Meet my new friends Mekong & Gina

I read a lot of blogs. That means I see at least 20 things every day that I simply MUST buy.

Most of them I don't and soon I will forget about it. But once in a while there is a gem that gets stuck in my mind. When Simone posted a photo of Mekong eyeshadow by Nars on her Instagram I literally gasped and rushed to look at some swatches online. I mean it was brown and it has golden specks and it was just sooo beautiful..

The teeeny tiny problem remained. Nars is not sold in Dubai. Until by accident I found out that you can order some of Nars products on Glambox.me site. I could not believe this information had passed me and I decided to remedy the situation. First into the basket went Mekong of course.

 Mekong is described as an “Espresso infused with gold” on the NARS website, and I have to say thats exactly what it is. Its a dirty brown but also has deep black undertone. And we are talking pigmented like nobodies business. I did do some googling before ordering it as I was worried the gold specks will look like glitter on my eyelids. In reality they don’t translate to the eyes as much as they appear in the pan. I have used it smudged into the lash line for day time but really cant wait to play around with it for a smokey eye look.

Now I had added Mekong to the shopping basket and should have called it a night but the uncontrollable shopping addiction kicked in. I felt like..well I cant just order one tiny eyeshadow if I'm already ordering. That would just be wrong wouldn't it. Specially as I have just found a way to have Nars delivered home to me. I knew I wanted a peach toned blush however felt totally overwhelmed having the choose without testing it in real life. When facing a problem like that there is only one solution. I texted my make up guru "i-know-every-shade-of-every-brand-ever" genius friend Laura who helped me narrow it down to Gina.

Me and Gina will become close friends in the next few months. She is ever so lovely! The color is not vibrate or intense but a pretty muted butter soft orange/peach tone. I love that it has no glitter or sheen, I didnt own anything like that in my blush collection. It also has no pink undertones. What you see in the pan translate to the skin pretty accurately.

Oh yeah and Zulu is becoming a regular beauty expert as well! That Gina will bring out her green eyes just perfectly dont you think..

New in-Dreamy Topshop Shoes

The initial plan was to reveal my new shoes in a outfit post but they arrived yesterday and I just could not wait to show them to you. So lets dedicate a whole post to these dreamy pastel pink beauties from Topshop. (Link)

 I expected them to be more nude as per the picture on Topshop site but in reality I am loving the pastel pink. The girly color combined with the super pointy toe and classical cut makes them perfect.

I am mainly buying mid heel shoes nowadays as these are the only ones I can wear day time. And I love wearing heels day time. It makes me feel all grown up and important.

I have only pranced around at home with them but so far they feel very comfortable. Its 100% leather so feels soft and luckily also true to size. I have so many ideas how to wear them already. With cuffed up boyfriend jeans or go all out pastels midi skirt combo or crisp white dress etc..

Anyway if you have been on the look for perfect spring heels these might be it!

OOTD-Fit & Flare

Dress: French Collection/Necklace: New Vintage by Kriss/Flats-Zara

This is my new black dress and I would even go as far as saying this is my favorite dress. All I want to wear is this dress..and if I know I will not be hanging out with the same people two days in a row..I will sure as hell wear it two days in a row. And not only cause it has pockets which kind of transport any dress automatically into my favorites category. This dress just ticks all the boxes for day time pretty. And I do know its just a boring black dress that doesn't bring anything unseen to the table but hear me out.

First of all its the perfect length. See I dont really like when fit and flare style dresses end mid thigh, for work they are just not practical. This one with its wide pleats and knee length works great for me.

Secondly I am a big fan of clothes that show off your back a bit. This is by no means overly open but the low dipped back detail drew me in.

Thirdly its made out of ribbed polyester material which feels so soft,stretchy and super comfortable. 

I could go on and on but the fact is- its simple and versatile (super cute worn with heels out to dinner as well) and very me. Its from the French Connections spring collection and also comes in pink. (Link)

Mac Haul

 So imagine this.

You are meeting your amazingly talented make up artist friend for dinner at Marina Mall. To get to the restaurant you have to walk past Mac store.. would you really not suggest to go in? Would you really not take her suggestions and buy a whole lot of stuff? If you would not.. you need to teach me how to do that cause I totally don't know how.

That is how my little Mac haul happened. Me picking up things and waving them in front of Dianas face and she telling me her expert opinions. This was proceeded by me buying two eye shadows, a blot powder, an eye pencil and a lip gloss..

-Pressed blot powder is not exactly an exciting buy but something I needed. I love the dewy finish my Clarins foundation gives me but at the second half of the day my T-zone certainly needs some help. As summer is creeping in I didnt want anything that builds up too much or gives thick coverage. I just needed something to take care of the shine.

-A purple pencil is something I had been lusting over. Mac Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Bordeauxline is a real beauty for green eyes girls. I can tell you its smooth to apply, easy to smudge and has great pigment. I know all this cause I already used it this morning. Other comments about the lasting power will have to wait till I get to test is out a bit longer.

-Mac Cremesheen Glass in Double Dare. This I so totally did not need. I mean not even a little bit. But who cares anyway! I love love love the Cremesheen formula and have had a few neutral pinkish colors before. This time it was Diana who picked up Double Dare and as soon as I tried it on it was decided. Its a vibrate color but not fully opaque. The shade is something I would describe as "juicy" coral pink.

And then the eyeshadows. One of them is a repurchase. All That Glitters is one of the few shadows I have ever emptied. Its such a perfect color for day time.

Sable however is a newcomer that I kept reading about. Its said to go so well together with All That Glitters and create a perfect day time smokey effect. Its kind of bronzy plummy brown color with frost finish and I cant wait to play around with it.

I unfortunately was not able to take a single picture where the two shadows would look different. I blame the bad lighting, the new camera and the my lack of skills as a photographer. I mean my husband swore they are exactly the same anyway and laughed at me as I was taking the millionth picture trying to capture the difference. Finally I had to admit they do look very very similar in the pan ( I don't want to say identical cause its not true! )

All That Glitters on the left and Sable on the right

I swatched them to show you that I'm not crazy and I didn't buy two identical shadows. Top is All That Glitters and bottom is Sable. They are similar tones but that's what makes them work so well together.

So that's the damage I did at Mac yesterday. Have you bought anything lovely from there lately?

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm

I got all excited the moment these new Revlon Matte Balm pencils started popping up on blogs.
I mean my all time favorite is Nars matte pencils so this Revlon offering sounded right up my ally.

I kept passing the Revlon stands in Dubai hoping to score a few of these lovely pencils but no luck. So imagine my delight when Laura got me one as a present from her trip to UK. And like a make-up genius she is, she got me the most perfect color- Audacious.

Lets just take a moment and look how pretty and bright this is! Im getting more and more into coral lipsticks and Audacious is creamy, matte and as coral as they come. In other words its awesome!

I am wearing it today so snapped a quick picture for you on the balcony this morning.

 

It applies easily and feels super comfortable on the lips. Its not dry or flat looking matte but it does start looking a bit uneven after a few hours. Reapplying however is not a breeze and left weird clumps of color on my lips. So now I just wipe it off completely and then reapply. I dont mind that minor detail as I love the color payoff.

I soo badly want to get my hands on few more colors. Unapologetic would be my next pick.

One more thing I just wanted to pop into this post even thou its not make up related is my new sandals from Zara. I struggle to find sandals cause I have this thing- I hate ankle straps! I have yet to meet an ankle strap that makes me legs visually longer or leaner. I always feel stumpy and especially with midi length skirts. It just does not work for me. If the strap is just below the ankle it makes such a difference. Hence I marched right up to cashier after trying on these black and gold Zara sandals.

They took a few days to be worn in but for me thats the case with any shoes from Zara. Other than that I love them! Now I just need to find a pair of golden or nude sandals and I'm set.

Give a girl the right shoes..

and she can conquer the world..

 These red beauties were a Christmas present from the husband and boy did he do a good job. 

I tend to be rather classic in my shoe purchases but I also love having a pair of statement shoes that make the outfit. The Alexander McQueen red skull pumps definitely fit the bill.

 

They are fairly comfortable but the heel is high so we are not talking about strutting-around-all-day-long comfortable. Easily manageable for a night out thou. They are the shoes that rarely go unnoticed.

 

I always go super easy on the outfit when wearing these beauties. This time I teamed them with cuffed up black skinnies from Topshop and a floaty deep V-neck from Zara. I was all over this white top in Zara. Loved the deep V, the loose sleeves, the hem length. I was so excited I forgot to do my one Zara test- scrunch the fabric in your hands to see how easily it creases. I forgot and I learned my lesson. 

 This is the WORST creasing material I have ever seen in my life! The absolute worst! So i rarely wear it..maybe for a few hours for going out in the evening (to a place with low lighting). I still love the cut but seriously bad material.

Do you have a favorite pair of statement shoes?

Look at my face aka FOTD

So here goes my first attempt at FOTD (face of the day) post.

As I tend to stay comfortably in my daily make up rut I'm not sure I can make too many of these posts. Ok so I might swap one neutral brown eyeshadow to another and maybe use a different blush.. but generally its the same. The only thing that really changes is lipstick.

Lets begin shall we.
Face: Clarins Extra-Comfort foundation (108 sand)
So I know I should have written a proper review about this a long time ago. Cause its only like my most favorite foundation EVER! Not sure how familiar you are with the show Friends but there is a quote to describe my feelings for this foundation:

Monica: Mmm, this cake is amazing.
Rachel: My God, get a room.
Monica: I would get a room with this cake. I think I could show this cake a good time!

Just swap cake for Clarins foundation and you see what I mean..
Continuing with face/base products:
          Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer
          YSL Touche Eclat
          NARS Orgasm blush
          Smashbox Bronze Lights bronzer in Suntan Matte.

Eyes: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (the new BFF)
          Bourjois Ombre a Paupieres eyeshadow in Beige Rose
          Naked 3 palette- shades Liar, Factory and Darkside
          Loreal Super Liner Black Lacquer
          Maybelline Falsies Volum Express Waterproof mascara

Lips: Revlon ColorStay Ultimat Suede in Front Row

I always keep the foundation and concealer on my nose as light as possible because I love my freckles. When I was little every summer my grandma used to tell me "The more freckles you have the more the sun loves you!" and I loved the idea of sun loving me. Now living in infinite summer that is Dubai I always have a freckly nose.

Please note the background with a rather comfortable border collie taking his after breakfast nap.

If you have questions about any of the products do let me know. Otherwise tell me what are your eyeshadow favorites for day to day use? I would love to add a few to my stash..

I feel the Bliss

Every month I get a pretty box filled with some sample size beauty goodies delivered to my door. I'm sure there is an equivalent of this in every country..here it is called GlamBox.

We are already half way in March but I wanted to show you the February GlamBox which was a Bliss special.



Bliss is a brand I have always been curious about but never actually tried. Now that I got to try a bunch of things I must declare my love to some of the products.

In my February box there was:

Lets start with my two favorites from the box. The ones I plan to buy full size.

Faboulous Foaming Face Wash- this is apparently one of Bliss best sellers and I can see why. I love the smell and consistency. A thick gel that easily turns into foam. I always choose a face wash that can double up as a gentle scrub and this one has small exfoliating beads in it. Its oli-free which seems to be working well on my combination skin and the main ingredients are rosehip, chamomile and passion flower. All in all a lovely face wash Im excited to add to the collection.

Blood Orange and White Pepper Body Butter- I have a weakness for citrus smells..especially grapefruit and blood orange. This Bliss one is soooo nice. Its such a vibrate scent with a bit of spicy undertones from the white pepper. It leaves the skin smooth and moisturized like a body butter should.

I also got the Body Wash & Bubble Bath in same scent and I love it just as much.

The Triple Oxygen + c energizing cream- is a bit too rich for my T-zone so I dont use it in the mornings. I cant rave or say anything bad about it. Its a nice enough cream but I dont think I will purchase the full size. It just didnt do much for me.

The 2 things I'm yet to test out are the Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask and the Thats Incredi-'peel'  peel pads. Especially excited about the peel pads as I have never used anything similar.

All in all such lovely products and I cant wait to get my hands on the full size face wash and body butter.

Do you have any favorites from Bliss? Something else I should check out next time I lurk around that counter?

p.s. since you are here already why not come and hang out with me on Facebook as well.. Laura etc...

Get with the program

Now Im going to tell you something and you have to promise to still be my friend after that..
I have never owned any kind of make up primer in my life *insert shocked face*
Not for foundation, not for eyes etc..

March is work wise manic (we are talking 13h work days every weekend of the month) and the weather is heating up so the eye makeup I put on in the morning was never there anymore around lunch time. That finally got me wondering..

 I honestly have no freakin clue why I was under the impression that I should not be using an eyeshadow primer. Why? Its not like I hadn't heard of them. Its not like I don't go to Sephora every other day. Its not like I don't put eyeshadow on every morning.

So as I grew tired of rubbing off streaky eyeshadow at my short lunch break during another outdoor event.. I finally got the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. This was put on ultimate test right away because this weekend I was doing super long days at Taste of Dubai festival. All outdoor, a lot of running around and sweating.

The results make me even more annoyed with myself. You probably know this already unless you have been living under the same primer related rock as me..but primers make a huge difference!! I mean huge! Like 13h later the eyeshadow is still blended and still there and everything is well in my world. I truly could not believe it, not one little streaky crease on my lids. I am never not using eye primer again. Its my new best friend!





As always I got sidetracked by the O.P.I stand and picked up a lovely bluish lavender polish. I love choosing a O.P.I polish and then checking out the name. The names almost make me want to buy the polish even more. So You' re Such A Budapest came home with me and I shall include it in a nail post asap. Its very lovely!

In anticipation of the crazy 3 days I had this weekend I went out and bought 3 new dresses. Cause a girl can do anything in a new dress right! I really cant wait to show them to you but will have to wait til husband and his camera return from a work trip tomorrow. So whats the soonest you can ask a guy who has done a total of 23h flying to come outside and take my outfit picture? 20min?

Anyway I'm wildly interested in this whole primer thing and want to buy a foundation primer next. Can you give me suggestions on good ones?

My precious Spanish Pink

You know how a few posts back I mentioned my latest uncontrollable shopping desire is all about lipsticks. 

Well the Chubby Stick post was just to ease you into this one.. because guess what I got!!

 

Say hello to my Tom Ford Spanish Pink.

 

 Aah I mean seriously. It is the most beautiful lipstick I have ever owned. By far! ( and the most expensive one but lets not dwell on that today ) Its sleek, stylish, gorgeous and amazing quality. The moment I got it my first totally unreasonable thought was..I'm never gonna use it, its too pretty!

Instead I took a whole lot of photos of it (yes I mean photos of a lipstick on my dresser..because it was so beautiful.. that's totally normal correct?)

Below is a picture of me wearing it. Its a creamy pigmented peachy undertone pink that lifts the complexion and really adds something extra. Its not a basic barely there nude, it is soo much more! 

Can you tell I'm a little over excited about this one?

 

In other news. My poor little panther Zulu is just home from her neutering and she is not feeling the one piece PJ look she has to support for the next ten days. She is dazed and confused and extra cuddly and I have extra hard time leaving for work in the mornings because of all the cuteness. 

Is there such thing as too many denim shirts?

Not if you ask me! Love how versatile a denim shirt is.

Its perfect for dressing down fancy skirts or just wearing with jeans/converse combo or with something sequined or..you see the list is endless!

So I will never doubt to buy when I see one I like. This bleached denim/aztec shirt by Glamouros was on sale in ASOS (Link) and I had been thinking of adding a light bleach version to my wardrobe.

 

I thought I will post it really fast so if you like it you could order it but its unfortunately sold already. If you ever see it stocked again get it. Its such great quality. Lovely thick denim and well made. I love the slightly longer fitted cut that almost covers my bum.

 

I need to finish here now and get back to stalking ASOS because its extra 20% off all sale items. Thats almost like getting things for free right?

Davines order

So the promised hair post.. is a bit of a pain to write because I have boring hair!

I do know this sounds way dramatic but my hair is straight, fine, doesnt hold curls at all, dry and grows slowly. And as 60% of products I try make my hair too greasy and I have lately just not bought anything. Cant be bothered.

But as I was running out of shampoo and conditioner and I'm loving Davines I thought why not for once try some other products.



In products its always about volume- thats all I want but a little mousse before blow drying is the most effort I can make on daily basis. This new Davines mousse is really lovely for daily use. I gives a tiny bit of grip and volume but thats a good thing for me as I tend to be overly generous with hair products. And I defiantly dont have enough hair for that! This mousse doesnt weight the hair down and it doesnt make then greasy after a few hours. Its a keeper and I have been using it a lot.

Now the other product got purchased purely out of curiosity. It claims to be an invisible serum for satiny tousled looks? Gimme! No surprise there but Im a bit confused with this one. I have tried it twice and all it did was make my hair super oily. Again I might have been a bit too generous with it. Its a thicker than serum and something in between of a gel and paste. I will try to figure this one out cause I would love some satiny tousled looks!

Im extremely open for suggestions on great hair products for volume so do let me know if you have some favorites please!

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Grandest Grape

I have been a bit of a lipstick hoarder lately. Like this chubby stick.. a total impulse buy that luckily worked out great.

Clinique has a promotion on chubby sticks at the moment so the advertisements are plastered all over. I got lured in by the pretty tall stand with many color options at Debenhams. Its not overly surprising as I own the chubby stick in Pudgy Peony shade and use it daily so a new one sounded tempting.

I love these little pencil shaped bullets. They are opaque for a lip balm and super moisturizing. They dont bleed and last decently long. I mean a few hours max but for the soft and balm like consistency I consider it great. I personally think they have the perfect balance of pigmentation and soft texture. Especially for the darker shades in the range.

I stayed strong and didn't get another pink but instead reached for Grandest Grape. Its a great alternative for dark berry toned lipsticks and easy to wear day time. It has been on my lips every other day now and I love it more and more.

 

If you are a girl who usually shies away from lipsticks Chubby Stick is a great easy introduction. Is there any other shade you own that I should check out?

Oh yeah and I totally have to add this photo of Zulu circling around the chubby stick waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Did somebody say "pleated midi"?

Yes those two are my weaknesses and combined they win me over in the matter of seconds. I am THAT weak!

ASOS has some awesome midi skirt options and as I was flicking through the sale section for millionth time (cause what if there was something I missed!!) I lingered at a black pleated midi.

It is a nice basic and I bought it.. but no, I did not stop at that. The same skirt also came in a perfect bright coral and well.. long story short.. here it is ( Link ):

 This is what I wore to work the day after ASOS package arrived. Top and shoes are both Massimo Dutti.

 And well one must high five after a successful ASOS purchase right?

 

The problem is my lusting for various midis has not died down yet. Next victims on ASOS could be this colorblock beauty or this pleated lace number.. or maybe I try to behave and at least wait til my Topshop structured midi arrives.