My Thoughts Corner

Hi Everyone,

2016 went crazily fast and during this year, I tried so many products and since it is December, my favorite month, I wanted to post a roundup of my favorite products of this year, mainly makeup ones. I preferred to mention the products in accordance with my order of application. Without further ado, I will be talking about base products; namely primers and concealers.

Sunscreen is always my first step that I never missed even in winter time. For years, I’ve been using my trusty La Roche PosayAnthelios XL 50+ spf. It’s a light, paraben free and non-perfumed sunblock that prevent sunspot and age spots.

For primers, my first is technically a skin care product. In other words, it’s a tinted moisturizer, namely the La Roche PosayEffaclar Duo (+) Unifiant that I picked while in Paris. Check my haul here and here. It is one of those clever products that fall in the midst of skin care and makeup that works on unifying the skin and correcting the marks.

The l’oreal Nude Magique Blur Cream is one of those late discoveries of mine. However, when I tried it, I loved it. Though I’m not a silicon base product lover, I figured that this one works perfectly underneath my powder foundation without feeling on the top of my skin like most of silicon base primers.

My second product category is concealers and I’ve got to admit is my second favorite beauty product after bronzers. I will start with a staple one; the Mac Pro Longwear Concealer. It is long wearing with a creamy liquid consistency and offers medium to full coverage.

My second under eye concealer is the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind, which I believe is a great one for a drugstore. Though its thin consistency that doesn’t settle into the fine line, it gives good coverage and impressive staying power.

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is again another staple with a lot of hype but it’s for a reason. It’s a lightweight concealer with a medium coverage and creamy velvety texture. The product brightens up the under-eye area without accentuating the fine lines.

Last but not least is the Mac Prep and Prime Highlighter. It is a beautiful concealer that I particularly like to use along with my Mac Pro Long Wear. It is lightweight yet creamy with a good pigmentation and doesn’t crease.

This is my first part of the base products and I will shortly be back with the second part that covers foundations and setting powders.

What’s your favorite products? Please comment below if I should try any of it.

This is my second and final round of my Paris haul which include four more items. I have to say that I’m proud of myself for making smart buys during this trip. Let’s just hope that the performance of these products will be as high as my hopes…!!!

The first purchase is a CC cream that’s the first in my collection and I was for so long, keen to try one of these with no brand limitation. I got my hands on the L’Oréal Nude Magic CC Cream in Effet Bonne Mine for dull and tired skin. It has an SPF 20 and supposed to provide hydration for 24 hours.

I’ve got another cream contouring product that I’ve heard only good things about. It is the Maybelline Master Contour V-Shape Duo Stick Contour & Highlight in 02 Medium .. Damn it, that’s a long name. I first opened the tube, whilst typing this post and tried it on the back of my hand and so far, I’m liking it. I’m also in love with the packaging; it is very compact and easy to throw in your bag.

La Roche-Posay is by far my favorite French skin care brand. Everything I tried from them made a difference to my skin. That’s why I got the Effaclar Duo (+) Unifiant (€14.90) in Light to immediately lessen imperfections and marks for a more even skin tone and texture.

Lastly, I decided to gift myself the Limited Edition Nars Orgasm Blush (€39.90) which was in my wishlist for so long but I simply could never justify the price. I don’t think I need to add to all the hype this particular product is having, however I have to say that the color is so beautifully exquisite that I’m not surprised that everyone raves about it.

I hope you enjoyed, thank you for stopping by and keep your eyes up on some upcoming reviews!!

My first post about the products that didn’t live up to their expectations was quite a hit, which I didn’t expect to be honest with you, and today I’m coming with a new list of beauty items that in a way or another let me down. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with these products/brand but they simply failed to deliver the way I would like them to do.

To start I will be talking about the e.l.f foundation serum. When I first tried it I was almost sure that they got me the wrong product. The foundation itself is too liquid-y that made me read again the packaging just to make sure that this is a foundation because it’s first one that too runny that I personally try. I’m not blessed with a perfect clear skin and that makes me always ran after something to cover my imperfections while this one was not in that frame, it’s very light that it feels like nothing, which is not bad but not for me… And now that I’m typing this post, I’m thinking that maybe I should give it a last try as a foundation base or in better words as a tinted primer. .. I should try and let you know.

I am a fan of contouring, I love how it shapes and embellishes the face features but using the L’Oreal Infallible Sculpt Contouring Palette was a total fail. I’m not gonna go in much details for this one but if you want to know any further you can stop by my full review here.

There is nothing I hate in mascaras more than a heavy clumpy one and the Bourjois Push Up Volume Glamour in Fabulous Brown was just this. The wand is pretty big and picks up hell of product that I can’t even see the wand’s bristles and it sits on the lashes. I’ve tried many times and of course I did remove the excess of product but it’s simply not working for me. I’m afraid.

Another mascara that I don’t rate high, is the e.l.f Beautifully Bare Defining Mascara in Buff Black, which I think is discontinued as I can’t find it anymore in their website. The packaging is awesome and being a fan of e.l.f products I assumed I will enjoy this one but unfortunately I didn’t. I like products that are pretty much practical while the e.l.f mascara is a mono task item; it separates the lashes pretty well but don’t expect anything more than that. The formula is a wet one which is annoying as not only there is no volume or length but I could feel my lashes sticking together throughout the day and no no no … It’s a big Hit here.  

Next on my list is the Catrice Multi Matt Blush in 010 Love, Rosie. It is for a fact, the first Catrice product to disappoint me due to its too powdery texture which makes it very hard to blend and looks chalky despite its lovely color combo.

Finally the Corine de Farme Purity Micellar Water that I’m not a fan of. For having 97% natural ingredients I was expecting lots. To start, it didn’t remove my makeup in an efficient way and when reaching for the eyes area it stings badly and worst of all, after finishing my face was all sticky and didn’t feel at all like water. It was too heavy and the smell is overpowering for a sensitive skin dedicated product.

This was my experience and opinions of these products and once more what doesn’t impress me might be your holy grail. Thanks a lot for dropping by!

Hello Everyone,

Since contouring has become a part of our daily makeup routine, you find nowadays as many products to make your head spin, however we aren’t really spoiled in choice when shopping for cream contour palettes from the drugstore. Luckily for us, more and more affordable brands are into launching their own kits to get those Kim K cheekbones! For those who are following me on Instagram, must have already taken note that not long ago I picked the L’Oreal Infallible Sculpt Contouring Designer Kit which includes the Contouring Palette in Medium/Dark, The Trio Contouring Blush in Nude Beige and a double sided brush.

First off the packaging is typical to the drugstore; nothing fancy about it. The contour shade is more in the warmer side which works really well for enhancing the face’s features. However you have to aapply more than just one layer as it simply disappears with the blending. The formula, though it’s creamy and blends really well but it turns a bit dry and caky on the skin as it has a powder-y finish. I think the key with this contour is a “wet” hydrating base which will make things look just fine. One more downside is the “highlighting” shade which I think is simply useless; it is absolutely not a highlighter, nor a concealer it’s simply a matte silicone balm sitting there.

Next is the trio contouring blush and that’s once again is another failure as it’s very pigmented yet difficult to work with unless you own the tiniest blush brush. Instead a brush swirl around the 3 shades gives you a lovely orange-y blush.

My wining point of the whole kit is the double-ended brush though I used only the flat side and I’m really impressed with how it performs.

To be honest I prefer to continue using my darker shades of concealers than spending money on this kit. At the end, contouring is about shaping the face which the Infallible Sculpt Contouring Designer Kit failed to do. It’s really sad because I was having high hopes on L’Oreal but this is how it is.

Thank you for stopping by!!