First Beauty Events in London

I had a really nice day out and about the city on 30th November.

Firstly, I went to Revlon Beauty Exhibition “Enamoured”, it was made to celebrate Revlon’s 80th anniversary. I was expecting something a bit bigger, but it was still really nice and I had never been to anything like that before.

So, that’s the original nail polish from the 1940.-s and fabulous old lipstick bullets.

And some gorgeous pieces made by various artists. I really enjoyed the false nails bust by nail artist extraordinaire Jenny Longworth.

After the exhibition I headed off to Aesop in Soho for a meet up with Essiebutton. The shop was really nice and I got some advice for my problematic scalp but since I’m really broke, I didn’t get the chance to buy them. Off onto my wish list, I guess.

There was quite a lot of people there and the whole event was a big success for her, I felt like a socially awkward creep most of the time, because I didn’t know anyone and I’m shit at talking to strangers. Luckily enough I really got along with a make-up artist from Belfast called Jenn, who does make-up for the Game of Thrones extras!

Aesop was generous enough to reward the troopers with some fabulous samples as well. I’m really excited to try them out, I think I’m going to treat myself with them on my birthday next week.

So, even though I went to the event thinking that I’d not get anything from there, I cannot wait for my first salary to get my hands on their Equalising Shampoo and Scalp Treatment. Not the sexiest of choices, but at least I have a good excuse for buying them, because it’s a necessary treatment.

So, that’s what my beauty-filled day was like. I really enjoyed it and I hope there will be more events like that in the future as well.

With love,

Janne

First days in London

Hey y’all!

So, as it turns out, I moved to London on 2nd November and I guess I’m going to share some amazingness with you guys.

Let’s start from the beginning… After the heartfelt goodbyes at the airport, it was time to step on the plane. I had never flown with a plane before and really didn’t know what to expect. So as the plane took off I felt as if I had no control over my body, I was really nauseous as well, so I couldn’t say it was a very enjoyable experience. Same thing with landing, it’s like you’re in an elevator that’s going 50 floors in 4 seconds or something like that…

After landing I took a coach to London, everything went smoother than expected and I even had time to kill before I could meet my friend who offered me accommodation until I found my own place. Since I got of at Marble Arch, a huge Primark was just around the corner and well.. that’s where I spent most of my free time that night. Then I met my friend and took 2 buses to get to her place, the route went by Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey and I could also see the London Eye.

Next day we had a nice day out- lots of sightseeing and such.

We started by going to the Tower Bridge.

Then next up was the Tower itself.

Trafalgar Square in daylight. Of course I had to climb up next to the lion.

Couple hours fast forward..

Well, I guess you cannot see much, but use your imagination and know that that is the dome of St. Pauls Cathedral in lights.

That was pretty much it for the first day. The next day we went shopping (I didn’t buy anything) and also to the National History Museum which was awesome! I really want to go back some day when I have more time on my hands. Then came Monday, I guess… I started looking for my own place and a job, so I stayed at Starbucks for hours. Found my place but I haven’t found a job just yet.

Anyway, those were my first few days in London and I guess I’ll keep you posted.

With love,

Janne

Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24h Review

Gosh, product names keep getting longer and longer, aren’t they? Just ridiculous.

Well, the product isn’t ridiculous. It’s bloody fabulous and as soon as I saw it on Estonian beauty counters in September (again ridiculous, they had it in UK like a year ago. WTF, Estonian counters, WTF????).

Time to highlight the perks:

• Staying power is really good.
• Doesn’t smudge, budge, flake or bleed unless you poke your eyes or work underwater or something. I mean some of that stuff is inevitable for a long period of time, but this one keeps it real for long.
• Brush is included and unlike most brushes that come with product, this one is actually really nice!
• Well worth your 9-ish Euros.
• Application is smooth and it is intensely black.
• Dries quite fast. Not really a perk if you want to smudge it out, but at least it doesn’t bloody transfer onto my lid and ruin my eye shadow!

I think that’s it. It hasn’t dried out on me during the 2 months I have had it so fingers crossed!

So, I wore it here.

And here as well…

Yes, I’m a hairy beast and today, as you can see above, I rocked a bright lip gloss outside the house! People looked at me for longer then they usually do, but they didn’t make me feel like a freak at all so everything went better than expected and I dare YOU to rock a bold lip when you are out and about as well.

Now, as a side note I would also like to rant on the fact that we don’t have the Maybelline cream eye shadows here yet. I NEED Permanent Taupe in my life and well, I cannot see myself getting it from Estonia just yet.

So, let’s recap.

1. Get the gel eye liner, it’s badass and worth every cent.
2. Get bold with them lippies if you haven’t yet!

So, that’s it for now. Not sure where or when I’m going to make my next post, cause I’m going to have the time of my bloody life real soon.

With love, as always,

Janne.

MaxFactor False Lash Effect 24 hours review

Hello-hello, my lovely readers! Lets get reviewing, eh?

I really love it, and I’ll show you why!

First picture being my wee little lashes with no curl, second pictures with curl and the third is with a glorious one coating of the False Lash Effect 24 hours.

I have tried the regular False Lash Effect and loved it, I also liked the False lash Effect Fusion, but this is very different from them. 24 hours is waterproof and really lasts like until you take it off, it holds curl exactly the same time as well. I mean I can curl my eyelashes up to my brows and they will stay there until my 13-hour shift as a waitress has ended. Definitely a mascara to try if you tend to find that you end up like a panda by the end of the day, because it doesn’t smidge or flake around your eyes. Really waterproof as a boiling hot shower with plenty of gentle cleansing foam couldn’t make it budge.

It really is a 5 out of 5 from me, only make sure you have a waterproof make up remover good enough to remove it!

Have you ever tried any MaxFaxtor mascaras? Which are your favourite?

Love,

Janne

L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Nail Polish

I won 4  L'Oreal new nail polishes during the summer and I guess it’s time to tell you how I felt about them. I should tell you in advance that I usually wear nudes, classic reds or murky colours, but I just wanted to test these and give you an overall review.

207 Babydoll

Babydoll is a pearlescent baby pink. Not really a colour I’d wear normally,m which is why I used it on my toes. Someone commented that my toes were “glowing”, which was a bit weird.

303 Lush Tangerine

Lush Tangerine is a really bright orange. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did, the quirky brightness really grew on me!

213 Sassy Pink

Sassy Pink is a bright fuchsia. Again, I was not sold on this, nor am I now, but it seemed a bit more complex to me than the usual fuchsia, having a little more blue in it.

205 Rose Bagatelle

Rose Bagatelle, a nude dusty pink, was right up my alley. Perfect for work without being overly boring.

Overview

I think that the new L'Oreal polishes are pretty nice – they have a great variety of colours, quite nice to apply. Most are opaque in 2 layers and they wear around 3 days without chipping, which is quite usual on me. The only downside I see is that they cost quite a bit for the amount you get. The bottles contain 5ml of product, which is great for a shade you think you won’t wear every day, but I suggest you finding another brand for your ultimate favourite polish if you mind buying a new bottle every 6-7 applications or so.

With love,

Janne

Summer empties

Another long delayed blog post. I’ve actually collected material to post about but I just haven’t come to posting it. Just feel like a sucker about neglecting this place for such a long time, but I guess that’s just how I am currently.

So, here’s most of the stuff I want to talk about, but just let me break down the products.

Framesi Morphosis De-Stress Shampoo for sensitive scalp

I used it for about 2 months before I ran out, didn’t repurchase as it seemed to be working wonders at first but then it just didn’t.. Smells herbal and funky, makes hair squeaky clean but it didn’t really suit for me. But then again, what shampoo does?? Seriously nothing, nothing does. I think I will have to try Klorane and Pytho some day, I’ve heard some great things about both brands.

Availiable at I.L.U shops in Estonia, costs around 11 Euros.

 

Rich Pure Luxury Intense Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner

I actually did a whole review of the range here! Well, as with the Framesi shampoo, I love-love-loooved the shampoo at first. Man, I love the smell, it made my hair so shiny just by itself and was great even with oily hair! Now the conditioner is fine as well—smells nice and makes my hair softer and sleeker. Not really an amazing product, now that I’ve tried out their Intense Moisture Treatment I’ve found a more intensive conditioner for my long and thick locks.

Available in Salon+ shops in Estonia, forgot the price of the 700ml ones, took a while to use them up!

 

Sally Hansen Moisturizing Nail Polish Remover

Now, the Sally Hansen nail polish removers are my favourite! I have not tried any real expensive ones, but I just love these! Acetone free, acceptable smell, doesn’t strip my nails of moisture and removes nail polish fast. What more can you ask of a nail polish remover? I do admit that it is a bit pricier than the really cheap ones, but you get a lot of product as well and if they are on sale, you can get a 236ml bottle for around 2-3 Euros. Available at Selver, Rimi and lots of other places in Estonia.

Himalaya Cocoa Butter Intense Moisturizer

I have mixed feelings about Himalaya products—they like to advertise themselves as a very natural product, yet the products are actually full of parabens. I got the lotion for 2,50 Euros from Selver when it was on sale and wasn’t really expecting too much. It moisturized rather well and smells pretty nice as well. The cocoa smell was overwhelming for me from time to time, yet my brother quite liked it. If I didn’t have really dry skin and I really loved the smell, I would repurchase, because there’s not that much to complain about.

 

 

 

Sebamed Moisturizing Cream

I purchased it when I was really-really broke and was desperately looking for a safe facial cream to use for day and night. And luckily it did do the trick. It’s a nice cream to use when you are having a breakout, as it is just so basic and you really cannot go wrong with it. No special smell. I would repurchase if I were in the same situation I was before.

Palmolive Ayurituel Tranquillity Shower Gel

I was a bit hesitant about buying this one at first as Palmolive shower gels have been pretty darn drying for me in the past. This one however was not, so it was really nice. The smell was herbal and refreshing for summer.

Available at your local supermarket most probably

 

Rich Pure Luxury Leave In Conditioner

Took me about a year to use it up! I mainly used it before blow-drying my hair and well, I try to blow-dry my hair as rarely as possible and well, I’m pretty good at it. Made my hair softer, shinier, sleeker. I cannot really comment about the heat protecting abilities of this one, but it’s supposed to help protect your hair from UV as well. I think I would repurchase this if I used more styling tools, I quite liked it.

Available at Salon+ and I.L.U in Estonia, costs around 11 Euros, I think.

All in all, I think there was nothing special about these products. They mainly did their jobs well, but nothing miraculous and I’ve already replaced most of them with better ones. The one that really stood up from the bunch were the three Rich Pure Luxury products and Sally Hansen’s nail polish remover.

Hope it was helpful!

Love,

Janne.

June favourites

Well hello again! I have bought plenty of new stuff recently and today I’ll show you the best of the bunch. I’ll start off with the eldest products.

Vichy Essentielles Softening Shower shower gel

Smells like roses as one would assume and the smell is although pretty ordinary and simple, just amazing for every day showers and well sadly enough the smell will not transform onto your skin and leave you linger in the smell for the whole day. What it will do however, is lather into the softest ever foam with the least amount of product.

Vichy Purete Thermal Purifying Foaming Water

The pump creates a soft cleansing foam which I use with a facial brush to give it a slight scrub. Smells lovely- fresh and flowery and not too overwhelming. Not too drying even for my dry/combinational skin and the best part- it really reduced the amount of blackheads on my t-zone.

Framesi Morphosis De-stress shampoo

I have really-really sensitive scalp which is a nightmare to deal with as pretty much all of the supermarket stuff irritates it and so does most of the salon stuff! Well this shampoo has been my saviour for the last 2 months, it cleanses my scalp really thoroughly. Sadly enough, if I’d just wash my hair and didn’t apply conditioner, my hair would be a mess because it’s not nourishing at all. The smell might be a problem for some, smells a bit herby and pharmaceutical, I have grown to enjoy it although I was a bit hesitant at first. Does not lather up very well on the first wash, but it is not too bad as well.

Organix Renewing Maroccan Argan Oil

This stuff is brilliant! It’s an oil that will protect your hair from UV damage and works as a heat protectant. Makes my hair super soft, silky and smooth. Smells lovely as well. The only bad thing about it is the packaging, it dispenses quite a lot of product and unless you have long, thick hair that needs quite a lot of it, you’ll most probably lose a lot of product or over apply. I have also used this on dry hair and it works wonders if you apply just enough. I really-really recommend this!

China Glaze The Hunger Games Collection “Dress me up”

The picture shows it a little too dark, it’s a dusty pink polish that’s great for work but not your average nude. Wear time is pretty shabby, though everything else makes it up. Opaque in just 1 layer and dries almost instantly.

SUQQU Frame Fix Moist Pact Foundation in 203

I have always used a liquid foundation so I was really hesitant about this one. Will it be cakey? Will it set ok? Will it enhance my dry spots? And now I’ve had all my questions answered. If I moisturize very well and/ or use a primer, I will have the greatest foundation I have ever had, albeit maybe a bit too high coverage, which I can overlook. Sadly enough, it will enhance dry areas so make sure to apply plenty of nourishing cream beforehand. I don’t use the sponge that’s enclosed in the sleek, minimalistic and very classy packaging, but if you do, you could wet it to make the application smoother and lighter.

Now, as I did my favourites, I think I should also show you the bummers, but that’s for another post so stay tuned, my lovely readers.

With love,

Janne.

Harassing my roommate

So my roommate ordered an eyeshadow palette with 120 shades. And wanted me to do some different looks on her.. therefore we decided to have a little beauty-evening, unfortunately I ended up using mainly my own products.. oh well. And as I suck at blogging obviously.. I though that it would be nice to show you guys what we came up with. Meet Kristin!

This is a look she specifically asked for. She really wanted to see how a thick eyeliner would suit her, combined with light silver eyeshadow.. and I think she looks fierce! haha

As she really loves when I use neutral/brown shades on her eyes I thought I’d spice it up with some golden shades and created this rather sparkly look.

Now the last look was her favourite! We’ve never tried a complete dark look on her before and I have no idea why. Cos she simply looked amazing and I kind of forced her to go clubbing so that everyone could see her! haha

Hope you liked our little beauty-evening as much as we did!

Love,
Andra

April favourites and bummers

Hey guys!

Here’s a little preview of what you are up for.

I’ll start off with the things I loved in April.

SUQQU Repair Essence

This is a brilliant serum for special occasions. I use it when I have really bad skin—like some acne scarring or if blowing my nose has made it all sore. Apply it before night and in the morning you will definitely see a huge difference. Truly a miracle worker!

Now, this isn’t really a very moisturizing product so some people might feel like it’s far too light for your face, use it before your regular moisturizer.

 

 

 

 

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

I decided to buy this since a lot of beauty bloggers really like it. And I am no different to them since it makes nail polish dry faster and increases its longevity. It also makes the nail polish very shiny.

Although there is a lot of concern over the fact that this top coat has quite toxic ingredients, I didn’t hesitate to buy it since I always polish my nails in a well ventilated area.

 

 

Bourjois Flower Perfection Foundation

I wrote a review about this product a while back and since then I’ve fallen even more in love with it. It’s just a near-perfect combination of longevity, good coverage and great finish. I mean I don’t have to even use powder and it really lasts all day even in a stressful situation (such as a first day at work as a waitress). Though I would maybe opt for a sheerer and foundation for the upcoming summer, I do really recommend this.

 

 

 

 

 

Versace Versense

My mother bought me this for birthday last December and I still adore it. I started to use this on special occasion, since I don’t want to smother myself in perfume every day and usually just smell like washing detergent. This way I keep my love for a perfume and don’t get tired of it with 2 months like I have before.

It’s a really fresh flowery perfume, just like I like all of my perfumes. Quite citrusy even at first and lasts for a long time. Another perk is that it is quite intense so just a drop will be more than enough.

Rexona Linen Dry Ultra Dry Anti-perspirant VS Fa Sport Double Power 72h

I bought the Fa anti-perspirant since it was on sale and I just thought I’d give it a try even though I’ve never had a good experience with Fa deodorants. They just don’t work on me. I do understand that I perspire quite heavily compared to other people, but I at least expect that I wouldn’t start smelling like sweat in a fitness class with 40 other people in it!

So after that terrible incident I turned to Rexona, since it was on sale as well. And luckily it works quite well. I mean I cannot say it stops me from perspiring completely, but the light and pleasant creamy smell keeps me from wanting to cry due to obnoxious body odour.

My current shampoos- Rich Pure Luxury and Goldwell Kerasilk Shampoo

I have stopped sharing my love for these. I was really psyched about the Rich shampoo last year but now my scalp has started to reject its moisturising properties and everything else it contains. I do say, it really sucks to have a scalp this sensitive. It’s the same with the Goldwell Kerasilk shampoo-- love at first sight, but once my scalp got to know it properly, it decided to not like it anymore.

Anyhow, I’m on a hunt for a new shampoo and am currently thinking about trying out Frames, I really hope they have samples in the local department store, I don’t want to waste another 10 Euros for something I cannot use…

Hope this helps!

Love,

Janne.

A little something to drool over..

Well hello!

Today I’m going to show you a little recipe I discovered a little over a month ago. It’s rather healthy and VERY tasty. A little time-consuming but impressive yet simple and you need surprisingly little.

General Tso’s Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 250ml rice
• 60ml corn starch (4 tbs)
• 500g snow peas, trimmed and halved
• 500g skinless, boneless chicken cut into pieces
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• medium carrot, peeled and julienned
• 3 tbsp. light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes ( I used sweet chilli sauce)
• 2 large egg whites
• salt and pepper
• vegetable oil for frying
• optional 2 egg yolks and 1 whole egg

Whatyagonnado:

1. Cook rice according to instructions, for an even healthier version, use brown rice. Meanwhile in a large bowl, stir together 1 tbsp. corn starch and 100ml cold water until smooth. Add snow peas and carrot, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, red pepper flakes(or chilli sauce), toss to combine and set aside.
2. In another bowl whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 tbsp. corn starch, 1/2 tsp. salt and some pepper. Add chicken, toss to coat.
3. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tbsp. oil over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken pieces golden, you might have to do this in batches. Shake off the excess egg white mixture before adding chicken to the pan. Set the cooked chicken aside.
4. Add snow pea mix to the skillet. Cover, cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened (3-5min). Return chicken, toss to coat, adjust the flavours as you like.
5. This step is optional as you can serve it with plain rice as well. I wanted to use up the egg yolks, so I added it to the rice. Whisk together the yolks, egg some extra salt, pepper and chilli and make an egg scramble. Add cooked rice to the scramble et voilà, you are done.

So while I was browsing online, I noticed the Tom Ford Metallic Beauty spring 2012 collection pictures. Gosh, the Tom Ford make up line looks so freaking good, so effortlessly classy and elegant. Not to mention super expensive…

Pictures via Google of course.

 

I don’t really adore the whole look of the models, not really a fan of the heavy cheeks and golden lip, but the eyes, they are mesmerising. All thanks to the cream eye shadows of course. My personal favourite is Platinum, just to die for really.

And well, being a sucker for nail polish, I also have to show you the 4 little cuties for this season. I’m going to go with the silver one called Silver Haze, well obviously, I will not be able to buy these due to the ridiculous budget I’m on, but a girl can and well, should dream.

Hope you enjoyed this little post.

Stay amazing, my friends.

With love,

Janne.

Bourjois Flower Perfection Foundation review

Hi guys!

Bourjois came up with a new base make up line Flower Perfection a few months ago. The line consists of foundation, smoothing base, loose translucent powder and a powder brush.

 

What it claims to do: It’s a Youth Extension foundation with Wild Azalea, which is supposed to be a cell youth protector. SPF 15, Smooth, beautified complexion for 16 hours. Matte finish.

To read my opinion of the product click Read more.

Estonian Independence Day manicure ideas

Anyhow, sorry for posting this this late, but I couldn’t stop browsing 9GAG. You know it, I know it, let’s face it, it’s really-really addictive.

I came up with a handful of ideas (pun totally intended).

I decided to go for the second look. Sadly, I screwed it up, I would have done a tutorial for it, but well, you know.

If you are interested in my personal life, click Read more.

NOTD 30/01/2012

Hey y’all!

Here’s a little nail post for you.

Meet Chanel Nail Colour in 525 Quartz.

A favourite of mine, most probably because it is Chanel. But it’s still a pretty awesome colour, looks like an ordinary minky shade but has some bluish pearl to it. Doesn’t really boast with excellent staying power or super easy application (more like the opposite), requires 3 thin layers to look flawless.

Ok, and now to tell you the truth I am very tired and will go to sleep. I just really wanted to post something because I feel like I’ve really been neglecting this blog.

Have a great week!

Janne x

SUQQU Balancing Eyebrow and Eyebrow Liquid Pen and a tip for sparse brows

Hi guys! I thought I’d show you the fabulous SUQQU eyebrow products which I use daily.

Balancing Eyebrow 01 Moss Green

The packaging is as fabulous, sleek and minimalistic as always. Has a great mirror and enclosed are 2 soft and fabulous brushes. As you can see there are 3 colours to mix and match to make your perfect shade. You can achieve a really natural look that lasts all day with this.

Eyebrow Liquid Pen in 02 Brown

I don’t use this regularly, because usually brow powder is more than enough, but when I opt for a more defined brow, I use this with the powder. Lisa Eldridge recommends this for people who have really sparse eyebrows. You can achieve a pretty natural look if you use very feathery strokes, a technique that is not the easiest to master but makes a huge difference.

And here’s a picture of me with rather defined eyebrows

I over plucked in my early teens as did many of my friends and now I’ve been having quite a tough time growing them back. I still try to pluck as little as possible and not over trim them with scissors etc. to maintain quite a natural look.

Castor Oil

A good and very cheap product to help grow those brows back is castor oil. Castor oil is found in pharmacies and costs around 2 Euros in Estonia. It is used as a natural laxative, but works wonders on sparse eyebrows and eyelashes. Just make sure to apply a very thin layer with a Q-tip overnight because it will get into your eye and make it sting very bad. Also remove any trace of the oil in the morning if you plan to use mascara, otherwise it might make the mascara flake.

And of course I have to give credit to the person, who really inspired me to leave my brows alone, so here is Lisa’s brow routine.

Hope it was of any help.

Love,

Janne.

Belated NYE look post

Hi guys, hope 2012 has started well.

I really didn’t have any inspiration on my NYE look, because I had forgotten to buy rhinestones. Asked my brother for inspiration, he told me to be inspired by Star Wars, recommended Chewbacca make up. I kindly refused.

So I did this slightly bluish grey sparkly smoky eye with false lashes, kept the rest of the face minimal as recommended with such a dramatic eye look. I think that I went crazy enough for me, though I sort of regret not buying the rhinestones and doing the look I had originally planned for weeks.

I think NYE make-up could defy all the rules and limitations we are used to on an every day basis. So this year go dark, bold, sparkly and most importantly crazy! I will have to remind myself this as well.

Maybe you could pick up that I’m not really in the writing zone, so excuse that. I do want to start blogging more often now, but I really lack the energy and it’s so tough for me to write when I’m not in the mood.

Love,

Janne x