feel of it on my face, and if I attempt to use it in combination with another hydrating serum underneath or even my regular sunscreen over the top, the end result is way too tacky, heavy and shiny. I also haven't noticed any improvement in the appearance of my pores; if anything, the shiny finish accentuates them under my make-up (there's no glitter or sparkle though so rest assured - I can't see any shimmer particles once I apply it to my face, it's just the actual shiny finish of the gel itself). It also doesn't prolong the wear of my make-up at all - on the contrary, I can see my foundation breaking down on the T-zone faster than with other moisturizers. In comparison, the Tatcha Overnight Memory Serum Concentrate (reviewed here), aimed for evening use and dry & dehydrated skin types, feels less sticky and more comfortable on my skin than the Pore Perfecting Water Gel. Yes, it doesn't really make sense - but such is my personal experience with this product.

I am not saying that the Pore Perfecting Water Gel is a bad moisturizer and you shouldn't give it a try - I'm saying it simply doesn't work for me. Skincare can be weird like that; maybe one of the key ingredients in this product just doesn't mesh well with my skin. But since I haven't really seen any negative - or uhm, even lukewarm - reviews of the Water Gel in the blogosphere, I wanted to add my thoughts into the mix. Have you already tried the Pore Perfecting Water Gel? Have you ever purchased a hyped-up product that just didn't work for your skin?

Disclaimer: Product featured in this post is a press sample I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the product featured was purchased with my own money or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading!
Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-65784274029636918072016-10-10T09:29:00.000-04:002016-10-10T09:29:00.429-04:00Natural Matte: Kat Von D Lock-it Setting Powder* & Setting Powder Brush* ReviewThis just goes to show what a bad beauty blogger I am - previously to having been sent the new Kat Von D Beauty Lock-it Setting Powder in Translucent* ($30 for 0.67 oz/ 19g) and the accompanying Lock-it Setting Powder Brush* ($38 each), I hadn't owned a loose face powder. I know the beauty sphere is all abuzz with the baking techniques and what not, but yeah... I was not on board of that particular bandwagon.

It's been such a nice change of pace though to once again experiment with setting my face using a loose powder. My loose face powder experience is a little limited - I only used Makeup For Ever HD (disliked) & bareMinerals Mineral Veil (alright) in the past - so I was curious to see how the Kat Von D Lock-it would perform on my combination skin type. The product comes in a generous 19g jar with a screw-on lid and a sifter (how do you like that star-shaped design?); very sturdy and straightforward although I wish there was an option to close the sifter for travel/ storage like in the Laura Mercier loose powders. This powder comes in one universal Translucent shade; in the jar, it looks very fair with a slight yellow undertone, but it is colorless on my fair skin (can't comment how it would perform on deep skintones - best to give it a swatch at Sephora). The product is also vegan, cruelty- and fragrance-free.

 The claims for the Lock-it Setting Powder include a 'smooth, seamless look' thanks to more weightless mica powders used in the formula, 'softly diffused pores' and a 'velvety matte finish'. For setting the entire face, the brand recommends the Lock-it Setting Powder Brush (reviewed below), while for the purpose of under-eye baking or setting, they've created a Precision Powder Brush. When you take a closer look at the INCI list, mica is indeed the first ingredient, followed by talc - beware if you're allergic. The powder also contains corn starch, jojoba esters and soybean oil.

As for the performance of this powder on my face after testing it for over a month, I like it but I'm not entirely in love with it. What I like is that indeed, this powder feels more lightweight and less chalky on my skin than something like the silica-based MUFE HD. I also enjoy the soft matte finish; it's definitely not a dry, flat matte but it still helps to blur the appearance of pores or skin texture. When used lightly with the brand's Setting Powder Brush, it does set and prolong the wear of my foundation but it doesn't completely stop the oilies from coming through a few hours after application (which is more or less standard across all setting/ mattifying powders I've tried to date). And while I can't quite push myself to do a proper heavy 'bake' with the Lock-it powder on my face, I have tried a more low-key version - setting my T-zone and under-eye area by pressing the powder into the skin on a damp Beautyblender. I was quite pleasantly surprised by the results; I expected my face to look cakey but instead I got a smooth, natural-looking velvet finish that managed to diffuse the pores on the center of my face as well as fine lines under my eyes. I've also noticed that I got a lot less shiny throughout the day when I used this method. So I guess low-key baking is my new favorite thing :)

And while a damp Beautyblender seems to give me more impressive results when used with the Lock-it Setting Powder, that is not to say that I don't like the Kat Von D Setting Powder Brush. Quite the opposite in fact; it's a beautiful, high-quality, soft, fluffy powder brush that's fantastic for lightly dusting the face, getting rid of excess product or even blending out a strong blush, bronzer or contour. Like other brushes in the Kat Von D range, it's synthetic with a long, tapered acrylic handle.

The shape of the bristles is a little different than a standard large domed face powder brush; instead, it's more elongated and a little less dense/ more floppy than what you may be used to. It just so happens that I have two other brushes with similar shapes - the Zoeva 101 Luxe Face Definer (reviewed here) is slightly stiffer, more dense and comes to more of a point, while the DUcare Powder Brush from their 10 Piece Essential Travel Collection has shorter bristles and a rounder dome profile. While I enjoy using my Zoeva for bronzer or contour, the Kat Von D Setting Powder Brush definitely feels softer and gentler for setting my whole face, and it picks up just the right amount of powder.

Overall, I like both of these Lock-it Setting products from Kat Von D, and they've become new staples in my everyday make-up bag. I do enjoy the increased versatility that a loose setting powder has to offer in comparison to a regular pressed one (being able to use it as a base under foundation, to lightly set over liquid bases, and to 'low-key bake') but I'll stick to my powder compacts for travel and touch-ups. The brush is a lovely addition to my collection and I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for high-quality synthetic bristles. Now tell me - do you do the bake? Or only when we're talking about muffins, scones, cookies and cakes?

Disclaimer: Items marked with an asterix (*) are press samples I received from Influenster for testing purposes. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading! Monika RocailleWriteshttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7589727970044632991.post-82509737133157221362016-10-04T09:47:00.000-04:002016-10-04T09:47:04.332-04:00Beauty Empties: 3rd Quarter of 2016I was really dreading spilling out my bag of beauty trash this time around, but actually, it turned out I had quite a few bulkier items and not that many products in total. If you'd like to see what I used up in the past three months and some items I kept repurchasing, keep reading!

Let's start with skincare empties. It seems like I finished nearly all of these months ago because I already have a few more products on their last legs - but I guess those will be featured in the next quarter.
Products I disliked and wouldn't repurchase: None really; all of these did the job.
Products I enjoyed, but I'm trying out other things: Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner (reviewed here), Paula's Choice Hydralight One Step Face Cleanser* & Hydralight Daily Mineral Complex SPF30* (both reviewed here), NUDE Omega Cleansing Jelly (reviewed here)
Products I would repurchase (but am probably trying out other things too): Laneige Water Bank Serum* (reviewed here, would purchase again for the winter), Avebio Rock Rose Hydrosol (Cistus Flower Water).

I finished a lot of make-up this time around as well, thanks to my recent Project 13 Pan. I've included nail care bits in here for lack of a better place to put them.
Products I disliked and wouldn't repurchase: In the end, I wasn't a fan of the Laneige Cushion Concealer, reviewed here, and the China Glaze No Chip Top Coat always took ages to dry.
Products I enjoyed, but I'm trying out other things: BITE Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Sable (LE), Badger Pink Grapefruit Lip Balm, Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer (reviewed here), Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Noir (here)
Products I would repurchase (but am probably trying out other things too): Buxom Lip Cream in Cherry Flip (reviewed here), NYX Micro Brow Pencil (here), OPI Nail Lacquer in Red Lights Ahead... Where?

As for bodycare, it looks like all I did was constantly shower and slather myself in body moisturizers - which isn't far from the truth, to be honest, but Mr helped with finishing all the shower gels.
Products I disliked and wouldn't repurchase: The Body Shop Moringa Body Milk (out of the three different body moisturizer formulas I've tried from The Body Shop - milk, lotion and body butter - I like the body butters the best and I'm currently using the Coconut one).
Products I enjoyed, but I'm trying out other things: Nuxe Reve de Miel Shower Gel, The Body Shop Chocomania Body Lotion
Products I would repurchase (but am probably trying out other things too): Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse (already using another bottle), Suave Body Washes (in an assortment of scents), Secret Gel Antiperspirant.

Not too many products in the haircare department - just the Batiste Dry Shampoo in the Tropical scent (my favorite) and the Maple Holistics Degrease Shampoo, out of which I may repurchase the Batiste, although my current favorite is the Aveda Dry Shampure.

A handful of sheet masks - my absolute favorite out of this bunch is the Soo Ae Donkey Milk Aqua Skin Gel Mask, the least favorite and one I would strongly discourage you from ever picking up is the Freeman Feeling Beautiful Purifying Paper Mask with Starfish - possibly the worst sheet mask I've ever put on my face.

Miscellaneous samples, mostly perfume; out of these, I liked Rouge Bunny Rouge Tenera the best, but I think it's not too far off from my beloved Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan, which lasts longer on my skin. I also quite enjoyed Atelier Silver Iris, but wouldn't pay full price for a bottle.

Now for half-used make-up tosses; The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder and the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Just Beige were part of my Project Pan as well and are now quite old and battered to be used. The rest - two very old NYX lip liners in Cherry Red and Purple, Beaute Fluoron Lip Stain and two nail polishes - are also too old to keep around. I wouldn't repurchase any of these products in the near future although I used to love The Body Shop bronzer when it was newer.

And finally, miscellanous skincare and haircare tosses. All of these products are half used-up and most are expired, although I have to say that I disliked the Noxidoxi Detox Cleanser* so much that I couldn't force myself to use up the remaining half even though the product is still good. I wasn't a huge fan of the Paula's Choice Resist BHA 9 and wouldn't recommend it, but I liked the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Beach Spray and the Avene Cicalfate Repair Cream (reviewed here), although I have to say I don't reach for either very often and could probably eliminate them from my beauty stash.

I hope you enjoyed this round of my beauty empties and let me know if you have further questions about any of these products. I'm still steadily working through my stash of back-up skincare but I did have to repurchase some bodycare essentials recently, which made me really happy - it's nice not having this huge backlog of products lingering in the cupboards anymore and just being able to pick something up when it's needed. What was your favorite product you've finished recently?

Disclaimer: Products marked with an asterix (*) were press samples I received from the brands' PR for review consideration. I purchased all the other products myself or they were gifted to me by friends and family. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided free of charge. Thank you for reading! Monika RocailleWriteshttps://email@example.com