Glow like JLo

Summer is coming up here in The Netherlands, and for someone like me coming from a small Caribbean island I never thought I would say that summer is one of my favorite seasons! Since I was used to the sun and all, try to hide from it when it was too hot and that kind of crap. Coming up with excuses, like, “can we meet AFTER 4pm, it’s so hot now”. WTF? Whenever the sun comes out around here I try to enjoy it as much as I can and as long as I can! If that means sitting on a terrace for 5 or 6 hours bored out of my mind I will do it! I now appreciate the sun and love it with all my heart.

Everyone is trying to fit in to their bikinis and short shorts, trying to lose the pounds that were accumulated during the long winter season… As for me, I’m trying to get my skin to GLOW like JLO! I love the way that rhymes, her perfume name makes so much more sense now LOL. I pretty much gave up a little bit on the “oh, I can sooo lose all the fat in a month” bull crap. Whatever dude, I want to get tan and pronto! J

How am I going to achieve this? It’s way too hot to go to the tanning salon. I’ve contemplated this many times; I think I still might go just to speed up the process. Or I might try the L’Oreal self-tan spray that I saw in this month’s Cosmo. Just for the sake of trying it out and using it in the comfort of my own home. Okay enough of that!

The real reason I wanted to post this is, because I was stupid enough not to ever purchase the MAC Lustre Drops that came out with the “To the Beach” collection. And for no good reason at all, I just didn’t. So I decided to get them now!

They are now part of the permanent collection, which I think is awesome for those of you who have been disappointed every time they were sold out. I’m not quite sure if the MAC counter in The Hague has the Lustre Drops in stock, but I’m pretty sure the Amsterdam Store has them. I got mine online so maybe my facts suck. But in case you’re interested you can always check out the store/counter for more information.

In any case, MAC describes it as “a bronzer that applies like liquid sun. Water-based, beautifully smooth to apply with added pearlized lustre. Inspired by the popular MAC Face and Body FX. Provides sheer, natural-looking highlights with a luminous, shimmering finish.”

Oeh la la… it sounds so good! And actually it is haha. Of course otherwise I wouldn’t have even bothered purchasing them.
The colors that I got are Sun Rush and Pink Rebel. I think those are the most popular ones and these are the ones offered on the website. There are some other colors like Bronze Hero that was also released in a different collection (Style Warriors ’09) but of course being limited edition it’s pretty hard to get your hands on that.

Both these colors are absolutely amazing and so pretty! And even though the Pink Rebel is a little on the lighter side for my skin tone it would work really well in the winter, because I want to glow all the time, so there you go.

As promised they do apply on smoothly on to the skin and blend out easily to a sheer, shimmery finish. Both the colors provide a healthy (and much needed) glow to the skin and can be used on your cheeks, cupids bow and all over the body (think of your chest/décolletage to create cleavage, your back/shoulders). And I must say I absolutely love the packaging! The small bottles have fine tips that provide -when lightly squeezed- a small amount of product. Which is really all you need, unless of course you want to take the description too literal and actually look like the sun? Whatever toots your horn though!

Sun Rush: is the more bronzed one out of the two and would be perfect for people like me with a warmer undertone. I have to say even for me, I have to blend this out to its “sheerest” finish in order for me not to look too orange. That would be a definite no-no.

Here is a swatch of Sun Rush. On the left a larger amount of product so you can see the color (this is way to much product to use at once.) And next to it a blended out swatch.

Pink Rebel: is somewhat pink-toned and suggested to work better for people with cooler undertones. However, I feel that it works really nice for me (being warm and all) because it gives me a real natural glow, and after all that’s what I’m looking for. 

Also, this particular highlighter can be used with your foundation, by mixing the two together one can accomplish an all over glow, which can look really pretty and fresh.

So, to conclude to get that glow for the summer, or spring or winter these Lustre Drops do the job. They are $19.50 a bottle for 18ML/0.60 US FL OZ, but like I said you only need a small amount so it will last you a long time if you go easy on the shimmer. J

Drama...Drama...Drama...Dramatic Lashes!

I have this “thing” with lashes. I don’t quite know why it is that I tend to buy a lot of lashes or fascinate about other people’s lashes… Perhaps it’s because I wasn’t blessed with the longest lashes, and somewhere deep inside me I’m longing for long, thick lashes?? Yeah, that’s probably it!
So, I don’t have long lashes, actually they’re pretty short  and sometimes I wish that I didn’t have to cover my thin lashes with 5 coats of mascara. But I have to, otherwise you would never notice them, or I would never notice them.

One day I was busy doing nothing (as usual) and I stumbled across a website. (I just realized that I shop online way too much!) The website Wimperwensen –translation: lash wishes- is an online store that offers lashes, lashes and more lashes and of course everything that has to do with eyeball hair.

The website has categorized lashes in 5 different types of lashes; Natural, Drama, Glamour, Magic, and Paradise. Meaning: there is plenty to choose from depending on your personal taste. I was particularly intrigued by the category “Paradise”; I mean what does paradise mean? Coconuts hanging from your lashes? So yeah, I wanted to know what that was all about. And I happened to actually buy paradise lashes instead of natural lashes, which was the main reason I went on the site in the first place.
So “paradise” basically just means “extravagant” and by extravagant I mean UBER theatrical. I just HAD to have them.

Unfortunately for me, the lashes were somewhat of a disappointment. I normally buy things online because I like what I see and I expect it to look the SAME as in the pictures. It wasn’t really the case this time. (Normally I’m really lucky when it comes to that). 

As you can see above, the lashes don’t look quite like on the model. Okay, I get that I’m not a model; it’s supposed to look different. But what really sucked is the fact the lash band (where the lashes are stuck on) is BLACK. All of the bands are black. Even if the lashes are ORANGE the band is still BLACK. How rude! Who told them I was going to wear black eyeliner? So that was a disappointment. But then again maybe I should have paid more attention before making my purchase? Especially since they cost €6,95 each. I’m not saying they completely suck, I will still use them, I just would have appreciated them looking less “cheap” and having clear or same color as the lashes band. That would have made my day!

 
     

New additions to my brush collection

Sigma Make Me Up Brush Set

After a long wait on one of the items on my wish list; I finally own the Sigma Make Me brush set! Yay for me!

I have waited long on this item, being sold out every time when I tried to purchase it. But the wait is finally over and now I’m the proud owner of a Sigma Make Me Cool brush set!

You may wonder why I was so eager for this particular product. Well, first of all, have you seen the amazing packaging on this thing? So freaking cute! But, also because I’m familiar with the Sigma brand, and I have nothing but good experiences with the brushes I own of this brand. So making a decision on whether or not to buy the brush set was an easy “yes”.
What also triggered me to buy this brush set was the PRICE; at € 99 for a complete 12 pieces brush set, I was sold!

I’m no brush expert or anything, but I know what I like, and what I don’t. I also know what I can afford and what I really can’t. I’m not going to compare the Sigma Brushes to the MAC ones, since I don’t own too many MAC brushes. Even though I am a MAC fan, I must say that I would much rather spend € 99 for 12 brushes of good quality (and adorable) than, € 99 on 2 or 3 MAC brushes.
I get a whole lot more for my money, and I also get a brush container to store them or showcase them, all that for that amount of money. You do the math on that! ;-)

I think the container that these brushes come in is UBER-awesome! That was one of the MAIN reasons I got the brush set. It is a sturdy case that holds up to 20 brushes (I squeezed a couple of my own brushes in to try it out). Also, when taken apart they become two separate brush holders, perfect for storing brushes on your desk, or vanity or floor, where ever you decide to put it! The container also comes in handy for travelling; you just put in your brushes close the lid and off you go! I just love it! And I don’t even travel as much!

The “Make Me Up” collection has a variety of 4 different colors. 

- Make Me Classy (Black)
- Make Me Crazy (Purple)
- Make Me Blush (Coral)
- Make Me Cool (Aqua)

I got the Cool one, as you can see from the pictures. I first wanted the purple, but then I was neehhh, the aqua one is way cooler, hence the name Cool. J

I would say for anyone out there who wants an (what to me is) affordable, good quality, complete brush set with container, try to get your hands on this puppy! You have all the brushes you would need for your make up application, plus they throw in a little bonus, which is a travel size blending brush. How sweet!

I purchased my brush set via Boozyshop, but obviously you can visit the Sigma website and order yours there too, whatever suits you best!

Bdellium Tools

I came across this brand when I was “you-tubing” for reviews on make-up brushes. I heard and saw some really good reviews and I was naturally drawn to the product instantly, especially, when it was mentioned that these are made from Bamboo and are Eco-Friendly. I decided I had to try it out!
So I went on an investigation quest to learn more about this amazingly claimed product. I was mostly interested in the Green Bambu series, because I thought the color was really cool and it seemed more eco-friendly and “green”. I know that doesn’t make ANY sense at all, but I mean I wanted to go green for once so I thought I might as well go all the way! 

As the product is described on their website:

Bdellium Tools Green Bambu series brushes are professional eco-friendly makeup brushes with all sustainable bamboo handles and all vegan soft synthetic bristles with an anodized aluminum ferrule. Bamboo is one of the most sustainable resources and environmentally sound plants on Earth. Due to its rapid re-growth cycle, it can be harvested with virtually no impact on the environment. All of the soft synthetic filaments used in the Green Bambu series are not treated with an antibacterial agent. The advantages synthetic bristles includes less or no hair shedding compared to natural bristles, it’s easier to clean and provides light application. The synthetic bristles are hypoallergenic and 100% cruelty free.

When I read this, I was over the moon with excitement. I thought the concept of using Bamboo was truly genius. And even though I own a couple of brushes with natural bristles, I totally agree with them on the synthetic bristles shedding less and easier to clean.

I finally decided then, that I was going to purchase some brushes and see for myself whether or not I liked them. I decided to get 2 brush sets simply because it’s cheaper to get brushes in sets rather than to buy them one by one.

Foundation 4pc. Brush Set.

Described as: the perfect tools for any form of foundation. And can be used with powder, liquid and cream foundation.

The set includes the following brushes:

#957B Precision Kabuki
#955B Finishing
#953B Duet Fiber Foundation
#948B Foundation

I paid €35,95 for this brush set and I must say that it’s totally worth it! If you think about it I only paid €8,99 per brush. And that’s not too bad, considering the fact that it also comes in a handy plastic container with a plastic lid. So it’s easy for storage and also convenient for travelling.

My favorite out of the bunch? That’s hands down the Precision Kabuki! Hence it’s the dirty one in the picture, because after washing them, I forgot to take a picture and ended up using it again. And I was like, whatever be dirty on the picture my favorite one. J LOL!
I do like the whole set though.

Mineral 5pc. Brush Set.

As described on the website these brushes are designed specifically for usage with mineral makeup but are versatile enough to use in any application.

Agreed on the versatile part! Because I don’t own many mineral based products, however, I do love the precision concealer brush for the application of my Bobbi Brown creamy concealer and corrector.

The brushes included in this set are:

#959B Powder Blending
#942B Slanted Contour
#934B Precision Concealer
#787B Duet Fiber Large Tapered Blending
#778B Large Shadow

For this brush set I also paid the same price which was €35,95 and again I think it’s a great deal, thinking of course about the single price which would be then in this case €7,19 a pop. Not a bad deal ha?

The only down side of these brushes are that the handles are pretty short. Which comes in handy for travelling, but again, I don’t travel as much so… No, but seriously they are pretty short and I have a picture comparison of a Sigma brush vs. the Bdellium brush so you can see what I mean. I do have small hands, but that doesn’t mean I can’t handle “grownup” brushes. So if you like longer handles then this particular set is not quite for you. On the picture below for comparison are the two large shader/shadow brushes, see what I mean? 

My favorite one in this set would probably be the Precision concealer, just because right now I have longer nails then normal and applying my corrector and concealer with my fingers is a little tricky at the moment. So the brush gets right in there, where I can’t reach.

Overall I like all the brushes and I would recommend this brand simply because it is 1 affordable 2 they have a wide variety of brushes they won't break your wallet and most importantly they are Eco-Friendly!

Finally got a new camera!

I finally purchased a new camera to take pictures( Duh!) and record! It took me like a gazillion years to get one, and last week I finally did! So YAY! for me!
It came right on time too, since last weekend was Queens Day here in The Netherlands. And as my close friends know, that is my favorite national holiday ever! I wouldn't miss it for the world!
Anyhow, back to the camera.

I don't really know much about electronics, and honestly I didn't research a whole lot before I purchased this camera. I went to compare prices and I came across this one, which I just happened to see in a folder. I liked it a lot, and I was like "yeah, why not?" LOL!

It is a SONY Cyber Shot (DSC-W570) in a Silver (dark grey). It has 16.1 Mega Pixels (which is really good right?), a Carl Zeiss lens, 5x Optical Zoom, Sweep Panorama function and records in HD! I think those are like the main things. But obviously you can look up the specs on the Internet.

This camera is so light weight and small, it fits in every purse I own! So, that is a bonus for me, since I hate carrying around heavy stuff. (Unless I have to of course, like shopping bags full of make up and clothes for instance).

Buying this camera was of great importance for me, because I feel like my blog pictures really suck, and it's one of the main reasons why I don't post as much as I want to. So now I have to think of a new excuse! haha nah, just kidding!!

I also bought it for the sake of having a digital camera, because the one I had, passed away and was never replaced, until now ;-).

I purchased this camera for 169,95 Euros. And I also got a Sony case to store it safely. For me personally, this was an awesome deal. Please note that the prices may vary according to regions.

Of course I had to test out the camera and my favorite model volunteered. 

Guess what? That's the only thing he wants to read! :-)

Pictures taken from: goodmodo.com and bestcamera2010.com

Boozy Shop Products!

I came across this really cool website that carries some brands that I'm really a big fan of! yyaaayy!
Boozyshop, is a Dutch based web shop that offers a variety of products (brands) that are hard to find, or are not even available in the Netherlands. Brands, such as Lip Smacker, NYX, Sigma and Sugarpill! The prices are relatively affordable and the delivery time is usually 2-3 workdays! Which is awesome!

I ordered a couple of things that I wanted for some time now, but I just couldn't find a store that sold them here. So, I made an order just to see if what is promoted on their website is really true. (delivery time, costs etc.)
I must say that I am a satisfied customer and I most likely will purchase some other products that I really want. Especially NYX products since they are not sold anywhere here as far as I know.

Okay, enough rambling. Here are some of the things that I got! Yayyy! (I like to say "yaay" a lot, sorry about that!) :-)

I FINALLY got the amazing "BRUSH GUARD"! I heard, read, seen so many great reviews on this product I had to get it. I got 2 sets; as you can see on the pictures above. One Variety Pack and one Shadow/Liner Pack. Both include 5 pieces (each) and the variety pack as it states comes in a variety of sizes, from shadow to kabuki sizes. After thoroughly washing and cleaning my brushes, I normally would let them air dry and the bristles would dry all over the place like a person having a bad hair day. But now, with "The Brush Guard", I can simply slip them on to the brushes and put them up side down in a cup or something, and when dry, they remain their original shape. And I really like that!

NYX Jumbo Pencils in: Rust, Black Bean & Milk

 These little puppies are awesome, I normally use a MAC paintpots for my eyeshadow base, but since these are (A LOT) cheaper and honestly easy to use, I decided to get a few... Rust (nr. 619) is like a coppery, rusty color, like the the name of the pencil DUH! And it's absolutely gorgeous, I might just wear it as an eyeshadow color... Just because I can.. haha!

Here's a swatch of the colors.
Please don't mind my pale (hairy) hand :-)

Milk

Black Bean

I also got Black Bean (nr. 601) and Milk (nr. 604). Which are simply just matte black and white. I must say they glide on smoothly and they are highly pigmented.

Rust

What I also got from Boozyshop is the NYX Glitter Gel for Face, Body & Hair in the color Goldie. I'm not really sure why I got this, I just thought the bottle was super cute, and I may perhaps want to put glitter in my hair?? LOL :-)  I may use this though. Queens day is coming up here in The Netherlands, and that is by far my favorite Dutch Holiday EVER! So, I just might go crazy on the glitter just for the Queen's birthday! yayy!!

A weird swatch there :-)

The smell of this Gel is kind of weird. It has a weird paint-ish smell to it which I really don't like. And when blending out the glitters they spread out together, leaving some "open spots" on your skin... yeah, totally weird. 

 The last thing I got off the website was a Lip Smacker lip balm. I used to be addicted to these, but for some reason they don't sell them here. Anyway, doesn't matter because now I know where to get them! I got the Coca-Cola flavored one, because I am addicted to Coca-Cola. (well not anymore, I've cut back a lot! It's not healthy..*sad face*) So, instead of drinking the stuff, I'm just going to use the lip balm instead to ease my craving! I'm a recovering Coca-Cola addict!

OMG! How cute is that? And it tastes soooo good! The consistency is pretty good too, its not too thick and not too thin, if that makes any sense? It's not sticky. The taste is not too overwhelming either, and even though, the balm is a "poopy brown" color, (sorry about that, but that is just how it is!) it applies clear.
I'm in love! :-)

So, over all I'm pretty satisfied with this web shop, and if any of you are interested in some of these products don't forget to take a look on their website. All the prices are in Euro's and they make use of TNT Post delivery. Payments are done via iDeal so you know it's safe!

I will be making more purchases via this website, because I think it's awesome! hahaha!
Stay tuned for a MEGA Haul I'm going to do on some other recently purchased products!
Also, I'm currently reading WWGD?: What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis so stay tuned for a review on the book too!

Until then!
Semper ad Meliora,
Sha*

MAC Limited Edition

How do you do!?


I wanted to share with you in this post some of my MAC Limited Edition products, that I'm really proud of! I'm trying as hard as I can (and as much as I can afford) to purchase rare MAC items. It's just a "thing" I have!
In this post I have the Heatherette Palette trio 1, the Dame Edna Highlighter, a Tartan Tale eyeshadow palette, and the ChamPale highlighter (which was released not too long ago, this is not really rare rare, but since I didn't purchase anything from the collection I decided to get this one after all!). 

Heatherette (March 2008)
Colors: Hoppin'-Mood Ring-Cloudburst

Dame Edna (December 2008)
What a Dame! Highlighter

Tartan Tale (December 2010)
Colors: Lady's Prance-Rolled Gold-High Spirits-
Vainglorious-Set to Dance-Bow & Curtseys

ChamPale (December 2010)
Highlighter in Rosé Olé

I mostly like to collect eyeshadow palettes or MFS

Benji ... He will grow on you...

I wanted to make some moodboards, to get some inspiration so I can work on my Guinea Pig Friends (which again, are human friends I  have).
Mood boards are visuals created to illustrate ideas to be executed later on. (Just an FYI hihihi).
So far I have created about 3 moodboards (not too many) and I want to recreate the looks that I have compiled so far. At least my interpretation of the looks. That is one major project I want to work on, so again stay tuned for the results!

When I was working on a mood board my four legged child decided he wanted to be part of it.. So I took this picture, because honestly I thought it was too cute!

The moodboard making dog!

He is like a manager, likes to see me get the job done! :-)

Semper ad Meliora,

Sha*