Brand Focus - Top 5 Products from Benefit Cosmetics

There are certain brands out there that I find slightly confusing. On the one hand, they come out with some great products that everyone raves about but, at the same time, they regularly release items that really fail to impress. I find Benefit to be one of those brands. They are great at enticing customers with cute packaging and some unique-looking products but there are as many misses as there are hits among the Benefit range. 

Taking that into consideration I thought that my next Brand Focus post should be devoted to Benefit Cosmetics to help you find and select some real gems among their offering, especially if you encounter this brand for the first time. 

Long-lasting Make-up - Face Primers

My friend Kristin asked me the other day to give her some advice on long-lasting make-up to use on her wedding day in August. So I thought I could turn it into a short series about those top-quality products that will help your make-up stay in place for many hours. Useful for weddings, parties and those important, long days at work.
We will start with face primers - something I use only occasionally, when I need my face to look perfect and smooth. Primers, often silicone based, are used after your daily moisturizer but before foundation  There are different types of primers: smoothing, matifying, brightening and colour-correcting but their major role is to create a smooth surface on the skin which helps the foundation look seamless, pores look smaller and make-up hold longer.

My tip is to let the primer set in before using foundation. I like giving it around 10 minutes.

Sunday Spa - Ziaja Antibacterial Algae Gel Mask

Sundays are usually my spa days. I make time for some hair treatments, pedicure and manicure and for face masks. Those moments are particularly exciting when I get to try a new product and this Sunday it has been Ziaja Antibacterial Gel Mask with 100% algae spirulina.

I purchased this mask from my beautician who recommended it after hearing about my problems with hormonal break-outs. This mask is supposed to be perfect for problematic skin as spirulina algae has clarifying and antibacterial properties.

Brand focus: Bath and Body Works

Remember how I told you about all the differences between America and Europe when it comes to shopping for beauty? Well, one of the major disadvantages of the European market is that many American brands are simply not available here. One of them is definitely Bath and Body Works. If The Body Shop and Yankee Candle had a baby together, Bath and Body Works would be that baby. I can only describe it as a scent shop: a place where you will find beautifully smelling candles and matching body lotions : things for your body care and for your senses.
Bath and Body Works has only recently opened its stores in three European countries: Russia, Turkey and... Poland. Therefore, I finally had a chance to get my hands on some of their stuff and I can now review them for you. Unfortunately, the brand is still not available in Britain or Sweden.

Quick Look: Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

It's here - fresh from the bakery and still smelling new - the latest addition to the Naked family. When I heard that Urban Decay releases Naked 3, I knew I had to have it. When it comes to Urban Decay and their nude palettes I trust the brand so much I don't even feel like checking for similar colours in my collection. I just want them all because I truly believe UD makes the best nude eyeshadows. 

Make-up of the day - Laura Mercier Colour-To-Go Portable Palette for Eyes, Cheeks & Lips

Almost all the brands, from time to time, release those limited-edition, all-in-one palettes that contain mostly colourful eyeshadows, dodgy lip glosses (with no colour pay-off) and bad-quality brushes. Having said that, there are a few exceptions that confirm the rule and Laura Mercier Colour-To-Go Portable Palette for Eyes, Cheeks & Lips in Natural Nude (what a mouthful!) is one of them. I absolutely love it and use it almost every day. That's why I thought that, instead of reviewing the whole palette, I would I show you how it works as a part of my daily make-up routine.

November favourites 2013

Left: NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner, La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo, Lernberger Stafsing Blowdry. Front: Benefit Rockateur, O.P.I Make Him Mine

I'm sorry to come so late with my favourites but, as the saying goes, "better late than never." Here comes a list of products I particularly enjoyed in November. I chose something from skincare, haircare and, of course, make-up. You will probably notice that some products have already appeared in my previous posts - I guess this is a clear sign I am really obsessed with them.

Brand focus: top products from NARS

From left:  lipstick in Dolce Vita, Creamy Concealer in Honey, Bronzer Laguna, Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, Blush in Luster

NARS is definitely one of those brands I would like to try almost everything from. Expensive but beautiful, with stunning packaging, great quality and some absolute must-haves. NARS is my particular favourite when it comes to face powders and lip products.I haven't been disappointed with any of my purchases from NARS but there are a few little gems that I feel I can recommend to everybody.

Quick look - review of Lush Big shampoo

I do like Lush. I know, that when it comes to this brand, there are those who absolutely adore the whole "Lushy" culture and those that get a headache just from passing by their heavily scented shops. I had an opportunity to try almost everything from their range and I truly enjoyed their unique types of formula, the way the products looked and the way they worked.
While - like with every brand - there are some hits and misses when it comes to Lush, one product stands out and I can sincerely recommend it to everyone - their volumizing shampoo BIG .

Mail from America - Sephora Superstars 2013

We all know about a huge gap between beauty industry when it comes to American and European markets. How many times have we heard bloggers and vloggers complain about all the lovely products that are not available in Europe or about the limited releases that some brands offer only across the pond? The differences are also in prices - beauty products in North America are significantly cheaper, not to mention that their drugstores and Sephora- my favourite shop of all time - are far better stocked.
Especially when it comes to Christmas, every European beauty addict gets her mouth watery seeing all the amazing box sets, limited edition collections and saver deals. I usually try to keep it calm and wait for my chance to get my hands on a product but when I saw a video of Tati from GlamLifeGuru showing Sephora Super Stars Beauty Must Haves - I had to have it! Luckily, my friends living in America helped me with the purchase and I can share it with you.

The face mask fix....

Back: Origins Clear Improvement, Origins Drink-Up Intensive, Nude Miracle Mask, Bliss Steep Clean. Front: Ren Glycolactic Mask, Bio-line Red Clay, Ziaja Nourishing Mask.

 We don't always have time or means to go to professional beauty salons and get expensive hour-long facials. Having said that, devoting 10-20 minutes of our weekly time to a skincare treatment sounds doable and will definitely provide our complexion with many long-term benefits. Face masks are aimed at various problems, differ in formulas and are less or more effective but they all have one thing in common -  they are to make us look better, practically after one use, and improve the general quality of our skin. I am a dedicated user of face masks and I apply them religiously twice a week. I generally divide them into three categories - cleansing masks, radiance masks and moisturizing masks.

Quick look: review of M.A.C Pro Longwear Paint Pot in 'Perky'

Today is one of those weird, rainy and gloomy days when I know I have so much to do but have no incentive to actually do it. Feeling this way, I thought I could scribble down a short review of my new 'go-to' product - something fun and enjoyable to write to take my mind away from all those pending tasks. 

I do love M.A.C paint pots - they were my first ever cream-based products to stay on my eyelids for the whole day and function both as an all-over-lid colour and as a base for other eyeshadows. Perky is the new favourite in my collection, mainly for its amazing brightening effect and staying power.

Brand focus: goodies from Kiehl's

Left: Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner, Over-Night Biological Peel, Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser, Creamy Eye Treatment, Ultra Light Daily Defense.

I like reading blog posts devoted to a particular brand. Sometimes it is simply useful to know what particular label has to offer, especially when encountering their products for the first time. I had a look at my own stash and I realized there're certain brands I clearly lean towards. 
I hope to make this a regular thing on my blog and I thought I could start with one of my beloved skincare brands - Kiehl's.

Metallic nails

From left: Zoya Jules, Dior Destin, Chanel Quartz, Butter London Yummy Mummy, Orly Rage

The winter is coming, no denying that. I live in Sweden and at this time of the year we hardly get any sun. Along with the changing weather, my nail colour preferences change as well. I say goodbye to orange reds, bright purples, neon pinks and minty colours (even to my favourite Essie's Mint Candy Apple). I make room for burgundy and plummy nail polishes, for greys and browns and finally for that full-on sparkle and glitter.