M.A.C. Burgandy times nine palette review

 Whenever I want to get creative doing make up, I decide to change up my eye shadow. It is not like I can suddenly change up my shade of foundation whenever I want to look different without looking weird. Of course, I can wear a different colour lipstick, but it isn't the same, with eyeshadow I can pick from over a thousand different combinations. I nearly never do that though, I usually stick to what I know looks good with my blue-ish eyes. 

As becomes clear from the pictures, this is not a first-time review, I have definitely used this palette for a good few weeks. I bought it after reading reviews online for days, never being able to find which palette would look good or what the shades actually looked like in real-life (since pictures do change the colours a bit.) When I went into the store, the lady looked at my eyes and immidiately went: 'Burgandy.' Guess those days of searching were for nothing.

I literally fell in love, never having tried 'high-end' eyeshadows before. This was an eye-opener, what had I been doing with these other eyeshadows, finally... Pigment! So, let's actually start reviewing.

The shades: 

 

The top three shades (from left to right) are 'Honey lust,' 'Poppyseed' and 'Quarry.'

Honey lust: Pretty gold eyeshadow with tiny specks of glitter. Not too pigmented, so not an all-over-the-eye shade. Perfect as an inner-corner shade though.

Poppyseed and Quarry: Poppyseed, Quarry and Haux are quite similar, these shades are matt and perfect as crease shades. It's a shame that they all look so similar though. Since Haux is a bit darker, I usually tend to go for that. Haux gives me more definition. I go for either Poppyseed or Quarry when I go for a more no-make up kind of look. 

 

Middle shades (from left to right) are Antiqued, 'Embark' and '#Noir'

Antiqued: I love this shade! It is a coppery-golden tone with shimmer. It is beautiful as an all-over-the-lid shade while doing a smoky eye, or just a little less heavy for an every day look.

Embark: Deep, dark brown shade to darken the crease up or use as a soft liner. Perfect for a brown smokey eye too. 

#Noir: Seems pretty but I haven't had the chance to try it yet. It doesn't speak to me, but I will definitely try it soon. Either way, it is a black eyeshadow with gold specks of glitter.

 

Last but not least, the bottom three shades (from left to right) are 'Haux,' 'Star Violet' and 'Sketch.'

Haux: This is by far my most used eyeshadow out of all the shades. As I already mentioned, this is perfect in the crease. Whatever look I decide to do, I can always use this as a great base in the crease. It is a puplish matt brown (don't let the purple put you off, it actually makes it look more natural since it is not too warm)

Star Violet: Even though I don't use this one the most, I do think this is the prettiest. It looks better on your eyes than it does in the pan. It looks like a purple/pink sparkly shadow, but looks less colourfull when swatched. This shade is perfect for people with either blue or green eyes. My eyes are blue, but nothing too special. Whenever I wear this, they look bright blue.

Sketch: this is similar to embark, but this is more purple. This matches perfectly with Haux and Star Violet and these three shades create the perfect eye look for blue/green eyes.

 Pros:

• Great pigmentation
• All shades are wearable (I use all of them except for #noir, even though that seems pretty too.)
• Easy to blend.
• Not chalky at all.
• The shades are simply gorgeous.

Cons:

• Contains some similar shades.
• Has a price tag (40€) which is not actually too bad for the quality, but is still quite some money.
• Honey lust is not too pigmented, but this is not a problem when used as an inner-corner shade. 

The Top 3 ... Mascaras

Mascara. It is the first make-up product you learn to love. You hate it when runs off your face, you hate it when you can't get it off your face. The strange looking wand which seems to magically make voluminous and long lashes appear. Mascara. What would we do without it?
Personally, I love mascara, and once I've found a decent one, I am not one to switch. Recently I have gained a few gems that I can't help but love. That is why I've decided to share my favorite no-running-voluminous-lenghtening-and-just-plain-amazing mascara's. I've catagorized the mascara's in how natural they look, how voluminous, long and seperated it makes my lashes look, how long it stays on my lashes and the price. These are the things I think are important when looking for a new, great mascara.

#3 The Falsies Feather Look mascara - Maybelline

Natural look: ++
Voluminizing: +
Lengthening: +
Seperation: ++
Staying power:  +
Price: $$
Conclusion: Amazing mascara which makes my lashes look super long and seperated. If you want a little more drama, this is not the mascara for you though. It is not really that voluminizing and at the end of the day, it looks good, but not as good as it did when you put it on in the morning. The wand bends, which is what gives you the 'feathery,' natural look.


#2 They're Real mascara - Benefit

Natural look: +
Voluminizing: ++
Lengthening: ++
Seperation: ++
Staying power:  ++
Price: $$$
Conclusion:
As most people are well aware, (Wow, this mascara is popular) the They're Real mascara by Benefit is incredible. It makes my lashes look super long, seperated and voluminized and it does not budge at all! Only downsider is the plastic wand, which I personally don't mind too much. It is also quite pricey. It is around €21,-, which can be a bit above your budget.
TIP: Benefit do some amazing gift sets including a mini size of this mascara, so put it on your wish list!

#1 Lash Sensational mascara - Maybelline

Natural look: ++
Voluminizing: ++
Lengthening: ++
Seperation: ++
Staying power:  ++
Price: $$
Conclusion: I can't say anything about this mascara except for the fact that it is in-cre-di-ble. In the second picture, you can see that the wand has an odd shape. This is what makes your lashes so voluminized, long and seperated. It looks as if you naturally have super long, curly lashes and this mascara doesn't break the bank either. Finally, this mascara does not budge at all. This is 100% my favorite.

First Impression Review! Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet ~ Grand Cru

There is one reason, and one reason only why I wanted to do a review on this product: the amount of hate it gets. Every beautyblogger seems to hate this shade. As weird as it sounds, this is the main reason why I wanted to try this. I took a few pictures the day I tried it and a few a few days after. The reason for this is the incredibly dry lips I had, this just made the lipstick look terrible. 

To give you a quick idea of what the haters are saying: The range is amazing, they are longlasting, creamy, have a beautiful finish, shades are amazing, except for this one. They say Grand Cru wasn't as good as the others, the texture and pigmentation was different than the others. 

Packaging:         Very cute, compact and pretty. Represents the actual lipstick colour very well. Since a lipstick is something you usually take with you to touch up, the size is perfect.

Application:       A lipliner is definitely necessary, if you want sharp edges. If you don't, it might fade around the edged. And if you mess up, you can't undo it. Furthermore the taste is terrible, I hate it. Once you've applied it and it sits, it's gone though. With a lipliner and the warning that it tastes bad, the application is fine. 

Result:               Wow, I must say, even though I hate the application, the result is great. Obviously, with dry lips, no lipstick can be recommended, so the next pictures will show the actual results. I do not understand what they are complaining about. I have had a lot of compliments throughout the entire day. I can't complain.

Staying power:  It literally stayed all day, and when I took it off at the end of the day, I literally had to rub off my lips. This is down to personal preference of course, but since I am quite busy at school, I do not want to have to touch it up every hour. This stayed all day.

I get the hate, I understand. But for a drugstore product I definitely can't complain. It is moisturising unlike other drugstore options I have tried. Very pigmented too, I just needed one coat. The only thing that wasn't great was the application and the taste, but you do not taste it anymore after applying it. I wouldn't necesarilly recommend it if you are willing to spend a little more, but go for it if you are looking for a red liquid Lipstick, please. 

First Impression Review! Estée Lauder Invisible Fluid Makeup

The excitement is real guys, my very first actual review. So, the Estée Lauder Invisible Fluid Makeup, a foundation that has not been enough raving about online to be honest. I had never heard of it before, since it is probably overshadowed by their double wear foundation. I had been eyeing Estée Lauder makeup for a while, but had never had the opportunity (or the money, cause wow! It's pricey) to buy it. Just after Newyears I went shopping in Den Bosch, since this is when shops throw everything into the sale because the holidays are over. I casually popped into Ici Paris, noticed they had a huge sale on and immediately spotted this foundation. 70% off, in my shade! YAY! So that was a bargain! Let's get reviewing!

This is what it looks like, I love that the lid is a dark purple color, this makes it look high end, I guess. What this foundation claims to do is give you coverage, but make it look invisible and seamless. It should be lightweight. This is what it is supposed to do. This sounds perfect, I am still in school, 16 years old, so on a school day, I do not want anything heavy and annoying. So if this does what it says it does, this should be one of my faves. 

  

This is me without any makeup on, so you can see what my skin looks like. I must say, this is a good skinday, I have had much, much worse. Usually, with these kinds of days I would just wear a bit of concealer, I don't usually bother with foundation.Instructions say I have to shake well before use.

 

Me just after putting on the foundation (7 am). Honestly, I love it. I added a close-up for you to see how invisible it is. (wait what?) It feels like air. Literally, you do not feel anything, it feels like bare skin. It feels moisturizing, looks amazing and feels like air. I must add that the coverage is definitely light, but that is exactly what I was going for. This obviously depends on the occasion and preference.

Blending is incredibly easy as well. This takes no time at all. Super easy to do when in a hurry. (which I usually am)

 

After adding the rest of my makeup, I puposefully only added a tiny bit of concealer and powder underneath my eyes and nowhere else, so you will be able to see the lasting power without powder, concealer and primer.

* Essence Stay all day Concealer in 20 soft beige

*Benefit Rockateur blush

*Sephora eyebrow kit in midnight brown

*Maybelline colossal 100% black mascara 

*Bourjois Shine Edition Lipstick in 26 Beige Democrachic

 

At 4 pm (after 9 hours(!) of wearing the foundation. It still looks great! I am impressed! Even though it is recommended for people with dry skin, it stays all day on my combination skin. I know I am very positive, but I just love it. It is perfect for every day wear. The only downside is the pricetag which was reduced by 70% in my case, so I can't complain. Would I buy it for the 40 euros they usually sell it for? Probably. I know for a fact that this is still on sale on the ici Paris website and the Sephora website, so if you are quick, you can still get your hands on this!

Storytime ~ The Elephant Incident

Last year, I experienced something which is probably considered as ‘weird.’ Not everyone gets to experience something like this. It is one of the most unlikely things possible and it will probably happen to 1 in a million people. I am that one person.  It hurt, I could have died, but I am here now to tell you my story of how I fell off an elephant.

Riding an elephant is, for most of us, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something you should enjoy every second of it. It is like skydiving or bungee jumping, it is not something you do every day as a sixteen year old Dutch girl. This summer, I had the time of my life in Thailand, it was the best trip I’d ever been on. The culture, the people, it seemed like a different world to me. My view on the world changed, since this was my first time travelling through Asia.

When we were in Thailand, we decided to try tons of new things. We tried bamboo rafting, stroked actual real-life tigers and of course rode on elephants (a must when travelling through Thailand.) They taught us how to feed the elephants and command to get the elephant to walk, sit and stop. My mother and I picked our elephant and climbed on her back. Her name was Mina, an old but cute elephant. Wow, this was one of the most incredible experiences in my (short) life. 

~Mina~

After riding the animal for no more than 200 meters, Mina got scared. Yes, an animal with a weight of 400.000 kilograms and a height of 3 meters got scared. 'Yeah, it was probably a small lizard.' Is what the 'supervisor' said. (supervisor is between quotation mark because it was just a random Thai guy who happened to know how to ride an elephant.) The moment Mina got scared she started to shake us off her back. Since an elephant is quite strong, it was incredibly easy for her to throw us away onto the ground. Yes, I fell off an elephant.

After crying for over an hour and having Thai people treat us extremely well (they are known for their generosity.) I decided I wanted to overcome my sudden fear of elephants and accept the opportunity to climb on a baby one. He was the cutest thing ever and I got to wash and ride him, which was just too cute for words. After this day I had to stay in bed for two days and try to relax while in Thailand. 

 ~The baby elephant, look at how cute he is!~

~Washing the baby, wow, not my most charming picture #nomakeup ~

Despite the fact I was in pain for weeks and survived a traumatic experience, I still want to recommend climbing on that animal, because it is one of the most amazing things I have ever done. I will remember it forever.

Review: LUSH Butter Bear

I love Lush.I think their products are amazing, smell incredible and do everything they are supposed to do. Whether their purpose is to make bubbles, scents or give you silkysoft skin, they do their job. Because of my longlasting love for this brand, I just had to share this new favorite of mine with you. I own and have owned lots of other products from Lush as well, so I will definitely review those in the near future.
A few weeks ago, I visited Germany, Berlin. Nothing too special, just a fun Christmas-getaway. Since Berlin is a great place to shop, I obviously spent way too much money on things I definitely did not need, Lush products being things I decided to splurge on. Meaning I just had to convince my parents to pop into Lush for just a second (make this 10 minutes.)
Now let's get into the product I am going to review, which is the ButterBear. This particular product now is one of Lush' most popular products since they turned their famous Butterball into a cute little bear for the holidays. The ButterBear is full of cocoa butter, making your skin soft and hydrated.
This tiny, white bear smells like white chocolate, which just makes me want to eat it (please don't though.) Because of the cocoa butter in the bath bomb, your skin feels extremely soft while in the bath and after leaving your bath. Even though I love the colourful and fun Lush Bath Bombs which smell incredible, this seems to be the only one with beneficials for the skin. I agree with everything Lush says about this little guy, since I obviously love it when products make my skin feel smooth and soft (honestly as soft as a baby's butt) without having to use a moisturizer afterwards.
I must add that even though I love the scent, it might not be everyones cup of tea. If you are used to the strong scented Lush products, this is quite a change from those. What I am trying to say is that it is quite a boring product, lovely but simple scent and no colours in the bath (as you can see in the added clip.)  Tip! Use one of the bubble bars just to add a few extra bubbles, and a little scent and colour. Worth every cent though.

The Breakfast Muffin

Mornings are not my thing, I do not like waking up early and I would not mind staying in bed until four o’ clock in the afternoon. When I feel exhausted and I walk downstairs like a zombie, I usually am in desperate need of some food. Nothing seems to satisfy me and all I crave is chocolate and other types of sweet goodness, which we all know is not a good idea. These types of food will give you energy for a short period of time, but after this, you will feel even more tired than you did before. In the morning you need a good, nutritious breakfast keeping you satisfied until lunchtime.

I have never been a 'breakfast person,' meaning breakfast is not my favorite meal of the day. I definitely prefer snacks to main meals, chocolate, cookies, muffins, I love them all. If it were to be up to me, I would eat unhealthy all day. Those snacks sneakily appear in the cookie jar and I always end up eating them not entirely against my will. I not only dislike breakfast, I also usually do not have the time to have a huge, delicious meal.

Even though it does not taste exactly like the fattening but delicious muffins I am used to, I think I found an amazing alternative. These muffins are not only great for breakfast, but also as a quick snack on the go. Since these muffins are sweet, but also quite healthy, you do not have to feel guilty while eating them. This is quick, since you make a ton in the weekend, and you can eat them throughout the entire week. Overall, this is a great alternative to your usual breakfast.

Ingredients:

* 200 g of rising flour

* 100 g of oats

* 50 g of bastard sugar

* 1 tsp of cinnamon

* 1 tsp of salt

* 2 mashed bananas

* 2 large, separated eggs

* 3 tbsp (olive) oil

* 250 ml of milk

* 125 g of a fruit of your choice

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees

Add the rising flour, oats, bastard sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl and combine.

Now add the mashed bananas, egg yolks, milk and (olive) oil. Mix this together gently with a wooden spoon until you get a wet batter (do not overmix!)

In a separate bowl, mix the egg whites until it looks like strong, white foam.

Gently fold the egg white into the mixture and add the fruit of your choice (in my case the raspberries and strawberries) Mix until everything is mixed through evenly.

Pick some cute muffin cases and divide the muffin mixture between approximately twelve cases.

Now it is time to put our muffins in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Leave them for a while until they are cooled

This is the time for the fun part, the taste test! Enjoy!

Lots of Love, Sophie Emmaline