Skincare - Nivea Clear-Up Strips

Purifying clear-up strips enriched with fruit acids

Hi everybody!

Yep, I'm obsessed with skincare at this moment. I really want to work towards this perfect poreless skin, so I'm trying out tons of skincare to try and achieve better skin. Using new products, obviously means my skin is changing.

My dry skin, now has some more oily bits and some larger pores around my nose and forehead. With larger pores, come along the black heads.

I've seen tons of videos doing the black blackhead masks, even DIY ones with craft glue and charcoal powder. There's no way I'm putting glue on my sensitive skin, so I went on the hunt for blackhead masks in my local stores. At DI, I found these Nivea Clear-Up Strips, so I decided to try these out.

Facts

In a package, you get 4 big nose strips and 2 bags with 2 smaller patches, which you can use on your chin and/or forehead.

Retail Price at DI: (I will check when I pick them up next)

Retail Price at Kruidvat: €6,79

The strips are advised to use on normal skin, although they are not really harsch, you can get away with them on dry skin too. 

The strips are skin-friendly and dermatologically tested.

How do they work?

The strips are only activated when in contact with water, which will make them attach to all impurities that clog up the pores and they deep clean them.

I like to use water from a spray can (like the Evian one in the picture) because you can literally spray and immediately apply the strip. I've tried with a washing cloth before, but it was just not wet enough.

Do not put water over the strip at any point, because the glue doesn't work anymore after that. 

Make sure you let the strip dry down completely before slowly removing the strips for the edges towards the centre.
More detailed instructions can be found on the individual packages.

While wet, the strips are really flexible and movable, so you can make them fit around your nose really well. 

The formula has a delicious lemon smell, wish leaves your skin feeling fresh and clean.

I'm really a fan, because they do the job and they are not harsh or irritate the skin!

TTFN! Ta Ta for now!

MAC Cosmetics - Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour Simply Smoked

Matte reigns supreme

Hi everyone!

Back in January, MAC launched eight new Retro Matte Liquid Lip Colours to add to the existing 15 shades. With a combination of muted and deep tones and a liquid matte formula, MAC is really hitting the trend. 

A little round up before

Before diving in, I just wanted to give some thoughts I had after trying the shades from the first release. The formula was extremely dry, it left my lips feel like the desert. The darker shades applied really patchy and hard to build up, making it really hard to make them look nice on the lips . The applicator is really nice, it's not your classic foot applicator, it's a flat, teardrop shaped applicator, which is really easy to work with. My favorite shade was tailored to tease, which is a cool-toned, rather bright plum colour. 

If you want to read about the first release of the Retro Matte's, click on the picture below.

Why did you buy one again?

The reviews on the first release weren't that great, but everyone seemed to find their way to work with them. I will discuss mine further down.

I would've been surprised if MAC would release eight more shades, without doing something with the feedback of the make up lovers, so I decided to get one more of the new release. 

Simply smoked

I am a big fan of the matte lipstick in the shade Stone, so I decided to get a similar shade in the Retro Matte range. Judging from the tube, I picked out Simply Smoked. 

Simply Smoked is described is a neutral taupe color. And I must say I totally love it! I'm not sure if MAC has changed up the formula, or if the formula works really well with this pigment, but this shade is amazing! It really makes me want to try more shades again.

Here you see Stone and Simply Smoked swatched next to each other. As you can see, Stone has a slightly more red tone, while Simply Smoked has more grey tones in it.

How I make them work

First method: conditioner

- Make sure your lips are exfoliated, you can use premade scrubs (like Lush) or make it yourself with olive oil and sugar (which I do)

- Take care of your lips, use lip balm or lip conditioner regularly. I always do my lipstick last when I do my make up, so I have lip conditioner on the whole time while doing the rest of my make up. My favorite balm/conditioner is the MAC Lip Conditioner

- You can go in with an extra primer, but sometimes I feel like this makes your lips a bit too slippery, so be sure to wipe off any excess product before applying any lipstick

- Make sure your lips are dry

- Apply your lipstick evenly and work with it while still matte

Second method: gloss it up

Do you love the shade of your lipstick, but hate it being so dry on your lips? There's a simple hack!

I use the slightest bit of MAC clear Lip Glass Lip Gloss over the top, which will make the lipstick less dry and a little more glossy.

Facts

Retail price: €24,50

I hope you enjoyed this little update and review!

TTFN! Ta Ta For Now!

xo

Gaëtane

Make Up - Kat von D Beauty

Once you go Kat, you never go back!

Hi Mad Family! 

I've been trying out a totally new brand of make up recently, at least it's new to me, and I'd love to talk to you about it! So if you want to read about Kat von D Beauty products, just scroll down!

Why Kat von D Beauty?

I've been a fan of Kat von D ever since the first seasons of Miami Ink. Her portrait tattoos are to die for! She's such an idol to me, because she doesn't take shit from anyone, she knows what she wants, basically everything I'd want to be! Back in 2008 (if I recall correctly), it was first announced that KvD and Sephora would collaborate to design a line of lipsticks. Quickly KvD Beauty grew to a full range of make up with foundation, powders, eyeshadows, lipsticks, just everything you need. There was only one downside: it was so hard to get my hands on from here in Belgium. I'm not a person that shops for make up online, because I'm always scared that the images online will not be try to reality, also foundation is really hard to match online. So I was really happened when it was announced KvD Beauty was coming to Debenhams in the UK (which is still not close, but we do you to London twice a year)! And also recently they announced the launch in Sephora France, so I can't wait to pick up more stuff!

How I choose what to get

Because I had been researching and waiting to get the make up for so long, I really went into Debenhams on Oxford Street with a mission: I wanted a Full Face of Kat Von D Beauty Make Up. For people not familiar with this term, it basically means that you can do your full make up, using only make up from one brand.

The products & first impressions

Face

KvD Lock It Foundation in the shade Light 47 Neutral. It is a 24hr wear, full coverage, transfer-resistant foundation with a matte finish. The shade range is really big, with 33 colors available, it's really easy to find the perfect shade for your skin. For a full coverage foundation, the texture isn't really thick (not like the Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation at least). The finish is indeed really matte and even a bit powdery. I wouldn't say that it is transfer-proof, because on my nose for example, it easily rubs off. Anyway, it gives you a really flawless look, even if you have dry skin. The actual tube is a bit chunky, but I like the way it's working. When you push foundation out, the bottom actually moves up, so you don't waste any product in the tube. 

KvD Lock It Concealer Crème in the shade L7 Warm. I got this shade because it's two shades (approximately) lighter than the foundation. This concealer is available in 21 shades, one of which is basically white, which is lovely! It says to be super-creamy, blendable full coverage with 24hr wear, which is all true! I love the concealer. Only think I'd have to say about it, is to work quickly with it, because it sets rather quickly. So I recommend to work it in quickly or use a damp brush while working with it. I like this a lot, because it doesn't go into my fine lines, which the Nars Concealer does.

KvD Lock It Translucent Setting Powder. This is really THE discovery of this haul for me. I've informed multiple times at MAC to get their loose setting powder, but every time I walk out with something different. So I was convinced to pick it up and I've never realized how much one needs a loose powder in his life. It has a light shimmer in it and makes your skin even more lovely matte, without the cake. You get a big tub of 19grams of powder, which is really good value.

KvD Shade 'n Light Face Contour Palette. Without a doubt the most hyped face product by Kat von D Beauty and which a reason, because it's amazing! It has 6 contour/non-shimmer highlight shades, divided in light/medium/dark. The palette has a large mirror in it and the powder are highly pigmented, so a little goes a long way. My favorite combination is the light contour shade called Sombre, with the highlight shade from the medium area, called Lyric. This palette recently was released with refillable pans. I am not familiar with any other contour palettes, but I feel like this palette works for everyone!

Eyes

KvD Shade 'n Light Eyeshadow Quad in Plum. This was a bit of an impulse buy if I'm honest, I had the Metal/Matte palette on my list, but this wasn't yet available at Debenhams. So I remembered a video by Helen Anderson and she had the Plum Quad which looked beautiful on her, so I decided to pick up that one. It goes really well with my green eyes. The colors are very pigmented again, so you only need a little for a full look. On the back, it actually says base, define, contour and highlight, which makes it really easy to use, but of course you're free to use the colors however you want. Another hit, although four colors is a bit limited to create an eyelook with for me personally.

KvD Tattoo Liner in Trooper. I never want anything else! I had never used this type of felt-tip pen to apply eyeliner, you don't need a hand as steady as a liquid eyeliner, but you can create more movement than with gel eyeliner. The tip consists of individual hairs if I can say that, with makes the tip ultra-fine and moveable. The liner itself is extremely black and matte and lovely to use. I really want to try some more dramatic eyeliner option with it.

And last but not least, I picked up three of the KvD Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks. These are available in 30 shades. They are long-lasting and highly pigmented. Only remark I have to make that they are rather drying for your lips, but so are most matte (liquid) lipsticks. They do are long lasting and really easy to apply. I picked up the shades Witches (pitch black), Ayesha (midtone purple) and Exorcism (deep red).

It's also nice to note that all these products are 100% cruelty-free and vegan!

When buying 50 pound worth of products, you got a free tote bag

Full Face of KvD Beauty tutorial

On the Wishlist

- Metal/Matte Eyeshadow Palette

- Alchemist Palette

- Pastel Goth Eyeshadow Palette

- Brushes

- Priming mist

- Lock-It Color Correcting Eyeshadow Primer

I hope you enjoyed this little review. Let me know if you are planning on picking up some KvD products or if you have already tried them, which ones are your favorites?

TTFN! Ta Ta For Now!

xo

Gaëtane

Skincare Review - Lancôme - Energie de Vie

Made of unstoppable energy

Hi Mad Family!

Good skincare, that's what everyone is looking for right? Good skincare is relative, because a product can work for one person, but do nothing for another and vice versa. Good skincare doesn't have to be expensive, you just have to find something that works for your skin! For me, the journey was at least to say: rocky! My skin is a weirdo, it likes every product for a little while and then it starts reacting badly: pimples, spots, decoloration, the full package. But after trying multiple brands of multiple price ranges, I'm happy to say that I have found a products range that works for my dry, sensitive skin.

Inspired by the power of nature, discover Energie de Vie at Lancôme.

A skincare collection that combines 3 exceptional plant life-forces; leaving your skin brimming with vital energy every day. As if bathed in morning dew, skin regains its natural quality;

a refined texture, healthy glow and renewed bounce.

Stimulate your skin and your senses for visible results with Energie de Vie

The Collection

The Collection consists of three products: a pearly lotion, a liquid moisturiser and a sleeping mask. I've tried two, namely the Liquid Moisturizer and the Sleeping Mask. The products were recommended to me by Nicole, the owner of my local beauty store. 

Energie de Vie Liquid Moisturiser

The smoothing & glow boosting liquid care is enriched with Goji Berry and Lemon Balm Oil. It is the perfect all-in-one liquid care for your skin. It really helps revitalize your skin if it feels dull, tired or dry (or all for those). The product smells really fresh, even minty sometimes. I like to use 3 to 4 pumps on my face and rub it gently. Even though the texture is oily, it doesn't leave your skin greasy or overly shiny. You end up with a healthy glow and skin that radiates from health! I also use it under my make up and it really helps set your make up into place and not break the foundation on top down.

This product really helped getting my skin more healthy. Because of the plumping ingredients, I always end up with a natural healthy glow. I even use it underneath my make up. Under my eyes I was struggling with really rough patches, which was gently fixed by this product. Your skin looks radiant all day, but it doesn't make your skin overly shiny or sticky... Perfect!

The moisturiser retails at £28 (30ml) or £42 (50ml) (official website) - €31,9 (30ml) or €48,5 (50ml) at Ici Paris XL Belgium
This product is also on the Glamour Beauty Power List

Energie de Vie Sleeping Face Mask
The overnight recovery sleeping mask is enriched with the same smoothing and hydrating ingredients as the moisturiser. This mask has a more gel-like texture, which makes it really light on your skin but rich in hydration at the same time. You can use this mask in two ways:
1/ put a thin layer all over your face and leave it set for the whole night for a daily hydration boost
2/ put a generous layer and leave it on for 10 minutes and remove the left over product with a tissue

Personally, I like to use a small amount every day, because I already had dry skin and now with the cold it dries out my skin even more. Maybe in summer I'd use it 2 to 3 times a week (as the website recommend), but now in winter I like my skin to be well hydrated. Also because in winter I like to use full coverage foundation, which tend to cling to dry patches more than medium or light coverage foundations.

The face mask retails at £42 (official website) - €55,5 at Ici Paris XL Belgium

I definitely recommend using the combination of the two products, because they work complementary day and night. If you don't have extremely dry skin, the moisturizer only would go a long way in my opinion. I wouldn't recommend this product for people with oily skin, because the product is so intensely hydrating, but please to ask for advice when in the store.

What is your favorite skincare? Any recommandations for products I should try? Let me know!

xo
Gaëtane

Make Up - Urban Decay Full Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette

Hi Mad Family!

Time to talk about some make up! This month, Urban Decay Belgium launched the Full Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette. I know in some other countries this will probably have launched earlier, but because it's brand new to me, that's why I still want to share it with you! 

Price & availability

$55 (US) - £43 (UK) - €54 (BE)

In Belgium, this is only available at Ici Paris XL

Limited Edition

Description

The packaging looks very sleek, and maybe even futuristic with the lining details. It has the UD Jewel in it, featuring the same colors as the eyeshadow inside. It has a full size mirror in the flip up lid.

The full spectrum palette consists of 21 shades, a mix of shimmering and matte ones. It's arranged in 7 ombré trios. Pink - Orange - Yellow - Green - Blue - Purple - White/Black
There are 18 brand new shades and three recurring shades that were exclusive to previous palettes

Seeing the colors, this palette is for you daredevils who like color or like to experiment with something new. It has a double ended brush included: one side is the Tapered Crease Brush, the other end is the Shadow brush.

The Shades include:

- Pinks:     Alchemy (deep fuchsia satin) - Gossip (bright metallic pink with pearl) - Paranoia (soft metallic blue-pink)

- Oranges: Warning (deep metallic copper) - Seize (bright metallic coral with pearl) - Jones (metallic orange with pearl)

- Yellows:  Midnight Blaze (black matte with yellow/gold pearl) - Calavera (bright yellow matte) - Goldmine (metallic yellow-gold)

- Greens:    Hundred (deep metallic forest green) - Hatter (vibrant green with sparkle) - Mean (bright metallic lime green)

- Blues:      Minx (deep navy matte with pearl) - Blindsided (bright teal blue matte with pearl) - Metamorphosis (vibrant periwinkle with microsparkle)

- Purples:   Delirious (deep plum matte with pearl) - Sketch (metallic medium purple) - Faded (lavender with gold shimmer)

- Greys:     Plantonic (black matte with iridescent glitter) - Iced (oyster silver with shimmer) - Bump (white matte)

I swatched all the colors on my arm. The top of the swatch has the Urban Decay Primer Potion Original under it, the lower part is just on my skin. (Swatches in order per trio top to bottom)

Judging the swatches only two colors were slightly disappointing in my opinion. First of Goldmine, which is swatched between the bold yellow Calavera and the dark green Hundred, Goldmine has been featured before in the Urban Decay XX Vice Ltd Reloaded, and is better quality in that palette in my opinion. The one in the Full Spectrum seems a bit powdery and not really pigmented, it just has the golden glitter, while when I swatch it from the Vice Palette it is just gold all over, as I will show you in the picture below.

Goldmine 2x: Left Vice Palette & Right Full Spectrum

The second color that is slightly disappointing to me is the lavender with gold shimmer shade, called Faded. I don't know what to think. My purple heart bleeds when swatching this, it is patchy and has just big chunks of gold glitter, it's just not fully there.

I really like the idea of this palette, although it is a bit out of my comfort zone. But I do think it's a nice addiction to my collection because it has the big bold colors that I'd never buy seperately and I can't wait to try out some out there eye looks with this palette!

Are you planning on picking this us? Let me know in the comments!

TTFN! Ta Ta For Now!
xo Gaëtane

Skincare Review - L'oréal Paris - Pure Clay Face Masks

Pure Clay Your Way

Hi Mad Family!

Today I'm back with a new Beauty post! About a month ago, I discover these new face masks from L'oréal Paris tried them out for a bit, so now I can give you my honest opinion about it along with the official info provided by L'oréal!

The Collection

This new release consists of three brand new Clay Face masks. Each kind is a blend of three pure clays along with a unique natural ingredient with a specific target to help your skin.

The Masks

The masks retail at less than 10 euros per pot, each pot can be used up to 10 times.

Pure Clay Purity Mask

This is the light green mask. It has eucalyptus which works deep into the pores of your skin. L'oréal says it mattifies oily, skiny skin. 

Efficiency: purifying and mattifying

My opinion: This one is my favorite if you want to clean your skin, but not in a very intense way. This one is the most gently one out. I have dry skin and it gives just the right amount of intensity in purifying, without leaving my skin extra dry. It leaves my skin feeling soft and still nourished even tho it's a 'clearing' mask. I like to use this mask all over the face when I want to gently clean out my skin, or just on the cheeks when I combine with the others, when I feel like my skin needs a more thorough clean.

Pure Clay Detox Mask

This is the dark grey mask. It has Charcoal as the working ingredient to draw out impurities out of the skin and clarify normal, congested skin.

Efficiency: detoxifying and clarifying

My opinion: This one is definitely more intense for the skin, but this is my favorite out of all three. After it dries down, you can clearly see where the mask pull out impurities out of your skin. I like to use this in areas where I have black heads.

Pure Clay Glow Mask

This is the red mask. It has Red Algae as the working ingredient to exfoliate your skin, to illuminate dull, uneven skin tone.

Efficiency: exfoliating and smoothing

My opinion: This is my least favorite of all, even though this is a gentle exfoliating mask compared to other scrubs and stuff. I like to use it in areas where I have active breakouts, for me that's my mouth area where I tend to have breakouts most frequently. If you have very oily skin, this might turn out your favorite!

How to use / How I use them

Make sure you start with clean skin.

Take some of the product out of the pot, preferably with a scooper and not with your fingers (but I'm guilty to using my fingers too) and apply evenly to the skin. You can use one kind of mask all over your face or combine them the way you want/need for your skin. Leave the mask on for 5 to 10 minutes and they tend to dry down completely (the red one dries less in my opinion) in that time. Take a warm washing cloth and remove the mask with circular motions. Make sure to rinse the cloth regularly while taking the mask off. L'oréal states you can use these masks up to 3 times a week, but with my sensitive skin one time is more than enough, because they are quite intense after all

My favorite way to use them

- Detox Mask (grey): on the T-zone, down and around the nose

- Purity Mask (green): on the cheeks

- Glow Mask (red): around my mouth

*this is just the way I like to use them, you can mix and match how you want*

Are you planning on picking one of these masks up? Leave a comment down below!

TTFN! Ta Ta For Now!

xo

Gaëtane

Make Up - Urban Decay - Lipstick is my Vice

Too much vice is never enough

Hi Mad Family!

I still remember the press release by Urban Decay coming out: they were going to relaunch their existing lipstick range and were going to be added shades to reach a huge launch of 100 lipstick shades! Yes 100 shades! Which girl wouldn't swoon away by the thought of that?

Urban Decay only became available in Belgium in April 2015 at Ici Paris XL, but only in certain bigger stores. My fellow make up addicted friends had told me 5 million times before: you have to try Urban Decay it's great! But for some reason and also because it was hard to get, I never really bothered. I always kept track off their releases and at the end of last year, when they released the Gwen Stefani collab, I picked up the products from that range and fell in love with the brand (which is hard to admit as a former hard core MAC junkie). It was hard not to pick up any of the lipsticks then, because the word for the relaunch was already out. So I saved up a fair bit of money to have a big haul when the new lipsticks launched.

Information

The relaunch consisted of 100 shades (some of them already existing, most of them new ones) in 6 different finishes: mega matte, comfort matte, cream, metallized, sheer and sheer shimmer. Alongside, they launched 52 24/7 glide on lip pencils matching the shades. Are you impressed yet? Well, it gets better! They also launched an app for smartphones where you can take a selfie without any lipstick on and try on all shades, swiping left/right for like/dislike. It's basically Tinder for lipstick. 

The Official Urban Decay website: Lipstick is my vice!

In Belgium available at Ici Paris XL: Vice in Belgium

Get the app: search for Vice Lipstick in Google Play or App Store

A little review
The budget I pulled out for this haul, allowed me a fair amount. So in advance, I made a list of the shades I really wanted to pick up. In the end I also picked up the Ultimate Ozone Primer, which is really a must have primer in my opinion! It is amazing and helps your lipstick last a long time, even when eating or drinking.

I picked up 19 shades in total, with at least one of each finish. Going from nudes over purples, to the really out there blue and black.

I took picture of every shade individually, but posting all those pictures would make this post extremely long. So I have selected some group ones. The packaging is really beautiful black with a sliced up lipstick on the front and says VICE in golden lettering. There's a sticker with the name of the shade and a representative of the color inside on the side. I do feel that the actual color in the bullet is slightly different, but at least you can see what shade is inside without having to open the whole thing. The bullets themselves are very sleek and are silver with a golden bottom. When I first opened a packaging, I did struggle a bit to open them, as the base is really small to grab on, but when you get used to that, that's totally no problem. One slight issue I've had a few times carrying these in my handbag and having to go through an X-Ray, I get stopped and asked to take them out and show them to security, probably because they are so metallic and hard to distinguish in an X-Ray.

I had watched a ton of YouTube videos with swatches before deciding which shades to get. The main thing for me to make a decision was that the colors had to be different from the MAC lipsticks I already had. Knowing me, I did end up with some purples similar to ones I already had, but you can't have enough purple lipsticks!

Top row: Backtalk (Comfort Matte) - Violate (cream) - Peyote (Metallized)
Second row: Frenemy (cream) - Amulet (Metallized) - Perversion (Comfort Matte) - Heroine (Comfort Matte)
Third row: Rapture (cream) - Conspiracy (Metallized) - Blackmail (Comfort Matte) - Liquid (Sheer)
Fourth row: Pandemonium (Mega Matte) - Afterdark (Comfort Matte) - Venom (cream) - Bad Blood (Comfort Matte)
Fifth row: Jawbreaker (Mega Matte) - Twitch (cream) - Bittersweet (Comfort Matte) - Seismic (sheer shimmer) - 

Generally, I can say I am really happy with this haul! The shades I picked up are amazing! They are so pigmented, are long lasting and are very hydrating for the lips (even the matte ones)! I have used every single one of them multiple times already. The only two finishes that I'm not a fan of, which is totally personal, are the sheer and sheer shimmer. I had picked up Seismic (Sheer Shimmer) & Liquid (Sheer) and they are just not my cup of tea. I like the out there very outstanding colors, so when I have lipstick on, I want them pigmented. These two are just a bit to transparant on their own, but I do like them as a glossy layer over one of the matte purples. I am definitely planning on picking up some more shades!

The Nudes: Peyote (Metallized) - Violate (cream) - Backtalk (Comfort Matte) - Rapture (cream)

Have you already splurged on some of these lipsticks? Or did you get tempted reading this post? Which one is your favorite? Feel free to leave a comment!

TTFN! Ta Ta For Now!

xo

Gaëtane