Girly Addictions blog Give-Away!!!!

Martje is hosting a new givaway of Catrice polishes...


http://girly-addictions.blogspot.com/2010/12/snowy-lola-give-away.html

Good luck everyone!!

Beautiful

this post isn't beauty products related, it's just the gorgeous view I enjoyed today nearby my home...

fairy tale like, he?....enjoy!

Snowy besos,

Brenda

Essence Soft Touch Mousse Make Up

A bit more than 3 weeks, with my Kruidvat haul I got this mousse foundation from Essence.

My all time favorite has been Revlon Colorstay, which is a full coverage foundation. I find it a super product but it feels heavy on my skin. I use it for parties and events but not for daily use and for sure not during hot summer days. Then I choose for mineral foundation.

I’ve been using Essence Soft Touch Mousse for 3 weeks on a daily basis.

When I purchased it, my first thought was…this won’t last me a week!!!!  The glass container has 16 grams, comparing to the amount of fluid foundation required to cover my whole face (taking in account the brush always absorbs a lot of it). The container looked so tiny, but thinking of the price of it, was worth to give it a try.

In the morning on fresh washed face, after applying moisturizer with SPF15 I use a stippling brush (duo fiber) and actually just a tiny, tiny, tiny amount is needed. Coverage is light and can be doubled to use as concealer. I won’t recommend to use your fingers on it because you will get too much of it in your face and also will contaminate the foundation.

Look how little of it I have used!

The feeling of it is soft and creamy and applies easy. It’s a mousse to powder finish. Which you have to be careful of not using much of the product or it will set down in expression lines.

The first week I didn’t use any setting powder to measure how matte stays during a long working day (I leave home at 7 am and come back around 7 in the evening  and I didn’t touch up my make up during day).

The finish is matte, but didn’t last all day on me; I had shiny areas after less than 4 hours (T zone and chin) even though I don’t have oily skin and we are not having hot weather.

This foundation isn’t long wearing either, it will rub off your face if you wear scarves or clothing that covers your neck.

The second and third week I decided to set it down with Catrice Mineral Compact Powder, which I had to pick since I couldn’t find any Essence Compact Powder that matched my skin tone, they were all to light for me.

This combo works good, makes the matte effect last longer and I do touch up half way day only with the compact powder.

Also the foundation photographs good. No Casper the ghost faces like when I use Revlon ColorStay (yeah, I know foundations with SPF will wash you out when flash photographs are taken)

This was at the Thanksgiving Expat community dinner party

(face: Essence Mousse foundation and Catrice Mineral Compact Powder,

as you can see is light coverage and I didn't use any concealer)

I’m quite pleased with the product, is dirt cheap compared to drugstore foundations that will cost more than 10 euro, also take in account that quality is ok, but not superb. You get what you pay for.

I will continue using it on a daily basis, applies easy and quick which is very handy during mornings while getting ready to go to work.

If you like / need full coverage foundations this is not what you are looking for.

PROS

Dirt cheap (less than 4 euro and they have often discount of 20% or pay one get one for free)

Available in all Kruidvat stores

Small packaging (you can throw it in your our purse)

Just need a little bit every use

Photographs good

Light feeling, won’t clog your pores

CONS

Light coverage

Not long lasting

Wears off easily

Not a big selection of shades

For sure I will purchase this product again...if one day I actually run out of it! hahaha!

Have a great week!

Besos,

Brenda

Steel me & Barry M Instant Effects

I couldn't wait...
I had to do my nails...they looked so sad...so naked...

I needed a quick but nice manicure to start the week.

I used Nail Tek Foundation II as basecoat, Steel Me from Essence Metallics collection, Barry M Nail Paint Instant Effects and Seche Vite as topcoat.

The Essence Metallics polishes dry quite quick, but without a good base and topcoat won't last much without chipping or peeling off.

On friday did the same combo but using Copper Rulez from the same collection and looks gorgeous! Shame didn't take a picture of it

I'm soooo into crackle polish now!...i find it so cool and unique! no manicure looks the same!

Have a great beginning of the week!

Besos,

Brenda

Easiest Glitter Nail Polish Removal Ever! Brooke's Youtube Tutorial!

I'm a big fan of Brooke's haul videos, I get a lot of ideas of the polishes I want to get and also she does nice konad manicures....
I run into this video a minute ago and I think I have to share it with you all...
It's pure genious!!!
I love my glitter polishes but are hard candy when comes to removing them...now I can enjoy them without suffering later...
Thanks Brooke!!!


Enjoy!


Besos,

Brenda

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

i haven't post lately, i'm sorry
but i got a new job and i'm going through training...and i get home exhausted and not inspired enough to blog.
and also something happened :

yeah, i had a major nail breakage...
my nails were doing nice and strong for the last 4 months! which was like record time for me, usually will break or peel after 2 weeks.
plus the horrible winter we are going through is taking it's toll in my cuticules...
i had to chop off my nails and found them extremely yellow even with using a good basecoat. (Nail Tek Foundation II, which has helped lots with my weak brittle nails)
So i decided to give them a rest and will let them breath for some weeks.
Hope to be strong enough...i love my polished nails!!!

Besos,

Brenda

Essence METALLICS Polishes

Like I mentioned in my Kruidvat Haul post, I went with my man to Zwolle to do some shopping, house stuff, groceries…but also I had a mission:

FIND THE ESSENCE METALLIC NAIL POLISHES

Looked for them in my town: FAIL (they didn’t even had the new collection on the counter)

Looked for them in the next town: FAIL (same case as previous)

Looked for them in Amersfoort: FAIL (they had them but they were all gone)

So Zwolle was my hope and maybe my last chance, since the Metallics collection is limited edition, like they say it here OP is OP. When they run out…it’s gone for good.

But I wasn’t ready to give up on them.

And they were playing hard to catch for sure.

Jeez! I have never looked that much for a product in stores…maybe because I didn’t wanted one that much before (now that I think about it).

Kruidvat, the store which carries the German brand Essence, in the city center didn’t have it yet. Walked to the mall nearby and EUREKA!….the polishes were there, waving me from the window, almost sticking their tongues out to me…but the store was in maintenance and not opening until next week! Now what?

I think my lost puppy face made my guy just drove to the next mall…and YES! Finally! I had them in my hands!

left to right: Copper Rulez, Steel Me, Iron Goddess

The METALLICS Collection is composed by metallic polishes, lipsticks, eye shadows and so on.

I decided to get only the nail polishes because of their special kind and the fact that some of the other make up items were similar to something I already own or were not my cup of tea.

The polishes launched with this collection are 5 colors, from which 4 are magnetic.

I got 3 of them: Iron Goddess, Copper Rulez and Steel me plus the magnet.

The concept of the magnetic polish is quite interesting, they contain particles of metal in them, when applied over the nail while still wet, the magnet attracts the particles forming a pattern in the polish.

The colors are beautiful and very wearable, depending of the effect you want the application can be easy or a bit complicated. If applied as regular polish it’s easy and fast drying, with a top coat (I used Seche Vite) becomes really long lasting.

left to right: Copper Rulez, Steel Me, Iron Goddess

The use of the magnet is a complete different story…obtaining the pattern with the magnet can be a pain in the neck. You are supposed to hold it for 30 seconds as close as possible to the freshly applied polish, and of course with my shaky hands got the magnet to touch the nail multiple times and then I had to start all over again…

can you see the stripes?

After multiple tries and one step from losing my mind I decided to just swatch them on the nail wheel for you and just wear them as regular polish since I find the 3 colors I got very pretty

I read in other reviews that the magnet Essence is selling isn’t as good quality as other brands that carry magnetic polishes, I haven’t had the chance to try it myself, so I’ll stick to what I have now (I tried also with my fridge magnets, don’t even bother).

From the 3 polishes I got my absolute favorite is Copper Rulez.

Did you have a better/nicer experience with the Metallic polishes than mine? Feel free to share!

Besos,

Brenda

Oh Ruby!

Wearing this polish makes me feel like it's already Christmas.
Ruby Pumps by China Glaze

I own some red tones in my collection but never dared to wear them.
When I saw this bottle I knew I had to give it some special attention.
But fotographing this baby turn out to be a hard job!
My camera won't get a good picure of it.
it's a gorgeous cool red tone with gold micro glitters.

Completely opaque in 3 coats.
Get ready to receive compliments on it!

Now I feel like wearing ruby pumps too!!!

Besos,

Brenda

Girly Addictions blog Give-Away!!!!

Martje from Girly Addictions is hosting a great givaway and for sure I'm participating!...
Check her blog here!

http://girly-addictions.blogspot.com/2010/11/germany-haul-give-away.html

Good luck everyone!!!

Besos,

Brenda

Crackle! Crackle!

Yay!!!!!
I have it and I'm loving it!
Barry M Instant Effects Nail Paint...
Jeez! I'm so excited about this little bottle!

I just couldn't wait until tomorrow to try this on, so here it is!

The concept of the crackle polish, which is more a top coat, works the following way.
You paint your nails with the polish of your choice, for this experiment I opted for skittle nails in the following colors:

From thumb to pinkie:

Barry M Nail Paint in Pink 302
Barry M Nail Paint in Cyan Blue 294
Barry M Nail Paint in Block Orange 301
Barry M Nail Paint in Spring Green 290
Barry M Nail Paint in Yellow 134

Next, after letting your nails dry, you apply a single coat of Instant Effects Nail Paint (don't overlap)...give it a couple of seconds...and there you have it!
A unique design in each nail with a matte finish.

The polish does honor it's name: Instant Effects, it dries in front of your eyes.

You can obtain smaller cracks when applying a light coat, if you want them bigger just a ticker one will do the trick. (Can you notice the difference between the thumb and the pinkie?)

I decided to apply a coat of Seche Vite and shiny looks as good as matte.

You can find Barry M Instant Effects Nail Paint and all the colors I used at the Barry M site

 http://www.barrym.com/

and in The Netherlands at Alice and Jo's  Havesentials

http://www.alicejohavesentials.nl

I got mine there, service is good, delivery fast and very reasonable sending costs...



Are you ready to crackle?

Besos,

Brenda

I'm not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned nor received monetary compensation for this review.

NOTD: No More Drama

As requested by my subscriber Cultura lama, this is the polish I'm wearing on the photo of the John Frieda review.
It's by Essence Colour & Go n.27 named No more drama

Picture taken inside with natural light

Picture taken inside with flash

It's a beautiful lavender color with a soft grey undertone.
Needs 3 coats to be fully opaque. The formula is a bit in the runny side but works good.
I applied as base Nail Tek Foundation II and as top coat Seche Vite

After 4 days no chipping and small tip wear, even though I do dishes.
I really like the color and how fast it dries.

Retails for 1,29 euro and can be purchased at the Kruidvat

Are you feeling the drama?

Besos,

Brenda

KRUIDVAT HAUL: Essence Metallic Polishes and Soft Touch Mousse Foundation, Garnier Skin Naturals and Safari Polishes

Last Saturday made some picks at the Kruidvat in Zwolle with the VVV coupon I won at the International Almere Adult Halloween Party (yay for parties!) and found some goodies I want to share with you.

I was looking already for a while the Essence Metallic collection polishes, but was quite a journey to get them (review and swatches post coming) also got some extra polishes from the regular line Colour and Go and a matt mousse foundation.

Lucky me! Kruidvat was giving special discount on Essence products that weekend, so I got a couple more of things to use the full amount of my coupon.

I wanted to try the Garnier Exfo Brusher since I spot the commercial on TV, but completely forgot about it until I saw the shelf next to the Essence counter and the line had 20% discount that day, was destiny? Let’s call it so!

I have used it for a couple of days already, but I’ll make an extended review on it later on, I like to be sure how I feel about the product and don’t stay just on first impressions.

The same goes for the Essence Foundation; it’s my first time using a mousse and also from that brand.

Walking around the market, my guy saw a stand selling make up and they had these inexpensive polishes. I’ve seen the brand Safari on Marktplaats before but never dared to give them a shot. This was my chance and I picked 4 colors I found stand out from the rest. We will find out how good they work.

When comes to polishes I don’t trust completely the photos of the bottles when buying online, I always check for swatches on nail polish forums or bloggers, this gives you a more accurate view of how the color works on the nails, the type of finish it has and helps you decide if it’s what you are really looking for.

Well, I have some polish duty to accomplish.

How do you like my picks? Have you tried any of these already?

Besos,

Brenda

Going Dutch: Mondriaan

This is one of my favorite non Konad nail designs.
It's based on a Piet Mondriaan painting. Isn't as complicated as it looks and got lots of compliments for it.

Base coat:   Nail Tek Foundation II
Base color:  OPI Alpine Snow
Design:       Kiss Stripper in Black
                 Red: Barry M Raspberry
                 Blue: Barry M Cyan Blue
                 Yellow: Barry M Yellow
Top coat:   Seche Vite

Already feeling like going dutch?
Besos,

Brenda

Romantic and Blue

Some days you just feel romantic...
Some days you just feel blue...
This manicure is what one of those days you can do...

Base coat:        Nail Tek Foundation II
Tip and dots:    Essence Toe polish in 01 Caribean Sea
Stamps:           Ebay stamping plate, Konad special polish in white
Top coat:        Seche Vite
used a dotting tool

Besos,
Brenda

Review: John Frieda's Precision Foam Colour Kit

Since I moved to Holland, (3 years ago) even though I brought with me all my hair coloring paraphernalia, I decided to give my hair a break.

I colored my hair since I was 15 more so, of course with low profile variations since my school forbade any type of hair coloring, manicure nor make up (piercings also).

So under those limitations the bravest thing I did to my hair was going from the safe red-ish browns to the blue/purple shade reflecting blacks, which didn’t differ much from my natural color, a very dark chocolate brown that photographs black.

During my time here, just got very irregular trims ( I could spent one year without one), always on the safe side of the street, never got a outstanding haircut, I always grow it long, maybe some layering, but never further than that. I’m not a daring person when comes to hair.

A while ago found John Frieda’s hair line, which I found quite pricey compared to regular drugstore brands sold in Holland (and in Peru too), say Herbal Scences, L’oreal or Wella (I’ve never tried the store brands here like Etos, Kruidvat, Trekpleister, not because I think they are bad, maybe because I didn’t want to give such a big change to my hair when moved here). Of course from a 2, 50 euro a bottle shampoo to a 9 euro one…it’s a big difference for your pocket.

But was a big difference for my hair too. I got the shiniest and strongest hair I ever had.

I fell in love with the products I tried, so I joined the John Frieda Elite Club from the official site in Holland. They offered to keep me updated on events, new products, samples and tips and recommendations from specialists and more.

http://www.johnfrieda.nl/

http://www.johnfrieda.nl/eliteclub/

A couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail announcing the launch of their new Precision Foam Colour system and offered a free sample to be delivered home.

GRATIS (free in dutch)…Of course!

And this week I went to check my mailbox and found the surprise inside.

A full size kit on the shade of my choice!  (I picked the shade 5R Radiant Red Medium Red Brown)

What can be better than that?!

So that same day I decided to get a haircut (that is a complete story) and try the new product.

At first impression, the one that most of the time matters the most when beauty products involved, the packaging is A1 quality. A beautiful glossy black box

The content of the box consist in:

1.      Developer fluid

2.      Coloring fluid

3.      Conditioner

4.      Foamer

5.      Pair of professional latex gloves

6.      Instructions leaflet

All the content of the box had a number to be identified according to the steps of the instructions leaflet, which I find extremely handy being a distracted almost clumsy person when chemical procedures are involved.

The process was easy breezy! Just softly pour and bounce a couple of times the bottle(don’t shake, isn't necesary and won't make it produce more foam) the coloring fluid (2) into the developer fluid (1), replace the regular bottle cap for the foamer (4), all this wearing the gloves provided. Apply. Around 30 minutes waiting time, rinse and apply conditioner (3).

My first time with a foam coloring system was perfect. I liked how easy is to apply it without the big mess and dripping, the foam holds your hair and works evenly through all the hair.

It does have ammonia smell but didn’t have any itchy/burn feeling on my scalp.

Rinsing was quite fast and the conditioner provided has a yummy smell and lasts for more applications, they suggest once a week to maintain the color.

My hair is shiny and feels soft and easy to model. Love the way the shade looks natural and I didn't have to bleach my hair to get it. Also the fact that didn't leave the horrible stains regular hair dye leaves, not on my scalp or forehead or places it might have drip) I just cleaned it with a cotton bud with soapy water and voila! was gone!

PROS:

-          Easy application

-          One kit is enough even for long hair

-          Quick process

-          Beautiful shades

-          Excellent quality

-          Fancy presentation

CONS:

-          Quite pricey compared to drugstore brand coloring products (over 15 euro)

-          Not as much variety of color shades as other brands

I will definitely purchase this product again.

Have you tried it already? What are your impressions?

Besos,

Brenda

I am not associated with the company nor received any compensation for this review.