Reaching Tube...

I am about to finish up a lipstick! 

♥ my beloved Coffret D'or Shine Drape Rouge in RS 251 ♥

 For eyeshadows we would use the words "hitting pan" but there's no pan so I'm "reaching inner tube".

Unfortunately this 2009 edition is not available anymore...

I often pick softer colours for my lips: I am not a real lip-person but I like them looking dewy and young. Also, this one is so easy to apply without a mirror.

Oh, parting is such sweet sorrow, or being careful with my bit of Coffret d'Or

I bought this Coffret D'or lipstick based on Lotuspalace's review when she was still around. 

I kinda miss her: beautyblogs have triplyfied/quaduplified and there so many good reviewers going on, and still I miss some of the older 'hangout-places' for reviews & swatches.

I think I will try the newer version of their range soon.

Hakuhodo Mizubake

After my introduction in Hakuhodo brushes I went for a speciality brush aimed for cream formulas: the Mizubake:

It was not my only item:

I also picked a cheaper facebrush for on-the go: the K022

I like the K022 enough but I am baffled by the performance of the Mizubake.
 Let alone that it looks so incredibly beautiful and expertised as a tool for the face.

First I went 'skinny-dipping' into the products I bought it for: My cream formulas of foundation & cream blush.

I did a a *Cinderella Moment* to see if the brush fits: 

it was slightly too large for the RMS and the Julie Hewett cheeky, 

however,

the shoe brush fitted perfectly for my Lotree cream blush:

Mizubake dippin'  in

So I swatched that one...

The colour deposit afterwards:

I don't know which reviewer(s) it was, but I agree with her that it looks so satisfying when having a white brush: you can see perfectly how the formula is distributed on the brush: really equal:

same Mizubake & Lotree, only taken with flash

And that is how it translates on the skin:

 

[I used soft, swirling motions and *deliberately* didn't blend out to the sides so you can see the position I placed the brush]

Actually, since I have this brush I started to rediscover my *slightly* neglected older cream blush formulas like the Lotree one above. I have been loving peachy blushes lately so this colour above fits the bill.

Also, it works like a dream with the RMS concealer/foundation: it's spreads out so much thinner than if I would do it with my hands or another brush.

Conclusion:

• Incredibly beautiful brush with that hint of 'Orientalism'
• excellent for cream formulas
• equal colour disposition of cream formulas 
• perfect for thicker formulas of (cream) foundations, especially when spritzing the brush beforehand with a toner/filtered water/etc
• pleasure to feel it swirling on the skin 
• rediscovered my beautiful 'wallflower' blush thanks to it

A more expertise review and what got me going for this one is on LolasSecretBeautyBlog and TheNonBlonde has been pretty convincing as well. GlossedIntoTranslation loves it so much it even became her header...can you figure?  

It's available from Hakuhodo over here.

L'oreal SuperDust: Cool Girl Hair in-a-Can

"Is it a bird('snest), is it a bee('s hive)

No,

It's SuperDust Hair!"

 L'oreal Professional has a funky-looking version of a volumiser powder in Superhero colours and matchingly called SUPERDUST

If you haven't used any volumizer powder in your hair before, it feels like that Angel's hair you put in your Christmas tree:

It basically looks pretty but it feels like a role of superglue that almost hardened but not yet: and feel your fingertips afterwards.

L'oreal is better than an earlier one I have tried. I cannot remember the name anymore because I steered away from these dusting powders for years as the feel of it felt like the equivalent of someone scratching nails on a blackboard, Brrr:

[POW] Superdust

I caved into having this version for vanity reasons:
wanting good volume in my hair, some grip, coolness:

neither a language that I can understand, nor English

 The list of ingredients is rather simple:

When you shake out some powder, it slightly reminds me of something:

So yeh, I finally figured out what that mystery white powder is of Cara Devigne that had lots of rumours going on...It's just a sample of the Superdust to keep her hair coolgirl grungy:

Yeh right...

How I disgress this time? So how did it perform?

• quick!: shake some in hair-little bit of tease: POOF, volume
• Either a Cool(er) girl look or that Haughty Madame when paired with a beehive
• feels ok: not like angel's hair but still grip-py
• When it slightly collapes: just crunch with your hands and the height returns
• It's a hassle to wash it out so use deep-cleansing shampoo, good conditioner otherwise you have weird (irregular) hair afterwards.

Availability:  On Lookfantastic.com

Deal Alert: Omorovicza GWP

Today's motto = "From one GWP into Another"

Before I'll explain the quote above, I'll let you know that urbanretreat.co.uk has an incredible GWP when spending £50 or more on Omorovicza.

First, something I really like from my previous GWP from Omorovicza:

The Copper peel has been everything to me what the peel I discussed yesterday hasn't been: fast, gentle, effective, and a breeze for the skin. 

And left my skin representative enough for going to more glam occasions than the IKEA.

So from one GWP into another: I've purchased this peel in full-size and (already) received my new GWP and the full-size peel

This GWP is slightly different than the one from Omorovicza's site earlier:

The night cream & thermal balm wasn't in their other set, so more to experiment with

(and perhaps another GWP from an earlier GWP)

Not promoting Urbanretreat but if you haven't ordered from them before:

Yours sincerely,

 Deal-alert-er Birkie

The Quite original BB:

I FINALLY GOT THE ORIGINAL 

Ok, I'll stop the capital textual yelling but I finally had the opportunity to use one of the original BB creams: the German Blemish Balm from Dr. med. Christine Schrammek: that is quite something now these days the original has been broken down to a zillion of versions that all claim to be BB...

I was introduced to this BB as the follow-up treatment to the same peel under Dr. Schrammek's name: the Green Peel (more info here)

I would like to elaborate of my experience of  this peel, but that would make the post too long. It made my skin a lot smoother in the end. However, the process wasn't easy. Basically, I started their lightest version and it felt like a total blast on my face. Nothing harmful, but my face was rather unrepresentative for a couple of days. That resulted in me going to the Ikea to get drawers and go for DIY activities instead of doing stuff in the open at the weekend.

I still wasn't that ashamed that I skipped the Ikea. People might have thought I had dramatic cosmetic surgery instead of a rather normal peel, but there are mostly housewives in my local Ikea that are looking for inspiration. The weekend have the more trendy and studenty people. Mornings have the old people going for the 1 euro breakfast.

But normally there wouldn't be really eligible bachelors walking in the Ikea that I have to have my face representative (aka on the pretty spectrum) for.

(sorry, still a long story about things beautybloggers couldn't care less about, but we need organising our dramatic bulk of pretty makeup, right?) 

That meant any cover up would come in handy: [Original] BB cream?

The Blemish Balm was almost like the 1st Korean versions (can you remember?). Herbally, greyish and a thick paste:

  

That makes sense that it would be similar to the 1st Korean types: the Korean BB's were inspired by  the German versions. 

When you spread it out, it is still a thick, greyish paste: nothing similar that the L'oreal-esque versions on the market these days:

So this one really needs blend blend blending, blend blend blend blending...check mirror, ok going to blend some more.

Result distance:

A calm and equal surface with a hint of grey (to tone down the after-peel redness).

Closer up:

Smooth, tones the redness of my arm, and smoothes down larger pores.

Ingredients:

it gets some yellow lights on cosdna.com

Verdict:

• needs expertise blending
• finish: takes redness out and smoothes pores
• really strong herbal scent
• I was really glad I could stop using it after the mandatory after-peel days: itchiness!
• the amount of shaders/bronzer/blush that I had to use to look like a human instead of a corpse was tremendous 
• totally happy when was finally allowed to be using my own arsenal of soothers [here] and [here]

Conclusion:
Ugh, doing a peel is one thing but the must-use follow-up regimes are another thing. I have to give it credits for its smoothing, pore-refining and mattifying qualities but it's not for the sensitive [skin]types.

Fave Colours

It has become a sort-of-cliche for me to reach for peach blush colours during spring:

This spring is nothing different, only this time I went mineral of a NARS-inspired colour [Deep Throat], delicately called Lovelace.

For people not really knowing their 70s 'classic' (??) movies: Linda Lovelace was the lead actess in "Deep Throat"*.

Oh gosh, there goes my romantic spring feeling about blush, but it's a gorgeous shade even if it is slightly peachier than it's NARS derivant.

It does sound better when a friend asks you what blush you wear: not many people connect the name to that film, but mentioning the blush from NARS could get some raised eyebrows among the non-cosmetic afficionadas. 

(from silknaturals.com)

A more harmless name with a gorgeous golden mustard colour:

Although I often think of Lamé as Lame...

In this case this $3 outlet colour is everything but lame:

Golden Mustard

Silknaturals gave out a freebie when spending over $10, and it's a taupish mauve with some interesting sparkles:

So I've been using that one as well...

So, are you always reaching for a certain colour during the change of season, or are you the experimental type in the field of blush?

*ps: if you think that a 1970s movie is going to be easy on the 'erotic' genre, then I might be a wuss on this field, but (a part of) that film was quite graphic. The story about Linda Lovelace is quite sad too (see here) and it should be reminded that most people working in that genre of filmmaking are not always there because they chose to be.

The Pretty Straight: L'Oreal & Rowenta Steampod

*The Steampod has become my official Neat-hair tool* 

Yes girls [and the men that likes it [hair] straight],
I've tested this one and I finally could say:

 "it's pretty straight!" (or straight 'n pretty, like you have it)

It's not that I've haven't tried the others:

IKEA Micke Drawer for hairtools is loaded: beachcurler anyone?

 But the key has been the stream and that little (or rather big) tube of cream that got it straight-'n-sleek.

Funny, I have the GHB at home and could never get it all sorted straight with this one. It took me too long and I felt my hair was frying, even when people suggest it's not that damaging for hair.

Steampod, as its name suggest, is based on straightening the hair with steam. It is not only steam that does the work: it collaborates with a dual heated blade as well. However, the steam makes it much easier to attain a sleeker appearance, goes faster, and you can work with a lower temperature for longer results. 

It basically sounds I'm repeating everything on the box with my own words. But the best thing is that I finally can! 

However, it's not the most travel-easy:

Steampod comes with a lot of bulk, and their specified hairstyling cream/serum

So, let's take a look up close:

The key element of this tool-of-sleekness is steam: for that they have a special department that you can put your water in. To know if your water is suitable, they will provide a testing-paper to see if your water is soft enough for it. 

Mine is ok, so then goes the next step:

• shuff the top half of the steaming reservoir

There you go!

And fill it with your filter-approved water.

Don't worry about the water-holder moving around, the knobs (?) adher to almost any normal surface:

adher to any surface like a clingy girlfriend to her boyfriend

When you start up the Steampod, you have to press the <ON> button for a while. I slightly panicked at first for mine not working: it did, but after 10 seconds of pressing.

• set your desired temperature. Note: You can go lower now than your previous straighteners as the steam will take care of a lot of frizz/curls/etc. 

Try and experiment with temperature

• For the steam to come out, wait approximately 2 minutes. And afterwards, clutch the plates together to activate the steam (takes 15 seconds)

The arrows show the way the steamer has to go down!

That is necessary for the combination of steam/Steampod cream & heated plates to work!

If you use straighteners oftenly, you know to carefully comb your hair beforehand.

• the steampod has little combs embedded so if you forgot a tangle, it will show [feel] up

Ok, I haven't figured out all of it myself: there's a booklet included:

 

There are always some instructions that are quite clear to the normal minded, but they've included it for Dummies, such as "Do not hang straightener on the steamcord"

"Gee, I always hang my straighteners on the cord...that's just what I do, right?"

Did I forget anything...oh, the Steampod cream that you have to use to get even better results 

(it collaborates with the stream)

• apply the right amount for your hairlenght or volume when hair is towel-dry

I often apply it the night before after washing my hair.
The next morning this cream alone left my hair quite straight and frizzfree.
Nevertheless,
with the steampod I can get even sleeker results
Bonus!

Recap:

PROS:

• FINALLY, I can optically have straight and frizzfree hair
• not as damaging as heated plates alone
• fast: or faster than the regular straighteners
• effective Steampod cream that works even without Steampodding
• so, RESULTS are SUCCESFUL

CONS:

• expensive
• bulky, not travel friendly
• have to buy accompaning styling cream (& serum, I don't have yet )
• not for steam-phobics

Availability:
I bought mine at a Dutch webshop haar-producten.nl 
for the international crowd it's available at lookfantastic.com and other webshops