Review - L'Oreal and Maybelline lipsticks

I was in a search of a good dark red lipstick lately so, now that I've found it, I can write something about it. Also, as I am, while I was buying one lipstick, the other one caught my eye so I have two reviews to write.

I'll start with the one I've been looking for so long. This is perfect dark red lipstick called Laetitia's pure red from Collection exclusive by Laetitia by L'Oreal Paris. There are more red colors in the collection so check them out. It is really long-lasting dark red lipstick with just a bit of brown effect once put on the lips. It is enough creamy to be easily put on the lips but not that creamy that you will have the feeling of having a lip gloss. Stating that it has a great coverage, one layer is more than enough. I would recommend you to buy a lip liner in the same color as the mistakes are really visible with this one. Another thing that I love is this perfectly designed container in matte black with few gold details.  It looks really elegant. It has standard roll-out procedure.

This lipstick costed me around $15. I would say this is a perfect price for the product you're getting.

I would highly recommend this lipstick! But, if you want it please hurry cause I heard that this collection is soon gonna be canceled. I'm buying the same tomorrow cause I'm so satisfied with it and I want to have it as long as I can.

Moving on to my new love... This is No. 342 Mauve mania by Maybelline New York. The collection is ColorSensational. I chose this one for everyday use since it's only few shades darker than my lips but still in the same tone. It's basically darker (not really dark) pink shade. Once put on the lips it has slightly purple tone, but the pink one is still dominant. It is creamier than the above one which should mean (I learned it like that) that it will not be as durable as the L'Oreal's one but I just had it for 5 hours and it was the same as when I put it on. I would say that's what you're looking in a lipstick. The color I expected was light pink but the lights in the store confused me and now I have this. I still love it, this just means I'll have to buy another one. I think I'll find another lighter one also by Maybelline NY since the formula and the price are great.

This lipstick costs around $9. Now, that's a perfect price for quality make-up. Coverage is great but, as I'm used to put more layers if I have light lipsticks, I put 2 layers and the color was amazing. Also, this one does not require lip liner.

If you're into something simple, do go and get yourself a new lipstick!

P.S. I do not own the photos below. I found them on the Internet but I thought they could help you see what you're getting.

My favorites: Eye make-up

When it comes to my eye make-up, I like to keep it simple. Eye pencil is most of the times my only partner, but I do have my favorites.

My first and most important choice is Long lasting eye pencil by Essence. This shade is 01 Black Fever. For me, there is only one color made to be on the eyes and that is black. It suits me the best so I found this eye pencil perfect. It really is long lasting. It has thin pencil inside which enables me to draw straight and smooth lines around my eyes. It can't be removed with only water, but it does smudge a bit if you're sweating or in the rain, etc. It has a great roll-out system so you do not have to sharpen it like the old style pencils. Because it has a really great coverage, you need to put only small amount of it, just one layer. With that in mind, and the fact that it's really long pencil, this item could last you really long time. The price of this amazing product is only around $2. This is the best investment in my eye make-up collection I ever made. It also comes in different colors so definitely check it out. There are also a lot of products similar to this one by Essence so check it out which one suits you the best.

My next favorite product is gel eyeliner, also by Essence. This shade in particular it 01 Midnight in Paris. The only thing you need to worry about this product is the fact you'll need a perfect brush to apply it. I use gel eyeliner brush by Essence. This eyeliner is an amazing product. It is really intense, the coverage is perfect every time, the gel is waterproof. If you're looking for an eyeliner, these are what you're looking for. It comes in the cutest little round container and it is so practical. One more thing about it. If you buy a brush made for gel eyeliners (the brush should be harder than those for e.g. eyeshadow and narrower to the tip) you can just dab it in the gel once and that will be enough color for the whole eye. You don't need to scratch on the surface with it. Gel is about $4.

P.S. This isn't my eye. I'm just showing you the coverage.

Now, this is not really my favorite (only the top two products are), but I also love it. If you're more a smokey-eyes kinda girl, there is I love glam powder eyeliner and eyeshadow. It doesn't say which color this is (black of course, but the exact name isn't written) so I guess there's only black one. Great thing about this is that it leaves a darker line in the middle and smudges the edges. You basically get eye pencil, eyeliner and eyeshadow in one product. However, this is a bit trickier to work with as it has dust and little glitter in it so you have to be careful how you put it on. Besides that, application is really easy, maybe even easier than with any of the above products. When I put it on, I like to blow at it from all the sides just to be sure all extra dust is gone. As for the items above, this one also lasts a long time since you only need a small amount to make a line. However, this one is not proven to be waterproof. So be careful with it.

Light purple with rainbow rhinestones

Diagonal manicures are one of my favorites. They are really easy to do but they look different and, that being said, very unique and great.

You'll need:

• base coat
• light purple nail polish
• darker nail polish with a striper
• colorful rhinestones
• top coat
• optional - nail glue

• First goes the transparent base coat.
• After the base is dried, we're going in with light purple from one corner of the nail diagonally to the other corner. To make it more precise you can make a line with a pen or pencil and then cover it with nail polish. Do not stress if the line is not perfectly straight.
• Pick some nails you want to put rhinestones on.
• To disguise a rough edge, we'll cover it with darker nail polish. Straight line is made with a striper in the polish or a thin brush. It goes on all other nails but those previously picked out.
• Choose whichever rhinestones you think go together and start placing them either on wet top coat or on nail glue.
• Seal it with top coat. Or don't. Mine don't have top coat.

I used:

• base coat: protecting base coat by Essence
• light purple nail polish: No. 59 Silver me by MaxFactor (there is no "Silver me" any more but it should be similar to No. 30 Chilled Lilac)
• dark purple striper: No. 11 grape-metallic rocks! by Essence (I couldn't find it in Essence's page but this is what are you looking for)
• top coat: sealing top coat by Essence

Winter incoming

As we are currently struggling with the weather change and it is getting colder, it's time to bring warmer clothes in our closets. Better prepare in time.

Who says black is for the winter? This is adorable light combination perfectly cozy and warm for fall/winter days.

I think I started it with this beautiful white knitted sweater (which are usually the best for cold days). Since I went for this lighter look, I had to choose beige jeans (white ones would be too much for my taste).

With all this in mind, black accessories would be to much so I went with big beige bag and beige gloves. The hat is white so the person wouldn't feel like wearing a beige uniform.

Timberlands (fake or not) are just perfect footwear for cold weather. These are great because of their neutral color and white fur (hopefully fake) to round the whole look.

I only chose a necklace as jewelry. It is slightly yellow to match both the light tone and shoes.

Make-up is really natural and light, with highlight on the eyes and golden nails.

This outfit has a grey tone. Gray is a great color as it can be combined with almost everything (as white and black).

There are some simple blue jeans which are great base for any outfit. Next on, I added, again, knitted sweater with white and pink details to break the monotony. Fitted gray coat is just a perfect round-up of the whole upper part.

As there are, for now, only white, pink and gray colors there, I chose accessories in the same style. There is white knitted scarf, gray knitted hat and gloves.

Now, again to break the gray part, there are two black leather (fake if possible), very important pieces.

I chose above-knee-height boots which are an absolute must-have during fall/winter. They are practical and look great on skinny jeans or skirts/dresses.

Not to leave boots alone in the black department, I chose simple smaller black bag. It will round the upper and lower part as a whole since it's a long strap bag.

You can see all the pieces and their prices on Polyvore (even if you aren't a member).

• Outfit 1 on Polyvore
• Outfit 2 on Polyvore

Fast face recovery

We all have those times when we just do not want to take off our make-up, when we do not want to have the whole process of taking care of our facial skin. Most of the times we regret it when we make unexpected plans to meet somebody or when somebody is coming over. Thankfully, there is a trick how to revive your skin in really short time.

You'll need:

• cosmetic sponge
• warm water
• cold water
• soap (optional)

No matter if you have or don't have make-up on, or if you haven't really cleaned your face for more than a week, this works the same. Of course, this works if you have light make-up on. For heavy make-up it would be better if you took off even one layer (so the sponge wouldn't get dirty and then smudge it all over your face).

Process:

• soak the sponge with warm water and start rubbing your face (if you have it, you can include just a bit of soap)
• once you think you covered all the places, either soak the sponge with cold water or just put cold water in your hands and cover your whole face with it

How it works?

• warm water will relax the skin and it is better for cleaning than cold water
• once your face is clean and gentle, cold water will close the pores
• also, cold water "removes" wrinkles and gives you "morning freshness" look

The redness should be gone in about 3-5 minutes.

Have in mind this is my experience.

I can not really tell you which sponge I use cause my mom threw away the packing but they are really all the same. If you choose any that looks like the one below, you're good. Do not use the ones which are too smooth.

Also, these sponges are around $2.

Cosmetic sponge

Pink ombre and glitter nails

Pink is ultimate girly color. It gives a girl a finishing look of a princess. Maybe that's why I loved this so much. It may seem complicated, but I assure you it's not. It took me about 40 minutes to do all this and it's because I needed to wait for all to be dry before going to the next step.
Order of this post: what you'll need, description how to do this nails and product which I used.

You'll need:

• transparent (or any other) base nail polish
• pink nail polish
• pink glitter
• light pink nail polish
• white nail polish
• white nail polish with a striper or a thin brush
• sponge
• glitter nail polish
• pink rhinestones
• top coat

• I applied base coat on all of my nails.
• After the base coat had been dried, I applied darker pink nail polish on all of my fingers except for the thumb.
• I applied second coat of the same pink polish on all of the fingers again, except for the ring finger.
• For the thumb I chose white nail polish first.
• On the ring finger (first finger next to a pinky) I applied a new coat of the the same pink nail polish and while it was still wet, I put my finger in a container of pink glitter.
• I whipped of the extra glitter around my nail with a wide brush. I did not go over the nail with a brush until it was almost completely dry.
• Once the white coat was dry I did my pink ombre - I painted half of sponge with darker pink and half of it with light pink.
• I dabbed the sponge onto my nails few times to create an easy transfer from dark to light pink.
• Once the ombre was almost dry, I started painting a butterfly. I chose lighter wing on the darker half of the nail and darker wing for the lighter part.
• Once the wings were dry, I painted the outline of it and added a dot on the upper wing and glitter nail polish only on the wings.
• Once everything was dry, I applied top coat on all fingers except for the ones with glitter.
• I also added two rhinestones on each thumb.

I used:

• dark pink polish: 107 naughty and pink by Essence
• light pink polish: it's by Avon but I actually can't find this one cause it's really old and I don't think it's still in production, but it's similar to Sheer ones by Avon
• white nail polish: Color Expert Nail Lacquer No. 02 by Golden Rose
• base coat: protecting base coat by Essence
• top coat: sealing top coat by Essence
• white striper: 01 pure white by Essence
• glitter nail polish: this one is also very old and I can not find it anywhere (it is No. 20 by Miss Sporty) but you can use Paris Nail Lacquer No. 69 by Golden Rose
• pink rhinestones: palate ordered from eBay (not directly form this seller so I can not guarantee it)
• pink glitter: effect nails 13 pop'n pink by Essence
• sponge: nail art designer set by Essence

Black going to a party

Black is ultimate good choice when it comes to clothes (as is white). Here are some combinations with the perfect black.

I started this outfit with a perfect little black dress that is not too elegant. This dress will suit the best the girls who are not flat (stylist fact as I heard).

Since this dress has a gold plate in the middle, I chose golden high-heeled sandals. These are perfect because they're simple but have just the right amount of straps to make them interesting, and hopefully, comfortable.

Keeping it simple again with the black clutch bag which has golden sides to make it more stand out and incorporated with the rest of the outfit.

As for the jewelry, I chose big gold statement necklace. I love those when I have free upper chest and shoulders as with this dress.

There are highlighted eyes with fake lashes, nude but beautiful color of the lipstick and black or red nail polish. Either one will look great.

This is a beautiful summer going out outfit.

We have light and sleeveless black blouse. What's more perfect than black and white combination? That's why I added white jeans.

Since I'm trying to keep this elegant and as an evening look, I chose beautiful beige/nude high heels. They have platform and straps so they have to be really comfortable, which is most important after all.

As for the accessories, I went with beige clutch which goes great with the shoes (which I like) and has golden strap. In that tone, I chose a watch and some bracelets too. Earrings are a bit different. They are nude with black and gold elements. Black had to be incorporated to make some connection to the main piece of this outfit.

Make-up is also nude and light, as it suits this look.

You can see all the pieces and their prices on Polyvore (even if you aren't a member).

• Outfit 1 on Polyvore
• Outfit 2 on Polyvore

Tattoo liner

I have just tried the new Essence tattoo liner for skin and nails. I had to write about it immediately because it is such a great product. It is so similar to an eyeliner (I am not sure if it can be used as an eyeliner) but it is great for nail art and, apparently, to add some decoration on your fingers. I can not believe that I haven't tried to use eyeliner to draw on my nails, but now I have a perfect drawing tool.

You'll need:

• green nail polish
• base coat
• matte finishing coat
• black liner

All nail polishes are described in one of my previous posts: "My favorites - nails".

• I started with one layer of base coat.
• Then there are two thin layers of green nail polish.
• Once the green polish was dried, I started drawing random ornaments.
• Afterwards, I added matte nail polish as a cover.
• As the matte cover was drying, I put on rhinestones on only highlighted nails.

Oh, the reds

I've put together two outfits with the red elements. I have to admit, red is my favorite color of clothes. I also think that red really makes you stand out in the crowd. So here they are.

This is a very simple everyday or night outfit. It's is great that you can wear it in both situations. Without red lipstick it is an awesome daily look, and lipstick adds this elegant note.

I started it with regular blue jeans which I absolutely love and every person should have them. I added this gorgeous sleeveless red top which has this coverage on the arms and that looks great.

For the feet I chose high-heeled high boots. They are perfect for autumn days and they will most likely make your leg longer and slimmer.

I didn't want to go overboard with the jewelry so I only put one golden ring in a shape of wings and a pair of simple triangle golden earrings.

There is also a black little bag with only a touch of gold to round this outfit as a whole.

This is totally a night-out look but it can easily be transformed into daily one. Lose the heels and make-up and you're good to go.

I started this one with this super cute red skirt with black belt with a small bow on it. I tried to keep the rest of the outfit simple because this skirt is interesting enough so I chose fitted white long-sleeved blouse.

I also chose black pumps that go on almost every look and they have a nice touch of this red soles to fulfill the whole combination.

Whole jewelry package is in silver-black tone. I've chose a set of black rings, black bracelet with diamonds and very popular silver necklace with a black bow as a collar.

Make-up is pretty strong since it's meant to be a night look. The focus is, again, on the red lips. Eyes have only a bit of black mascara.

You can see all the pieces and their prices on Polyvore (even if you aren't a member).

• Outfit 1 on Polyvore
• Outfit 2 on Polyvore

Greasy hair trick

We all have those days when we just don't want to wash our hair but we have to because it looks awful. Although I'm all for washing my hair because there's nothing better than having that clean hair feeling, there is a trick how to postpone it.

• There are dry shampoos. They are basically shampoos without water; which leaves only dust. Each one them has directions how to use them, but here is a general description: find the places where your hair is the greasiest (probably the scalp area and bangs if you have them) and spray it all over. It doesn't have to be a thick layer of spray but it has to be all covered. Leave it for about 10 minutes (read on the back how long it takes for your shampoo to work) and then swipe it off with a dry or a moist towel. I prefer to do it with dry one because sometimes water reacts with the shampoo and I don't get any result. A nice thing to know is that they come in quite big containers and you can have them for a long time and their price is really reasonable and low.
• If you don't have a dry shampoo, a baby powder will do it. Shake it on your greasy areas and also leave it for about 5-10 minutes. Do not overdo it with powder because you'll have white or gray hair (which is not a problem if you have light hair). Also, you can use a make-up brush to apply it in a thin and equal layer.
• I also heard that a eye-shadow in the color of your hair will do the same but you'll need to be more patient as you will need more time to apply it than the baby powder.

If you don't have any of the above, here's a recipe to a homemade dry shampoo. We'll trust her it works.
P.S. I do not own any of these photos! As I bought my last dry shampoo quite a long time ago, I do not remember which one I used so I'll trust Google and its users. The only advice I have with choosing it is: Do not use the ones with perfume! They usually  do not work, but maybe that was just mine. As for the baby powder, I use Nivea's.

I would trust Pantene, but here is somebody's opinion.

A little tip and before-after comparison.

Nivea's baby powder.