Make-up storage tips

My make-up collection is not big at all comparing to some you can find on Youtube videos, where girls show their make-up room, but it's not as small that I can fit it all in a make-up bag. I think I have found a pretty inexpensive way to keep my make-up in place and I wanted to share it with you! 

My favourite way to store my make-up is using acrylic tea bags organizers like this one: I just remove the lid so that I'm left with a nice 'open' box with different compartments. There are plenty of wooden tea bag organizers, but I find that clear acrylic ones are better because you find the product that you are looking for more easily. Eyeliners, mascaras, lipsticks and even foundations and tiny palettes fit perfectly in this type of boxes! I managed to store 10 lip products in just one compartment, which  makes this kind of solution much more convenient than using a lipstick holder in my opinion. 

In my latest trip to IKEA I have found something similar to a tea bag box - it's called Krus and it's a cookie holder thingy. It comes with two dividers and you can choose whether to use one or both, which is great! For some reason I can only find it in the Italian IKEA website, but I bet it's available in other countries too :)

How do you like to store your make-up?   

My empties #3

Here I am again with another empties post! There's no feeling like finishing up a beauty product - I feel like I have accomplished something! Haha :)

The first empty product is a huge bottle of the Batiste Dry Shampoo in the original scent, which I had bought back in February (!). Thankfully, my hair doesn't get oily easily, so I only use dry shampoo once a week or even less - that's why this bottle lasted me so long. Batiste dry shampoos are considered the best in the field by many beauty bloggers, and for a reason. They come in heaps of different scents, they don't leave a white cast on the hair and they provide instant volume to the roots. I liked it so much that I have already repurchased a bottle of it! Another product I really want to purchase again is the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth cleanser, but I can't get it in stores here and it's a bit too expensive for me to order it online at the moment. It's the most gentle and efficient make-up remover ever, I loved it! It has a thick cream consistency which removes even the most waterproof mascara without stinging or hurting the eye in any way. It has a very pleasant herbal scent too, which is always a plus. Is there any place that I can get it for less?

The following two products were so-and-so. I've been using the Garnier Fructis Oleo Repair 3 shampoo and conditioner for the past two months now, and I didn't like them that much. They apparently contain Olive, Avocado and Karité oil and are supposed to help with dry or damaged hair. They definitely left my hair feeling soft and shiny, but it didn't quite look alright. Also, it got in my eyes by mistake twice and it hurt like hell! The first time I couldn't open my eyes for half an hour. Crazy!

The next product is a hair product as well, an heat protecting spray to be exact. The Avon Advance Techniques Protect It! Heat Protector didn't blow me away - the only thing I really liked about it was the smell! It was quite 'professional' and hair salon-like, haha!

I also finished up two nail related products: a Rimmel Nail Polish Remover in the Nourishing formula and an Essence Express Dry Spray. Two "meh" products, again - the first one did its job (without nourishing, though), and the second one kinda did what it claimed to do! I don't think I'll repurchase these, just because there are so many similar products on the market that I want to try.

Lastly, I finished up a packet of L'Oréal Triple Active make-up removing wipes for all skin types. These are definitely some of the best ones I've ever tried! They do a great job at removing 99% of my eye and face make-up without burning like some cleansing wipes can do. The only downside to these is that they are quite expensive compared to others, retailing for about €4. I would definitely repurchase these nonetheless!

In a golden cage

Fine Belt Mesh Dress*

You can't call yourself a fashion blogger if you don't own it - ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about the infamous cage dress! Lots of online shopping websites stock it, but I got mine from Choies. As always with Asian based-websites, you need to be extra careful with sizes because they tend to run small. I got my dress in a size M, but it's still a little too short, so I will probably tuck it into some jeans and wear it as a top. Anyway, I love dresses with interesting upper bits like this one - I think they can make a great evening outfit paired with bold lips and simple accessories. I'm sporting neither of those in the photos, but you get the idea! I have a few events coming up and I think I may wear my cage dress as a top and pair it with a ponytail and a bright fucshia lipstick :) 

What do you think about it? Is it a bit too risqué? ;)

Essie Mint Candy Apple

I know that Summer is long gone now, but I feel like Essie Mint Candy Apple is such a cult nail polish that it's acceptable to blog about it even during Fall! 

Mint Candy Apple is a pastel light blue shade with a green hue, similar to the colour of a Tiffany box but a bit lighter than that. When I bought it, I was originally looking for something way lighter than it (more like & Other Stories Moire Green), but I ended up liking it a lot anyway. As all the Essie nail polishes I have tried so far, Mint Candy Apple has a very nice formula: it's creamy and it applies smoothly without streaks, which I think is due to the fact that the brush is quite wide. It's perfectly opaque in two coats and it doesn't chip easily - you can't notice much tip wear before the 5th or 6th day of wearing it.

The only thing I have to complain about this nail polish is the price - here in Italy Essie nail polishes retail for almost €14, which is insanely expensive! To think that in the US they retail for $8.. I want to move to America!

Do you own Mint Candy Apple? What do you think about Essie nail polishes?

Quick reviews #1

For today's post, I decided to write short reviews for three products that, in my opinion, don't deserve a post all for themselves - they aren't necessarily bad products, there simply isn't enough to write about them!

I usually do single posts about nail polishes I like, but since this Dior Gold Nail Lacquer #148 was part of a limited collection and you can't purchase it anymore, I felt like there was no point in writing about a product that is so hard to get hold of. Anyway, I got this nail polish in a swap through Depop (it's an iPhone app that is kinda like eBay), hence the fact that it has no cap. I wonder if I can purchase one somewhere.. anyway, back to the nail polish. It's a gorgeous yellow gold shade with a foil finish, which I love! It's actually very similar to one of my favourite H&M nail polishes, 'Golden Treasure'. The Dior one applies like a dream and it's opaque in one coat, it's actually one of the best formulas I've ever tried.

As you can see from the half-empty bottle, I've been using the Nivea Daily Essentials Double Effect Eye Make-up Remover for a while now and I like it so and so. It's a two-phase cleanser with an oil phase (the blue part) and an aqueous one. What I don't really like about this product is that when you shake the bottle to mix the two parts of the cleanser, you have to be really fast to pour it on the cotton wool otherwise they will separate again and you'll have to shake the bottle again. In fact, you can see that there's more oil than water left in my bottle, so I will be soon left with the oil part only. It removes my eye make-up pretty well, but I don't think I'm going to repurchase it straight away because I would like to try something else.

The third product I will be mentioning today is the Maybelline The Rocket Volum'Express mascara, which I've been using since June. This mascara has really started working for me only a month after I opened it - does this ever happen to you too? I understand that it has to dry up a bit, but it cannot take a whole month! I originally tried this mascara because everybody was crazy about it, but for me it's not a revolutionary mascara. I'm actually starting to think that I liked my Avon Supershock better! What do you think about Maybelline The Rocket? 

My life in photos #5

A few photos from my trip to Sicily (cannoli, the beach, granitas, oleander flowers, OOTD, myself being happy in Taormina, Cefalù, Taormina again) + the view from my grandma's house :)

Instagram: francivusk

Prom dress inspiration with DressFirst

Where I live there is no such thing as prom, and God knows how many times I wished there was whenever I was watching a teen movie! Even though it's not prom season yet, I think it's never too early to start searching for prom dresses inspiration :)

1, 2, 3

DressFirst offers a huge selection of prom, wedding, cocktail, evening dresses and so on - they basically cover every formal occasion you can ever imagine. Short dresses, long dresses, rhinestone-embellished ones; taffeta, organza, chiffon... they really have it all! If only I had some extra money to splurge, I would probably get one of those dresses to wear around the house when I want to feel like a princess ;)

1, 2, 3

I think the best thing about DressFirst is that every dress is customizable - if you like the shape and the fabric of the dress but you don't think its colour would suit you, you can change it choosing from a wide range of shades. Oh wait, that's actually not the best thing about DressFirst - it's the fact that 99% of the dresses available are under $200, which I think is amazing! Their shipping rates are also quite cheap, and you can choose between a fast, standard or 'super saving' service. Another good thing about DressFirst is that every dress is pictured in multiple photos and from different angles, so you know how each part of the dress is made. Moreover, in all the pages you can find all the details about the silhouette, neckline and embellishments of dress you are currently viewing if you just scroll down the page. 

If I were to go to prom -or any special event, really- I would definitely choose something similar to one of the dresses in the photos above. As you can see, they all have almost the same shape: a tight, embellished corset with a flowy chiffon gown. I think it's the kind of dress that suits me the most, but of course you can find many other types on DressFirst just by clicking over the 'Special Occasion Dresses' tab. 

Next time you are looking for inspiration for formal dresses, I suggest you take a look at DressFirst :) What are your favourite dresses from their website?

* Sponsored post

My MAC quad

I have finally managed to get a MAC quad to put my four little babies in -they've been out of stock on the MAC website for months-, so  now I can show you my MAC eyeshadows! I only have four because I don't have a MAC store near me (yet) so I got them all online and I went for shades that I felt safe with. I use these shades whenever I need to create a light daytime look, and I like the fact that I can mix and match all of them to achieve a pretty neutral look. 

Honeylust is a peachy golden shade with rather chunky glitters in it. I don't notice much fallout when using this eyeshadow, but I like to use it in conjunction with a primer to make it adhere to my eyelid better. Texture-wise, it's a bit gritty and not as soft as the other eyeshadows in my palette, probably because of the glitter. Ricepaper is a light shimmery beige that is the perfect to apply all over the lid. Is it just me, or this particular shade tends to crease, even with primer? I do really like it anyway, I wear it all the time! The infamous All that glitters is a beautiful rose gold shade; it's quite pigmented and I find it's the one of the prettiest, most effortless everyday eyeshadows ever. Era is a very soft light brown shade with a slight shimmer that I like to wear all over the lid or just in the crease to give the eye some definition, but it can be also used as a transition shade. Both All that glitters and Era have a buttery soft texture which makes eyeshadow application easy-peasy!      

What are your favourite MAC eyeshadows? Which other ones do you think I should get? :)

Mng Cut Perfume by Antonio Puig for women

Sometimes finding a nice, lightweight perfume to wear in the daytime can be tricky – the choice is so wide! Have you ever smelled Mng Cut by Antonio Puig? It is a perfume for women released by the Spanish fashion brand Mango back in 2002. Mng Cut is a clean, refreshing scent with notes of neroli, mandarin, lotus, black locust, musk and jasmine. Its floral and fruity blend really makes it a perfect daytime wear perfume, great for every season.

Iconemesis iPhone case giveaway

Finding a pretty, high quality iPhone case can be hard. Have you ever heard of Iconemesis.co.uk? They have such a nice selection of covers for iPhone 4, 4s and 5! My favourite cases are the Coffee Collection, Floral Print, Pink Floral and Teacup by Fifi Lapin. You have the chance to win your own iPhone 4, 4s or 5 case by entering the Rafflecopter form :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

KIKO DOES CUSTOMIZABLE PALETTES!

I might be hyperventilating. I just saw the KIKO Milano Facebook page publish this and I thought, I have to blog about this. Looks like they are finally doing customizable palettes like MAC and Inglot! They are called KIKO Infinity eyeshadows, while the palette system is called [CLICS] System™. The KIKO Infinity and Infinity+ eyeshadows are supposed to have high pigmentation and a lasting power of 12 hours. As you can see in the photo, we will be able to have singles, quads, trios and huge 24-pans palettes, for super affordable prices! Something like this was definitely much needed - I finally won't have to depot my Kiko eyeshadows in old CD cases! Stay tuned for more info and reviews about the KIKO Infinity and Infinity+ eyeshadow system :)

For those of you who don't know KIKO, it's probably the best Italian drugstore make-up brand. They have an online shop too - I definitely suggest you check it out!