M.A.C Matchmaster 1.5

Ok, I gave in. I promised myself I wouldnt overdose on foundation this time, but a breakout mixed with a good january wage meant I have now acquired nothing less than 3 foundations in the last month...

I just have to see if this is the one gives my skin a little break from the heavy Doublewear. Well that was what I told myself to justify this. This is the 4th time I have repurchased since I tried it at a 'MAC Makeover' in feb last year .. I just love it. The smell reminds me a tad about paint, but the feel on the skin definitely weighs it up. Its a great product for any M.A.C- lover. 

I chose 1.5 which is very pale.... and on the cold side of foundations. But mixed with my other foundation, its a great match, this way, I can also tailor it to suit my skin on more overcast days where you dont want to look too yellow (as its horrid and stands out during the light hours).

Its quite a lot more covering than the other foundations I have tried by M.A.C but it keeps my skin dewy which I need during the cold wintertimes. 

If you feel like you want to try something new this one isnt a bad choice of foundation, I can imagine it would be a good all-around - and it comes in a good range of colours too! At a cost of £25, its not too bad either. 

Hope youre all great!!! 

Love,

Zen x

Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference

I have been given this as a present as I was complaining my skin was disgustingly dry and in a horrible condition. I have read a few reviews about this product to find out what I had been given. I will say, the smell is not very pleasant. Overall, im not impressed. Although, my skin got a bit better as it really needed some TLC its not back to the usual but its definitely on the right track... 

Despite not really liking neither the smell nor the texture, it is value for money as it is quite a substantial amount in such a small pot. 

I still wouldnt repurchase, quite disappointing for such a 'high-end brand'. I can see this ending up in the back of the drawer or being demoted to my boyfriends' house as emergency stach. Eek. Harsh.

Have a good weekend, guys.

Z xx 

Limited Edition Dior Holiday Travel Brush Set

Im going away for a few days this weekend and next week with the boyfriend and some of our friends and thought this would be an ideal time to introduce my new Dior Mini Brush Holiday Travel Set. 

The set contains 4 essential brushes which are small and easy to transport (so theyre not lying, rolling around in the bottom of your bag and loosing most of the bristles... whoops). These were all over the scene last year and I was lucky enough to be treated to this little set. Retailing at £56, it is on the expensive range, and to be completely frank, Im not sure I would have paid this for them. 

The set includes (in mini sizes of course):

• Dior Backstage Powder Brush
• Dior Backstage Cheek Brush
• Dior Backstage Eyeshadow Brush
• Dior Backstage Lip Brush

Personally, I consider it a three brushes set since I don’t find the Lip Brush terribly useful (rarely do I use a lip brush and I dont think Im alone here!)

But the little case is pretty and its got an extra little space for my own brushes (The smallest ones I cannot live without when going away of course).

As a little extra, I was giving this Dior Visage et Yeux, which is a cleansing milk for skin and eyes. I am not very experienced in cleansing milks, I usually use a facial cleansing gel or soap, and a toner followed by moisturiser - if Im really lazy - a good old Johnsons' baby wipe!!! I previously used  Cattier Paris Caresse D'Herboriste which is an organic product I had recommended by a beautician who I used to go to. 

To be honest, I didnt really fall for the product when I bought it, and never really got into the routine of using it so it was left lying around both when living in Copenhagen as well as when I moved back to the UK. So it was happily received as Im sure the other product was well out of date. 

I have used the Dior Lait Magique Demaquillant a couple of times, it smells amazing and is really good. I am still trying to find a product which removes my Estee Lauder DoubleWear EASILY and without having to go over and over and over with 70 different products before its TRULY off. I may try the Estee Lauder counter or the local B&Q for paint-stripper........ 

I wish you a great end to the week. Should be back soon. Have finally taken a picture of my empties ;) And its only half of it as the rest was thrown away at my second home... 

dear of dear!

Z x

YSL Luxurious Mascara Shocking Volume

I have always loved Estee Lauder double-wear foundation, the various M.A.C eyeshadows and L'Oreal Lash Architect Mascara. 

I still decided that I would try something new and have heard so much about the YSL Luxurious Mascara Shocking Volume. A lady in work was raving on about this for so long that I was determined to find out about it. I have only ever used Faux Cils once or twice and have never been 100% impressed so have always strayed towards my cheaper L'Oreal Mascara again.

I love spider-like lashes. They have to be bold and long, and so far its performed really well. Although, I did have a tiny mishap this morning smearing it all over my eyelids after coating my eyelashes heavily. The boyfriend DID have a little laugh over me even calling me "amateur" ... Oh well, nothing to do with the mascara then. The packaging is lush, its metal, none of this plastic stuff, and its just nice to whip out.

I will admit: it smells amazing! I know this is such a weird thing to say, however, I hate the cheap mascara smell (which you btw. find in very expensive mascaras as well) and retailing at £23 I am happy to repurchase again if it continues to perform this well. I just hope it wont dry out quickly - if it doesnt, then I think I might have found my new favourite mascara :) 

Have a good weekend

Zen x

Chanel Mirror Duo

There is one thing I never had. One thing I never invested in. One thing a makeup obsessed and beauty blogging individual should have! -And thats a compact mirror!

I have always relied on the little mirrors in on my makeup palettes and sometimes when I have forgotten that at home, I have kicked myself, sitting on the bus unable to see whether the black is indeed smudged all over my face after walking towards the wind... think we have all been there. 

When finishing work yesterday, I went for a coffee with my other half who was already waiting for me with a cappuccino. Needless to say, thats a pretty nice of him. He showed me what he had been shopping this day and handed me a nice little Harvey Nichols bag. ALTHOUGH,  it sounds quite cheesy, it was really rather sweet. In this bag I found my compact mirror wrapped in nice Chanel paper. It. is. gorgeous. I have had a few other Chanel things, like brushes and blushers but this is just a nice little thing you can always bring with you. 

As all of the other Chanel beauty products I have ever bought, it comes in a little velour / velvet pouch which protects the surface of the mirror from scratching. This alone is such a nice point as it really does show it is an expensive and exclusive product. 

I have never had one, I never thought I needed one. But when I unwrapped it, I absolutely loved it!

Now its all safe to go out in the autumn / winter wind as I will have the mirror with me in my bag to remove possible black tears streaming down my face. I love it!!! I never thought I needed one, but whats nicer than fishing out a Chanel mirror when on the train looking wind-swept and people stare at you cause you have makeup everywhere. 

Do you have a little 'banal' thing which you never thought you could live without once you got it? 

Z x

Coconut Balmi.

Yesterday I went to London for a whole day of meetings, I didnt see much of my favourite place or the favourite people who live there, but I did see much of the underground and a few shops along. I was running really late, even missed my train down there, so had to get some beauty supplied for the road. 

Running out of the door in a rush at 7.10 means I didnt even manage to get my usual moisturiser on... This is not something I will ever do again, eastcoast beauty-salon!!! Anyways, I managed to get somehow ready on the train, but was still missing a few things like hair grips and a lipbalm, so I diverted around Boots at Kensington High Street tube stop. Here I found this little thing; Balmi.

 I absolutely adore a lovely little lipbalm, normally run around with at least 5 different ones in the bottom of my bag, and this one is a best in the collection so far.
It is a spherical shaped balm containing jojoba oil and Vitamin E, as well as SPF15 and UVA protection. The cool thing about it is no doubt the shape, absolutely delightful as you can screw the top off and apply it straight away. 

It does come with a little attachment exactly like these things you used to attach to you mobile, however, i took mine off as I want it united with the rest of the balms in the bottom of my handbag. SO unfortunately I cannot show this.


Its transparent and comes in a delightful little selection of scents - Strawberry, Mint, Raspberry, Coconut and Blackberry. I chose the coconut, which is really really nice coconutty :) Available at boots or check the stockist on www.balmi.co.uk and retails at £4.99

I have a little surprise for you tomorrow :)

Until then, have a nice weekend,

Z

ESSIE Mucho Dinero

Ok, so I went a little mental with the nail colours a little while ago. I bought a wide range of colours. I just never had a chance to talk about them. Yesterday was miserable, peekaboo sunshine!!! SO changed the colour on my nails. I have got to apologise, I have just had my acrylics taken off, so my nails are a little fragile. Its quite visible too. 

Right. The first of five is Mucho-dinero. Absolutely gorgeous. 

Its not mushroom-y like many other greytoned, browny nailvarnishes. Its more caramel, which I honestly was a little scared of to begin with. But I thought Id try it and see if I could get on with it. And I have to admit, I think it might be my favourite of the five. 

I applied it in 3 coats before it became so opaque, used my ESSIE good to go and off I was. 

I could honestly wear this every day. Its not often I say that but its just so professional. I have to have nice nails for my job, as its a sign of professionalism not coming to work with chipped nails - obviously. I love my red and pink nails, but this is absolutely a fabulous alternative to that. 

You can buy ESSIE at boots, they retail at £8 per bottle. This specific one is from the previous collection, so if it hasnt been carried through to this season, try on eBay. They normally have a good selection of colours. 

Ill be back soon ;)

Z x

Make Up Store Eyeshadows

I have invested in some more eyeshadows! (Hanging my head in shame.) Its not like I need them, however, i just found some colours which I actually like! Make Up Store is very limited in the UK, The one in 32 Carnaby Street is quite small but holds a good stock. I would urge to pay them a visit if you come across a store in any other country. 

The lighter one is a microshadow called MASAI. Its a compact eyeshadow, highly pigmented and longlasting. This one is matt on the pink side, however, not pink! Due to my pinker skin-tone I cannot wear pink as I look like something out of Muppets Show (a-hem!) but this one is nude enough to look good on fair-pink skintones too. 

I wear it as a base colour and then use a darker brown on the corners and a lighter on the brow bone. I love this colour eyeshadow! Its actually delicious. Its like a creamy, smooth milkshake, dehydrated and put into a lovely little black pot :) 

The eyeshadow on the right is a different story. The shadow is still a compressed microshadow higly pigmented and long-lasting. Its called MONTY and is on the grey side. Its unlike the other with glitter in it. Its a pencil colour (remember when at school, tilting the pencil 45degrees and colouring a whole page then smudging it with your finger? Thats the colour). Its dark, rich and it really suits my blue eyes. Its definitely long lasting, I can wear it to work and still have a good coverage at night. Its really good. However, I do limit it to off days as it can seem quite heavy. I love both of them though. 

Honestly, Im very enthusiastic about Make Up Store and their products. Does anyone have any suggestions to Make Up Store, any favorite products?

Love 

Z