Vanity Table

I finally went to Ikea to buy my vanity table. My plan was to buy the Malm(€99,95) vanity table but they only had the white one, which doesn't match with any of my other furniture. So I decided to check some other tables/desks instead. I ended up buying a desk with a drawer(€29,95) and a drawer unit(€39,95) from the same line. The drawers are the same color as the rest of my furniture so it's better than completely white. And I also have more storage space now! I also bought a chair, a mirror and a desk pad, since the desk doesn't come with glass topping like the Malm vanity table. And I don't want my make up to accidently spill all over. I also bought some organizers for the drawers. I am so happy that all my make-up is stored in one place. Also bought a small mirror with led lights, love it!

Recent Beauty Purchases

Recent Purchases from MAC, Illamasqua & Real Techniques

Here is a break down of my recent beauty purchases from MAC, Illamasqua, Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman and La Roche Posay. I tested them all out already and I like them all.

Update MAC Semi-Precious Collection

As soon as I finished work I went to my MAC counter at Douglas to get my goodies. I was really excited and ready to swatch some eyeshadows. As you can see I bought two lipsticks, two Mineralize Blushes, the 234 brush and one Mineralize eyeshadow.

My MAC Semi-precious Purchase

MAC Semi-Precious Collection

When I first heard of this collection my list was really long. This collection consists of lipsticks, cremesheen glasses, mineralize blushes, mineralize skinfinishes, mineralize eyeshadows and some new brushes. It comes out this Saturday. But after seeing some swatches of the products I managed to narrow my list down.

I am definitely gonna buy:

• Gem of Roses Lipstick - Mid-tone Strawberry Pink (Lustre)
• Musky Amethyst Lipstick - Deep Plum (Frost)
• Warmth of Coral Mineralize Blush - Melange of Coral and Peach
• Pressed Amber Mineralize Blush - Melange of Nude, Beige and Brown
• 234 Split Fibre Eye Blending Brush

As for the Mineralize Eyeshadows I am torn between Rare Find(light plum), Dark Indulgence(darkened green), Hint of Sapphire(sheer lilac) and Faux Gold(orange/peachy because I don't own any color like this yet).  Blue Sheen(deep blue with nice shimmer) was also on my list but after seeing dupe swatches on Temptalia, I will be buying the Inglot shade #428 instead. Smoked Ruby(copper/bronze also with a very nice shimmer) and Quartz Fusion(glittery pink, bad texture) were also on my list but after seeing swatches, I am not planning on buying them anymore. I am going to buy MAC Cranberry as a dupe for Quartz Fusion. I am only planning on buying two eyeshadows(because otherwise I will spent way too much) but I still can't decide which two... So I will make a decision on Saturday when I can see the eyeshadows and also swatch them myself.
I am not planning on buying any Mineralize Skinfinishes because I don't use them as much as I would like and the main reason being that I don't like how these look with the inner circle being another color(read: mess). I prefer when the colors are separated like in bricks form. And from seeing swatches of the cremesheen glasses they don't interest me either(my wallet is very happy about this!). I will post pictures after my purchase on Saturday.

Have a nice day!
Alexa

The Naked Palette

So I finally got the call that Urban Decay's Naked Palette was in stock again at Sephora. I was sooo happy, I tested some of the colors, not all yet. The Naked Palette came with a small Urban Decay Primer Potion(UDPP) and a brush instead of the eye pencil. So here is my review on the colors I tested so far and also some close up pics of the palette.

This is what you get

Mini Movie Review: Fast Five

So I went to see Fast Five last Friday. I am a huge fan of the franchise since the first The Fast and the Furious except for Tokyo Drift, what can I say I like the original cast! I really enjoyed this movie because I think it has a good balance of action(the stunts are incredible maybe not always possible but it can be plausible, right?) and drama/romance(I'm a Brian and Mia fan!) to keep me entertained the whole time. It also has some humor in it which I liked very much and I'm looking forward to part 6. I also enjoyed the addition of Dwayne Johnson to the cast, at first I didn't know what to expect but I find him entertaining. I did miss Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) but they did add her to Dominic (Vin Diesel) story line which I find nice. So overall I am giving this movie 5 out of 5 stars, keep in mind that I am a fan...lol

Alexa

Fluffy

Just a little update on Fluffy being cute...

All grown up!

Enjoy the new week!
Alexa

New nail polishes

After debating whether I should buy new nail polishes online or not I took the courage and just did it. I bought 5 new nail polishes on Trans Design. And also Nailtek Foundation 2 which Misschievous says alot of good things about. And finally Seche Vite top coat, I heard so many good things about it from various people so I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately when the package arrived one of the nail polishes was broken and was leaking...

MAC Surf, Baby!

This collection is rather large but I only bought three things. This collection has a lot of bronzers in it but I love my Guerlain bronzer too much so I will stick to it and that is why I skipped all the bronzing products. I really loved the Surf, Baby! cheek powder just for the overlay, with that being said is why I didn't buy the powder. The lipsticks I didn't really like any of the shades except for Hibiscus but I didn't want to buy it after seeing it. I wasn't interested in the nail polishes. And finally I really didn't look at the eye pencils, I really don't know why...lol
The items I bought are two eye shadows in the shades Swell Baby and Surf USA and one lipglass in the shade Strange Potion.

Online purchases

It's been a while since my last post. I took a week off from work to take care of my little brothers because my mom underwent surgery. She is doing better now. And I also had surgery to my right eyelid but I'm also way better now, I was just not looking forward to the needles. I just can't wear any eye make-up for a few weeks... But that still doesn't stop me from buying new eye make-up!
Before I went to my mother's house I received my latest make-up addition...

MAC Jeanius Collection

After work today I went to the nearest MAC counter to check out the MAC Jeanius Collection. When I reached there the Indigo Pink Lipglass was already sold out. I swatched all the lipsticks and the Pink Cult Blush. I ended up buying the Docile Lipglass. I liked Riveting Rose lipstick so maybe I will buy that later. I didn't like the nail lacquers because the glitter in them were quite obvious to me. And I don't like glittery polishes because it's a pain to remove them completely in one time. Candy Yum Yum lipstick and Mischievous nail lacquer from the Quite Cute Collection were sold out. So there went my chance of owning any of those... But I am happy that I got to buy Docile Lipglass, it was on my wish list!

MAC Docile Lipglass in daylight

MAC Docile Lipglass with flash

Enjoy the day!
Alexa

Quick Review on Missha BB Cream

At first I wanted a tinted moisturizer but after testing the one by Estee Lauder, it wasn't enough coverage for me and it also was too dark for me. That is when I ordered my first bb cream on eBay, The 20 ml Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in shade No. 21. I read about it all over the internet and decided to purchase the 20 ml one instead of the full size 50 ml because I wasn't sure if the shade was a match for me. I received it today. I like the smell but it's not as blendable as I would like. You have to work fast because it dries quickly. At first it doesn't match my skin tone but after a few minutes it magically does. I will keep testing it for a week or two and will then let you know if I really love it.

Edit: this has become my favorite go to product when I'm in a hurry, it looks flawless applying it with only my fingers. A little goes a long way, it evens my skin tone and when it sets it doesn't move. ♥ it!

Enjoy the weekend!
Alexa

Update MAC Quite Cute Collection

I went today to the MAC counter to see the collection for myself. I ended up buying the Play Time lipstick, it has a cremesheen finish. I wanted to buy the Candy Yum Yum but I don't know how often I will be actually using it. I swatched it and loved it even more, so I decided when I go to the counter again for the Jeanius Collection if it is still there Candy Yum Yum will be mine! If it isn't there I will be sad...maybe next time? I also bought  Little Girl Type Nail Lacquer, my first MAC nail lacquer. The consistency is a little bit runny but I can still work with it and it does look very good after two coats. Although I did not like the brush itself it had some strands that were sticking out. So that was a little disappointing... I also like Mischievous Mint, again if it's still there when the MAC Jeanius Collection comes out I will get it also. I didn't find Ice Cream Cake as appealing. I noticed that I usually only like a few things from each collection, it hasn't happen yet that I like them all. Again I was happy with my purchase and tested them immediately when I got home.
I took some pictures of Little Girl Type so you can see the color and the brush:

MAC Little Girl Type

Here you can get an impression of the brush tip

And finally I took some pictures of the lipstick but it was at night so the color of the lipstick doesn't look the same as in person but it is a pretty close match to the color that it is on my lips so I decided to post one anyway and tomorrow I will take one in daylight.

MAC Play Time

Enjoy the weekend!
Alexa

MAC Quite Cute Collection

This Collection I didn't find interesting until I saw Candy Yum Yum Lipstick, I don't know if I will be able to pull it off but it looks so good in swatches and video. They start selling this collection tomorrow the 2nd of April here in the Netherlands. I want to either buy Candy Yum Yum or Playtime lipstick. I find Quite Cute looks good in the tube but I don't think it's that flattering on the lips. The eye shadows don't appeal to me and neither do the blushes or plushglasses. I guess they are too pastel for me. I really love the nail polishes but I never bought any MAC nail polishes yet, so I don't know what to expect. I will go to the counter tomorrow after work and will post pics if I buy anything.

Have a great weekend!
Alexa

March Haul

Just for fun I wanted to recap what I bought in March. I don't think I'm gonna do this every month, just now and then. The pictures aren't the best quality I took them with my blackberry... The batteries of my camera died on me.

Things I bought in March

Moisturizers

As I posted before I received a sample of Hope in a Jar by Philosophy when I purchased Purity Made Simple. I was hoping this would become my go to winter moisturizer because I do love Purity Made Simple. But I was wrong! When I applied the cream it stayed like on top of my skin and made my skin really oily, I was hoping my skin would just "drink" it up. But that wasn't the case. After many hours my skin still looked oily so I don't like it at all. In a way I'm sad because I had high expections for this product.
In my search for the perfect winter moisturizer I got a sample of Estee Lauder Hydrationist. Will let you know how that works out. In the mean time I will continue to use Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief. I love Moisture Surge but it is not moisturizing enough for me in the winter that is why I am searching for a better winter moisturizer.
I also got a sample of Estee Lauder DayWear Sheer Tint Release because I have been wanting to test a tinted moisturizer. I tought why not start with this one. I wanted to test the Laura Mercier one but it's too expensive for a tinted moisturizer. But maybe some day I will splurge and buy it... Who knows?

Enjoy the new week!
Alexa

Shopping Adventures

After work I went to the MAC counter to check out the new MAC Wonder Woman Collection launched yesterday. When I got there both items I wanted appeared to be sold out because they were not in the display anymore. I regretted not calling them to ask to save the items for me. I then went over to the Bobbi Brown counter to check out the new Rich Lip Color SPF 12. I couldn't decide before which shade to buy so that is why I brought my bf with me...lol... Before I went to the store I wasn't planning to buy one because I wanted to buy some MAC limited editions items but since it was sold out I ended up buying the shade Plum Rose. After my purchase I decided to go back to the MAC counter one last time before we left the building. To my surprise the Marquise d' lipstick was there now, I guessed someone else grabbed it the first time we were there and I didn't notice. They only had two left and I managed to buy one! As you can imagine I was so happy! Then I decided to go over to another MAC counter to check if they had the MSF and to my surprise they still had both! I ended up buying the Pink Power MSF, again they only had two left(I know! What are the odds?!). So after that we went to buy Philosophy's Purity Made Simple. I also received a sample of Hope in a Jar, so we'll see how that works out for me. All in all I can say I had a great day!

Enjoy your weekend!
Alexa

Make-up books

Back when I decided I wanted to do my own make-up for the weddings I had to attend I also decided to buy some books about make-up. The reason for this is that I enjoy looking at the pictures and wondered what new tips some authors had. I already owned Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin, I bought this book many years ago. After doing some research on Amazon and Google I decided last June to buy Make-up Masterclass by Jemma Kid and Makeup the ultimate guide by Rea Morris.

Make-up Masterclass has a lot of nice tips and tricks. It also has a good chapter about skin basics for example ways to find out what type of skin you have etc. Also some step by step instructions and different types of looks. It's a great basic book for beginners with make-up. It is a very informative and a good book overall. It does have a lot of text so be prepared to read!

The only reason I bought Makeup the ultimate guide to begin with, was that I read it had a great chapter about contouring. But when I read through it, I discovered that it has an eye colour chart as well which I really like. It has a lot of step by step instructions with pictures. The chapter about contouring is indeed great!

Last December I bought Makeup your mind by Françios Nars after hearing about this book from a youtube guru. This book doesn't have alot of text but consists of before and after pictures with products stated on a clear sheet of paper that you can put on the model in between the before and after pictures. It is a great book to get inspiration from. The odd thing was I found a model who had the same eyes as me! Creepy! But thanks to that I now want to buy some Nars eyeshadows and one lipstick! LoL So I guess that it's a great marketing book!

Anyway hope you enjoyed reading!

Alexa

Brushes

So I decided to blog about the brushes I have and the ones that I want and why I have these.
I currently own the MAC brushes 217, 219, 239, 187, 130, 129SH and the 182 - Kabuki Brush. My favourite brush for applying my foundation is the 130 and for applying MSFN powder I use the 182. I also use the kabuki if I want to lighten my blush if I picked up too much product. I bought the 129SH for applying blush but I didn't like it so I don't use that anymore I use the 187 instead. I use the 187 with powders and blushes, it is a multitasking brush. All my eyeshadow brushes are great for my small eyes, the distance between my eyes and brow is short. I want to buy one extra 239 and 213 brush.

From top to bottom MAC brushes nr 130, 129SH, 187, 217, 239, 219 and 182 in the upper right corner

I also own 3 brushes from Guerlain which I got when I bought one Rouge G Lipstick and Terracota Light Bronzing Powder. They came in a small pouch with Guerlain written over it, it containted two eyeshadow brushes and one small face brush. They are great brushes and so soft.

After watching/reading reviews of Hakuhodo brushes on various blogs and youtube I am intrigued and I want to buy some brushes from them. Not right now because they are expensive but I hope later this year. The brushes I want to buy are from the Kokutan series; the Kokutan Finishing Brush LAG(I read it is really soft), Kokutan Eye Shadow Brush T(It's like a better version of the 219) and the Kokutan Eye Shadow Brush M. From the S100 series; the S103 Powder Blush Brush pointed and the S121G Eye Shadow Brush round and flat. I also want to buy the G516 Concealer Brush since I don't own any concealer brushes. The reason I don't want to buy the MAC 109 brush for contouring is that I want to buy the better quality brush from Hakuhodo the S103.

The reason I don't own or want to buy any eyeliner brushes is that I am not a fan of applying gel eyeliners. I want to buy a brow brush but I still haven't decided which one.

I hope this helps,
Alexa

Change of plans

So I was very interested in Diva in Distress eyeshadow from the Jeanius Collection because in the first promo pics it looked like it was going to be a grey eyeshadow but now after viewing swatches on Temptalia, for some reason it is blue-ish. So I am very disspointed in that, also the one lipstick I wanted to buy Riveting Rose also looks different, so I am torn. I think I will still get the lipstick because I don't own one in that shade also the other ones look great in swatches on Temptalia but I don't know if they will look great on my pale NC20 skin. So I guess I'll have to wait until the 8th of April to find out (that is when this collection is out here in the Netherlands).

Alexa

My Birthday!

So today is my Birthday and I just wanted to thank my boyfriend for buying MAC Mega Metal Eyeshadow Odalisque for me! I couldn't believe it when I saw it! I am sooo happy! It is such a beautiful color! He told me that it was sold out...sneaky sneaky sneaky! I will take pictures later...

Here are some pictures:

MAC Mega Metal Eyeshadow in the shade Odalisque

Have a great week!
Alexa

MAC Peacocky Collection

So for Valentine's Day my boyfriend got me 2 products from this collection! I am sooo happy that he remembered! I got Noir Plum Mega Metal Shadow and Scandelicious Kissable Lipcolour. So I tested the lipcolour, I really like the texture and the finish. It doesn't feel like a regular lipglass so that is one of the reasons I really like it. The color is darker on me than I expected but the more I see it on my lips, the more I like it. As for the eyeshadow I also wanted Odalisque and Ego but they were sold out. But still I am very happy!!! I will post pics later. I still have to test the eyeshadow but I do like it!

So I took some pictures and here they are!

MAC Kissable Lipcolour in the shade Scandelicious

MAC Mega Metal Shadow in the shade Noir Plum

Have a great week!
Alexa

It's been a while...

So it's been a while since my last post. Have been really busy at work and with school. I now have more free time so, I will try to post more often.

We had a full house for the holidays! My aunt and cousin came for Christmas and New Year. They were excited to see snow for the first time since they never saw it before. My cousin would go play outside everyday... in the cold! Me and my mother cooked dinner Christmas Eve, it was all very delicious. I also baked a cake. We had a great time. Fluffy still enjoys her present. She even opened it all by herself... (I will try to take a picture, can't promise!)

My Birthday is coming up, not planning anything... But I guess I'll bake a cake.

I am looking forward to buying some new MAC make up at the beginning of March from their new collections. I want to buy the Diva in Distress eyeshadow from the Jeanius Collection, I also want to buy one lipstick but I still can't decide between Acid Wash and Riveting Rose. So I guess when I'm there I'll choose one. I also want to buy two products from the Mac Wonder Woman Collection; the Marquise d' Lipstick and the Pink Power Mineralize Skinfinish. Other than these two products I don't really like the other make up from this collection.
I want to also mention that I bought one more product from Philosophy I Love Candy Corn Shampoo, Shower Gel and Bubble Bath. It is absolutely amazing, I LOVE the smell! I enjoy taking a shower and thinking about Candy Corn. I am definitely gonna keep buying their Shower Gels(I bought some for some family and friends and they enjoy it as much as I do). I also enjoy their Purity Made Simple, I have sensitive skin and I noticed this doesn't irritate my skin. So I will keep buying it, it doesn't remove make up but that is not the reason I bought it for. My moisturizer and eye cream are still Clinique. Although, I want to get a better eye cream but, I still have not decided which one. Maybe I'll go get some samples so I can compare because it is expensive to buy one eye cream and then to realize it doesn't work. But I do love my Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief, I still can't decide if I have to get the rich version of All About Eyes or do eye creams do nothing at all? When and if I find an answer I will let you know!

I think I shared enough for now,
Alexa