Blusherine

MAC A Perfect Day Lipstick

2012-02-03T14:52:00.003+01:00

Hi Ladies,

this is MAC A Perfect Day Lipstick, it was just released with the Naturally Collection.

When I got home after purchasing it, I found that I have about 10 lipsticks that look the same, at least in the tube... I might do comparison swatches, but right off the top of my head MAC Creme de Nude seems to be fairly similar. But I haven't swatched them side by side yet, so maybe not, we'll see!

A Perfect Day is a beige nude and has an Amplified finish which means it's a pretty opaque cream and will cover your lips with color almost completely. Sometimes, I feel, it even covers them too much and I feel like I have a bit of a paste on my lips, but if you just dab the color on, instead of running the tube left and right, it's less of a thick layer. Or you could apply it with a brush, that will work perfectly, too!

Anyway, A Perfect Day are my Lips of the Day!

xoxo
Blusherine

MAC Naturally Collection

2012-02-03T13:17:00.004+01:00

Hi Lovelies,

just a quick post to share my MAC Naturally Collection haul!

I got all 4 lipsticks and - surprisingly - a mineral eyeshadow. I am usually not a fan of MAC's Mineralize Eyeshadows, to be precise, I only own one, so this is number 2 now, it's called Summer Haze:

The lipsticks are all nice and neutral:

(left to right):
A Perfect Day, Beach Sand (top), Pillow Talk (bottom), Sweet Sunrise.

Swatch of A Perfect Day is coming soon!

*edit: can be found here.

Love
Blusherine

Let The Show Begin...

2012-01-23T11:40:00.013+01:00

New Year, new shoes, right? :-)

I got these black heels by Fornarina while I was on vacation in South Tyrol/Italy. I went shopping with my mom and sister and while my mom and sister both tried on half-boots, my eyes fell on these little innocent darlings...

I could tell that my mom was less than thrilled and my sister asked disbelievingly if I was sure I could walk in them...

I got home and showed them to my boyfriend and he said... nothing... at first, then he asked:

"So when does the show begin?"

SHOW?
WHAT FREAKIN' SHOW?!??

He meant the one where you end up bathing half-naked in an oversized champagne glass...

I had to prove him wrong so I tried to find a way to make them look kind of wearable and fun and not too aggressive looking, and so this is what I came up with.

I do hope I don't look like I want to change my profession any time soon, if you know what I mean... ;-)

Anyway, outfit of the day (which said boyfriend was kind enough to shoot):

Top: Plaid Shirt and Jersey both H&M
Bottom: Jeans by G-Star
Shoes: Fornarina Chantal

*edit: Lilly found them on Amazon
*edit: Zalando has a pair in grey: Fornarina Chantal Pumps Grey

xoxo
Blusherine

MAC Kissable Lipcolour "Super"

2012-01-20T10:30:00.006+01:00

Creamy is the first word that comes to mind when describing MAC's Kissable Lipcolours that came out with the Peacocky Collection last year, 2011.

I wasn't sure if I was gonna like the formula, so I had gotten "only" two colors: this one, called Super and another one called So Vain. Both are neutral and wearable, Super is more of a brownish color while So Vain is a corally peach shade.

People often refer to them as liquid lipsticks, meaning they come in lipgloss packaging but feel and look more like a lipstick when applied!

What I like about them is that they are pretty opaque and - as already mentioned - very creamy. MAC designed them to have the “comfort of a lipstick” with the “shiny finish of a lipgloss.” They are non-sticky, which means your hair won't get stuck on your lips when the wind blows :-) but it also means they won't last as long as a sticky formula.

Anyway, I like the two colors that I got, they go well with my skin complexion and I like the feel on my lips, so:

Final verdict:

MAC Super is Super!

xoxo
Blusherine

EOTD: Urban Decay and ELF

2012-01-18T11:08:00.006+01:00

Hi Lovelies!

A quick Eye of the Day before I'm back to work!

Hope you're all doing well and had a great start into 2012! I didn't make any New Year's resolutions except less Makeup and more Clothes! More clothes is always a good resolution, right?!!

I will attempt to skip as many MAC collections as I can this year, try to use up much of my stuff and stock up on my wardrobe instead. So far I did pretty well, I already bought 2 pairs of shoes! :-)

Other than that I want to start sewing. I have already picked out a skirt and bought the cut and the fabric, now all I have to do is try to find the courage to cut into that fabric! I will let you know how it goes. It says "very easy" on the cut, but I guess I will have to call my mom a lot and show her the progress on Skype so she can give me advice!

That's about it, that's about all that's going on!

And so, better late then never: Happy New Year everyone, have a great year 2012 and I'll sure see you around!

Much love
Blusherine

P.S.
Almost forgot, products used:
MAC Paint Pot Morning Frost (all over lid)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Sidecar (on top of Morning Frost)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Gunmetal (outer v)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Half Baked (on lower lashline)
Rosy Color from ELF Warm Bronzer (on the browbone)
Lightest Color from ELF Warm Bronzer (highlight)

MAC Oscars 2011

2011-12-07T10:53:00.016+01:00

Hi everyone!

It's the end of the year and always around December I think back and ask myself what really stood out to me from the past MAC collections.

So ladies and gentlemen, here are my

MAC Oscars 2011

Best new product 2011:

Studio Careblend Pressed Powders

Best Lipstick: Gem of Roses (Semi-Precious Collection)
Best Eyeshadow: Unflappable (Peacocky Collection)
Best Palette: Valiant (Wonder Woman Collection)
Best Blush: Mighty Aphrodite (Wonder Woman Collection)
Best Mineralize Blush: Pressed Amber (Semi-Precious Collection)
Best Cremeblend Blush: Brit Wit (Cremeblend Blush Collection)
Best Cream Colour Base: Movie Star Red (Stylishly Yours Collection)
Best Bronzer: Lush-light Bronze (Surf Baby Collection)
Best Beauty Powder: How Beautiful (Glitter & Ice Collection)
Best MSF: Goldstone (Semi-Precious Collection)
Best Lipglass: Wonder Woman (Wonder Woman Collection)
Best Dazzleglass: Pleasure Principle (Glitter & Ice Collection)
Best Lipgelee: Bubble Lounge (Cham Pale Collection)
Best Paint Pot: Dangerous Cuvee (Cham Pale Collection)
Best Fluid Line: Dark Diversion (Stylishly Yours Collection)
Best Nail Polish: Unconditionally Fabulous (Glitter & Ice Collection)
Best Brush: 234 (Semi-Precious Collection)

Favorite Collections 2011
Wonder Woman
Semi-Precious
Glitter & Ice
Peacocky

Most loved Product 2011
Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in Lush-light Bronze

Least-liked Collection 2011
Jeanius
Flighty (Big Bounce Eyeshadows)

Biggest Disappointment 2011
Big Bounce Eyeshadows

Honorable Mention (product that I really liked as well)
Kissable Lip Colours (Peacocky Collection)

So these were my very favorite MAC items 2011!

If you want to check out my MAC Oscars 2009, MAC Oscars 2010, please do so!

What were your favorite makeup items in 2011?

Much love

Blusherine

Battle of the Nail Polishes: MAC vs. Essence

2011-11-18T09:08:00.014+01:00

Hi ladies,

I painted my nails with different nail polishes today!

On the left:
MAC Nail Lacquer "Get Noticed", topped with MAC "Unconditionally Fabulous", both from this year's Christmas collection

On the right:
Essence Nail Polish "So Glamorous", topped with Essence "Space Queen"

Now the difference is...

...the price, yes!

MAC Nail Lacquers cost 12,50 euros (10ml),
Essence Nail polishes cost 1,25 euros (5ml).

Colorwise they differ a bit in that the red Essence nail polish is a bit deeper and leans more toward maroon. The Essence sparkly polish has smaller glitter particles. In the picture, the flash hit one nail a bit differently than the other. In real life I can't see much of a difference between the two polish combinations!

Essence combination:

MAC combination:

To make the swatches I used:

Base coat: Essence Nail Art Protecting Base Coat
Then, on each nail:
2 coats of red polish
2 coats of sparkly transparent polish
No top coat

These nails definitely get me into Christmas mood!

Take care!

Blusherine

What I bought at the Beauty Flea Market...

2011-11-15T13:31:00.013+01:00

Hi girls (and guys)! :-)

This is what I bought at the Vienna Beauty Flea Market on Sunday. We all didn't just sell things, we were treasure hunters as well:

MAC Royal Assets Cool Eyes Palette
(Antiquitease Collection)
It contains eyeshadows:
Shadowy Lady, Silverwear, Modern Heir, Queen's Jewel, Medallion, Trophy Pink
Eye Brush: 213SE

MAC Nail Lacquer Seasonal Peach
(Sugarsweet Collection)
and
Essie Nail Polish Tart Deco

MAC Nail Lacquer Illegal Purple
(Cult of Cherry Collection)

MAC Brushes 217 (back) and 252 (front)
(Adoring Carmine Collection)

MAC eyeshadows:
Snappy (left) - Femme Noir Collection
Memorabilia (right) - Pret-a-Papier Collection

Mini-version of Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Oh, and a Lush soap, "Honey I washed the kids", but that's already in use in my bathroom! :-)

Hope you all got great things to try out too!

Take care!
Blusherine

Vienna Beauty Flea Market: Impressions and Confessions...

2011-11-14T10:24:00.039+01:00

Picture © Lillith's Dark Tower

So now it's history, the first Vienna Beauty Flea Market, that took place last Sunday!

We were overwhelmed and more than surprised to see that so many people came to to buy our stuff. It really wasn't a flea market, it was an invasion! Just like when MAC launched the Style Black Collection, you MAC-lovers know what I'm talking about :-) It was just like that. Our tables were raided!

Not only us bloggers who sold things were there, other blogging friends stopped by to visit us, like Michi, Mel and Chamy, Michi even baked Muffins for us, which was so sweet!

It was definitely a memorable day, it goes down in the book!

As for the guests, we had all different kinds of visitors: people who stopped by because they had seen the signs outside, people who dropped in after mass (the flea market was held in a parish hall), people who had come because they had seen the Facebook page or read our blogs, all sorts of very lovely people. One girl had even taken an early train from Lower Austria to be there, her hair still tousled because she had gone to a prom the night before...

And the funniest thing:
At some point a girl from MAC was standing there in front of me, and - roles reversed - I was selling HER stuff, MAC stuff. That was hilarious!

And there was this little girl, she was very young, must have still gone to school, she was looking at everything really carefully and then picked out a little palette. She left and came back after an hour and bought another palette, left again, came back again. I only realized after the third time that it was still her who came back and bought these little palettes. That really touched my heart. It reminded me of when I was young, it wasn't about makeup then, but it sure was little money and careful spending. I wanted her to come back, I would have given her something she liked, but she didn't return after the third time...

So there I was, with a humongous amount of makeup for sale. One girl, who had seen the sign outside and come in, asked me indcredulously, how come I had so much makeup. She couldn't quite grasp the idea of amassing so much makeup and asked if it was a hobby of mine. She asked twice! She didn't, or couldn't understand my answer the first time around! :-)

I guess yes, it is a hobby. I mean, when I saw all my things displayed there on the table, I asked myself how come I had so much stuff. But makeup is something I love, have always loved. It's instant transformation and instant change, and so easy to get off. It's something that gets me through the day, it's what I start my day with in the morning, and the last thing I take off before going to bed. It makes me feel better on a bad day.

So you're asking: (and my boyfriend is asking too) ;-)
Have I learned anything from the experience?
Will I still be going to MAC each month to check out their new collections even though I have so much stuff at home? Uhhhhhm... yes I will! :-)
Will I still be going to the drugstore and buy Essence and Catrice when they come out with new things? Sure, why not!

Makeup is changing all the time, new things come out all the time, and they do have an impact on a little part of my life. There was a time, when mineral foundation was not readily available in Europe, and where would I be without my beloved MAC Mineralize Satinfinish foundation today? There was a time when we had no eye primers and walking around with creasing eyeshadow was just a way of life. And there was a time when powders were so drying that I couldn't use one at all.

So yes, I guess I will still buy makeup, I will try out new things and purchase stuff I know I will probably like! And hopefully pass some of it on to you if it didn't work for me.
Maybe next year, at the Second Annual Vienna Beauty Flea Market?

;-)

But there is one thing I have learned for sure:

I HAVE TO STOP BUYING SO MANY BACKUPS!!

:o)

xoxo
Blusherine

MAC Warm Snowglobe Eye Palette

2011-11-06T21:25:00.012+01:00

Hi there!

As promised, the look with the MAC Warm Snowglobe Palette that just came out with the Glitter and Ice Collection.

I tried to use all the colors and nothing else!

Here is what the palette looks like:

The colors are pretty basic and neutral, the look turned out neutral as well.

You could definitely make it more intense by using a golden or brown base.

Here is how I used the colors:

And here is how I placed them on the lid:

Have a great day!

Blusherine

Beauty Flea Market in Vienna

2011-11-06T18:34:00.010+01:00

Hi there everybody!

I have exciting news if you live in Vienna:

Three beauty bloggers are organizing a Beauty Flea Market next Sunday, November 13!

They are:
Mirela from Coral and Mauve
Claudia from Claudia loves... Fashion
Jen from Goldmarie

Here is the flyer:
I will be there with Lilly from Lillith's Dark Tower and we'll be selling our stuff as well! :-)

The location is:
Martin-Luther-Kirche (kleiner Pfarrsaal)
Martinstraße 25
in the 18th district

How to get there:
Hop onto the brown subway line, U6 and get off at station "Michelbeuern - AKH"

Here is the Facebook link for the event:
Vienna Beauty Flea Market

The following Viennese bloggers will be selling their stuff as well:
InYourFace
Mangoblüte
amusedPolish
TheLipstick
Anonymous Beautyholic
Kirschblüte
Nagellackprinzessin
Good Lack, Nail!
Miss Leichenblässe
Goldmarie

Claudia loves…fashion and swarina will sell snacks and coffee!

I just made a list of stuff that will be for sale, it's looooooooong! :-)
We'll be selling eyeshadows, brushes, perfumes, nail polishes, just about anything you could think of!

So be there, or be square! :-)

xoxo
Blusherine

MAC Glitter & Ice Collection

2011-11-04T10:20:00.018+01:00

I love special edition packaging, I just love it. If it was up to me, every MAC collection could have special packaging. Especially with lipsticks I find it very helpful, because I instantly know what packaging is what shade. When I have to read the labels of my black packaged MAC lipsticks at 6 o'clock in the morning to find a specific shade, that's when I often start swearing in silence...

Okay, getting back on track :-)

I went the the preview party for the MAC Glitter & Ice Collection on Wednesday and it was great fun because lots of Viennese bloggers were there and I got to talk to some of them.

To name all that I could recognize and talk to:
Lilly, Nyota, Trey, Chinda, Kirschblüte, Guinevere and Michi.
Am I missing anyone? Please shout! :-)

It was so crowded I could barely make it to the testers, but I finally managed, with Michi. They didn't have the eyeshadow palettes that I wanted but I got to swatch what interested me most eventually.

I went to Douglas the next day to get the palettes, because they had them there.

So here is my haul:

MAC Snowglobe Warm Eyeshadow Palette

*edit: here is a look with the palette:
Find out how I placed the shades in this post!

MAC Snowglobe Sultry Eyeshadow Palette

MAC Beauty Powder in shade How Beautful

MAC Lipstick Soft Sable
MAC Dazzleglass Pleasure Principle
MAC Nail Lacquer Unconditionally Fabulous

I already tried out the warm palette, look is coming soon!

Next thing I am looking forward to?

The Beauty Flea Market that is coming up next Sunday in Vienna! Post about that is also coming!
Hope to see you all there, my Viennese beauty blogging friends!

xoxo

Blusherine

MAC Nail Lacquer "Bad Fairy"

2011-10-28T11:40:00.006+02:00

To finish up my sparkly red blogpost series, here is
MAC Nail Lacquer in shade "Bad Fairy"

I thought it goes well with my shoes (post here and here) :-)

Bad Fairy was released with the Venomous Villains Collection in 2010, it was part of the Maleficent section of the collection, together with two other nail polishes. Colorwise it's a sparkly ruby red that changes color depending on how the light hits it, most often turning yellowish/golden. I had to use 3 coats for an even finish.

Products used:
Base coat: Essence Nail Art Protecting Base Coat (love it)
3 coats of MAC "Bad Fairy"
Top Coat: Essence Better Than Gel Nails

Now I'm waiting for the MAC Christmas Collection Glitter & Ice, there are two nail polishes in that collection that I like, the sheer sparkly one with glitter in it and the red one! I also kind of like the purple one...

We'll see if Santa Claus puts enough money into my wallet :o)

xoxo
Blusherine

How I would wear my Mary Janes...

2011-10-28T09:20:00.011+02:00

Lyndywyn asked if I could post an outfit that I would wear with my new shoes, and here it is.

Man, was it hard to get a decent picture, I had to activate the self-timer of my camera and then run back and forth between camera and "shooting location" - my very spacious living room - I hope you detect the irony there! So I ran back and forth and that definitely gave me a glimpse about how comfortable these shoes would be on a night out! :o)

But anyway, to take a picture, I paired them with a more business type dress yesterday, I would probably wear this combination to a more formal kind of event, like maybe our company's Christmas dinner or something.

Dress: Comma,
Tank Top: H&M
Tights: Calzedonia
Clutch: Betty Barclay
Shoes: Guess

Just for fun I put my crazy stripy tights from H&M on (bought ages ago). With the appropriate attire this would probably qualify as a Halloween costume... :o))

xoxo
Blusherine

My new red Mary Janes

2011-10-25T08:50:00.012+02:00

Shall we talk about shoes? Ladies? Anyone? :-)

Yesterday I was browsing through the Humanic web site (that's a shoe store in Austria) - I was looking for a pair of black killer heels, because I had seen some stunning ones on a girl the other day. Before I could even get to the women's shoe section, an ad was popping up that led me to these Mary Jane style pumps by Guess.

I was extremely interested in getting my hands on them so after work I went to the Humanic store on Stephansplatz to check them out. The saleslady there told me that they did not carry Guess, which I found weird, but she told me that the shoe store Dominici next door did. So I went there and found them. They were available in three colors, black, nude and red. I opted for the red ones, since black and nude shoes are much easier to find, and pretty red ones are kind of rare, I find.

Tried them on and loved them. They are pretty high, 11 cm/4 inches, which will make me want to wear them on a "sitting night" out, a nice dinner or something. I would probably die if I had to wear them one day straight.

To sum it up:
Shoes are patent leather pumps, Mary Jane style, by brand Guess, bought at Dominici shoe store here in Vienna, heels are 11 cm/4 inches, size is 37 and they cost 155 euros.

If you want to see what they look like in nude and black, I will link you to the store here.

So long my dear fashionistas! :-)

Blusherine

Kiko Nail Lacquer Swatches

2011-10-13T08:52:00.004+02:00

Hi there!

I promised swatches and here they are!

As you know from my recent post, I went to a Kiko store in Italy and bought some eyeshadows and nail polishes.

Here come the nail lacquer swatches. The polishes don't have names, only numbers:

I used:
Base Coat: Micro Cell 2000 Nail Repair
Two coats of Kiko Nail Lacquer
Top Coat: Essence Better than Gel Nails

Kiko Nail Lacquers vary in price, these here all cost 3,90 euros. They contain 11 ml/0,37 fl.oz.

xoxo
Blusherine

A Wash of Purple

2011-10-11T12:19:00.002+02:00

Good morning makeup lovers!

As the season changes so does the makeup, at least mine does, colorwise. I have replaced corals and bright pinks by muted berry tones, the gloomier the weather, the darker the colors... :-)

That's the fun when the weather changes, the makeup changes, too, and you can mix and match choosing colors from a completely different range! I'm all for a bit of change once in a while!

So anyway, purples and brown is what I paired today:

Products used:

UD Primer Potion

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Purple (all over lid)

MAC Eyeshadows:

Crystal (inner half of lid)

Knight Divine (outer half of lid)

Haux (crease)

Blackberry (to deepen crease)

Mylar (highlight)

Urban Decay eyeshadow Mayhem (lower lashline)

Do you guys adapt your makeup to the season or do you stick with what simply works best for you, with a fixed routine?

xoxo
Blusherine

Kiko Haul and Swatches

2011-10-11T09:36:00.002+02:00

Hi there!

I went home to South Tyrol, Italy recently and while I was there I visited the Kiko store in Bolzano/Bozen.

Since it was my first time at Kiko, I thought I'd try what I like best: brown and taupe eyeshadows. So basically I got all the brown shades that caught my eye. :-)

I haven't tried them yet, but I made swatches:

(click to enlarge)

Here is a picture of the shades with their numbers:

I also got a couple of nail polishes, I put their number on the picture:

I might post nail swatches soon and attempt to do an eye makeup look with the eyeshadows soon!

*edit: please find swatches of the nail polishes here.

Take care!

Blusherine

MAC Gem of Roses Lipstick

2011-10-05T15:20:00.000+02:00

MAC Gem of Roses is easily my favorite lipstick that MAC has released this year, 2011. Actually, it's a tie between Gem of Roses (Semi-Precious Collection) and Oh Oh Oh (MAC Me Over Collection). Both are gorgeous and easy to wear, both are in my handbag (and - between you and me - I got backups of both!) :-)

Even though Gem of Roses doesn't look that spectacular and unique on the lips, it's a shade I don't quite have yet. I was suprised myself! ;-) It's so wearable and always appropriate. It just goes with anything.

The color is a little hard to describe, I have often seen it described as strawberry pink... I don't know, it's definitely a fresh looking pink, warm toned, with a nice sheen. Finishwise it's a Lustre.

I am officially nominating it in the category Best MAC Lipstick of 2011!

Someone please hand me the Oscar!

:o)

Have a great day!

Blusherine

Blusherine goes Rainbow :o)

2011-09-29T12:07:00.006+02:00

Inspired by Leesha's post I decided to get a little crazy in the eye color department...

I am clearly nowhere near her skills but I love watching her turorials on youtube and so this morning I decided it was time for a rainbow color look...

I must admit that it looks better in the picture than it does in real life... :o))

Anyway, I used the Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette, and these were the colors I picked out:

1) inner part of the lid
2) center part of the lid
3) outer part of the lid
4) very lightly, in the crease

As liner I used the Essence gel liner in Berlin Rocks.

Hope you like it and that you try going wild with colors once in while, too! ;-)

xoxo
Blusherine

Essie Chinchilly Nail Polish

2011-09-29T10:22:00.004+02:00

Essie Chinchilly is a grey creme polish that I have been loving lately.

It's a warmer grey, meaning it leans toward taupe, but it's more grey than taupe. In the bottle it looks more taupe, though. It's very complicated ;-)

I used:
Base Coat: Micro Cell 2000 Nail Repair
Two coats of Essie Chinchilly
Top Coat: Essence Better than Gel Nails

Excuse the scratchy nail polish surface, I forgot to wipe off my hand cream really well... :-)

xoxo
Blusherine

Catrice Absolute Eye Colours

2011-09-27T15:02:00.018+02:00

Catrice launched new eyeshadows recently and of course I had go and check them out ;-) (of course!)

Catrice makes some pretty decent eyeshadows, they only cost 2,79 euros a piece and if they ever come out with a customizable empty palette and provide the shadows as refills, I am so there!!

For now I am just collecting the shades until I depot them all.

So anyway, two of the new eyeshadows really caught my eye:

1) C'mon Chameleon (on the left, similar to MAC Club)
2) My first Copperware Party (on the right, similar to MAC Satin Taupe)

I tried them out right away and here is what I came up with:

Because I used whatever was within my reach, I had to take pictures of the shadows, in order to remember :-)

So here we go:

On the lid, lower lashline and in the crease:
My first Copperware Party (right)

On the outer lid and outer lower lashline
C'mon Chameleon (left)

To warm up the brow bone:
Top right color from my ELF Warm Bronzer

As highlight:
Bottom left color from ELF Warm Bronzer

To deepen up the crease and create an outer v:
Matte black color from Sleek Storm Palette, sure any black will do...

Hope you enjoyed my little... uhhmm.... colorstory! :-)

xoxo
Blusherine

MAC Up the Amp Lipstick

2011-09-27T09:29:00.005+02:00

Hi Lovelies!

I am wearing MAC Up the Amp today, a lipstick that I recently Back to MAC'd for. It's creamy and opaque and I like to wear it on top of lip balm, to make it a little less BAM! :-)

The finish is Amplified, my second-favorite after Lustre, and colorwise it's a lavender toned purple, or a deep lavender, so to say. It's permanent in the MAC range.

I first noticed this color on Makeup by Risa's Channel on Youtube a long time ago and I wanted to have it ever since then.

Here is a picture of when I got it, all nice and pretty, just out of the box:

xoxo
Blusherine

Back from Mallorca

2011-09-18T17:52:00.031+02:00

So swirruska guessed right, my holiday destination was Mallorca.
(In English it is spelled Majorca, but I'll stick with the Spanish and Catalan name).

It's the largest of the Balearic Islands, it's located in the Mediterranean Sea and it belongs to Spain.

It's a beautiful beautiful island.

It has a bad reputation because loads of German and British tourists get totally wasted there every year (my German readers will be familiar with the term "Ballermann" for sure).

But if you avoid the crowds and leave the crammed beaches, you will find beautiful landscapes, amazing coast-lines and beautiful solitary beaches.

I'll leave you with a few photos that I took, I hope you'll like them!

Cala Figuera

Cap de Capdepera

Cala Rajada

Cala Figuera

On the road, Southeast

Cap de Capdepera

Cathedral La Seu in Palma

Palace Almudaina and Cathedral La Seu in Palma

Town Wall in Palma

And yes, there is a Sephora in Palma, and yes, there is a large MAC at El Corte Inglés, but Blusherine was a good girl and didn't buy anything! :-))

xoxo

Recharging my batteries...

2011-08-25T15:18:00.010+02:00

Picture from travel catalogue

... guess where?

A hint:
it's two hours by plane from Vienna and it's an island in the Meditarranean...

¿Habláis Español? Catalán?

This is the hotel we're staying at, I also booked a car for the entire week so we are able to go wherever we want.

I've been dragging myself to work everyday, I am so ready for a break, I am going to relax and do nothing and just worry about when I'll have my next meal :o)

So long my dear readers, have you already guessed where I am? :-)

*smooch*
Blusherine

P.S.: The solution will be provided in the next post... :-)

China Glaze Second-Hand Silk

2011-08-11T09:53:00.002+02:00

China Glaze Second-Hand Silk

is a cool toned pink shade and it's what's on my nails right now.

Somehow I feel like singing: "I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world..."

:-)

It has a cream finish, which is my favorite finish in a nail polish. Two coats made for a smooth and even coverage.

I used:
Base Coat: Seche Clear
2 Coats of China Glaze Second-Hand Silk
Essence Better than Gel Nails Top Coat

They predict 30 degree weather for the upcoming weekend (approx. 80 degrees Fahrenheit), so Danube, here I come! (Where my boyfriend lives, you can go bathing in a branch of the Danube!)

xoxo
Blusherine

Catrice Made to Stay Longlasting Eyeshadows

2011-08-08T08:12:00.020+02:00

Hi there everyone!

I hope you had a great weekend!

I got the Catrice Made to Stay Longlasting Eyeshadows from the Modern Muse Collection last week and I thought I'd post swatches.

They will be part of the permanent range of Catrice products so no need to rush. I got all three because I liked how neutral and wearable these are.

So let's get right into it, the shades in the pots look like this:

040 Lord of the Blings
is a brownish silvery shade

060 Jennifer's Goldrush
is a golden olive shade
(it took me a while to get the punchline... Jennifer Rush, do you remember her? :o))

050 Metall of Honor
is a chocolate brown shade

(click to enlarge)

Catrice describes them as longlasting metallic creme shadows.

I find them more gritty than metallic and a little sheer. They remind me of the MAC paint pots that came out with the Cham Pale Collection earlier this year, lots of frost but not too much color. They're only 3,49 euros though, compared to the MAC shadows, which were 19,50 euros!
(*edit: both the Catrice shadows and the MAC paint pots contain 5 g/0,17 fl oz)

I also found that they are a little hard to spread evenly. They dry down very fast and you have to be precise with your application or you'll end up rubbing them out with your fingers. I apply all cream shadows with my MAC 217 blending brush and I realized quickly that I had to be really precise the first time around. Because once they're on they're on!

It could be that these are already a bit dried up because when I bought them at Müller drugstore the lids were loosely sitting on the pots, I don't know how long they have been standing there like this, half-open! So it could only be that only mine are a little hard to work with.

I can't tell you much about how long they last because I tested them on my eyes when I got them but removed them right away. They were not removed that easily, so I bet these stay put.
Today I used them for a complete eye makeup on top of Urban Decay Primer Potion. So far, after 2 hours of wear, no creasing whatsoever! I predict that these are really longwearing, due to the fact that they dry down so fast and do not budge after that.

So pros and cons:

Pros:
Nice neutral and wearable shades
At 3,49 euros very affordable
Probably longlasting, from what I can tell so far
(*edit: they absolutely are longlasting, I am able to report now, one day later, they held up perfectly)

Cons:
A little gritty and sheer
A little hard to spread evenly
A little hard to blend

All in all I think they you get good value for your money. If they bring out more neutral shades like these, I will definitely be buying more.

xoxo
Blusherine

How to budget for your beauty expenses

2011-08-03T10:56:00.034+02:00

Hi everyone!

Since us beauty bloggers all share SOME kind of addiction - be it cosmetics - or clothes (or even both :-)) - I thought I'd do a post about budgeting.

Does it happen to you too, that you don't keep track of your costs and think you're totally within your monthly budget, but then, when you get to the end of the month you realize that somehow it just doesn't add up? :o)

Well, it does happen to me! Sometimes, at the beauty counter, I just get carried away...

I read on Yvonne's blog yesterday, that she couldn't decide which blush to buy from the MAC Semi-Precious Collection so she got them all... :o))
I had to laugh, because it sounded so familiar. Sometimes there is just no holding back.

But to keep me from financial trouble I do plan ahead, and I thought, why not share how I do it. I'd love to know how you budget for your beauty expenses, I am sure I still have a lot to learn!

So, in order not to disclose too much personal information I'll use fictional numbers. Let's pretend I am a billionaire and earn 1.000.000 a month, and let's call the money Mickey Mouse Dollars...

So first thing I do is write down how much money is at my disposal every month. I have done it like this this ever since I went to college and had to make ends meet. Since I have a full-time job now, it's a lot easier to get by each month, but I still have to plan.

I used to do my calculations on a sheet of paper, now I do it on an Excel sheet. And I update it every day! First thing I do in the morning when I get to my office desk is update my budget. So here we go, Step 1:

Ok, Step 2 is write down all the monthly expenses beneath:

Once you have figured out all the monthly costs, deduct the costs from your income, there is a specific Excel formula that you can look up on the internet:

Now every time something gets withdrawn from your bank account, you have to correct it in the Excel sheet too. Say, if your rent is withdrawn, you correct the income number and at the same time you delete the row "rent". Your remaining amount will not change, because all you do is subtract something that you have planned for.

For clothes and makeup it's the same. When I buy something and the money gets withdrawn from my account, I correct the income number and at the same time reduce my budgeted number. Sometimes I spend the money all on makeup, sometimes all on clothes, it doesn't matter as long as you stick to the general budget that you planned for both!

So say I use up all my budget for clothes and makeup, then my spreadsheet will look like this:

As you can see, my income amount has become less, but the money at my disposal for the rest of the month has remained the same.

Sometimes it gets a bit challenging, like when MAC released the Hello Kitty Collection, I didn't really stick to my budget! :o) When that happens, I usually try to skip the upcoming collections.

I plan ahead for months, so I not only do this for the current month, but for months ahead, because I want to be aware of what's coming up, say I have extraordinary expenses that are coming up like maintainances at my apartment or a trip and so on, I will put that down way ahead in order to be prepared.

I hope this helped.

Oh, one last tip if you're on a tight budget:

Try to avoid any stores that are dangerous :o) Don't even get in the door! Once you're in and see things that you like, your nice little Excel sheet is going to mentally burst into flames... :o)

And if you're easily caught up in the wonderful world of other bloggers' makeup swatches, try to turn off the computer and read a book instead!

;-)

Blusherine

P.S. If you do a post about budgeting, please link it in the comments, I'd love to read it!

A Spinning Transformation

2011-08-02T09:51:00.016+02:00

It took me a while, but here it is, the anticipated green look! :-)

How are you all?!

It's been kind of cold and chilly for July here in Vienna, I am hoping for better weather every day, in the meantime, to make me feel a little better, I put turquoise nail polish on my toe nails and heavily tanned myself with self tanner. It feels a little bit more like summer that way! :-)

Aaaaaaaanyway, I used the MAC Valiant Quad for my eye makeup today, it came out earlier this year with the Wonder Woman Collection. I used one additional MAC (LE) color - Magnetic Fields - to deepen up the crease.

Products used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Shadows from the Valiant Quad:
Valiant (on the lid and lower lashline)
Spinning Transformation (in the crease)
Manila Paper (as highlight and in inner corner)
Magnetic Fields (LE) (for outer v and outer lower lashline)
Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

Here is how I placed the shades:

And here is a picture of MAC Valiant Quad:

Have a great day everyone!

Blusherine

Look by Bipa Nail Polish "Frog"

2011-07-19T12:56:00.006+02:00

Hi Ladies!

I'm in a green phase lately, green dresses, green eye makeups, green nails!

Today I'm wearing a Look by Bipa Nail Polish in the shade "Frog". Bipa is a drugstore chain here in Austria, they have their own makeup range, which this polish is part of.

When I think of a frog, however, I think of Kermit, and Kermit is clearly more yellow-based! :o) This is frog here is more of a deep forest green frog, I would say. ;-)

Look by Bipa polishes are really affordable, they only cost 1,99 Euros, which is great! The consistency of this one left nothing to be desired, it was almost opaque in one coat!

I have long stopped ordering nail polishes from abroad, why spend money on shipping etc. when drugstores carry such a wide range of great polishes!

Anyway, I used:

Base Coat: Microcell 2000 Nail Repair
Two coats of Look by Bipa "Frog" Nail Polish
Top Coat: Essence Better Than Gel Nails Top Sealer (which is my new favorite top coat!!)

So long everybody!

Blusherine

Naked Drama...

2011-07-07T11:41:00.009+02:00

Hello Lovelies!

I had construction done in my apartment a couple of days ago, because water had come through the ceiling of my apartment (lots of water) and the damage needed to be fixed. I live in an old Viennese townhouse and these things happen, it's annoying but, you know, it's an old house. The damage itself wasn't too big of a deal, the workers could fix it within a couple of days. But they had to install beams to support my ceiling, because it was at risk to collapse.

I had plenty of time while they were rebuilding my ceiling, and so, after getting all the housework done, I started to play around with makeup.

The look turned out pretty dramatic from what I'm used to wearing, I felt a little shy looking at people... :-)

Anyway,
products used:
Urban Decay Naked Palette
Sin (lid)
Sidecar (crease and lower lashline - careful with that glitter in the crease...)
Naked (to blend out Sidecar)
Gunmetal (outer v and outer lower lashline)
Virgin (highlight)
Benefit Towne Car Creaseless Cream (to line eyes)
MAC Pearlglide Liner in Black Line (on waterline)
Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

Have a great weekend everyone!

Blusherine

MAC The Faerie Glen Lipstick

2011-07-07T11:17:00.002+02:00

The Fairie Glen is a lipstick that MAC released with the Tartan Tale Collection, which was the Christmas Collection in 2010.

It's a great nude color if you have medium toned skin like me (NC25/NC30), because it doesn't make you look dead. Being a Lustre, it doesn't cover up your lips completely, but instead lets your natural pigmentation shine through. Because of that the end result on my lips is more pink than beige, which makes it easier to wear than a full-on opaque beige.

For a Lustre though, I must say, it's really creamy! If it didn't say Lustre on my cap, I probably would have been inclined to believe that it's a lightly covering Cremesheen!

Anyway, great lipstick, me likes! :-)

Blusherine

Dandizette and Modelette

2011-07-06T09:53:00.006+02:00

Me wearing blue eyeshadow, that happens about twice a year...

With blue eyeshadow I tend to look as if someone had beaten me up - not pretty! Cool colors just don't look good on me. But once in a while I'm up for the challenge and as time goes by I always think that my skills must have improved and that I might be able to pull it off.

Well well, you can't defy your skintone...

So I won't keep you long!

Products used:
Benefit F.Y.Eye primer
MAC eyeshadows:
Dandizette (LE) on the lid
Modelette (LE) in the crease
Blu-Noir (LE) for the outer v
Prance (LE) for inner corner highlight
Darker Color from Nars Kalahari Duo on lower lashline
Maybelline The Falsies Mascara
b.pretty transparent browgel

Have a great day!

Blusherine

MAC Naked Paris Lipstick

2011-07-06T09:01:00.005+02:00

My little series about Paris is coming to an end with this swatch of MAC Naked Paris Lipstick.

Why do I suspect that the lipstick wasn't named after the French capital, but after a certain Ms. Hilton and her x-rated, homemade video? :o))

Anyway, last year, there was a rumor that this lipstick would be discontinued, but it is still available for purchase on the MAC website.

Naked Paris is a lovely color, being a Lustre it doesn't deposit too much of its rosy brown color, but it does give your lips a great sheen, due to the multidimensional pearl!

Have a great day everyone!

Blusherine

I had to fly to Paris to "BACK TO MAC"

2011-06-29T14:43:00.034+02:00

It's sad but it's true, us poor girls in Austria don't get to do "Back to MAC"!

Apparently MAC Austria is too greedy to give us a free lipstick every 6 used up products. The official reason is that they "don't have the recycling possibilities".

What a lame excuse!

We have all the recycling possibilities available to the modern world. MAC Austria just doesn't want to give back to its loyal customers. What a shame!

Come on MAC, I am spending hundreds of Euros each year, is that all the customer service you can offer me? If I go to LUSH, they give me 25 Euros worth of products after ten 30 Euro purchases. If I go to Kiehl's they give me a free lip balm when I return 3 empty containers, a travel size product if I return 5 empty products and so on.

Apparently KIEHL'S CAN RECYCLE, because it says on my customer card:
"Recycle and be rewarded"! MAC, just a little hint, if you didn't know it, Kiehl's has a counter right opposite you at Gerngross Shopping Center. Maybe you can go and ask how they do it!

So I am not saying you have to give me ANYthing back, MAC, but since you ALREADY HAVE a rewards program functioning in other countries, it would be LESS OF A SLAP IN THE FACE IF I DIDN'T HAVE TO BRING MY EMPTY CONTAINERS ON AN AIRPLANE TO FRANCE WITH ME!!!

*****************

So that was my personal rant to MAC Austria!

And now for the things that I did "Back to MAC" in Paris:

From left:
Fix+, Mineralize Satinfinish Foundation in NC30, Plush Lash Mascara (2), Cremesheen Glass in "Ever so Rich", Cremesheen Glass in "Partial to Pink

And I picked out:

Lipstick Crème Cup (Cremesheen)

I also "Back to MACd":

From top left, clockwise:
Mineralize Eyeshadow "Girlish Romp" (I dropped it, boo-hooo...), Moisturelush Cream, Select Foundation in NC30, Care Blend Essential Oils in "Grapefruit & Chamomile", Cute-ster Lipstick (I kept the Hello Kitty Tube and depotted "Hug Me" which I stuck into the LE container, so this is empty "Hug Me"), Mineralize Foundation NC20.

And I picked out:

Lipstick Hot Gossip (Cremesheen)

Last but not least I freed myself of my empty brush cleansers, here is a group picture:

And for those I picked out:

Lipstick Up the Amp (Amplified)
*edit: Lip Swatch here

So I wonder what flight my next Back to MAC items will be on...

Take care!

Blusherine

My 15 Minutes at Sephora...

2011-06-29T08:38:00.029+02:00

Traveling with friends who have zero interest in makeup can be quite a challenge when it comes to makeup shopping on a weekend trip.

As you all know, I went to Paris for the weekend and of course I had to go to Sephora!
There is a huge Sephora conveniently located on the Champs-Élysées and I knew that we would pass it and I would get a chance to go in there!

So I saw the Sephora sign and piloted everyone towards it :-)
We entered the store, me getting all excited, everyone else looking pretty... shall we say... bored? :-)

My boyfriend (who knew this could end with him carrying a ton of shopping bags) said: "You know what, we'll come and pick you up in... say... 15 minutes?"

15 minutes?!?
Are you kidding me?!?

That will make for quite a challenge!

But I didn't want to keep them waiting, so I plunged into the shopping adventure.

I headed down the main aisle and noticed a Philosophy display on the right. I stopped short, but quickly realized, that I didn't have the time to read all the labels to figure out the perfect product. Also, with only hand luggage and an allowance of a 1 litre bag worth of liquids and creams, I didn't want to "waste" it on skincare.

So I walked on.

A Sephora lady stopped me and asked if I wanted to get my makeup done.

YES, OR YOU COULD JUST SHOOT ME!!!

I managed to cruise around her and went straight to the back of the store, toward the MAC counter. I dragged out my "Back to MAC" stuff (post about it coming soon) and talked to the MAC lady for 3 minutes. I gotta give credit to her, because she actually did manage to understand my French!!

I went back to look for Nars and Urban Decay - lucky me - the displays were next to each other, facing each other. I swatched Nars stuff, then I turned around and swatched Urban Decay stuff, then I turned around and swatched Nars stuff, then... (you get the idea...)

I remembered I wanted to check out Too Faced as well.

I ran around like a mad cow and finally located Too Faced, swatched some eyeshadows, and went back to Nars and Urban Decay.

After my hands were irrecognizable from swatching all over them, this is what I finally settled on:

Nars Eyeshadow Ondine

... and Nars Kalahari Duo

I went to the checkout and paid.

I already saw my boyfriend coming back to the store.

I knew then it was

GAME OVER!!!

;-)

xoxo
Blusherine

Back from Paris

2011-06-27T12:17:00.013+02:00

Hi everyone!

I've spent the weekend in Paris with my boyfriend and friends, we had a great time, we had booked a cheep Ryanair flight from Bratislava (Slovakia) to Paris Beauvais and spent two days walking around the beautiful city of Paris.

I will post a couple of pictures, so you can be on my weekend getaway as well! :-)

We spent the first day walking down the Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde, through the Jardins de Tuileries to the Louvre:

Then we walked over to Île de la Cité, past the street vendors:

and visited Notre Dame:

... and also he bookstore Shakespeare & Co.:

We then walked over to the Hôtel de Ville, from there to Centre Pompidou. We had a coffee at Les Halles, then we took the metro to the Moulin Rouge:

We walked up the stairs of Montmartre, where there is a buzzing crowd of artists and street vendors:

...and plenty of cute cafés and restaurants:

We visited the basilica of Sacre Coeur and finallytook the bus to the Tour Eiffel, where we stopped our sightseeing on the first day.

We took it easy on day two: We visited La Défense and the Jardin du Luxembourg, it was really hot and we were happy sipping cool drinks in the shade :-)

I did go to Sephora on the Camps-Élysées, which I will write about soon!

Hope you liked my little visual tour of Paris!

Take care!
Blusherine

TAG: I Love Lipsticks...

2011-06-16T10:06:00.028+02:00

The lovely Martha tagged me to show my lipstick collection and my favorite lipsticks, so here we go!

1) How many lipsticks do you have?
Awwwwwww, I'm not gonna tell you! :o)) I am a lipstick victim and I have way too many!!
I wouldn't want to convey that it's perfectly normal to have so many lipsticks because it's not!

To take a picture, I took my prettiest tubes and stuck them into a box:

2. First lipstick that you ever bought
Was a L'Oréal lipstick, for sure. I don't remember the shade, but up to a certain age my whole makeup collection consisted of L'Oréal only, because I always liked their products and because it was one of the few brands readily available in my hometown.

3. Which is your newest lipstick?
MAC Hibiscus

4. What is your favorite lipstick brand?
MAC, definitely MAC, because of the huge selection of colors and the variety of finishes.

5. Favorite Pink?
MAC Lazy Day

6. Favorite Nude?
MAC Viva Glam II

7. Favorite Peach/Coral?
MAC Cute-ster

8. Favorite Red?
I don't wear red a whole lot, so I really don't have a favorite, but I think MAC Cockney is a gorgeous red!

9. Favorite Hot Pink?
I don't really wear hot pink too often either, I have an old Sephora lipstick that I really like which is kind of hot pink... :-)

10. Favorite Brown?
L'Oréal Color Riche "Aishwarya Rai"

11. Favorite Rosewood?
Anna Sui Rouge G 304

12. Favorite Plum?
MAC Sweet & Single
(probably not a true plum, but the closest it gets to a favorite plum...)

13. Other Favorite Lipsticks?
(from left, all MAC):
Blooming Lovely
Intricate
Sunsational
Dressmaker, Dressmaker
Ever Hip
Hug Me
Viva Glam V

14. Favorite Lipglasses
MAC Dazzleglasses and MAC Lipglasses

I am tagging Lilly, because I'd really be curious about her lipstick collection! :-)

All the best
Blusherine

MAC Milan Mode Lipstick

2011-06-16T09:49:00.003+02:00

MAC's Milan Mode is what I'm wearing on my lips today.

It's a permanent color in the MAC range and it has a Lustre finish. Colorwise it's a sheer pink, a deep sheer pink, reminding me of a grape or a berry color.

In the past, MAC also released it with the Euristocrats II Collection, featuring lipsticks named after other cities next to Milan: London Life and Naked Paris.

Have a great day everyone!

xoxo
Blusherine

I'm N... - like Naked...

2011-06-09T13:01:00.026+02:00

So now it's mine...

finally!

I got the Urban Decay Naked Palette a couple of weeks ago.
I had ordered it on HQhair when they had received stock (months ago). Even though my order went through then, they weren't able to ship it, because, apparently, they had sold more than they had in stock. They didn't charge me, though! So after weeks and weeks of waiting I finally received it (and they did charge me now :-))

What can I say...

Expectations were high! REALLY REALLY high and probably too high!

Are you gonna hate me if I tell you that it's not my favorite nude palette? *g*
Too many shimmery and frosty colors for my taste, I would have loved some more mattes.

But I sure like the palette and wouldn't trade it!

After playing around with the colors for a couple of days, I came up with this eye makeup:

Products used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion in shade Sin
Colors from the palette:
Toasted (on lid and on lower lashline)
Hustle (on outer lid)
Naked (crease)
Creep (outer v)
Virgin (highlight)
MAC Plush Lash Mascara
b.pretty transparent eyebrow gel

Here is how I placed the shades:

With one million Naked Palette makeup looks circulating on blogger and youtube, I hope this one hasn't been done yet...

:o))

xoxo
Blusherine

Essence "A Hint of Mint"

2011-06-09T09:29:00.003+02:00

Hi everybody,

this is one of the Essence Nail Polishes that came out with the Blossoms etc... Collection, it's called A Hint of Mint.

The bottle contains 7ml and is tall but thin. I had to be careful not to knock it over when I dipped the brush, because, due to the thinness, it isn't really standing stable on the table (that rhymes! :o))

So I would say the bottle is very elegant but a bit impractical (really getting to the details here... ;-))

Anyway, I used one base coat (Seche Clear), two coats of green polish and one layer of top coat (Seche Vite).

Have a great week everyone!

Blusherine

Glowing Sunset with MAC Mythology

2011-05-31T13:57:00.012+02:00

Hi everybody,
I think I found a solution for making my first picture a square one so that it matches my front page layout, I just add a white stripe above and below and so a rectangular photo becomes a square one! :-)

I wanted to apologize if I don't comment on your blogs as much as I would want, I wish I had more time to read and comment, but unfortunately I don't. I try to at least comment on people's blogs who comment on mine, to make it up, because I am really happy when you guys leave me comments!

Maybe one day, when I am retired, I will still be posting (wrinkly) eye makeup pictures. Then I will be all over your blogs! :-))

So anyway, I felt like a glowy, coppery eye makeup today and here it is.

Products used:
Benefit F.Y.Eye Primer
MAC eyshadows (all permanent):
Pigment Melon (all over lid and on lower lashline)
Satin Taupe (to darken up outer lid)
Mythology (in the crease)
Ricepaper (highlight and inner croner highlight)
MAC Plush Lash Mascara
b.pretty transparent eyebrow gel

Here is how I placed the shades:

The key was blending the colors well, especially the Satin Taupe. You could leave it out and just use Melon Pigment, Mythology and Ricepaper, it will come out much brighter like that!

Have a great day!
Blusherine

MAC Cut a Caper Lipstick

2011-05-27T12:31:00.002+02:00

Another day, another coral...

This is Cut a Caper by MAC, a limited edition lipstick that came out with last year's Christmas Collection "A Tartan Tale".

I love the color, it's gorgeous, the only little problem that I have is that it seems to emphasize any little flakes that I have on my lips! I notice it every time I use it, I put it on, then I notice the flakes. I tried to be really flakeless for the picture though... :-)

Cut a Caper is a peachy corally shade and finishwise a Lustre. Being quite glossy, it leaves a nice shine on your lips.

Have a great day!
Blusherine

*edit: find a MAC coral lipstick comparison here!

Heidi Klum`s new Fashion and Beauty Blog

2011-05-27T09:47:00.010+02:00

Heidi Klum has joined the blogosphere and set up a page where she features fashion and beauty related themes, like outfits of the day, makeup how-to's, etc.

You can find it here:
http://heidiklum.aol.com/

She also features videos on topics like warm-weather makeup, for instance:
http://heidiklum.aol.com/category/fashion-and-beauty/warm-weather-beauty/

The page is still under construction but you can expect topics like parenting, relationships, lifestyle, fitness & nutrition soon!

Have a look, if you're interested!

All the best
Blusherine

MAC 26 Count Palette Form

2011-05-24T09:03:00.010+02:00

Have you all seen TiffanyD's video on how she arranged her MAC colors in her main MAC palette? She took out the divider and thus transformed a 15 color palette into a 26 color palette.

If you have arranged your palettes the same way, to save space and keep everything more organized, (like I did as well)...

... then you can use my 26 color form.

Simply click on the picture below to enlarge it, then print it out, write the names of your shades in it and stick it to the inner side of your palette.

I also have a pdf where you could type the colors in, but blogger won't let me upload pdfs... :-(

So if you want the form as a pdf with the text fields, simply write me an e-mail and I will send it to you!

Have a great day everyone!

Blusherine

My Cute-sters

2011-05-20T09:28:00.023+02:00

Buh-bye Cute-ster number 1....

*sniff*

I bought you at Bangkok Siam Discovery Center in Thailand...

I was eating dinner and saw two girls walk by with that famous MAC Hello Kitty bag...

Wanted to hunt them down so badly....

I made my boyfriend swallow his steak and came looking for you...

I knew the MAC store had to be there somewhere...

So buh-buy Cute-ster number 1, you were a fine companion and I will not Back to MAC you. :o)

I will keep you, depot the rest of you and put "Hug Me" into your bullet.

Couldn't give you away, too many memories of a great evening in Bangkok...

:o)
Blusherine

P.S.: Aside the drama...
find out more about my beloved Cute-ster here:
http://blusherine.blogspot.com/2010/12/mac-cute-ster-lipstick.html

My ode to Cute-ster will continue when I finish the second tube... :o)

MAC Solar Bits "Impassioned"

2011-05-19T15:42:00.007+02:00

A quick and blurry "Eye of the Day"...

Not only does MAC have a lipstick called "Impassioned", they also released a pigment with that name with the Style Warriors Collection. It was called "Solar Bits" and one of the shades was "Impassioned". Most people hated these Solar Bits, they found them too chunky and messy...

I pressed mine, so it's easier to work with. Even when I used it as a loose powder I didn't find it that hard to work with, must be because I love the color so much and I would use it no matter what consistency.

Enough blahblah...

Shades used (all MAC):

Solar Bits "Impassioned" - (lid)
Showstopper (LE) - (outer lid)
Soft Brown - (crease)
Blanc Type - (highlight)

Here is how I placed them:

Oh and thanks TiffanyD for that tip with Soft Brown in the crease, it makes all the difference!!

xoxo
Blusherine

MAC Impassioned and Nice Kitty

2011-05-19T09:28:00.008+02:00

A bright pink t-shirt calls for a bright pink lipstick!

This is MAC Impassioned Lipstick, topped with Nice Kitty Lipglass (LE).

To make the Amplified Creme finish of Impassioned a little less opaque and more wearable, I sheered it out with a sheer pink lipglass. The glossy texture distracts from the opaque color that is Impassioned and makes it a little more sparkly and fun!

I tend to always put a gloss onto a bright opaque red/pink/coral color, I don't know, I feel more comfortable wearing thoses shades that way.

Impassioned is a permanent item in the MAC range and it is described as an "amped-up fuchsia", Nice Kitty was released with the Hello Kitty Collection and is a bright sheer neon pink.

Have a great (fun pink) day!

Blusherine

Congratulations, Emilie!

2011-05-16T09:11:00.007+02:00

The winner of my 300 readers giveaway is:
Emilie
from
La Mode et Moi

Congratulations Emilie! E-Mail is on the way!

Random.org picked number 6, if you count down the comments including two entries for anyone who blogged about the giveaway, Emilie is number 6!

Thank you to everyone who participated!
There will be other giveaways here on my blog so don't worry if you didn't win this time!

Have a great week!

Blusherine

One Lovely Blog Award

2011-05-11T11:10:00.012+02:00

Yvonne gave me this blog award, thank you Yvonne!
The rules are that I have to tell you 7 things about myself, here we go:

I need two large cups of coffee with milk in the morning before I can face the world, I really do :o)
I love to watch the morning show on Puls4. I watch it from 6 a.m. until 6.30 a.m. with my two cups of coffee, then I get up and get dressed.
My favorite summer colors are bright corals and pinks.
My favorite store to shop is H&M.
My favorite perfumes are Anna Sui perfumes.
My favorite song of all time is “Your Song” by Elton John. It’s from 1970 and I wasn't even born yet. It’s not played on the readio anymore, really. But whenever it is, unexpectedly, the world halts for a while…
My favorite seasons are spring and summer.

I am handing this award on to 3 blogs that I love, they are all German blogs:

http://chahevu.blogspot.com/
http://yellowchick84.blogspot.com/
http://itsfaaaabulous.blogspot.com/

Take care!
Blusherine

Blue Bata Bling

2011-05-11T09:44:00.006+02:00

Hi Ladies!

Are you familiar with the shoe brand Bata?

It's a Czech shoe brand and we have a store in my hometown in Italy. When I was at home for my Easter holiday I got this pair of wedges. I always go to the Bata store when I am at home, it's a must! :-)

The shoes are really comfortable, they have the straps in the right places and give enough support so that you can walk confidently for an entire day without any pain! :-) Which is always good!

I almost regret that I didn't get it in more colors, because, you know, a comfortable, high shoe is hard to find!

I might give my mom an emergency call...

:-)

Have a great day!

Blusherine

Pippa Middleton and the Royal Wedding Party Used Bobbi Brown Cosmetics

2011-05-06T13:50:00.026+02:00

Getty Images; courtesy of Bobbi Brown

Here is an article I just found on instyle.com about the makeup at the Royal Wedding.

You all seemed interested in my post about Kate's Wedding Makeup, so I will reproduce the article here:

Pippa Middleton and the Royal Wedding Party Used Bobbi Brown Cosmetics!

by Marianne Mychaskiw

It’s official: members of Kate Middleton’s bridal party used Bobbi Brown products! “We are proud to confirm that Bobbi Brown Cosmetics makeup artist Hannah Martin provided makeup artistry assistance to members of the bridal party for the Royal Wedding,” the brand confirmed in a statement released on Facebook this weekend. “We wish to respect the privacy of all those involved, and therefore will not be releasing further details.” We knew Middleton was a fan of the brand, as it was reported that she went shopping for the cosmetics and was taking makeup lessons from Arabella Preston prior to her big day. No word yet on whether Middleton herself used the products for her wedding, but if you’re eager to try something similar, Bobbi Brown released a face chart, above left, giving step-by-step instructions on how you can create a Royal Wedding-inspired look.

Here is the Royal Wedding-inspired look that Bobbi Brown posted on her facebook page:

(click to enlarge)

"Catherine looked absolutely stunning. I wouldn’t have changed a thing about her makeup. She looked beautiful, fresh and most importantly, happy." xo Bobbi

Every woman should feel like royalty on her big day. Here's how to create a royal-worthy wedding look courtesy of Bobbi:

1. Start with clean, fresh skin. Even out skin tone with Corrector, Concealer and Foundation.
To view the products, click here: http://bit.ly/jNiMFT.

2. Sweep Ivory Eye Shadow all over the lid.
To view the product, click here: http://bit.ly/lMma0N.

3. Apply Rockstar Metallic Eye Shadow on the lower lid.
To view the product, click here: http://bit.ly/jIAEqd.

4. Blend Slate Eye Shadow into the crease.
To view the product, click here: http://bit.ly/lMma0N.

5. Line upper and lower lash lines with Black Ink Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner, making sure that the top line is thicker than the bottom.
To view the product, click here: http://bit.ly/m7CHJI.

6. Brush on two coats of Black No Smudge Mascara.
To view the product, click here: http://bit.ly/mHGfug.

7. Smile and sweep Pale Pink Blush on the apples of the cheeks.
To view the product, click here: http://bit.ly/iymMB4.

8. Dust Pink Quartz Shimmer Brick high on the cheekbones.
To view the product, click here: http://bit.ly/mqumXX.

9. Apply Sandwash Pink Lip Color on lips, followed by Crystal Gloss.
To view the shade, click here: http://bit.ly/ituVrj.

On news.at I found Bobbi Brown's face charts for the Maid of Honor and for the Mother of the Bride:

The Maid of Honor:

The Mother of the Bride:

Blusherine

It's Giveaway Time!!

2011-05-04T09:29:00.014+02:00

GIVEAWAY CLOSED - NO MORE ENTRIES PLEASE!

COMMENTS ARE NOW HIDDEN!

***

To celebrate 300 readers and because you all seemed to like the Manhattan Nail Polish Collection "Naughty Nails" so much, I decided to go on the hunt for a second set so I could do a giveaway! The polishes are brand new and one lucky winner will receive the set.

Thank you everyone for your loyal support, it has been fun to read your comments and talk to you for the past two years.

The contest is open to all my readers, national and international.

The rules are simple:

You have to be a visible follower of my blog (new readers are welcome).
Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite color of the collection is, leave your e-mail so I can contact you. One entry per person.
If you blog about my giveaway and post my giveaway-picture, you will earn another entry, please include the link where you blogged about it in your comment. You may use any of the two pictures.
The contest is open until May 15, midnight, Austrian time (which is GMT+1).
If you are below the age of 18, you need permission from your parents.

The winner will be picked randomly!

Good luck everyone!

Blusherine

MAC Lush-Light Bronze

2011-05-02T08:30:00.006+02:00

A reader asked me to swatch MAC Lush-Light Bronze Studio Careblend Pressed Powder, it's the darker of the two Careblend Pressed Powders that are being released with the MAC Surf Baby Collection. I thought that a swatch on my arm would not be that helpful really, so I applied it to my face.

For reference: I have medium skin (MAC NC30) with warm undertones.

I really had to pile the powder on for it to show up with the flash. I looked like someone had thrown dirt at me. :-)

Lush-Light Bronze is completely matte and MAC describes the color as mid-tone rosy pink brown. I swatched it on my inner arm anyway, which is NC25:

When comparing it to Solar Riche Bronzer, which is also being released with this collection and which I still have from the Style Warriors Collection, the main difference I noticed was the pigmentation. Solar Riche is less pigmented and thus easier (for me) to work with. Lush-Light Bronze has a softer texture and transfers to the skin a lot more easily.

If I had to pick between the two, I would probably go for Solar Riche!

*edit:
I'm so eating my words on this one!! I would go for Lush-Light Bronze!!!

Hope this was helpful!

xoxo
Blusherine

Kate's Wedding Makeup

2011-04-30T17:37:00.013+02:00

The Royal Wedding at Buckingham Palace on 29th April 2011
Official Royal Wedding Photograph Taken in the Throne Room
Picture Credit: Hugo Burnand

So you've all heard that Kate did her own makeup!

Which I think is so cool! I would freak out if I knew a predicted 1-3 billion would be watching me! I am in complete awe, she kept her cool, despite all the pressure and all the expectations that people had. I think she did a great job!

I found an interesting article about her makeup on people.com, if you're interested:

Kate Middleton "Comfortable and Confident" About Doing Own Makeup

by Liz Corcoran

Most brides would jump at the chance to get a professional makeup job on their wedding day – great to be pampered, even better for official photographs. Not Kate Middleton.

The royal-in-training will eschew the services when she marries Prince William Friday morning, opting to do it herself after a series of private lessons with London makeup artist Arabella Preston, wedding planner Mark Niemierko tells PEOPLE.

"I heard that Arabella Preston was called in by a mutual friend of hers and Kate's," he says. "She's had about three or four lessons with Kate at her private flat in Chelsea and has also gone, very privately to Clarence House. Arabella was suppose to be coming on the day as well but now she isn't, because Kate's comfortable and confident in doing it herself."

Niemierko puts this down to Kate's "informal character" and simply wanting to "keep some normality" in her life. But he advises caution: "From my experience brides should look like a glamorous version of themselves on their wedding day. If you have your hair up normally, have your hair up. But, having said that, even if you're going for a natural, no makeup look, you need quite a lot of product – especially for the photos."

It's not the first time Kate has done her own makeup. She was reportedly unhappy with the professional makeup applied for the official engagement shots, taken by Mario Testino, and wiped it off before reapplying it herself.

The practice will also come in handy for the future. Says Niemierko, "The royals obviously do their own makeup for royal engagements. Part of the whole protocol of learning to be royal is learning how to do your own makeup!"

*edit:
I just found an article about the Royal Wedding Party using Bobbi Brown Cosmetics on the big day, find it here.

MAC Strange Potion Lipglass

2011-04-29T11:16:00.005+02:00

MAC Strange Potion Lipglass came out with the Venomous Villains Collection last year and is being repromoted with the Surf Baby Collection.

I have mine from the previous collection, with the Evil Queen on it. There are plenty of swatches available on the internet, just google it. Here is my swatch, I have MAC NC30 skin, for reference.

I'll make it quick and easy:

Since Temptalia already swatched and talked about it, I will link you to her, she is the best, so I'll link you to the best:

http://www.temptalia.com/mac-venomous-villains-evil-queen-review-photos-swatches

*edit:

Temptalia now also swatched the Surf Baby edition of the lipglass:

http://www.temptalia.com/mac-surf-baby-lipglasses-swatches-photos-reviews

Now back to the lifestream of William & Kate's Wedding!

xoxo

Blusherine

MAC Hibiscus Lipstick

2011-04-28T10:44:00.012+02:00

More corals? Anyone?

:-)

This is MAC Hibiscus Lipstick which just came out with the new Surf Baby Collection.
This is a swatch on medium toned skin (MAC NC30, for reference), I have warm undertones. I know not many swatches are up yet so I will try to give you as much detail as possible. It has a Cremesheen finish and it's very creamy and opaque! It behaves excellently, so to say! :-)

Colorwise it's a bright reddish orange/coral, not for the very timid, probably. It has a nice sheen!

When I first applied it to my lips I thought: This is what I wish "Viva Glam Cindy" was like (which I know so many of you liked, but I just don't like it so much on myself).

Here is a swatch on my inner arm, which is NC25, probably, next to Strange Potion Lipglass, which was repromoted with this collection:

Find swatches of the rest of my MAC Surf Baby haul here!

Hope this helps!

Have a great day!
Blusherine

MAC Surf Baby Collection

2011-04-28T08:08:00.029+02:00

Aloha!

Or what would be the appropriate surfer greeting? ;-)

I went to the preview party for MAC's Surf Baby Collection last night. Apparently my invitation had gotten lost in the mail, so I kind of invited myself. :-)
At the event, one Maccine recognized my voice from when I had called in the morning, with a desperate, high-pitched voice to ask if I could still come. We had a good laugh.

So anyway, here is what I got:

Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in shade Lush-Light Bronze
Eyeshadows Saffron and Short Shorts
Lipstick Hibiscus

I also got the smaller one of the two makeup bags, I really like it:

Here is lipstick Hibiscus up close. It's a bright reddish orange/coral color, very pretty, nice and opaque. It's a Cremesheen finish.

*edit: Here is a swatch on MAC NC30 skin:

Find a full review of MAC Hibiscus lipstick here.

Here is a swatch of Strange Potion lipglass (which I had from a previous collection):

Find out more about Strange Potion here.

Here are the two eyeshadows:

Saffron (left) I would describe as a rusty dark orange, if such thing exists. MAC describes it a deep coral caramel which I have a hard time imagining what that could be :-) It's a Satin finish and it's a repromote from the Mickey Contractor Collection, which unfortunately didn't come out in Austria. Anyway, there are plenty of swatches available already of this shade!

Short Shorts (right) is a frosty white champagne, the stress being on champagne, not on white, it's really pretty. It has a frost finish.

A quick EOTD with MAC Saffron on the lid:

Here is how the powder compact looks like. I had a matching paper bag at home to take a picture! :-)

And here is the Studio Careblend Pressed Powder Lush-Light Bronze up close:

*edit:
here is a swatch of Lush-Light Bronze (on my inner arm, MAC NC25)

And here is a face swatch (NC30 skin, warm undertones):

Read a small review on MAC Lush-Light Bronze here.

There is a bronzer in the collection which I already had and which I can highly recommend if you have a medium skintone like me, it's called Solar Riche and if I didn't have it yet, I would have bought it!

Finally some swatches, first the eyeshadows:

then the lip products:

I will update this post if I do more swatches, you will find them all here.

On a different note:
I saw Austria's Next Topmodel, Lydia, this morning on the underground when I was going (running) to work. That just upgrades riding the underground so much! Apparently Jude Law is in town, he wouldn't be riding the underground though, would he! :o)

Any questions or comments (about the collection, not about Jude Law :-)), feel free to ask!

Have a great day!
Blusherine

MAC Coral Lipstick Comparison

2011-04-27T13:19:00.013+02:00

With all the coral lipsticks MAC has brought out lately, it's getting kind of hard to figure out what you already have and what you still might want/need/lust after...

So I swatched my MAC coral lipsticks to figure it out myself.

(click pictures to enlarge)

There are no dupes, but, as you can see, Ever Hip, Cut a Caper and Jazzed are all very similar, I guess I'd say you only need one of those! :-)

Costa Chic is a a Frost and is permanent
Ever Hip is a Cremesheen (Give me Liberty of London Collection)
Cut a Caper is a a Lustre (Tartan Tale Collection)
Jazzed is a Cremesheen (In the Groove Collection)
Vegas Volt is an Amplified Creme and is permanent
Fresh Salmon is a Lustre (Spring Colour Forecast Collection)

Hope this helps in your lipstick finding process....

;-)

All the best,
Blusherine

MAC Ever Hip Lipstick

2011-04-27T09:21:00.007+02:00

MAC Ever Hip Lipstick came out with the Give Me Liberty of London Collection and will be repromoted with the Fashion Flower Collection later this year.

It's a lipstick I definitely recommend getting if you love corals!

It has a Cremesheen finish, but honestly, it doesn't come off as a typical Cremesheen, it is much sheerer, more like a Lustre. Which I don't mind, because I love Lustres, but it's something to keep in mind if you consider purchasing it!

I did a swatch comparison of my coral MAC lipsticks, if you're interested, you can find it here.

Take care!

Blusherine

Bench Coral Dress - times three

2011-04-26T11:34:00.011+02:00

How do you cut a dress into a square picture?

It becomes a skirt!

My layout demands a square picture as the first picture and sometimes it's hard to adjust your photos to that! :-)

Anyway, I got a new dress, it's by Bench and the style is called "New Madrid".

I love it, it has a zipper in the front and I hope it won't ever break, otherwise I will be standing there very uncomfortably...

I saw the coral color in the store, grabbed the dress, tried it and bought it.

Now if you know me, you'll know that:

1) If I like something and it comes in different colors, I will get it in different colors!

2) If I like something and it doesn't come in different colors, I will get two of the same color! (Sometimes three... bad bad Blusherine...)

Everyone always laughs at me, even the salespeople often stare at me confused: "'What, another one of the same color?"

What can I say, I am a serious backups buyer...

I tell myself, that if for some unimaginable reason I lost my dress, or if someone stole it (yes yes, I know...) at least I would have a backup dress...

To cut a long story short:
I have this dress in coral, in lavender and in green...
(my boyfriend pulled me out of the store after the third dress, I was staring at the blue and the black one too...)

Don't read too many of my posts, or you will get as insane as me....

Blusherine

Manhattan "Naughty Nails" Collection

2011-04-16T17:19:00.021+02:00

Hi ladies (and gents) :-)

I just came home from downtown and I found the new Manhattan Nail Polish Collection called Naughty Nails on display at Drogeriemarkt.

Five pretty pastel colors, following the season's trend.

I'm kind of busy packing for my trip home tomorrow, so I just took a quick picture and I'll leave you with the swatches. I will respond to your comments on this and on other posts later, because I really have to hurry up! :-)

As always with Manhattan polishes, the shades don't have names, but numbers, a little awkward, but at least the five colors are distinctively different. I really love the peach and the mauve color, but I'm all about peaches and mauves anyway!

I used a base coat (Seche Clear), two coats of Manhattan polish and one top coat (Seche Vite).

Take care!

Blusherine

My "no makeup makeup look"

2011-04-16T09:09:00.006+02:00

Hi everyone!

Yesterday I wore a really bright red lip and I needed an eye look that was barely there. So I'll call this my "no makeup makeup look"! :-)

I used all MAC eyeshadows, all permanent.

With the 217 brush I swiped Brulé over my entire eyelid space. Brulé matches my skintone completely, so I used it as a base to even out my skintone and to help the following shadows blend more easily. I used Benefit F.Y.Eye Primer underneath.
Then, with the 239 brush, I applied Grain to my lid, to give it a little sparkle.
I took the 217 brush again and applied Haux in the crease and after that, with the 226 brush, I deepened the crease with Blackberry. I used Phloof as highlight (with the 227 brush) and as inner corner highlight (with the 219 brush).
A coat of Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara on upper and lower lashes, b.pretty transparent brow gel on my eyebrows and off we go.

Here is how I placed the shades:

The slight hints of plum went perfectly with the bright red on my lips!

Hope you liked it and have a great weekend everyone!

Blusherine

Benefit Pinking of You Lipstick

2011-04-14T12:47:00.008+02:00

Benefit Pinking of You is a pretty corally pink shade that's available in the permanent full-finish lipstick range.

On me it pulls more coral than pink, which I like, I am all about corals in the springtime.

The lipstick itself has a nice texture, it's pigmented and doesn't dry out my lips.

Don't know what else to say, I am a huge Benefit fan, that's what I'll say! :-)

Smooch,
Blusherine

Essence "Better Than Gel Nails"

2011-04-13T15:54:00.007+02:00

So a couple of weeks ago Essence released the nail kit "Better than Gel Nails". I got it then, but never had the time to test it.

I don't think you can get the kit anymore, but the single items are all available separately in the permanent range of products.

Basically, the kit promises gel-like nails in 5 easy steps:

1. You clean your nails with a file
2. You pick out the right size of white plastic tip
3. You glue on the plastic tips
4. You put on a base sealer
5. You put on 2 coats of top sealer

That's it, it's very simple!

A tutorial (in German) can be found here:
http://www.betterthangelnails.eu/de/video.html

I found the kit very easy to use and will pick up some tips for my sister and my mom, so we can all have an Easter manicure! :-)

The only downside, so to say, is that you already have to have decently long nails, otherwise the tips will look silly. They need to adhere to your nail tips with their full surface, you can't elongate your nails with them, so to say. So I guess if your nails are very very short and you want a nice manicure for a special event, you better stick fake nails on.

I put the tips on two days ago and so far they have not shown any signs of fatigue! :-)

I can definitely recommend this set!

Have a great day!
Blusherine

MAC Unflappable Eyeshadow

2011-04-13T09:22:00.010+02:00

Hi everybody!

Long time no see! :-) I have been really busy trying to catch every ray of sunshine lately! ;-)

Instead of buying makeup, I really mostly have been buying clothes this month! So many pretty things for spring and summer in stores, and you have to be quick before they sell out your sizes.

I also haven't been wearing much makeup lately, but I was fully inspired this morning! I got up 15 minutes earlier, so that I could take a couple of pictures! :o) I used MAC Unflappable Eyeshadow, one of my favorite things MAC has released this year. I must say I haven't been much impressed with what MAC came up with so far this year, I really liked "Dangerous Cuvee Paint Pot", "Mighty Aphrodite Blush" and the Peacocky Collection Eyeshadows, I hope more of the sort will be coming our way.

Aaanyway, products used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion

MAC Eyeshadows:
Unflappable (LE) (all over lid)

Mating Call (LE), Beautiful Iris and Naked Lunch (to blend out crease)
(I know that's a lot of eyeshadows to blend out the crease :o))

Brulé (as hightlight)

Violet Underground Kohl Pencil on lower lashline

MAC Plush Lash Mascara

b.pretty transparent brow gel

Another thing I wanted to mention is that I have won a giveaway by Wiemi on her blog Wien Mitte We found out that we live in the same district here in Vienna, so we met at Müller drugstore and she gave me the prize in person! Needless to say, we went makeup shopping afterward! :-) We both "didn't need anything", but that sure didn't prevent us from buying a ton of Catrice stuff... :-) This is what I won on her blog:

Paul Mitchell Colorcare Shampoo (50 ml)

Paul Mitchell Colorcare Daily Conditioner (50 ml)

Paul Mitchell "413 sculpting brush"

I will be taking everything with me when I go home to South Tyrol for my Easter holiday!

Thank you Wiemi and have a great day everyone!

Blusherine

My new "Vignerons" :-)

2011-03-27T13:16:00.003+02:00

So I can't afford "Louboutins" or "Blahniks", but I can afford "Vignerons"... ;-)

I feel like talking about fashion and shoes lately, I hope you don't mind!

There are a couple of dressy events coming up in the spring and summer and I needed a pair of nices shoes to match my peachy-pink dress. I saw these at Humanic store on Mariahilferstraße here in Vienna and was immediately drawn to them, I wasn't sure if they would match my dress really, but they only had one pair left in my size so I took the risk!

When I came home and pulled out the dress, I was ecstatic, they matched my dress completely!

The heels are 11 cm (4 inches) and I will definitely need to practice my walk a bit! :o)

The common problem with pumps this height is that if your feet aren't exactly the same size, you will always slip out with the smaller foot in the back because, due to the height, your feet will be positioned at the very front of the shoe with all the buffer space in the back. Am I making sense?

But these shoes here come in half sizes, so that was the clue, they fit me perfectly and I don't have to worry about losing one.

So much talk about one little pair of shoes ;-)

To sum it up:
Shoes are patent leather pumps by brand Vigneron, bought at Humanic shoes store here in Vienna, heels are 11 cm/4 inches, size is 37,5 and they cost 120 euros.

Hope you are having a great Sunday everyone!

Blusherine

MAC Fashion Mews and Via Veneto

2011-03-23T10:05:00.004+01:00

Latest Fashion News... I mean Fashion Mews... ;-)

Here comes a kitty themed lipstick spelled out with a meow!

MAC launched Fashion Mews Lipstick with the Hello Kitty Collection back in 2009. It's a lavender color, along the lines of MAC Lavender Whip; finishwise it's a Glaze.

I topped it with Via Veneto Dazzleglass which came out with the Euristocrats II Collection.

All in all, a light lilac lip combination to match today's eye makeup.

xoxo
Blusherine

MAC Dame Edna Reloaded

2011-03-23T09:26:00.006+01:00

Good morning everybody!

I decided to bust out my Royal Tour Eye Shadow Trio from the MAC Dame Edna Collection this morning, the one with the purple colors.

Even though cool tones don't look too good on me really, once in a while I don't care and wear them anyways.

My boyfriend didn't see me this morning, so no complaints about "porn purple"... :o))
(if you don't know what that means, read here)

Products used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion in shade Sin as primer
MAC eyeshadows from the trio:
Royal Tour (inner half of the upper and lower lid)
Dame's Desire (outer half of upper and lower lid)
Climate Blue (outer v)
plus
White Frost (to highlight)
Violet Underground Kohl Pencil on upper lashline
MAC Plush Lash Mascara
b.pretty transparent brow gel

Have a great day everybody!
Blusherine

White Polka Dots for Spring

2011-03-15T11:35:00.007+01:00

So I hear polka dots are a big trend for spring/summer 2011.

Which is great because I love polka dots, especially if they are printed on red fabric. I have mainly seen blue polka-dotted dresses in the shop-windows here in Vienna, hopefully some more red fabrics will turn up!

So Outfit of the Day,
in celebration of the warm spring weather:

Red Polka-dotted Shirt/Dress by H&M
Blue Camisole by H&M (currently available)
Blue Jeans by H&M
Ring by SIX (closeup can be found here)

Grey ballerinas and red lipgloss complete the look :-)

It's kind of hard to take a picture at 7. a.m when you can't use a flash because it will reflect in the mirror. So a very blurry outfit post here, never mind that the picture is completely out of focus! :-)

Have a great day!
Blusherine

MAC Dressmaker, Dressmaker Lipstick

2011-03-03T14:24:00.003+01:00

Hi Lovelies,

this is MAC Dressmaker, Dressmaker Lipstick, a coral shade that tends toward nude, it's a nice warm color with a lustre finish and it works well on pale skin (pale meaning NC25 here). It's a good everyday color, when you want a little pop of peach on your lips, but not too much.

Dressmaker, Dressmaker was one of my favorite limited edition lipsticks that MAC launched last year. It came out with the Pret-a-Papier Collection, which in turn was one of my favorite collections last year.

I can't think of anything more to say except that I love it!

A big smooch
Blusherine

MAC Valiant Eyeshadow Quad

2011-03-02T09:37:00.007+01:00

Good morning everybody!

Today I tried out my Valiant Eyeshadow Quad from the MAC Wonder Woman Collection.

I used all four colors, plus I added Modelette eyeshadow to blend out the crease, but you could take any light warm toned brown shadow for that, like Soft Brown for instance. I also used a warm brown base underneath the shadows, to make the look a little warmer.

Products used:

Benefit F.Y.Eye Primer
Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Marry Up
MAC eyeshadows from the Valiant quad:
Valiant (all over lid and on lower lashline)
Diana Undercover (outer lid, crease and outer lower lashline)
Spinning Transformation (outer v)
Manila Paper (highlight)
Modelette (LE) (to blend out crease)
Undercurrent Pearlglide Eyeliner (on upper lashline)
Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara
b.pretty transparent eyebrow gel

Have a great day everyone!

xoxo
Blusherine

MAC Wonder Woman Collection

2011-02-28T10:24:00.017+01:00

Hi everybody,

here is my MAC Wonder Woman Haul!

I have to say I love the design, especially the compacts are so pretty, I like them better than any packaging MAC has ever come up with, even Heatherette or Hello Kitty!

Here is what I bought:
Golden Lariat Mineralize Skinfinish

I wanted Pink Power but they didn't have that one yet, I might go back and get it though, once they get the shipping!

Here is how it looks in the pan:

I also bought:
Mighty Aphrodite Duo Blush

Here is how it looks in the pan:

Next:
Valiant Eyeshadow Quad

Here is a closeup of the color Valiant:
(*edit: and here is a look using the palette )

I got two lipsticks:
Marquise d' (left) and Spitfire (right)

Here is how the packaging looks like:

And I also got the Eye Brush Set (top 109 brush, middle 213 brush, bottom 224 brush)

So this was my complete haul:

And here is Wonder Woman, picture taken from the brush set box:

Now I have to tell myself I can't go back to get more stuff...

;-)

Take care,
Blusherine

MAC Wonder Woman available at Gerngross Vienna

2011-02-24T10:32:00.004+01:00

Image courtesy of temptalia.com

Original Source: MAC Cosmetics

For my Viennese readers:

MAC Wonder Woman is available for purchase at Gerngross Vienna as of today!

The other counters in Vienna will release it on March 1st!

Happy Shopping!!!

Blusherine

New Yooooork....

2011-02-23T13:23:00.005+01:00

No, I'm not going to New York, but I love this song! With all the model casting and fashion shows on tv and everyone going to New York, always accompanied by this song, don't you feel like you want to go there yourself?

And the way Alicia Keys screams "New York" from the bottom of her heart, I almost want to go buy a plane ticket...

But hear for yourself!

Alicia Keys: Empire State of Mind (Part 2) Broken Down:

TAG: What's in my makeup bag

2011-02-23T11:20:00.012+01:00

By now you must know that I am a total Hello Kitty freak!!

I love Hello Kitty! I think I bought the whole MAC Hello Kitty Collection when it came out, well, not really, but almost!

Anyway, Jule tagged me to show what's in my makeup bag, and I have to say, not very much. I don't carry around much with me, just a few things to touch up. I expect my makeup to last all day, I leave the house at 7.30 in the morning and come back at around 5 p.m. and my makeup better stays put for that time. Even if I'm going somewhere after work I don't reapply, except for my lipstick sometimes.

From left to right:
Mini Douglas Glass Nail File (like it because it's so small)
MAC Cremesheen Glass in Partial to Pink (use it as lip balm)
Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve (love it, have the full size as well)
MAC Fast Response Eye Cream (to touch up eye area, comes in a handy and hygienic tube)
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream (use it as lip balm)

I also carry whatever lipstick I am wearing that day, plus:
my Hello Kitty mirror from H&M
MAC Fix+ (to freshen up my face)

All that I throw randomly into my handbag!

I am tagging whoever wants to participate, feel free to join the fun and share what's in your makup bag!

Have a great day!

Blusherine

Benefit Flirt Alert and MAC Cherry Electric

2011-02-22T11:04:00.004+01:00

Cherries are today's theme in my Candy Color Lipstick Series...

This is Benefit's Flirt Alert Lipstick from their full-finish liptick range, topped with MAC's Superglass Cherry Electric (LE).

Much as I like Benefit's full-finish lipsticks, I cannot say the same thing about MAC's Superglasses. I dont really like their consistency, the glitter is way too big and chunky and gets everywhere, I found glitter bits on my neck and around my nose in the past, so no, I don't really like Superglasses. And what is even worse, once they have migrated to the rest of your (upper) body (hopefully), they are really difficult to get off. Isn't that weird?

Superglasses came out last year with a collection of the same name.

So why am I even featuring a Superglass if I dislike it so much? Simply because the color of Cherry Electric is gorgeous and goes well with the red of Flirt Alert.

So that was my rant about MAC's Superglasses...

And by the way: Benefit's full-finish lipsticks are GREAT and come in great shades, if I didn't stress that enough!

Have a great day!
Blusherine

*edit:
My Candy Color Lipstick Series also features:

MAC Vegas Volt and Baby Sparks
MAC All Styled Up Lipstick
MAC Full Fuchsia and Nice Kitty
MAC Costa Chic and Euro Beat
MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick

MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick

2011-02-18T09:22:00.004+01:00

Lilac M&Ms would be today's theme in my Candy Color Lipsticks Series...

This is MAC's Lavender Whip, a limited edition color with a Cremesheen finish, it came out with the Cremeteam Collection.

Colorwise it's very similar to MAC's Fashion Mews from the Hello Kitty Collection and Blooming Lovely from the Give me Liberty of London Collection, if you have those.

I already swatched Blooming Lovely here.

I love lavender colored lipsticks, I rarely ever see anyone wearing them but I think they are easier to pull off than you would think!

Have a great day!
Blusherine

*edit:
My Candy Color Lipstick Series also features:

MAC Vegas Volt and Baby Sparks
MAC All Styled Up Lipstick
MAC Full Fuchsia and Nice Kitty
MAC Costa Chic and Euro Beat
Benefit Flirt Alert and MAC Cherry Electric

MAC Costa Chic and Euro Beat

2011-02-16T11:15:00.010+01:00

My Candy Color Lipstick Series today features the flavor peach...

This is MAC's Costa Chic Lipstick (Frost), paired with Euro Beat Dazzleglass (LE, Euristocrats II Collection).

Costa Chic is a typical MAC Frost, which to me means, it almost HAS to be topped with a gloss to make it less crumbly-looking. In this case I topped it with a sheer coral Dazzleglass.

Now if I look at the coral lip combination that I posted a few days ago, Vegas Volt plus Baby Sparks, there's not THAT much difference colorwise, is there?

Vegas Volt Lipstick topped with Baby Sparks Dazzleglass:

as opposed to Costa Chic Lipstick and Euro Beat Dazzleglass:

If I had to recommend one of the two lipsticks (both are permanent), it would be Vegas Volt!

*edit:
I did a swatch comparison of my coral MAC lipsticks, if you're interested, you can find it here.

Have a great day!
Blusherine

My Candy Color Lipstick Series also features:

MAC Vegas Volt and Baby Sparks
MAC All Styled Up Lipstick
MAC Full Fuchsia and Nice Kitty
MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick
Benefit Flirt Alert and MAC Cherry Electric

MAC Full Fuchsia and Nice Kitty

2011-02-15T09:20:00.006+01:00

My Candy Color Lipstick Series today features the flavor Raspberry, so to say...

This is Lipstick Full Fuchsia (Amplified) topped with Nice Kitty Lipglass (LE).

Full Fuchsia is a MAC Pro Color, I got mine when it was released with the Tartan Tale Collection last Christmas!
I put lip balm on underneath to make it sheerer, the color is pretty opaque. I sheered it out even further with Nice Kitty Lipglass, which came out with the Hello Kitty Collection in 2009 and is a bright sheer neon pink.

Have a great week everyone!

Blusherine

*edit:
My Candy Color Lipstick Series also features:

MAC Vegas Volt and Baby Sparks
MAC All Styled Up Lipstick
MAC Costa Chic and Euro Beat
MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick
Benefit Flirt Alert and MAC Cherry Electric

MAC All Styled Up Lipstick

2011-02-10T14:14:00.009+01:00

Now let's get on with the candy color lipsticks! :-)

This is All Styled Up by MAC, a bubblegummy pink that only looks good on me when I am pale.

I got this last summer when it came out with the "In the Groove Collection" and I can only wear it now that I am NC25ish, when I wore it in the summer, I looked like Barbie on crack, as Lilly would say *g*

So I would suggest you consider these kinds of pale pinks if you are NC25 and below, otherwise you could end up looking like Magda from the movie "There's Something about Mary", unless you're going for that :o)

I will insert a picture from the movie for better comprehension :o)

Anyway, All Styled Up is a Cremesheen, here it is in my last year's haul picture, it's the lightest of the three.

I also swatchted the four colors of that collection, so here is a swatch of
All Styled Up:

Find the blogpost about the haul here, if you're interested.

Maybe I'll do a bubblegum lipstick series, it's fun to wear these bright colors!

xoxo
Blusherine

*edit:
My Candy Color Lipstick Series also features:

MAC Vegas Volt and Baby Sparks
MAC Full Fuchsia and Nice Kitty
MAC Costa Chic and Euro Beat
MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick
Benefit Flirt Alert and MAC Cherry Electric

MAC Vegas Volt and Baby Sparks

2011-02-09T08:50:00.009+01:00

Hi everybody,

it's coral overload today! :o)

The past few days have been quite sunny and warm here in Vienna, and when the temperatures are rising, I always feel like wearing bolder colors.

This might be a bit bright for February, but I don't care, nice weather demands for fun makeup ;-)

Aaaanyway,
this is MAC Lipstick Vegas Volt (Amplified), topped with Baby Sparks Dazzleglass.
Both are permanent items in the MAC range, Vegas Volt is an opaque bright coral, Baby Sparks is a soft pale pink.

The color combinations does settle in the lines of my lips, as you can see. That isn't great, but what can you do... I was in such a hurry this morning that I don't even know if it's Vegas Volt that's creasing or Baby Sparks, or the combination of both... I will have to examine further...

*edit:
I did a swatch comparison of my coral MAC lipsticks, if you're interested, you can find it here.

Have a great day!
Blusherine

My Candy Color Lipstick Series also features:

MAC All Styled Up Lipstick
MAC Full Fuchsia and Nice Kitty
MAC Costa Chic and Euro Beat
MAC Lavender Whip Lipstick
Benefit Flirt Alert and MAC Cherry Electric

Stylish Blogger Award and Versatile Blogger Award

2011-02-04T09:10:00.008+01:00

Hi everyone,

Amanda from Blushmebeauty gave me the Stylish Blogger Award, thank you very much Amanda! :-)

I have to share 7 things about myself, here we go:

I used to be afraid that a burglar would come to my house and take my tv and my laptop. Now I'm afraid that the burglar is a woman and would take all my makeup... ;-)
I started getting REALLY into makeup when I discovered Temptalia's blog a couple of years ago.
The first youtube-video I ever watched was one by Risa.
I always carry my portable harddrive with me in my handbag, with all my pictures on it, you never know when you need your pictures! :o)
When I discovered the magic of foundation at age 13 I went to school looking like Pocahontas, with a foundation that I found in my mom's makeup bag that was 3 shades too dark for me... :o)
No one knows that I am blogging, only my boyfriend knows, but not my family and friends.
I just found out that there is a CCO near Vienna, CCO, here I come!!!

Now I have to award it to 15 recently discovered bloggers, 15 is a little much, I will name 3:
http://inyourface.at/
http://yellowchick84.blogspot.com/
http://www.funnyfacebeauty.com/

Jule from It's faaaabulous gave me the Versatile Blogger Award, thank you Jule, I am very honored!

I have to again name 7 things about myself, so please check above! :o)

I am to award it to 15 people, I will give it to 5:
http://beauty-forest.blogspot.com/
http://bibasbeautycorner.blogspot.com/
http://lillithsdarktower.blogspot.com/
http://lookslikevalerie.blogspot.com/
http://brittas-beauty-blog.blogspot.com/

Thank you very much for the awards and have a great weekend everyone!

Blusherine

Milky Pink Lipstick Comparison

2011-02-01T09:04:00.008+01:00

Hi everyone!

Since I seem to fall for the same kind of pinks over and over again and because some of you wanted a swatch comparison I decided to open my pink lipstick drawer yesterday and swatch my milky pink lipsticks:

My three favorite are definitely the first three shades, MAC Angel, MAC Lazy Day and Benefit Mod Squad.

I don't really like the consistency of Yves Saint Laurent's Rouge Volupté's no. 1, if any of you wants it, I am willing to give it away for half the retail price, it has 98% product left. Send me an e-mail if you're interested: blusherine@gmail.com

Rimmel's Airy Fairy is much hyped but on my lips it doesn't really show up that much! It is slightly darker, warmer and more golden than the other shades.

Anyhow, hope this helps!

Have a great day!
Blusherine

MAC Angel Lipstick

2011-01-31T12:09:00.012+01:00

My lips of the day are MAC Angel.

Angel is one of MAC's bestselling shades and it's one of the most buzzed-about MAC lipsticks in the beauty community. When I first swatched it on my hand about a year ago I thought, no way, this is too bubblegummy. But everyone kept talking about it and when MAC launched To the Beach and I loved Lazy Day so much, I realized I needed this too (if there is ever such thing as needing a lipstick...).

Angel is a shade that I would call a "milky pink", along the lines of Rimmel's Airy Fairy, YSL's Rouge Volupté no. 1 or Benefit's Mod Squad. Maybe I should do a comparsion swatch to see how they differ.

*edit: find comparison swatch here.

MAC classifies Angel as a frost, but it's not your typical frost, it's very creamy and just... well, not frosty.

If you have missed MAC Lazy Day from the To the Beach Collection, this is a good dupe!

Have a great day!
Blusherine

TAG: Makeup by my Hubby :o))

2011-01-28T12:02:00.009+01:00

A real artist's work today! :o))

Cosabeauty created the tag "Makeup by my Hubby" and when I read that I thought, my boyfriend would NEVER EVER agree to do my makeup, not in a million years.

But then I remembered that in 2009 my boyfriend did actually do my makeup once - to make me shut up - because I was whining about how I couldn't figure out how to do a real dark smoky eye. He was fed up with my mood and just took the brush himself.

Aside from the blending and the missing color in the center it's actually not too bad, is it :o))

Products used:
(probably my 88 palette so that he can't ruin anything)

I think I did put on the mascara myself, I didn't want to be poked in the eye... :o)

Now are you ready to see my lips?

Art can sometimes leave you speechless!!!

I am tagging everyone who can get their boyfriend to do their makeup on them!
And if you can, let me know!!

xoxo
Blusherine

Gosh, I never thought these pictures would end up here...

Rimmel Sweetie Lipstick

2011-01-28T09:36:00.006+01:00

Lips of the Day:

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in shade Sweetie.

I feel like wearing vivid colors on my lips lately, must be because it's January and I feel like everyone is sinking into a winter depression. Vienna is covered with high fog all winter long, which can really get to you after a couple of months. I think we all need a vacation at the beach!

Anyway, Sweetie is a fuchsia color, very creamy with a sheen.

Project 10 Pan - Never Again!

2011-01-28T08:43:00.007+01:00

Where shall I begin...

I finished Project 10 Pan/Kill your Cosmetics and I know little but I know one thing:

this is not for me!

I vowed to not buy anything new before I finished 10 specified products from my stash but honestly, I have bought a gazillion things...

I am too much of an impulsive makeup and cosmetics user for it to work, I wake up in the morning and use whatever I feel like that day. I first pick out my clothes according to my mood and then the makeup goes from there. It was soooo hard to keep using the same things over and over again to use them up.

The hardest one was the lipgloss, I am telling you!

Anyway, this was the original picture with all the "candidates":

The Body Shop Grape Seed Dry Oil Mist
The Body Shop Peppermint Cooling Foot Spray
The Body Shop Of a Woman Lait de Parfum
L' Occitane Comfort Cleansing Fluid
Vichy Capital Soleil Autobronzant
Jade FeuchtigkeitsMake-Up in 1 Hell Beige
Essence Multi-Vitamin Nail Hardener
Essence SOS Nail Savers Nail & Cuticle Balm
OPI Tutti Frutti Tonga
L' Oréal Glam Shine in 06 Sand Crystal

I actually used up everything last year already, but I never felt like posting my defeat... :-)

But it wouldn't be me if I didn't think:

well well, now I have some other stuff sitting on my shelf that really needs to be used up...

maybe...

I'll spare you the details!

Blusherine