bareMinerals The Aphrodisiac & The Top Shelf...

wearing on the eyes:

bareMinerals Ready The Top Shelf Eyeshadow Duo

face:

bareMinerals Ready The Aphrodisiac Blush

lips:

Clinique LipShine Vanilla Latte

nails:

Revlon Classy

bareMinerals Ready The Top Shelf Eyeshadow Duo

bareMinerals Ready The Aphrodisiac Blush

This month I have become a bit of a bareMinerals addict! It's been just over two weeks since BareMinerals Ready was launched... Did I just say two weeks?? It's been such cuh-razy two weeks that it feels like a month! Anyhow, the point is - bareMinerals have some pretty amazing products and I have been loving quite a few of them:

• bareMinerals Ready...
• bareMinerals Ready The Soundtrack Quad...
• bareMinerals Prime Time Primer Shadow...
• bareMineralsExfoliating Treatment Cleanser...

The Aphrodisiac is a beautiful peachy pink with gold shimmer blush, reminds me on the much talked about Nars Orgasm... It's a warm flattering colour that makes you look glowy and radiant! And The Top Shelf is very pigmented and blends like a dream, as it is the case with all the other bareMinerals Ready eyeshadows... Do read my bareMinerals Ready blog post as it's more detailed! Also a step-by-step guide to the bareMinerals 9-Piece Get Started Kit is coming soon! So stay tuned!

LOVE

Rimmel Fancy Topaz Mono Eyeshadow...

 wearing on eyes: 

Rimmel Fancy Topaz Mono Eyeshadow

face:

bareMinerals Ready The Aphrodisiac Blush

lips:

Clarins Rouge Prodige Nude Lipstick

nails: Revlon Siren

When it gets hot [not that currently we have this problem in London!] I like to ditch my cat eyeliner and just go for a mono eyeshadow... Generally I don't like colours on my face unless it's a fun bright lip... But this year I am totally enjoying all these uber bright trends and think it's the quickest, easiest and funnest way to create an effortless yet well put together look that is fresh and different! 

Also wearing lots of neons and brights this summer it means that you will need a bit of colour in your face too, to connect the whole bright shebang... Putting a super bright orange lipstick, or a flash of colour on your eyelids will create a current make up look that can be seen on many catwalks this year... If you are too scared of bright blues and greens for your eyelids I think that Rimmel Fancy Topaz is friendly enough for any complexion or level of braveness!

LOVE

Clarins Rouge Prodige Nude...

Every girl needs a few good nude lipsticks... And this is one of them! The texture is very smooth and creamy, glides on your lips beautifully... It's really moisturising, feels almost like a lip balm but light... For those days when you have perfect looking lips and would like to capture your natural lip colour yet wear a wash of a nude lipstick - this is it! It's that 'your lips but better' kind of colour... Needless to say the packaging is amazingly beautiful in its simplicity and modern lines... It has a luxurious quality and appeal to it! It's definitely a gold medallist amongst the other candidates of my nude lipstick collection!

LOVE

Lush Sultana of Soap...

Lush Sultana of Soap...

nails: Revlon in Classy...

The last time I used a soap in the shower was quite a while ago, when I was taking a shower at then boyfriend's place... The only other available toiletry was his shampoo... I just find a soap although it lathers up nicely the lather washes off in an instant and leaves your skin kind of feeling waxy and squeaky... And later I find soaps dry out my skin... Not this one! The Sultana of Soap is a super moisturising soap... I automatically wanted to apply a body lotion as soon as I got out of the shower but I refrained to see whether it really would work as a moisturising soap... And it did! Hours later my skin still felt very smooth and soft! And finally the scent of this soap is amazing!!! It smells so delicious you want to eat it!

LOVE

bareMinerals Exfoliating Treatment Cleanser...

BareMinerals are mostly known for their mineral foundation and eyeshadows, and of course everyone is currently loving the Ready collection bareMinerals came out with this month! Read more: bareMinerals Ready... and bareMinerals Ready The Soundtrack Quad... But I only now realised that their skincare range is pretty impressive too! This Exfoliating Treatment Cleanser has no parabens, no synthetic fragrances, and no artificial oils!

Having an oily to combination skin type which is also acne prone I have to look after my skin and use gentle exfoliators on a regular basis to keep my skin clear of nasties... This exfoliating treatment is very gentle and it's one of those products that you literally can see working already next morning... It's a powder, you just 'sprinkle' a little on your wet palms and froth it up gently and then massage your face with it... It doesn't have any harsh grains as many exfoliators do... It feels very smooth and pleasant.. 

What I quite like about it is that you can use it as a facial too, just leave it on for five mins and wash it off with warm water as normally you'd do... As a facial or just a cleanser it leaves your skin feeling incredibly clean and next morning you wake up to this smooth and balanced skin! Amaz!!

LOVE

Calzedonia Swimwear Summer 2012...

 bikini: Calzedonia, Indonesia in Limone

necklace: Zara

A big shout-out to this Italian swimwear brand! I was actually looking for a nice bright bikini, yellow on tanned skin looks fantastic... And this is the only style I like my bikinies to be, I don't like any straps on my bikini top, so it was a perfect find... This one is very basic, it doesn't even have any padding, which I think is kind of sexy... But Indonisia also comes with padding if you prefer and different colours too! So hopefully I won't be having any "Sabrina" [in the Boys, Boys, Boys video] wardrobe malfunctions... 

Calzedonia have a great swimwear variety for different ages, styles, including kids bikinis and men-swimwear! There were couple more pieces I quite liked from their catalogue, the super sexy Calicanto one piece; and the Digitale bikini is just supper fun because you can wear it three ways! So yeh definitely worth checking out! But most importantly they are doing this awesome environmental campaign till 30th June [this summer] - you can bring them your old bikini which they will recycle and you will get £5 off your next purchase at Calzedonia store. So if you have any old bikinis lying around - now you know what to do with them - make space for new ones!

LOVE

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara...

 wearing on eyes:

MAC Paint Pot in Nubile

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow in Rose Gold

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Chocolate Shimmer Ink

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara in So Black!  

face:

Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush in 4

Nars Bronzer in Laguna

lips:

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Crème Brulee

 necklace: Zara

 'Doll Lash Effect Wide-Eye Look'...

 nails:

Revlon Nail Enamel in Classy

Omg do I love this mascara! The formula is great, it doesn't clump your lashes at all, yet gives you volume and length that helps to open up the eyes and create that wide awake doll-eye look - which I absolutely LOVE!!! Another good thing about it is that it stays on without transferring under your eyes which for me happens a lot with other mascaras... And of course the design is very pretty with that Lancome rose print! Makes you always want to  leave it out on your vanity table! 

LOVE

Chanel Éclosion Quad...

This quad is from the Chanel Spring Harmony 2012 collection, which has many pink and peach tones... I particularly like the Éclosion quad as it is very flattering on most skin tones...  Peaches always add a touch of freshness and vitality to your face... You can create a  natural look with a light wash of colours resembling a gentle spring day... Or for a more dramatic look you can add the plummy brown shade in the crease-line and smoke it out... The texture and application are great! All in all it's a spring/summer must have! 

LOVE

The Sun is Up!

wearing: flower print blouse by Zara

We, aka the Londoners, have been enjoying the stunning sunshine this weekend... You take the camera, hit the road and enjoy the goodness of a beautiful day in the pretty Cotswold... As we were devouring our lunch a thought crossed my mind... Such a long time has gone by yet still every single guy I meet I compare to him... In the good way, in the most sensible way possible... He just set the bar pretty high, making it so easy for me to move on fast from the guys that are just not quite Big enough... 

One day you may find yourself with someone who has no idea what you're made out of... You have to explain everything to them because they just kind of are very far from getting you... Yet on another day you may find yourself having a spontaneous beautiful Italian dinner at Novikov with a man that makes you feel like a million dollars... Suddenly things are a much better fit... You are having a good and fun conversation through out the dinner, he has a great taste in food, he's making you laugh, offering you to taste his dessert, making you feel looked after... You like his music, his driving is unbelievably good [it's a must have for me - I always believe 'the way you drive the car is the person you are in life']...  The most perfect and elegant way to end this beautiful weekend! Who knows if things will work out, too soon to say... But one thing is certain the sun is up again...

LOVE

bareMinerals Prime Time Primer Shadows...

 wearing on face:

Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer

Shiseido Sun Protection Liquid Foundation SPF 30

bareMinerals Ready SPF 15 in Touch Up Veil

bareMinerals Ready Blush in The Aphrodisiac

eyes:

bareMinerals Eyecolor in Peach Puff

bareMinerals Prime Time Primer Shadow in Sundance

lips:

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Peach Parfait

top: bareMinerals Eyecolor in Peach Puff

bottom: Peach Puff over bareMinerals Prime Time in Sundance

bareMinerals Prime Time Primer Shadow in Sundance

bareMinerals Eyecolor in Peach Puff

Finally I found a way to use my Peach Puff loose pigment! I got this Peach Puff ages ago, and I really liked the colour of this loose pigment, it's very flattering for spring/summer, just with a black cat-eye! However it would always look very pale and the colour wouldn't come out that great. When I went to the bareMinerals event in Covent Garden  I was shown how to make the best out of my Peach Puff! I actually didn't know  that bareMinerals does eyeshadow primers, now I do! But they are not only primers, they are beautifully pigmented and look gorgeous on its own as a cream eyeshadow... They dry in place and stay put! The Primer Shadow comes in five other colours including Gunmetal, and Bronzed Twig which I might also try later...

LOVE

Shiseido Sun Protection Liquid Foundation SPF 30...

 wearing on face and lips:

Shiseido Sun Protection Liquid Foundation SPF 30 in SP50

Nars The Multiple stick in South Beach

Lancome Flash Retouche in 04

Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm in Baby Bare

Revlon Lipgloss in Peach Petal

wearing: marble print maxi dress by Zara

 nails: Revlon Siren...

[vibrant coral]

Shiseido Anti-Aging Sun Protection 

Liquid Foundation SPF 30 in SP50

The lasting power of this foundation is pretty amazing, it doesn't move at all through out the day! If you get a few splashes on the beach your foundation will remain where it was - on your face! It comes with a sponge  applicator which you can keep separately in a little plastic box, neat! I must say I love the bright teal colour of the packaging, it screams summer, heat, the beach and the sea! Texture wise this foundation is very runny, however the coverage is pretty good! When applying it almost fell like the foundation was setting into the skin and almost firming it. It is nonetheless a very light feeling foundation.

This foundation is not much talked about amongst the youtube beauty lovers - but it definitely deserves some attention! My favourite ever foundation has been Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua SPF15 in B30, which I wore all summer last year... I loved the lightness of it, and the coverage was good, however it did move quite a bit especially in the heat, and SPF wasn't high enough for the summer! Both foundations have a very natural finish! But this summer I definitely will move on to this Shiseido Sun Protection foundation! Amazing product!

LOVE

bareMinerals Ready The Soundtrack Quad...

Ta Da(!) - my new found love...  These new bareMinerals Ready eyeshadows are absolutely fantastic! Much better than some high-end eyeshadows out there! For more info about bareMinerals Ready duos and quads and other Ready products check out my previous blog post bareMinerals Ready... The texture is amazing, incredibly smooth and highly pigmented, and blends like a dream(!) - what else is there left to desire when it comes to eyeshadows?! For me bareMinerals Ready eyeshadows are ticking all the boxes... This quad comes in four different shades, others are more natural... But I love this metallic quad most, it's big fun to work with yet it's totally wearable and it allows you to create so many looks! The Soundtrack has these smouldering shades with which you can easily create a day look by using Rhytm, Remix or Louder colours, or for a more smoky eye add the Speaker Box which really is a beautiful, sensual kind of colour...

LOVE

Topshop's Brights...

Topshop Nails in Marine Scene 

&

Topshop Lips in Rio Rio

Omg! I'm having a mindblowing rave here... Owning something like 50+ [I lost count by now] nail polishes it has become hard to surprise me with a polish that I will be amazed by! The Topshop Marine Scene has instantly entered my all time top three favourite nail polishes!! Do not be scared that it is too bright or colourful, it's the most awesome blue colour you will come across this summer, or actually any colour! Yes, I know it's a pretty damn strong statement, but this nail polish is totally worth it!! I don't think for me anything will beat this little cutie!!! If it looks that awesome on my at the moment pale skin I can only imagine what wonders it will do on tanned skin!!!! Uhhhhh... And the other thing - this blue looks fantastic with my gold watch!! I am getting back-ups of this one, no diggity no doubt!!! And the lipstick?! Topshop Rio Rio is a pretty sexy red, again I think it's not easy to find a good red lip slapper... Loving this one! It's a warm toned bright red, which is really flattering on me and I'd imagine on anyone else!! Rrrrrrr...

LOVE

bareMinerals Ready...

on face and eyes wearing bareMinerals Ready

[exact products listed below]...

on lips wearing Revlon Colorburst Butter in Cotton Candy...

from bottom left clockwise:

bareMinerals Ready SPF15 Touch Up Veil in Tinted

bareMinerals Ready Blush in The Tease

bareMinerals Ready Duo Eyeshadows in The Nick of Time

bareMinerals Ready Bronzer in High Dive

Finally bareMinerals Ready is out in UK!!! It hit the counters on the 1st of May which was an über exciting day hence I have been waiting for this major event for at least half a year... Literally drooling while watching youtubers in the us raving about how amazing Ready is [it came out there during autumn last year] I finally could lay my hands on it!! Basically for those that don't know what Ready is, bareMinerals made it even easier for anyone to use eyeshadows, blushes, finishing powders, and bronzers! Before, the formula was loose, now the minerals are solid aka no more of that occasional mess!! 

It is impossible not to have the 'love of first sight' moment when you see the Ready collection!! The colours and the smoothness are just so so beautiful!! The eyeshadows come in whooping 22 duos and 4 quads, packed with pigment yet very blend-able! The blushes come in 10 different colours varying from all the shades you may possibly need!  The  Touch Up Veil is great to keep your make up flawless and oil free leaving you with an airbrushed finish, as you can see on the pics! Those are my absolutely favourite products from Ready collection... The only con that you will have to face when entering the bareMinerals Ready world is that you will want all of it! Ha Ha! But literally that's how amaz Ready is!!!

LOVE

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter...

 from left to right:
 045 Cotton Candy

095 Creme Brulee
015 Tutti Frutti
025 Peach Parfait

These bad boys are pretty addictive! I don't know anyone who got their first Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter and didn't go back to get a few more!! These lip butters are pretty moisturising with the addition of a pretty colour... We all go through chapped lips, but now your lip butter can actually tune in with your face make-up of the day... The colour variety is pretty awesome

LOVE