Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer

After hearing a countless number of blogger talking about this products and realizing that my MAC Studio Finish was not the right choice for my eye area, I decided to get the infamous Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer in the shade Light. 

The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer comes in a slim tube packaging with a domed sponge attached to the top, through which the products comes out. I don't find it particularly hygienic, but I only use this concealer over my dark circles so I don't mind too much. As for the product itself, it has a light, creamy texture that is easy to blend out. It has a light to medium coverage, so it manages to cover up my dark circles and brighten my eye area while still looking natural and letting a bit of my skin show through. 

If I apply the right amount, it won't set in my fine lines and it will stay there all day. I really like this concealer, I think it's one of the best under-eye products I have ever tried.. and for under 10 euros I guess you can't go wrong! 

Have you ever tried this product? What is the best under-eye concealer in your opinion?

Things I'm loving at the moment

The purpose of this blog is sharing what I love with you, and there are times when all I can think about has nothing to do with make-up! ;)

I am absolutely obsessed with Pinterest right now. I opened my account years ago when nobody used it and kind of forgot about it; last week I downloaded the app on my iPhone and now I can't stop scrolling! The amount of interesting things I found there is just insane. Some of my favourite Pinteresters (?) are Griottes, Twigs & Honey (my dream is to marry in one of their dresses) and Raising Up Rubies. You can find my boards here :)

I am in a serious DIY kick right now, which is not exactly ideal as it's so time consuming and I have exams coming up! Since I came back in December I have completed a little embroidery work you can see in the photo above, and I have started experimenting with calligraphy. I definitely want to get better at it - if you just type 'calligraphy' on Etsy, some seriously talented people's shops will show up!  

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon Oana Befort's website and the artsy side of me could not help but grab a brush and a set of watercolour paints and start experimenting! If anything pretty ever turns out, I will definitely update you about it :)

Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring 2014. Honestly. Too much beauty. And Valentino, too.. it truly amazes me that there are people that are still able to actually sew and embroider masterpieces like these.

What about you? What are you obsessed with at the moment? 

Essence 'I Love Extreme' mascara

About three months I was induced to buy the Essence I Love Extreme Volume Mascara, partially because every single girl on the planet loves it and partially because of it price - it's only 3,50 euros or something ridiculous like that. I also badly needed a new mascara, and I think those were the only three sensible reasons why I chose this product, as I don't particularly like the applicator, but I decided to give it a shot anyway.

As you can tell from the photos, the Essence I Love Extreme Volume Mascara has a huge plastic wand with lots and lots of bristles, to which you have to get used to, as it's quite easy to get smudges on your upper lashline if you don't pay enough attention. It definitely lives up to its claim, giving a lot of volume to the lashes; I also manage to give them some extra length by building the mascara up only on the ends. I'm not one to apply more than 2 coats of mascara, but I guess you could get an extremely voluminous set of lashes by building this mascara up!

Anyway, the formula is quite dry and I have to be super careful not to get clumps when using it. It wears nicely throughout the day, but I find that it smears on my lower outer corners just a tiny bit - nothing too noticeable. 

I would recommend the Essence I Love Extreme Volume Mascara if you are on a budget and you feel comfortable with big applicators - maybe this is not the best product for beginners. I won't be repurchasing it just because I think there are so many other mascaras on the market and I'm not completely satisfied with this one!

Have you ever tried it? What do you think about it?

Too Faced 'A few of my favorite things'

I don't know why I have been putting off writing this post for so long, maybe because the beauty I'm talking about -the Too Faced 'A Few of My Favorite Things' palette- was limited edition and you can't get it in stores anymore. As soon as I was done with my exams last month, I went on a shopping spree and this gorgeous thing was included! Even though you can only get it on Ebay for an insane amount of money, I am going to dedicate this post to this awesome palette just for the sake of sharing something beautiful with you ♥

The Too Faced 'A few of my favorite things' palette comes in a lovely pouch which chevron pattern recalls the packaging of the palette itself. I think the prettiness of the pink and gold combo was what drew me into the purchase! Inside the pouch you find a mini Better than Sex mascara and a full sized Lip Injection Color Bomb.
The star of the show, though, definitely is the palette. It comes with 20 eyeshadows, 2 blushes and 2 bronzers. The eyeshadows come in different finishes, from matte to satin to glitter. I had never tried any eyeshadow from the brand before and their quality literally blew me away! They all feel soft as butter and are extremely pigmented, except two glitter ones (1st on 1st row, 4th on 1st row) that feel a little gritty. As for the color range, it has a little bit of everything: lots of "not boring" neutrals (see Coquet, the most beautiful iridescent light pink), the most stunning golden shades I have ever tried (Tinsel, Crisp Apple Strudel), a gorgeous orchid colour, an oxblood colour, a green.. it basically has every single shade you could ever need to create a daytime and an evening look.

In the lower part of the palette you can find Raindrops on Roses, a very bright pink shade of blush which will be perfect in the warmer months, and Melt into Spring, a muted down peachy pink colour. Next to the blushes are the infamous Chocolate Soleil bronzer (it actually smells like chocolate and it looks great even on my Snow White skin) and Sun Bunny, a shimmery bronzer which gives a very pretty glow to the skin.

I cannot say more about this palette other than "I am in love with it"! Did you manage to get your hands on it? If not, would you ever have the guts to purchase it for three times its price on eBay? ;)

Coconut Oil: 5 Beauty Treatments

I have started including Coconut oil in my beauty routine a few months ago and I've been experimenting a few different ways to make the most out of that giant tub you can see in the photo above! 

♥ Hair Mask
The most common way to use Coconut oil is as a hair mask. Coconut oil comes in solid form and melts at 25°, so you have to melt it in your microwave beforehand. I usually melt a spoonful or two and then apply it generously on my hair until every strand is covered; I let the oil sink in for as long as I can and then I proceed to wash my hair. Coconut oil makes them incredibly soft and hydrated - it makes them smell lovely too! Clearly, this hair mask is only suited for damaged and dry hair types. :)

♥ Lip scrub
Whenever I feel like my lips are in need of a good scrub, I melt a teaspoon of Coconut oil and mix it with half a teaspoon of sugar in a little container. I then apply the mixture onto my lips and rub it gently; not only my lips will feel softer from the scrubbing, but also perfectly hydrated from the oil. I always do this when I want my lipstick to look perfect!

♥ Lip balm
I depotted a small quantity of oil in a tiny glass jar and I keep it on my bedside table at all times, so that every evening I apply some as a lipbalm. It's amazing how Coconut oil manages to hydrate my lips!

♥ Eye Make-up Remover

Coconut oil can be used as a make-up remover, too (extra-virgin olive oil works as well). I have only tried using it on my eyes even though I know lots of girls love to use it on their face - I bet it would work wonders as a moisturizer for dry skintypes! Anyway, it removes mascara perfectly well, but I found that it made my eye area slightly red, so I stopped using it for that purpose. I have a quite sensitive eye area anyways, so I advise you to try it and see how it works for you! 

♥ Cuticle oil

Everytime my cuticles and nails feel slightly dry, I reach out for that little glass jar I have mentioned before and apply some Coconut oil on them. Sometimes my knuckles get quite dry during this time of the year, so I generally put some on there while I'm at it ;) 

As you can tell, Coconut oil truly is an all-purpose product. It can be used as an emollient all over the body and for cooking too, of course! There are hundreds of yummy recipes including it that I can't wait to try :) 

Do you know any other use for Coconut oil? Have you ever tried it?