Thursday's Beauty post: time for a manicure

What girl doesn’t love getting her nails done at a salon?
I sure do, but I’ll treat myself to a salon manicure only few times a year and do the rest myself. I’m definitely not a pro and still smudge when applying nail polish but nevertheless I wanted to share with you some products I use every couple of days.

I start by applying a tiny bit of Sally Hansen’s cuticle remover and push the cuticles back with a rosewood stick. Next I’m using this manicure scrub which I got it at a local shop and am currently on my second bottle (it lasts a looong time). It smells very pleasant and makes your hands really soft as a baby's. Sometimes I also cut my excess cuticles with a cuticle scissor
because I think well-trimmed cuticles make for a more finished appearance.

A couple of months my nails started to peel and I couldn’t grow them at all. That’s when I did some research and found out about NailTek base and top coats and ever since they have become holy grail products I’m never going to stop using. My nails grow without peeling or breaking! The product on the left is applied as a base coat, next are two coats of your color nail polish and to finish off a top coat of the product on the right. This one is applied everyday (1 coat) for seven days until you renew your manicure. In my case it’s never seven days because I change my nail polish quicker. (The color of the top coat is clear but mine turned pinkish because I often use red nail polish.)

This OPI polish (Jade is the new black) is the one I have currently on my nails. Just like the Nailtek products I buy OPI nail polishes on ebay.

This little brush pen is supposed to strengthen your nails and make them grow faster. To be honest I couldn’t see an improvement and wouldn’t purchase it again. I only apply it around my cuticles and under the nails occasionally.

Do you also give yourself a home manicure? If so, what are your favorite products?

Thursday's Beauty Post: Bright lips

"Orange is part of the tropical family and therefore can be worn with other colours including fuchsia, blues and reds. The ultimate summer look however is quite bare – simply team your orange lipstick with liquid eyeliner and a strong mascara”

Jamie Coombes, national make-up artist for Dior

Yves Saint Laurent Pure Lipstick No.21 Orange Sari
Calvin Klein Delicious Luxury Creme Lipstick - #112 Orange Too
Lancome Color Fever Lip Color
Anna Sui, Sui Rouge G
NARS Semi-Matte Lipstick - Heat Wave
Beauty Is Life Lipstick - Orange 12

Guerlain, KissKiss Lipstick #560 Pushy Pink
Bobbi Brown
Yves Saint Laurent, Rouge Volupté, Orange Shiver
Lancome, Fever Shine
By Terry, Rouge Terrybly #301 Pink Party
Yves Saint Laurent, Rouge Pure Shine Sheer Lipstick #31 Tuxedo Pink

Thursday's beauty post: my skincare routine

I’ve been using Avène products for about two years now and am really satisfied with the results this skincare line offers. After having used many different, more expensive brands I’ve settled with the French pharmacy products which are relatively inexpensive in Switzerland.

The Cleanance series is specially made to meet the needs of blemish-prone, oily skin:

From left to right:
Thermal water spray, Cleanance purifying anti-shine toner, Cleanance soapless gel cleanser, Cleanance-K moisturizer

I use the gel cleanser in the morning and evening; it foams up nicely and leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean but I think it could be a bit too drying for those with drier skin.

The purifying anti-shine toner which is applied right afterwards needs to be shaken before use (you can see the powder at the bottom of the bottle). I like this so much more than Clinique toners (which I’ve used for many years) since it doesn’t give me stinging or irritation but still helps to keep the shininess at bay during the whole day.

The Cleanance-K gel moisturizer has slighty exfoliating ingredients and is the only product of the line I don’t use twice a day. I feel like it gets the job done in the T-zone but for my cheeks and some other drier parts I use another moisturizer. I just have the feeling it doesn’t give me the hydration I need but protects me from breakouts in other zones so I always have a tube around.

The huge thermal water spray on the leftside of the picture is pure love, that’s why I have the large one at home and a small one in my purse. It has so many uses: before going to bed I top my skincare off with a mist of this thermal water to soothe my skin, in the mornings I spray it on top of freshly applied makeup; this makes it more lasting in the long run but also instantly leaves you with a bit more „lived-in“ look, meaning you don’t look unnaturally matte if you like to fix your liquid makeup with powder like I do.

I can’t say that my skin is perfect now but this line definitely helped me a lot to deal with my skin problems.

Have you tried any Avène products? What does your skincare routine look like?

Thursday's beauty post: a look into Jen Brill's essentials

This girl surely loves her Chanel products! A little story I can absolutely relate to:

"My hair’s pretty straight so sometimes at night if I have time, I’ll put it up into two buns when it’s still wet and use Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray, spritz it, let it dry and take it down, and that’s my hairdo. I call them my ‘Party Buns’. I’ve had friends come over before we go out and they’re like, ‘You look like Björk, you’re not going out like that.’ And I’m like, ‘No, these are my Party Buns!’"


Source: text and photos Into the Gloss

Thursday's Beauty Post: Trésor by Lancôme

The beauty posts won’t be only about fragrances but I have been given the opportunity to try and review an iconic fragrance by Lancôme, Trésor, so today’s post is all about it.

Obviously I was familiar with the beautiful advertising spots featuring Penélope Cruz or Kate Winslet but I had never tried it before until a couple of weeks ago. To be honest, when I first sprayed it on my wrists I didn’t like the top notes at all, it was an explosion of rose, iris and something else metallic smelling which was simply too strong (and dare I say, even headache inducing) for me. But still, even in the beginning there was something very fine and elegant to this composition, which became better and better in time. The drydown was creamy with hints of apricot and vanilla that linger a long time and that is when this scent becomes loveable to me. It smells so feminine and romantic and is even there the next day! I really wanted to love this one, and probably would have, if the opening had been more appealing to me. Every now and then I spray it on, try to ignore it for the first half hour and then enjoy the beautiful smell that it develops.

Maybe I’ll appreciate this sophisticated scent more some day, and until then I will treasure this beautiful flacon dearly...

click here to see all Lancôme Trésor products available at Marionnaud

Thursday's Beauty Post: Guilty by Gucci

I've decided to share with you my favorite beauty and makeup products once a week. In fact I was more eager to try out new beauty finds long before I was interested in fashion so today's post is about something I reach for every morning these days.

Gucci Guilty is a fairly new fragrance that came out in fall 2010 and I bought it a couple months ago as a little pick-me-up because I was so stressed about school. ^^ I used to have another fragrance by Gucci (Gucci by Gucci) which I loved but unfortunately everyone else didn’t (at least on me) so I had to hand it down to my mom to whom it suited better anyway.

To me, Guilty is a musky, floral oriental kind of scent which comes in a gorgeous bottle. The notes feature mandarin, pink pepper, peach, lilac, geranium, amber and patchouli.

Unlike what the ad suggests, Guilty is not "guilty" or bold at all to me but more a feminine, non-intrusive scent which also unfortunetly doesn’t last very long (otherwise I wouldn’t have gone through half of the bottle so quickly). Even though there’s only an Eau de Toilette version of it available in stores I can see myself buying this again because I came to really like the clean and soft smell of it with just a hint of musky vanilla that dries down to a powdery and comforting smell.

Jewel-toned eyes at Oscar de la Renta Spring/Summer 2011

I really loved the colorful eye makeup the models had at the Oscar de la Renta S/S 11 show! The look was created by Gucci Westman, Revlon's Global Artistic Director, by mixing blue and green eyeshadow. I just recently re-discoverd green eyeshadow myself and find a simple flick of green eyeliner very wearable for daytime. My choice is MNY's 741 but below are some other brands with different green-toned eyeshadows.

Top:
1 Smashbox cream eyeliner in Scout 2 Christian Dior 445 Green Tropic 3 Shiseido Pearl Green

Bottom:
4 Urban Decay Green Goddess 5 Urban Decay Mildew 6 Urban Decay Flipside

Source: 1 style.com 2 polyvore

Wednesday's Inspiration

Source: Ems Edge

Bright lip colors for winter?

I think you don't have to put your lively summer lipsticks aside just because it's fall/winter. It would be a welcome change to see someone wearing bright colors instead of deep reds and brown tones.

MNY Giveaway: Beautiful, imaginative, daring

Some time ago a package was sent my way including some products of the fairly new young line by Maybelline called MNY. This line makes every girls heart beat faster who likes to experiment with lots of colors for a low price. In fact there are 143 products in seven color palettes, all for under 4 Swiss francs (3 euros). Let’s have a closer look at the nail polishes, blushes, kajals, eyeshadows, lip balms and glosses…

You all know by now my thing for colorful nails. MNY has 39 polishes to choose from, some of them with or without glitter. I prefer polishes without glitter so from the ones I tried so far the bright yellow (No.749, in the picture above) has to be my favorite. It’s perfect for bronzed skin in summer!

Giveaway package:
I made a little package with some products for you to try out as well. It includes a shimmery green nail polish (no. 753), peachy blush (No 301), a glittery pink lip gloss flacon (no. 577), a blue lip gloss tube (No. 690) and a golden eyeshadow (No 713).

Here's a better picture of the nail polish that I'm giving away, it's lighter than in the first picture with a yellowy shimmer.

Everyone has a chance to win the package (worldwide!), just leave your name and email address in the comments section and the winner will be chosen in a week, Tuesday August 3. Good luck!

Some shots of the MNY counter at Manor, Bahnhofstrasse/ Zurich. There's almost an infinite amount of colors to choose from!

JeJu Island

I'm in Seoul again ^^

Sorry for the sparse blogging and lack of outfit posts, but it's so hot and humid here in Seoul! The weather makes it almost impossible to try out different outfits without sweating...

Last week my family and I flew to JeJu Island - Asia's Hawaii hehe!

Here are some photos I took:

MISSHA Big Summer Sale ^^

under eye brightner - light beige
matte lipstick - no. BE 02 satin sugar

I think I will wear this lipstick every day! It's a peachy color, very easy to apply and it doesn't make your lips look dry unlike many matte lipsticks!

Saturday's Inspiration: Big Wavy Hair

"Hair style is the final tip-off, whether or not a woman really knows herself." - Hubert De Givenchy

♥

Studio Secrets Professional

Yesterday I was invited to a departement store in Zurich where the new L'Oréal line Studio Secrets Professional was launched. It is the first professional line from L'Oréal aimed to make the products professionals use available for consumers at an affordable price.

The secret of a professional makeup is without doubt a flawless complexion to begin with. But how can we achieve that airbrushed, glowy look at home on our own? Let's have a look at the new products of the line:

The High Definition Smoothing Foundation comes together with a really soft precision brush, which is very practical. It blends the smooth foundation into the skin, resulting in perfectly even coverage. I like the easy application of this product: once shaked well, you can load the brush with foundation and dab it onto the face and then work in with the brush or your fingers. In my opinion it is better suited for normal and dry skin but for those like me who want a matter overall look, there are some other products to use along.

Contouring is one of the oldest practices in the makeup industry yet one of the most frequently left-out steps in makeup applications. It creates a sense of balance, adding definition to your makeup with color. Contrary to belief, contouring is always done with some shade of brown, as the makeup artist explained to me. There are two different Sculpting Blush duos (above in the left side corner) to make it easier to find coordinated shades to highlight your cheekbones and contour your face.

This is the Anti-Shine Mattifying primer of the line and also one of the products I got myself. It acts like a second skin and feels weightless on your face. You apply it in little dabs onto shiny areas such as your forehead, nose and chin and smooth it towards the outside of the face. Since I have a mixed/oily skin I really look forward to using this product before my foundation.

The Smoothing resurfacing primer has a beautifully pleasant, creamy texture and it felt so velvety when applied to the skin. It's designed to make wrinkles and pores less visible so it also totally won me over.

In the background you can see another product from the line, the Anti-redness primer. I haven't tried this one but it uses the logic to obey the laws of complementary colors: to neutralise a shade simply apply its complementary shade. For example this green tinted primer reduces the appearance of red, giving the skin a more even tone.

I have never been shy to try out unexpected colors but many makeup artists agree that dark blue eyeshadow goes great with my dark brown eyes. Nevertheless I have tried different shades on the back of my hand and was surprised how some colors look totally different than in the pan. So I suggest you try them out too because what might scare you off at first might look totally great on you!

This is me with my makeup artist Yves, who did a great job!

Overall I really had a great time testing the new products and since I'm always curious to find out about new makeup techniques this line has some great products! What about you, do you use a primer/base before your foundation?

Summer in the city

Like many other women every summer I'm on the look-out for new beauty products to make me feel polished all day long. Instead of doing a "What's in my beauty bag?" post I just listed them below. I've been using most of them for a long time and I'm really satisfied with them. So, here are my summer essentials:

1) Estée Lauder Double Wear: Let me start by saying that I have a rather oily, blemish-prone skin, so when it gets warmer this foundation has pretty much of a holy grail status for me. It gives great coverage and lasts really long. I used the Double Wear Light version of it during last summer but I came to the conclusion that this one was much better for humid weather.

2) Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup: This is the second foundation I use, mostly when I have breakouts. Its staying power can pretty much hold up with Double Wear and after applying it I don't even need additional concealer for spots.

3) Chanel Poudre Universelle Compacte: I like a matt finish so I carry this translucent powder with me at all times. Upon applying foundation I set my foundation with loose powder from Yves Rocher at home, so this compact always stays in my bag for touch-ups on the go and lasts me a long time.

4) L'Oréal Touche Magique Concealer: I always buy different under-eye concealers but I keep coming back to this brush pen to brighten up and illuminate my tired eyes. The coverage is not very high and since I use the lightest shade it also doubles as a highlighter.

5) MAC Sonic Chic Mineralized Blush in Dainty: This blush came in a goodie bag and I've been using it almost every day for nearly a year now! If I can see the bottom of the pan it means that I really loved the product and this is no exception. ^^ Dainty is a warm pink color with subtle shimmer and flatters my skintone equally in summer and in winter. It's highly pigmented, long-lasting and gives my cheeks a pretty glow.

6) Chanel Nouvelle Vague nail polish: This nail polish is on my shopping list but unfortunately it's still not available in Switzerland. Chanel nail polishes almost have no staying power on my nails but I know that I won't be able to resist this shade which will be perfect for summer.

7) Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté in Peach Passion: Apparently this lipstick is on my wish list since October 2008!! I don't really know why I never bought it but I definitely have to have this peach colored lipstick this summer!

8) Bourjois Délice de Poudre Bronzer: I was lucky to get this bronzer in a goodie bag as well and recommended it to many girlfriends in the last two years I've been using it. I mostly use it for contouring my cheekbones or when I want a sunkissed look I lightly apply it all over my face. This bronzer looks and smells heavenly like a chocolate bar and I'm definitely sticking with it since this one doesn't look orangey or muddy on me.

Do we share any favorites? Which products are your summer essentials?

Braid it!

I love it, he loves it... seriously, who doesn't love braided hair?

My favorite has to be the fish tail which is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Here's a video that explains it. I hope my sister will watch this so I don't have to braid her hair anymore...^^

source: WhoWhatWear

Me Time

H20+ pumice foot scrub

Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin Scented Candle

Laura Mercier Crème de Pistache Body Crème

Bobbi Brown Buffing Grains for Face

Carita Ideal Control Powder Mask

Shiseido Pureness Moisturizing Gel-cream

Indulge yourself a little this Sunday...

Source: 1 & 4: Weheartit.com

Chanel Fall 2010 runway beauty

Chanel's Fall 2010 runway makeup instantly caught my attention and I had to take a closer look at the eyes. Just as I expected, the makeup artists created a beautiful and surprising eye makeup whilst keeping the lips in a nude color. I have no clue about the technique but it looks like wet black eyeshadow or liquid eyeliner was patted on with a brush. Sort of looks like lace in my opinion.

I think I'll give this dramatic look a try, maybe for a night out. Please share your ideas if you know how this look could be achieved!

Source: Style.com