Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette vs Naked Basics 1 | Review

I have been using both palettes for a while now. I don't think I've made a post about the Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette yet, but I thought comparing both would be a nice way to do so.

Before the second instalment in the Naked Basics series came out, I thought the original one was all I needed (but then again, I also thought that when the first Naked palette was launched and I own them all now). I used it all the time, more so than my bigger palettes. The size is very compact and not only great for travel, but also easier for every day makeup.

When the second one was released, I was very excited and decided to buy it right away. I am not a big fan on eyeshadow (ironic since I have so many palettes and single eyeshadows), but when I do wear it, I love my neutrals! It's amazing that I can create my everyday look with just one palette because it saves me a lot of time.

The Naked Basics 2 palette has cooler shades than the Naked Basics, which I personally prefer (the Naked 2 palette is my favorite from the all). If I had to say something bad about it, it would be the lack of a highlight shade; you could do with 'Skimp', but I don't like my brow highlight to be shimmery. That's the only thing why it might not be perfect. 

The Naked Basics (1) does have a beautiful highlight color, 'Foxy' (also available in the Naked 2 palette), but I personally never use the black shadow and I wish they would have put something else instead.

The Naked Basics 2 is the winner for me! Do you own any of them? Which one do you like more?

Lucia.

NARS Digital Worl Lip Coffret | Review and swatches

I'm probably the last person on Earth (maybe just the blogging world) to post about the NARS Digital World Lip Coffret, but I really like it and wanted to share it with all of you.

I bought it back in November/December when I went to the Amelia Liana meet up at Space NK. I knew I wanted to buy it and got my hands on it as soon as I got there, and I'm so happy I did it!

 Although most of the colors are not every day material, I love wearing them when I get the chance to. I had never tried NARS lip pencils before then (or maybe I had just gotten my first one, not quite sure) but I was very impressed with them.

They're all creamy but stay on your lips for a while. 'Cruella' is a matte shade and, although it dries my lips a little, I've gotten compliments on it every time I've worn it. It's a winner shade!

My second favorite is 'Descanso', which is a perfect nude for my lips! I wear it to work all the time and it's a very easy shade to wear if you're going to be eating/drinking and are going to have to re touch and might not have a propper mirror. 

I have tried the other shades but haven't worn them out yet, I'm just waiting for the perfect time to do so, I guess! 'Yu' is a bright fuchsia, which will be nice when spring/summer comes around; and the same goes for 'Iberico', I don't think I could pull it off this time of the year.

I'm not totally convinced about 'Torres del Paine' yet: it looks a bit weird on my lips, maybe because I have such a fair skintone and it washes them out quite a lot. I will try again with different makeup looks until I find something that works, because the color itself is beautiful. 

I don't know if you can still get the set as is (which was £32), but I know some of the shades are sold individually, so it's worth checking it out.

Did you buy the set? If so, which is your favorite shade?

Lucia.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation | Review + demo

I finally decided to buy the ever so famous NARS Sheer Glow foundation!

I've been trying it out for the past month or so and I decided to do a review on it since people asked me about it after I posted a haul on YouTube.

I bought the shade Gobi, which is listed as Light 3, meaning is the third starting from the lightest one. I am very pale and I usually can't find my shade in drugstore foundations, so that goes to show the NARS Sheer Glow foundation has a wide range of colors. 

It is a runnier formula, which I like because you will have enough time to blend it and won't have to rush. It also sets to a natural finish, even though the coverage is not that great (but it still covers redness and scars).

It is a NARS product, so the price tag is not that friendly, but I think it's a great value for the cost. It retails for £31 in the UK, $45 in the US, and €41 in Spain and other european countries. 

I would definitely recommend it to anyone with normal and combination skin. I have combination/oily and it lasts about 4 hours before I feel like I have to touch up with powder. People with dry skin have told me they use it and like it, so feel free to try it out and see if it works for you.

I made a video where you can see how it looks on me, as well as how I demo and apply it on my skin and the before and after results. You can check it out here:

Lucia.

Kiko Ace of Diamond lipstick 27 | Review and swatch

After hearing a lot of people (specially Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup) talk about this lipstick, and knowing how much I love my dark lipsticks, I decided I should go ahead and buy the Kiko Ace of Diamond lipstick in the number 27, which is from their Autumn 2014 collection. 

First things first, the packaging is stunning! It comes in this metallic slash mirrored tube that is gorgeous and it feels so much more expensive than it actually is. That sold me on it already.

If we talk about the liptick itself, it's a really pretty dark plum color, perfect for autumn and winter; and, something that I wasn't expecting, it's a matte formula! I've been a lot into matte lipsticks at the moment, so this made it even better.

It applies really nice, although I do wish the tip of the lipstick was more rounded so I could get go the corners easier. Here's a swatch of what it looks like:

And the price tag? It retails for 7.90€ in Spain and £7.90 in the UK.

Lucia.

The Body Shop Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask | Review

The Ionic Clay Mask from The Body Shop is something I've been wanting to try for a while. A lot of bloggers have talked about it before, and it seemed like something I would like. I was right!

It is targeted towards combination and oily skin types and it purifies, cleanses and removes excess oil from your face. I do feel like it does all that since my skin feels really smooth and soft after I use it, but it doesn't make it dry. 

As you can see, it has a light layer of green liquid on top, which I think it's just to preserve it and make it last longer, but it doesn' make the mask feel any different. 

It says you can use it twice a week, but I only do it once because my skin is sensitive and I don't want to irritate it. 

It's also really easy to use: you apply it with your fingers like any other mask, let it dry for about 10-15 minutes and then remove it (I use a wet face towel and I think that's the easiest/less messy way).

Where can you find it? At The Body Shop for 20€ in Spain and £13 in the UK, and if you live in the US, you can get it from Ulta's website for $22.

La Mascarilla Facial de Algas y Arcilla Iónica de The Body Shop es algo que quería probar desde hace tiempo. Muchas bloggers han hablado de ella previamente, y parecía algo que me podría gustar. ¡Estaba en lo cierto!

Está hecha para pieles mixtas y grasas y purifica, limpia y elimina los excesos de grasa de tu cara. Sí pienso que hace todo eso ya que mi piel se queda muy suave después de usarla, y no la seca.

Como podéis ver, tiene una fina capa de líquido verde encima, y creo que es solo para preservarla y que dure más tiempo, pero no lo notas cuando la aplicas.

Pone que la puedes usar dos veces a la semana, pero yo solo lo hago una ya que mi piel es sensible y no quiero irritarla.

También es muy fácil de usar: la aplicas con los dedos como cualquier otra mascarilla, dejas que se seque durante unos 10-15 minutos y te la quitas (yo uso una toalla de cara mojada y creo que es la forma más fácil/menos sucia de hacerlo)

¿Dónde puedes encontrarla? En las tiendas The Body Shop por 20€ en España, £13 en Reino Unido, y si vives en Estados Unidos, en la web de Ulta por $22.

Lucia.

Maybelline Color Elixir Lip Color in Blush Essence | Review + swatch

This may seem like a shock to anyone who knows me because I'm not a lipgloss person. I usually tend to stick to lipsticks and stains, but I do love Maybelline lip products, so I decided to give this a go; I'm talking about the Color Elixir line that came out a few months ago (I think). To my surprise, I actually like it and have already worn it 2 or 3 times since I bought it. 

The color I chose is called Blush Essence and, although it has a bit of shimmer, I found it to be one of the most wearable from the ones they had at the store. It's a shade that works great over any pink lipstick or on its own, since it's very opaque and creamy as you can see on the swatch below.

It retails for about 9.90€ in Spain (I bought it at Primor), $8.99 in the States (Ulta price) and, sadly,  I don't think it's out in the UK yet since I couldn't find it on Boots or Superdrug (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). 

¿Have you tried this lipgloss line?

Esto puede ser un shock para las personas que me conocen porque no me suelen gustar los brillos de labios. Suelo utilizar pintalabios y lip stains, pero sí que me encantan todos los labiales de Maybelline, así que decidí darle una oportunidad; estoy hablando de la línea Color Elixir que salió al mercado hace unos meses (creo). Para mi sorpresa, me gusta y ya lo he usado unas 2 o 3 veces desde que lo compré.

El color que escogí se llama Blush Essence y, aunque tiene un poco de brillo, creo que es uno de los tonos más "ponibles" de los que tenían en la tienda. Queda muy bien encima de algún pintalabios rosa o solo, ya que es bastante opaco como podéis ver en la foto de abajo.

Se vende por 9.90€ en España (lo compré en Primor), $8.99 en Estados Unidos (precio de Ulta) y, tristemente, creo que no está disponible todavía en Reino Unido ya que no lo he podido encontrar ni en Boots ni en Superdrug (corregirme si estoy equivocada).

¿Habéis probado esta línea de brillos de labios?

Lucia.

The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Sorbet | Review

I recently bought the new The Body Shop Body Sorbet in the pink grapefruit flavour/smell and I wanted to tell you about it because I'm in love! Before I get started, I wanted to say that I've never been a body lotion person because I've never needed the extra moisture, but lately my legs have been itching a bit and I realized I needed to hydrate them.

I bought the The Body Shop Body Sorbet because of the light weight, fast absorbing claims and, it's so true! When you first apply it, it feels a little waxy (think face primer) but after a few seconds it absorbs and you can't even feel it on your skin. What's left is a really nice grapefruit smell (they also have strawberry, mango, moringa and satsuma).

I don't know how well it would work for people with dry skin who need more moisture since it's so light weight, but for everyone else I think it's a must have. It retails for 11€ in Spain and £8 in the UK.

Hace poco compré la loción corporal Sorbet de The Body Shop en el sabor/olor pomelo rosa y os lo quería contar porque me encanta. Antes de nada, quería decir que nunca he sido una persona que usa lociones corporales porque no necesitaba más nutrición en mi piel, pero últimamente me estaban picando un poco las piernas y me di cuenta que tenía que comprar alguna crema para hidratarlas. 

Compré la loción corporal Sorbet the The Body Shop porque había oído que era ligera y de rápida absorción, y ¡es cierto! Cuando lo extiendes se nota como con grumos (como un primer de cara) pero después de unos segundos se absorbe y no puedes ni notarlo en tu piel. Lo que deja es un buen olor a pomelo (también lo hay de fresa, mango, mandarina y moringa).

No sé qué tal irá para pieles más secas que necesiten más hidratación por lo ligera que es, pero para el resto de gente creo que es un producto esencial. Se vende por 11€ en España y £8 en Reino Unido.

Lucia.

The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder | Review

If you're like me and read a ton of blogs and watch a lot of YouTube, you would know that the Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder from The Body Shop is one of the popular ones lately. I've seen so many people talk nice about it, and I finally decided to try it out.

I especially thought it would be a nice fit for me since they have a few shades suited for pale skin tones. I picked up the shade number 2 because they were out of number 1, but the lovely sales assistant there assured me that they were almost identical and I could see that from the tester. 

One of the things I love the most about it is its gorgeous design; it's a beauty. Also, it's important to say that it's matte, which is always good in a bronzer. It gives a very nice glow to my face and it's not orange at all. It retails for ‎£13 in the UK, 14€ in Spain, and $20 in the USA. 

Si eres como yo y te gusta leer un montón de blogs y ver muchos vídeos en YouTube, sabrás que los Polvos Bronceadores Honey Bronze de The Body Shop son bastante populares. He visto mucha gente hablar de este producto, y finalmente me he decidido a probarlo. 

Especialmente pensé que sería una buena elección para mí porque tienen varios tonos adecuados para pieles muy blancas. Escogí el tono número 2 porque el 1 estaba agotado, pero la chica que trabajaba allí me aseguró que eran casi idénticos y lo pude ver en los probadores que tienen.

Una de las cosas que más me gustan es el diseño; es súper bonito. Además, es importante decir que es mate, lo cuál siempre es bueno en unos polvos bronceadores. Me aporta un color muy bonito y no es para nada naranja. Se vende por ‎£13 en Reino Unido, 14€ en España y $20 en Estados Unidos. 

Lucia.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water | Review

This review comes in pretty late since everyone has already talked about it and tried it, but I still wanted to do it. I've never tried Bioderma so I don't know if this is a dupe or not, but I know one thing: this is amazing!

I remove my makeup with makeup wipes and waterproof eye makeup remover, and I follow up with this Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. I put a little on two cotton pads and that's enough for my whole face. I always thought my makeup wipes did a great job at removing my makeup, but this product proves me wrong: the cotton pads come out pretty dirty, but after one swipe I don't need any more.

It is supposed to remove your makeup, cleans and tone, all in one, so you might want to try that out. I don't use it as an all in one product because I like to use water resistant makeup for my eyes and because my foundation is usually pretty heavy/thick; but if you use light makeup, it might work for you.

The bottle comes with 400 ml of product, which is a lot. I always feel like I'm putting too much on the cotton pads, but I'm not even half way through and I've been using it for months! If you haven't tried it yet, you should give it a go.

Esta review llega bastante tarde ya que todo el mundo ha hablado y ha probado el producto, pero quería hacerla de todos modos. Nunca he usado Bioderma así que no puedo decir si este es igual o no, pero sé una cosa: ¡es genial!

Suelo limpiarme el maquillaje con toallitas y desmaquillante de ojos resistente al agua, y después uso este Agua Micelar de Garnier. Pongo un poco en dos algodones y eso es suficiente para toda mi cara. Siempre había pensado que las toallitas me quitaban el maquillaje muy bien, pero este producto prueba que estaba equivocada: los algodones acaban bastante sucios, pero después de pasarmelos una vez no necesito más.

Se supone que quita el maquillaje, limpia y es un tónico, todo en uno, así que lo podéis probar a ver qué tal. Yo no lo uso como producto todo en uno porque me gusta usar maquillaje resistente al agua en los ojos y porque mi base es bastante densa; pero si usáis poco maquillaje o ligero, puede que os funcione.

El bote viene con 400 ml de producto, lo cual es un montón. Siempre pienso que estoy echando mucho en los algodones, pero no he llegado a la mitad del bote y lo llevo usando unos cuantos meses. Si no lo habéis probado todavía, ¿a qué estáis esperando?

Lucia.

Nail of the Day | Rimmel London - Black Cab

If you told me a few years ago I was going to be in love with black nail polish, I wouldn't have believed you. I was always into pinks and reds, and then got into more colors. With that said, black has become my favorite color to paint my nails, and it's all thanks to Black Cab by Rimmel London.

This nail polish is great! It only takes two coats to get completely opaque and it's not an expensive nail polish. It's also super creamy, even if you don't use a top coat (which I always do because that way my nail polish lasts longer).

Si hace unos años me dices que me iba a encantar el pintauñas de color negro, no te habría creído. Siempre me gustaban los rosas y rojos, y luego empecé a usar más colores. Con esto dicho, el negro se ha convertido en mi color preferido para pintar mis uñas, y es todo gracias a Black Cab de Rimmel London.

¡Este pintauñas es genial! Solo tienes que darte dos capas para conseguir que esté completamente opaco y no es un esmalte caro. Es muy cremoso, incluso si no usas top coat (aunque yo siempre lo hago porque así me duran más los pintauñas).

Do you have a favorite black nail polish?

¿Tenéis algún pintauñas negro favorito?

Lucia.

Nail of the day - Bobbing For Baubles by Essie

Today I want to show you one of my current favorite nail polishes. This is Bobbing For Baubles by Essie and it's a lovely navy color, as you can see in the picture. I really like wearing it and I think it looks very classy. It also compliments really well my pale skin, but I'm sure it'd also look amazing on darker skin tones.

Hoy os quiero enseñar uno de mis pintauñas favoritos del momento. Este es Bobbing For Baubles de Essie y es un color azul marino muy bonito, como podéis ver en la foto. Me gusta mucho llevarlo y creo que queda muy elegante. Además, queda muy bien con mi piel súper blanca, aunque estoy segura que también queda genial en pieles más oscuras.

This one came out a couple years ago, but After School Boy Blazer is a very similar navy and it's from their newer winter collection, so if you can't find the one I'm showing, that one is pretty close (although a bit more dark).

Este salió hace un par de años, pero After School Boy Blazer es un azul marino muy parecido y es de la nueva colección de invierno, así que si no encontráis este, el otro es casi lo mismo (aunque un poco más oscuro).

xoxo

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss

I thought I'd start blogging again since it's summer and I have a lot of free time. I recently bought these two lipsticks and I'm in love with them, so I wanted to share my thoughts with all of you.

These are the Lasting Finish Matte lipsticks from Rimmel London and they're part of the Kate Moss line/colaboration. The colors I have are 103 (the pink one) and 109 (the orange one).



Scent: These are my first rimmel lipsticks so I don't know if they all smell like this, but these smell just like their Apocalips lip laquers. I don't mind it, but I know some people may not like it since it's a bit strong. Anyway, once you apply it and let it dry and all that, you don't smell it on your lips.

Formula: The formula is fairly thick and very pigmented. I like it because since it's a lipstick it's supposed to have a lot of color, and it does. It doesn't go matte right when you apply it, but if you wait a minute or so then you'll notice it. They are a bit drying, but that's expected from a matte lipstick; if you struggle with chapped or dry lips, just apply your favorite lip balm underneath.

Lasting power: I was expecting it to have great lasting power since it's called 'Lasting Finish', but it's not quite like that. If you don't eat or drink, it does stay for a long time, but the moment you get your lips on a glass it's pretty much gone. That's a little annoying specially since it claims to be lasting, but oh well.

Price: I bought it online from BeautyJoint and it was $6.49, which is pretty good. I didn't know how much it was here in Spain so I went into Juteco's website (since I always buy my makeup at that physical store) and it says their online price is 6.63€ but it's 8.29€ in stores. I think that's pretty ridiculous but that's how much makeup is here, so it doesn't surprise me at all.

Here are some swatches on my arm:

103 is a pretty mauve pink color and I've been wearing it a lot since I got it. This color is very wearable and perfect for any season and occasion.
109 is an orange lipstick (it's a little bit onto the red side as well) and although I don't typically go for this color, I'm really excited to wear it this summer. When I ordered it I thought it was going to be lighter, so it was a little disappointing, but I'm happy with it.

Final thoughts: Overall, I think these lipsticks are great and I might buy another color if I find one that I like. They're not lasting like they claim, but their color and pigmentation makes them worth it.

Have you tried any of these? What are your favorite matte lipsticks?

xoxo

Paris palette by Sigma | Review and swatches

Today I want to review a Sigma palette for you. The reason why I want to do this is because this palette is fairly expensive and it's nice to see what you're going to get if you decide to spend the money on it.

First of all, now that I've started with that, it costs $59. I found a coupon online so I didn't have to pay shipping, which was very nice. This palette is limited edition but it's been on their website for a while now, so I don't know when they're going to stop selling it.

The palette comes with a sleeve that is, in my opinion, prettier than the actual palette but whatever, the important part are the eyeshadows and blushes.

Here's a picture of everything that comes with it. The brushes are travel sized ones: the eyeshadow one is an E55 and the blush one is the F40. Then it comes with 8 Paris-named eyeshadows and 3 french-named blushes. Everything is gorgeous if you ask me.

Here are some swatches of all the eyeshadows in opposite order of the photo above, so: Versailles, Triomphe, Notre Dame, Elysées, Orsay, Louvre, Seine and Eiffel. The only matte color is Louvre, which is kind of disappointing, but since all the colors are so pretty, I'm not complaining too much about it.

These are the blushes in the same order, so: Rouge, Pêche and Lumiére.

Overall I think it's worth the money because everything is pretty, wearable and pigmented. Obviously, most colors are not for every day use, but they're perfect if you're going somewhere where you want to "dress up" your make up a little bit, or even if you just want to wear a more sophisticated look.

xoxo

Wedge by MAC | Review and Swatches

As I told you in my Satin Taupe review, on that trip to MAC I also got another eyeshadow: Wedge. This one is less known but I also think it's an essential for anyone that likes wearing eyeshadow.

Wedge is a matte brown color very comparable to Naked by Urban Decay, although I'd say Wedge is a little bit darker, but very slightly. I use Naked a lot and sometimes I just don't like to get the whole palette out just for one color, so I though this would be very nice. If you don't own the Naked Palette I really recommend you buy this one.

You can create a lot of neutral looks with this eyeshadow or you can use it in your crease as a blending color. MAC eyeshadows have amazing quality, and this one is no exception as you can see in the swatch below:

xoxo

Satin Taupe by MAC | Review + Swatches

Satin Taupe is one of MAC's most famous eyeshadows. I was at the MAC counter the other day because I wanted something from the new collection but I couldn't stop looking at their eyeshadows, so I asked the lady there to recommend a neutral one. This is the first one she mentioned and after she told me the name I already knew I was getting it. I also bought Wedge, but I'll do another post for that one.

As you can see it is a beautiful shimmery taupe eyeshadow. If you look closely you can see that the shimmer is silver, and you can also notice if you look at it at an angle with the light.

I think it is a staple piece for any make up collection and I don't know why I didn't purchase it before. Even though it is a little dark, I think it can be worn in a daily look if you only use a little. Also, it is highly pigmented as you can see in this next picture:

It is definitely a new favorite of mine. What do you think?
Also, let me know if you're loving any MAC eyeshadow that you think I might also like :)

xoxo

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable | Review + Swatches

A few posts ago I reviewed the Revlon Lip Butters and now I'm here to tell you about another Revlon lip product that has been talked about for a while now; the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable lip stains.

Since they are stains they last longer than regular lipstick or lipgloss but they're also moisturizing and not drying like most stains.

They come in a bunch of colors but I only have two right now; I plan on getting more because I really like this product. The colors that I have are Smitten (dark one) and Sweetheart (light one), and I like both of them very much.

People say these are comparable to the Clinique Chubby Stick, but since I haven't tried those ones I can't really say if that statement is true or not. Anyways, these are around $7-8 and the Clinique ones retail for about $20, I belive; so I think these Revlon ones are very much worth the try.

Also I have to say that they taste/smell like peppermint, which is something that I love, but I know some people may not like that, but still, it goes away a few minutes after you've applied it.

The twist up so there is more product that you don't see; I say this because some people can think that you only get the tip of the stick of product, but like I said, there is more inside.

Here are the swatches: as you can see Smitten comes out more sheer than Sweetheart but both colors are gorgeous in my opinion.

xoxo