The battle of the Lip Balm 

Burt's bees vs Soap and glory 

I've always suffered from very dry lips and struggled to find a lip balm that actually worked. So many lip balms out there cover your lips in a thick, greasy layer of product but never actually penetrate and work any magic on the chaffed, scabby horror that is my mouth. I feel hydrated for a few minutes and then, if I dare take a sip of tea or even, a kiss! all the product would dissapear and leave my lips just as bad as before.

My search for a great, affordable product has been long. But I have now found my champions; Burt's bees and Soap and glory.

First of all, the benefits of burt's bees. I've tried quite a few of their lip balms, from the classic honney, the pomegranate one to the regenerating-y thing. Basicly, I think I've tried them all. 

Honestly, I can't really tell a big difference between the different formulas, and don't notice a considerable change when I use one or the other. The smell, on the other half, does change and is always a delight. 

And the plus side, is the all-natural ingredients. It's always nice to know what goes on to your skin and feel confident that you are not doing any further damage. 

Now, does it actually work? 

Well, kind of. 

The formula goes on smoothly but, being a very thin product, I feel like I have to put a lot on and renew the process throughout the day. My lips do feel hydrated, smooth and lucious; but it doesn't last very long. Basicaly, it's a lovely product, but one to keep on you at all times. 

And that's the other thing, It is a very good product to slip in your purse. I often glide a small coat of this product over my matt lipsticks when my lips start to feel dry and itchy. And being a smooth, thin formula, it doesn't smudge my lipstick.

After a few weeks of use, I do notice that my lips are globally a lot better of. So even tho the product doesn't feel like it last a long time, I do believe that it penetrates the lips and actually does some good on the long run.

With all of this in mind, I have to talk about the holy grail, soap and glory's Smooch Operator. 

This product is gold. I am in love with the everything from the scent, to the tingly feeling it leaves on your lips. 

But, for me, this isn't a lip balm. I would actually consider this as a lip Mask. The thing is, the formula is incredibly thick and sticky, which makes it almost impossible to keep on comfortably during the day. I feel the same way as when I have lipgloss on, like I can't really do anything, let alone move because god forgive my hair will get stuck in it and create a huge mess. 

All of this sounds incredibly negative right? Well actually, this is the best product I have ever used on my lips. 

I put on a thick layer at night, feel the tingly sensation on my lips with immense pleasure and I can drift of to sleep knowing that the next day, I will awake to the smoothest lips in the world. And that's really what happens. 

My lips have never been as smooth as they are today, all thanks to a single coat of this product at night. 

So all in all, these two products are amazing. And used side by side, my lips feel better than ever. Burt's bees during the day, and smooch operator when things start to get really scabby. This lip rootine will probably go unchanged for a very long time, and never again will I go back to a simple blue Labello. 

With love,

XOXO

Summer Outfit of the day 

Chapter one: The fat crop top

For such a long time I thought that I could not be stylish, that I had to wear all black, all baggy, all the time. That somehow even the slightest bit of "folie"would be instantly noticed and ridiculed. That the most subtle touch of color would explode into clown-esque proportions on my large body. 

And then, I discovered body positivity, tumblr pages filled with beautiful fat women, all proud of who they are and what they haf to say. 

And that made me think; I'm not as pretty as these girls. 

Because that's the thing with body positivity, it's not an instant reward; It is a lot of hard work. But eventually, the hard work pays off.

After years of being miserable, I'm finally done wasting my youth. Your teenage and young adult years are the years that everything is possible. You can start your own trends, or jump on any bandwagon you want. Everything is do-able, no matter how bright, short, weird or wonderfull your fashion may be.

So I present to you, my first Outfit of the day. My first crop top experience. And my first "fuck you" if you think this is innapropriate moment.

chapter 2: the actual ootd

I'm wearing a black crop top from Boohoo.com

A pink skirt from Boohoo.com

black leggings from tally weilj

shoes from Asos.com

necklace from stradivarius 

rings from tally weilj 

Summer Survival kit

With summer approaching (even though I am writing this staring at a grey sky), I am sharing with you my summer survival kit.

In the winter times, I'm not one to carry around a lot of products. Just a lip balm and a hand cream... but when the sun comes out; oh how things change. I have combination skin and the heat does not go easy on my T zone, and so, my first product is:

Essence Sun Club - Oil control paper.

I absolutely love oil control paper. It's so easy to just get rid of that excess sebum and leave the skin feeling fresh.
I buy the essence one because it's very cheap (only a few francs) and compact.

Now, if that doesn't work, and I still feel a bit clammy, here's where comes in the second product.

Too faced - Primed & poreless pressed powder.

(Check out the full review here:http://eloisemaquille.blogspot.ch/2014/05/too-faced-bb-cream-and-primed-poreless.html)

A translucent finishing veil that minimizes the appearance of pores, controls shine and leave a perfect natural finish. As it comes with a little powder puff, it is the perfect travel powder, easy to throw in your bag and powder your nose during the day.

Now, with all of that if you still don't feel fresh (which I doubt), a good way to feel instantly better is to slap on a bit of perfume.

H&M - Candy pink eau de toilette

I really love the candy-flowery sent of this perfume, perfect for spring and summer; but what I like above all is it's size. Handbag friendly I carry this with me at all times, just in case. You never know when you're going to need to smell your best!

Moving on, I don't think a survival kit would be complete without some concealer. If there is one thing that you don't want to happen is that little zit popping out at exactly the wrong time. So just come prepared.

Benefit - Boi-Ing in 01

Creamy with great coverage, perfect color, just as good for under eye circles as for covering blemishes. Basically, you can't go wrong with this one.

Another thing that I can't stand is seeing, oh to your great despair, that you're lipstick has just about disappeared, and your poor cracked lips are left with no color... Not to fear, Revlon lip butters are here.

Revlon - Colorburst lip butters 

full review here: http://eloisemaquille.blogspot.ch/2014/05/revlon-colorburst-lip-butters-i-dont.html

I always like to keep a few lip butters in my bag, for those days where you just need a more hydrating lip color and don't want the hassle of a regular lip stick. 

Talking about hydration (smooth transition there), I love to have a hand cream with me at all times. 

Alessandro - Hand cream 

Very hydrating, thick and with a lovely sent; doesn't leave your hands feeling sticky nor does it take a long time to penetrate the skin. It's a very good "on the go" cream. And, might I add, the packaging is adorable.

And last but not least (well, actually, it probably is the least used out of all), wet wipes! 

H&M - fresh vanilla hand & face wet wipes

What can I say about these wet wipes? They aren't anything special. The packaging is nice, the smell is decent and they are travel friendly (very small packet). I don't have anything bad to say about these but they aren't incredible either. But then again, who expects incredible wet wipes?

Anyway, I think it's always good to have a few spare for those well know "Ice cream has dripped all down my hand" situations.

And that is it for my summer survival kit, all of it stuffed into a Viva la juicy makeup bag (well the juicy couture is optional), and you're set to handle any summer makeup mishaps!

The perfect summer nude nail varnish duo : Essie Eternal Optimist & pure Pearlfection

I won't go on about how incredible Essie nail varnishes are, because I'm pretty sure everyone knows by now. But still; incredible color pay off: you only need one coat. Long lasting: they don't chip easily (and I chip my nails after about 10 minutes, so this is a must). Available in so, SO, many colors; perfect for matching every outfit.

But anyway, I'm here to talk to you about my new found varnish love. Eternal Optimist coated in pure Pearlfection. 

Eternal Optimist is the perfect pinky nude color. It looks amazing on the nails; Subtle but gorgeous. All I can say is that I have finally found a nude color that I love; and boy do I love it. Nothing else has gone on my nails since I bought it!

But, I have to say, the thing with nudes is that sometimes they are a bit boring... and that is where Pure Pearlfection comes in. Incredibly fine white glitter, goes on smooth like a top coat and leaves an amazing shiny finish that glistens in the light.  

Honestly you can't go wrong with these two. And I urge everyone to go and get them!

Too faced - BB cream and Primed & Poreless pressed powder

Review

A few weeks ago I went to sephora on a birthday shopping haul and decided to pick up some too faced products.

The first product I picked up was the BB cream. After years (probably not years, but A year...), I decided to buy into the bb cream trend. I went straight for a "high end" product, drugstore foundations never being light enough for my skin. As per usual, I was attracted towards too faced because of it's packaging. If there is one thing to know about me is that if it's pink, I'll buy it. And that's exactly what I did.

The texture of the BB cream is nice, not too sticky, not too powdery; It doesn't have a noticeable smell to it which is good, the perfect color match to my skin and most of all: SPF 20. A necessity in summer. 

The next day I tried it out. Feeling a bit skeptical about putting foundation on without moisturizing my skin before hand, but, to my great surprise, the product glided onto my skin. It blends so easily and only a tiny little bit of product is necessary for the whole face.

I fell in love. Easy to use, just the right amount of coverage for the summer (especially for going to the beach!), natural finish and a shit tone of benefits "tints, primes, nourishes, prevents, and protects skin in one easy step." 

The thing is, it doesn't really cover up any blemishes or redness. I am lucky as to have pretty clear skin and a trusty concealer for my problem areas, but if you have spots, blemishes or acne scaring; this will not work for you. And, a second "problem" with this BB cream, is that if you have combination skin like me, and especially an oily T-Zone, you will have to set it with a powder. Well, I guess that's not really a problem, but heads up anyway.

Personally, this will be my go to foundation in the summer time; when having a full face of makeup on just isn't an option.

Along with the BB cream, I decided to try this compact powder, sick of finishing my Mac's studio careblend powder in a matter of weeks.
I wanted an easy to use compact powder with a powder puff for those "I don't want to bother with loose powder or a brush of any sorts" makeup days. 
I usually set my makeup with Mac's mineralize skin finish, which builds up the coverage of the BB cream to create a lovely finish; but let's be honest; there is no way I am spending ten minutes brushing on that powder before heading out to the beach; or even less, carrying it and a brush around with me all day. And that's where this beauty comes in.

It's a nice translucent powder that reduces the appearance of pores and especially, it gets rid of any shine. It feels really nice and silky on the skin, and doesn't look "powdered" once on. The down point to this product is that it doesn't last very long on the skin, so having with you to re-powder your nose is very necessary.

All in all, I like it, but it's not a miracle product. I don't know if it is worth the amount of money it costs. Before repurchasing, I will try some drugstore dupes and let you know.

Revlon Colorburst lip Butters

 

I don't think anyone needs to be reminded of how incredible these products are; great color pay off, hydrating, glides on so smoothly and stays on for quite a while. Basically, it's hard to get any better for a lip butter.

I have very dry lips and no product seems to be able to quench their thirst, so wearing lipstick on a daily basis is not an option for me; and let's face it, bare lips? not an option either. And this is where the Lip Butters come in. 

No need to scrub, hydrate or prepare your lips before putting these babies on. They glide on, hydrating and smoothing the lips, leaving a flawless finish. Perfect for an everyday wear, easy to throw in your bag and touch up during the day. They won't bleed or streak, and won't look horrible when they start to wear off (like some other lipsticks do...).

All in all, Revlon Colorbusrt lip butters are a MUST HAVE.

I own the colors

090: Sweet tart, a gorgeous bright pink, perfect for the spring time to brighten up any makeup.

025: Peach parfait, a sparkly nude-peachy color, brightens the lips and leaves a gorgeous glow.

045: Cotton candy, my go-to shade. It's a lovely light sparkly pink that is perfect for anyone with light skin looking for a nude-pinky lip.