The first month of the new year has come to an end. January is always so long, and dark, and cold, and it’s happening during a lockdown as well. A lock down that is extending for at least one more month. But hey, we only have one month of winter left, and then spring will come, right? As you may be able to tell, I’m tired of the current situation in Denmark and in the world in general, however, there are still things that I’ve enjoyed over the past month, and here are some of them.
Dark purple Coca Cola sweatsuit (H&M): In my November favourites, I also featured a matching sweatsuit, and I’ve only gotten more into them since. This month I’ve been loving this dark purple one with Coca Cola print (Coca Cola is my favourite fizzy drink btw). It’s so comfy, but also really cute actually. I’ve even styled it for work (working from home that is), and that outfit will be posted at some point.
Charm bracelets: I might have been wearing lots of comfy clothing, but I’ve also been wearing lots of pretty jewellery. I feel naked without jewellery on. This month I’ve been loving charm bracelets, and I couldn’t choose one, so here are the three I’ve been wearing the most; my Trollbeads bracelet that I purchased on Black Friday (I change the charms to go with my outfit), my Pandora x Disney bracelet that I got for Christmas, and a Mickey Mouse one from H&M that will be in a future haul.
Rimmel Clear Complexion Clarifying Powder: I purchased this powder in late spring last year, and I did use it throughout the rest of the year, but for the past couple of months (and especially in January), it has been one of my go-to powders. It has a similar texture to the Rimmel Stay Matte powder (which is also a favourite of mine), but it’s supposed to clarify skin and minimise breakouts. I’m not sure how true that claim is, but either way I really like the look and feel of this powder.
Milani Silky Matte Bronzing powder in Sun Light: The drugstore is killing it when it comes to bronzers. Some of my absolute favourite bronzers are the Physicians Formula Butter bronzer and the Maybelline City Bronzer, and now this Milani bronzer has become a favourite as well.
L’Oréal Air Volume Mega Mascara: I did a first impressions post on this mascara recently, and as I wrote in that post, this has become one of my new favourite mascaras. It makes your lashes look super long and voluminous.
I have a collective beauty haul to share with you. It’s mainly drugstore products, but with a few high end products mixed in.
Let’s start with Essence. Essence is such an affordable brand, and the quality of their products is fantastic in most cases. Like every other beauty brand there are some dud products here and there, but overall their products are great, and I’m on an Essence kick right now where I just want to try everything from the brand. Anyways, Essence often makes cute limited edition collections as well, and when I saw this Disney princess collection, I had to pick up a palette and a mascara. The only palette left at my supermarket was the Snow White palette (02 My Prince Will Come), which is a neutral palette with a few pops of colour, and even though I don’t often go for neutral palettes, I have to say that so far I’m quite impressed with this palette. Some of the shimmers in this palette are stunning! I picked up the Lash Princess False Lash Effect mascara (Snow White edition) as well, and ever since I picked it up, I’ve been seeing that mascara everywhere on Youtube, so I’m excited to try it out.
I have two more Essence products to show you before we move on to another great affordable brand. I also purchased the Prime+ Studio Hydrating + Skin Refreshing primer, and shorty after I purchased this I saw it mentioned in a Youtube video as well, which makes me even more excited to try it. I’ve not heard anything about the Brow Pomade + Brush brow product, but I thought it looked interesting.
And now on to e.l.f. The Bite-Size eyeshadow palette is another product I’ve seen and heard a lot about on Youtube, and I wanted to know what all the fuzz was about. First I purchased two (Acai You and Rose Water), and then later on I purchased one more (Truffles). I have tried the first two, and I do like them. Especially the blue one (Acai You) performed very well (I’m actually wearing it one my eyes here).
Here’s the last handful of products I’ve purchased from e.l.f. I purchased another 16hr Camo concealer. I’ve tried it before, but the shade was not right for me (Fair Rose), so this time I picked up a different shade (Fair Warm), and I’m not sure about this shade either. It only looks a tiny bit different to the other shade I have, and they’re both very light, but I’ll give it a try, and we’ll see if it works better, or if fair simply is to fair for me (I didn’t think that would ever happen). I also picked up the Matte Putty primer. The Poreless Putty primer is one of my absolute favourite primers, so I was excited to try the matte version. I’ve only used it once so far, but my skin sure looked matte and stayed matte for the entire time I wore my make-up, so it definitely is what it claims to be, which is great. And lastly, I picked up two more brushes from e.l.f.; a blending brush and a eyebrow duo brush. e.l.f. brushes are really good considered the affordable price.
I’m not done with the drugstore products yet. The only eyeshadow primer/base I’ve used the last couple of years is the MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly, but I thought it was time to try out another eyeshadow primer, so I picked up the Milani one (shade: Nude).
I’m very much attracted to anything sparkly, so I picked up the NYX Love Lust Disco lipstick/liptopper in 02 Gold Dipper. I’m not quite sure what kind of look I would use this with, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.
Okay, time for some back-ups. I don’t always feature back-up/repurchases in my hauls, but I thought I would this time. I don’t try out new foundations very often because I have two favourites that I love so much. It’s the Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation in 110 Porcelain and the Maybelline Dream Urban Cover foundation in 100 Warm Ivory. My favourite concealer is the L’Oréal Infaillible More Than Concealer in 322 Ivory, so I repurchase that a lot as well, and the best and most affordable clear brow gel in my opinion is the e.l.f Clear Brow & Lash Mascara, so I’ve gone through countless of those.
Another product that I keep repurchasing is the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting spray. It’s not a cheap product, but it’s the best setting spray I’ve tried, so I’m willing to pay the price of it.
Fenty Beauty is a brand that I’m really enjoying. They’re doing something right. I’d only heard great things about the cream blushes and bronzers (I really want one of the cream bronzers as well!), so I decided to give the blushes a go (for now). They’re called the Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blushes and I got the shades Petal Poppin (02) and Fuego Flush (01). So far I’ve only worn Fuego Flush, but it was really pretty. I can’t wait to play with these some more.
Lastly, I have a skin care item and a hair care item. In my 5 favourites from November, I featured the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash from The Body Shop. I’m still using and enjoying that. And in my Black Friday collective beauty haul I mentioned the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash, which I still need to be using more often. However, I’ve now added the classic Tea Tree Oil to my Tea Tree collection, so my skin should look really good soon:) And the last thing in this haul is also a repurchase. I got really nostalgic when I found the Batiste dry shampoo in the scent Fresh. I purchased this for the first time, when I lived in England in the first half of 2014, and the Fresh scent was my favourite. I rarely use dry shampoo, but it’s nice to have in a case of emergency:)
Here’s the make-up I wore with this outfit. If you can’t wear black lipstick on Halloween, then when can you.
(Base: primer – e.l.f. Poreless Putty Primer, foundation – Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation (shade: 110 Porcelain), concealer – L’Oréal Infaillible More Than Concealer (shade: 322 Ivory), powders – e.l.f. HD Undereye setting powder in Sheer + Jeffree Star Magic Star Setting Powder in Fair. Face make-up: bronzer – Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’r – Instant Warmth bronzer (shade: Inda Sun), blusher – MAC Apple Red powder blush, highlighter – MAC Flashing Ice Extra Dimension Skinfinish Trio: Light (shade: Glitzed Out). Eye make-up: base – MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly, eyeshadows – Jeffree Star Jawbreaker palette (shades: Virgin + Licorice + And What?) + Jeffree Star Conspiracy palette (shades: Flaming Hot + Ranch), mascara – L’Oréal Paradise Extatic mascara, eyeliner – NYX Vivid Brights eyeliner in Snatched. Eyebrows: Maybelline Brow Ultra Slim pencil in Medium Brown + e.l.f. Clear Brow & Lash Mascara. Lips: NYX Slim lip pencil in Black Berry + MAC In The Spirit lipstick)
Here’s what I wore Saturday October 31. I went on a little halloween date with my boyfriend and decided to dress for the occasion. So I pulled out my Ghostbusters T-shirt and wore lots of black.
(Hat + bag + boots – Topshop, blazer – second hand, T-shirt – H&M, belt – Asos, trousers – Monki)
Here’s the make-up I wore with this outfit. More greens on the eyes and a pop of purple on the lips to match the outfit.
(Base: primers – Wet n Wild Photofocus face primer matte + MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance Illuminating Base (shade: Radiant Yellow), foundation – Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation (shade: 110 Porcelain), concealers – L’Oréal Infaillible More Than Concealer (shade: 322 Ivory) + Maybelline Fit Me concealer (shade: 05), powders – e.l.f. HD Undereye setting powder in Sheer + Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed powder (shade: 001 Transparent). Face make-up: bronzer – Physicians Formula Butter bronzer (shade: Light), blusher – MAC Glow Play blush in So Natural, highlighter – Jeffree Star Skin Frost in Neffree. Eye make-up: base – MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly, eyeshadows – Huda Beauty Emerald Obsessions palette (shades: 1. & 2. & 3. shade 1. row + 1. shade 2. row), mascara – L’Oréal Paradise Extatic mascara, eyeliner – Essence Wood You Love Me? Duo Eye Pencil in 01 Forever Together (dark metallic green shade). Eyebrows: Maybelline Brow Ultra Slim pencil in Medium Brown + e.l.f. Clear Brow & Lash Mascara. Lips: MAC Galaxy Grey Liptensity lip pencil + Jeffree Star Velour liquid lipstick in Self Control)
Here’s what I wore Friday October 30. You know how much I love green and purple together, and I had a lot of fun putting on a bunch of green items and adding pops of purple to the look.
(Short sleeve blazer + roll neck top + trousers – Monki, sneakers – Nike)
It has been a couple of years since the last time a made a first impressions post on a mascara, and it was on the L’Oréal Paradise Extatic mascara (it’s now called Lash Paradise in Denmark as well), which has been my favourite mascara ever since. However, when I saw the ad for the newest L’Oréal mascara called Air Volume Mega Mascara I was intrigued. I’ve tested it, and now I’m going to share my first impressions with you.
The mascara has a rather chunky wand with short brush hairs, but it’s really easy to use. The mascara claims to give your lashes mega volume while it feels light as air, and I believe that to be true. I think my lashes look both long and voluminous, and they didn’t feel heavy at all. The day I tested the mascara, I wore it for 10 hours, and it didn’t flake. However, it did transfer a bit unto my eyelids shortly after application, but pretty much all mascara transfers a little on me + it’s very common with a brand new mascara. A think a mascara is best after it’s been opened for a little while. The mascara was very easy to remove with regular eye make-up remover. So all in all, my first impressions on the L’Oréal Air Volume Mega Mascara were very good, but I would just like to mention that it just gets better and better with time, and it has quickly become one of my new favourite mascaras, and it’s not often I say that.
Here’s the make-up I wore with this outfit. Red monochromatic make-up looks always works whether it’s all bright reds or all darker burgundy reds as in this look.
(Base: primers – Wet n Wild Photofocus face primer matte + MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance Illuminating Base (shade: Radiant Yellow), foundation – Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation (shade: 110 Porcelain), concealer – L’Oréal Infaillible More Than Concealer (shade: 322 Ivory), powders – e.l.f. HD Undereye setting powder in Sheer + Jeffree Star Magic Star Setting Powder in Fair. Face make-up: bronzer – MAC Radiant Matte bronzing powder (shade: Beige-ing Beauty), blusher – MAC Desert Rose powder blush, highlighter – MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Double Gleam. Eye make-up: base – MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly, eyeshadows – Huda Beauty Ruby Obsessions palette (shades: 1. & 2. shade 1. row + 1. shade 2. row + 3. shade 3. row) + MAC Nylon eyeshadow, mascara – L’Oréal Paradise Extatic mascara, eyeliner – Marc Jacobs Highliner Glam Glitter gel eye crayon in Glam Jam. Eyebrows: Maybelline Brow Ultra Slim pencil in Medium Brown + e.l.f. Clear Brow & Lash Mascara. Lips: Gosh Velvet Touch lipliner in 003 Cardinal Red + MAC Out With A Bang lipstick)
Here’s what I wore Wednesday October 28. In contrast to the last outfit I posted, this outfit is more retro inspired and lady like, and I’m really into that kind of look as well.
Here’s the make-up I wore with this outfit. I just couldn’t get my camera to focus on my eyeshadow. It only wanted to focus on the rainbow earrings, but I see why, because they are really pretty.
(Base: primer – Essence Wanna Bee My Honey? luminizing primer in 01 You’re Bee-autiful!, foundation – Maybelline Dream Urban Cover foundation (shade: 100 Warm Ivory), concealer – L’Oréal Infaillible More Than Concealer (shade: 322 Ivory), powders – e.l.f. HD Undereye setting powder in Sheer + Jeffree Star Magic Star Setting Powder in Fair. Face make-up: bronzer – Maybelline City Bronzer in 100 Light Cool, blusher – MAC Peaches powder blush, highlighter – MAC Star-Dipped Face Compact light Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Show Gold. Eye make-up: base – MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly, eyeshadows – Huda Beauty Mercury Retrograde eyeshadow palette (shades: Momentum + Utopia + Supernova) + MAC Nylon eye shadow, mascara – L’Oréal Paradise Extatic mascara, eyeliner – MAC Studio Chromagraphic pencil in NC15/NW20. Eyebrows: Maybelline Brow Ultra Slim pencil in Medium Brown + e.l.f. Clear Brow & Lash Mascara. Lips: Jeffree Star Velour liquid lipstick in Jeffree, What the Fuck?)
Mucha-Lucha's 