I. R. Pale

e.l.f. NYNY challenge no 3 - mineral makeup

2012-01-28T07:53:00.000-08:00

Well - since am using MMU anyway - not much of a challenge for me. :) Anyone interested in reading more about the e.l.f.'s New Year New You challenges can look them up here. e.l.f. UK is building up a rather nice blog and they are working on swatches as well - very, very nice of them indeed :).

stuff used

The palette here is e.l.f. 32 piece eyeshadow palette in cool, brown tones are very nice and usable. Personal blend foundation kit offers 4 different tones, none are a perfect match for me: used Porcelain all over face and Beige for contouring under the cheekbones. Lips are simply Charming - from the Essential line.

For the eyes I went for the Brody Dalle messy brown smoky eye look - insanely great for blue eyes. Just rub the brown eyeshadow pencil in Coffee all over and around the eye, blend it out with your fingers and apply matte brown eyeshadow all over it - can't be any easier. I finally got one of those brow gel-thingies for myself as well - works nicely but I constantly forget to use it.

e.l.f. Studio flawless finish foundation in Porcelain: before and after

2012-01-09T03:18:00.000-08:00

after

e.l.f. Studio Flawless Face foundation is a light to medium coverage foundation that's actually quite oily albeit promoted as an "oil free" one. It smells nice, meaning it almost has no scent whatsoever and leaves a rather glossy finish which gloriously accentuated all my pores. Needs a little going over with some powder otherwise unusable for the oilier faced girls. On the other hand this could be an HG foundation for anyone with dry skin who loves the fresh, dewy look.

Lets start with a "before":

nice squeaky clean, piggie-pink horseface :)

This product preforms better on the principle "less is more"- learned it the hard way. Since the foundation is darker then my skin tone, over-application gives horrible results. Packaging is a glass bottle and it looks rather good, feels more expensive then it actually is.

I was a bit surprised about it's size - seemed a tad small and it was also not filled up properly. Porcelain is the lightest color available - how can it be called porcelain if it's this yellow? Is it really that difficult to come up with a nice light and neutral toned foundation? (rant of the pale person again...)

one squirt

Just the foundation: note tone difference with the neck and the high sheen

A tad of silica microspheres

And voil´a - matte :)
neck cannot be helped, sry

For the finished look on the first pice I used e.l.f. mineral eyeshadow in Confident and mineral lipstick in Royal Red. The wonderful spider-feet are created using my Manhattan mascara, a dream product for every Essex girl. Totally forgot the eyebrows, again...

Attempt at frankening: Lava Sand glitter

2012-01-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

I have some The Conservatorie glitters that have not seen much light - I looked at them as they arrived in late 2010 and stashed them away since they were not usable on the eyes (and I did not have glitter glue). So this weekend I wanted to see what they would look like on my nails.

I took out my black nail polish, Lava Sand glitter and clear top polish and this is what I got as a result (I quite liked it but it's too much effort):

Black nail polish, sprinkled over with massive glitter (looked VERY fashionable (but fragile) in that stage), followed by multiple layers of top coat. Problem was the glitter seemed to drink all the top coat and then the result looked matte :S. I think 4 coats altogether were needed for the glossy finish. Had I known the time it took - I would have just left it there with the glitter layes as the top one :).

On the hands it kind of feels as if there's sandpaper on the nails and it's still rather prone to chipping. Lasted only a day :S Next time I'll try to mix the glitter with the top coat before applying it on the nails - I felt it went on too thickly when I sprinkled it.

The Conservatorie moisturizer and two phased makeup remover

2012-01-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

Both of them have a sophisticated, barely-there scent - these products have an expensive feel to them.

These two arrived during my trip and I have been trying them out ever since. I like them both though it took me some time to get used to the makeup remover - usually I just use moist microfiber cloth for removing my makeup. I even got myself an ordinary liquid foundation, so I could test it under different circumstances as well - other stuff is much more clingy.

pic taken end of October amongst the moss in mum's garden

I found the moisturizer very light, easily absorbable and moisturizing. Works well with my mineral foundations and leaves no icky film on the skin. It has a very discreet, almost unnoticeable pleasant scent. Even my mother commented on the "lack of smell" as she put it :). It's as light and pleasant as my Dr.Scheller creams and it definitely has one advantage - when I rub my Dr.Scheller moisturizer a tad too much, it starts to roll on my skin - this one does not.

This is not a winter cream - it's too light but it's perfect for the rest of the year (I need to ask The Conservatorie whether it also has SPF or not... would be nice for summer). I have been using the cream all this time and am almost out of it by now. It's good, main ingredients are glycerin and coconut oil. You can see the ingredients list when you click on the above picture - it'll become larger. The cream jar is made of glass and looks and feels elegant, has one of those protective caps too - comes in handy when traveling.

The makeup remover is a two phased one - this explains the different colored liquids in the picture above - it needs to be shaken before use. Basically it's a cleaning substance and an oily substance - oil loosens the dirt from the skin and hydrates it a bit while the cleaning substance makes sure all the dirt gets off the face.

According to The Conservatorie this product is also suitable for eye makeup removal but I am a bit skeptical about that: when removing mascara traces under my eyes I felt tingling in the eyes and therefore decided not to use it for eyes. rest of my face had no objections :).

Makeup remover smells pleasant - a bit like strawberries actually - and leaves the skin nicely hydrated. I do not feel the need to grab for my moisturizer/jojoba oil like I usually do after the microfiber/water cleansing. The bottle is quite big and although I sometimes forget to use it, I have only managed to use up 1/3 of the bottle so far. Since I usually do not use makeup removers I cannot compare this to other brands.

PS! The cream is sold at the Private Label website only and is currently priced at $9,50. Makeup remover is $9,95 on the original website. Prices are the same as in drugstores for the usual generic moisturizers and makeup removers but I think it's a good price for a quality product. Should the moisturizer have a nice SPF as well, I just might consider getting a new one for spring - it feels very nice on the skin.

Tegemist siis kahe tootega, mis mulle arvamuse avaldamiseks saadeti. Kreem oli tõesti hea (viimased kribalad purki alles jäänud) aga meigieemaldajat tegelikult ei oskagi kommenteerida - ma ise olen tavaliselt lapi ja sooja veega hakkama saanud. Lisaks ka veel see, et meigieemaldaja näol ei ole tegemist loodustootega, saaks ka lihtsama retseptiga samasugust asja luua :).

Meow's lightest mineral foundations in Chausie, Bengal, Abyssinian, Ocicat and Manx

2012-01-01T04:04:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the mineral makeup store celebrating all sorts of felines :). Meow Cosmetics is just that - and if only you could have seen the store some years ago! So bloody confusing - but the good thing was, most MMU lovers got to be quite well informed about all sorts of cat breeds. Not a bad thing in itself, broads the horizons. Homepage has been redone though so people with less patience can now also shop there. (But it was never as bad as Dreamworld...)

I made an order in October when they had their "20% off entire store + free international shipping" offer and managed to get this parcel without having to deal with customs (Meow's shipping etc is not cheap - when you get an offer like this, you better grab it). Their foundations have quite a good renomé. I have some samples in level 0 from earlier so I already new they made some very light tones indeed and therefore picked level 1 for myself - and guess what - too light again :D. This happens so seldom that I am not much bothered about it - this store does cater to everyone's needs indeed - even Snow Whites are not forgotten. Packaging is also very, very nice looking :).

Foundations come in 3 different recipes and 13(!) different tone-groups. This makes choosing the right one complicated indeed. Most tones have quite accurate color descriptions but the sheer amount of them is overwhelming.

photo in warm light

Tones swatched here are:
Pampered Puss (medium coverage) - Inquisitive (0) Chausie (cool pink)
Pampered Puss (medium coverage) - Inquisitive (0) Bengal (cool beige)
Pampered Puss (medium coverage) - Sleek (1) Abyssinian (yellow beige)
Purrrfect Puss (light to medium coverage) - Sleek (1) Ocicat (olive/beige)
Flawless Feline (full coverage) - Sleek (1) Manx (yellow/peach).

photo in cool light

I tried to choose colors that would help me counteract redness and looked at as many swatches as google offered but I made my decision mainly based on the main foundation chart. So now I have 3 Munchkins (meaning 25 gr per volume jar) of which only Ocicat is usable, the others will be usable should I live some years underground. Ok, maybe I could wear Sleek Abyssinian in February... but that's a maybe. Basically I have now 2 jars of foundation looking for a new home. There aren't many people paler then me - will be a bit problematic. And of course the one color of the three that I do find wearable just happens to be the one with the lightest coverage. Bummer.

wearing sleek Ocicat

Meow like every self-respecting company also adds small samples to every order. This time it was their Pandora's box Collection and the tones were Mayhem (dark brown with copper sheen/very small sparkles) and Chaos (reddish gold).

Am not too fond of the latter but am wearing Mayhem on these pics here.

And here's a pic of all the stuff used today:

The Conservatorie's eyeshadow primer
NYX jumbo eyeliner in Milk
The Conservatorie's matte dark brown pigment in Brown Coco in the crease
Meow's Mayhem all over lid
The Conservatorie's Shimmering Nude as blush (no coverage, more like pink sheen)
Meow's foundation in Purrfect Puss Sleek Ocicat
Jane Iredale's Just Kissed lip plumper in L.A. on the lips (a very nice color BUT unfortunately always becomes invisible on the photos)
Manhattan Cosmetics Ultimate Long& Curl mascara

Twinkling Hazel overall

2011-12-31T08:03:00.000-08:00

Nordic winters may or may not be cold, this time it's not and thank God for small blessings - but they are always dark. Not very nice when one has only ordinary lighting in the apartment. Catching the light for shooting something becomes a sport itself. Following photos will be terrible, you have been warned.

Items used

Twinkling Hazel on eyelids, lips and cheeks

Today I tried to make a rather monochrome look - using the same The Conservatorie pigment in Twinkling Hazel on the eyes, cheeks and lips. Nice understated look but the piggie is a tad dark for me to be used as a blush - at least in this light it bothers me. Undertone, you see, is a bit orange and orange is definitely not my color when put anywhere else but eyelids or lips. Orange is a very nice color to be used on the eyelids - makes blue eyes pop.

At the moment I have quite a number of foundations to test, so am trying multiple ones in one go - something I can get away with only during winter. The Conservatorie's pressed foundation in Nude on the right cheek (my right, mind you) and loose mineral powder in Barely Beige on the left cheek. Forehead is all Jane Iredale's pressed mineral foundation in Warm Silk. Note to self - Nude will be ok during Summer but it's too dark for now - just look at the neck.

The Conservatorie's Barely Beige (not the matte version) is quite a good winter tone, on these pics it looks shinier then the others. Goes well with the neck - no color difference. Barely Beige also comes in a matte recipe but I felt that it was a bit drying so I took the non-matte one.

Jane Iredale's pressed foundation in Warm Silk (Starter kit in Fair) on the forehead and nose: tone-wise it's in between, a nice neutral/warm color. Consistency is very soft - pressed mineral foundations usually are - and brush should not be wielded too forcefully. My pan of The Conservatorie's Nude is an exception, it has a pressing flaw - it's rock hard and I have to scrape it with my nails to get the product loose. From all The Conservatorie pressed mineral foundations I have this is the only flawed one.

I contoured my cheekbones, temples and jawline with The Conservatorie's Milk Chocolate and highlighted apples of the cheek, nose, chin and forehead with The Conservatories Pink Interference. Looking at the pics now I wonder whether highlighting is for me - I just look greasy. I did no fine work - so the areas around the nose and pimples are not concealed or worked upon - in this case the I made the bad lighting conditions work for me. :)

Täna testisin oma erinevaid mineraalpuudreid - laup ja mõlemad põsed on kõik eri tooni... heas valguses nõndamoodi ikka välja ei läheks küll :D. Twinkling hazel on veidi liiga oranž, silmadele sobib kuid põsed teeb veidi määrdunuks... Samas roosa oleks põskedele sobinud kuid silmad teinud palavikus küülikuks. Peamiselt olid näppimisel The Conservatorie ja Jane Iredale asjad. Halba saab öelda vaid Manhattani ripsmetuši kohta, see on ikka paras jama sattunud seekord... Hiljem lisasin silamdele veidi matti pruuni lauvakku - tegi silmnäo veidi ruumilisemaks. Aga siis oli juba liiga pime, et piltide tegemisest unistadagi.

e.l.f. Mineral lipsticks in Royal Red, Beautiful Berry and Prime Plum

2011-12-28T02:01:00.000-08:00

I like e.l.f.'s mineral lipsticks, especially Rosy Raisin, the "my lips but better" tone. Now these here are much, much darker (warning - they look lighter on this photo). Ingredients list is very nice to look at.

Prime Plum - Plum should be purple, no? Well, this one is dark brick-brown.

Royal Red - elegant deep cool-toned red but far too dark for me

Beautiful Berry - dark red, could also be described as a cross between Prime Plum and Royal Red - again not for me.

FOTD using Jane Iredale's starter kit in Fair

2011-12-26T12:25:00.000-08:00

Tools:

Canvas:

Dream Tint in Light already applied

Result:

Warm Silk on the right cheek

Bisque on the left cheek

The kit contains two foundations in travel size: Bisque and Warm Silk, a rather dark blush Sheer Honey, a truly great concealer set Circle/Delete2, a mini lipstick (L.A. Just Kissed lip plumper), a slightly tinted makeup base cream Dream Tint and three brushes in the lower compartment of the box. All the products are used here. In addition there's Mystikol powdered eyeliner and highlighter Dark Topaz on the eyes and my brand new Manhattan mascara (rant about that will follow soon).

These small brushes are soft and workable but already the concealer brush is sort of loose at the ferrule and the mini flat-top sheds like mad ever since I took it out of the box. I understand that wooden handles tend to have problems with shrinking but shedding was unexpected. Small domed blush brush is soft and has absolutely no faults - perfect for foundation application around the nose area. Cannot use it for blush though - I had to use my own blush brush because this one is simply too small and the product in this kit is much too pigmented - clown makeup guaranteed. I will definitely keep it and it's sister concealer brush in my travel bag. Flat-top will probably stay in the drawer until someone else is willing to offer it a better home.

Brick-undertoned blush in this set is more like a bronzer for me - it does not bring flush to my cheeks, makes them rather muddy-looking instead. I am surprised they would put a blush this dark in the Fair set at all - usually it's something more wearable, bright sort of pink or so. Great thing is the Circle/Delete2 concealer set in highly blendable light cream and salmon. Both when used separately seem a bit off but when combined they leave a most natural result. This concealer is applied all over blemishes and also under the eyes.

Jane Iredale's pressed powders blend well and are buildable - they can provide complete coverage if needed, assuming you also use the makeup base and concealers provided in the kit - foundation sticks to the concealer already layered on the pimples and the only thing visible will be a little bump. I prefer Warm Silk at the moment - I still have some residual tan from my trip - am usually pale as a sheet this time of year :). Yellow undertones in these foundations help to tone down my usual redness.

Box and packaging are marvellous - the well-made box could later on be used for jewellery or other makeup items. It's abit big for travelling but it has all the necessities and will do a great job. After seeing other Jane Iredale items I have to say - they excel at packaging - all products look luxurious, my Makeupheaven magnetized palettes with pressed powder pans look quite industrial when compared :).

Mängisin oma tuliuue Jane Iredale komplektiga - tegu karbikesega, kus kaks minisuuruses pressitud meigipõhja, suht tume ja tellisekarva alatooniga põsepuna, imekena roosakaskuldne minihuulepulk, peitekreemikomplekt, meigialuskreem ning kolm minipintslit. Soovitan soojalt, algaja jaoks väga mugav komplekt, täismeigi tegemiseks läheb lisaks veel vaja vaid silmapliiatsit ning ripsmetušši.

A review long overdue - The Conservatorie's eyeshadow primer

2011-12-25T11:19:00.000-08:00

Now this one has only one fault: needs heat to disperse well... Basically, to get a proper amount I have to stick my finger into the jar, move it there for a moment and my finger has grabbed the exact amount needed for one eyelid (problematic - I have exceptionally cold hands sometimes). Texture is waxy and color is orangey but wax grabs the pigments well and color does not matter anyway - that's what the eye-shadows are for.

I have also been using it as an under eye concealer and pimple concealer - true, it's too orange BUT it grabs mineral foundation as well as it grabs eyeshadows - so I'll just rub some on the pimples and then slide the foundation brush all over the face - fast and easy.

It does have a smell but it's very subtle and does not stink like e.l.f. primers or the Manhattan one. For 3,95 USD I'd say this product is available at a very good price. I have used it since September and have barely made a dent - please keep in mind I also use it when swatching pigments ;) much more comfortable then foiling them. Weird, I seem not to have a swatchpic of the primer itself - I'll have to remedy that soonish :)

This waxy product is packaged in a standard 10 gr per volume jar (8,5 gr of product as per label) and contains Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Apricot Kernel Oil, Safflower Oil H.O, Silica, Castor Oil, Tribehenin, Carnauba Wax, Phenoxyethanol, Kaolin, Calcium Carbonate. May contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides. It's the cleanest primer I have owned so far. Phenoxyethanol - the preservative may have some evidence that it might be toxic but it's the only one in this mix.

Üldiselt - kiidan, teeb tööd hästi. Ja kui keegi seda veel soovib, siis andke aga teada, ma panen teinekord tellimusse sisse. Odavam kui samalaadsed poodides. Ja kõige olulisem - ei haise :).

warm hands - blended like a dream

PS! Looking forward to try The Conservatorie's glitter glue that also came out recently :) I have some The Conservatorie glitters but am so far unable to use them properly - eyeshadow primer is not sticky enough for those shiny flaky buggers. Price looks really friendly - only $1,55 for a tube.

Break is over

2011-12-17T23:15:00.000-08:00

I think it's time for a comeback :). Trip was nice, end-of-yeat workstress still continues but that should be overlooked - stress has always been there and always will be - as long as people have to do something called "work". :S

And there's so much to write about! I have visited Jane Iredale and got their fairest foundation swatches, The Conservatorie sent me a parcel while I was away, LisaLise's moisturizers have not been properly reviewed yet, and then my own purchases from Meow, Lucy Minerals, The Conservatorie and TKB Trading need to be put up as well. Those TKB pigments have not been reviewed since August! I am truly lagging behind - and there's no shortage for material.

As for the trip - Mauritius was wonderful! It was not too warm yet and half of the days had some clouds which made the conditions very suitable for me. I only got sunburned once, managed to tan my face though so now it's darker then my body - but winter will take care of that.

And local tap water was a marvel: tap water in Tallinn is such crap compared to it. It left the skin smooth and hair shiny and I had no dandruff whatsoever. And when I drank it - it tasted sweet! None of that metallic-y aftertaste I'm so used to here. The water was rationed though - we were staying in the dry bit of the island.

I only wish I had more time the next time I go - I'd really like to visit some nature-reserve as well - to see the local flora (and perhaps some more fauna). This island has had other species introduced to it ever since it's first inhabitants arrived - palms from Cuba and lots of plants (I think so) from Thailand and Indonesia. I'd really like to know what it looked like when the first inhabitants came. And I have to say - It's a paradise for bougainvilleas - they grow everywhere. All colors, all the time. So many blooming plants - unbelievably pretty.

Mangroves - another introduced species - brought in
to help protect the beaches from large waves.

Taking a little break...

2011-09-21T04:02:00.001-07:00

... since am going on a little trip. Actually - already am on a little trip.
Have to comment on the Boots I visited - bloody difficult to find things, they are all grouped by function rather then brand - can't find the Botanics moisturizer auntie wanted me to bring :S (ginger &smth). And Anu, the Toni&Guy Brunette shampoo seems to be either totally out of stock or they do not make it anymore, already 2 stores showed no sign of them. :S

Lumene Natural Code lipstick in Sweet Pink

2011-09-13T05:22:00.000-07:00

I bought this in January! And then lost it... it was hiding in an old bag until now. So here is my long lost buddy swatched:

Consistency is nice and creamy as expected, coverage is somewhat less - this is more a lip balm then a lipstick. Recently there have been signals, that these are no longer obtainable in larger department stores. Seems Lumene might discontinue them. What a shame.

This time the label came off well and lipstick itself looks nice too. I bought a lighter one because it seemed to me Mauve Rose makes my upper lip seem even narrower then it actually is - darker lipsticks have this annoying effect.

Head huulepulgad, päris hea meel oli, kui see ikkagi vanast käekotist välja ilmus :). Igapäevavärvina parem kui Mauve Rose.

The Conservatorie pressed mineral foundations in action

2011-09-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

Before (this is how my skin looks without makeup):

After:

Fairly Light

After:

Fair

After:

Ivory

After:

Porcelain

Nude - cant remember which pics are of Nude (the darkest one that has a difficult consistence - too well pressed), I'll do them later. But I remember that Nude was the one with the best staying power. I think it's hard structure (less oil) helps it to stay put on my face. But it will definitely be too dark for winter because even now it has a pretty strong contrast with my face.
And here's Nude:

skin's gone quite bad recently...

Üldiselt vihkan ma tervet nägu näitavate piltide postitamist aga eesmärk pühendab abinõu - kellelgil võib neid nahaswatche endale puudrit valides vägagi vaja minna. Rohkem on need pildid siiski mu enda jaoks. Hetkel on Porcelain liiga hele - Fairly Light ja Nude meeldivad mulle enim - samas on talvel Porcelain just see, mida vaja - kaelaga pole erilist toonivahet juba praegu näha. Fair on kindlalt liiga roosa ning Ivory tundub kollasemat sorti olevat.

The Conservatorie shimmer eyeshadow trio in Mocha Splash

2011-09-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

Am using The Conservatorie's pic as well because mine does not look so good (one small edge remained intact). I specifically asked The Conservatorie not to send a flawless product because I do not need the packaging to be flawless in order to review the content. I quite liked the shade I got when all 3 were mixed together.

The Conservatorie has other surprises for us who have not visited for a while: now they also have pressed eyeshadows and I picked Mocha Splash for reviewing. The trio has one light color and two darker brown ones, to me the two browns seem quite similar: one has a stronger silvery sheen and the other's a bit darker. It looks a bit different on Conservatorie's homepage.

sry, lousy swatches - blame the light

Ingredients are skin friendly, product is pressed using coconut oil:

Mica, Zinc Stearate, Boron Nitride, Hydrated Silica, Caprylic Capric Triglycerides, Allantoin. May Contain ( /-): Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Ultramarines, Manganese Violet, Ferric Ferrocyanide, Carmine, Chromium Oxide Greens and Tin Oxide.

Colors are wearable and perfect for someone who likes sparkle and sheen but cannot leave the house all guns blazing: brown is a nice safe color. The middle one is a bit too pinkish yellow to be worn as a highlighter (better for someone with darker skin, I'd look weird) but it's very good when one's blending the crease color upwards. The staying power is excellent (keep in mind, this is a glittery product) and pigmentation leaves nothing to be wished for. The shadows are very soft and adhere well, one should be careful when dipping the brush into the pan - it's really very very soft.

I believe the foundation used here is The Conservatorie's pressed mineral foundation in Porcelain.

Personally I'd recommend these but since the shimmer shadows seem a bit fragile, I'd also recommend to treat them with great care. Shimmery and glitter shadows are a pain to press - if anyone knows this it's me: put too much oil and you got oily gunk, put too little and the shadow will crumble at a fleajump.

I'd also like to recommend The Conservatorie's loose micas in the Mocha family - my personal favorite is Super Brilliant Mocha Mica. A sample for 1,35 $ you cannot go wrong. I have not had the time to go through my samples to see which micas the colors in these trios resemble the most but I'll add that information when I have a bit more time for dabbling. :)

If you have the cash and prefer your pigments pressed, get the pressed version - for more price-conscious people I'd warmly recommend the loose pigments. Trust me, they are nice. :)

LisaLise's Giveaway - pure body butter

2011-09-03T05:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a nice surprise - a parcel in my mailbox. Those who follow LisaLise's blog already know that she has a giveaway spree going on: the last one was just the other week and since she had 8 sample sets to give away, the chances of winning were pretty good :).

I actually feel bad for not promoting this giveaway more, the product sure deserves this. This time it was a set of Bare Basic Body Butters: both based on pure cocoa butter (that's why it's texture reminded me of white chocolate!), one with thistle oil and the other with hazelnut oil. LisaLise asked all the winners to agree to give feedback on the product afterwards so there will be another post after I have had the pleasure of using both of these.

My first impression - I started with thistle oil one - is that the butter absolutely melts in the skin - it disappears so quickly I can dress myself almost immediately afterwards. There is no recognizable scent and feel is great. My shins literally drunk it up. Although my face at first seemed to drink it up too, it has now (in an hour or so) become greasy again - I am a living oil refinery. And it looks just like white chocolate!

And another thing - I absolutely loved the rose-water so LisaLise (so kind of her!) agreed to make a trade with me and I got this herbal hydrosol as well - this is custom made and based on organic melissa hydrosol, organic aloe vera glycerine, cucumber extract - and added a little bit of benzyl alcochol as a preservative.

This does not smell as flowery as the Pure Rose Hydrating Skin mist, it's distinctly more masculine and mossy, one could even say a "medicinal" scent. At the same time I have to say that rose mist's scent is much stronger - the herbal one will be much easier to use in public places. Many younger people seem to think rose-scent too overwhelming and a bit too "grandma". ;)

As I sprayed my face I believe I tasted aloe - it was a familiar slightly bitter taste (gran used to make me eat aloe with honey when I was having another of my throat infections so am familiar with that). It should be excellent remedy against all the sunburns I am bound to get. I think I'll write more about it after my trip. :) I have high expectations.

There was also a juniper hydrosol sample in the parcel - instructions say it's great after a long day on my feet so this will also be accompanying me pretty soon :). I just hope the airport officials wont confiscate them - they might think me a bit weird travelling with so many bottles full of suspicious liquids.

Olin jälle LisaLise loosis õnnelik võitja - seekord postkastis kaks orgaanilist kehavõid - ja esimene mulje on väga hea. Iseenesest on mul veidi piinlik, et ma seda giveawayd rohkem ei promonud - aga kuulge, kes tahab oma võiduvõimalusi ise ja tahtlikult vähendada? Seekord oli 14 osalejat ja 8 võitjat! Kui selle lahke blogipidaja tooteid ise proovida soovitakse, küll siis ka follow-nupp ta blogis üles leitakse, mõtlesin mina. Iseenesest oli võitjate seas veel kaks eesti blogijat, nendegi kommentaare oleks põnev lugeda (Triin ja Kerli).

Toode on põhimõtteliselt puhas klopitud kakaovõi, millesse on parema pehmuse saavutamiseks lisatud kas siis ohakaõli või sarapuupähkliõli - LisaLise eesmärk oli saada inimesed neid tooteid testima, otsustamaks, kumb versioon rohkem meeldib. Ma ei tuvastabnud kummalgi mingit erilist lõhna. Kehavõi ise näeb välja kui valge šokolaad - kaunikesti isuäratav.

Lisaks oli Lise nii armas, et pakkus välja vahetuse - minu kraam tema ürdihüdrosooli vastu - kuidas sain keelduda :)

PS! I definitely prefer the thistle oil version! Hazelnut oil has a cookie-smell when it warms up on my skin while Thistle has no recognizable scent.

The Conservatorie's pressed mineral foundations

2011-08-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

I have been eyeing these for quite some time now - always wanted to swatch them and compare to the loose mineral powders The Conservatorie has in it's inventory. But I'd never have the cash to buy them all at full price just for swatching. The problem with buying cosmetics online is the risk the color might not suite at all and at almost 10 USD a piece it would not be a cheap experiment. These five here were sent to me by The Conservatorie so I could swatch and play with them. They have quite a big range on their homepage, totaling 24 shades altogether. I carefully picked the 5 lightest, afraid they'd all be too dark for me as it has been the case with The Conservatorie's loose mineral powders. To my utter surprise all of them are wearable - Nude seems a bit dark but even that one looks ok on my summer skin. I am quite happy.

I have to compliment The Conservatorie on the ingredients list - not bad at all (as befitting a MMU wholesaler no synthetic dyes, fragrances, preservatives etc):

Mica, Zinc Stearate, Zinc Oxide, Squalane, Fractioned Coconut oil, Lauryl Lysine, Allantoin, DL-alpha -tocopherol acetate, Grapefruit (Citrus racemosa) Extract , Origanum vulgare leaf extract, thymus vulgaris (thyme) extract, cinnamomum zeylancum bark extract, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower extract, hydrastis canadensis (golden seal) root extract May Contain ( /-) Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Chromium Oxide Greens, Ultramarines.

The amount of all the extracts here explain why the powder has a noticeable herbal smell when the package is first opened. By now it has faded but I quite liked the original scent. I would recommend this to most people but would advise persons with allergy prone or extremely sensitive skin to be careful - there are many ingredients here and should there be a reaction, it will be quite difficult to pinpoint the culprit. I think for MMU-novices with sensitive skin the loose version would be the safer bet.

The colors chosen were Porcelain (neutral, lightest of them all), Fairly Light (slightly darker, tad orangey), Fair (pinkish fair tone), Ivory (seems quite strong yellow) and Nude (darkest of the five, neutral). In the lower left corner is another testeé - The Conservatorie eye primer but that one deserves a separate post.

I asked The Conservatorie for product samples (just the pressed pans) because I do not need the cases - usually these powders come in quite solid looking black compacts.

Product is pressed in a standard 58mm pan and most of them seem to be tin (only Ivory was pressed into an aluminium pan) - which is wonderful news to all Z-palette owners out there. I think The Conservatorie would do well if they'd offer the pans as refills: many of us would prefer to buy the product cheaper (without the compact) and travel with one palette rather then several tiny containers. One StarsMakeupHaven large Z-palette can take 8 pressed powder pans - I imagine many a makeup artist's eyes would probably light up seeing this option.

Now to the product itself. Pressed mineral powders do not agree with me - I have very oily skin, personally I prefer the loose version because it handles the greasiness much better. When pressing mineral foundation a binder is needed - usually some kind of an oil - here it's squalane and fractioned coconut oil. Since the product contains oil and my face also produces a lot of oil it's no wonder my makeup will start to run by mid-day (it was the same with Everyday Minerals pressed foundations). But on the other hand it's godsend for people with dry skin, for whom the loose versions might be much too drying. Coverage is medium but can be upped with some primer.

With the exception of Nude (which does not want to rub off for some reason, I've actually scratched it to get the powder out of the pan) all the pressed powders are very creamy and one should use light hand when loading the brush.They are not completely matte nor are they shiny - they have a slight sheen but it's not exactly noticeable. They were a devil to swatch so I finally gave up and used them over primer:

Horizontal stripes above are the loose mineral foundations in Barely Beige, Barely Beige matte, Barely Golden and Barely Golden matte - the lightest loose mineral powders The Conservatorie offers. Barely Beige is a bit too pink for my liking but of the loose ones it's the only one I can get away with during winter. I'd very much like The Conservatorie to offer a loose mineral foundation in fair neutral olive tone as well (hint, hint). Porcelain seems actually pretty close to the desired shade but since it's pressed I'll have to wait a decade or two for my skin to stop producing so much oil.

Sain testimiseks The Conservatorie pressitud mineraalpuudreid - siin nende kohta ka arvustus. Sobivad kuivemapoolsele nahale ning lõpuks ometi on olemas ka heledaid toone! Hind on minu meelest ok, 10 USD pole paha ja lisaks leidub teisigi asju, mida ostukorvi panna, et tellimise miinimummaksumus kokku saada - nagu alati, oleks sealt tellides mõistlik koopereeruda ja pakk maksude vältimiseks nt hoopis Soome tellida.

Ilublogija lemmik

2011-08-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

(This is an Estonian tag - about beauty related stuff one uses)

Eesti ilublogijad said Ilu Sõnumi messi korraldajatelt palve üles kirjutada nende lemmiktooted jumestuse, keha- ning juuksehoolduse ja küünte vallas.

Mina olen rott st et püüan leida võimalikult taskukohaseid variante ning samas ka võimalikult väheste toodetega hakkama saada. Seetõttu on mu kasutatavad tooted enamuses odavad ning igaühele kättesaadavad.

Alustame nahahooldusest: õlid! Ei ole multifuntsionaalsemat kosmeetikatoodet kui õli: sobib (pikematele ja rikutud) juustele juukse-maskiks, naha niisutamiseks, koorimiseks, meigieemaldamiseks jne. Igaks otstarbeks võib kasutada erinevat aga samas võib vabalt ka lihtsalt oliivõlipudelit kusagil käeulatuses hoida. Minu lemmik on jojobiõli, mida kasutan nii näo- kui keha niisutamiseks. Näole kasutan seda siiski rohkem talvel, sest suvel tahaks kergemaid tooteid. Nahapuhastuseks oli mul pikka aega Joigi näopuhastusõli kuid kui too lõpuks otsa sai, asendasin tavalise oliivõliga: õli näkku, veidi soodat, veidi hõõrumist ning swammiga õli-soodasegu nahalt jälle maha. Hoiatan, et see meetod on vägagi abrasiivne ning tundliku naha puhul tuleks sooda ja hõõrumine kindlasti vahele jätta. Isegi kasutan seda vaid kord nädalas, igapäevaselt pesen nägu vee ja mikrokiudlapiga.

Õlid meigieemalduses: ripsmetušš sulab ripsmetelt kui võluväel, ainuke halb omadus on see, et pärast läheb mitu niisutatud vatipatja selleks, et õli silmade ümbrusest eemaldada. Sobib igasugune vedelam õli, paksemat riitsinusõli võib pärast pigem profülaktiliselt ripsmetele kanda.

Kreemid: Hauschka roosikreem, see paksem - kuigi kallis, paar testrituubi kulub talve jooksul väsinud ja ketendava naha turgutamiseks ära.
Juba mõnda aega kasutan vahelduseks ka Dr. Schelleri ökokreeme - kerge konsistentsiga ja mõnusad ning sageli Rimides ning Selverites alla hinnatud. Kevadeks-suveks-sügiseks väga head.

Meigipõhjana on pikaaegseks lemmikuks Everyday Minerals'i mineraalpuuder toonis Olive Fair (semi-matte retseptuur). Jätab kerge kuma ning ühtlustab nahatooni. Üldjuhul on tuhkja nahatooniga inimestel väga raske endale sobivat jumestuspõhja leida, ükskõik kas siis vedelat või puuderjat, kõik on kas tugevalt kollased või oranžid. EDMi oliivi-sari on just meiesugustele, "nagu-kruusatee-kuumal-päeval" hallikaskollaka nahaga kartulitele. Alternatiivi sellele pole just kerge leida.

Kõigile võibolla ei sobi puuderjas toode silmade alla kuid ma olen siiamaani EDMi Pearl Sunlightiga täitsa rahul, kahjuks pole seda viimasel ajal kodulehel enam näha - nagu kõik pikaajalised EDMi kasutajad teavad - see firma pole kuigi usaldusväärne, tooted kaovad müügilt ning koostised muutuvad etteteatamata. Kuna helendustoodet kulub vähe, on mul uue lemmiku leidmiseks veel oma kenad 3 aastat.

Silmameigialusena olen aastaid Manhattani silmameigi aluskreemi kasutanud - töötab ja veel kaunis hästi. Hind on lausa super! Viimasel ajal on selle lõhn siiski häirima hakanud - tootel on ebameeldiv sünteetiline hais ning ka pakend pole suurem asi - tüütu on pärast seda kreemi küünte alt välja koukida ja üldse - tuubis olles ei kuivaks toode nii kiiresti ära ka. Otsin hetkel uut.

Huulepulkadest olen jäänud truuks e.l.f.'i mineraalhuulepulgale Rosy Raisin - ideaalne "oma-huuled-kuid-parem" toon, kerge kreemjas pruunikasroosa. Lumene Natural Code sari on samuti väga hea - ilusad värvid, hea lõhn ja mõnus kreemjas koostis. Sellest sarjast siiski pole õnnestunud leida mõnusat igapäevatooni - valisin liiga erksad roosad.

flat-top puudripintsel on mul juba pikalt - ja ikka veel sama hea kui uus,
ainult vart olen korra liimima pidanud

Meigivahenditest on (vähemalt hinna/kvaliteedi suhtelt) parimad e.l.f.'i Studio sarja sünteetilised meigipintslid, selle raha eest Eesti poodidest juba naljalt nii head pintslit ei saa. Pehmed ja funktsionaalsed. Need on juba pea tervel mu sõpruskonnal ja aina küsitakse juurde. Samas on e.l.f.'il ka tõsised kvaliteediprobleemid - üks viiest on mingi veaga - sealt pintslite ostmine on kui loterii. Aga kui veab, siis veab korralikult ja kaotuse korral pole mahavisatud raha kuigi suur. e.l.f.'is shoppamiseks tuleb aega valida: 20% allahindlus on tavaline kuid esineb ka 33% ning isegi 50% allahindlusi - viimasel juhul soovitan kindlasti 11- osaline pintslikomplekt ära võtta.

Ripsmetušš - Lumene, see sinine ja tihendav - ei haise, hea suur aplikaator ning mõnus vedel koostis. Kui endal on ripsmematerjali piisavalt siis aitab tegelikult igasugune vähegi tušimoodi tušš - Lumene konsistents on tavaliselt vedelamapoolne ning mis minu jaoks olulisim - ei haise ning ei aja silmi sügelema. Boonusena - taskukohane ja sageli ka allahindluses. Imet ei tee kuid töötab. Ja rohkemat ma sellelt ei soovigi.

Mis veel igaühe meigikotis peaks kindlasti olema - hele silmapliiats silma alumisele ripsmejoonele kandmiseks - avab silmad hetkega ja jätab mõnusa värske mulje. Mul NYX'i Milk aga sobib igasugune hele kreemjas silmapliiats.

Viimane parim leid oli pritspudelis hüdrosool - eeterlike õlide tootmisjääk. Suurepärane nahavärskendaja ja meigikinnitaja. Mineraalmeigi kasutajatele imho asendamatu abivahend - ei saa aru, kuidas nii kaua ilma selleta hakkama sain :). Teinekord ikka juhtub, et puuder ja nahk ei saa läbi - siis tuleb "jahussekastetud" efektist lahtisaamiseks vaid veidi hüdrosooli nahale piserdada ja õrnalt pintsliga üle tupsutada - jääb hetkega ühtlane ja loomulik. Neid peaks olema ka odavamalt saada kui siin pildil olev toode, seda tootegruppi hakkan nüüd meie looduspoodidest otsima.

Siin on veel ka Karolina, Grete ning Liisi lemmikud.

I got lucky at LisaLise's Hydrosol Skin mist giveaway!

2011-08-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

I have not advertised but I was one of the 6 who got lucky on LisaLise's Hydrosol Skin Mist giveaway and now has a wonderful new friend - my very own Pure Rose Hydrating Skin Mist. Timing could not have more perfect - we had a minor heatwave and I got to test this out in really hard circumstances (my glass box of an office had some 35 degrees in it - even lifting a hand made me sweat). Thank you, Lise!

I've never before used misting my makeup much - only sometimes, when my makeup looked well and truly cakey did I grab the plaything I use to mist my plants and misted my own face as well. It's not as nice as when using this product - this one has an added bonus to it - a wonderful aroma.

What is an hydrosol? For explaining that I am going to use a picture from LisaLise's blog:

When producing essential oils (boiling plants and then cooling the steam) one ends up with water and oil - hydrosol and the thin layer of essential oil on top of it. Though essential oils are the main goal here, throwing out the water while keeping the "baby" would be a silly thing to do - hydrosol also retains those beneficial effects the essential oil has though in remarkably lesser concentration. Basically a wonderful skin tonic :). (Lise will correct me if I got this wrong :))

Lise produces these for herself and family and friends and you can also order one from her, here. After having such a good time with the Rose skin mist, I am seriously thinking about getting the Herbal one as well. They are custom made and you get to pick your own favorites. :) As it happens I am going away soon, to a rather warm place (no, not to hell) and I think a refresher such as this will be desperately needed. :) Also: winter is coming - and office air looses all humidity - I have a hunch I will be grasping for it during winter as well.

click to biggify in order to meet the visitor
from the planet of the apes

I'd like to share one more reason I love this product so much. A problem all loose powder mineral makeup users are bound to face at some point (and what liquid foundation users probably never notice): realization that even though you are female, you do have facial hair, lots of it, and it all shows up on the pics. Making the face moist and stippling it with your foundation brush helps a lot. This process is a lot more pleasant if the product used also smells nice and looks after your skin.

And - for all people who have difficulties getting up in the morning - you will not believe the effect spraying your face has when still groggy - instant alertness! Warmly recommend. :D

Ma võitsin! Esimest korda elus osutusin giveaways väljavalituks - ja nüüd on mul üks looduskosmeetika pärl endal olemas, LisLise Pure Rose hydrating Skin Mist. Luksuslik toode ja hind on kaunis karm kuid mõtlen, et peaks ühe sellise veel juurde tellima, Herbali. Ma olen ahvivaimustuses ja seda ei juhtu just sageli - iseenesest on toode ülilihtne kuid kasutusvõimalused kaunis laialdased: värskendaja, meigikinnitaja, nahatoonik - kõik ühes. Kui oled rikas, siis tasub täitsa vaadata. Vaesemad peavad alternatiive otsima hakkama - võibolla leiab midagi sarnast ka meie apteekidest või looduskosmeetikapoodidest. Ma arvan, et selle ostu pean siiski veel ära tegema. Päris palju variante tuleb ette, kui otsingusse panna lillevesi või hüdrosool.

Here's another tribute to Lise - the packaging was amazingly neat :) and posted on Friday it arrived in Tallinn by Monday. Well done, Danish and Estonian mail services!
Bottle itself is sturdy plastic and has a protective cap over the pulverizer (?). When sprayed there are no big drops, it all comes out in even mist.

PS! Lise is currently holding another giveaway - samples of her Bare Basic Body Butter. There will be 8 lucky winners this time:). To participate leave a comment under her blog post and agree, that you will give her feedback on the product should you be the lucky winner. Guess who's already listed ;)

Tegin teise blogi juurde

2011-08-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

Tegin juurde veel ühe blogi - et haulidest üle jäänud ja kokkuahnitsetud asjadest lahti saada. Kõik uudistajad on teretulnud. Nüüd seisab ees suur töö kõik pigmendid ükshaaval üles pildistada ja müüki panna. Võtan vastu kõik kaastundeavaldused - pigmente on kahesaja lähedal, lisaks veel kõik hamsterdatud varupintslid jms.

I.R.Selling

I am creating another blog to get rid of all the stuff that has accumulated when hauling e.l.f. stuff for others and for getting rid of some of my pigments - there's close to 200 of them altogether so it will be a tough job swatching and photographing them all individually.

e.l.f. Essentials mascara in black brown

2011-08-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

No love.

Bad wand and I don't like the texture either - the texture is kinda rubbery and even if I use the wand of another mascara, it still wants to clump together. Brushing it over with a clean wand is absolutely crucial. Whats most terrible - it won't come off the lashes without putting up a decent fight - tiny pieces of mascara will be around the eyes in the morning.

A miss - will not buy again nor advise anyone else to try it.

bare face, 1 coat of mascara

e.l.f.'i odavaim ripsmetušš on imho jama. Kumjas tekstuur, silmade pealt ei ligune kuigi hästi maha ja silmist pudeneb pärast veel tükk aega ripsmetušitükke.

e.l.f. mineral lipstick in Rosy Tan

2011-08-10T05:45:00.000-07:00

A slightly darker sister to Rosy Raisin - and a nice wearable color as well. This was one of the three items that I bought for myself during the -50 sale.

e.l.f. mineral lipstick in Rosy Tan swatches

These are not nature cosmetics, they are partly based on mineral oil - but they do not contain synthetic colorants nor preservatives - so they're kind of ok in my book. I'll add comparison photos later, after have swatched all the mineral lipsticks I have: Pouty Petal, Rosy Raisin, the new addition and the not so loved Cool Coral.

swatches of e.l.f. mineral lipstocks in Cool Coral, Rosy Tan, Rosy Raisin and Pouty Petal

Need on mu meelest ühed parimad e.l.f'i poolt pakutavad huuletooted - aga ka siin võib alt minna. Kui Pouty Petal, Rosy Raisin ja Rosy Tan on mõnusad kreemjad siis Cool Coral on ebameeldivalt kuiva konsistentsiga. Väga popid toonid muidu on Natural Nymph ning Party Pink ja Runway Pink. Samas ei ole see looduskosmeetika - sisaldab ka mineraalõli aga osad pahalased nagu sünteetilised värvained ja säilitusained on siin retseptist siiski välja jäetud.

I am cursed... the mishap series continues with the e.l.f. Studio brush set

2011-08-10T01:28:00.000-07:00

It looks like mold,
it smells like mold...
I wonder... could it be...
mold?!?

Tragedy - this one's mine! I bought it as a spare since am very happy with the set I already own. Hopefully I can wash it off and disinfect it or something. Have to disinfect the brushes too. The weird thing is - the box it came in is not the least bit wet!

Two of the brushes don't look so good either:

e.l.f. Studio blush brush

And powder brush has got some glue smears on the ferrule:

The excellent and much coveted
e.l.f. Studio powder brush - imho the best brush e.l.f. sells :)

What would you suggest - what could I use to clean this off? Turpentine?

Am I perhaps ranting too much? Am I wrong to expect the merchandise to be flawless? After all e.l.f. is cheap and (this is common knowledge which of course does not mean it's the truth) cheap things are supposedly badly made.

But e.l.f. in general is NOT badly made, I like most things I have bought and there have been very few bad apples in the barrel. Should I just accept that ordering from e.l.f. UK is a lottery or write to the customer service again? I feel so bad every time I do that and I have written them so often recently.

Shipping mishaps

2011-08-08T05:36:00.000-07:00

Recent e.l.f. purchases have suffered somewhat... This specimen is nail polish in Light Pink - arrived half empty.

There's something wrong with every parcel... We all remember the first one that was totally soaked through, right? In third haul the Essential line Natural Radiance Blusher in Bronzed was totally shattered - but here's a swatch for anyone who's interested - Bronzed looks like TKB's Blush Beige that hooked up with Apricot. Nice shade, medium sheen, I really liked the texture - very creamy

Essential line Natural Radiance Blusher in Bronzed swatch

I wonder - what could have happened to the poor bugger - all it's friends are in good health...

The items are from a large shared haul and do not belong to me. I have already contacted e.l.f. and they will reimburse me for these items. I just hope the fourth parcel arriving tomorrow or the day after will be flawless... People are expecting their items in one piece :S and I do not like having to explain to them, that an item so much looked forward to has been savaged in the mail. Perhaps I could press the Blusher back together but it won't be the same. It sure as heck wont be as full.

Asi, milleks iga netišoppaja vaimselt valmis peab olema - et kaup on transportimisel katki läinud - suurt häda pole, 95% juhtudel laheneb kõik soodsalt - müüja paneb uue teele või kannab raha tagasi.

PS! Today (Tuesday) I received my fourth and so far last collective haul, made during the e.l.f. UK's 50% sale - and one thing is broken again :S. Perhaps I am cursed? It's the 83 Piece Essential Makeup Collection box. Again - it's not mine but someone else's but still - deem!

83 Piece Essential Makeup Collection

PS! I did not check all lipsticks :S, mine was fine but the other one was like this:

I am loosing the eagerness for joint hauling :S.

2011-08-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

Took a tiny trip last week - spent some time in the countryside and enjoyed myself - these were the few selected playmates I chose to accompany me::

the unrecognizable mascara is Lumene Natural Code something...

Travelling is excellent if one has to test some products - there is no possibility to stray from the chosen path: this time I took Lucy Minerals foundation samples with me and wore different one each day (forced my mum wear the darker ones...). Creamy, nice coverage and nice durability. Pale Olive is still the one I favor most. Does it look too pale on me?

Mum looked quite nice in Light Medium but she still complained it was too light... On wrinkly skin MMU will need some added dewyness - a light spray with some skin freshener would be very nice. Perhaps I applied too much foundation on mum's skin but it looked somewhat heavy on her... :S sry no pic.

The cheap Russian moisturizer (Чистая Линия Фитоформула) needs some more time to be judged properly - so far it seems a nice liquid-y and well absorbing product, leaves skin nice and smooth (I liked the ingredients list (although with parabens) and the price, which was some 2,5 eur). Scent is also slightly herbal and very faint.

It's the sunscreen that gave me most trouble - Garnier Ambre Solaire Rapido for kids SPF 50 in spray bottle was terribly greasy. Stubbornly refused to absorb into my skin and stained my poor powder brush something terrible - it was almost soaking oil after this week and yearned for a wash. I was very sorry I did not pack my silica microspheres with me during this trip - I would have needed all that sucking power...

after sauna and wearing Lucy Minerals Cream

bare minimum for Sunday...

Also I'd like to note, that sauna has wonderful effect on skin - all the flakiness disappeared as if by magic and skin looked marvelous the next day (except for a couple of pimples on the neck but those heal slowly anyway). While mechanical scrubbing rips the upper layers of dead skin away, sauna melts them off - basically you sweat your skin clean and all the dirt and old skin comes of when rinsing. No hard scrubbing will be necessary, the result will be even and smooth.

before sauna

NYX jumbo eye pencil Milk is great eyeshadow base (minimal if any creasing) and I can easily wear it as a lower liner on the waterline - but the blinding pure whiteness of it disturbs me a bit - I'd prefer something light but a bit more skin colored there - must continue my search. Milk will still be used and loved but I'd like something not quite as 60s for everyday wear.

A bowl of some kind has always a role to play in my makeup routine - I cannot easily apply my foundation without it. I sprinkle some mineral foundation in a small (smooth and round-bottomed) bowl and use it to load my brush evenly with powder - I dislike using the lids of the jars since it's so messy and unhygienic. Alas when I travel - my trustee (grandma's christal) bowl stays behind. But there's always something that helps me out - this time it was the lid of an old teapot. I asked mum to keep it for me for my next visit - it was very comfortable to use (perfect curve and smooth surface).

perfect design for mineral foundation application - for loading the brush

When looking around for a nice small mixing bowl or plate , either for home use or travelling - before heading out shopping do have a thorough peek at your own cupboards - you might be surprised how many suitable utensils you might find. :)

Puhkus oli lühike kuid ütlemata mõnus - ja meigikott sai seekord kerge kaasa võetud - niikuinii ei viitsi midagi suurt ette võtta. Tellisin Liisi kaudu endalegi NYX jumbo-silmapliiatsi Milk (valge) ja testisin seda reisil olles alumise silmalainerina (sisejoonel) ning silmameigi alusena. Töötab väga kenasti kuid mingil hetkel hakkas valevus häirima - silma sisse sobiks silma avama mõni veidi neutraalsem ja tsipa murtud hele toon. NYXil loomulikult sellist pole :S.
Ma ei saa aru, miks ma oma pisipaleti kaasa vedasin kui oleks nii palju testida olnud! Elisa Miten niin liikaa? blogist saatis mulle just posu testreid - vot need oleks pidanud hoopis kaasa haarama. :S Kõige tipuks oleks meigikott ka paremini kinni läinud... reisimiseks on kilekotinäidised parimad - väike kaal ja võtavad ülivähe ruumi. Aga noh - võtame seda kui paleti reisitaluvuse katsetust - pidas vastu küll, ükski (isepressitud, muide) värvinupuke ei purunenud.
Sellesuvine kiiruga ostetud päikesekreem on tõeline mitteimenduv õlipomm - seda meigi all kasutades määrisin pintslid korralikult õliga ära - aga õli tuleb pestes välja, kui seep ei aita, siis aitb Fairy - ja sünteetika kannatab teadupärast ju kõike :D. Peaks seda silica microspheres'tega proovima - too imeb naha muidu kuivanud ploomiks aga ehk kulub säärase rasvase toote puhul selline imemisvõimsus marjaks ära. Päiksekreemi puhul ei lugenud ma silte enne ostmist - kiire oli, ja selle sisu on kaunis hirmutav - keemiline päikeseblokaator... oleks tahtnud tavalist, füüsikalist, tsingiga. Seda mida teised väldivad, sest too jätav sellise valge kuma. Mul pole valge kuma vastu jällegi kõige vähematki.
Tšistaja Linijat peab veel nädalakese kasutama enne kui põhjapanevaid arvamusi avaldama hakata - odav ja tundub, et hea tavaline kreem, mõningate parabeenidega. Samas on ka toimeainet andvad koostisosad nimekirjas austustväärivatel esikohtadel niiet vaatame, milliseks kokkuvõttes osutub. Hind oli ka täiesti vastupandamatu - midagi 2,5 euroga.

And something I also picked up from Saaremaa - there are some dolomite mines there, dolomite is basically poor man's marble. This little jar and it's lid are carved from one single block. They are sold as souvenirs :) (7 EUR a piece).

Delfi noortekas ilmus Grete artikkel Eesti ilublogijatest :)

2011-07-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

An article about Estonian beauty bloggers was published today in an Estonian newsportal's youth section. It's a small thing in itself but still a big thing for me since I was also one of the privileged who was interviewed :)

One of our more famous bloggers, Grete Talu is a writer there. :) We were asked what makes our blogs "tick".

Bloggers reviewed were Liis Mitt from Beauty from Liz, Kätlin Vaarend, Liina Ütt from Miss Liina and yours truly. :)

(teksti üle lugedes tuleb nentida: kannatan ikka räige mölapidamatuse all.)

Blogindusest

Blogi sai 24. juulil 4-aastaseks ja isegi imestasin, et juba nii kaua on kirjutamisväärset leidunud. Alguse sai blogi veidi imelikul viisil – Eestis ei müüda kuigipalju meiki heledanahalistele (mis on ühe põhjamaa kohta veidi kummastav).

Seda on ikka väga raske leida – ja ka siis on enamus oranži, roosa või intensiivselt kollase alatooniga – täielik jama kui oled tuhkja kuid samas laiguti punetama kippuva (põsed, nina) nahaga tüüpiline eesti kartulikarva tegelane. Meiesuguste alagrupp on hoopis oliiv (oliivis on rohelist, st et tulemus jääb kollakas-hallikas ja veidi tuhm) – aga mida pole seda pole.
Loomulikult ma seda alguses ei teadnud, arvasin, et lihtsalt heledad toonid puudu ja hakkasin netist googeldades niisama neid heledaid toone otsima.

Olin juba nii palju aastaid parema puudusel oranžina ringi käinud, et lihtsalt ei suutnud enam. Kui 2008 maikuus professionaalse konsultandi käe all ette võetud palverännak Kaubamaja Ilumaailma mulle täpselt 0 sobivat meigipõhjatooni andis, oli see viimane tilk karikasse.

Ja nii see algas: igasugu vahvatel gootisaitidel sai ära käidud ja kümneid blogisid külastatud kuni lõpuks koperdasin mineraalmeigi otsa – ja käiski krõks kõrvade vahel ära. Mineraalmeiki on ju tuhandetes eri toonides ja ka heledaid on seinast-seina.

Muu maailma jaoks algas mineraalmeigi võidukäik nii 2006-2007, Eesti massiteadvusesse jõudis see üle-eelmisel aastal Iredale’i, Micabella ja Bellapierre tugevnenud müügipromoga. Üksikuid Bare Minerals’i teadjaid ja kasutajaid oli meil juba ennegi.

Ühel hetkel oli mul nii palju testreid et ei suutnud enam järge pidada ja loomulikult on blogi üks mugavamaid viise, kuidas end selles värvidemöllus vee peal hoida (pildid, tekst, kronoloogilisus, märksõnad, lingid – kõik vajalik olemas). Üks pilt räägib rohkem kui tuhat sõna – on kerge märgata, kuidas meigid muutuvad ajapikku veatumaks ja sümmeetrilisemaks ning naha olukord aina rõõmsamaks.

Blogipidamisel olid eeskujuks muidugi noodsamad meigiblogid, mida varem ise usinasti külastasin, et erinevate indie-mineraalmeigitootjate toonivahedest selgemat sotti saada. Nüüd swatchin (swatch tähendab kosmeetikatoote näidist kasutaja nahal) kõike, mis käeulatusse satub, sest kellelgil läheb ikka vaja. Kuidagipidi on nõnda kujunenud, et kipun rohkem looduskosmeetikast kirjutama.

Meigiblogimine, kui veidike järele mõelda, on tegelikult üks päris arendav tegevus: edendab kirjalikku väljendusoskust, annab tublisti võõrkeelepraktikat, teadmisi keemiast (kui tegemist nt looduskosmeetika-huvilisega), värviteooriat, fotograafiat ja pilditöötlust, veidi ka veebikujundust, treenib käelist osavust ning sotsiaalne suhtlusvõrk lausa plahvatab. Pealekauba muidugi suurepärased teadmised parasjagu popimatest meigisuundadest ja toodetest.

Ma ei ütleks, et blogimine täiesti mahavisatud aeg on – ja kui endal on lõbus, siis on ju tore, kuigi tuleb nõustuda, et midagi mõistlikumat leiaks kindlasti, mida ajaga ette võtta. Meigiblogindus on enamjaolt noorema rahva hobi, eks ma sellepärast teinekord veidi põe, et "asjatult aega raiskan" kuid kui veidi ringi vaadata, siis leidub minusuguseid ja veelgi vanemaid huvilisi päris palju.

Mõni ilublogi võib olla täis vaid sisutühja juttu, teine sisaldada meisterlikku profiportfooliot ja kolmas pakkuda detailseid tootekirjeldusi eri koostisainete ühismõju analüüsiga lõpetades. Intellektuaalsest ja esteetilisest vaatenurgast on sisu absoluutselt seinast seina.

Blogimaailmas ringikondamine mind ka märksa sallimatumaks muutnud – ei suuda silmaotsaski taluda professionaalset küündimatust. Teinekord räägivad kosmeetikamüüjad selliseid asju, mis on oma rumaluses lausa nutmaajavad (nt mineraalmeik niisutab, mingi kallis kreem, mis teeb tuhat imet ja samas toimeaine-kontsentratsioon on madalam säilitusainete omast jne). Ja miskipärast inimesed usuvad neid. Ometigi on nii palju häid kosmeetika tootmisega kokku puutuvate inimeste blogisid, mis räägivad asjast lihtsalt ja kõigi jaoks arusaadavalt – ma loodan, et mu blogi kaudu leiavad need tänuväärt infoallikad tee veelgi laiema lugejaskonnani.

Samas on blogil veel üks, veidi väiklasem eesmärk – ma promon põhjamaiselt loomulikku jumet. Oleks juba ammu aeg oma juurte üle uhkust tunda – me oleme ebamaiselt kaunid heledanahksed iludused ja ei pea end sollipiffideks kõrvetama või pruuni võõbaga üle pritsima, et "ilusaks" saada.

Oleks tore, kui talviti enam ei näeks vastu tulemas järjekordset heledate silmadega (ja sageli ka veel lumivalgete juustega) tumeoranži persooni. Armastan väga sci-fi’d ja fantasy’t aga see ei tähenda, et neid tegelaskujusid ka tänaval kohata sooviksin. :D

Müüa e.l.f. Studio pintslikomplekt

2011-07-28T04:09:00.000-07:00

This post is for fellow Estonians - about a large custom purchase e.l.f. Studio brush haul I ordered in June from the US e.l.f. store. Some ppl do not have credit cards and others can't afford the unbelievable 45 eur (!) price tag the Studio set carries in the UK e.l.f. store. Here's their chance :)

e.l.f. Studio brush set - klikka suuremaks!

Saabusid mu custom purchase (CP tähendab, et keegi nt USAs ostab Sinu eest (nt kui pood väljapoole USAd ei saada) ja saadab Eestisse edasi) pintslikomplektid - ma ikka olin tubli ja arvestasin ka teistega, sest üks selline pintslikomplekt on UK e.l.f.'i poes ebanormaalsed 45 eurot! USAs on täishind 30 dollarit ja sooduka ajal saab veelgi odavamalt. Kahjuks pole aga paki Eestisse saatmine kuigi odav ja see ajab hinnad veidi üles, nagu ka pintslite pealt tollile makstav käibemaks 20% - ühe komplekti lõpphind tuli soolased 23,4 eurot. See teeb 1,95 per pintsel, juhul kui pintslikotti (mis muide on päris korralik) ka arvutuses arvestada.

Niisiis, kes soovib pintsleid? Selles komplektis on 3 suurepärast suurt näopintslit ja posu pisikesi.

Ainuke halb asi selle komplekti juures - stipple ja angled blending brush (vt pildil komplekti kõrval) pole seal sees - need tulid müüki peale seda, kui komplekt tootmisesse anti. Samas mahuksid need suurepäraselt sinna kotti. Võtsin neid kumbagi 2 tk lisaks - 4 eur tk, kui keegi soovib komplekti veelgi laiendada.

Hetkel on e.l.f. i UK poes uskumatu allahindlus - 50%. Sama komplekti saab sealt kätte 22,5 eur+shipping! Pakkumine lõpeb 30. juulil meie aja järgi kell 15.00!

LisaLise's Giveaway - 100% pure organic rose hydrosol

2011-07-26T01:12:00.000-07:00

This is a gem for all people who prefer purer, nature cosmetics. LisaLise is from Denmark, has her own little eco-cosmetics business and one of the more informative blogs on DIY cosmetics I have come across. And now she's giving away 5 sample sizes of her Hydrosol Skin Mist. I warmly suggest to check it out and take part. :)

LisaLise, kes teeb ise väikestviisi tellimise peale looduskosmeetikat ja kellel on väga tore DIY looduskosmeetika blogi, mida on alati väga huvitav ja kindlasti ka kasulik uurida, loosib välja viis roosiekstraktidega näoniisutaja testrit. Neid kasutatakse naha niisutamiseks ning ka meigi kinnitamiseks. Huvilised on oodatud :).

Coastal Scents mica sale -ends 07/27

2011-07-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

One teaspoon sample is 1 USD, 75 cents with the discount. Micas, when bought ounce-wise (!), are pretty much the same price as TKB's. Therefore if one needs more then the sample sizes, Coastal Scents is the place to go to on this Sunday-Wednesday. For massive sample-shopping TKB might still be the best option simply because their samples are 3 times larger.

Coastal Scentsil on parasjagu pigmendiale -25%. Pakkumine lõppeb 27. juulil. Swatchidega (pigmendid nahal) saab tutvuda siin.

EOTD TKB's Blackstar Gold & Honey

2011-07-19T02:20:00.000-07:00

Since have so many new playthings, most posts will be about them: TKB's Blackstar Gold is a wonderful shimmery warm dark brown but if one already has Australian Amber, I think they do not need this one - they seem so similar. Am yet to do the comparative swatching. Used TKB's Honey (basically a very nice neutral glittery beige) to blend towards browbone. Lucy Minerals in Light as foundation and whatever it was on the blush brush as blush - probably some TKB MyMix blush.

Lucy Minerals foundation swatches

2011-07-17T06:01:00.000-07:00

Lucy Minerals foundation swatches

As I have been lamenting about the bastardly behaviour of EDM lots of people have suggested Lucy Minerals to me. So finally caved in and ordered the samples (the original formulation) in Fair, Pale Olive, Light, Bisque, Cream and Light Medium. Am quote pleased - Pale Olive seems to be a match. Bisque, Light and even Cream in it's yellowness seem to be quite wearable summer tones.

Full sized foundations come in 30 gr per volume jars (10 gr net weight) and until midnight of July 18, without any shipping cost - so at the moment it's cheaper then ordering 2 two full sized EDM foundations (25% off starts at 6 products over a the EDM).

Consistency seems to be medium coverage, nice and creamy. Overall - I definitely recommend. Ingredients list mark this as partly organic for it also contains some organic compounds:

Ingredients: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, mica, magnesium stearate, iron oxides, allantoin, Apple Poly® polyphenols, trans-resveratrol, green coffee bean extract, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate.

One sample baggy was $1,5 and the entire sample haul cost me $11. Quite a lot for 6 little baggies. Apparently US customers get their samples in jars and internationals in baggies. Juicy Peach was the free gift and - well, it's a blush with silvery shimmer. IMHO would be better without the shimmer.

Swatches are made dry over bare skin and photographed in daylight. I have no idea why skin looks so pink on the pics.

Lucy Minerals foundation samples in Fair, Pale Olive, Light,
Bisque, Cream, Light Medium and blush sample in Juicy Peach

Good to know - they also have a pure white base so one can mix the foundation lighter when needed.

Olen EDMi sigatsemise pärast päris palju igal pool kurtnud ja mitmedki inimesed on mulle Lucy Minerals'i mineraalpuudreid soovitanud. Tellisin siis testrid ära (kokku 7,59 eur) ja esimene mulje on küll väga positiivne. Pale Olive pole üldse halb, kui siis veidi hele suveks - talveks ideaalne. Bisque tundub kaelaga võrreldes veidi liiga oranž ja Fair on puhas hele-heleroosa. Pale Olive neutraliseerib punetuse ja üldse - roosakas rahvas ei peaks kandma tooteid, mis roosasuse veel rohkem välja toob - kes see ikka tahab Miss Piggy olla. Suur 30 gr per volume karp maksab 14 USD ja hetkel on sooduspakkumine: kuni 18. juuli südaööni saatmiskuluta. Kui üle 20 USD tellimus, siis viskavad tasuta silma v kulmuvärvi juurde (5 gr per volume) - peab vaid meeldima hakanud tooni ära mainima. Ma võibolla võtan ühe Pale Olive'i... mõtlen veel.

EOTD Dragonfly

2011-07-13T00:39:00.000-07:00

Dragonfly is a duochrome (somewhat sheer light orangeish brown with green sheen) and what makes it even more special - a discontinued one . Through some weird fluke TKB is selling it again - although only ounce or pound-wise. I would have been happy with the usual sample size but since this is such a unique blend, I can live with an ounce of it. I find it a lot easyer to wear then it's blue-sheened sister Chameleon Fine. That one has quite a strong brick red base to it.

some drops of TKB's jojoba oil as moisturizer all over the face (I switch moisturizers every morning)

TKB's Dragonfly solo all over lid with

a tad of Manhattan's eyeshadow primer underneath

e.l.f. mineral eyeliner in Ash as upper liner (patted over with Dragonfly)

Archetype's Pink Beige foundation in Level 1 Striptease all over the face, also on the brow-bone

e.l.f's mineral lipstick in Rosy Raisin

Lumene's eyebrow pencil in Gray Brown

Lumene's mascara (eye dramatizer or smth)

Forgot to use blush and undereye highlighter:

e.l.f. Mineral Moisturizing Lip Tint SPF 8 in Berry and Rose

2011-07-12T00:15:00.000-07:00

e.l.f. mineral lipstick in Rosy Raisin on the right

I've had not so good luck with e.l.f's lip products lately: Studio lip stains were a serious disappointment. The mineral lipsticks were ok but even there one out of three (Cool Coral) felt dry and streaky on the lips. Well these are Cool Coral all over again - I cannot seem to make them work on my lips.

They feel drying and can only be applied to the outer side of lips, they wont stick to the inner side, closer to the mouth (basically it looks as if you'd eaten something and lipstick has faded away). Sizewise they're also a lot smaller then the mineral lipsticks and seem to break easily (so thin!).

Rose

Berry

Lets get down to ingredients now (please note the large content of mineral oil and that all the natural oils are at the bottom of the list):

Active Ingredient: Titanium Dioxide 4% (that's where the SPF comes from)
Inactive Ingredients: Paraffinium Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (coconut oil product), Isooctyl Palmitate (palm oil product), Synthetic Wax, Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina), Petrolatum, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Tocopheryl Acetate (Ve), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil
May Contain: Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Mica (CI 77019) (all colorants)

The product is totally out of stock (at the US store, UK store is not carrying them yet) and the reviews are all too good to be true - I wonder - did I get mine from some bad batch? Good thing about these is there's no smell but on the other hand they taste sweet. It bugs me that I cannot see any artificial sweeteners listed amongst the ingredients.

Would I buy these again? Hell no!

Jätke need poodi - ei niisuta ja ei ole ka kuigi kergesti pealekantavad. Lisaks on nad kõige tavalisemad mineraalõlipommid, vaid parabeene ja sünteetilisi värve pole sees. Ma ei suuda siiani uskuda, et neil USA poes nii head arvustused on. Siiani olen veendunud, et e.l.f.'i Studio seeria pintslid on siiski e.l.f'i absoluutne tooteparimik - ülejäänud kaup on nii ja naa.

DIY blushmaking from March

2011-07-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

Totally forgot I had this one to tell you about. :)

I bought a mini grinder and as the first project decided to try and make a blush. Did not end up so good - looks nice and pink in the baggie but totally orange on the cheeks - used too much iron oxide red. I guess true pink is not achievable with any oxides - needs either red lakes or beetlepow(d)er. Grinder was surprisingly big as well - I only had TKB tablespoon-sized samples to play with and therefore tried to use them sparingly.

I do have some complaints about the grinder though :S. It's not as powerful as I'd like - it made noises as if the task would be to difficult for it whenever I tried to shake the powder loose from one or other side. The grinding bit is placed in the middle of the jar and does not reach the bottom of the jar so mixing is not as effective as it should have been. I was hoping to use it for small batches but unfortunately it wont work that way - it wont reach the pigments. Turning it upside down wont help either.

looks dirty on my skin

DIY MMU is a very messy business - gloves are strongly advised. I cannot remember what was it excatly that I used but I seem to remember various white and colored micas, titanium dioxide and some pearl powder being used. I got a bit smarter as a result - one should be very careful with oxides - those buggers are very potent. Also - one should not use titanium dioxide as base material - it's much too clingy and much too opaque and texture will be horrible, better to use some treated half-opaque micas instead.

with very light hand

PS! It was quite difficult to clean up afterwards - especially the grinder...

Quick EOTD Plum Tree from yesterday

2011-07-08T01:34:00.000-07:00

What a misnomer - no Plum and no tree in sight anywhere - it's almost pure glitter, no coverage whatsoever. I think that of the 8 new Simply Naturals pigments this is the disappointing one.

Colors used: Plum Tree WET all over lid, Hazelnut in the crease blended up to the browbone, Champagne on the browbone. Medium Beige foundation from the personal blend mineral powder kit in Medium as foundation (roommate said I look red in the face, will not use again). Probably EDM's Pearl Sunlight under the eyes (and e.l.f.'s mineral eyeshadow primer on the lids).

On the lips is the new e.l.f. mineral moisturizing lip tint SPF 8, which I think an inferior product (dry and not moisturizing at all), in Berry. I'll try to have a review of those up soon - and I have to admit, am very surprised of the positive reviews this product has received by customers on the e.l.f. website...

See pigment oli pettumus - peaaegu puhas glitter. Tõenäoliselt TKB Chameleon Glitter'i baasil tehtud. Lauvärv on niiskelt peale kantud, NIISKELT - ja ikkagi pole miskit erilist tooni välja paistmas.

TKB Trading haul

2011-07-07T01:59:00.000-07:00

Pretty ones first:

For some weird reason Dragonfly mica was sold only in large 1 ounce baggies (but since this is such a legendary (not to mention discontinued) pigment and everyone raves about it, I just had to have it):

And here are the Reflecks piggies in direct sunlight:

The reason for the entire haul (I ran out of pans to press my pigments in):

Since TKB was out of Jojoba oil I got some Coconut oil instead. It's for pressing pigments (not everyone's skin likes the silicone mix):

And finally some suspicious white powders for my DIY foundation project :)

That was quite an expensive purchase, I hope it's the last from TKB this year...

I took all the MyMix blush pigments (some of these are truly fierce looking in the bag - Cranberry for instance) and some regular pigments I did not yet have. :) Hopefully I'm also able to make use of the large 52 mm square pans - pressing those by hand seems almost impossible to me. I also took some cardboard freestyle palettes, people seem to like them (forgot to photograph them, sry).

Let the swatcharama begin! I dread having to compare all The Conservatorie and Coastal Scents pigments again... hopefully you'll forgive me if I pass this time :). If anyone wants a comparison between some specific pigments, I'll do them gladly.

EOTD Monarch

2011-07-06T04:03:00.000-07:00

Friend tells me nose looks so big on the pics because of the unfortunate camera angle - people taking their own pics sometimes end up looking quite big-nosed :D.

stuff used

Simply Naturals Monarch all over lid

Simply Naturals Raisin as lower liner

TKB's Champagne on the brow bone and as foundation all over face (felt lazy - the tone is suitable for all over face application but provides only low coverage)

TKB's Mulberry as blush

e.l.f Mineral Moisturizing lip tint in Rose on the lips (do not recommend)

close up on the eyes - click to biggify

Monarch has a strong orange undertone, probably some iron oxide blend as base - quite intensive. Orange on the other hand goes very well with blue eyes - makes them pop. Raisin looks very natural as a lower liner, better then straight white pigment I have been experimenting with recently. Eyebrows seem too bushy...

See on ülilihtne silmameik: hele toon (Champagne) kulmuluule, Monarch üle terve lau ja Raisin alumise lainerina ripsmete vahele - ripsmetušš ja valmis. Seekord ei viitsinud mineraalpuudritki kasutada, panin sedasama silmavärvi kergelt üle terve näo - nahk on nii ilus, et rohkemat pole vajagi :).

Huulepulk oli järjekordne pettumus... Mulle tundub, et siiani on vaid mineraalhuulepulgad kasutatavad olnud, ülejäänud e.l.f'i huuletooted mulle ei sobi. Vaatame, kuidas eile õhtul tellitud Studio huulepalsamid on - kui need ka jamad, siis jätan edaspidi kõik e.l.f'i mokamäärded vahele.

0 creasing after 12 hrs - Ladies and Gents, here's to Manhattan's eyeshadow primer!

EOTD Ladylike

2011-07-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

Simply Naturals' Ladylike all over lid

TKB's Champagne on the browbone

TKB's Satin White as lower liner

EDM's Pearl Sunlight under the eyes

Porcelain form the e.l.f. personal blend mineral foundation kit (Light) as foundation - looks pinkish on the photos

Lumene's gray brown eyebrow pencil

Ladylike seems to be related to TKB's Smokey XXX - the same dark gray with pink sheen.

Blending was crappy again.

And why are my eyebrows red?

e.l.f. mineral boosters / pealispuudrid

2011-07-05T01:06:00.000-07:00

Boosters are there to set the makeup, add glow or tint. I usually ignore them because I cannot be bothered to use that many products every morning. Boosters lack coverage in general, they are mainly used as veils and not meant to provide coverage. e.l.f. states that it's boosters can be worn on top of mineral or liquid foundations or as a simple wash all over the face to matify the skin etc. Main ingredient is corn starch, with Zinc Oxide and vitamins added.

I tried swatching them on bare skin but camera could not catch them that way - so I made swatches over e.l.f.'s mineral eyeshadow primer instead - of course that is NOT the way they are meant to be used but it shows the undertones quite well.

Now comes the important bit - descriptions of individual products:

When you're as pale as me - do NOT get the Sheer one - it's not sheer, it's slightly orange - and who wants to look orange? Leave Sheer to the slightly tanned folks. Pale people should either get Shimmer, which is not as shimmery as one would like to think (Mineral Glow in Shimmer is more shimmery) or when one tends to look a bit porky au naturel, the Corrective Yellow one. Shimmer has a pink glow to it, similar to TKB's Hilite Violet pigment, or Angel Wings - you know, the distinctive pink sheen, while Corrective Yellow is there to tone the pinkness down. As for the Tinted booster - a pale person may wish to wear it as blush - it's quite natural looking on the cheeks.

Pealispuudrid on midagi sellist, mida ma ise väga ei fänna - ei viitsi mitut kihti erinevaid asju peale tupsutada. Teinekord kasutan, kui soovin, et nägu vähem punetaks või siis selleks, et ninaseljale, põskedele, otsaesisele ja lõuale kuma anda. Põhimõtteliselt peaksid boosterid aitama ka rasuse naha puhul aga ma pole suurt vahet märganud - kui ikka palava päevaga meik voolama hakkab siis ei aita miski.

Siintoodud mineral boosterid ehk pealispuudrid on 20 gr per volume karpides nagu e.l.f.'i mineraalmeigipõhjadki, heledanahksetele sobiks Shimmer ja Corrective Yellow. Shimmer sobib neile, kel tuhm, kollakas nahk - annab veidi rõõsat kuma juurde. Corrective Yellow jällegi aitab liigset punetust maha toonida. Puudrite konsistents on õhuline ja kerge, väga raske swatchida. Seetõttu on swatchid tehtud mineraallauvärvide aluskreemi peale - nii näeb puudrite alatoone paremini.

Pealekandmiseks soovitaksin e.l.f. i Studio seeria Complexion pintslit või siis Studio kabukit - vaja läheb vaid õrna kihti. Flat-top kannab toote liiga paksult peale.

e.l.f. Mineral Personal Blend Foundation SPF 15

2011-07-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

These are sold only at the US e.l.f. store so far.

e.l.f. personal blend mineral foundations in Light, Medium and Dark

e.l.f. launched an interesting new product in their mineral line - mix it yourself collection of 4 mineral foundations. Quality-wise they are the same as the single foundations though I must point out that the foundations in the Light set do not correlate to the mineral foundation tones - they are slightly different.

Personal Blend Foundation compared to fair and light mineral foundations and concealers
swatches done wet

Jars are rather big but the sifter is clumsy - getting the right amount of product out of there is a bit complicated (sifter holes are so tiny that the product won't come out) and there's a risk of mixing up the contents of the small jars - at least I noticed that some product had moved from one container to the next.

size comparison

Personally I see myself using only the fairest colors of the Light kit. I dont think it's worth buying it in my case - the other 2 colors will remain unused :S.

Porcelain on the cheek, Fair on forehead

Päris huvitav toode ja sobib inimestele, kes suvel märkimisväärselt jumekamaks muutuvad - seega minul polnud tegelikult suurt mõtet seda endale hankida. Tumedamaid toone saan vaid nt kontuurimiseks kasutada. Häda on sifteriga - augud on niivõrd väikesed, et puudrit ei saa sealt seest kätte. Tõenäoliselt tõstan enda omast vajalikud toonid eraldi topsidesse ringi - mugavam kasutada. Hind on päris soolane ja kahju on inimestest, kellele sellest komplektist vaid 1 toon sobima peaks. :S

e.l.f. personal blend mineral foundation in LIGHT

e.l.f. personal blend mineral foundation in MEDIUM

e.l.f. personal blend mineral foundation in DARK

The Conservatorie's sale -30% on the private label line until July 2

2011-06-30T03:25:00.000-07:00

To celebrate 4th of July the Conservatorie is offering -30% off their private label collection: foundations, blushes and whatnot. 30% sale is not to be sneezed at. I have no idea whether the foundations offered in the private label collection are the same as the bulk foundations they sell - therefore one may not decide based on the swatches I have on this blog.

Conservatorie'l on allahindlus 2 . juulini - 30% nende private label kollektsioonist, seal on nii pulber- kui pressitud tooteid ning isegi lauvärvi aluskreem. Seda viimast tahaks proovida aga ei viitsi suurt hunnikut osta. Ma ei tea, kas need puudrid on samad kui hulgimüüdavad puudrid, mille testrid mul olemas ja siinsamas blogis ka swatchitud.

e.l.f. haul

2011-06-21T03:52:00.000-07:00

entire haul

e.l.f. UK works really fast, ships in a day and items arrive in a week. Nothing was missing! :). I have to add, I got quite a good price during the -20% offer :).

This time the parcel had been mishandled by the mail carrier though - it was soaked wet, no need for scissors to open the box - I could pick the cardboard loose with my fingers (not the fault of our local mail carrier - Eesti Post even added a note of receiving the parcel soaked through).
Some of the packagings suffered (mostly nail polishes, lip-stuff and the Essential-line blushes). Am very glad the Beauty Encyclopedia survived (saved by being tucked in the midst of brushes) and that packaging took all the damage on itself.
Products seem unharmed but I guess I'll find out more specifically when I try to use those blushes. I do not worry about the lip-stuff or nail polishes, those can handle moisture. I just have to discard the packaging when I give them away.

Ühishaul läks hästi - mõned asjad olid tellimise ajaks otsas kuid seda ikka juhtub. Seevastu olid kõik tellitud asjad olemas ning midagi polnud katki. Saime päris hea hinnaga :)
Pakk oli transpordi ajal kusagil päris korraliku vihma kätte jäänud - lausa Eesti Posti sellekohane akt oli juures. Nood mässisid kogu kupatuse omakorda kilekotti ja see aitas kauba läbivettimisele muidugi veelgi kaasa. Kannatada said huulepalsamite, küünelakkide ning Essential-sarja põsepunade pakendid.

PS! Loodetavasti annavad tellijad ka oma tellitud asjade osas pärast tagasisidet :).

EOTD Simply Naturals Umber and Raisin

2011-06-16T05:18:00.000-07:00

Cant remember what I used all over face, pic's done on Tuesday.

Colors used on eyes (Simply Naturals' Umber and Raisin) are too similar and the overall look is therefore too bland. Will try different color combinations next time. Perhaps Umber and TKB's Totally Teal.

When is the best time to shop at e.l.f's UK store?

2011-06-15T05:41:00.000-07:00

Here's some calculations for NON UK people. (UK peeps have slightly different calculations because their shipping cost is lower and they receive free shipping on orders starting from £30.)

First column contains the price of items, second the entire cost of the purchase including shipping, third describes the situation during free shipping and fourth allows us to see, how much we should purchase for the -20% offer to really start paying off. Please let me know should there be any miscalculation on my part.

Of course there are several other offers, recently there was a -25% offer on all Studio products but those are totally random and cannot be predicted. Free shipping and -20% storewide are predictable, both of them are launched as e.l.f. UK store's FB page reaches another 10 000 likes.

Igaks juhuks seletan ka Eesti keeles - e.l.f.'il on teinekord soodustused, tavapärased on postikuluta saatmine või siis 20% odavam ostukorv. Selles tabelis siin on näha, et milline neist pakkumistest on soodsaim mingi tellitava koguse juures. Seega kui soovid tellida üle 20 naela eest, on mõistlik ära oodata -20% soodustus samas kui väiksema ostuga tasub "free shipping" end rohkem ära.

20% sooduskood või free shipping kukub siis, kui järgmised 10 000 Like'i FB kodulehel kokku kogunenud.

PS! Here's the calculation for UK peeps as well:

Simply Naturals - old flame, new haul

2011-06-14T01:15:00.000-07:00

This was one of the first places I shopped when I first entered the MMU world - cheap piggies! Most of them I have given away by now, kept only a chosen few. A makeup beginner usually purchases "cool" and "interesting" colors but "cool" and "interesting" do not always mean "suits the skin tone". ;)

Tina sells some piggies straight but also makes her own blends. One of those I absolutely adore - Cafe Satin. For me it's the perfect dark taupe ever. Since it's jar is becoming more and more empty I decided to get a refill and one more just in case. Lately I had been eyeing rest of Tina's brown colors as well and here they finally are:

Two of them are more in the purple category: Ladylike and Devine. Ladylike is a variation of TKB's Smokey XXX and Devine is silvery dark gray with a tiniest tint of pink.

wet swatches

Umber and Raisin look utterly delicious to me - delicate neutral brown and matching beige. Plum Tree is based on TKB's Chameleon Glitter (I guess) - hard to make a wet swatch and extremely glittery - needs a sticky base. This one will probably look a lot better when applied on the eyelid. I'll try tomorrow :). Monarch - like a very expensive camel wool coat, beautiful light pinkish-beige taupe, lovely silvery sheen. Beachwood is your typical warm dark brown but it has some shimmer in it - this one should be tested on the eye as well. Hazelnut and Cafe Satin look like a perfect pair. Hazelnut somehow reminds me of TKB's Athena but it's not quite it. They could be sisters. Cafe Satin has no equal - no MMU wholesaler carries a mix like this, it's subtle, elegant everyday wear for a classy look - I LOVE it.

The jars are packed to the brim as usual (no sifters) and pigments fall all over the place when one takes off the plastic wrapper and opens the jar... I usually depot them into larger jars but this time I'll press them - what a lovely neutral palette this will make! :)

tiny Simply Naturals eyeshadow haul

Odavad lauvärvipigmendid = Simply Naturals'i eBay pood. Kiire ja lihtne, soovitan väga soojalt. Infot selle kohta, kuidas tellida, tuleks vaadata mu jaanuarikuisest postitusest. See konkreetne 10-topsine posu läksmul maksma 19,99 dollarit (saatmiskulu seal sees), mis teeb ühe värvi maksumuseks 1,53 eurot! (ca 24 kr 5 gr per volume tops). Kohale tuli ühe nädalaga (tavaliselt tuleb USAst pakk kaks nädalat).

PS! Here are swatches of the free samples that also made it to my parcel: Lizard, Golden Poppy and Aqua Marine.

Külalispostitus: An4 räägib e.l.f. Studio Corrective concealerist ning Full Coverage Concealerist

2011-06-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

(Märkus: hea mahlakas stiil, jätan originaali :)

Niih asjad siis käes ja tegelesin nede katsetamisega.
Jumestuskreemi pintsel (Märkus: e.l.f. Essential seeriast) on täiesti rahuldav jah..- tulemus aga kipub jääma triibuline - vaja käsnaga üle lasta, et ühtlustuks.
Bronzing pintsel (Märkus: samuti Essential seriast) esimese hooga lausa shokeeris mind - no mida sudi :D aga kusjuures kasutama hakates üllatas ta mind tõsiselt hästi – väga hea katvuse tagas ja ühtlase veel pealekauba.
(Märkus: e.l.f. Studio) Warm Bronzer - seal see kõige heledam on täielikult highlight – kui seguneb ülejäänud toonidega, siis jääb tulemus natukene liiga helendav - pruunid toonid on aga päris ilusa õhetava tooniga – sobib aga rohkem meie põhjamaistele kodanikele - kuna ma olen nende toonide jaoks suvel liiga tume, siis jääb vaid selline aimatav helendus mulle näha... Minu jaoks ideaalne toode lihtsalt nahatooni ühtlustamiseks (karbis on kohe peegel olemas).
Peitekreemidepalett (Märkus: e.l.f. Studio Corrective Concealer) - eemmm- kahtlane kaup, millel pole katvust pmst mitte üks gramm, minu päevitunud nahale ei andud see isegi mitte teist tooni... :D
Jumestuskreemide palett (Märkus: e.l.f. Studio Complete Coverage Concealer in Dark) - 2 tooni on sealt sellised, mis sobivad ideaalselt minule, kui olen kasutanud alla peitekreemide paletti... Jumestuskreemide palett on aga jah isegi mulle 2 tooni kohapealt natukene tume aga suvi on alles ees :D neil on aga jube hea katvus ja väga vastupidavalt on need nahale kaetud - tegin triibud nahale ja nühkisin ikka isuga kätt ja need triibud läksid vaid natukene heledamaks... :s tea kas pesuga maha tulevadki :D

click to biggify

Panen sulle ka kaasa paar pilti... tumedam käsi on minu oma – seal sõrmede pool on natukene näha Warm Bronzeri erinevate toonide jaotust, üleval pool on peitekreemide paleti toonid minu nahal :D:D, allpool on siis dark jumestuskreemide paleti tulemus.
Heledam käsi on sama värvijaotusega tehtud ja seal kasutasin ma oma meest katsejänesena - tema on see, kellel on tavalise põhjamaise inimese nahk :D
Highlightereid pole nahal nähagi ja sama seis on ka selle Bronzer'iga (Märkus: ega mina ka neid pildil näinud, croppisin rõõmsasti välja aga ma olen šokeeritud! Warm on ju minu jaoks kuramuse tume toon!) - need tooted vist sobivadki seetõttu rohkem päevitunud nahale. Aga see eest minu ja tema nahal need dark toonid on ikka megahüpergiga tumedad :D:D

Päris tore oli eksperimenteerida... peitekreemide palett on vaid väikene pettumus... ei toimi päris nii nagu vaja...

This was a guest post by An4, let me recap it for you.

e.l.f. Essential foundation brush leaves streaks and the skin must be patted over with a sponge to get a more even result. Bronzing brush from the essential series was a positive surprise - it covers evenly and does the job superbly well. e.l.f. Studio Warm bronzer is too light for An4 (she's really dark for an Estonian, really :D) but it's not showing up on her better half's hairy hand either (and I always considered it a suitable bronzer for medium skin tones - An4 can use it as a foundation to even out her skintone!). e.l.f. Studio Corrective Concealer may work on snow-whites like me but is totally useless for An4. e.l.f. Studio Complete Coverage Concealer in Dark on the other hand covers well and will not budge easily, 2 of the shades are totally wearable by An4 (especially when using the corrective concealer underneath) and she hopes to use the other 2 shades during summer as well. Overall she liked her haul although the corrective concealer was a bit of a disappointment :)

Terrible lazyness...

2011-06-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

I have made some EOTD's and FOTD's but never gotten around to post them. By the time I actually had the time to sit down and blog I had already forgotten what it was I used to do the look with. Recently I have come out with a brilliant solution :D - it's so easy, all I need to do is take a pic of the stuff used! This way anyone interested can just biggify the pic and see the details for themselves.

So last Wednesday I looked a bit red in the face (e.l.f.'s mineral foundation in Fair does that to a pale person):

still have "long" hair on this pic

And the stuff used to look like this was all this:

I think I did a lot better job on Friday, of course this time I used EDM's Intensive Fair instead (Fairly Light Neutral was for contouring, e.l.f. Studio foundation brush is very good for the purpose).:

TKB's Apple Blossom as blush - it only has a pink sheen, no particular coverage

Conservatorie's Brown Coco in the crease and TKB's Dusty Rose al over lid,
Satin White as lower liner blended downwards with Pearl Sunlight

Even though I say it myself - my skin looks friggin' amazing!
Perhaps now I've grown out of puberty?

And yes, I have a new haircut - a very short pixie.Why? Because my hairdresser returns from holidays in September - I need to look decent all summer long - bangs this short will start to annoy me in August at the soonest :). I look like a little boy when without makeup and dressed down. :D

e.l.f mineral glow: bronzer and highlighter

2011-06-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

These are a bit more expensive then the rest of the mineral line - those are some pretty big jars. I'd say 40 gr per volume, twice the size of a foundation jar.

e.l.f. mineral bronzer

Bronzer is a tad too dark for me - I tried to use it and my face just seemed dirty. Highlighter on the other hand seems very handy.

e.l.f. mineral highlighter

It's not sparkly enough to give you a discoball effect, it's just adds some luminescence to the skin. Comments on the e.l.f homepage also warn women of color for the white cast it leaves so people with a better tan should watch out when using this. I guess this problem will soon be mended and a more suitable product launched - something with a slight golden overcast perhaps. One simply shouldnt overlook such a big customer group :)

Kahjuks on päikesepuuder minu jaoks liiga tume - purgis näeb heledam välja, nahale kandes oli üllattavalt tume laik. Helendaja aga on minu puhul täiesti oma ülesannete kõrgusel - see ei sädele nagu diskopall vaid pigem annab kerge kuma. Tugevalt päevitunutele see kindlasti ei sobi.

Brushes from the e.l.f. Essential line

2011-06-08T03:33:00.000-07:00

When thinking whether to get face brushes from Essential or Studio line - Studio is the way to go. Essential line face brushes are harsh on the skin (scratchy) and cannot be compared to the divine softness of a brush from either Studio or Mineral line.

From left to right: Studio foundation brush, Essential foundation brush,
Studio blush brush, Essential blush brush,
Studio Complexion brush, Essential Total Face brush

e.l.f.'s quality control issues are well known but they most often occur in the Essential line. Eyeshadow brushes are badly formed, same type of brushes bought at the same time vary in size and shape, they shed or are broken the moment one takes them out of their packaging. There's a chance you'll get crap but there's also the chance of getting a decent eyeshadow brush for $1/£1,5. When brushes are this cheap one is tempted to play the lottery :)

e.l.f. Essentials total face brush:
please note the protruding hairs - this brush is out of shape

My suggestion - Essential line's foundation, concealer and eyeshadow brushes are worth a try but Total Face brush, Blushing, Bronzing and Blending brush and especially the ordinary (red) kabuki should be left at the store! Even 1 $/£ is too much for that horror, do not buy.

Essentiali pintslitest lähemalt. Essential on see, millega e.l.f. alustas - odav kraam odava hinnaga, kvaliteet muidugi vastav. Viimasel ajal on nad püüdnud sarja upitada kuid on kõrvale loonud ka kvaliteetsemad Studio ning Mineral sarjad. Essentiali sarja näopintslid on kriipivad, tüüpilised odavad naturaalkarvast pintslid mida tõesti kellelegi ei soovita. Arvamused on olnud kaunis kehvapoolsed: annavad pestes värvi, teinekord haisevad, poetavad karvu jne. Kaunis levinud on ka see, et ostes korraga 3 sama tüüpi pintslit on lõpuks peos 3 kaunis erineva suurusega ja kujuga asja.

Kui e.l.f'i e-poes pintsleid vaadata, siis tasub tähelepanu pöörata eelkõige Studio ja Mineral sarjade näopintslitele ja võibolla panna korvi ka mõni Essentiali lauvärvipintsel (naturaalne karv haarab pulberpigmenti suurepäraselt, paremini kui Studio sünteetilised lauvärvipintslid, mis omakorda sobivad pigem vedelatele ja kreemjatele toodetele). Kindlasti tasub Total Face brush'i asemel võtta Studio Complexion brush ning Blushing-Bronzing-Blending õuduse asemele enam vähem sama kujuga Mineral seeria Blush brush. Iga hinna eest tuleb vältida punast tavasarja kabukit ja selle asemel võtta Studio Face Kabuki.

L'Oreal Happy Hour kaubamajades 9. juunil

2011-06-05T00:41:00.000-07:00

All Estonian L'Oreal fans should visit the local department store Kaubamaja on June 9th and stock up - there's a sale -25% off. Happy Hunting!

Soodustus läheb veelgi vägevamaks Partnerkaarti kasutades, sünnipäevanädalalistele on aga lausa poolmuidu (eeldatavasti siis 25%+15%).

e.l.f. mineral eyeliner pencils

2011-06-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

The fact that I have been such a lazy writer of course has nothing to do with my actual purchases - those have been piling up since February. So embarrassing.

From top to bottom: e.l.f. Feather Proof eye liner,
e.l.f. mineral eyeliner in Ash,e.l.f. mineral eyeliner in Coffee,
Manhattan's Extreme Last eyeliner, Lumene mineral eyebrow pencil in Gray Brown

Here are all my eyeshadow and brow pencils. I have to admit I'm quite happy with the latter - my Lumene mineral eyebrow pencil (with protecting arctic amethyst, mind you) in gray brown. (Lately everything has to be "mineral", have you noticed?) Of course, it could be a tad cooler and less red but that's besides the point since my eyebrows seem to have a slight reddish shade as well.

Main heros here are the latest acquisition - e.l.f. mineral eyeliners in Coffee and Ash. They are soft and spread well which also means they kinda spread all over my browbone should I forget to fix them with some eyeshadow. Ash is a quite dark gray blackish color, no medium gray as could be expected by it's name.

Nice texture and I quite like them. Unlike the e.l.f. "feather proof" one which is a true pain on the lid, extremely harsh (came with the mineral eyeshadow set). Manhattan's eyeliner pencil is dark black and also very soft. I still want a white or cream eyeliner but e.l.f. does not carry one in their mineral line. The Essential line I'd frankly rather miss and the Studio one does not seem very tempting either.

I am rather old fashioned (or new fashioned, perhaps) - I prefer pencils to liquid and cream liners - they seem easier to control. These I do not need to sharpen, a big plus.

e.l.f.'i Mineral seeria silmapliiatsid on pehme tekstuuriga, kanduvad kergesti kulmuluule üle (halb, eksole) kuid minu meelest siiski kaunis ok. Ei ärrita silmi ja kestavad kaua. Ausalt öeldes pole mul veel õnnestunud kohata silmapliiatsit, mis kulmuluule ei kanduks - alati tuleb lauvärviga kinnitada.

Everyday Minerals no longer ships to Estonia

2011-06-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

Everyday Minerals no longer ships to Estonia and asks all clients to shop at the local webstore. EDM does not care much for it's clients, so what else is new. This was to be expected.

Now I have to find an alternative to all my friends... I think I'll start recommending MAD Minerals again... or e.l.f's mineral line for those people who do not have sensitive skins (bismuth) and do not need much of a coverage. Too bad e.l.f. does not have much to offer for pale folks.

Tähelepanu, ilublogijad!

2011-05-19T02:33:00.000-07:00

Ilu Sõnumil on sel aastal meie jaoks üks põnev projekt, nad otsivad eestimaiseid ilublogijaid, keda oma toodete-testimise/arvustamise projekti kaasata. Ma ei tea kuidas teile aga mulle tundub selline pakkumine väga põnev ja kavatsen end kindlasti üles anda :). Ma vaid väga loodan, et mind ei panda päevitustooteid või isepäevitajaid testima :D

Osalemiseks tuleks kirjutada väike kokkuvõte selle kohta, et millise valdkonna tooteid on peamiselt proovitud, kui kaua blogi peetud ning kindlasti ka blogi aadress ning saata see kõik e-postiaadressile kadri@fair.ee. Lähemalt saab osalemistingimuste kohta lugeda siit.

Eesti saab tänu sellele toredale algatusele kindlasti paraja portsu ilublogijaid juurde :). Loodetavasti on koostööpartneriteks ka sel aastal palju põnevaid mineraalkosmeetika ja looduskosmeetikabrände, Balscandi stendi tahaks küll uuesti külastada - jojobiõli jälle otsas.

Local beauty fair organisers are inviting Estonian beauty bloggers to join in and help pick out their favorite beauty products. First time in Estonia!

e.l.f. mineral blushes

2011-05-17T05:34:00.000-07:00

e.l.f. mineral blushes are same sized as the foundations and come in 7 different tones. I ordered 5 of them: Coral, Bliss, Joy, Pink and Rose. Coral and Bliss seem very similar, Coral being a tad more pinkish. For me Joy and Pink are keepers, the rest are not exactly my colors, Rose is definitely too dark.

Of these here I'd say Joy is the easiest to use by pale girls. They're not exactly matte - to me it seems they have some sheen to them, some glow. The cost is 5$ or 3,5£, depending whether one shops at the UK or US store. Jars are the same size as e.l.f. mineral foundations and concealers - quite a lot of product in there.

Swatches are made dry and picture is taken in daylight.

Here's a pic of me wearing e.l.f.'s mineral concealer in Fair as foundi - looks just a wee bit orange... Other stuff used are mineral eyeshadow in Confident and mineral blush in Rose. Dark yellow circle around my eye is the result ofe.l.f.'s mineral Eye Brightener - for me a pointless product, too dark.

This is what e.l.f.'s mineral foundation in Fair looks on me (check out the tone difference between neck and face):

I've made the pic so big that when clicked you can see the coverage up real close.

I really don't like the reddish look :S. I guess my face has indeed become somewhat darker then my body because spring sun is actually quite potent but I do not wish to emphasize it with my foundation. I'm going to start using lighter foundations to compensate, I guess mostly EDM's Olive Fair.

Seebikeetjad, ühinege! ja tulge "Kosmeetika teabepäevale" 20. mail

2011-05-09T05:19:00.000-07:00

Ma olen mitmete looduskosmeetika tegelevate inimeste blogidest lugenud, kuidas meie ametnikkond nende tegevusele vastu puksib - kord teatatakse, et ökotoodete tootmispinnad peavad olema tugevate desinfitseerivate ainetega puhastatavad (mitte äädikaga vms, mida ökoinimesed tavaliselt puhastamiseks kasutavad), teine kord jällegi viidatakse, et oma koduköögis seebikeetmine ei taga toote ohutust. Ühesõnaga - paras jama.
Regulatsioon on üles ehitatud suurtootmist silmas pidades ning väiketootjate turuleilmumine on suht-koht välistatud. Minu isiklik arvamus? Nagu alati on just eestlased euroliidu lollusi täht-tähelt järgimas samas kui vanades maades asjad veidi leebemad. Samuti ei ole eesti ametnikud kuigi abivalmid ja ei soovi algajaid nõustada - valdavaks on tõrjuv ning põlglik suhtumine. Endal mul selles vallas kogemusi pole, küll aga on selline mulje jäänud teiste kogemusi lugedes :S

Igatahes - TÄNA VEEL on võimalik registreeruda Sotsiaalministeeriumis 20. mail toimuvale kosmeetika teabepäevale (suhteliselt pikk üritus, kohtade arv olevat piiratud). Ma vaatan, kas saan ka minna - kuigi ma ise teemas sügavalt sees pole, siis huvi pakub ikka.

A lot of people, who are interested in DIY cosmetics and would like to open up their own business are discouraged to do so by our health officials. The conditions on production hygiene, preservation and even for storage are insanely complicated and drawn up to suit large scale production. In one of the blogs on my blogroll I happened to read some pretty juicy stuff about officials asking for bribes etc (this post is now gone). So in general - small scale cosmetics entrepreneurship is almost impossible here. Since most people do soaps and stuff basically in their own kitchens they can only provide them to friends and family.

There's an event held by Ministry of Social Affairs on May 20 that is there to inform cosmetics makers of current legislation and other regulatory stuff. Would be a good place to ask questions...

UK e.l.f. -20% sale for one day

2011-05-05T04:05:00.000-07:00

UK e.l.f. webstore is having another -20% sale for one day. This is as good as it gets for us EU folks :)

20% off our entire website today at www.eyeslipsface.co.uk. Use codes 20PlentyUK (for UK Orders) or 20PlentyEU (for EU) at checkout.
A minimum purchase of £10 (before shipping) is required. The code expires at 12 MIDDAY Friday 6 May 2011.

UK e.l.f.'il on jälle -20% sooduspakkumine - see on parim, mida EU rahvas endale lubada saab. Tuleb umbes sama hinnaga kui USAst -50% osta ja siis lasta kellelgil Euroopasse shippida. Seega - head šoppamist! (Tähelepanu tasub imho pöörata eelkõige Studio pintslitele, mõningatele Mineral-seeria toodetele, nt lauvärvid, blemish kit, glow ning mineraalpuudrid, ja üksikutele Essentiali asjadele a la ripsmekoolutaja).

e.l.f. mineral eyeshadows: goldens and miscellaneous

2011-05-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

These shadows failed to make my heart beat faster - sure they're nice but apart from Earthy and perhaps Dreamy I can easily go without them. Wild? boring kaka brown with occasional shimmer, Beachy is exactly the blue I should avoid and Flirty looks just blah on me. Outdoorsy looks so different in the jar - sparkly dark green - and turns almost black when swatched wet. I think I should also make swatches dry over primer to see how they behave. Maybe they retain more shimmer using the dry method. Wild and Outdoorsy make good liner colors but otherwise I would not recommend. I guess Outdoorsy might also make a killer smoky eye but green is a bit of a tough color to pull off, just like blue.

Angelic has almost no coverage, it's more of a sheen. Same with Elegant - lovely highlight should one like shiny brow highlights. Golden is more covering and coppery. Celebrity on the other hand is muted, cool toned, a bit tarnished gold, beautiful in itself (f you do not have TKB's Forged Gold, get it). Buff is the one e.l.f. designed for under eye concealer - the eye brightener. For me it's too dark, too orange.

My favorite e.l.f. mineral eyeshadows

2011-04-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

e.l.f. has some colors that are MADE for me - all sorts of smokey browny purply grays. They look amazing with my skintone and I got me some more of them. First place belongs to Confident, runners up are Socialite and Royal - amazingly beautiful taupeish mixes.
They may look like nothing on the swatches here but on the eyes they really make my (blue) eyes pop! Third place belongs to golden green Earthy, currently not on the pic (btw ignore Seductive, it's rather boring dark color - black (when dry) or grey (when wet); Smoldering is a dupe for TKB's Antique Silver).

On the other hand I'd also like to post this picture and ask e.l.f., wth? Why are some of the jars half empty? I guess they sell them by weight and some pigments are heavier then others but come on! This is ridiculous.

e.l.f'i mineraallauvärvid on ägedad. Kahjuks on nad vaid pigmendina ning pressitult ei pakuta - see annab tootele muidugi imelise sära kuid samas teeb algajal lauvärvide kasutamise väga keeruliseks (siin on väike nipp - tuleb võtta taskupeegel ja lauvärvide pelaekandmise ajal selle kohale kummarduda - põsed jäävad puhtaks).

Soovitan soojalt - mõnusad värvid kuid hoiatan, et ilma meigi aluskreemita ei pea nad kuigi kaua vastu.

e.l.f. Studio lip stains in Heartbreaker and Fashionista

2011-04-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

I am no fan of lip products in general - I like sheer lipsticks with some added goodies like Joik's colored chapstick or e.l.f.'s mineral lipsticks in Pouty Petal and Rosy Raisin. I am a realist and therefore have no faith in longlasting lip products - prefer to use stuff that fades gradually and unnoticeably. Your lips but better is the perfect trend for me.

These lipstains pretty much explain why I generally do not like lip stuff that much: first of all they stink. They continue to feel sticky for quite some time and have the tendency to become pretty icky on the lips (just look at the Heartbreaker swatch below) - to avoid this you are probably supposed to run around open mouthed for about 5 minutes until it dries solid. Colors are wonderful and if by chance you do not mess it up before it dries - it will look pretty good on you for an hour. After that you either need to reapply or run around with half painted lips. This is of course if you use the stain half alone.

I strongly believe e.l.f. should rename this particular product as lip stain and remover kit - as this is exactly what the glossy part does - it melts the stain right off and as a bonus adds some stickiness to your lips (which we all love, right?). I thought I'd use the stain bit alone but cannot - it's difficult to apply and absolutely REEKS.

This product receives no love from me. :S

Coastal Scents is having a store wide 30% sale until 5/5

2011-04-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

Mothers day and all... Btw, have you noticed that Coastal Scents' brush selection has somewhat dwindled away? It seems so to me - it used to take much longer for me to browse through the selection...

Mitte et ma nüüd ahvatleks kõiki hirmsasti raha kulutama aga see on päris hea pakkumine... aitab veidi kompenseerida nende muidu nii hirmutavat saatekulu (suurematel tellimustel ka käibemaksu). Sil kirjutas blogis oma lemmikpintslist Pro Blending Fluff brush'ist nii palju head, et täitsa kaalusin, kas mitte jälle krediitkaardi kallale minna. Aga kuna see pintsel on JÄLLE läbi müüdud, jääb seekord vist CS hullus ära. Kuidas teile tundub, kas pintslite valik on kuidagi väiksemaks jäänud? Mulle jäi küll selline mulje - valik on kuidagi kokku kuivanud... Varem võttis pintslilehekülje läbikammimine ikka märksa rohkem aega.

e.l.f. mineral foundations and concealers

2011-04-26T00:40:00.000-07:00

A large collective e.l.f. mineral haul has arrived and I've done some swatching. We only ordered the three lightest shades. e.l.f. mineral powders are not for purists or people with bismuth allergies as the ingredients list states there's some in it. Tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E) on the other hand is a very welcome addition.

Active Ingredients: Zinc Oxide 15%, Titanium Dioxide 10%
Inactive Ingredients: Mica, Bismuth Oxychloride, Titanium Dioxide, Tocopheryl Acetate(Ve), Boron Nitride . May Contain: Iron Oxides(CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Ultramarine Blue(CI 77007)

Coverage seems to be rather sheer and it amazes me that Fair concealer seems sheer as well - usually concealers are a bit thicker in consistency. Powders are very finely milled and seem to sink into the skin well. I've also ordered some boosting stuff and blemish powders but I have to review those some other time.

Here are some pics in different lighting conditions, swatches are done wet. These powders will work very well for wet application. Melt like a dream.

size comparison between different brands - e.l.f. is medium

Later addition: mineral foundations in Dark and Deep,
Dark could easily be someone's summer shade

e.l.f.´i mineraalpuudrid pole allergikutele ega puhaste toodete austajatele - vismut on sees. Kui mõnda nahaallergiat pole, siis saab kenasti hakkama (poekraami kasutajatel allergiat tõenäoliselt ei tekita, tundliku nahaga inimesed peaksid enne pikemat kasutamist toodet veidi nt käe peal testima).
Katvus on kerge või keskmine, sama värvigrupi peitepuudritel ja mineraalpuudritel on erinevad toonid: Fair foundation on mu nahal hetkel liiga oranžikas, Fair peitepuuder aga sobib kenasti - hoolimata sellest, et swatch on VÄGA imelikku roosat tooni. Lisaks on see peitepuuder kas harjumatult vähekattev või teine võimalus - mu nahatooniga ülisobiv ja seetõttu ei paista nahal välja. Kahtlustan siiski esimest.
Mulle Fair concealer mineraalpuudrina täitsa meeldib - tekstuur on mõnus ja sobib nendeks päevadeks, mil tugevat katvust vaja pole. Nahatooni ühtlustab suurepäraselt. Nahk on vaid viimasel ajal nii õliseks läinud, et meik ei püsi enam kuut tundigi peal - juba 3 tunniga tahab ära ujuda. :S

e.l.f. mineral concealer in Fair as foundi,
Confident all over lid and Rose as blush

see how the skin gets dry if not moisturized beforehand? shrivels up something terrible
(e.l.f's mineral foundation in Fair and mineral blush in Joy, no moisturizer used)

H&M makeup brushes

2011-04-25T05:24:00.000-07:00

I read in an Estonian beauty forum about H&M cheap makeup brushes and after buying some I have to agree with people, who found the brushes to be surprisingly decent. They are usually £1.99 or 1,95 eur a piece.

I really like the chisel brush, crease brush is so-so. Liner end is a bit bendy but able to make a thin line. They are both more travel sized, drowning amongst others in my brush holder, seem to be made well and are pleasant to the touch.

Chisel is fluffy, does not shed or stink, it's bristles grab my loose pigments perfectly. This is something Ecotools brushes suck at - applying loose mineral pigments with Ecotools stiff synthetic eyeshadow brush is not very comfortable. I have not tried the special 5 piece eye makeup brush set to compare.

Soovitan H&M silmapintsleid, eriti seda üheotsalist - selle raha eest hea kvaliteet.

And here's an EOTD with Coastal Sents's Paradise Rose Sky mica (sry about the lousy blending job, I also managed to get the eye liner all over the lower lids - it always smears so terribly - that's why I seldom use it):

This one is definitely for evening makeup, I was amazed how well red went with my blue eyes. Much better then pink that makes my eyes look terribly tired.

Apology

2011-04-16T02:10:00.000-07:00

Dear readers,
I am sorry to be so silent in the recent weeks - I have been quite busy with my new "baby". Have plenty of pictures and stuff to tell but somehow I never seem to have the time to sit and write and crop the pics. I am looking forward to the upcoming 3-day weekend, hopefully then I can post most of the material. Thank you for bearing with me. :)

Pipa needs lots of attention, playing and walking and I'm happy to report losing 1,5 kg in the last 2 months ;)

Inspiration - The Emperor's Wife

2011-04-08T05:03:00.000-07:00

I love this movie. It's one of the best (fantasy?) romance movies ever screened. Love the makeup on the heroine - red eyeshadow that goes subtly over the lines and becomes blush. Unfortunately I don't have the guts to try the same look :).
I might try one day... when I'm home alone.

And my favorite scene: when Sabah pretends to crown herself.
It was such a powerful, emotion laden scene!

I do apologize for the crappy quality of these pics - they we're all internet provided :S.

An old, low budget film... amazing.
IMDb

A mini grinder

2011-04-07T05:58:00.000-07:00

I happened to read Lisa Lise's blog (warmly recommend) and she wrote about MMU tools... more specifically about DIYcosmetics store and this grinder:

looks like a small torchlight :)

Could not resist the temptation and am now a lucky owner of a small battery-charged hand grinder.

When I first attempted to make my own foundation I used my mum's old coffee grinder but that was much too big. This one seems much more suitable for doing small batches of foundation, eyeshadow, blush - you name it.

Uus mänguasi saabus üle-eelmisel nädalal - kahjuks pole veel leidnud aega mängimiseks :S. Lootused on suured - sõpsid küsivad mult matte põsepunasid aga kõik TKB punakad vilgusegud sädelevad/läigivad kui põrgulised. Oksiide aga käsitsi juba kokku ei sega...

Coastal Scents mica haul

2011-04-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

I posted news of a CS sale recently - well, here are the goodies:

I think there's something wrong with me - I did not experience the usual excitement when ordering, receiving the parcel or even when swatching - it seemed so "same old, same old" to me.

Pigments look the same to me - now that I have Conservatorie, TKB and CS all lined up in my stash and ready to be compared. The excitement is gone. I miss that :s I think it's impossible for me to find something new and exciting from MMU wholesalers - it's time I'll really take initiative and start making more of my own mixtures.

I was so absent minded that I ordered Goldstone again - what was I thinking! I wanted to try Gemtone Topaz! The only color that made me go "hmmmm" was Satin Rouge, nice subtle warmish red tone, no sparkle and minimum sheen. I do not know what came over me - so many bronzes and beiges in this haul... I also have to add: the Paradise series micas contain cetyl dimethicone and I think this is also the reason why they're hydrophobic - do not mix with water.

CS Antique Gold is very dirty - it has lots of dark oxides in it and if used dry, there's a great chance the outcome will not look golden but just dirty dark. No love. Remings me of TKB's Verdigris Gold.

Sparkle Blue is exactly as name describes although the glitter is not very prominent. When Metallic Pixie Purple is more of a blueish purple Orchid Shimmer falls more to the reddish spectrum but is not as red as TKB's Grape.

Hot Side Pink is baby pink with blueish sheen.
Satin Bronze is a pleasant dark golden color, similar to Paradise Tropic Bronze.
Metallic Pearl Honey Tan is similar to Aruban Coral though the latter seems to have more coverage.
Australian Amber is less sparkly then the same pigment in TKB's selection, more satiny.
Paradise Sand is slightly more pinkish then Aruban Coral, lovely pinkish beige.
Camel is either Conservatorie's Gold Earth or TKB's Apricot, more thorough swatching will show later.
Dark red with a bit of old lady pink in it - that's Satin Rouge.
Paradise Rose Sky has plenty of metallic sheen. Must compare it to Conservatorie´s dark reds.
Ruby has less coverage and seems to be darkish sort of pinkish red. Lots of sheen.
Misterioso Bronze is another metallic beige, looks very much like Goldstone but the latter has more "gold" in it.
Paradise Breeze - copper red-orange. Like TKB's Copper Penny.

Here's an EOTD using Metallic Pearl Honey Tan and Australian Amber:

And a picture of stuff used:

Ma vist olen vilkudest väsimas - vedru on maha käinud... pole enam uusi ja huvitavaid kohanud. Ei jää muud üle kui ise suurema hoolega segama hakata.

Review on Smashbox's fairest foundi

2011-03-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

Smashbox's High Definition Healthy FX Foundation Spf 15 in F0 and Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer in "Adjust" (thank you for the samples, Anja :)) are in the spotlight today.

Unfortunately the foundation is a bit orange on me... on the swatches I have compared it with MAC Face & Body foundations in C1 and C2 (also light to medium coverage, rather liquid consistency). Smashbox's High Definition Healthy FX Foundation offers light to medium coverage and a lovely glowing result. Forgot to take a "before" picture, sry.

green primer, Smashbox's foundi and a layer of
EDM's Olive Fair in semi-matte to counteract the orange
(note tone difference with the neck)

Foundation primer is very similar to the Monistat anti-chafing gel in structure but just like anti-chafing gel, it does not protect my makeup from sebum for I am a true oil refinery. The greenness seems to work a bit but the foundation put all the red back again. I truly think I need a grayish yellow foundation...

I'll try the green primer with other foundations as well - and I still have to test the samples of the ordinary Photo Finish Foundation Primer (often compared to Monistat anti-chafing gel but since even that will not keep sebum under control, am a bit worried there might be no difference for me).

MAC C1 seems to be the lightest and most neutral of the three

stuff used: Pearl Sunlight is under the eyes

Olen olnud väga hõivatud ja ka veidi laisk, postitustes on ilmatuma pikad vahed ja materjali aina koguneb, koguneb, koguneb... Vabandan.

Sain posu pisikesi testreid ja nüüd aegamööda olen neid proovinud. Smashboxi heledaima meigipõhja võivad lumivalgekesed kenasti maha kanda - oranž. Suvel saaks kanda aga talvel ei õnnestu...

Primerid e aluskreemid on silikoonipõhised ning peaksid poore vähendama, jumet ühtlustama ning jumestuspõhju paremini peal hoidma, see rohekas primer peaks ka nahapunetust vähendama ja minu meelest oli mõningane efekt täitsa olemas - enne kui oranži foundi jälle peale panin.

Siin võrdluses toodud MACi C1 ja C2 on MACi Face and Body Foundation'ite heledaimad külmad meigipõhjad. Ma tõesti, tõesti tahaks kohata mõnda külma tooniga jumestuskreemi, mis poleks ORANŽ.

Importance of Literacy / Miks on mõistlik toodete silte lugeda

2011-03-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

About how to read product labels - and why should anyone read cosmetics labels at all? Especially if one does not have allergies or environmental issues? Well to put it short: ingredients listed in the beginning of the ingredients list matter the most, rest - especially after the "perfume" - are quite insignificant. Therefore one should take note, that if some "good" ingredient is listed at the bottom of the ingredient list, it's probably represented by marginal amount only. I'd also like to recommend this article here.
Btw the product I have used as an example is not bad (smells great!) - moisturizes well but by no means is this a natural product. :) Although it's claimed to be ruby orange & mango butter shower sorbet it does not contain neither red orange or mango. Funny that :)

Kirjutaks veidi sellest, et miks on oluline toodete silte lugeda. Sain kingituseks selle ülimõnusalt lõhnava ning naha siidpehmeks jätva dušivõi, mida annab kenasti näidismaterjalina kasutada. Mõnus kasutada ja pole paha toode - nahk ei kuiva ega kihele AGA silma torkab see, et toode rõhub oma puuviljastele koostisosadele (vt pakendil toodud müügijuttu). Lõhnab nii hästi, et tuubil on isegi hoiatus toote mittesöödavuse kohta :).

Tegemist siis n-spa fruit ruby orange & mango butter shower sorbet, double moisture shower cream & body wash´iga. Vaatame lähemalt koostisaineid, silmas pidades, et parfüüm on tavaliselt üks vähemas kontsentratsioonis esinev koostisosa.

Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamide DEA, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Parfum, PEG-18 Glyceryl Oleate/Cocoate, Glycerin, Urea, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract (jõhvikas), Punica Granatum Fruit Extract (granaatõun), Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (green tea), Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Hexylene Glycol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Benzophenobe-1, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzoic Acid, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium Nitrate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, Limonene, CI 17200, CI 19140

Esimesed kuus on esile tõstetud - toode sisaldab kõige rohkem vett, seejärel pesuained (osad neist funkavad ka emulgaatorina), siis parfüümi. Traditsiooniliselt oleks parfüüm üks viimastest koostisainetest, säilitusainete kõrval aga siin on see suht nimekirja alguses. Säilitusainetest pole mitte ühtki parabeeni. Võime suhteliselt kindlalt oletada, et väljareklaamitud granaatõuna, rohelist teed ja jõhvikat on siin tegelikult vägagi vähe sees. Apelsinil ja mangol muide on täielik alibi :D.

Seega kui reklaamitakse mingit toodet ja rõhutakse mingile kindlale eriti imepäraste omadustega koostisosale, veenduge, kas toode seda üldse sisaldab ning millises kontsentratsioonis. EL nõuab, et koostisosad oleksid loetletud sisaldumise järjekorras, st et nimekirjas esimesel toorainel on võrreldes teistega tootes suurim osakaal. Kui see "siidiproteiin" vms ikka esineb nimekirjas viimaste hulgas, siis ei tasu selle koostisaine suurde mõjusse ka väga uskuda.

Soovitan pilgu ka korraks siia peale visata. Siin on paar päris head nõuannet:

Kui leiad toote, mis maksab palju ja mõjub suurepäraselt - loe koostisosi ja siis vaata samade koostisosadega odavamaid tooteid ka;
Kui mingi toode reklaamib end miski super-hüper-imekalli koostisosaga kuid see on kusagil nimekirja lõpus ning isegi parfüümist tagapool - jäta riiulisse, tõenäoline on, et see koostisaine on seal vaid reklaamitrikina ning toimeaine mõju tegelikkuses marginaalsest marginaalsem.

Coastal Scents having a 20% sale on micas and eyeliners

2011-03-18T23:32:00.000-07:00

Their mica samples usually cost 1 USD a teaspoon (packed in a small baggie) and they do not have a minimum order (vs TKB 19 USD or Conservatorie 15 USD). Offer ends March 21st, midnight.

Coastal Scents teeb sel nädalavahetusel alet oma vilkudele ning geellaineritele. Mõned pigmendid mul on, nende swatche saab näha siit.

PS! seitseteist pigmendipoega on nüüd teel minu poole... ei suutnud pakkumisele vastu panna.

Jätke need poodi/Do not buy cheap shite

2011-03-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

Maybe my hair is too short to use these or these are really shitty. Right now I'm supposing the latter - cheap stuff is not always usable.

Ostsin Selveri laadapäevadelt, 50 senti 6tk, sees mitte kuigi hästi painduv traat. Saast. Jätke poodi.

Micabella konsultandid / Micabella misbehaving

2011-03-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

A short overview of a scandal that has erupted in one Estonian beauty forum: a client was treated disrespectfully by a Micabella consultant - after trying on the foundation she returned the following day wishing to buy the foundation and was greeted with "if you're not going to buy don't waste my time". An inquiry sent to the main office resulted in additional insults "customer should respect the consultants work and not bother them when all they want is free makeup" (loose translation on both cases). A-MAZING... apparently there have been more such incidents and I thought I'll collect them before the thread gets deleted. Which it probably will - this is Estonia, business interests come first.

Buduaaris on sel nädalal kaunis piinlikku lugemist. Tundub, et MicaBella konsultandid on tohutu müügisurve all murdumas ning seetõttu ei suuda suure stressi tõttu tegeleda oma peamise tööga - brändile positiivse imago loomise ning potentsiaalsetele klientidele oma kauba tutvustamisega. Me kõik ju teame, et peaeesmärgiks on müük - aga kui eesmärk niivõrd labaselt kohe välja käiakse ja siis veel oma pettumus otsesõnu välja öeldakse - klient kaob kui tina tuhka.

Klientidele meeldib mõelda, et me oleme erilised, et meiega soovitakse suhelda, meile vaid tutvustatakse kaupa jne - meile EI meeldi ostusurve ja veel vähem meeldib meile see, kui meid otsesõnu solvatakse. Põhjamaa kultuuriruumis on äritegevus "räpane" asi ja otsene lähenemine taunitav, agressiivne müük on meie silmis labane ja valdavale enamusele räigelt vastukarva - delikaatsus on ülioluline.

Kopeerin osad sõnavõtud siiagi:

Dreamcatcher aka Rose Red 2011-03-13 Buduaaris

Eile laupäeval käisin toodet viru keskuses proovimas.. Grete nimeline tüdruk tegi mulle meigi, ning see tunud väga ilus, hele, sobis minu nahale.. Mõtlesin selle ostu peale, kuna mu nahk on üpris halb, ja täna panin isegi raha valmis, et osta.
Läksin täna tagasi, ja võtsin sõbranna ka kaasa, et tallegi näidata seda. Läksime selle leti juurde, ja tervitasin müüjat, ning küsisin, et kas sõbranna tohiks ka proovida. Müüja seepeale käratas, et " kui sa osta ei taha siis ärge raisake mu aega!".. müüjaks oli seesama Grete.. Mismõttes nagu?
Tuleb ostujõuline klient, ei jõua veel öeldagi, kui koheldakse kui koera. Igatahes selle firmaga enam tegemist ei tee, ja oma raha viin mujale. Hiljem täna otsin nede firma e-maili ja saadan kirja, soovides selgitust saada..
Kas teiega on ka nii juhtunud?

tema poolt klienditeenindusele saadetud kiri

Tervist!
Täna, 13 märts, sain ma teie Viru Keskuse esinduses väga halva kohtlemise osaliseks, ja sooviks selgitust.
Käisin samas kohas ka eile Teie toodet uudistamas, ja mulle tegi tasuta meigi Greta nimeline konsultant. Küsisin tema kontaktandmed, ning ütlesin ka seda, et kavatsen selle toote osta mõnel järgmisel päeval, kui vanematelt raha küsin.
Täna läksin koos oma kahe sõbrannaga tagasi samasse kohta, et osta omale see toode, ning ka neile seda näidata. Teretasin samat konsultanti, kes ka eile mulle meigi tegi, ning küsisin, et kas tal oleks võimalik ka minu sõbrannale toodet tutvustada. Vastuseks sain ka aga sellise lause : " Kui sa osta ei taha, siis ärge raisake mu aega" Olin šokeeritd ja lahkusin, kuna peale sellist kohtlemist ei soovinud ma küll enam midagi osta, eriti veel selle neiu käest. Kuidas on selline kohtlemine võimalik, eriti siis veel potensiaalsele kliendile?
Siiralt mitte enam teie,

ja MicaBella vastus:

Tere,
Me oleme meie töötajaga selle olukorra läbi rääkinud ning antud juhul olin ka mina, administraator kohal, kui Te eelmisel päeval proovimas käisite. Konsultandile jäi Teie käitumisest mulje, et Te tulite jälle niisama tasuta meiki tegema endale (seepärast ta ka täpsustas, kas te soovite ka tooteid osta) ning see on meie suhtes ebaviisakas, kuna me kõik teeme siin tõepoolest tööd, mitte tasuta meiki. Mul on siiralt kahju, et Teile sellest kontaktist halb mulje jäi, aga siiski tuleks arvestada faktiga, et inimese tehtavat tööd tuleb austada. Kui Teile meie toode tegelikult meeldib ja Te tahate seda kasutada, siis ootame Teid alati tagasi, aga mitte tasuta meiki tegema, vaid ostma
Kevadist päikest,
Kris Shokel

Hämmastav - ma oli ikka kaunis üllatunud säherduse asja peale... ja ega need järgmised postitused ka just mõnusate kogemuste killast ole:

2011-03-14 MissisS

Mina käisin Kristiines sõbrannaga,sest sõbranna tahtis midagi osta neilt ja siis mulle tehti ka proovimeik jne.. pakuti välja veel soodushindki ja siis öeldi,et sa pead ikka idioot olema,kui nüüd ära ei osta! nagu mismõttes!?!?

2011-03-15 Kats210

Mul endal on ka üks huvitav kogemus Viru keskuse MicaBellaga. Mulle pakuti samuti tasuta proovimeiki, lasin siis teha ja tulemus oli täitsa ilus. Jutt toodetest oli ka suht hea ning lisaks tehti pakkumine, et ühe komplekti saaks praegu soodsamalt osta.. Seega tekkis suur huvi osta omale see komplekt, kuid sel hetkel kohe ei olnud mul sellist summat kuskilt võtta. Küsisin müüja käest, et ma tõesti soovin seda komplekti osta, kas on võimalik, et tulen natukese aja pärast tagasi, sest hetkel raha pole, aga laseksin mehel ülekande teha.. Selle peale muutus müüja vihaseks ja närviliseks ning nähvas, et ei ole võimalik ja see pakkumine kehtib ainult 5 minutit ja kui ma ära lähen sealt, siis tagasi pole mõtet tulla!!

2011-03-15 Funzo

Käisin emaga Viru keskuses ja vaatasime ka selle kosmeetikafirma tooteid. Üks tüsedam kontsultant jälgis meid tükk aega ja siis käratas: "Ostate ka midagi või niisama vahite?! Mul tegemist ja ma ei saa teie persses passida!" Mu ema sai vihaseks ja ütles, et selle šljuha käest ma küll osta ei taha. HUVITAV MIDA TA SIIS NII TÄHTSAT TEGI! Istus oma läppariga reidis...

Eriliselt lahe on see juhtum siin:

2010-07-09 Hiyo:

Ühinen arvamusega. Viru keskuses juhtus lausa jahmatav olukord. Kuna läksin vaid korra linna, ei hakanud midagi näkku panema ja haakiski müügikonsultant mulle sappa. Kuna oli kiire, keeldusin korduvalt pakkumisest ning seejärel hüüdis näitsik mulle järele: "Ma näen, et teil on seda vaja!"
Selle peale ei osanudki kohe midagi kosta. Veider müügitaktika. Peale seda ei osta ma kohe kindlasti neid tooteid.. veel vähem, ei taha neist kuuldagi.

Geniaalne! Kas on võimalik endale veel suurema pahinaga vett peale tõmmata? Nende juhtumite valguses on mul väga kahju konsultantidest, kes ihu ja hingega ning kliente mitte eemale peletades oma niigi tänamatut tööd teevad. Toode pole ju paha.

PS! Teema on nüüd juba päris pikaks veninud ning välja ilmusid ka MB kaitsjad, kes süüdistavad "kavalaid neide" nende meigistendide ründamises ning tasuta meigi ärakasutamises. Samuti rõhutatakse, et viisakas (täiskasvanulik) korralik neiu ei kire oma halbadest kogemustest foorumites. Kust sellised küll tulevad?

PPS! Lisaks avastasin ka selle Tarbija24 foorumist:

22.03.2011 09:52 Anna : Micabella make up box müüs detsembrikuus Tartus Tasku keskuses 1500 krooniseid kinkekomplekte, mille juurde kuulus ka kaks tasuta peomeiki ( väärtuses 2x 250 kr). Ostsin kompleti kingituseks ja küsisin korduvalt üle kas peomeigi kinkekaartidel on ka mingi realiseerimistähtaeg ja kas nad teevad Tartus ainult jõulumüüki, või jäävadki Tasku Keskusesse tegutsema. Mulle vastati, et jäävadki Tartusse tegutsema. Sama vastati mu sõbrannale, kes detsembris käis jaanuariks endale peomeigi aega kinni panemas. Aga siis jaanuaris kohale minnes selgus, et Micabella meigiboxe enam Tasku Keskuses pole ja pole ka mitte kuskil mujal Tartus. Helistasin siis firma juhatajale ja selgus, et peomeigi kinkekaarte nad toodete vastu ei vaheta, raha ei tagasta ja ainus võimalus peomeik saada on Tallinnasse sõita. Väga tore, selleks, et saada juba makstud teenust, tuleb sõita edasi-tagasi 360 km.

TKB's Athena etc and the difference a good camera makes

2011-03-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

Do not be fooled - these pics have been taken by a dude who knows his stuff and with a camera that probably cost half my year's wages. I do not look this good irl. This is all smoke and mirrors, just like the pics of celebrities on the magazine covers. Since it was overcast, the light was not warm enough to make my skin look reddish or yellow. Perfect pale, just as I like it :)

biggify to see the foundi in action

Stuff used:
e.l.f. mineral eyeshadow primer
Monistat gel all over the face
Lumene's Arctic Definition Mineral Eyebrow Pencil with Protecting Arctic Amethyst (makes me chuckle every time I read this) No 2 Gray Brown. Lovely color btw - looks just like my eyebrows, just better.
Lumene's Natural Code Eye Dramatizer Volume-Defining Mascara (product names are getting ridiculous, don't you think?).

still unsymmetrical :S

On the eyes: TKB's Athena all over lid, Simply Naturals' Sandlewood in the crease and a generous helping of Smashbox's highlighter color from their Viewfinder trio on the browbone and used to blend out Sandlewood.

No cheek colors, no contouring - just EDM's Olive Fair in semi-matte, applied thicker on some spots. Lips are done with e.l.f.'s mineral lipstick in Cool Coral, I do not like that one much.
I LOVE the way my face is the same tone as my neck!

Bangs need cutting... and I think I should either grow my hair longer so I could put it up or cut it shorter - current length does not suit me as well as I thought. Accentuates the already rather impressive jawline. Hair is still moist on some of the pics, looks darker then really is.

Must tehti profikaameraga pilte - tulemus erineb tavapärasest ikka märkimisväärselt. See viimane pilt siin on tehtud ülevalgustamise-tehnikaga, näitab nahka eriliselt veatu ning näojooni pehmematena, kui need tegelikult on. Mineraalpuuder oma valgusthajutavate osistega on siin tõesti abiks - puudrikiht mu näos ei ole kuigi paks ja lisaks on see ka veel semi-matte, st et mitte kõige katvam retsept.

TBS Mandarin&Tangelo scent

2011-03-11T06:32:00.000-08:00

Visited The Body Shop the other day and got myself some more of their body/linen/room sprays. This one smelled ok at the store but was horrible when I tired it at home (after sniffing so many scents I think my nose just could not take it anymore and therefore failed me). I do not recommend this scent, it's too aggressive and banal, too overpowering and only has one (very loud) note.

I've put it up for a swap, hopefully I can swap it for something more likable. TBS Pomegranate and Raspberry scent would be ideal but one can only hope...

Panin Buduaari turule, loodetavasti annab kellegiga mingi muu asja vastu ümber vahetada. See lõhn ajab oksele (vabandage otsekohesust).

Sooduspakkumine Dr. Schelleri päevakreemidele Selveris

2011-03-05T22:57:00.000-08:00

Selveris on hetkel (vist Laadapäevadega seotult) Schelleri ohaka ja õlisalvei päevakreem ning mustsõstra ja marula miimikakortsude vastane kreem soodsa hinnaga - 7 eurot purk. Need on kerged kreemid ja mulle meeldivad. Võtsin mustsõstra oma kohe endale ära ka, varuks. Lõhnab palju paremini kui mul hetkel kasutuses olev argaaniaõli ja amarandiga nahkapinguldav kreem (vananevale nahale mõeldud aga tahtsin proovida).

Päevakreemid on vedelama koostisega ning nende kreemide puhul on paksendajana kasutatud ksantaankummi - seega kui panna liiga palju kreemi ja seda nahal edasi tagasi nühkida, läheb kreem rulli. Umbes nii nagu kummiliim, kui seda nahalt maha hõõruda.

Kuna need on väherasvased kerged kreemid, siis ei kasuta ma neid talvel enne kodust välja minemist. Selleks otstarbeks on rasvasem Dr.Hauschka roosikreem ning nüüd siis ka paar nädalat tagasi saadud BellaPierre niisutava kreemi tester.

Inglismaal käies napsasin TKMaxx´ist ära 5-naelased Weleda 30ml iirise ja kibuvitsa päevakreemi tuubid. Ma lihtsalt pidin... kodumail on nad märksa kallimad. Kibuvitsa panen järgmist talve ootama kuid iiris tundub kergem, seda saab juba kevadhooajal edukalt kasutama hakata.

About a good offer in the local store: some Dr.Scheller´s moisturizers are discounted to 7 euros. Also managed to get some Weleda creams for £5 from London.

EOTD Smashbox Viewfinder trio

2011-03-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

Anja, a very nice person from Denmark, sent me some makeup samples and stuff she herself is not using - thank you, Anja! So today I used the MAC C1 sample (I have to find out, which formula) and her Smashbox eyeshadow palette Viewfinder.

I am also trying out Bella Pierre's moisturizer, which smells like Orto's (a very old Estonian brand) cucumber cream. Ingredients seem to be those of an ordinary moisturizer: Aqua (Deionized Water), Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Polysorbate-60, PEG-150, Glyceryl Stearate, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Titanium Dioxide CI 77891, Parfum (Fragrance), Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Retinyl Acetate (Vitamin A). Traditional and safe, works well during winter.

MAC's foundation seems to be a bit orange, there's quite a noticeable tone difference between face and neck:

Smashbox's eyeshadow trio is subdued and very usable although I cannot see myself using the pink tone much - it disappears on my lids but manages to leave the eyes look tired. I use it very little, just to blend out the dark color and the gorgeous highlighting color. Highlighter is very nice - subtle sheen and glow, nothing too extravagant. I used the same tone under the eyes too. The dark cool brown in the palette reminds me of very dark dirty gold, a matte brown with plenty of golden hilites mixed into it.

I wanted to test the coverage of the MAC foundation and did not use any additional concealment - reddishness on the cheeks is well visible.

Pics taken in daylight, after application. By 5pm there's some creasing (used Manhattan's eyeshadow primer).

Natural haircolor - darker during winter

2011-03-03T06:41:00.000-08:00

Face is pinkish, tested MAC's C1 foundation, no primer used

(thank you, Anja - I've finally gotten round to begin testing all those wonderful little samples, I'll try the Smashbox sample on the week-end :)

Damn! / Kurat küll!

2011-02-22T04:15:00.000-08:00

Behold my beautiful EDM long-handled kabuki, all mangled up, even the metal ferrule :S

It was in the brush holder, on my makeup desk... the bitch must have climbed on my desk to get it :S - and I do not have a spare!

And here's the culprit - my new personal trainer (starting from 12.02.2011) Pipa who's causing havoc in my household. Stealing and demolishing our stuff and climbing all over the furniture.

Looking guilty now, huh?

Esimene kord kui mõni meie koertest nii halvasti käitub, et asju närib! Pipa on meie pere 4. koer (me võtame tänavalt-varjukast hüljatud täiskasvanud koeri). Mingi võtmehoidja pidin ka juba minema viskama, ajalehti ja pappkarpe topin talle lammutamiseks juba ise ette. On ikka tegelane... Närimiseks on tal ju omad mänguasjad :S ja tundub, et ta üksi kodus olles armastab justnimelt minu asju maitsta.

Paar silmameiginippi / Some tips

2011-02-17T14:22:00.000-08:00

Some makeup tips I've learned along the way:

Purupigmentidega silmi meikides ei tasu meigipõhja ühena esimestest teha - pudeneb. On olemas mingeid spetsiaalseid plastlehekesi, mida silmade alla panna ja mis pudiseva nahalt eemal hoiavad aga kes see nendega ikka jännata viitsib... Samuti räägitakse, et pane silmade alla posu puudrit, mille pärast ära puhud/pühid - aga milleks head kraami raisata? Lihtsalt tee silmad esimesena. Jäägid, mis nahalt puhumisega ei kao, saab kenasti vatitupsuga ära pühkida ning kui vaja, saab ka niisutavat kreemi juurde lisada. Ripsmetuši jätaks ma siiski üheks viimaseks, siis ei ole ohtu, et meiki kinnitav puuder või siis minu puhul mineraalpuuder, tušist märjad ripsmed jahuseks jätab.

When using loose pigments, do eyes first (except eyelashes, those should be done last along with lipstick).

Hajutamise teeb lihtsamaks, kui kulmuluu heledama tooni kõige esimesena peale kannad - silmavaoni. Pärast silmavakku paigutatavat tumedamat tooni kergem hajutada. Otse meigialuskreemi peale kantuna võivad eraldusjooned liiga silmatorkavad jääda.

I find it easier to blend when I have applied the brow-bone color first, dark colors blend better rather then applied straight on the makeup base.

Kui meigialuskreemil silmalaul veidi kuivada lasta, jäävad värvid vähem intensiivsed. Samas kui niiskele põhjale kohe pigment peale visata, võib juhtuda, et järgmisel hetkel on kogu kraam silmavaos koos - põhja doseerimisega peab siis ettevaatlikum olema.

Seda teab vast igaüks, et kõik lauvärvid niiske pintsliga pelaekandmisel intensiivsemad jäävad - ma vaid rõhutaks, et seda metoodikat kasutades tuleb värvi kogust hoolega vaadata - üleliigne pudiseb pigmendi kuivades põskedele. Mida glitterjam, seda suurem tõenäosus pudisemiseks.

Colors look more intense if applied when eyeshadow primer is still "fresh". Downside is - when too much base is added and pigments are then put straight on top, in couple of seconds that shadow will be sitting in the crease.

Mõned pigmendid on pigem läiked, st et oma nahatoon jääb läbi kumama. Sellised on nt TKB Hilites-seeria ning osad duochrome'd ka. Lahendus - värviline põhi alla. See võib olla nii "tumedam lauvärv all, heledam peal" lahendus aga miks mitte kasutada kreemjaid lauvärve? Kuiv pigment aitab kreemjatelgi lauvärvidel laugudel püsida... Ise kasutan selleks otstarbeks teinekord e.l.f.'i pruuni geellainerit või oma musta Manhattani silmapliiatsit (Manhattani meigialuskreem alla ja see sinna otsa, pigment siis patsutades kõige ülemiseks kihiks).

Colored bases under the pigments are a good idea - firstly they add depth to the pigment, secondly the (let's say) TKB Hilites brighten up the otherwise maybe boring color you might otherwise have thrown away...

Hetkel testin, kas saan oma roosakat, ihutooni huulepliiatsit ka selleks otstarbeks kasutada - õhtuks oli meik veidi lauvakku vajunud, ei hoidnud nii hästi kui aluskreem üksi. Eeldan, et huulepliiatsi rasvasem konsistents ei ole püsivusele hea.

Currently testing my pointless pink lipliner as a colored base - so far the results have not been encouraging - there's definitely more creasing then there would be with using the primer alone.

Ideaalse silmasisese lainerijoone saavutamine on veidi keeruline - parima tulemuse saab imho vana meigiga magades. Teine võimalus on enne magamaminekut musta silmapliiatsiga veidi pandat mängida - hommikul tuleb vaid jäägid ära pühkida ja veidi viimistleda (ning padjapüür pessu visata). Öö jooksul on silmasisene must joon ripsmejoonde sulandunud ning tulemus jääb esmaklassilise hajutusmeistri vääriline.

Best way to achieve that perfect waterlining for the smoky eye is to apply the eyeliner the night before. All one has to do is wipe off the excess in the morning and maybe add some accent colors.

Jep - ma olen laisk :).

PS! And for the love of God, if you have blue eyes and a cool complexion - drop that sky-blue eyeshadow this moment!

Bella Pierre'l külas

2011-02-16T06:44:00.000-08:00

This post is about our BellaPierre representatives in Estonia - I went to a presentation last Friday. Products are good and sales was elegantly organized - not pushy at all. The gathered were all interested and eager and overall good ambient ruled. I liked it and will go again - seemed like a nice lot.

BellaPierre basecamp asub aadressil Odra 15, kust siis meigikunstnikud tööl käivad. Iga veidi aja takka peetakse seal mineraalmeigikursusi ning teavitus toimub kas e-posti või Facebooki teel. Kuna ma olen FB "sõber" sain ka mina kutse :)

Üritus ise oli väga soe ja sõbralik, kuigi olin tund aega hilinenud, ei peetud seda pahaks ning pisteti klaas kihisevat kohe pihku. Kohale tulnud inimesed olid huvitatud ja aktiivsed ning ruumis valitses sõbralik elevus.

Toodete ja tehnikate tutvustused peeti peamiselt vene keeles ning nüüd tean ka mina, et "kistotška" on pintsel :). Bella Pierre pintslid on naturaalsetest karvadest ning pehmed - st et kvaliteet on väga hea. Hind on kahjuks ka vastav :S 30,36 eurot nii puudripintsel kui kabuki. Odavaimad on lauvärvi, laineri ja huulepintslid 15,98 euroga.

Üks konsultantidest oli kakskeelne nind kohapeal oli ka inimesi, kes eesti keelde tõlkisid - kui oli ikka kõva soov aru saada, siis oli selleks ka võimalused pakutud. Jutt oli sama mis alati: niiskelt peale kandes on lauvärv intensiivsem, põsepuna hügieenilisega segades saab huuleläike ja tumedat pigmenti aluskreemiga segades on tulemuseks kauapüsiv lainer. Konsultandid soovitavad korraga hankida heledama ning tumedama puudri, heledamat kasutada näo keskel ning tumedamat näo äärtes - põhimõtteliselt kontuurimine.

Kõik kohaletulnud said kaasa niisutava kreemi testri, mis mulle tundus pigem täissuurus. Pean häbiga tunnistama, et kuigi üritus toimus reede õhtul, pole ma siiani leidnud aega oma näppe (loe: spaatlit) kreemipurki pista. Teen selle kohta eraldi arvustuse, kui oeln kusagilt koostisosade loetelu kätte saanud.

Konsultandid ei näidanud üles pealetükkivust ning kogu müügitegevus oli elegantselt hoomamatu (ürituse lõpus sai tutvustatud tooteid kaasa osta :). See nõuab juba annet.

Toodete juurde!

Mineraalpuuder on hea asi. BellaPierre oma on ülipeene tekstuuriga ning tundub et poolmatt. Konsultandid kasutasid pealekandmiseks naturaalkarvaga pintsleid, kabukide asemel olid neil veidi väiksemad ja pikema varrega ümarad puudripintslid ja puudrit kanti peale üliõhukese kihina. Puudreid on nii pressituna kui puudrina, hämmastav on see, et pressitud heledaim on heledam kui puuderjas versioon.

BellaPierrel on päris palju igasuguseid kreeme, primereid, toonikuid jms nahahooldusega seotud kaupa - olles emulsiooniga naha ära puhastanud ning seerumiga emulsioonijäägid eemaldanud, kanti mullegi mineraalpuuder näkku (PS! pintsel ajas karva :S). Jäi kenasti - nahk ei kippunud kokku tõmbama, mis tähendab, et emulsioon ja seerum niisutasid naha eelnevalt kenasti ära. Puuder jäi imekerge ja lähedalt vaadates kumasid nahapunetused läbi. Kaamera aga pettis kenasti ära: nägu on piltidel väga kena.

Piilusin ka vilgusegusid - ilusad toonid kuid minu kollektsioonis on sarnased juba enamjaolt kõik olemas.

Piltidel on (minu) vasakul põsel presspuuder ning paremal põsel sama toon lahtise puudrina. Pressitud on heledam ja kohalviibijate sõnul tundus loomulikum. Vasakul põsel kasutati päikesepuudrit toonis Pure Element (nähtamatu sädelusega, jäi väga loomulik) ning paremal põsel põsepuna Desert Rose (liiga tume ja pruun).

naked face

lightest foundation

and blushes

click to biggyfy

Kuna swatchid jäid tegemata (õhtune aeg ja loomulikku valgust pole) siis astun mõni teine päev sealt uuesti läbi, igal reedel peaks seal potentsiaalsete klientide konsulteerimine toimuma. Kodulehel on neil kirjas nii:

Уважаемые клиенты, Каждый понедельник в студии Bellapierre (Odra 16, Tallinn) Вас ждёт наш визажист с 15:00 - 18:00. Который поможет вам определиться с подбором косметики. Для зарегистрированных клиентов 10% скидка. О своём визите предварительно просим сообщить по телефону +3725225895.

JOIK holds a Valentine's Day sale (-15%) on February 14th

2011-02-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

Joik is an Estonian natural cosmetics company, some of the products are 100% natural and some are made with synthetic perfumes and emulgators etc. Their English e-store has also been finally released.

Joik's having a 15% sale on Monday and I think it's as good of a deal as you're going to get - I'd advise to take it :). Coupon code is SÕBRAPÄEV (just copy it from here and paste it, you may not have Õ or Ä on your keyboard).
They make soaps, cremes, bath truffles - go and see for yourself.

As for their candles - Strawberry-Rhubarb is one of my favorites, so is Cranberry but the latter is a bit out of season, it was a big hit during Christmas. Friend of mine loves Cinnamon Bun.

Rahvusvaheline promo tehtud, alustame eestimaist :)

JOIK küünlad & spa EELINFO! Esmaspäeval, 14. veebruaril, sõbrapäeva puhul kõik tooted -15% nii esinduspoes kui e-poes. E-poes tuleb soodustuse saamiseks sisestada sooduskupongi lahtrisse märksõna SÕBRAPÄEV.

EOTD Pink (green) interference with Athena

2011-02-09T08:09:00.000-08:00

click to biggify

Conservatorie's Pink (green) interference all over lid, TKB's Athena in the crease and outer corner. Champagne on the brow-bone as (almost) always. I love Conservatorie's Pink (green) interference pigment, it's a perfect almost nude and that green tint can only be guessed, an indescribable shade of beige, lovely shiny nude pigment.

I used Monistat's silicone-based primer all over face, including lids and Manhattan's eyeshadow primer all over lid. EDM's Pearl Sunlight under the eyes and Intensive Fair concealer as foundi. Skin is still very dehydrated and flaky looking, red patches here and there. Here's a close-up of the skin.

Must get another test tube of Hauschka's Rose Day cream... (am to stingy to buy the big tube, I buy the small testers and use them as treatments from time to time.) Perhaps also a pineapple, that fruit is quite acidic and works like a (very mild) enzyme peel. Unfortunately I cannot get my hands on papayas here - those work wonders as well. Did you know that papaya and pineapple juice make meat tender when used in marinades? :D

Nahaga tuleb midagi ette võtta... mingi intensiivne niisutav ja samas kooriv protseduur. Peab poest vististi ananassi ostma minema ja puuviljahapetega peamist nahakihti maha sulatama. Kipitav ettevõtmine...
PS! Alumisel pildil on mineraalpuuder juba peale kantud, see siis 10 minutit hiljem - kreemi niiskus on kadunud, nahk on paberkuiv ja ketendav. Kaugelt on nahatoon ühtlane kuid lähedalt võtab kaamera puudrialuse punetuse kenasti üles.

EOTD Baby Pink Interference

2011-02-06T04:38:00.000-08:00

I read some forum that pink is THE color for blue eyes. I remembered differently... and decided to try it out again. Result? Blah... combinations of brown and gold go definitely better with my skintone and give a much bigger boost to blue eyes. Pink makes me look red-eyed like a rabbit.

Conservatorie's Baby Pink Interference wet all over lid (has problems with adhering to skin otherwise, even with primer)

TKB's Satin Pearl in inner corners

Smoky XXX in the crease

Champagne on the brow-bone

EDM's Olive Fair semi matte as foundi

EDM's Pearl Sunlight under the eyes
Manhattan's eyeshadow primer and Lumene's mascara

Skin is still flaking, used my elf stippler to put some additional moisturizer on afterwards but flakiness is still there. Pics done in daylight, no direct sunlight. I'd still like to know, where's the interference? It's just a glittery light pink, which presses badly and bleeds in the process. Unless one's a die hard lover of glittery pinks, I'd leave this one at the store.

(Vähemalt see) roosa sinisilmade jaoks just parim toon pole, kuldsed-pruunid lähevad paremini. Nahatooniga ei sobinud kokku, teeb üldmulje punasemaks/oranžimaks samas kui kogu mu meigi peamine eesmärk on nägu kaelaga üht tooni näidata. Punanahksus ei ole just kuigi ilus :S

Kaubamaja (mineraal)meigipintslid

2011-02-03T08:10:00.000-08:00

This post is about our local department store's (mineral) makeup brush selection.

Kaubamajas on päris palju erinevaid pintsleid erinevatelt kaubamärkidelt. Esindatud nii kosmeetikakompaniide pintsliseeriad kui ka pintslitootjad Duroy ja Japonesque. Ilumaailmas ei kohanud ainsatki Cailap'pi, juhhei!

Peamiselt oli mõttes stipplerid/skungid/duo-fibre pintslid ära kaardistada aga neid oli kaunis vähe - siis vaatasin üle ka kabukid ja flat-topid. Vabandan pildimaterjali vähesuse pärast, ei julgenud kaupsis fotokaga eriti vehkida - üldjuhul mõjub see poodnikele väga ärritavalt.

Stipplerid: Duroy pakub kahte, tumeda pika varrega 28.70 eur ja valge lühema varrrega 25,50 eur. Samas on Art Deco valge-pruun stippler (Brush for Illuminating Powder Finish) 219 kr ehk 14 eur. Viimasel on pikimad harjased ning pruun karv tundus naturaalne. Mida pikem karv, seda väiksem kontroll nahale määritava toote üle. Hinnad on Duroy'l siiski liiga soolased, imho.

Nii, ja see oli siis see ainuke jubedas valguses
jubedal taustal tehtud jube pilt :D

Sealsamas on ka MakeuUpStore aga kuna konsultandid mu läheduses müstiliselt kaduma kippusid, ei saanud ma seal kelleltki pintslikarbi avamise osas abi küsida - seega saan vaid öelda, et MUS pintsel tundus silma järgi sama suur kui Duroy must ning maksis 23,58 eurot.

MACi stipplerid maksavad 52.- (MAC187) ja 41,90 (188SH) eurot. Suuruselt on e.l.f. lähem pigem 187-le, vabandan eelnevalt ebaõige informatsiooni postitamise eest. 188 on ikka tõeliselt pisike.

Kabukidega on olukord helgem: neid leidub igas hinnaskaalas. Chaneli oma on naturaalkarvadest, tihe ja imepehme iludus 40,9 eurot, MACi pehme ja kvaliteetne naturaalsetest karvadest kabuki on 55 eurot, Elizabeth Arden'i sünteetiline viltune kabuki (kaasa saab ka pisikese versiooni) on 22,31 eurot. Pigem kontuurimiseks, päikesepuudri jaoks see viimane...

Couleur Caramel'i oma on mäger, näppimiseks välja pandud eksemplar ajas karva ning polnud pehmuselt Chaneli ja MACiga võrreldav. Kusagil 22,4 eurot.

Bella Pierre kabukid olid ennist naturaalsed, nüüd sünteetilised - väga pehmed ja maksavad 31,9 eurot. (e.l.f.'i Studio seeria kabuki sarnaneb sellele kui kaks tilka vett.)

Ma ei märganud ArtDecol seekord kabukit - küll aga oli neil üks tohutu suur, pehme ja kaunis tihke puudripintsel 17,83 euroga. Tundus päris hea aseaine. Isadoral oli suur roosa kehakabuki, mida kunagi proovisin (ajab karva) ja mis ei ole just ülipehme aga siiski täitsa talutav - 20,38 eurot. Boujoursi kaks kabukit olid naturaalsetest karvadest ning mitte väga pehmed: väiksem kitsekarvadest ja hõbedase pintslivarrega oli 8,9 eurot ning suurem pronksja varrega 9,52 eurot. (need sarnanevad pehmuselt pigem e.l.f.'i tavaseeria punastele kabukidele.)

Lisamärkustena peab mainima, et Japonesque'l nägin ainsana pisikest flat-toppi (veidi flimsy, tundus, et ei hoia end hästi vormis ja võib kriipima hakata); Lancome puudripintslid on ÕUDSAD tuustid; Clinique on parem kuid Shisheido pintslid näitavad juba suurepärast kvaliteeti.

Color Study: Coastal Scents' Blue-Red Chrome

2011-02-02T21:40:00.000-08:00

CS Blue-Red Chrome all over lid, TKB's Apricot used to blend the crease, EDM's Sunkissed Fair on the brow-bone. Very good pics if one wishes to spot the duo-chrome effect. I layered the piggie thinly over the primer - one can notice that the color looks redder in inner corners and bluer in outer corners. Not my color though.

Skin is flaking, nothing helps. Exfoliating seems to be creating even more flaking. I'll give it a rest.

EOTD: Brilliant Mocha in Oriental Beige

2011-02-01T07:40:00.000-08:00

Conservatorie's Brilliant Mocha mica all over lid, blended upwards with TKB's Oriental Beige, Champagne on the brow-bone. 3 different foundations used: EDM's Sunkissed Fair on (viewers') left cheek, Linen on right, Fair Neutral on the forehead. Fair Neutral was the best match, Linen was the reddest. Peach as blush, invisible.

Manhattan's eyeshadow primer and Monistat for priming the face.

stuff used

Lipstick is e.l.f's Pouty Petal

CS pigment comparison: Reds and Pinks

2011-01-28T01:00:00.000-08:00

I only took three pink/red pigments from CS: Duochrome Red Orange, Foliage Flutter and Chrome Carmine.

Finish of Chrome Carmine reminded me of the golden sheen TKB's Apricot and Conservatorie's Gold Earth both have but while these have a beige base Chrome Carmine is distinctively pink in comparison. (I think e.l.f's blush in Candid Coral also carries a similar golden sheen.)

Gold Earth (Conservatorie), Apricot (TKB)
Chrome Carmine (CS), Peach Fuzz (Conservatorie)

Am thinking maybe I should have compared this color to the pinks too, like Conservatorie's Shimmering Nude. I'll make a comparison pic during weekend.

Coastal Scents' Foliage Flutter was picked out because I wished to compare it to TKB's Foliage - the only thing connecting them is a orangeish-toned base, top colors are different, TKB's Foliage being more flesh colored and Foliage Flutter having a strong pink sheen.

Bolero (Conservatorie), Scorpio the Eighth (TKB)
Foliage (TKB), Foliage Flutter (CS)

Coastal Scents' Duochrome Red-Orange is marvelous, the sheen might be too much when used as blush, it's closest to TKB's Garnet. I guess if one loves showy high sheen lips, this would be the perfect golden pink lipstick.

Top to bottom: Garnet (TKB), Duochrome Red-Orange (CS), Strawberry (TKB),
Gemini aka Gemma (TKB)

PS! And here's the pic comparing Chrome Carmine with Shimmering Nude, the latter being much more on the pink side, Chrome Carmine has a strong golden sheen in comparison. It was a bright sunshiny day and swatch failed miserably - overlighting, sry :S.