What's in my travel bag 2010

Hi everybody,

I am going on Christmas vacation soon and this is what's in my travel bag.
I put everything into my Hello Kitty cosmetics bag from Claire's:

As for what I'm actually taking:

My face powders:

Top: MAC Solar Rice Bronzer
Bottom Left: MAC Iridescent Powder Belightful
Bottom Right: MAC MSF Natural in Medium Plus
(depotted and put into different container)


As for lipsticks I'm taking my favorite ones:

From left (all MAC)
Intricate, Lazy Day, Viva Glam V, Cute-ster


For my eyes I'm taking:

NYX Champagne & Caviar Eyeshadow Palette
I love it, it has a great selection of neutral shades and also a highlight, a blending and a deep color to darken up! Everything you need in just one palette!


As for blusher:

ELF Warm Bronzer
love it, it gives a warm glow to my face, I use it as a blush though!


And the rest:

From left:
Benefit Moon Beam, Benefit Powderflage, MAC Select Cover-Up Concealer, MAC Care Blend Essential Oil, Revlon Colorstay Foundation, Benefit Erase Paste, Benefit F.Y.Eye, MAC Mineralize Satinfinish Foundation in little container, MAC Plush Lash Mascara, b.pretty transparent eyebrow gel, Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick, MAC Lipglass Young Thing


All packed up...

... and ready to go!

xoxo
Blusherine

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MAC Hug Me Lipstick

Something a little more wearable today ;-)

This is MAC Hug Me Lipstick from the permanent line, it's the "my lips but better" lipstick from MAC for me.

Colorwise it's a sheer brownish pink shade and it has a Lustre finish.

With my skintone (NC25/30) and my lip pigmentation (quite pigmented) it's the one shade that always works! With everything!

If you want to know how it compares to Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Truffle, find a swatch comparison here.

Have a great day!
Blusherine

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Home Alone...

This is what happens when I am left home alone, with no supervision...

Then Halloween is suddenly in December...

I was bored last night and started to maltreat my lips with:

MAC Lipstick Funbathing
on top
MAC Lipglass Personal Taste
on top
MAC Pigment Rose
on top
MAC Pigment Dark Soul


Well well, definitely an office look for me ;-)

xoxo
Blusherine

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My favorite Benefit products

Hi everybody,

I want to talk about my favorite Benefit products today!
I love Benefit, they are my favorite cosmetics company after MAC.

Of all the things that I own, these are my very favorite:

1. Benefit Moon Beam
Moon Beam is a liquid highlighter that comes in a nail polish like container. You simply brush a couple of dots onto the high points of your cheeks and then rub it in. Moon Beam gives a beautiful golden sheen that looks great on my medium toned skins. For lighter skins, High Beam is highly recommended, it is more on the light pink side.

2. Benefit Eyecon
Boo hoooo... Eyecon has been discontinued...
It's my favorite eye cream and it's gone... what am I gonna do? I guess I will start using Kiehl's avocado eye cream again, I hate it when my favorite products get discontinued.
*edit: Apparently it hasn't been discontinued, it's back on the homepage now!

3. Benefit Powderflage
Great setting powder for under the eyes that is so finely milled it feels like powdered sugar. It's great for under the eyes because it's so light and the pink tone really brightens that area up.

4. Benefit F.Y.Eye
Boo hoooo one more time...
This eyelid primer has also been discontinued. I even wrote a letter to Benefit begging them to bring it back, but they won't. So I got myself a backup on ebay but I will run out eventually... I love it because it's not so sticky and it makes blending eyeshadows easer. I also love it because it doesn't dry my skin out like UD Primer Potion. I can't use UDPP for a week straight withough my eyelids starting to get all wrinkly from dryness. At least for now I have another year worth of F.Y.Eye primer...

5. Benefit Erase Paste
This is the best undereye concealer I have ever tried. I use shade medium and I just love it. It's the only concealer that was ever able to hide my dark circles. It's very creamy and you have to use just the tiniest bit. If they ever discontinue this one, I will organize a protest march...

6. Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner
in shade Flying Down To...
I love love love Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows, even more than MAC's paint pots. This shade, Flying Down To, was limited edition. It's a pretty muted warm pink and I love to wear it on the lid with "Get Figgy" (up next) in the outer corner!

7. Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner
in shade Get Figgy
Of all the cream shadows I have, this is my very favorite one. It's so versatile and the color is so pretty! It's a dark aubergine color, Benefit describes it as frosted heather, which, we all know how that flower looks! "Get Figgy" is part of the permanent line, if you haven't already, go check it out!


Hope you liked my Benefit favorites!
xoxo
Blusherine

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Going to the Candy Store...

I felt like a creative lip design last week, it was purely to take a picture, because these little pearls lasted about a minute!

I used MAC Lipstick Bubbles (Glaze) from the Sugarsweet Collection and MAC Dazzleglass Kitty Kouture from the Hello Kitty Collection.

On top of that I used the tiny pearls from my Essence Nail Art Juwels 02 "Milky Way" set.

I have seen a lot of pictures in the past where edible pearls from cake toppings or something were plastered onto models' lips. So I thought I'd try with the nail art pearls since it's for fun anyway!

Have a great day!
Blusherine

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Movie Tip: "The Tourist"

Photo credits: Movie Poster

I went to the movies last night to watch "The Tourist", I know the critics didn't like it, but I say go watch it anyway, if only for Angelina Jolie's makeup.

I am usually not an Angelina Jolie fan, but I couldn't stop staring at her makeup, which is by makeup artist Toni G.

But apart from her makeup, I also really liked the movie itself. I have been pretty bored with everything I've seen lately but I really enjoyed the acting, the beautiful setting and the photography in this movie.

"The Tourist" is directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and I have to say, the cast is excellent, the costumes brilliant and the soundtrack awesome. But what most impressed me was the cinematography, i.e. the lighting and camera choices. Equally charming were the décor and the set decoration, you felt like you were in the middle of the streets of Venice yourself.

I really like movies that have a love for detail, where the detail helps to tell the story, where it's not just one-liners and explosions.

The last good movies that I have seen were "Whatever Works" by Woody Allen last year and "Shutter Island" by Martin Scorsese earlier this year.

I hope more movies of the like come my way!

If you go watch it, I'd love to know what you think of it!

In the meantime I will pull out my black kohl pencil and red lipstick and try to recreate Toni G.'s makeup... ;-)

xoxo

Blusherine

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Christmas Party Eye Makeup

Hi everybody,

a quick EOTD before I run off to our company's Christmas party!

I always have to crop the first picture that I'm posting in square form so that it matches my front page layout, here is the "real" picture:

Eyeshadows used:
(all MAC, all permanent)

Sable (lid and lower lashline
Ricepaper (inner corner highlight)
Swish (crease)
Cranberry (to deepen crease)
Blackberry (outer v)
MSF Natural in Medium Plus (blending)
Blanc Type (hightlight)

Plush Lash Mascara
b.pretty transparent eyebrow gel


I hope no one will get drunk at the party but that's hopeless!
Someone always lies flat at the end of the day! :-D

I wish you all a great company Christmas party, should you go to one!

xoxo
Blusherine

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MAC Syrup Lipstick

Today is our company's Christmas party and this is what I'm wearing on my lips:

MAC Lipstick Syrup
(Lustre)

I will post the eye makeup that I am wearing after this post, so you have an FOTD, kind of...

MAC Syrup is a lovely muted pink with a lustre finish. It's a great neutral color and one of my favorite shades from the permanent collection!

xoxo
Blusherine

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MAC Coral Crepe Paint Pot

Hi everyone,

today I tried MAC Coral Crepe Paint Pot on my lips with some clear gloss on top, it worked out pretty well.

I have been using Coral Crepe like crazy during the summer months as an eyeshadow, corals were huge last summer and this was just an easy way to get some color on my lid real quick!

As you can see, the paint pot does settle in the lines of my lips, but it's not too bad. I used a lip balm underneath to make the paint pot glide on more easily!

I have also tried using Coral Crepe as a blush, but it was a tad too dry for that, I had a hard time blending it.

Anyway,
I will try to find more ways to use Coral Crepe, if you know of a great way to use it and have a favorite eyeshadow combination with it, let me know, I would love to try it out!

xoxo
Blusherine

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Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

Hi Ladies,

I want to talk about my favorite lip treatment today:
Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream

I have both the skin and the lip protectant but I use both for my lips only! Whereas they work great on moisturizing my lips, I feel like they are way to greasy for my skin (and I even like greasy creams, but this one is too sticky). I know this is a staple in many makeup artists' kit because it can be used for various purposes, for example for highlighting.

But I use it for my lips only! If you want to try it and are unsure, I'd say go with the lip protectant stick! I can fully recommend that!

I think in consistency it's pretty similar to MAC's Naked Honey Skin Salve which came out with the Naked Honey Collection last year and which a lot of people liked.

As you can see below, I have used up one stick completely and have run the second one down pretty heavily.

I find this is a lip balm that doesn't dry out my lips any further. When I put it on it's instant relief without the need for reapplying.

On Elizabeth Arden's website I found:

Eight great ways to use Eight Hour Cream

1. Alleviate dry skin
2. Great gloss for lips
3. Highlight eyelids, cheeks and shoulders
4. For after shaving or waxing
5. Shape brows into place
6. Soften rough, dry cuticles
7. Antidote for rough heels and soles
8. Best in-flight moisture booster

Well there you have it!
I have never thought of shaping brows into place though...

The Eight Hour Cream is available as:

• Skin Protectant
• Lip Protectant Stick SPF 15
• Moisturizing Hand Treatment
• Moisturizing Body Treatment
  

It has won many beauty awards and is a legend of its own.

As for how it got so famous the Elizabeth Arden website says:
Created in 1930 by Miss. Elizabeth Arden, Eight Hour Cream became an instant and overwhelming success.The apricot colored balm was so beneficial to her clients, Miss Arden used it to soothe her famous thoroughbred horses' legs. The name "Eight Hour Cream" came about thanks to a remarkable performance - a loyal client used it to treat her child's skinned knee and "eight hours later" the skin was all better.

Have you ever tried the Eight Hour Cream? Did you like it?

xoxo
Blusherine

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It's snowing in Vienna

View from my office

It's been snowing since yesterday here in Vienna and I feel like it's time to go on holiday ;-)
The roads were super jammed this morning and we were all late, even my boss.
No one feels like working, we're all just looking out the window... except for my boss...

Better get back to work!


View from my office

Happy wintertime!
Blusherine

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Max Factor and MAC Dazzling Red Lips

My lips of the day are a combination of Max Factor lipstick 853 Chilli and MAC Dazzleglass Glamour OD.

Chilli Lipstick is available in Max Factor's permanent line while Glamour OD Dazzleglass has been released with the Digi-Pops Collection this year.

Of all the red lip variations I have tried so far this might be my favorite one. The two colors just go perfectly with each other.

I am starting to wonder what I will wear for our company's Christmas party on Friday. It will probably be a darker eye look and nude lips. Since we will be eating a whole dinner I want the lipstick to quietly disappear...
I saw a lady on tv the other day, she was on a society show and they asked her what she'll be eating at the Christmas party they were at. She said nothing, because of her lipstick.
Well, that's not gonna happen to me!

xoxo
Blusherine

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My favorite SIX rings...

Good morning everyone! I hope you had a fantastic weekend! Only 10 more days until Christmas, can you believe it?

I wanted to show you my favorite rings, they are all by the brand Six Accessories.
Ever since I discovered their rings I have to go to the store at least twice a month :-)

Unfortunately I have had to add watermarks to my pictures ever since I found that an online cosmetics store is using my lip swatches to sell their lipsticks, HOW ANNOYING!!

Anyway,
here are my favorite SIX rings in no particular order:

And here is a group picture :-)

While I was at it, I made some abstract artwork, can you guess which ring it was I photographed? ;-)

Circles, 2010
Reversed Lens


Have a great week!
Blusherine

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Essence "So Glamorous" Nail Art

With all the Christmas nail art tutorials around on Youtube and Blogger I felt like doing one myself.

It's the first time I ever tried applying rhinestones to my nails so I tried to keep it quite simple.

I applied one base coat of Micro Cell 2000 Nail Repair, then one coat of Essence Color & Go Nail Polish in the shade 11 So Glamorous (gorgeous gorgeous shade), then I used three kinds of rhinestones that are part of the Essence Nail Art Juwels 02 "Milky Way" set.

This is after one day's wear, I must say the rhinestones are holding up pretty well, I used the Essence glue that came with the Juwels set to glue them on. As a top coat I used Sally Hansen Super Shine top coat.




xoxo
Blusherine

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EOTD: Sumptuous Olive

Today my eye makeup matches my olive cardigan...

I tried to incorporate MAC Smoke & Diamonds eyeshadow, a silvery grey/taupe color, but it's just too cool for me, so I ended up covering it with MAC Sumptuous Olive. I still need to find a way to make Smoke & Diamonds work for me.

Anyway...
Products used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Eyeshadows:
Smoke & Diamonds (LE) - outer lid and crease
Sumptuous Olive - upper and lower lid, covering S&D
Modelette (LE) - brow bone
Ricepaper - inner corner highlight
Brulé - highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Stash
Essence Multi Action Mascara
b.pretty transparent eyebrow gel


Has anybody been to H&M lately?
They have really pretty clothes at the moment! I had stopped shopping there for a couple of years because I felt the the fabric quality had deteriorated. But it seems like they are back on track. I saw a gazillion things that I liked. The fabrics seem to be thicker, sturdier and better shaped again, which is why I always used to shop there before, because the clothes fitted nicely!

Have a great day!
Blusherine

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MAC Cute-ster Lipstick

Call me crazy, but I have 4 MAC Cute-ster Lipsticks...
I loved the color so much when it came out with the Hello Kitty Collection that I bought 4.

2 are already pretty worn down, 2 are still brand new. I hope that MAC will re-release it soon so I can keep stockpiling it :-)

I read on Martha's blog the other day how much she loves Cute-ster and I thought it's about time I'd swatch it. I know a lot of people who love Cute-ster, but I never see it swatched.

So here it is, it's a Lustre and it's a gorgeous peach color with a gold sparkle. I love to wear it on the weekends for just a bit of color on my lips, or when my boyfriend is around, because he barely notices it, or when I do a darker look and want a fresh color on my lips, or simply just when I need a feel-good-color on my face...

So:

MAC, pleeeeeeeeeaseeeee, repromote Cute-ster!!!

xoxo
Blusherine

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Anna Sui Rouge G 304

The only Anna Sui Lipstick that I own I picked up at Suria Mall in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year. I am a huge fan of Anna Sui perfumes which unfortunately have disappeared from Viennese perfumeries a couple of years ago. Her makeup line has never been available here in Austria, as far as I know.

So I wanted to try one of her lipsticks when I was standing at the counter and I picked up a "safe color", which is a rosy beige for me. The lipstick color is 304 and it's a sheer "my lips but better color". I really really like it. The lipstick itself smell like roses, which I personally like, but can be a little bothersome if you hate roses :-)

So anyway, my Lips of the Day are:
Anna Sui Rouge G 304

xoxo
Blusherine

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