Catrice Ultimate Colour lipstick 210 Pinkadilly Circus

I picked this up in Berlin, as it was a pretty color and comfortable price (€3,49, I think? Definitely less than €4,00), and I figured even if it didn't end up working out, I could still get a post out of it. Happily, it's been a raging success!

Yes, I used it before I photographed it. You didn't expect

me to wait 2 weeks to get home before wearing it, right?!

Manicure Monday

Finally, nail polish! On my fingers! Aaaah. It's nice to be back.

First up, Zoya Godiva, purchased when they had free shipping and waiting for me when I got home. Yippee! Unlike Miranda, I preferred Godiva without top coat. I actually liked it best at one coat, when it was sparkly and not too nude, but I didn't photograph it then. You'll just have to wait until I wear it again! It was quite opaque; I used 2 coats, and it's a bit too nude for my taste, but the silver sparkle helps. Very, very sparkly. It's fun!

Without and with top coat, respectively.

Fragrance Friday

I haven't gotten any new perfumes in awhile (though I have some new Solstice Scents headed my way!), so I figured I would talk about non-perfume fragrance today. Namely, a candle. Namely namely, this candle:

via Candle Delirium

I have a thing for fig candles, you see. I'm not crazy about it as perfume (Diptyque Philosykos continues to not make sense on my skin, every few months when I decide to try it again), but as a home scent? Hells yes. I love the creamy fruitiness of it, and how that's offset by a woodsy base and complemented by subtle leafiness. I got a mini Pacifica Mediterranean Fig candle a few months ago, which was great, but the throw was pretty mild, so as a pre-finals preemptive stress reliever, I ordered the Voluspa Maison Rouge Figue de Bordeaux, one of two fig scents they make (the other is in the Maison Noir line), from Nordstrom. It's a two-wick candle that burns approx 50 hours, though I have long since lost track of how long I've burned it so I can't actually attest to whether that's true. The packaging is gorgeous, but my favorite part is, of course, the scent: it's a creamy fig with a bit of coconut, lighter on the green than others I've smelled, and it scents the whole house when I burn it (and our house is not small, which helps explain why 3 generations can live in it without killing each other). Basically, I'm enamored with it, and I have a big long list of Voluspas I want to try, including Black Figue & Chypre, and a couple ambery ones, and some white florals, and...yeah.
$16 for 11 oz, available from Nordstrom and Candle Delirium (the latter of which also has 3 oz votives for $9 that burn 25 hours, but I don't think the throw would be as nice on those; larger sizes are available from both retailers as well)

Have you tried any Voluspa candles? How do you feel about fig scents?

LUSH Vanilla Puff Powder Review

I purchased this in New York after reading a post on The Non-Blonde about how she likes to use powders in the summer to keep herself fresh as a daisy. Knowing I was going to a hot and humid land (though not nearly as humid as NYC, contrary to what anyone might tell you), I decided to pick up a jar of LUSH Vanilla Puff Powder and give it a try.

via LUSH

Merhaba!

Hi! Remember me? I used to post on here about beauty things. It's okay if you don't; it's been a long time. I was traveling through Turkey, and Berlin (which is nearly part of Turkey, given the large number of Turks who live there), and then Turkey again for the past month. I got home a couple days ago, but between jet lag and needing to do other things, I haven't had the chance to do anything for y'all. Until now!

I bought a lot of stuff when I was abroad. You'll be surprised to learn it's mostly lippies and nail polish (/sarcasm). I'll have full reviews of everything eventually, but I also have a huge backlog of stuff I got before my trip, so...it may take awhile! Here's what you have to look forward to; if there's anything you're particularly interested in, let me know in the comments and I'll prioritize it!

Left to right, top row:
LUSH Vanilla Puff Dusting Powder
Nails Inc. Baker Street*
A butt ton of nail polishes, which I will name/review in Manicure Mondays to come (yeah, weekly features are making a comeback, y'all!)

Left to right, bottom row:
Benefit Watt's Up? Mini**
Golden Rose Perfect Shine Lipstick 239

Catrice Defining Blush 040 Think Pink

p2 Perfect Look Kajal 090 Turquoise

BeYu Care and Shine Gloss Stick 80

Manhattan Colour Splash Liquid Lip Tint in 94R Red Tulip

Catrice Ultimate Colour lipstick 210 Pinkadilly Circus

ARTDECO Perfect Color 82
La Roche-Posay Anthelios 50 Fluid

*Birthday gift from Z
**Birthday gift from Sephora

Guest Post: Manicure Monday

Hey, y'all. Long time no see! I'm having a blast in Turkey and Berlin (particularly today, as it is my birthday!!), hence the total dereliction of my blogging duties. Today's post is brought to you by one of my dear friends Z, a talented artist, hilarious storyteller, and all-around great person. Enjoy!

Happy Manicure Monday!  I'm one of Amy's college friends.  I don't wear a lot of makeup but I do share Amy's passion for nail polish.  I usually prefer cremes, which is why the manicure I'm about to endorse is such an unusual choice for me.

I have creme polishes in a range of colors, but my favorites are deep nudes and dusty pinks.  Thus it makes sense that when I branch out into something more shiny, I go for colors that harmonize with my skin tone.  Sally Hansen Firefly fits the bill.  It's a gorgeously restrained duochrome that shifts subtly from rose to light olive-gold, hitting different notes of copper on the way.  I thought Firefly would be too warm for my coloring but it worked surprisingly well on me.

I love nail polish because I love color - every time I go to the drugstore I get sidetracked by the nail polish displays.  I had been eyeing Essie Stroke of Brilliance since it first came out:  the combination of a calm periwinkle-gray hue and a bold sparkly texture immediately stood out to me.

This morning the magic happened - two coats of Firefly followed by a coat of S.O.B. (heh) and an additional layer of clear topcoat.  I had to dab extra sparkles on a goodly number of nails, but I can imagine a more laid-back person not needing to do this.  My nails were drying for a long time, but it was so worth it.  I love the contrast of the colors up close and the sparkly lilac effect they create from a distance.  It's a perfect "I'm-on-vacation" manicure, full of bright light and texture.

Awesome, right? Now I need to get my hands on Firefly, stat. What are your favorite unexpected color combinations?

Sunscreen Saturday: Boscia Self-Defense Vital Antioxidant Moisture SPF 30

The last of my little sunscreen samples that are here in Turkey with me! Also, hi, sorry I've been utterly lax at posting––I've been writing rather massive posts for my other blog and haven't wanted to write for this blog, too. But don't worry! I still love you guys! And I'll be back with semi-interesting content at some point. For now, here are my thoughts on this sunscreen.

via Sephora

It's good stuff. It's very lightweight and liquidy, though not quite runny, and it absorbs quickly. It doesn't break me out nor contribute to oiliness and it plays well under makeup. I wish it had higher SPF (at 30, it's the lowest of the ones I brought with me), but it supposedly has antioxidants that are good for...something, though I always take those claims with a big heap of salt.

It's not particularly cheap, at $36 for 1.4 oz, but I will gladly use up my sample and put this on my list of sunscreens I'd be willing to purchase (on sale, natch). Available from Sephora!

Have you tried any Boscia sunscreens? How do you feel about grandiose skincare claims?

MAC Plumful Review and Swatches

After an emotional session with my therapist, I decided to indulge in some retail therapy. I was going to get a Dior lip gloss, but couldn't decide on a shade, and decided to wander over to the MAC counter to look for an MLBB lipstick. I did some swatching and settled on Plumful, a lustre lipstick. I was ecstatic at the reasonable-to-current-me $15 price tag (oh, how times have changed), and the sheer plummy pink was exactly the kind of color I was looking for.

What a Beauty Blogger Considers "Traveling Light"

Is probably not what normal people do. But hey! At least I didn't bring my complete collection.

It's going to be hot and humid everywhere I'll be, so I brought base products that hang around for dear life: MAC Matchmaster 1, Face Atelier Zero Minus (to add to Matchmaster so that it actually, y'know, matches my skin––I'll try to review this for reals at some point), Meow Sleek Siamese Flawless, Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer 1 Pink Porcelain, and Ben Nye Neutral Set.

clockwise from top right: Meow Sleek Siamese (in my own jar),
Ben Nye Neutral Set (ditto), Face Atelier Zero Minus, MAC
Matchmaster 1, MUFE Full Cover 1

Manicure Monday

I found these photos on my computer and realized I hadn't posted about this polish yet! The polish in question: Zoya Miranda Pixie Dust.

I picked up Miranda and Liberty at Ulta when I was in Salem, the former for myself and the latter for Amanda. I've been wanting more "traditional" nail shades, as pink is, but the unorthodox finish made it interesting enough to appeal to my novelty-seeking self. You're supposed to do thin coats on bare nails with no top coat, but I put on Deborah Lippmann Hard Rock as a base coat and it worked fine. I wore it without top coat the first day, shown below:

In the shade

In the sun

Ditto

All photos are two coats, letting dry a few minutes between layers.