Rocaille Writes

'Tis the season for my beauty favorites of the entire year 2014! Are you as excited as I am? I've been jotting down ideas for my annual picks for a good month now, and I'm finally ready for a grand reveal. So... drumroll please! In no particular order, but starting with skincare:

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads (review & comparison with other exfoliating pads and acid toners here): I don't often woe seeing the bottom of a deluxe skincare sample, which is what happened when I first tried the FAB rounds last February. I promptly finished my other pads and repurchased the full size of lactic acid-based Facial Radiance Pads, and I'm definitely planning to pick up another tub once my current one runs out - I love them this much. I see a visible improvement in the clarity and texture of my skin, as well as better absorption of serums and moisturizers I layer over the top - all of that without any redness, stinging or peeling.

Dr. Wu Intense Renewal Serum with 18% Mandelic Acid (full review here): Another exfoliating favorite, but this time something I use weekly rather than daily. This clear, water-like, liquidy serum sinks in immediately, and does this magical thing where the morning after application, my skin is so soft, so bouncy, and a lot more even. I think it's good to mix up your acids for better efficacy and the Intense Renewal Serum does the trick for me.

Now, onto what you've surely been waiting for - make-up!

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly (another mention here): I've been hearing that a lot of people had given in to the NARS concealer hype only to return it a couple days later because it looked too dry under their eyes. But for me, it's perfect, maybe because I don't ever use it to cover dark circles - I use it on spots and scars. It's very pigmented, very blendable and layerable, and never looks cakey on my 'problem areas', ha. I use it by swiping a tiny bit from the doe foot wand on the back of my hand, and then I pick up little by little with a small brush and spot conceal - not the most time-efficient method but looks supremely natural. Chantilly is a very light shade that oxidizes just a smidge to blend in with my skintone perfectly - a shade match and formula win-win.

Shu Uemura Hard Formula 9 Brow Pencil in Seal Brown (full review here): Since my initial review, I've stared to appreciate this cult eyebrow pencil even more - it's quick, precise, looks natural on the brows and lasts all day. The shade Seal Brown is spot on too, the best color match I've ever found for my brows. I've recently tried the popular Benefit Gimme Brow gel too, but nothing beats the Shu pencil for me!

Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pens (review and swatches of all the shades shown here): Last year I was all about the Sephora Contour 12 HR Wear eyeliner pencils, but this year Pixi Eye Pens (pencils, dammit!) have surpassed them: on top of just as creamy and pigmented formula, they seem to last better on my waterline, and they don't even transfer from top to bottom waterline. If you've still not tried them, you're missing out!

Rouge Bunny Rouge When Birds Are Singing Long Lasting Eyeshadows (review and swatchathon of four of the shades here, and look - are there three more pans in the photo...?): To be honest, I like all of the RBR eyeshadows I've tried, but the original 'When Birds Are Singing' formula slightly more than the Limited Edition mineral wet/dry formula of the Chronos palette (click!). There's something very special and sophisticated about Rouge Bunny Rouge shimmers, and the newer to me mattes are simply dreamy. I fell down the bunny hole of these eyeshadows, no doubt about it.

Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trios (review & swatches of the neutral Nude here, and the pastel Static here): Since we're already talking about sophisticated shimmers, I'd be remiss not to mention the Shiseido Luminizing formula. While their trios are not the most pigmented shadows I've ever encountered, the subtle, glowy, perfecting finish they impart on your lids is hard to come by in other brands. The color combinations in these trios are very interesting too, and I already have my beady eye on a couple more. I definitely recommend you swatch these next time you're near a Shiseido counter!

Canmake Cream Cheeks in the Clear finish (review & swatches of the pink CL04 Clear Pink Joy and the apricot CL03 Clear Orange here): This year was also the first time I've tried a cheek product with a jelly finish, and now I'm completely hooked (more jelly reviews to come next year!). If you're looking for an inexpensive, radiant, lightweight but pigmented cream blush, the Canmake Cream Cheeks are simply beautiful. While they're not easily accessible in the US without shopping on eBay or a dedicated Japanese cosmetics website, these little gems are well worth the trouble.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette (full review & swatches here): Again with the glowy but not sparkly finish (can you see a pattern here?) - I really, really like this year's Hourglass blush palette. But my love of this blush formula goes beyond the palette, so if you skipped out on that one, I would still give their regular Ambient blush line-up a good swatchathon next time you're in Sephora. Beautiful, easily buildable shades in a formula that melds into your skin and lasts an entire day.

Shu Uemura Unlimited Shine Supreme Lipstick (full review & swatches of the shade I have here): Quite surprisingly, I only have one favorite lip product for the entire year, and it's this Shu Uemura sheer number. I simply haven't bought (and tried) very many new to me lipsticks this year, but from what I've sampled, this one was a clear standout: lightweight, decently hydrating, and beautifully cushiony on the lips, the light pink PK331 leaves me wanting more Shu Uemura lipsticks.

Original Beautyblender (another mention here): I know I've said there's no reason to buy the Beautyblender if one already has the less expensive Real Techniques sponge, but in the end, the Beautyblender seems to have gained an edge over the RT thanks to its better durability and bounciness. The reason I'm including the famous pink egg in my round-up is the fact that I've been working with some less than perfect foundations this year, and the only reason they look decently natural and even on my skin is down to the application with a damp Beautyblender. So, if you have any bases in your stash that drive you absolutely nuts and you're thinking of throwing them in the trash, give them one last chance with this - I find that it really makes a difference.

And a first for my annual beauty favorites, a couple haircare picks - because now that I have long and somewhat damaged locks, I need a bit more TLC.

Batiste Dry Shampoo: I've tried a good number of different dry shampoos in the past couple years, both on the drugstore and salon end of the spectrum, and good ol' Batiste may just be my favorite of all. It soaks up the oils effectively without making your hair stiff, sticky or dirty-feeling, gives a little bit of texture and volume, costs under $8 and comes in a variety of scents and shades. What's not to love? I'll be repurchasing.

Enjoy Leave-in Conditioning Spray: My favorite story about how effective this leave-in conditioner really is dates back to when I worked in a hair salon, and one of the stylists got a little girl in her chair whose hair was literally so matted that it looked like one giant dreadlock (which is what happens when your mummy indulges the 'I don't like brushing!' exclamations). The stylist, having washed the brat's hair, applied copious amounts of the Enjoy spray and somewhat, little by little, managed to get all the tangles out. My hair is not as bad on a daily basis, but it often resembles a rat's nest after washing - this drastically cuts down my brushing out time, while keeping my flowing locks (har har) hydrated and glossy to boot.

And there you have it! You may have noticed a prevalence of high-end brands here, as well as a respectful nod towards Asian brands, especially in my make-up favorites. The simple reason for that is that those products are genuinely what I've been interested in trying this year compared to last year for example, which featured a lot more easily accessible American brands. I have also tried and fallen in love with some cult classics this year, like the Shu eyebrow pencil or the Beautyblender. What can I say, I like to mix up more niche brands with old favorites!

I hope you enjoyed this round-up of my favorite beauty products for this year, and please let me know in the comments what your picks are for this year, so I can try them out in 2015! Can you believe how fast 2014 has gone by? Are you already planning your New Year's Eve party outfit and make-up or are you still in the post-Christmas food coma?

Oh the circle of life of these stash-reducing challenges (if you haven't been following my updates, see the inaugural post here): first you get super pumped about your new project, then you get increasingly bored using the same products over and over again and slowly fall off the wagon, and then suddenly, you realize it's almost the end of the year, and you need to get cracking! That's basically the gist of my experience with Project Make A Dent #1. Anyway, are you ready to see my progress from the entire year?

Products at the beginning of Project MAD #1, January 2014

Updated selection of products at a half year mark in June 2014 (Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum and the Annabelle eyeliner having been completely used up)

Let's start with the unrefutable success stories: I've completely used up one bottle of foundation (Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in the shade 51), two eyeliner pencils (Annabelle Smudgeliner in Rich Chocolate and GOSH Waterproof liner in Black Ink) and one lipstick (Rimmel Moisture Renew in Soft Coral). That's four make-up empties! Verrry nice. Now, for the partial success: I've managed to put a noticeable dent in an eyeshadow (Annabelle Vanilla Chilla), another eyeliner (Urban Decay 24/7 in Whiskey), another lipstick (NYX Round Lipstick in Tea Rose), and another foundation (added later, Estee Lauder Double Wear Light in Intensity 1). Lastly, the womp womp of my project - the two neverending blushes, NYX Powder Blush in Angel and NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink. I promise, even though I've used them a lot, there's barely any product missing! I swear it's some kind of self-refilling make-up magic :/

Products in December 2014: GOSH Waterproof eyeliner in Black Ink (not pictured, already thrown away) and Rimmel Soft Coral lipstick completely used up

Overall, I'm very happy with the results of my first Project Make A Dent. I was kind of hoping to maybe use up one more eyeliner completely and hit pan on the NYX blush, but it is what it is and I'm feeling satisified. I definitely used my products as much as I possibly could, and given that I don't wear make-up everyday, I gave them a lot of attention without ignoring the rest of my collection. I will admit that at some point, the Project MAD got a little confusing - subconsciously, you strive to use up your selected items completely, but it's not in fact the goal of this challenge. I think that's usually the breaking point when you want to abandon the Project, but it's important to take a step back, maybe take a little break from your basket of products, and then return to it when you're feeling refreshed. That's the benefit of doing the project over the course of an entire year!

The lessons I learnt from this year's Project Make A Dent have definitely helped me to introduce some improvements for 2015 - yes, there's going to be a second edition next year! I'm already planning my challenge and selecting new products I want to focus on, but I'll talk more about the changes I've decided to make in the post dedicated to the new Project. How have you guys been doing with your stash-reducing projects? Are you happy with this year's achievements, are you already setting goals for next year?

Happy New Year, my lovely readers! I hope your New Year's Eve was filled with laughter, bubbles, good company and only a fleeting moment of deepest reflection ;) Here's to a wonderful 2015 for all of us!

The beginning of a New Year is always a bittersweet time for me; among all the party fun and social obligations, my thoughts often turn inwards to analyze the achievements (and fails) of the past year and to set goals and resolutions for the months to come. I tend to be quite hard on myself and sometimes blow negative things out of proportion, but actually, this year, I'm feeling pretty good!

In 2014, I made good on my resolution to post at least two times a week, and if you look at the number of posts per year since my blog's inception, it's been the second most prolific year of my blogging career - no doubt mostly due to the fact that I've had a lot of free time to allocate for developing my online space, but also because I've tried to be very consistent and plan and schedule posts in advance for the times I'm not around to write at leisure (like the past two weeks when we've been in Poland for the Holidays). I think this posting discipline has also helped me to be more creative overall, and using my blogging notebook to jot down ideas served as a back-up when I felt the flow of ideas slowing down for a bit. Last year, I also said I wanted to include you more in my personal life, and while there's still a lot I'd like to do in that regard, there's been a couple travel posts, tags as well as a whole lot of photos on my Instagram to give you a better idea who I am as a living breathing human, not just a made up face.

As for the stash-reducing, capsule collection goals, I'd like to stay on the same track of purchasing no more than 2 new products a month, but with certain exceptions. I did so well last year in terms of using up my skincare back-up stash that I now actually regularly run out of products, and I feel that these necessary repurchases should be exempt from my limit. I would also like to exclude make-up brushes from my self-imposed allowance, because I gave away so many that weren't working for me in the past couple years that I now have some gaps in my collection, and I'd like to fill those in with some luxuriously soft specimens.

Looking at my make-up collection at the beginning of 2015, I'm very happy with what I own and I want to take the time to appreciate and enjoy all I have without the constraints of too many 'Project X Pan' / 'Use it all up' challenges, although I will be participating in another Project Make A Dent, hopefully armed with experiences from the past year and better prepared this time round. I also don't foresee the need to further declutter my stash in any significant way, but when the need arises, I'd like to be more decisive in giving away or tossing products that don't work for me.

And that's about it! No major changes or drastic challenges, but a path of sustained, controlled consumerism. I no longer want to punish myself for making bad purchasing decisions in the past by desperately trying to use things up, I just want to enjoy what I own and treat myself here and there without feeling guilt or anxiety over the rest of my collection. What are your plans and resolutions for 2015? Are you going to take part in any stash-reducing projects this year? I'd love to know!

Just when you thought the 'self-adjusting' make-up trend was well on its way out, another company comes out with a Universal Blush* ($27.95 for 4g/ 0.14 oz) this time around. You know, I've never much bought into these claims nor have that Unique Selling Point seemed very attractive to me personally, but I could see the appeal if you were just starting your make-up adventure and wanted some products to take the shade guesswork out of the equation. However, being a make-up veteran, I don't need or want that, and generally don't think these products actually have any magical self-adjusting properties at all.

So there's that. But let's forget about the whole universal thing for now and review this So Susan blush like any other powder blush, wild claims or no wild claims. I actually wasn't even aware or the So Susan brand before receiving this blush as part of November GlossyBox. From their website, it turns out that it's a company dedicated to manufacturing make-up products with skincare benefits: they offer serum-based foundations (in two shades?!), pore-minimizing blushes, plumping lip tints and more.

I don't see any particular skincare ingredients in the Universal Blush ingredients list apart from maybe kaolin (clay) and Brazilian buriti oil, but many powder products are formulated with some sort of moisturizing/ binding ingredient, most commonly glycerin. I guess it's nice to have a natural oil in the formula instead, but it doesn't make a huge difference to me personally.

In the pan, the shade looks like a rather shimmery muted warm rose, but as you can see in the arm swatches, it appears a lot more pinky peach on the skin than my usual browny rose selection. It is also very shimmery, almost pearlescent in the heavy swatch, but some of the shimmer can be softened when buffing onto the cheeks. Still not a great choice if you prefer matte and satin finishes, but not a discoball territory.

Clockwise: NARS Blush in Douceur, So Susan Universal Blush, Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dazzled, Stila Convertible Color in Lillium

The texture of the So Susan Universal Blush is soft, smooth and a bit powdery, and the pigmentation is very good, so I'd recommend caution when applying. I feel that on my cool-toned skin, it leans quite a bit more pink than what I expected just from looking at the pan. It wears well all day, although I have to admit I'm quite scared to wear it more often because I feel that the profusion of shimmer accentuates all the usual lumps, bumps and texture imperfections on my cheeks.

L-R: So Susan Universal Blush, Tarte Dazzled, Stila Lillium, NARS Douceur

Would I buy the So Susan Universal Blush if it wasn't included in a Glossybox? Highly unlikely. It's very average, decent but average, to begin with, and the nearly $30 price tag for a blush from brand I'd never heard about before probably wouldn't make me more inclined to try it out. I also feel that the packaging, while functional, isn't exactly in line with the price - looking at the compact I was expecting this product to be more along the 10-15 dollars price range.

Well, I'm sorry for this rather unethusiastic review. Maybe it's silly to be feeling so blah about this perfectly nice blush, like I always need to feel a thrill from using my make-up products, lol. But I do! I kinda have a feeling this Universal Blush will end up in the giveaway pile - I'll give it a couple more tries, but if I still can't get myself more interested in using this product, it will have to go away. Do you also sometimes feel so wishy-washy over certain make-up products?

*Disclaimer: The So Susan Universal Blush was part of a complimentary Glossybox I received from the brand's PR for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as free press samples. Thank you for reading!

New year, new Project Make A Dent! I will admit that reading about other bloggers' make-up collection resolutions and watching Project Pan videos has got me pretty excited to start the second volume of my Project Make A Dent as soon as possible. After looking through my collection, this year I've decided to really focus on some of the oldest products in my stash that I want to enjoy before they expire; hence I'm calling it the 'Use It or Lose It' edition.

For convenience sake, I've chosen 10 products ranging from face make-up to eyes and lips. For my base, I will continue working on the Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Porcelain - the heavier formula means I can only use this in the colder months, but with only 1/2 of the bottle left to go, I'm confident I can use it up completely. To set my foundation, I want to finish up this deluxe sample of Make Up For Ever HD Loose Powder; there's only 1/4 remaining in the jar. My one cheek product in this Project is the old mini of Stila Convertible Color in Lillium; hopefully you can see that little bit of pan in the middle, so that should make it easier to track my progress.

This year, I'd like to downsize my collection of cream eyeshadow pots, so I've pulled one of the oldest and most loved jars in my stash, the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. It is definitely a lot drier and harder than when I first got it, but if it dries out too much to use, I'm hoping to revive it with some Inglot Duraline and see how that goes. Seeing as I made good progress on using up some of my pencil eyeliners last year, I chose two more pencils: the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On in Rockstar and the Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Nuage.

I've made marks with a sharpie on the glosses and foundation bottle to be able to judge my progress more easily.

Lastly, I thought long and hard about my lip product picks for this challenge. I chose four lip products in total in a variety of shades and finishes: from bold to neutral, opaque to sheer, cream to shimmer. This way, I'll have all my bases covered with items from the challenge, so I'll hopefully reach for these products quite often. The Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef has about 3/5 left in the tube, while the Michael Todd Creme Glace in Natural is a bit more than half used up. The Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo and the Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58 both seem to have roughly the same amount left, as the Inglot lipstick is longer but a much skinnier bullet than the Chanel.

Now that I've listed all the denting victims, here are some changes from last year's project. I chose more products this time around, and pretty much all of them had already seen some substantial usage in the past. The aim of this is to have more variety, and also to feel less pressured to completely use up products; I know some of these items like the pencil liners and glosses should get finished easily, but if I don't completely scrape out that blush or bold lipstick, I'm cool with that too. I also mostly picked out products I like and enjoy using, so again, reaching for them shouldn't feel as forced as it sometimes did in the past year's Project MAD.

In terms of blog-friendly practices, I'm also going to keep all of the empty containers as the products are being finished and only toss them at the end of the year for the sake of photo continuity. For the same reason, I'm also NOT going to introduce new items when these products get used up - I thought that last year, the changing products were probably quite confusing to you. If I make fabulous progress quicker than anticipated (say, most products finished by June rather than December), I'll just start a separate Project Pan with new items to keep challenging myself to use my stash.

And that's about it! I'm feeling quite motivated to start this new challenge and I believe I should see a lot make-up empties by the time December 2015 rolls around (well, even if I don't, they're going in the trash anyway ;). Are you guys participating in any stash-reducing projects this year? Please let me know if you're participating in a Project Make A Dent this year too, I love seeing everyone's picks and progress!

As a beauty blogger and regular blog reader, 99.9% of my purchases are inspired by fellow bloggers. I've also noticed that because of the current move towards sponsored and ad content on YouTube as well as more popular beauty pages, I'm becoming increasingly distrustful towards their recommendations, turning instead towards my b-blogging friends and more niche blogs. That was precisely the case with this Beauty Reductionista's influenced purchase: Liz blogged about the Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balms ($8 for 4g/ 0.141 oz) about a month or so ago, and as I was stocking up on their Glow Tonic anyway, I promptly plopped the shade Ripe Raspberry in my basket.

The final nail in the lemming coffin was Liz stating that she preferred the Pixi Shea Butter balm formulation over the pricey Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments. The Fresh lip balms are some of my absolute favorite tinted lip products on the market, and one of the very few balms I keep using up and repurchasing. Any time my lips are feeling particularly dry and flakey (which is 90% of the time), I put one on and it not only doesn't exacerbate the dryness, but in fact also helps to heal it. But anyway, this is not a review of the Fresh Sugar products (there's one coming later on), I just wanted to explain why Liz's statement made me so excited - could I really get the same Holy Grail results from a product that's almost $15 cheaper?

Well, spoiler alert: no, I can't. Not even close. What makes the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments so unique in my book is their thick, unctuous, slippery, balmy texture that covers the lips in a cushiony layer of moisture (or grease, however you want to look at it). When my lips are dry, I NEED that heavy, oily layer of product to fix and smooth over the texture underneath, seal in the moisture, and prevent me from trying to bite off the flakes (sorry, TMI).

The Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm doesn't have that - you can even see the textural difference between it and the Fresh Treatment in the arm swatch photo. That is not to say it's not a nice tinted lip balm in its own right: somewhat hydrating, pigmented, with a thinner consistency and more long lasting color than the Fresh balms, so much so that I even found the shade Ripe Raspberry to stain my lips a bit. But a Sugar Lip Treatment it ain't.

L-R: Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm in Ripe Raspberry, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo, Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Passion, L'Oreal Caresee in Blushing Sequin

Ripe Raspberry is more of a berry fuschia shade than a pinky red I was expecting (so, coupled with the difference in texture, it didn't turn out to be a good replacement for my now defunct tube of Fresh Sugar Treatment in Passion). Because of its thin but harder waxy texture, it takes a bit of work to get on the lips, but like I said above, once you do it stays on very well, even through a meal. The closest shade dupe in a sheer formula that I have in my collection would be the L'Oreal Caresse lipstick in Blushing Sequin, swatched on the far right. There's no shimmer or glitter in Ripe Raspberry, which is my preference for a tinted balm, and it has that delightful vanilla scent reminiscent of MAC lipsticks.

Two layers of Ripe Raspberry applied on freshly exfoliated lips: you can still see it clinging to some pesky flakes. It also doesn't do much for vertical lip lines. However, it looks perfectly smooth on Liz's lips. My conclusion is that I must have much, much drier, and much more puckered lips than she does :(

You can probably tell that I can't help but feel a trifle disappointed with this Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm; well, the expectations were certainly running high (though I still love you, Liz. We're good). I'll dig it out again once the weather starts warming up, but for now, I'm sticking to the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment - fortunately, I just purchased a new tube; not because I was expecting the Pixi to fail, but rather because I have no self-control. Tell me, what is your favorite tinted lip balm? Do you prefer thick, heavy formulas like the Fresh or something more lightweight like the Pixi?

After my irrefutable success with the Andalou Naturals Probiotic + C Renewal Cream (click!), I became slightly obsessed with the brand and wanted to try every single product; especially some of the ones from the newer 1000 Roses range aimed at sensitive, dry and more mature skin. While my skin isn't mature or particularly dry (but gets dehydrated easily), it is quite sensitive, and I absolutely love rosewater and rose oil in skincare - which is why I was excited to find a 1000 Roses Starter Kit ($19.99 for 5 pieces, $30 value, I got mine for $15.99 on Vitacost), containing five deluxe samples to try before you buy the full sizes.

I decided on the risky business of taking the whole kit with me when I traveled to Poland over the holidays; you know, if the products turned out not to suit my skin, it could have ended pretty badly. Luckily, Andalou Naturals did not disappoint, and while I liked some products in the kit more than the others, there wasn't really a dud to be found.

The kit comes with the Pearl Exfoliator, Floral Toner, Rosewater Mask, Beautiful Day Cream and Heavenly Night Cream, all in generous trial sizes that should last for about a month of daily usage (obviously, the scrub and mask would in fact last you longer). I will say that I wish this set also came with a cleanser - I would have preferred a cleanser over the exfoliator for a more complete skincare routine, but I guess you can't have everything.

I was looking forward the most to trying the Rosewater Mask and the Floral Toner, both meant to hydrate, soothe and revitalize dry sensitive skin. Both products contain aloe vera juice, rosewater (true rose hydrosol, not rose-scented purified water), hyaluronic acid, Vitamin E and rose oil. Both matched my pretty high expectations: they smell heavenly of tart fresh roses, feel cooling and soothing on the skin and absorb nicely, making my face feel soft, refreshed and hydrated.

The Rosewater Mask has a creamy gel consistency but looks clear on the skin (so you could use it in a more public setting without scaring small children), feels quite light on and mostly sinks in, which makes it my favorite hydrating mask I've tried so far (better than Origins Drink Up Overnight and Avene Soothing Moisture Mask - I've yet to test it against Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell mask). I will say that if you have serious dry patches or incredibly parched skin, it won't miraculously get rid of those in one go, but it should help, and for my combination skin, the lighter consistency is pretty ideal. I'll most likely repurchase once my sample runs out.

The Pearl Exfoliator was my least favorite product in the whole kit, but even so it's not a bad product per se. It's a clear gel with quite sparse, large exfoliatng beads that mosty dissolve when you rub the product on your skin. Not the most effective scrub I've ever tried (I do prefer the Andalou Naturals Lemon Sugar Scrub, but it's more intense and a bit more drying than the Pearl Exfoliator), but it gets one plus for not containing polluting plastic microbeads, and another plus for being very gentle on sensitive skin - no redness in sight!

Lastly, we have day and night moisturizers. Both have the same delightful rose scent and a pretty baby pink color to them, but the formula and consistency differs quite a bit. The Beautiful Day Cream has a light gel consistency reminiscent of my favorite Renewal Cream that absorbs very quickly into the skin and wears very nicely under make-up. I was actually surprised at how lightweight it was and thought it may not be enough for the freezing Polish winter (especially that I hated the serum I took with me and so had to go without), but I didn't develop any flakes or dry patches, so I guess it's a bit more nourishing than the consistency would suggest.

The Heavenly Night Cream definitely feels heavier and thicker than the day version. It contains a more substantial, moisturizing sunflower oil and shea butter versus olive squalane in the Day Cream (both moisturizers also contain rosehip and pomegranate oils), as well as MAP (Vitamin C), panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) and tocopherol (Vitamin E). Even though the Night Cream formula felt more moisturizing (as opposed to the hydrating feel of the Day Cream), it still absorbed easily, even on top of a facial oil. I actually thought it suited my skin very nicely, and it's probably not entirely due to this night moisturizer, but my skin feels the most balanced and even it's been in months. I realize some say shea butter may clog pores and cause breakouts in acne-prone skin types, but I haven't noticed it causing any problems on my skin.

All in all, I'm very happy with this 1000 Roses Starter Kit, and it only further cemented my love for Andalou Naturals. I'm not quite sure if the Beautiful Day Cream eclipsed the Probiotic + C Renewal Cream I've been using, but if I was feeling bored with the latter, I would definitely feel happy with the 1000 Roses daytime moisturizer as a replacement. I will also most likely repurchase both the Rosewater Mask and Floral Toner once I run out of my current line-up, and I'm considering the Heavenly Night Cream - although knowing myself, I'd probably want to try another Andalou moisturizer instead, you know, just for science.

Do you ever bring a premade skincare kit with you when traveling? What has been your favorite skincare product discovery of the past couple months?

So many products still to be reviewed in my incoming basket, so little time! I first heard about the brand Red Apple Lipstick via some of my favorite green beauty YouTubers, mostly Ashley from That Is All, previously mentioned here. She was recommending one product in particular: the Mineral Lipstick in Audrey* ($23.50 for 4.5 g/0.158 oz). So when the opportunity arose to try it out for myself (by which I mean that the brand kindly sent it for review - as always, full disclosure people!), I jumped at the chance.

Last month I also reviewed another product by Red Apple Lipstick, their matte Mineral Eyeshadow in Clean Slate, which (as you may remember) really exceeded my expectations. One of the big selling points of the RAL products is that they're vegan, non-GMO, cruelty-free and free from harmful chemicals, as well as parabens and gluten. While it may seem like a completely unimportant detail to someone who's not sensitive to these ingredients, I have friends and family members who are allergic to parabens and gluten intolerant, and let me tell you, it can be not only a huge pain the butt, but also uncomfortable and at times painful. So I do appreciate that there's a make-up line out there that caters to people with allergies and sensitivities (you can catch RAL on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram if you want to stay in touch!). And I do think my lipstick should be non-toxic, since I probably end up licking most of it off my lips. Anyway.

The lipstick comes in a rather sleek round plastic tube with a textured/ nubbly bottom part. I really like this design, and it definitely feels well made. There's a standard label with the name of the shade stuck on the bottom, so if you had a couple of these, it'd still be easy to find the color you were looking for.

The shade Audrey is described as a 'beautiful, pink-based neutral', with 'amazing shine' but no sparkle. It is a true description, if a bit vague for a true lipstick junkie. I would describe Audrey as a natural rosey pink leaning warm, with a glossy cream finish. It's the perfect shade of pink for everyday wear (school, office, running errands, meeting with friends), and I can see it suiting a variety of skintones.

In my shade comparison, you can see it's the closest to Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Warm Me Up, but slightly lighter and warmer. When I was taking the photos, I did not think to compare it to another lipstick I'd been wearing frequently last year, which was NYX Round Lipstick in Tea Rose. It's a pretty much spot-on dupe, with one major difference: the formula of the Red Apple Lipstick is roughly 100 times better than the NYX. Like the NYX, it's incredibly soft, creamy and glossy, unlike the NYX, it doesn't just sit and slide on top of your lips, but almost melds in, slightly filling in vertical lip lines and plumping the surface.

It also does actually moisturize my lips, which is not something that often happens for me with lip products. While I normally prefer my opaque lipsticks to have a bit less slip for better longevity and more precision, it wasn't a huge issue with Audrey, I guess partly because it is a more neutral shade - but if you wanted a razor sharp lip contour, I'd suggest pairing it with a lip liner. Also, as expected, the color did wear off through eating, but when I pressed my lips together and moved the product around a bit, I still had enough pigment and slip left to give me a hint of color all over.

L-R: Red Apple Lipstick in Audrey, Maybelline Warm Me Up, Elf Mineral Lipstick in Rosy Raisin, MAC Viva Glam V

The Red Apple Lipstick in Audrey gets two thumbs up from me - so much so that I promptly tossed NYX Tea Rose in the trash. There's just no way I would reach for Tea Rose over Audrey if I wanted that neutral warm pink lip! There are only two downsides to Red Apple Lipsticks for me: one, I find the fruity scent somewhat similar to the toy make-up I used to have as a little girl, and two, there just aren't enough shimmer-free shades in the range for me. I do know however that they're coming out with new collections constantly, and there are even blushes and foundation in the works this year!

Have you guys ever tried anything from Red Apple Lipstick? Are you concerned with the safety of ingredients in your lip products, and if so, what are your favorite brands?

Disclaimer: The product marked with an asterix (*) is a press sample I received from Red Apple Lipstick for review consideration. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as free press samples. Thank you for reading!

I'm not sure what to call this round of random musings, and I'm not really sure how to begin - so I'm just going to start typing and see where we end up. This post is about me trying to change my attitude towards wearing make-up, and generally speaking, my lifelong habit of 'saving it for later'. Does this sound vague enough or should I muddle it even further in the preamble?

Well, here's the gist of it. As a stay-at-home wife who lives very far away from most of her friends and all of her family (husband excepted), I spend a lot of time alone, in our apartment. When we moved here to NYC from Bellevue, WA, and I transitioned from working part/full time to just hanging out at home, I decided it would surely be silly to get dolled up every day to do the dishes, read books and occasionally pop downstairs to pick up packages. It's just me, right? I don't need to prove anything or try to impress myself, so why bother?

It turned out to be a bit of a slippery slope. First, I decided against putting make-up on every day (I'm letting my skin breathe!), only reserving it for the times I was going out to run errands or having some sort of social obligations. Then, I couldn't get out of loungy pants (ok, pajama bottoms) and stretched out t-shirts, and often skipped brushing my hair in the morning. And then recently, I've noticed around lunch time that I forgot to eat breakfast that day, haven't touched some nicer pieces in my closet for well over a year, and haven't been to a hairdresser in a year and a half. Wait... what?!

Before you start judging along the lines of 'Wow, she really let herself go' - no, you wouldn't even notice my gradual decline if I didn't just tell you about. Because when I did go out, I still applied my make-up meticulously (come on, I'm a beauty blogger, remember?), spent some time putting together a nice outfit, or even attempted a hair style. I did not suddenly start looking like a bridge troll; I maintained a pulled-together exterior, just became very, very lazy when it was just myself I was keeping company.

What really got me thinking about my attitude towards my own appearance on my 'days off' was my mum, who's been retired for about two years now. I've noticed that she probably now takes MORE care in her make-up, hair and clothes than she used to when she had to get ready for work every morning. She's constantly experimenting with her fashion style, doesn't miss a hair appointment with her stylist, and she's even started to do her nails (big deal here, folks)! So... if she can look nice just for herself, why can't I?

Not an easy answer, that. But I guess what it boils down to is that I generally tend to think the person I am at the moment doesn't deserve the effort of making herself presentable just for her own enjoyment. That the current me isn't good enough to look and feel pretty just because - no, there has to be a reason for me to pull myself together, which usually involves being in the company of other people. So, other people (like, strangers in the street?) deserve not to be put off by an au naturel Monika, but Monika can absolutely make herself feel bad about her messy reflection in the mirror.

You may gather from this that I'm not a very self-loving person, and you're right, I know that, and I AM trying to work on it; I did go see a hair stylist this week, ok? I also realize that self-love extends beyond one's appearance, but since this is a beauty blog after all, I just thought I'd share this shallower aspect with you, hoping that some of you may have similar experiences, and even if you don't, knowing that you're sensitive, emphatic, amazing people and you feel me. But yeah; my first step towards accepting myself as I am now is making the effort to look and feel pretty on the regular.

This also includes (FINALLY!) not saving stuff for later (later, when what? I'm bigger and badder?). Just to clarify, this is not the good kind of delayed gratification like in the famous marshmallow experiment; what I do is more along the lines of: 'Let me torture myself with the crappy stuff right now, and then be so miserable that I won't even feel the gratification of enjoying my favorite products when the times comes to finally pull them out'. But - NO MORE!

So if I feel like slapping on my most expensive foundation to take out the trash, I'll do it, and even if I don't feel like doing it, I'll still make myself do it, just to prove a point. If I feel like wearing a cashmere sweater just to read my book, I'll put it on, and enjoy its warmth and fluffiness. If I crave the spicy scent of my newest Serge Lutens perfume, I'll spritz it on and sniff my wrist every couple minutes while I'm typing up a blog post. Because you know what, my 'good' stuff won't last forever, and I should enjoy it while I have it, and not make myself endure mediocre things in anticipation of using my favorites some day in the unforeseeable future. Right? Right.

I've also been thinking that lately, I want to wear my make-up pretties more often precisely because I don't have to. What I mean by this is that for years, I'd been mostly wearing base make-up to conceal breakouts and hyperpigmentation scars. But in the past couple of months, I've been getting a lot less pimples and clogged pores, the texture and tone of my skin looks more even, and I'm not even as incredibly oily on my nose and forehead as I used to be (have I just jinxed myself? Will report back!). So now that my skin looks alright - not flawless by any stretch of imagination, but really good for me - and I don't need to hide as much, I can enjoy make-up just for the fun of it: the beauty of the products themselves, the variety of textures and colors, the tactile pleasure of putting it on, the experimentation with different placements and shapes. Not that I didn't enjoy all of it before, but without the stressful element of 'Holy crap, pizza face, where's my concealer?!', wearing make-up makes me even happier.

Tell me, do you also struggle with the 'save it for later' attitude towards your clothes and beauty products? I sometimes feel that my stash-reducing projects like empties and Project Make A Dent make it even harder for me to enjoy my bestest things, forcing me to reach for blah products over and over again, while in the meantime, my favorites just sit there gathering dust at best, or even expire and have to be tossed at worst. I also recently realized that my beauty and fashion needs and preferences really change quite often - or, uhm, I'm growing and becoming more discerning, I hope? Either way, this means that something I've just bought thinking it the best thing ever may turn out to no longer hold my attention when I finally start using it couple years down the line, because I'd been so focused on using up other stuff first. Oh, first world problems...

The Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation SPF 15 PA++ ($62 for 30 ml/ 1.01 fl oz) is a prime example of my 'save it for later' attitude towards products I'm especially excited about; I've explained it in more detail in my last post here, in case you've missed it. After swatching it in Sephora and promptly falling in love, I was ecstatic to have scored it on Hautelook... back in late 2013. I then tucked it away in a drawer, promising myself to crack the bottle open once I used up 'some' of my older foundations.

I know, pretty bad. I'm looking for a delayed gratification support group as we speak. Anyway, as part of my resolution to enjoy my favoritest things, I finally started playing with the Aqua Foundation this month. Good news: I still love it! Bad news: I hear it's been reformulated - but I haven't tried the new version, so I'm hoping it's still just as good as this old one.

The Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation is packaged in a pretty frosted glass bottle with a controllable pump. I find the design pretty and functional, which is my favorite combo, although I'd be a touch apprehensive to travel with anything glass. I purchased the shade PK-0, which is the lightest pink/ cool-toned shade in the Aqua range (I believe the lightest cool shade for the Aqua Foundation is now called 012. The Moisture Foundation comes in an even lighter 001 shade).

'Created to mimic the optical reflectance of a post facial treatment, the new technically advanced Aqua Foundation series finishes the skin to look brighter and healthier for an ideal natural finish. With radiance in mind, the Aqua Foundation is infused with a RGB powder that enhances the natural tone of the complexion for a brighter and poreless skin texture (from Koh Gen Do's website)'. While normally the cosmetic marketing spiel drives me bonkers, this time the brand hasn't strayed too far from the truth. Brighter (less dull), more radiant and healthier looking skin? Check. Natural, lightweight, skin-like finish? Check. Poreless texture? Check - well, to an extent.

The Aqua Foundation has a thin, liquidy consistency, which makes it very easy to blend into the skin, be it by using fingers, a brush or a sponge. I find that one pump is enough to give my skin light coverage (I have a small face), but you could layer it on for medium coverage as well (two pumps + a buffing brush gives me medium coverage, but I prefer to really push it into the skin with fingers or a beautyblender). The foundation quickly melds into one with my skin, smoothing over enlarged pores, and setting to what I would call a comfortable luminous demi-matte finish. It virtually looks and feels like there's nothing on your face, while brightening, evening out the tone and perfecting the texture of your skin at the same time. Looks like my skin, but (much) better.

In the photo above, I smoothed on one pump with a sponge on top of a small amount of Lancome La Base Pro primer applied just to my T-zone. I did some light concealing on larger marks and blemishes but otherwise left my skin be, no powder, no highlighter. If you look close (you can enlarge the photo by clicking directly on it), you'll see that the appearance of the pores on my forehead, nose and the sides of my nose is definitely diminished, although it doesn't quite disguise the larger ones in the nasolabial fold area - but doesn't pool into them either. The one downside to this foundation is that it does catch on dry flakes slightly; you can see those on my nose and a bit on the forehead. Otherwise though, I'd say my skin looks pretty darn good with this stuff on. Like, better than any other foundation I've tried thus far.

I know I have a fair (har har) number of porcelain complected readers, so I thought a shade comparison with my other pale foundations may be helpful if you're contemplating an online order. I was quite shocked to see how dark PK-0 swatched on my wrist compared to how fair it looks on my face (maybe because my face isn't the same color as my wrist, duh). I will tell you this: it applies a lot lighter on the face, and because it's sheer coverage, you can expect some shade tolerance. In MAC terms, I'd gauge it at about NW10-15. If you're a lot lighter than that, it may be too dark for you - I'm sorry! If you're darker, I'd go a shade (or couple) up; I probably won't be able to wear this shade alone in the late summer/ early fall. For all my fair yellow toned ladies, there are pale warm/ ochre shades in the range as well (113, 123, 143, 213).

L-R: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, Revlon Colorstay in Ivory, Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation in PK-0, Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Porcelain 1, and bonus Tarte Full Coverage Amazonian Clay in Fair Beige

As for longevity, it's currently one of the most long-wearing bases I own. It somehow manages to control the shine on my nose and forehead for about 9 hours; I'd say that some of the oil breaks through towards the end, but looks dewy rather than greasy (mind you, I have very oily skin in these two areas). It doesn't look dry, cakey, uneven or patchy on normal/dry areas of my face. Before removing it for the day, I noticed that the foundation gathered a bit more around the flaky bits, but not enough to be spotted by anyone other than myself, peering closely in the mirror. All in all, I'd say it should suit normal, combination and oily skin the most.

But regardless, do you know the best thing about it? Husband (unprompted!) said I looked well rested while I was wearing the Koh Gen Do Aqua. That seals the deal, folks - the man has spoken. Have you tried the Aqua Foundation? What is your current 'my skin but better' base?

Thank you to everyone who's been complimenting my lashes for the past couple of weeks - you guys make me blush :) More to the point, many of you have also asked which mascara I've been using recently, and here it is: the Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes Statement Mascara in Black ($23 for 0.31 oz). I'm not one to splurge on a high-end mascara, but this was included in a press sample Glossybox a LONG while back, so once I was done with using up my mascara minis, I dug this out.

Oh, a 360° brush design? So... it's exactly like all the other mascara wands? How unique.

(As a side note, do you know how long it took me to finish most of my deluxe mascara sample stash? Somewhere in the proximity of two years. I don't know if the mini mascaras had got in on the action and sprouted babies when I wasn't looking, but man. That's crazy). I'm personally not in love with the obnoxious gold snakeskin tube, which I guess would work if you were groping for your mascara in the dark, and I find that Tarte is perhaps taking their Lights, Camera puns a bit too far, but whatever. It's what on the inside that counts, right?

This 'statement' version of Lights, Camera, Ashes to Ashes was made popular last year by some YouTube beauty gurus. Ironically, that made me less excited about this mascara - I will admit that my thoughts meandered into the 'I wonder how much Tarte has paid for that particular endorsement?' territory. I find that Tarte tends to hype up their new releases on social media a bit too much for my personal taste; they haven't reached Benefit's levels of 'Oh My F*cking God, this liner changed my life!', but they're getting close. That turns me off, my friends.

Anyway, the mascara. The rubber brush has two lenghts of bristles (shorter for depositing the product, longer for combing out clumps), but contrarily to what Tarte claims on the packaging, they're not set at 180 degree angle from each other - from what I can see, the long and short rows are interwoven, so rotating the wand, unless by maybe 20 degrees, doesn't change the performance at all. The Tarte's rubber bristles are quite soft, so if you're looking at the spikes on the tip and thinking it as pokey as Benefit's They're Real, rest assured, applying this mascara doesn't actually hurt the eyeballz.

It took me a solid three weeks to form my opinion on this mascara. At first, I did not like - the formula was a bit wet, the brush difficult to figure out, the end result kinda clumpy. But, like many mascaras, Tarte's Lights, Camera, Flashes benefits from a couple weeks of drying out - and experimenting with the best way of applying it. For me, it's two thin coats applied in quick succession, combing mascara from roots to tips of the lashes without wriggling, as that seems to produce more clumps at the ends than what I prefer. The overall effect is long, volumized, decently separated lashes, including the forever difficult outer corners. Exactly how I like my lashes.

My only other criticisms would be that Lights, Camera, Flashes transfers ever so slightly on the inner part of my browbone. As you can see in the photo below, my lashes, especially on my right eye, touch the skin right in that area when I'm looking straight on, and frankly, most mascaras end up transferring there. Darn you, LiLash! ;) The other downside is that this mascara is very hard to remove; even with a recommended oil-based make-up remover (I'm using the Shu Uemura Anti-Oxi Cleansing Oil). But, it IS very black and almost tar-like in consistency (which is a good thing...?), and never flakes under the eyes. I do not know yet how long a tube will last, as I've only tested it for about a month now - I shall update once I reach the end.

Wearing 2 pumps of Face Atelier Ultra foundation (which prompted a revelation that sometimes MOAR foundation is a good thing) and Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58.

Tarte's Lights, Camera, Flashes has proved to be worth the hype for me; mind you, my post growth-enhancing-serum lashes are quite long, full, and naturally curly (no eyelash curlers in these shots), so maybe it wouldn't fare that great on shorter and sparser lashes - I can't vouch for that. What is your current favorite mascara? Do you tend to stick to the drugstore or like to splurge on a high-end one?

Last year, I tried for the first time and fell in love with jelly finish in cream cheek products. While it's more of an Asian beauty trend and not widely available among Western brands, there is a jelly product you can get easily if you live in the US: the Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelées ($22 for 0.18 oz). I seem to have acquired two shades in very quick succession: Pink Escape, via Sephora's Beauty Insider perk (hence the dinky pot), and Getaway Red, because... strawberry jelly! I wish it smelt like berry gelée too, but, alas - absolutely no scent on these.

Here's the Sephora blurb for you, lifted from the website:'This buildable, blendable blush hybrid provides the natural look of a cream blush with the long-lasting hydrating color of a gel stain. Infused with 50 percent pure coconut water, it instantly hydrates while nourishing with the powerful benefits of vitamin E-rich argan oil. Like a refreshing sip of coconut water for your skin, this moisture-packed blush instantly drenches cheeks in a cool veil of color'. End of blurb. There are eight colors in the line, ranging from sunny orange to deep wine.

A quick look at the ingredients proves that the Watercolor Gelées indeed contain quite a bit of coconut water (yum!), as well as moisturizing glycerin and argan oil. Josie Maran's product line could be described as 'aiming to be natural', and while there IS some lab-produced chemistry in there (shock horror! Nah, I don't care...), it's nice to know this blush is vegan, paraben, gluten and cruelty-free.

Can we contemplate the merry squishiness of the untouched product for a moment? Aaaah... Purdy. Now, when you touch your finger to the blush inside, it does indeed have a somewhat stiff gelatinous texture to it - interesting! Through a lot of trial and error, I've found that applying with a small duo fiber stippling brush dabbed straight into the jar works the best for me, because these are jelly STAINS, and they set incredibly quickly. I do a couple of very fast and vigorous blending motions with my brush to avoid concentrated patches of color. Trying to pick up color with your fingers results in most of the product staining your fingers, not your cheeks.

Those difficulties aside, I find these Watercolor Cheek Gelées to be a very cool (literally) and unique concept. They do feel nice and cooling on your skin, so they'd be perfect for hot summer months - also, they really are long-wearing. The pigmentation is on the sheer side (so they're not as scary as they look in the pot... Or who am I kidding, when am I ever scared by a bright blush?) but buildable, and the fun, punchy colors stand out on the skin and give it a natural, radiant flush. These Gelées also feel and look beautifully lightweight on the cheeks, there's literally no product feel to these, so if you like invisible blush that provides that glowing from within look, you need to give them a good swatch session.

Please don't be turned off by my swatches - I will admit that these are pants in arm swatches, they just don't lend themselves to being laid on thick; so if you want more opacity on your cheeks, I'd recommend thin layers rather than smacking half the jar on at once. For science, I did try these on the lips as well, and they're quite subtle and pretty when dabbed on; they don't even feel dry or tight, and that's a big achievement for a stain. I especially like to wear the Gelées under a sheer lipgloss to amp up the brightness a bit.

Compared to my favorite jellies of 2014, the Canmake Cream Cheeks in the clear finish, the Josie Maran Cheek Gelées are thinner in consistency and more sheer, and they almost have a bit of that dry silicone feel, although definitely less than the Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush. The difference in textures of these three cheek products boils down to this, in my opinion: Canmake Cream Cheek is a cream jelly, Josie Maran is a gel jelly (wtf?), Revlon Photoready Cream Blush is a translucent cream to powder. As for the shades, Pink Escape is a cool toned/ just in from the cold pink (very similar to Revlon Flushed), while Getaway Red is a cool toned/ pinky red.

L-R: Josie Maran Pink Escape, Canmake Cream Cheek in CL04 Clear Pink Joy, Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Flushed, Josie Maran Getaway Red, Canmake Cream Cheek in CL03 Clear Orange

Wearing Getaway Red on them apples. Also, wonky eyebrow -_-

All things considered, I'm having a lot of fun with these Watercolor Cheek Gelées; it's one of the more interesting formulations I've played around with in the recent months. I will say that they're not the easiest product to apply evenly, and they can cling to textural imperfections on the cheeks, but I feel that the same can be said about a lot of other stains - and the Gelées are way cooler than your average stain. So, yeah - go prod them at your local Sephora. What is your favorite cheek stain? Or do you skip creams and jellies altogether and simply prefer powder blushes?

How long has it been since my last monthly favorites post? Too long, I guess - for some reason I don't often have a satisfactory line-up of products to present for your viewing pleasure without it becoming rather repetitive to my regularly scheduled reviews. But this month, I have a few 'shopping my stash' rediscoveries, as well as some new, previously unmentioned products that I preferred to cull together in the form of shorter reviewlets.

Let's start with not quite make-up, shall we? After deciding that TATCHA Gold Camellia Nourishing Lip Balm wasn't moisturizing enough as on overnight treatment for my cracked winter lips, I've gone back to an old inexpensive favorite, the Badger Cocoa Butter Lip Balm in the Vanilla Bean flavor. I don't taste much of anything in this, but the balm itself is properly thick, oily and longwearing, so that I still have a layer of product left on my lips come morning.

Similarly, Josie Maran Argan Infinity Intensive Creamy Oil is a welcome boost of nourishment for any area of dry skin: I use it mostly on my cuticles, and it has a delightful orange icing scent. My best friend must have been reading my mind because shortly after taking photos for this Favorites post, she sent me a package containing two shades of Josie's tinted Argan Infinity, which can be used on lips or cheeks. Can't wait to properly test them out!

Inglot's Duraline is one of those things I'd been meaning to pick up for months, but finally bit the bullet when I was visiting home over the Christmas break. In essence, it's a liquid silicone blend meant to be mixed in with powders to achieve an intense longwearing cream formula, but it can also be used to revive cream products. I've been using it with my nearly defunct pot of Maybelline Color Tattoo and it has worked wonders, turning it back into a smooth, creamy, soft consistency. If you own several cream eyeshadows on the brink of being completely dried out, do pick up a bottle of Duraline - it will save you some pennies in the long run!

I'm pretty sure both NYX Powder Blush in Taupe and the Boots No7 Blush in Soft Damson must have been mentioned in a past Favorites round-up. Both are the perfect shades for a cool winter complexion: NYX Taupe serves as an effortless contouring shade, No7 Soft Damson gives the prettiest subtle pink flush to the cheeks. You know, sometimes rummaging through your make-up drawers and bringing out forgotten favorites really is a pleasure!

This month I have also been experimenting with lining my eyes using a soft pencil and an angled brush, as demonstrated by the talented Karima in this tutorial. The brush makes it easy to deposit color exactly at the roots of your lashes and to find the perfect angle for your flick. For me, using an eyeliner pencil is also less messy and time-consuming than pulling out a pot of gel eyeliner, because, ekhm, lazy. I have also found that for some of my drier, harder formula eye pencils that tend to drag at the lashline, using the brush to place product instead is a much less frustrating experience. You already know my love for the Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pens, but I feel that I haven't mentioned my favorite angled brush in too long: it's the EcoTools Bamboo Flat Eyeliner Brush. I just ordered a new one from Ulta because mine, after five years of unfailing service, is finally ready to retire.

One product I forgot to take a close-up of is my mini bareMinerals Stroke of Light Eye Brightener; I think my shade is Luminous 1. For some mysterious reason, I've had some dry patches in the inner corners of my eyes this month, and my trusty Bobbi Brown Corrector just wasn't looking right. The lightweight, blendable formula of Stroke of Light however managed to disguise my blue undereye circles without catching on any flakes or creasing in the fine lines around the eye. In close-up photography, I can see that it has quite visible shimmer particles, but it's not very obvious to the naked eye. I'm really enjoying my little sample, and I think I should look for something with a similarly thin consistency once I'm done with the heavier Bobbi Brown.

I hope you enjoyed this peek into my favorites; it's quite interesting to me that among so many new products I've been trying lately, I still turn to some older loves from my stash. What beauty products have you been enjoying recently? Are they new discoveries or have you been shopping your stash?

Before I launch straight into 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' over this highlighter, I have to (yet again!) thank Gummy for introducing it to me - or more specifically, including it in her Holiday giveaway prize that I was incredibly lucky to receive. There's something very special about beauty packages to me, and being given a couple products to try handpicked by a fellow junkie is just beyond exciting. Gummy, I loved everything about that package, from the card and wrapping, through the prizes, to the little extras you've thrown in!!!

I know, enough of waxing lyrical about Gummy's generosity - but if you wanted to participate in her future giveaways, better go and subscribe now - just sayin'. You may remember that around the same time last year I said that I never used highlighters, and didn't see the point of acquiring any for my stash. Well, this Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Compact in Highlight 01 ($38 for 0.26 oz) may be the game changer for me.

You see, as a person blessed (hmm...) with a combination, formerly oily skin type, I don't need much help in the radiance department. I don't know if it's a natural property of my skin or the skincare I'm using, but my face looks glowy without me even trying; like my skin can be dehydrated and flaky, but it will still look shiny (anyone else has observed that with their skin? No? Just me?). However, with the cold season, a generally lessened oil production in my skin, and some more mattifying foundations I've been trialling, I've found that I should probably revisit my stance towards highlighters.

Laura Mercier's Matte Radiance comes in a very sturdy and slightly bulky packaging with a mirror; it's a domed baked powder though, and you get a lot of it, so I understand the need for a bigger compact. The powder itself doesn't look too marbelized in the pan, it has more of a uniform appearance, with a soft sheen to the surface. The texture is very soft and kicks up a bit of powder, but goes on smooth and creamy on the skin.

Here's why I think you need it, even if you generally dislike highlighters. First of all, it does give a natural, but visibly glowy look to the skin. I know people laugh at the name 'Matte Radiance', but I get it: it's radiant but not shimmery, and in a different way than the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. If you've tried Luminous Light and are thinking 'Pffft, who needs that? It does absolutely nothing', but also swatched something like theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer or BECCA's Pressed Shimmering Skin Perfectors and thought them way, way too much, Laura Mercier Highlight 01 is going to be exactly the sort of highlighter you've been looking for. It's definitely there and does an amazing job at bringing a youthful glow and definition to the cheeks, but it doesn't need to be strictly controlled for fear of looking like a drag queen in the daytime (nothing wrong with that, if that's what floats your boat). It's more... refined, you know? #whynotbesubtle

Secondly, if you're fair-skinned like me and find the bulk of popular highlighters simply too dark for your complexion, Matte Radiance in Highlight 01 is your friend. It's a slightly more champagne/ peachy version of my NW10/15 skin, so it blends in perfectly - see how dark and warm that Hourglass Luminous Light and Benefit Watt's Up are next to it? And yet, it works on darker and warmer Gummy as well, but if you're even darker (or are looking for a glowy bronzer), there are three more shades in this range.

L-R: Laura Mercier Matte Radiance in Highlight 01, Benefit Watt's Up, Rouge Bunny Rouge Eyeshadow in Unforgettable Oriole (see, more shimmery finish), Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light

I've been wearing it the past couple of days non stop and I'm really loving it. I find it very easy to blend, long lasting and complimentary for a variety of blush shades - I'm not wearing any blush in the face shot by the way, just a little bit of contour powder. I don't think it's too much, even with a more dewy foundation; I've really built it up for the photo, but you can also wear a very sheer layer. It also doesn't emphasize pores too bad - I know that when you look close up at the picture that's focused exactly on the highlighed area, you can see some texture there, but in real life it's not discernible to a naked eye.

All in all, while I don't see myself hoarding multiple highlighters in the near future, I do think there's a place for a refined glowy cheekbone in my make-up routine, and it's been fun to experiment with highlighting my features. Tell me, are you strictly against or all for highlighting? What's your current favorite highlighter?

Because having more of Rouge Bunny Rouge When Birds Are Singing Long Lasting Eyeshadows is... L♡VE? RBR eyeshadows were among some of my favorite make-up products I've tried in 2014, so I couldn't resist getting a few more when the brand debuted on HauteLook a couple months back. I had longed to try their Matt (sic!) formula, so I purchased Sweet Dust Seriema and Chestnut Napped Apalis ($25 for 0.08 oz/ 2.4g each), as well as another shimmery shade, Snowy Egret ($19 for 2g).

You have probably spotted right away the difference in size and price between these eyeshadows. The two matte shades I purchased are only available as single compacts, while Snowy Egret is available as a refill pan. All the shimmery shades from Rouge Bunny Rouge have slightly smaller pans than the matte single compacts. It's a bit confusing, and while in theory it's nice to get more for your buck, I wish the matte shades were the same standard size of a MAC eyeshadow, so I could plop them in my custom palette. As it is, I've depotted the single compacts and keep shuffling my two RBR mattes between different Z-Palettes (as a side note, melting the plastic underneath and piercing it with something sharp to wedge the pan up and out has worked great for me; I was also able to peel the labels off and stick them to my depotted pans without any problems).

Before we start swatching and comparing, I apologize for a slight lighting/ white balance discrepancy between the photos; I took these shots on two separate days and I'm guessing the temperature of the natural light I was working with must have been different. But I think that also shows you different aspects of these shades, no?

Let's begin with Snowy Egret (described as smoked palest gold iridescence), which is at once easy and difficult to review. Easy, because I knew right away that I would love the formula, having already experienced and loved four of the When Birds Are Singing Eyeshadows previously (click for my review and swatches of the shades Unforgettable Oriole, Bohemian Waxwing, Delicate Hummingbird and Eclipse Eagle). Difficult, because it's a rather complex shade. I would describe it as a very pale platinum with a white gold sheen.

When I took it out of the packaging, it immediately reminded me of Surratt Beauty Eyeshadow in Scintillante, and while they're not too far apart, Snowy Egret is warmer and has a stronger reflective quality, while Scintillante is more cool pink/ grey (well, for a white gold shade, anyway...) and has more of a subtle scattered sparkle finish.

L-R: RBR Snowy Egret, RBR Unforgettable Oriole, Surratt Scintillante, MAC Vex, NYX White Pearl

I'm sorry these swatched don't stand out very clearly on my skin, but I'm fair and they tend to blend in quite easily. You can see here that RBR Unforgettable Oriole is warmer, deeper and more of a champagne tone, but Snowy Egret is not a stark white either, compared to NYX White Pearl. I also shot these swatches in direct sunlight to show you the intensity and tone of shimmer in these shades (my usual swatches are in diffused natural light, by the way).

L-R: RBR Snowy Egret, RBR Unforgettable Oriole, Surratt Scintillante, MAC Vex, NYX White Pearl

Let's discuss matte Sweet Dust Seriema (semi-opaque cool dusty mauve taupe) next. I was very much looking forward to owning a basic cool-toned transition/blending eyeshadow shade, as many of the often recommended shades for that purpose run too warm and orange on me. But Sweet Dust Seriema is seriously cool-toned; it has that grey aspect of a natural shadow on the skin, but with enough mauve/ purple undertone to balance it out. It pairs beautiful with cooler shades on the lid, and I think that for pale and cool toned skinned like me, it could even work as a cheek contouring shade (because see how much cooler it is than NYX Powder Blush in Taupe?).

Now, in terms of formula and performance, the Rouge Bunny Rouge Matt eyeshadows really are as stellar as everyone else made them out to be. The texture of the powder in the pan is incredibly silky and smooth, so they apply and blend on the eye without any effort, and last an entire day. Compared to my other favorite matte eyeshadow formula from Inglot, the RBR shadows are slightly less opaque but also not as soft and powdery (less powder kick-up when picking the powder up with a brush or a finger). I'm not sure if I necessarily like them MORE than the Inglot; Inglot single pans are $6, RBR are $25. Both are stellar formulations, and I like how complimentary the RBR shades are compared to my Inglot counterparts. But if you're on a budget or don't have easy access to Rouge Bunny Rouge, you'll still be good with your Inglot Freedom System choices.

L-R: RBR Sweet Dust Seriema, Inglot Matte no. 337, Red Apple Lipstick Clean Slate, NYX Powder Blush in Taupe

Lastly, Chestnut-Napped Apalis (semi-opaque chestnut puree with a hint of cocoa dust... Say what?) is a fantastic neutral blending shade, running neither too warm or too cool. While I forgot to include that comparison in the photos, it is in fact a very similar shade to that NYX Taupe contouring shade - so yes, I'm sure it would double as a face sculpting powder on just about any skintone as well.

Compared here to some warmer matte medium brown shades, it stands out as the most cool-toned, but you could see how warm it looks against Sweet Dust Seriema. It's just a staple neutral brown, I think a must-have in a good eyeshadow collection. The formula is just as good as Sweet Dust Seriema. Love, love this shade, even though it seems like such a boring color - but it's hard to find something that's just right!


L-R: RBR Sweet Dust Seriema, Too Faced Velvet Revolver from the Natural Eyes palette, Annabelle So Foxy (similar to MAC Charcoal Brown), a medium brown from Physicians Formula Canyon Classics quad, Inglot Matte no. 344.

As you can probably tell, I'm very happy with the new additions to my Rouge Bunny Rouge eyeshadow family - I don't know if I need to have them all, but I can't rule out getting a few more shades in the future, even if that means depotting and defiling the beautiful packaging. I haven't yet met an RBR eyeshadow I was disappointed in. I hope this post was helpful to anyone looking for good transition mattes as well; I realize that my shade comparisons are somewhat limited as I can only compare to other things I own, but hopefully that gives you some idea about the shade depth and warmth. Rouge Bunny Rouge newbes, do you have any of these shades in your stash? RBR collectors, which shades am I missing from my line-up?

After my last post in the Capsule Collection series, where I talked about my lifelong habit of saving my favorite things for later and trudging through blahs in the meantime, some of you lovely people suggested that maybe I just shouldn't use (and own) those mediocre products, full stop.

I can't lie, it's a valid point - so it prompted me to do another make-up and nail polish purge. But this time, I thought that instead of just documenting the stuff I'm getting rid of, I'll try to actually learn something about my product preferences in the process, so I may hopefully avoid poor purchasing decisions in the future. Here's what I've found out:

As a sweeping generalisation, I have a hard time getting rid of 'so-so' products - you know, the ones that don't suck really bad, but don't do if for you either - like this Murad Skin Perfecting Primer in the Matte Finish, but pretty much all of the things shown in this post fall in that category. Another important lesson: I don't use loose mineral products for cheeks or eyes (but I do make an exception for loose face powders or foundations). If it's in a messy little pot and I haven't yet been bothered to press it, it needs to go, as exemplified by the miscellaneous Coastal Scents blushes in the photo above - I actually used them a lot when I first got them, but they haven't been touched in 2 years probably!

The next lesson covers my shade selections: I don't look good in pigmented plummy blushes (NYX Powder Blush in Raisin). My skin has enough of a cool almost purpley undertone, so anything leaning plum/ purple makes me look a bit bruised. I also don't use or look good in warm bronze shades, which is why I'll be passing on my untouched sample of the Rouge Bunny Rouge Bronzing Glow Liquid.

Staying on the topic of cheek products, I haven't been able to part with this Bourjois Pastel Joues Blusher in Rouge Corail for years, even though I'm afraid to actually put it on my face. I stole this blush from my mom years ago, who purchased it in Paris even longer ago - I want to say this blush is now 16 years old? I was keeping it for sentimental reasons: it's the first blush I ever owned, and it came from my mom, and it had that delightful old school make-up scent... But I figured that if I wasn't able to wear it (because it was just too old for my tolerance levels, not because the formula changed), I should let it go, and that my photos are enough to convey the memory of this product forever without it taking space in my collection.

Now for the eyes: again with the warm gold and bronze tones (also... red eyeshadow?!), they just don't look right on my cool-toned skin (Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in Eldorado, Wet n'Wild Khol in Bronze, a shimmery gold eyeshadow from Inglot) and I don't use loose mineral eyeshadows (Fyrinnae Kapir). There's also no sense in keeping eyeshadow dupes in an inferior formula (Annabelle Vanilla Chilla, a purple Wet n'Wild shade from one of the trios) - when am I ever going to reach for them? Certainly not when I finally use up the better eyeshadow these are dupes of, because... I never finish any eyeshadows.

I also need to remember that both cream eyeshadows and eyeliner pencils do dry out - so I shouldn't be stockpiling multiple shades. Ideally, I should only have as many on the go as I am able to use up within a year to two. Older than that, they become hard, stiff and difficult to apply. I'll be working on downsizing my eyeliner and cream eyeshadow collection further this year.

As for lip products - again with the dupable shades in an inferior formula (Wet n'Wild lipstick in Hot Paris Pink is nearly identical to my beloved Maybelline Color Sensational in First Class Fuschia), I'm just not going to get to them before they expire, so may as well let someone else enjoy them. As for lip glosses, my goal is to only keep a few around as I wear them much less often than lipsticks. My gloss preferences are as follows: I don't like lip glosses in pots where you have to dip your fingers in, I generally prefer no shimmer or glitter in my glosses unless it's undetectable on the lips, and I don't wear pigmented glosses in bold shades (NYX Mega Shine in African Queen) - they're just too messy.

Lastly, not too many lessons glimpsed through decluttering my nail polish stash - just again not to keep multiples of the same shade around, and that buying nail polish in little sets is a tricky business, because there's usually a shade or two in there that I don't like. For the same reason, I'm generally against beauty subscription services - you'll always end up with lots of minis that you have no idea what to do with, and they accumulate so fast; I still have my Birchbox samples that I received three years ago! I'd much rather save the money I would be spending on a subscription and just splurge on one full size product of my own choosing that I really want to try.

I've also realized, mostly through using up my make-up primer and perfume samples, that I tend to use very, very little product in one application. A 1 ml primer foil packet lasts me about 2 weeks, meaning that a standard 1 ounce/ 30 ml primer tube would be lasting me over a year of everyday usage, and I don't wear make-up every day; I'm sure the same applies to foundation for me. If I can only finish at most 1 bottle of foundation and primer in a year, I don't think I should be keeping more than two on hand at any given time. I don't know how realistic that is - I love trying new foundations, and I like to have different shade and finish options; but maybe having three would be an achievable middle ground? Either way, I need to keep in mind how slowly I go through my make-up products.

That's about it for now; it's amazing how many things you learn about yourself when you analyze your habits. Looking at my little list of preferences, I'm able to squash some lemmings in the bud: no Colour Pop eyeshadows until I use up some (at least two or three!) of my creams, none of these new liquid lipstick thingies from Anastasia or NYX because they're just too high maintenance! Do you also try to reason with yourself in a similar way when new products are being released? Have you observed that you now know more about your personal tastes than when you first started collecting make-up?

It seems that February would be the month of me going back on my word: 'I don't see the point of highlighters!', and yet I'm loving Laura Mercier Matte Radiance. 'I never use lip liners!', and here I am, launching into a lip pencil review. Please stay tuned for an upcoming rave on eyelash curlers and how I can't imagine my life without them... Just kidding, no, I'm still not converted to lash curling - but I almost had you there! ;)

Here's why I felt the need to fork out for this Milani Anti-Feathering Lipliner in Transparent 01 ($4.49 for 0.04 oz/ 1.2 g). As you may remember from this year's installment of Project Make A Dent, I've been trying to use up my Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58, a bright berry shade. I don't have much problem with rocking bold lips even on an everyday basis, but I do have an issue with darker colors wearing off unevenly or slipping around too much on the lips. If I'm going to wear my bright raspberry without fear or second thought, I need to make sure it's not going anywhere - which is where a lip liner must come in.

I say 'must', because I've never been a fan of lining my lips; it takes more time, effort and expense (to buy matching lip liners to all your bold lipsticks? No thank you, I prefer to just buy more lipstick), and on top of that, most lip pencils are incredibly drying and uncomfortable. But you know what, this Milani Transparent Lipliner is really cool - clear, so it matches everything, quick and easy to apply, feels good on the lips, and definitely extends the wear of my bright lipsticks.

Milani claims this pencil can be used to outline your lips but also to fill them in, and that it can double as a lip primer; you do end up going through the pencil rather quickly this way. The texture of the product is quite hard in the bullet (it can crumble when freshly sharpened if you press down too hard!) but warms up as you're putting it on the lips, and it has a smooth but almost tacky feel to it. Think of it as a glue between the skin of your lips and the lip product you're putting on top: it's not oily or balmy but instead forms a layer for lipsticks or glosses to cling to. Throughout the day, it doesn't seem to wear off or absorb into the lips, making the creamy product worn on top feel more solid and less slippery, and depending on the lipstick formula, sometimes it can even slightly mattify the finish. There's no scent to the product but you do unfortunately have to sharpen your pencil.

Another huge advantage of this universal Milani Lipliner is that it doesn't exacerbate vertical lip lines and it doesn't dry out the lips - I wouldn't say it moisturizes them either, but due to high silicone and wax content, it acts almost like a seal to trap moisture inside your lips. Even with more drying lipstick formulas, I feel that by layering the clear lip liner underneath, my lips feel less parched by the end of the day.

Wearing Milani Anti-Feathering Lip Liner with Inglot Gel Lipstick no. 58. I'm not sure if you can see that, but the finish is a bit more satin than by wearing the lipstick on its own.

Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend this, and now I think I can't be without a lip priming product to wear with brighter shades. If you dislike the high maintenance that comes with fuschias, reds and burgundies, definitely look into the Transparent Anti-Feathering Lipliner - and even if doesn't turn out to be an absolute must-have for you personally, it's a small investment versus some other options from brands like MAC, Too Faced, Dior or Bite Beauty. How cool that Milani made such a product available in the drugstore, right?

How do you feel about lip liners and lip primers in general? Have you ever tried a clear lip liner, and if so, which brand is your favorite?

When I first started seeing Zoeva's brushes on a multitude of YouTube channels, I immediately assumed it was another make-up brush company just like Sigma. Sigma, when it first started, became popular for making inexpensive dupes of MAC brushes right down to the same numbering system, then affiliated half of available beauty gurus, got greedy due to the success it's been having, and gradually increased their prices. I wouldn't even mind all that if the quality of their brushes was any good - but it's not, and I also have no patience for gimmicky products like a brush-cleaning oven mitt. So, by the same token, I had absolutely zero interest in trying Zoeva brushes.

But then I watched Lauren's overview of Zoeva brushes that she ordered and paid for herself, and she was very satisfied with the quality and performance even compared to brands like Hakuhodo. And then I started watching a Polish beauty channel where Zoeva's brushes were reviewed in detail and used regularly for a variety of looks. Those two things, combined with Zoeva's reasonable pricing and a wide variety of brush shapes and types available, made me finally pull the trigger and order five different brushes to try for myself.

Zoeva is a German cosmetics and brush company; currently their products are only available for US folks via Zoeva's own website. The biggest downside of ordering from Germany is that Zoeva charges a flat shipping fee of $16. That's quite steep if you just want to try a couple brushes; you could of course convince a friend to place an order with you and divide the cost that way, but it's a bit of a pain. Good news is that my package was dispatched very quickly and arrived in New York about a week later. More good news is that if you're in Europe, not only are Zoeva's own shipping fees much lower, but they also distribute their brushes through a lot of domestic online stores - for example, Zoeva's retailers in Poland charge about $3 for the shipping. You do have to pay VAT though, unlike us here in the US.

The brushes came packaged in a (slightly ripped) cardboard box with a company logo, padded with some additional tissue inside. Each brush has its own ziplock pouch, and the bristles are further secured with a little plastic sleeve. You could absolutely reuse that paraphernalia for travel, the pouches especially seem very sturdy and useful - I thought it was a nice touch.

I orderded two face brushes and three eye brushes. Let's start with the face: I got the 105 Luxe Highlight ($15.50) and the 109 Luxe Face Paint ($15.50). Both of these brushes are a blend of natural (I'm thinking goat) and synthetic hairs, and the bristles are very fine and soft, with a comparable feel to my goat-bristled Hakuhodos but perhaps a touch more springy/ resistant. I was actually hoping to use the Luxe Highlight for both highlighting and setting with powder on smaller areas of the face, but the more elongated and slightly tapered shape is definitely better suited for highlighting or contouring (I use the more domed Real Techniques contour brush for setting). I like that the brush head is on the smaller side, so that I can highlight only the specific areas that I want targeted.

I don't have another brush even remotely similar to the 109 Luxe Face Paint, which is the reason I was particularly excited to play around with it for contouring my face. It's a flat brush with a blunt edge, and the bristles form an oval shape when you look at the brush in profile. I suppose it's very similar to the popular NARS Ita brush, or the new Real Techniques Bold Metals 301 Flat Contour, although significantly cheaper than both of those. I also decided to get Zoeva's version because I'd heard that the NARS bristles are a bit scratchy, while the RT is a bit too dense and stubby and not flexible enough to allow for blending. The Zoeva Face Paint doesn't poke my sensitive skin and allows for both precise placement of a contouring powder directly under the cheekbone as well as some light blending, especially when you turn the brush vertically. If you like very subtle and diffused contour or have a larger face, it may not be your favorite - but I've really been enjoying mine.

Onto the eye brushes: whenever I order brushes from a new to me company, I can't resist purchasing their version of a staple crease/ blending brush (a MAC 217 dupe, if you will), which in Zoeva's case is the 227 Luxe Soft Definer ($9.50). Again, this is a natural and synthetic hair mix, and the design is a bit different than my favorite Bdellium Tools 776: the bristles are slightly longer and fan out more, giving it more of a paddle shape. Functionally though, it performs exactly like the 776, and it's great for both placing shadow in the crease and blending it out. In comparison, the Wayne Goss 06 is more pinched and flat, while the Sigma E25 has a rounder shade and unsurprisingly, a lot scratchier bristles.

I also purchased another crease brush, the 231 Luxe Petit Crease ($9.50). At the time I was placing my order, I didn't realize this brush was a Zoeva fan favorite, but I can definitely see why: the natural bristles are soft but resistant and cut with great precision, with all the hairs perfectly aligned and coming to a point. I find the Luxe Petit Crease to be an incredibly versatile brush as well: it could be used for precise placement in the crease, or as a softer pencil brush, or for placing and blending out inner corner and under the brow highlight (which is what I've been using it for). It's more flexible and tapered than the Bdellium Tools 781, and longer and slightly bigger than my trusty Posh (sic!) Crease brush (I believe Essence of Beauty makes a brush duo that comes with a similar brush).

Lastly, I also needed a new angled eyeliner brush, so I ordered the 317 Wing Liner ($8.50). It doesn't specify on the Zoeva's website, but I believe this a syntethic brush, with a small head and a very fine edge, allowing for precise lining of the upper lashline and drawing cat eye flicks with both powder and cream/gel products. In comparison, my beloved but discontinued EcoTools brush has a thicker edge, so it's better suited for brows rather than eyeliner. I'm still playing around with the Wing Liner, but so far it's been great - it really makes eyeliner work a lot easier.

I have already cleaned my Zoeva brushes a couple times both with soap and water as well as MAC Brush Cleanser, and they wash up beautifully with no shedding or staining of the white bristles (in fact, the bristles look cleaner and whiter than my Hakuhodo goats). I've dried them mostly using the Brush Guards, and they keep their shapes well between washing - no problems there at all. All of the ferrules fit very tight and snug on the handles, and so far I haven't experienced any issues with the letters rubbing off the handles (hello, Wayne Goss 06!).

As you can probably tell, I'm very happy with my purchase, and I enjoy using all of the Zoeva brushes I ordered. They are without a doubt better quality than the Sigma brushes I own, or even than my thus far unparalleled affordable favorite, the Bdellium Tools. I also think Zoeva has an edge over many other brush companies due to the variety of interesting brush shapes they have on offer, and they continue to further expand their brush line (for example, they now also offer many of their brushes in vegan bristles). I will definitely try to get my hands on some more of their brushes, maybe by requesting a couple from my mom in Poland for a birthday or Christmas gift - I'd rather not pay $16 in shipping again if I can avoid it ;) Have you tried Zoeva make-up brushes? Which ones do you reach for the most often?

I'm generally NOT a very on-trend person, be it fashion or beauty. I like what I like, and if it happens to be trendy, so be it - and if not... *shrugs*. Because of that, I mostly view the whole 'Pantone Color of the Year' thing as another marketing ploy, and I get a good laugh out of conflicting opinions on which product is marsala and which one is not. From what I've seen online so far, Sephora isn't very clear on the idea either, selecting both rosy mauve as well as rusty red shades for their marsala picks. The whole conundrum makes me want to visit a store just to be able to drill an innocent sales associate with 'Is this marsala?', 'Is this?!', 'Is deez?!' while pointing at half of the products on display. I won't though - I'm also generally a NICE person.

Either way, let's just treat the Color of the Year trend as another excuse to rummage through the existing stash and come up with stuff that hasn't been touched in a while - I don't often gravitate towards warm earthy red shades because they're not very complimentary on my cool skintone. But still - I found quite a few options. You will notice that my product picks are not all the same shade; I just took the marsala trend more as an inspiration than a canon law.

Starting with eye make-up, it was quite challenging to find eyeshadows in my stash leaning not burgundy purple but more rusty wine instead. I'm guessing something like MAC Cranberry would be a nice pick, but I don't own that - I have this deeply rooted fear of crazy red rabbit eyes when reaching for reddish eyeshadow. Unsurprisingly, two of my picks are parts of bigger sets: the anonymous shimmery plummy red in the Sleek Storm palette and satin rusty brown in a very old Inglot trio (no shade name - no idea if they even make this anymore, it's that old). Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Purgatory would be a black-based version of an earthy wine, and the pinky brown tones of Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Copper Glow also seemed marsala-appropriate to me.

L-R: Inglot matte rusty brown from the anonymous trio, a burgundy copper from Sleek's Storm Palette, Fyrinnae Purgatory swatched over Pixie Epoxy, Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in CopperGlow

When it comes to lips, I deemed Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Plum Perfect the most accurate marsala pick in my stash - previously featured here. For a more subdued daytime marsala lip, I also chose Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Rhubarb (a browny mauve), and Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in N9 (a reddish brown neutral), which was part of the Sephora Beauty Insider Birthday Gift last year. I don't reach for any of these lipsticks very often because it's a bit too much brown for my taste, but I know they look beautiful and natural on warmer skintones.

L-R: Maybelline Color Sensational in Plum Perfect, Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Rhubarb, Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in N9

Lastly, a gorgeous nail polish pick: OPI Nail Lacquer in Lost on Lombard from the San Francisco collection, previously swatched here. While this is a warm shade with some brown undertones, there's still enough red in it to compliment even my pasty white hands. I'm also cheating a bit by including a rather color-inaccurate blush, the Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten in Boysenberry, reviewed separately here. It doesn't have enough depth to be considered marsala, but it has that earthy ochre quality, so I think it pairs nicely with reddish browns on eyes and lips.

My next post will feature these products in action on the face, so stay tuned if you're curious about how clashy they look on a porcelain skintone, har har. Tell me, do you get sucked in by Sephora's Color of the Year marketing and buy marsala everything, or do you pick out products from your existing collection? Or maybe you just don't care?

Well, TWO Faces of Two Days, to be specific. I have to admit that neither of these looks turned out exactly how I imagined them to be in my head, but it's not necessarily a bad thing - you know, sometimes it's fun to enjoy the journey too, not just the destination. But without further ado, here are the looks I created using my Marsala product picks from the previous post:

To get the boring stuff out of the way, the staple products I used in both looks were the same: Dr Brandt Pores No More face primer, Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Porcelain set with MUFE loose HD Powder, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, Annabelle So Foxy brown eyeshadow set with Benefit Gimme Brow Light/Medium through the brows, NARS Pro Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Primer, Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes mascara in Black, NYX Powder Blush in Taupe to contour.

For the first look, I used the Inglot Eyeshadow Trio with a mustard yellow and rusty brown, and lined my upper and lower waterline with Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in CopperGlow. I also smudged some of that red burgundy shade from the Sleek Storm palette under the lower lashline. Lessons learnt while working with red tones on the eyes: you absolutely need to conceal all of undereye purpleness and veins, and defined lashline and lashes to set off all the red are a must as well. On the cheeks, I used Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Highlight and bareMinerals READY blush in The One, because I thought it complimented Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Rhubarb rather nicely. I actually loved Rhubarb the most out of this look - I will definitely be reaching for this shade more often from now on.

The second look was a bit of a fail because I wanted to showcase Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Purgatory. However, it absolutely refused to layer over a black liquid eyeliner I used (actually, that liner - LORAC Front of the Line PRO - also refused to layer over itself... not fun to work with), so I cheated by substituting Purgatory with Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in New Moon, which has microglitters in copper and plum tones. The cheeks are Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten in Boysenberry and the lips are Maybelline Color Sensational in Plum Perfect.

Tell me, have you been incorporating marsala shades into your make-up routine? Do you prefer to use these earthy red tones on your eyes, cheeks or lips?

Best Beauty Buys of 2014

Project Make A Dent 2014 Finale

My 2015 Capsule Collection Goals and Blogging Resolutions

Universally... Peachy? So Susan Universal Blush

Project Make A Dent 2015 Intro: Use It or Lose It

Liz Made Me Do It: Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm in Ripe Raspberry

A 1000 Roses: Andalou Naturals Sensitive Skin Starter Kit Review

Healthy and Beautiful Lips: Red Apple Lipstick in Audrey

This Make-up Wearer's Manifesto

My Skin But Better: Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation Review

Lashes for Daaays: Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes Mascara Review

American Jellies: Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelées

January 2015 Beauty Favorites

Matte Radiance: Laura Mercier Baked Powder in Highlight 01

More Of a Good Thing: Rouge Bunny Rouge Eyeshadows in Snowy Egret, Sweet Dust Seriema and Chestnut Napped Apalis

What I've Learnt About Myself Through Decluttering My Make-up Stash

Universal Lip Pencil: Milani Anti-Feathering Lipliner in Transparent

Inexpensive & Effective: Zoeva Make-up Brushes Review

Shopping My Stash: Marsala Product Picks

Color Of the Year: Marsala Inspired Face Of the Day