Essence I ♥ stage eyeshadow base

About a month ago I picked up the Essence I ♥ stage eyeshadow base because I'd never tried an eye primer (I know, I know) and I wanted to try one without spending too much money. In fact, 99% of Essence products cost less than €5, so it's the perfect brand for make-up newbies! I think one of my first ever lipsticks was from Essence.. but that's another story. 

The Essence I ♥ stage eyeshadow base looks pretty much like a concealer, in that it comes with a doe foot applicator and it has a skintone colour, with a rather yellow undertone. It has a good consistency and it's easy to blend. A little goes a long way, too: I only need two small drops to cover the entire eyelid. Apart from making the eyeshadow colour be more vibrant -which is always a plus- it prevents the eyeshadows from creasing, which is what I was looking for! I usually wear eyeshadow for not longer than 5-6 hours, but this product definitely prolongs the wear of any eyeshadow I'm wearing on top. All this at a ridiculously inexpensive price - only €2,49!

What are your thoughts on the Essence I ♥ stage eyeshadow base? Have you ever tried anything from Essence? 

My top picks from Sheinside

♥ White lace dress

♥ Floral cami

♥ Yellow lace shorts

♥ Pink shirt

♥ Denim hearts shorts

♥ Light blue dungarees
♥ Blue sweater
♥ Pink sunflower shorts
♥ Denim polka dot dress

I believe you all already know Sheinside as it's a super popular online clothing shop. I was wandering through the hundreds of pages on the website and I found some cute pieces that I wanted to share with you! I feel like Sheinside's choice of clothing is much more near to my style than lots of online clothing stores that everybody is raving about now. Sheinside offer much more girly, feminine and unique clothing at reasonable prices, which is rare nowadays! Moreover, they have free international shipping - my heart skipped a beat when I read those three words, haha :) 

Which of the two sets do you like best? What are your favourite picks from Sheinside?

Bionike Defence Sun SPF 50+

For most people, Summer means the beach, holiday, having fun. For me, Summer equals sunscreen. I have always had very pale skin, but of course I didn't care when I was younger, and happily sunbathed in the sun for hours. Now that I'm a bit older, I much prefer having pale skin rather than being tanned now, but having wrinkles and dark spots in a few years. To keep my skin elastic and protected from the sun -and to prevent my acne scars from becoming permanent- I have to use sunscreen. 

This summer I chose Bionike Defence Sun SPF 50+ on recommendation of my dermatologist. I put it to the test and took it with me on a family vacation in sunny Sicily and hey - this thing really does its job. While my body, on which I applied SPF 30, gradually tanned a bit, my face, on which I applied the Bionike Defence Sun SPF 50+ remained as white as the first day. So now that I'm back home I'm left with a face and neck that are a few shades lighter than the rest of my body, but that's another story. I like this product because I can see it protects my skin in an effective way, but what I dislike about it is its consistency. As many other sunscreens, it's white and goopy and unless you only apply a teeny tiny amount, you'll be left with a sticky face. And that is not the most pleasant feeling when you're under the sun with 40 degrees outside! Thank God they invented hats. Moreover, it's non-comedogenic, so it hasn't clogged my pores too much.

I don't think I'll repurchase it in the future simply because I'd like to try something new, but it's a very good product with a little price (I only paid €14 for it).

My life in photos #4

Homemade strawberry tiramisu, a box full of goodies from the US, my favourite magazine, a beautiful poppy, going to a uni meeting, rice with boiled eggs, peas and tuna, flowers from my high school graduation, my best friend during summer, my all time favourite perfume

Instagram: francivusk

NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss in Beige

After reading so many rave reviews about the NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss in Beige, I decided to finally try it and asked for it in a swap with a girl from the US. First of all, why is this called Beige? It's not beige at all, it's more like a mauvy pink shade without shimmer. All NYX Mega Shine Lipglosses come in a very simple yet pretty packaging and a doe foot applicator, which I find handy enough to distribute the product evenly on my lips. 

I have quite mixed feelings about this lipgloss! First of all, I don't think the shades suits me very much, as it has blue undertones and I feel like they clash with my skintone. It's a very pigmented lipgloss, but it settles into the little lines on my lips from the first coat. It also has a very strong scent of cherries which annoys me a bit -I wish all my make-up smelt like MAC lipsticks!-, but it doesn't linger on my lips for long. On a positive note, it's not a sticky lipgloss, and it has a small price. 

I really wanted to like this gloss, but I don't find myself wearing it very often. If pinks with blue undertone suit you though, I suggest you check it out!