CURRENT MAKEUP FAVORITES VOL 1

 

 

Hello everyone and happy 2017! I can’t believe the holidays are over and a new year, full with potential and surprises has come. For the first (and admittedly late) post of 2017, I thought I would share with you all the new makeup additions to my collection, which I am excited to use. You probably all know by now how much of a beauty-addict I am. I need to try new products all the time, without of course forgetting my favorite staple ones.

Image: www.sephora.com

The first thing on my list is the one I am most excited about: the Kat Von D Tattoo liner. OMG! This is the best eyeliner ever! I am not very good in using eyeliner – I’ve only been using it for a couple of months now- which is why this eyeliner is perfect. It has the finest, thinnest tip ever, which I absolutely love because it helps me create a simple but precision fleek. It is so easy to use and it is buildable, which means you can go for a cute daytime thin fleek, to a thicker and bolder nighttime one. I have already stocked up with a second one!

Image: www.ukrimellondon.com

Another favorite I actually got in a magazine is the new Rimmel Volume Colorist mascara. I am such a sucker for mascaras and I love trying new ones all the time, which is why I have more samples than full-sized ones. This is my first Rimmel mascara and I have to say I was very impressed. It has a tint complex that supposedly tints your lashes and makes them stand out more. So basically if your lashes are quite pale and sometimes non-existent, this mascara will add color to them during a period of time and make them stand out even without it. On that subject I don’t have to say much, since my lashes are quite visible on their own and I haven’t been using only this mascara on a daily basis. What I loved about it is the long, slightly pyramid shape brush with the perfectly separated bristles. This brush elongates and separates my lashes, making them look beautiful yet natural; it is just perfect for a simple day look.

Image: www.colourpop.com
Image: www.colourpop.com

Another brand I absolute love is Colourpop. I had heard so many amazing words about Colourpop products that last year I decided to take the plunge and try a few of its famous Liquid Matte Lipsticks and boy was I not disappointed! The lipsticks are incredible and at such an affordable price (full review here). This year I thought I should try out some other products as well, such as its highlighters and eyeshadows. Although full reviews and swatches of everything I got will follow-up soon enough, I simply had to mention two of my favorite Highlighters in this post. The first one is called Hippo and it is the most gorgeous, icy lavender color ever and the second one is called Monster and it is a beautiful nude/champagne shade with pink shimmer. What I love about these highlighters is how creamy (they are creamy and not powdery) and how discreet they are. They are quite sheer, yet buildable and create a gorgeous shimmery effect. Especially the Hippo one had literally lifted my cheekbones; it was beautiful!

Image: www.colourpop.com

Still in the Colourpop brand and apart from the shadows and highlighters, I also got my first Ultra Satin Lipstick, since I only had matte ones. I was a bit skeptical about the Satin finish as I don’t really enjoy creamy and shiny lipsticks. The one I got is in the shade London Fog, a lovely, deep -yet bright enough- red. Once again Colourpop hadn’t disappointed me. The color is so beautiful and I feel it really suits me. The satin finish is very lovely; it is not creamy and shiny at all, on the contrary from a distance it looks rather matte. But it is more moisturizing than a matte one, and it glides easier on the lips.

Image: www.sephora.com

Another makeup favorite I absolutely love is Burberry’s Lip and Cheek Bloom in the shade Purple Tulip. This is a multipurpose product as it can be used on the lips and cheeks. It is not an actual lipstick and blush but more of a lip and cheek stain.  I really like these types of products for when you are on the go or travelling, plus they are perfect for a more natural everyday makeup look. This product is really creamy and buttery, and has a lovely color payoff. The shade I got is simply amazing; if there was one shade in the whole world that could describe and be me, it would be this shade. It is the most gorgeous pink/fuchsia shade!

Image: www.sephora.com

I have always loved full and well-shaped brows. I believe they basically map and frame the entire face. All my eyebrow products are among my favorite ones. Even on the days I am going for a more casual and natural look, I always take care of my eyebrows. Most of the time I am using either powder products or pencil ones but I always wanted to try the Dipbrow Pomade by Anastasia Beverly Hills. When I first used it I was very excited as my eyebrows looked amazing and fierce; so professional. However, I have to warn you guys that this is a very creamy and pigmented product. You literally need the smallest quantity for the entire brow, otherwise you risk of looking like a fool with slug-eyebrows. Also you need a very thin and sturdy brush because precision is the key when using this product. It is long-lasting and quite smudge-proof. Absolutely recommend it!

Image: www.hm.com

The last makeup item I recently got and love so much is the Matte Lip Colour lipsticks by H&M Beauty. I got quite a few due to the sale that’s been going on these days and I am totally hooked. They are really good quality, long-lasting and truly matte. Also the color selection is quite huge and caters for all tastes. I got different shades ranging from red and coral-red to fuchsia and purple. They are all equally pretty. And the best about them is their amazing price at 10 euros! So cheap yet so lovely!

Which are your favorite makeup items you currently swear by? Don’t forget to connect with me through my Instagram @vogueandmacarons!

Vicky xx

Perfect Eyebrows + My Eyebrow Routine

HOW TO GET THE PERFECT EYEBROWS + MY EYEBROW ROUTINE

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One of my favorite parts while doing my makeup, is the eyebrows. I just love eyebrows! I believe that they basically frame the face and give some structure to it. Imagine how weird your face would look without eyebrows. I know right? Therefore, eyebrows are a very important part of any makeup routine.

The first thing is to give the right shape to your eyebrows. By right I mean the shape that suits and flatters your face the most. The best thing would be to follow the natural arch and pluck it based on that. The two ends of your eyebrow are guided by your nose and your eye. So basically to find the beginning of your eyebrow mark a straight line from your nostril and up. Where your nostril ends is where your eyebrow begins. The end of your eyebrow is found my placing a ruler or a pencil diagonally from your nostril to the outer corner of your eye. This is where the eyebrow should end. To find your arch, you get the very same pencil/ruler and from the end of your nostril (like all the previous times), you take it at the centre of your pupil and up. That’s how you find where the highest part of your arch should be. It is an easy peasy way to map your eyebrows.

My eyebrow routine-Favorite products

When I groom my eyebrows, I basically pluck them where I need to in order to maintain my shape, and then I also use a tiny pair of scissors to trim them a little bit. I also use alcohol before I start plucking, to open up my pores a little so the process won’t hurt that much. Of course, I also brush them through the entire process so I can see how they will look eventually.

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When I am doing my eyebrow makeup, I use a few products I really like. For feeling in my brows I use a pencil or a shadow. My favorite pencil is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown. I absolutely love that pencil because it has a very fine tip, which is perfect for creating a natural (not overdrawn) look. Plus it has a spooley brush as well.

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When I have more time at hand, I prefer to use a shadow than a pencil. My favorite duo is from the Naked 2 Basics palette from Urban Decay. I use the second darkest shade called Primal for the first half of my brow up to my arch, because this is a lovely taupe-brown shade that will keep the look natural. If I used a darker shade my eyebrows would look unnatural and overdrawn. For the second part of the brow I use the darkest shade called Undone, because it is a cool-toned dark brown, which is perfect for filling in my sparse part. I use an angled brush because of its shape.

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After I am done with the filling of the brows, I brush them with the spooley to blend any excess product and then I use my Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel to set my eyebrow so there won’t be any unruly hair flying to different directions. Sometimes when I am too lazy to fully do my eyebrows, I use a tinted eyebrow gel to fill them in a little and set them at the same time. I mostly use the Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel in Brunette but lately I am loving Benefit’s Gimme Brow in Medium/Dark. Both of them are lovely.

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Besides the products mentioned above, I also love Urban Decay’s Brow Box in Brown Sugar. It is an amazing all-in-one product as it has 2 shades for the brows, a pair of tweezers, two angled brushes and wax to set the brows. An amazing tool perfect for daily use or when travelling.

Brows are an important part of the face; they add structure to all the characteristics. Therefore, grooming them is an important part of a makeup look. It doesn’t matter what you use to get the right brow; it could be shadow, pencil or simply a tinted brow gel. No matter what you choose to use or how you choose to do your eyebrows, keep in mind that they should always frame your face and highlight your features. Try not to overdo them but instead always keep them natural-looking. It doesn’t matter how thin or thick they are as long as they look natural and not like glued on or drawn on. I would love to know your eyebrow routine and your favorite eyebrow products. Also lets connect on my Instagram (@vogueandmacarons) or Twitter (@vogueandmacaron).

Till next time take care dolls 😉 xxx

Vicky

FESTIVE MAKEUP LOOK

FESTIVE MAKE UP LOOK

 

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Hello lovelies! I can’t believe Christmas is just around the corner! I am so excited thinking of all the food and sweets and just how fun that day will be. For a festive day like this, a festive look is appropriate. However, I am not a huge fan of extravagant makeup looks; I mostly like subtle yet glamorous makeup that does not look heavy on the face. I really like the old school Hollywood stars make up, where lips are the centre of the entire look. For this festive Christmas look, I will go for shimmery eyes but not too loud, and for bold lips. I am torn between red and purple, as I love purple lipstick a lot however, I believe red lipstick puts the F in Festive! So let’s get started shall we?

The face

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In order to look extra glamorous and fresh on Christmas day, I moisturized my face using Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream. I really love how smooth and hydrated my skin feels afterwards. Then I used MAC’s Prep and Prime primer to prime my face so the makeup will not crease and stay in place for the day. In order to achieve a dewy base, I used a tiny bit of my Nars Sheer Glow foundation in the shade Mont Blanc, which I applied with a damp sponge. For under my eyes, I used my Bobbi Brown Corrector in the shade Bisque to cover my dark circles, and then I applied my Nars Radiant creamy concealer in the shade Vanilla. To set the base I used my Rimmel Stay Matte powder in the shade Transparent. Once everything is set, it’s time for the highlighter and blush. For blush I used MAC’s Breath of Plum because I find it a lovely winter color that ties well with gold shimmery shades. For highlighter I used my Physician’s Formula “Natural Nude” palette. I love this multipurpose palette and especially the top white colors for highlighting. I applied the highlighter on my cheekbones, inner eye corners and my cupid’s bow. I am not a huge fan of contouring and bronzing however, I used my Anastasia Beverly Hills contour kit palette to bring some warmth to my pale face. I used the middle bottom shade because it is perfect for very pale skin, and I applied it on the hollows of my cheeks and my forehead; but only a little because I didn’t want to end up with darker face than body. And with that the face is finished.

The eyes

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Moving on to the eyes, I went for a shimmery yet subtle look. I wanted to keep the eyes bright and glamorous but not very strong as to overshadow the lips. To create the festive look I was going for I used two of my favorite palettes: Naked 2 (p1) by Urban Decay and Everything Nice (p2) by Too Faced. These palettes are extremely pigmented, which means you really need a small quantity each time on your brush. First I applied the color Turtle Dove (p2), which is a creamy matte white, all over my lid and up to my brow bone, in order to create the perfect base. Then from the first palette (p1) I used the color Bootycall (I know right?) on my lid. This is a nude-peachy metallic color, which is going to deepen my lid a bit.   Then, from the second palette (p2) I applied the color Shinny Happy on the centre of my lid. This is a shimmery, cool toned gold. It sets the base for the glamorous part. With a fluffy brush I blended the color Suspect (p1), which is a silvery gold, on the edge of my crease to brighten the eye a bit. Lastly I used the color  Don’t Settle (p2), which is a brown-gold color, on the outer corner of my eye and all the way to the middle, to make the look a little bolder and tie everything in. On the inner corner of my eye, as mentioned before, I used my highlighter. On my lower lashline, I used the color Don’t Settle (p2) to enhance the look and make it a little more dramatic. I am not a big fan of liquid liner or eye liner in general, because I feel it looks heavy on my droopy eyes. Therefore, I choose to use a black eye shadow with an angled brush and I create a small wing which I bring to the middle of my lid and smudge it a little bit. I also connect the wing to my lower lashline until the middle as well. I don’t use fake lashes as I am rubbish at it however, I love mascara! I curled my lashes with my H&M curler and then I used Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye mascara. It makes the lashes longer and much fuller, perfect for a festive look. Of course we should never forget our eye brows. My eye brow routine is very simple. I brush them with a spoolie, then I fill them in a little with my Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown and I set them with a clear brow gel.

The lips

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Last but not least, the lips. Remember the lips are the centre of the whole look. It’s the holidays so I decided after some conflict to use a lovely bright red lip color. First I muted my lips with some powder and then I used my MAC lip liner in Ruby Woo to line my lips slightly. I don’t go over my lips with my liner; I simple go over my natural lines and accentuate my cupids bow. I absolutely love red lipsticks. For this look I wanted a bright red but not orangey, so I used Rimmel’s Kate Moss number 10. Such a beautiful creamy red! It is not very matte or very glossy. If you want to go full on, then you can add some red or even clear lipstick on the top. To make sure my makeup will last and look amazing after a couple of hours, I set it with MAC’s Fix Plus spray.

I love how festive this look is, without being over the top. The eye makeup is a cool toned gold, paired with a bold and bright red lipstick. It is a look that can carry you throughout the day and night. You can have it on the Christmas table and the bar you might pop at night. It is flattering for everyone, as you can never go wrong with a red lipstick. I hope you like the look as much as I do. If you recreate it, share it on Instagram (@blueberrylover) and Twitter (@vickyinlalaland) with the hashtag #myshinyxmas.

Till next time take care dolls 😉 xxx

Vicky

NOVEMBER FAVORITES

NOVEMBER FAVORITES

 

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November and autumn – which is my favorite season – might be gone, but December has set in, with Christmas just around the corner. Since it’s the end of the month, I have done a roundup of my most loved and used products! This is so exciting, as it is also my first “monthly favorites” post and I can’t wait to share with you guys everything that really got in my heart this month. I am going to mention not only my beauty favorites, but also my fashion ones as well as some random things!

Beauty – Skincare – Hair care

As a nail polish hoarder, I fell in love with H&M new nail polishes (see full review). Reinventing its beauty department, H&M came up with a new nail polish line, which looks higher end than their usual nail polishes and is a bit more expensive. However, they are absolutely amazing! I am completely converted. They are easy to apply, they dry in merely 5 minutes and they last for a little over a week with minor chipping. Also they so shiny you don’t even need to apply a top coat. I can’t say enough good words about them! I have already got 6 colors and I intend to get more, since the variety is huge!

I absolutely love Burberry’s Velvet foundation (see full review). It is very light and watery, so it is easy to apply and has a sheer, velvet finish. It blends in to my skin in such an easy way, that I can’t even tell I am wearing anything. I really love the sheer finish, especially for every day casual makeup because it doesnt burnden my skin. This foundation has by far the sheerest coverage I have seen. I love how the shade I have has a rosy undertone which is perfect for my pale, pinkish skin. In total, it is a wonderful foundation, perfect for those who seek something sheer and light.

Another makeup monthly favorite is my Anastasia Beverly Hills clear brow gel. Up until recently I was using either a pencil or a shadow for my eyebrows. Lately though, I started using my ABH sample sized clear brow gel and I am in love. I know it is just a clear gel but I love how it sets my eyebrows in a perfect way. They look naturally full and groomed and you can’t see the imperfections and sparse areas.

I got Lancôme’s Renergie Lift Multi Action from a magazine and I decided to give it a try. I am so glad i did! It is amazing. Although it has anti-aging properties, for me it does wonders in moisturizing my skin. It is quite thick, almost like butter and it is absorbed instantly from the skin. I find my face so smooth the following morning and it looks clear and bright. I am very surprised with this cream and very happy I came across it. It is part of my nighttime routine now!

Moroccanoil hair treatment (see full review) is my holy grail! I had heard so many great things about it that I decided to give it a go. This product is simply amazing. I use only a pump for my entire hair and it makes my hair incredibly soft. Also my hair is easier to detangle. I am so shocked at how good this product is. All these reviews weren’t lying. You only need a little bit and your hair will be so nourished, soft and shiny. Definitely a favorite!

Fashion

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My Public Desire over the knee boots (see full review) is my favorite pair of shoes for this month. They are so comfortable and pretty. They have a lovely fit, even though they are a bit big around my thighs, and they look so sexy. I love over the knee or thigh high boots. They look good with everything, either jeans or skirts and dresses, and they can be worn for a casual look or a fancier nighttime one. So perfect!

I absolutely love this ASOS black and red checkered coat. It is so pretty and because it has a biker jacket style, there is a rock vibe to it that I find very cool. I love how it’s black but the red checkered lines are so discreet. It is woollen so it’s very warm and has huge pockets which is perfect for when I am lazy and I don’t want to carry a bag with me. Also the detachable black furry collar makes it even cooler and warmer, plus it adds some sophistication which is perfect for the nighttime.

These H&M jumpers are simply amazing. I love how they are so long that can be worn with leggings or opaque tights alone. They are very warm but not woolen (wool itches my skin). Also they have the distressed detail at the bottom which adds some spice to the otherwise ordinary jumper. I have both of the colors they come in: grey and white-grey. They are so flattering and perfect for winter!

 Lifestyle

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I am a proper book-worm! I love reading books more than watching movies because while I am reading a book, I become creative and built the stories and the characters in my head. I feel like I am living the story myself. Although I have over 50 unread books in my library, I just can’t stop buying new ones. I am a book-addict! Lately I have been reading the 7 Letters from Paris book and I like it a lot. It is a romantic novel about a woman who met the love of her life at Paris and let him go. 20 years later, after a failed marriage, she goes back to Paris to find that one love and apologize to him! I am a sucker for love stories, what can I say! I recommend this book to all the romantic souls out there!

I absolutely love my Diptyque Violette candle (see full review). I don’t have much to say, since I already have a post raving about it, but this has to be the best candle I have ever used. Like it is amazing! It has a powdery, discreet scent that makes me feel calm and happy. I loved this so much, that I actually finished it in merely a month and repurchased it immediately!

I am so excited to share all the things I loved this past month with you guys. Either they are makeup and skin care or fashion and lifestyle, those things took a special place in my heart and made November a much better month for me! Do you have any of the things mentioned above and if so how do you feel about it? I would love to hear from you guys and also don’t forget to pop over Instagram (@blueberrylover) and Twitter (@vickyinlalaland) and say hi!

 

Till next time take care dolls 😉 xxx

Vicky