Etude House Haul: Bubble Tea Sleeping Pack, Lips Talk & Play 101 Stick

Korean products are the best. As you might know from my Beginner's Guide to Korean Cosmetics that my favourite brand is Etude House. Not only because it's super cute and girly, but it also delivers pretty solid quality items. I usually shop Korean products on Jolse. Although I'm generally pleased with Etude House makeup, I have mixed feelings toward Etude House Bubble Tea Sleeping Pack (10,38€ on Jolse) in Strawberry. It's targeted for dry skin and it has a jelly type of consistency with small bubble tea beads. Sleeping mask is slightly sticky and you can actually sniff the alcohol - but still keeps my skin somehow locked with previously added moisture. I like to apply it as a final layer before all my serums, toners and light creams before bed. It's not my favourite skincare thingy but I do enjoy it's appearance.

Etude House Cushion on my Face

Cushion is my best friend when dealing with ''on the go'' situations. Hectic early mornings, impatient company or unplanned errands are not my cup of tea. In situations like these, cushions come really handy. I easily apply foundation on the go without messing up my fingers or someone's car. With airy chocolate kind of design and ''Beauty Blender'' kind of applicator, you're ready, set and go. Read on and you'll see why is this already my fourth refill...

Certainly, fast and no-mess application is the biggest bonus. Not only you can quickly ''tap it on'', application sponge makes foundation finish flawless. Etude House Precious Mineral Moist Any Cushion in particular looks like most standard cushions. With refillable case, mirror and fresh sponge with every refill, they don't need any extra evolving. Of course I would like them to see it in a cuter packaging but that's where special collections come in (talking about cases from collections like Dreaming Swan). ''Airy chocolate'' type of sponge is filled with BB cream goodness. Product won't be spilled as the sponge holds everything securely in. Pressing in with the other textured sponge is a pure joy. So, imprinted BB cream can be easily transferred on your skin. Sounds fun, right? It's almost as if you had another chance to play around with stamping kit like a kid. BB cream itself is runny yet almost creamy. It can't be spilled out of the refill yet it's liquidy enough to be flawlessly spread out. Cushion lasts on the skin for 4-7 hours with slight fading throughout the day. Precious Mineral Moist Any Cushion also contains SPF 50 for high sun protection during summer. Downsides include enlarged pores and unflattering white cast on photos. Also, refills are used up pretty quickly for 15g. I usually get 4 months of wear, applied 2-3x a week.

Precious Mineral Moist Any Cushion in particular is fully meant for dry, dull skin and contains micro reflecting pigments for dewy looking skin. On my face, you can clearly see luminous effect...almost as if I wear extra highlighter on the photos. Well no, Moist Any Cushion is indeed a dewy saviour for dry skin. On the pictures, I applied 2-3 coats and you can still notice some of my freckles. Coverage is sheer to medium and can be easily layered or topped. As far as the color selection goes, there are only three shades. Lightest, N02 Light Beige matches me almost perfectly.

Etude House Precious Mineral Moist Any Cushion is exclusively perfect for dry skin. Gives dewy look, it's buildable, easy to use and streak free. For normal and combination skin, there is Precious Mineral Any Cushion version without reflecting particles and slightly more natural finish. Oilier skintypes can try out Lock'n'Summer Precious Mineral Proof Any Cushion. You can find Etude House Cushions on Jolse.com. Cushions retail for about 19$ with case and 10,89$ for refill. On long term, refills with applicators are pretty much a bargain. I would highly recommend you to research Korean Cushions - they are truly a beauty gem. Actually, Etude House Cushion is my staple makeup item for more than a year.

Etude House Liquid Lips - Alternative for Too Faced Melted Lipstick

This year is marked with liquid lipsticks. From matte to glossy versions, products are flying off the beauty shelves. In particular, Too Faced nailed a creamy-mousse type of formula with their Melted Long Wear Lipsticks. Creamy to matte finish is easy to apply yet it sets throughout the entire day, leaving you careless about your bright lipstick. Etude House Color In Liquid Lips offers the same comfort and durability with a fraction of the price. And cuter packaging. 

Etude House Liquid Lips offers an entire rainbow of colours, you can choose within 20 youthful shades. With a massive color selection, Liquid Lips also give off high coverage and pigments. This is not a gloss, it's highly pigmented creamy lipstick in a gloss tube. Texture is getting better and better from the minute you've applied lipstick on your lips. Formula is indeed, really comparable with Too Faced version. Product applies creamy (almost watery) but slowly transfers into a matte version within hours. Basically, when the time passes, you're slowly left with pigments while initial creaminess gradually fades away.  After that, you're left with the most even light stain. In my case, PK005, is a light neutral baby pink. You can probably imagine lighter shades don't leave much of a stain but still...there's left a hint of pastel pink hue.

Applicator is shaped as a heart which makes application effortless and precise. PK005 Pink in Dolly is indeed a neutral baby pink with a hint of white but still super wearable on lighter skintones. Color looks in person a bit more warm and neutral than on my (lightened) swatches. Longevity is pretty impressive for a nude pink - around 4-6 hours without eating or drinking. Product is in no way sticky or unpleasant to wear. It's actually lightweight and watery but still adhering enough. Scent is also an extra bonus point since all Liquid Lips smell like grape soda, yum!

As always, Etude House never disappoints and I congratulate them for another successful formula.
In fact, I'm highly impressed with this little gem. I expected it to be a bit more liquid with a gloss finish but it surprised me with adhering ability and creaminess. I approve Etude House Color In Liquid Lips and recommend picking up one of their shades. For 9,98$, this lipstick is almost cheap as chips. Negative aspects? I'd like to experience even better longevity. 

You can check out other colors from Liquid Lips range here. Korean makeup is fairly priced and sold on Jolse.com with free worldwide shipping.

Beginner's Guide to Korean Cosmetics

Koreans take their makeup seriously, having a makeup store around every corner. I was fascinated to hear from my friend, that they have makeup stores in almost every school and corner. Even male population religiously use their BB creams, while eyelid surgery is totally an everyday occasion. No wonder they're known as one of most beautiful nations. Also, Korean brands are huge trend setters, well known European brands get their ideas after Korea already released a dozen of innovative products. There's no coincidence that Chanel and Lancome came out with cushions, while Clarins brought out Lip Comfort Oil. Sneaky.

Here are my personal experiences and thoughts about Korean cosmetics in general. Hopefully, it will help you orientate while shopping these little cute gems on your own. I have in no way tried even a third of existent products but I'm slowly swimming down the massive flow of Korean gems.

THEMED BRANDS

Most of Korean brands have their own specific theme and concept.
Etude House - ultimate princess with cute and pink details
Holika Holika - wizards, witches, potions and lotions (basically a makeup version of Harry Potter)
Innisfree - natural ingredients, quality over looks
Skinfood - products with inspiration from your own garden: honey, tomatoes, garlic, greens...
Missha- sophisticated, classy
Aritaum - mainstream, simplistic
TonyMoly- fun, cats and animals are used a lot of times for packaging
Lioele- Cinderella like brand, mostly using carriages and details
There is many more to mention: Nature Republic, the SAEM, Banilla co, Laneige, A'PIEU, It's Skin, Skin 79, Peripera...

As I've said, I'm slowly digging through massive piles of products myself. Clearly, I'm sticking with what I really like - my personal favourite is still Etude House. You can't really go wrong with Etude House products. I also love Holika Holika for BB creams, Innisfree for lip products and Aritaum for general good quality and innovative products.

BB CREAMS & CUSHIONS & FACE

Usually, you have 3 finishes in Korean face department: matte/pore refined skin, glowy skin and whitening effect. Of course you can still find products to suit normal skin types but they are specifically experts for glowy/radiant skin, perfected pores and humid weather. Every face product contains SPF and some kind of bonus treatment. Products for humid weather are usually longlasting, have a matte effect and set really well. On the other hand, if you're craving glowy skin, you have numerous things to choose from. From aura primers, to glowy BB creams and glowy fixing sprays. Face products have different undertones - from grey up to yellow tones. I recommend researching each BB cream for swatches before buying if you're afraid of mismatch. Also, snow whites will probably fit almost all lightest shades. Korean face products come in various types: BB creams, CC creams, Cushions, Foundations.

BB creams are of course number one product from Korea. Compared to western BB creams, Korean BB's have higher coverage (foundation like), high SPF and added special treatments (whitening, green tea extracts, oil control...). CC creams have usually light coverage but not necessarily. Cushions are an absolute must to try out. I religiously use my affordable Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion for a year now. Refills are super cheap and application is super easy on the go. You just press your ''beauty blender-like'' sponge into sponge, filled with BB cream and tap all over your face. Voila! What makes cushions so special is their application and great coverage. Indepth review is coming soon on my blog! Korean powders/pact usually target sebum along with oil control. Pores and oil control is huge, especially with warmer months. Be careful when choosing a powder, they can easily look cakey if you load them up. Another fascinated thing is glow effect fixing sprays. I absolutely love Etude House version from Nymph Aura but was unfortunately discontinued. I recommend you to research this field yourself but I've discovered TonyMoly has great options too. In general, I would totally recommend Etude House for everyone, Aritaum for full coverage and Holika Holika for oily skin types. Innisfree and Laneige cushions are highly praised as well but haven't had any experiences with them yet.

BLUSHES

Almost every blush range contain a must pink, peach and lavender shade. Coral and peach is obligatory, while pink tones differ in warmth and intensity. Finish differs upon brand and collection but usually they're matte or in liquid form with glowy finish. You can easily find cream/liquid blushes in squeezy tubes in every brand. Blush Cushions are pretty much new to the market. They work exactly the same as BB Cushions - easy, non-messy application of cream blush onto your cheeks. I would highly recommend you to check out peach and lavender shades for fair skintones.

EYES

Korean eye products are definitely not my favourite. Eyeshadows are usually translucent with lots of shimmer to enhance mono eyelids while shimmery eyeliners enhance your lower part of the lid. Eye pencils are in general super creamy yet super durable and don't transfer. Some mascaras are highly praised but haven't tried any of them yet. In general, stick with their eyeliners, eyepencils while avoid eyeshadows if you prefer full opacity and pigmentation. I'm not saying that every eyeshadow is glittery or translucent but be careful with your picks upon your desires. In general, I like matte shades from Etude House Look at my Eyes range. I also like to add some extra shine to my inner teardrop.

LIP GALORE

Korean lip products are always bright and girly. Lipsticks contain a good portion of white base to make them bright and youthful. Their speciality are orange and peach lip shades which suits any skintone due to small intensity of pink undertones. Also, there's a lot of unusual bright purple tones. Lip products range from glossy (Etude House Liquid Lips) to creamy effect (Innisfree Creamy Tint Mousse) which enhance your lips. Of course, they also didn't skip trendy matte effect (3 Concept Eyes, CLIO Lipnicure, Etude House Color Lips Fit), usually in a gloss form. My personal favourite for lip products is definitely Etude House, they nail with cuteness and trendy colors every season.

You cannot skip lip tints. Tints with candy or cherry residue will add extra boost to your natual lip color. Europeans don't really dig gradient lips but they are a huge game changer in Korea. Innocent lips like you've just suckled a juicy lollipop brings a youthful boost to your complexion. Lip tints come with various types of formula: water based tints (TonyMoly), jelly based tints (Etude House), lip balm tints (TonyMoly). lipstick tints (Secret Key) and oil tints (Holika Holika). I would suggest TonyMoly and Peripera (#5 Candy Juice Lip Tint) for some unique shades of lip tints.

NAILS 

You cannot get wrong with extra glittery nails and pastel colours. There's loads of interesting bright shades with unique, chunky toppers. Mirrored glitters, chunky hearts and prismatic parts are a must. With loads of finishes, colors and innovative textures to choose from, I'm extra happy with chunky toppers, galaxy-like opaque nail polishes and creamy pastel nails. They also love to mix opaque colors with ''topper'' chunks. With every season, brands usually tend to renovate their nail polish collection and add season appropriate colors. You can check out my massive korean nail polish haul from 2012 here. TonyMoly, Skinfood and Etude House are my favourite nail polish departments.

SKINCARE & BIZARRE PRODUCTS

I've been mainly focusing on Korean makeup rather than skincare. But ever since I've tried a couple of various Memeboxes, I'm pretty much in love with Korean skincare. Products are not only out of the box, but they also deliver what they promise. My attention was immediately caught with Sparkling Toc!s by Etude House, known as all around gel with tiny balls of Vitamin C and Aloe Vera. Yadah also released a similar version in bigger size. From pore refining serum to garlic/olive serums for extra moisture. Another beauty gimmick are Sleeping Packs, which supposedly intensely nourish skin like a mask during the night. Quite an interesting concept in my eyes. Of course, there are also face bars, bee venom creams, donkey milk bodycare and jelly emulsions. Also, you should try Korean clay masks and acid based toners, they work wonders on acne prone skin and pores. Skinfood and Nature Republic have some great natural skincare, worth checking out.

SHEET MASKS

Sheet masks are big in Asia. You should at least try one before you ever commit to buy any other skincare item. They are easy to use due to face shaped sheet, indulged with best skincare ingredients. Sheet masks have a solution for all skin types and any kind of skin issue. From tightening, whitening to blemishes and moisture. My personal favourites I trust are My Beauty Diary (Taiwan brand though), while Etude House and Nature Republic isn't bad either. I suggest you to swap sheet masks with fellow Asian bloggers rather than buying them on their own. I personally can't justify buying sheet masks at higher prices online. Also, check Ebay, Imomoko or Sasa for better deals on mask bundles.

WHERE TO SHOP KOREAN PRODUCTS?

I personally always shop Korean cosmetics on Jolse or on Ebay from f2plus1 seller. I've been a loyal customer of Jolse for years now, ever since they've started. I really love their weekly discounts on specific brands like Etude House, TonyMoly, Innisfree and more. I also trust BeautyNetKorea, Roseroseshop, while I don't recommend Korea Depart due to high shipping costs. All these stores are great for browsing around for newer products and releases. If you're searching for a specific item, you can't seem to find in Korean online stores, try good old Google. I usually find rare or discontinued items on Ebay.

I'm sure there's ton of products I still need to try out, but here is my humble recap of what I personally think about Korean cosmetics. Don't take it too literally, my observations could be wrong. In general I absolutely adore Korean products, they always deliver the best quality and results. There's not a single item I wouldn't love (if I don't count color matching or color preferences). Korean products are affordable online, usually ranging from 4-30$ with free worldwide shipping. If you want to avoid additional customs, try ordering in bundles for 25$ - shipping is after all for free. 

Always open to your recommendations and tricks for shopping Korean products!

Perfected Lips for Spring

Ever wondered what's your best solution to hide and perfect your chapped lips? I'm not talking about treatments nor potions or lotions that could help with chapped lips. I'm talking about sunny days or special occasions where you can't pull off a bright lipstick due to painful situation, but you still don't want to look like a mess. Yes, I've tested them all on my chronically dry lips and they've passed the test. Now, the main thing I need to point out is, that flaky or chapped lips won't feel nourished after certain mentioned products are gone away.

Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil Raspberry (Limited Edition, 16€, Clarins counters) is one of the best innovations I've come across for Spring. Not only it feels luxuriously rich and balmy, but also makes your lips look nourished. Fun, chubby cushion applicator just makes the whole thing really enjoyable. I was never attached to my lipgloss stash but this is a whole another story. Scent is absolutely delicious. like raspberry candy. Comfort Oil doesn't leave any color or stain. If you're more keen to honey, there is also a permanent Comfort Oil in Honey. Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector (18€, Clarins counters) is a long time staple in my stash. It soothes the lips, leaves a milky nude shade and literally perfects your lips. There's no stickiness, only a pillow soft  texture. Etude House Plumping lip tint (7,60€, Jolse) offers jelly texture with a bright pink tint. This particular product left me speechless with first try. It has a special rubbery scoop as applicator which works wonderfully. Once the jelly is on your lips, it gives a menthol cooling sensation without stinging or plumping. Lips look perfected in terms of seconds. YSL Rouge Volupte Sheer Candy (32€, YSL counters and FeelUnique) is another high-end product. Clearly, innovative and comfortable products have their price. While Sheer Candies are not the most hydrating products on the market, they do make your lips look like melted candy. They are easy to use and apply as a tinted glossy lipbalm. Catrice Beautifying Lip Smoother (3,80€, Catrice counters) is like a nourishing lipgloss. They leave a hint of color, while they are still comfortable. They don't last on your lips longer than an hour but ''on the go'' application is a simple task. I love them as an affordable drugstore option, however, they're not on the same quality level. Still, for a fair price, you shouldn't miss out on them.

What are your picks for this Spring season? Any recommendations?

Beauty Haul - The Body Shop, MAC, Too Faced, YSL, Bourjois, SteamCream

Obviously I need to take a break from buying beauty items but I can always find 100 and 1 reason to shop. I was really sticking to my project pan products and I've finished up over 15 makeup items over last two months. Having a blast with my summer project pan/s I wasn't really buying any stuff through the summer (well, let's pretend London Haul didn't happen). This time around I had 2 reasons to splurge: a) finished up a bunch of makeup and gave a bag of items to my friends and family and b) I was abroad a lot so I got products we can't get here. Oh...makes me feel a bit better to find justifying reasons.

The Body Shop was never one of my favorite stores. I found everything pricey yet I wasn't too keen on whole body skincare and their packaging. After I've finally finished up my Raspberry Lip balm (it took me whole 3 years) I realised you get your money's worth with their products. And trying to be all environmental made me rethink the brand - although not too sure if they're totally cruelty-free and if they sell in China - but it's a start. Nevertheless I had my eye on their Cocoa Body Butter, Brazil Nut Bodyspray, Chocomania Lip butter and Honey Bronzer. Needless to say I got extra bits with my splurge (Beautifying Oil and Chocomania Body Scrub) and a small stroke after seeing total price. Feeling Fall I suppose!

Austria trip always starts with Mac Cosmetics. I was planning to get Velvet Teddy lipstick since I'm craving a bolder, darker brown nude with taupe hues but they were out of stock. Assistant suggested me Viva Glam 2 which is a medium brown nude with mauve undertones. I was afraid it would look too nude on me but it turns out it's a perfect darker brown/taupe lipstick for my pale skintone. And it's a Satin which makes me even happier (hello longevity). I also couldn't resist Up the Amp which is a blue-toned medium purple with hints of mauve and grey. Looks terrifying but it's really wearable as a grape toned-down color.

As always I went into Yves Rocher (Austria) to get my mom's favorite perfume Evidence. My eyes instantly spotted a new collection with supposedly their Holiday Collection. I'm not sure how is this possible but I got a preview for the upcoming holidays. I couldn't find any images nor posts about it so I guess I'm lucky? Only french Yves Rocher has this scent already on their website. It's a mini size of Caramel Pear Eau de Toilette which smells really fruity and sweet. Pear is really strong at the beginning but after a while caramel notes start to shine. If you're expecting a strong caramel scent, you'll be disappointed. I think I also saw candles, body lotion and shower gel.

Okay, I've got a good reason for Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. I sold over 10 high-end items that I didn't use anymore and treated myself to this beauty. It's currently my favorite palette of all time, beats all my Naked/s and other brands. It's gorgeous inside and outside, smells like chocolate/vanilla and pigmentation is astonishing. No fall-out which is remarkable for me because I '' grew up'' my eyeshadow collection based mostly on Urban Decay. Eyeshadows are extremely wearable and you get 6 matte shadows which is impressive. With each application I can smell chocolate which makes me happy, sadly enough. It's pretty addictive, I must say. So happy to have you, Chocolate Bar! I highly, highly recommend this palette from the bottom of my heart.

Not gonna lie, I love all sorts of lipbalms. They are easy to use up and variety of scents just makes it easier to become a balm hoarder. I'm super happy with my Labello Macadamia&Vanilla and Caramel Cream so why the heck not...I got myself a Blueberry Blush and Coconut. Both smell wonderful and not artificial at all. In Croatia I also spotted Rosal with new coloured lipbalms, similar to Babylips. They are fully pigmented and I could categorise them as half-lipsticks. Coral Candy is definitely worth a try.

My trip to Croatia also got me a new unintentional YSL Glossy Stain #16 Pourpre Preview. Price was reduced over half because of ruined outside packaging. So far I'm not too impressed but it's similar to Dior Fluid Stick with less ''grip''. It's a beautiful vibrant grape purple that's comfortable to wear. Packaging is quite lame for YSL.

Bourjois came out with new Rouge Edition 12 hours lipsticks that are matte in texture but stay on the lips for good 5-6 hours. I definitely wouldn't claim they're extra longlasting, especially not for 12 hours. I got shade 31# Beige Shooting which is my perfect rose nude color. I actually took this color to Mac to find a similar color but with more brown tones for my perfect 90's lipstick. Bourjois Color Edition 24h eyeshadow in 03 Petale de glace was unfortunately not released in Slovenia but it's a beautiful rose-shell cream shadow for every day. 

Etude House Snow White BB Cream is just a repackaged Precious Mineral BB Cream from their permanent line. Since this BB cream is pretty popular I thought I would give it a go in Princess Happy Ending limited edition packaging. It comes in two shades and the lightest N02 matches my skin perfectly. It's not grey but still light enough. Gives medium coverage and has a satin finish. Like!

Daisy Dream by Marc Jacobs was a gift for my birthday. Scent is similar to normal Daisy (my sister's favorite) but has a bit more freshness/clean scent to it. It lacks that almost bitter/sour ending but you can still notice citrus notes. It's definitely more clean and fruity scent at first. You need to bond with Marc Jacobs perfumes - at least in my experience. I'm always on the fence with Marc Jacobs scents but after a month I always fell in love and experience more in depth notes. Is that weird? Marc Jacobs Dot was almost a love-hate relationship at first but now I can't imagine Spring without it. It's my staple. Same with this one, nothing extraordinary after first few sniffs but grows on you after time.

I'm a true believer of SteamCream. Both, me and my sister bought their jar of happiness a while ago and we're not looking back. It's another staple in my stash for my night routine. I use it sparingly on my face and neck. It's so rich and natural you can almost detect every single ingredient. Not to mention it's a sister company of Lush. Truly one and only cream I'm not worried about nasty ingredients and it's also effective. I would highly recommend it for dry, sensitive and mature skin. I've shared my experience with SteamCream team and they kindly offered me a new jar of goodness in a Fall themed can. Review will be up soon.

Uniq One Hair Treatment and The O spiral hair elastics were a gift from a good friend. She knows I like to color my hair a lot but I'm not too worried about the damage. So what better way to treat my hair than with all in one product? I had Uniq One cream before and it's okay for taming frizz, hair ends and add additional treatment. However I do use it sparingly since it can make your hair greasy.

Let me know if you're interested in any of these items! I will do a more indepth review.

My Top Picks of 2013

The closure of 2013.
You can check my previous picks of 2012 here.
Now let's go down to the business!

HAIR

Still didn't have much luck in hair department but I found a really nice affordable purple shampoo for silver hair. Still trying to find my perfect conditioner and mask.

Shampoo: Swiss O'Par Silver shampoo

Conditioner: /

Hair oil: Schwarzkopf Gliss Ultimate Oil Elixir

Protection spray: /

Honourable mention: Directions Hair dye (review)

SKINCARE & BODY

I had some luck finding new skincare products, I'm especially happy with my new favorite face cream and budget-friendly micellar water. This year I mostly returned back to the basics and start using plain oils and ointments for my face. I tried a bunch of natural brands and was super happy with Lavera and Alverde.

Makeup remover: Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Eye makeup remover: plain old almond oil

Toner: /

Eye cream: all kind of ointments

Face cream: Steamcream 

Face oil: still Nuxe Multiusage Dry Oil (review)

Sunscreen: Avene Cream SPF 50+ for dry sensitive skin

Body oil: Yves Rocher Monoi Dry Oil (review)

Deodorant: still Rexona Maximum protection

Body cream: /

Honourable mention: Balea Antipigment creme

NAILS

I had loads of different finishes and colors on my table, but China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy beat them all. I'm still loving my crystal nail files and  L'occitane hand cream is the only one that doesn't left my hands greasy or dry.

Nail polish: Essie Fiji (review), p2 Get Gorgeous! (review), China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy
Nail file: still crystal nail file (review)
Nail base & topcoat: Essence Gel Nails at Home
Hand cream: L'Occitane 20% Shea Butter
Honourable mention: Essie Apricot Cuticle oil

FOUNDATION & CONCEALER

I can't really point out my favorite foundation since I always go back and forth between Bourjois and Revlon Colorstay. I also ventured into trying Meow Cosmetics full-cover mineral foundation. It's a great option for hot summer days. 

Face primer: Bourjois Flower Perfection Smoothing primer (review)
Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum (review)
Pale foundation: Stargazer White Foundation
BB Cream: Holika Holika Petit BB Watery
Powder:  Bourjois Rice Java Powder

Under-eye concealer: still SkinFood Salmon Darkcircle cream
Blemish concealer: Collection Lasting Perfection
Honourable mention: Guerlain Meteorites Powder, Meow Cosmetics Mineral foundation

BRONZER & HIGHLIGHT

Still haven't found the perfect bronzing product for my fair skintone. It's either too warm, too pigmented or too cool. Benefit Hoola is one of my staples over a year now. I generally don't like cream bronzing products but Illamasqua's Hollow is worth checking out.

All-over bronzer: /
Contour: still Benefit Hoola
Highlighter: Topshop Crescent Moon
Honorable mention: Illamasqua pigment Hollow, Dainty Doll Money talks blusher

BLUSH:
Neutral: still Tarte Exposed (review)
Shimmery: Benefit Coralista (review)
Pink-coral: /
Cream/Liquid: Becca Beach Tint Dragonfruit
Honourable mention: /

EYES & BROWS

Essence mascaras are still my favorite despite it's short shelf life. I've been obsessed with Naked Basics and Naked 3 since it came out so I couldn't leave them out. Becca Eye Tints and Rimmel Scandaleyes have one of the best budge-proof formula's I came across.

Eye primer: Urban Decay Eden
Mascara: Essence I <3 Extreme Crazy Volume mascara
Eyeliner: Essence Waterproof Liquid eyeliner
Eye pencil: /
Brows: /
Palette: Urban Decay Naked Basics
Single eyeshadow: Becca Eye tint Gilt
Honourable mention: Urban Decay Naked 3 palette (review), Catrice Brow Designer, Rimmel Scandaleyes Paint (review)

LIPS

You know I love my lipsticks. It was really hard to narrow it down but I still managed to include some of my favorite finishes, colors and brands. Essence Stay matt lip creams are really long-wearing but will be unfortunately discontinued in spring. You can still find them on the shelves.

Lipbalm: Korres Lip Butter (review)
Most longlasting lipstick: Essence Stay Matte Lip cream
Color range: Catrice (review)
Most worn lipstick: Lioele L'cret Miracle Magic Lipstick 02 (review)
Lipgloss: Clarins Instant Lip Perfector (review)
Honourable mention: TonyMoly tint, Rimmel Apocalips, Bourjois Color Boost lipsticks, Badger lipbalms

MAKEUP BRUSHES

Sigma brushes are worth every penny in my opinion. Of course you can get cheaper alternative but nothing can beat a good set of matching brushes and excitement with amazing Sigma packages.

Eyes: Ebay dupes (goat hair) for Mac 217
Face: Sigma Extravaganza Face Kit (review)

PERFUME & OTHER

I've been pretty amazed by Yves Rocher with their high-quality perfumes. They last entire day on my skin and their range of scents is quite impressive. Etude House mist changed my beauty routine since it hides powder and adds a youthful glow.

Perfume: Yves Rocher Monoi de Tahiti (review) & Vanille CollectionOR perfume
Fixing spray: Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer Baby Glow mist

What is your favorite product of the year, if you had to choose only one?

I think I'll say....Etude Nymph Aura Volumer Mist because the concept and idea was totally out of my imagination box. I never knew a spray can change the look of the foundation in a such huge way. 

New In: Beauty Products

I'm pretty bad with informing you with my latest new products and they always get lost in my makeup collection after using them. Do I need to say I'm really bad at waiting and taking pictures of freshly new products?

Recently I was contacted by Sigma since I won the Affiliate Monthly contest.

I guess it's a random thing since one of my readers made a purchase. 

So they sent me Extravaganza Face Kit with 5 luxurious brushes with golden plated handles (here). 

I wasn't too keen on the Extravaganza idea and price (freaking 190$) but I actually love the quality.

Brushes are super soft and even softer than my regular Sigma and Mac brushes. 

Of course I went on a hunt for Essence Superheroes collection. 

I'm usually not freaked out for nail polish collection but I had to collect 'em all (well almost all).

Golden and blue one didn't caught my eye so I picked up only thermo effect, galaxy effect, holographic and oil slick one.

I'm overwhelmed with every one of them...they all preform really well, especially thermo effect.

Since I got a job (selling Yankee candles) I had to treat myself to a high-end product.

Clarins Lip Perfector 06 Rosewood shimmer was on top of my wishlist and I decided to give off 15€ for a freaking lipgloss. It's my best purchase ever!

Feels like a lipbalm, makes my lips looking great, smells like a cupcake and wears for about 5 hours. 

The best thing about it: my lips don't feel dry after it wears off!

Minnie XOXO collection from Etude House was also on top of my wishlist.

I managed to stay away from most of the products but the blush really caught my eye.

Design is cute and the threesome-colored blush makes really versatile combinations.

Etude House Nymp Aura Volumer mist is my staple product for giving that extra glow and reduce the appearance of powder. It's already my second tube of it and I love it!

My Beauty Diary sheet masks are my favorite.

I had a chance to snatch a set of 15 masks for about 20$ on Ebay here.

You can still get it here.

The ''new'' designs always make me sceptical about authenticity so let me know your opinion if you use My Beauty Diary.

All in all I'm pretty happy with my new favorite ''toys''. 

I think I didn't go overboard in the last 2 months but we shall see what December brings.
Of course there were loads of skincare stuff but nothing too exciting.

I'm also doing my traditional swap with Charlene so that always makes my year. 

I actually shouldn't buy any products...