Summer (and Fall, as it seems) Shopping Mania Vol.3 and final: Various Brands

This will be the last post from my summer and early fall beauty purchases. I spent a LOT of money (shhhh don't tell) but I had a hard year (my first year at a university in another country) and I went through a LOT of stress which lead to causing me a lot of health problems throughout the year so I did deserve this shopping therapy (not that i need to have an explanation lol).

Anyway, let me show you the products -from various companies- i will not mini review them as I did at my other 2 posts because I want to make a separate normal review for a few of them. :)

1: Accessories, Camera earrings (around 2 euro)

2: Essence "Smokey Eyes" brush (1.99 euro)

3: Seventeen "Long Lasting Makeup" nr. 02 (around 8 euro)

4: Essence "Nail Color3" Left color "Walk in the park", right color "Stop for ice cream" (gift with purchases"

5 Toyoko Foundation brush (got 2 of them lol) (around 9 euro).

I am a huge lip balm junkie especially because my lips are always dry and I hate if I put a lipstick and cracks will show up on my lips, gross. So i always apply lip balm before i do my makeup.

The lip gloss of the picture is from Deborah Milano company "24 ore Euphoric Shine: nr.4 (gift with other purchace)

In the tin: Nivea Lip Butter: Vanilla & Macadamia (3 euro)

1: Balea young in "Sweet Wonderland" (around 1-2 euro)

2: Dalon Sport: Chocolate (2-3 euro)

3: Dalon Sport: Cherry ( <<)

4: Nivea's Vitamin Shake : Acai & Wild Apple

5: Alverde's Lip Balsam: Vanilla Mandarin 

I also made some swaches for the lip gloss and the balms just to see how they look like. Here is the lip gloss:

And here are the lip balm swatches (in the same order that were displaced in the previous photo):

As you can see the Balea (1) and Alverde (5) don't give any color which is nice.

Dalon's chocolate (2) has a brown color which can look weird if you apply it too much while the cherry (3) one gives a very cute pink color like you just had a popsicle and your lips got tainted :)

The Nivea (4) one has a very subtle color that you don't even observe on the lips. :)

They ALL smell gorgeous!

Last but most certainly NOT least 2 of my favorite purchases. I was very excited to get both of these items and I for sure will make separate reviews for them.

Maybelline's 24 Hour Color Tattoo: nr. 35 On and on Bronze (5 euro)

Such a pretty color!!!

Aaaaaaaand............. 

MARY-LOU MANIZER, highlighter from theBalm cosmetics (sooooooo excited to try this!!!) (around 16 euro)

Doesn't it have the cutest packaging EVER????

And swatch:

nr. 1 is more blended and nr. 2 is swatched with the finger.

So this post wraps up my HUUUUUUUGE summer haul. I am pretty sure that I forgot a few things (hihi) and I also didn't include hair and skin care products or clothing :P

Have you tried any of these products???

Take care!!!

Heliana

Summer Shopping Mania Vol. 2: Essence

I never got around to show you the rest of the stuff I bought in the summer. This is our second volume (yes, there are more :P) and it's about the essence products that I bought.
I love most of the essence products, especially their single eyeshadows, I find them very pigmented and good quality for really good price. So what else could I ask for???
So, let me show you what I bought....

Blush brush (pink/black) and Powder brush (purple/black):
I was really amazed by these brushes. I am very picky when it comes to brushes because I can't stand a scratchy/hard or cheap feeling brush. And let me tell you these are really soft! They don't feel like those cheap brushes at all, they are well made and they do their job really well! I believe their price is around 3.5 or 4 euro each, I can't remember exactly. You should REALLY give these brushes a chance!

I ♥ STAGE eyeshadow base:
Let me tell you about THIS product. It costs around 3 euro right? It is even comparable to Urban Decay's primer potion and I am not even kidding. It's just amazing! It makes the eyeshadows stay all day long and by "all day long" I mean from morning till the night that I removed my makeup. Seriously, BUY IT!

Eyebrow Designer pencil in "04 blonde":
My hair is usually a crazy bright color but my natural hair color is a mousey blonde. Something between grey, brown and gold shades all together blended. I very rarely match my eyebrows to my hair just because I am not that brave to go out with pink eyebrows even thought I would like to pull that off. So, when I do my eyebrows I stick to my natural color. A big part of my eyebrows (like my eyelashes) is not visible because it has blonde hairs so sometimes I really like defining my brows. It is a standard brow pencil. I like that it's not hard at all, I don't have to press again and again to let product on my eyebrows and it also comes with a small brush on the cap so you can brush your brows with. I think the price was around 2 euro.

I also got me some eyeshadows because as I said the single eyeshadows from are probably my favorite products from Essence. I'm sad I didn't buy more than these since their price is ONLY 2 euro :( (hihihi)

From left to right:

nr. 60 "kermit says hello" (shimmer effect): 

I love love LOOOOOOVE this color. It is a shimmery sort of lime green color and I love how it compliments my eye color. It's pretty much beautiful for any eye color.

nr. 35 "party all night" (metallic effect):

It's hard to believe how pigmented and shiny this eyeshadow is. It's hard to find a metallic color that is so rich, they are usually very sheer but this is amazing!

nr. 22 "blockbuster" (matte effect):

I was looking for a matte neutral cream like color and this is a really nice one for a soft natural look, or for a glamorous pin up lid color or even for an under brow highlight. Simple and gorgeous!

That wraps it up! I hope you liked my haul and mini review. I really do suggest you try essence products out if you haven't already, because they are simply gorgeous and SO affordable.

What are your favorite essence products? Do you have any suggestions for product for me to try out? :)

Take care.

Heliana.

The "10 facts about me" tag.

Before I travel back to Romania I'm doing this tag real quick just because I like tags (lol?). I saw it from the pretty Beauty and the Food Beast. Ok, so here we go.

1. There is a confusion about my name in pretty much all the languages :P. In Greece people think that my name comes from the prophet Elijah, in Greek "Ilias" and since my name in Greek is pronounced like Iliana they all think it's the female version of it and that my name day is on the 20 of July (which is ok because I used to get gifts when I was a kid so yay for me!).
However, my name comes from Helios (which is why in english I write it Heliana), the god of sun. So, my name actually is "sunny" or whatever.

2. I am Greek (obviously!) and I study in Romania. I am a former Astrophysics student that changed my major to Chemical Engineering (because it wasn't hard enough to have advanced physics and math I had to add advanced types of Chemistry too. :D Yes, I am that much of a masochist.

3. Even though my studies are hard I am a person that HATES studying. I am jealous of people that enjoy studying for our school because I just can't do it. However I do enjoy reading books that have no relation with my studies - am I weird?

4. I am TERRIBLY afraid of the dark. Since I was a child up until now that I am 26 I am terrified of the dark, I can't be in a pitch black room, I need at least a candle or my heart will break from pounding in my chest. Being afraid of the dark I also have really hard time falling asleep at night, I need to have the tv on especially if I sleep alone.

5. My favorite dish is snails and don't start saying EW! It's a traditional dish where I come from. I also like a lot vegetables and I have a huge chocolate and coffee addiction.

6. Having said that snails are traditional dish where I come from.... I am from Crete island.

7. I love my mother and my brother to death but my brother is my most favorite person in the world. (Talking about blood family relatives).

8. My hair right now is pink, before it was bright red for years but my natural hair color is mousey blonde. That sort of light brown-gray color with gold random hairs.

9. I suffer for hypothyroidism which I know people think it's not serious but it really affects you badly. There are times that my blood pressure gets really low to the point that I get dizzy and I get tired much easier than healthy people and I also gain weight easily due to my slower metabolism *sigh*.

10. As I said I am 26 but I am still a child in the heart. I love cartoons and disney and pinky cutey stuff.

I could actually write a few more things about me but maybe in another tag :) I tag USI!!!!!!!!! Usi, please please please do it!!!! :3 

Essie's Autumn 2013 collection is THE BOMB!!!

I am all about bright, neon, hot pink, fluorescent nail polishes but I was amazed by this collection! It probably is the most beautiful nail polish collection I've ever seen and even thought I do not believe in "expensive" nail polish brands (my experience with China Glaze and even more expensive Chanel will tell you that :P ) I really REALLY want to get some colors from this collection.

Let's see the colors a bit better shall we?

From left to right:

After school blazer: is like a dark navy blue color which is one of the colors I want to get from this collection.

Cashmere Bathrobe: is a medium gray almost like the wet cement I could say.
ForThe Twill Of It: men do i LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOVE this color!!! This is DEFINITELY a color that I want to get (it's breaking my heart that I don't know if i will actually find it). It's sort of like a silverish dark teal (? - so weird to try to explain colors) with purple shimmer.
The Lace is On: is a perly fuschia which is another color that I would like to get if I find this collection.
Twin Sweater Set: is a pretty not too dark red almost like a bordeaux.
Vested Interest: Is a gray that tends to teal.... or a teal that tends to gray! ;) also a very pretty color.

I think if I could I would buy them all. However if I do find the collection one of the colors I would definitely get is "For The Twill Of It" so wish me luck ;)
Do you like this Essie collection? Which one is your favorite?

1st and 3rd for google search, 2nd photo from temptalia.com

TAKE CARE!!! And happy Autumn!!!

Summer Shopping Mania Vol. 1: INGLOT

If you can tell by the title, I went a little crazy on the shopping this summer. I decided to make separate posts for some brands since I got a lot of items from them.

About one year ago Inglot products came to Greece and I still can't believe it how women do not prefer them! They are of amazing quality and really good price! I was happy that I got the chance to go now that I am in Athens (most people leave from Athens for the summer holidays whereas I came to Athens, hehe).
Unfortunately the only Inglot store in Romania is at a town completely on the other side of the country so now that I am in Athens I had to visit one of the Inglot stores.
I went at least 3 times (hehe) because I simply couldn't get enough. (I'm not even promising that I won't visit them once more until I leave - bad girl).

Eyeshadows: ♥♥♥♥♥

 From the left to the right we have: 

465 

58

502

342

46

465 is a brown slightly glittery color that gives some gray undertones.

58 is a matte forest green with golden glitter

502 is a shimmery glittery gray that also has some purple-ish undertone to it

342 is a matte medium brown for that crease darkening :)

46 is a beautiful iridescent white with pink and purple undertone

All the eyeshadows are well pigmented, they feel really luxurious, not cheap, not powdery or anything like that. They are worth to take a look at because their quality is amazing.

Gel Eyeliners: ♥♥♥♥♡

77: your standard matte (i know it looks shimmery but it's not) black

87: teal 

The reason I give them a 4 out of 5 is that they are VERY stubborn. And my very I mean I accidentally touched a plastic surface with the teal one and I simply can't clean it! I used alcohol, antibacterial gel, makeup remover it won't go away! And the same applies for the eyes too (not that I applied alcohol hahaha). Especially the black simply refuses to go away. I used my "water" from Bioderma, I used other brands of this type, I used the double phase ones, I used coconut oil, I even used vaseline (the eye friendly one) and I still had the panda eyes until it went away from the face washing and showering after 3 days!!! So this is annoying! I am sure if you drop it on your clothes you will have to throw it. 

I mean, ok, we want gel eyeliners that last but this is too much! Other than that they are excellent, they stay put even in the waterline for hours and hours. 

Foundation♥♥♥♥♥  and concealer: ♥♥♥♥♡

Cream concealer nr.70

These are actually products for my mother. She has tired skin that has lost it's elasticity around the eye area and has several deep lines around them (for her age, that's what smoking does to you girls so quit it!). I had the chance to use it too a few times when I was tanner (because now I am whitening - is that a real word? - again!!!).

I have to say it is a very nice foundation. It's medium coverage but you can build it up and it looks quite natural. To my mother: it didn't sink in her lines so it gave her a more youthful and fresh look. To me: it didn't irritate me which I know it doesn't sound like much but almost every foundation in the world irritates my skin even though I am not allergic to any chemical substance. So it's good news. 

It also has a very good staying power even if you don't set it with powder. 

I didn't really use the concealer on me, only on my mother. It is a great concealer but it doesn't work as well not sinking in the lines like the foundation, so it probably won't be ideal for mature skin. So it will get a 4.

So there you have it. My part one of my shopping mania of the summer. I MIGHT be going back because I REALLY wanna use their powders too even though they didn't look that great at the store comparing to the eye shadows. They have lovely nail polish colors too but all the ones I wanted they were sold out and they won't stock soon because it's summer :(. I should also try the lipsticks but I already have enough. Maybe one of the free system ones that they are small??? :) 

I'll keep you posted.

DO try them out girls, they are really nice products. Let me know if you have already tried them, how you liked them, if you have any favorites, any suggestions etc.

Take care!!!

Heliana

How to get PINK HAIR!!!!

I was in need of a look change and since I don't really want to cut off my hair for now (who knows later) I considered bangs but since my hair is curly I kissed goodbye that option in the fear that I will struggle straightening it every day) so what was left, my hair color!

As you know if you have been a member of my blog for some time my hair is dyed very bright red. And when I say bright red hair I mean THIS BRIGHT ---->

If you are interested to know how I get this color I have made a post about it and you can click RIGHT HERE!!!

Anyway, to make a long story short after having bright red hair for more than 3 years I wasn't ready to give up and go on to the "normal" hair color side. So I sticked to alternative hair colors. After I ticked off my bucket list *TO GET ARIEL RED HAIR one more hair related wish is *TO GET CANDY PINK HAIR so here we are. I will say in a few words what you generally need to make your hair pink and if you have ANY questions at all please do not hesitate to ask me. NOTE: I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL HAIDRESSER I HAVE EXPERIENCE ON DYING MY OWN HAIR ALONE AND I ALWAYS GET CONSULTATION FROM OTHER EXPERIENCED ON ALTERNATIVE HAIR DYING LADIES. 

So, start with the basics. To get pink hair you need a light color base. Meaning you need anything from a light ginger color and lighter. If your hair is natural this is the easiest thing to do, you can use a blonde dye or some bleach and probably some silver (or purple) shampoo to tone and get rid of as much orange tones as possible and you are done. If your hair is dyed, the process varies depending on your existing hair color. For example if your hair is dyed blonde you have no problem what so ever and you can go ahead and put your pink die. If your hair is dyed other colors like mine you will need to remove your color and if needed lighten your base, tone etc before you put your pink dye on. The hardest case is if you have black hair which will take a good few months to get at an appropriate base color (without damaging your hair).

Since my hair was bright red I had to fade the red as much as possible which was easy to do in the summer since going to the beach and the pool really did the trick. 

Other methods you can do to fade your color (works better for alternative colors) is washing your hair with clarifying shampoo or dish soap, doing regular hot oil treatments and even apply a lot of hairspray to your hair let it dry and wash it off.

Anyways, from the color of the first picture I managed to bring my hair to a medium orange with yellow bits:

Even though the color was light it was dangerously orange and I wasn't sure if the pink I had was strong enought to cover it. Note that if you have stronge orange base your pink might turn into salmon and you won't get your desired color plus when it will fade it will be a yonky color. 

Since the hairdye that I use to lighten and dye my roots is a strong one I didn't want to use pure bleach on my hair so I did a BLEACH BATH. 

(To do a bleach bath you simply mix the same amount in ml of your bleach (powder and peroxide) with the same amount in ml shampoo. -for example if you use 50ml powder with 50ml conditioner you can use 100ml shampoo or if you do it on dry hair 75ml shampoo with 25ml water). You mix it all in a plastic bowl and you apply it all over checking your color every 5 minutes. WARNING: DO NOT LET IT FOR MORE THAN THE TIME STATED ON THE BLEACH'S CONTAINER EVEN THOUGHT IT IS DELUTED IT IS STILL BLEACH AND IT WILL HARM YOUR SCALP AND HAIR! To avoid extra damage on your hair you can apply beforehand coconut oil on your scalp and hair and let it sink in for at least 4 hours before your bleach.)

After I did my bleach bath my hair reached a lighter orange/yellow and after using some purple shampoo I got rid of a lot of the orange tones. Unfortunately I should have used pure bleach on my roots as it's not that strong to lift my natural color so my roots only lifted one tone, but it was still ok I can always bleach my roots later but ONLY at least after a month.

After I reached the desired base color it was time to apply my pink dye. Unfortunately I was in a hurry and I didn't have time to order the specific brand I wanted so I used only what I could find which is this:

Stargazer in "Shocking Pink".

It's not a terrible dye but it's not from those with the best staying power. If you go for pink hair I would suggest you pink from Directions or Special Effects dyes which is what i will do when I will refresh my color.

Just remember to be careful while using this type of dyes because they stain everything and you will have to rub a lot to take it out of your bathtub and for crying out loud wear OLD clothes that you don't really need!

But enough talk! You probably wanna see the results and here they are:

This photo is taken in the house with flash (excuse the lack of makeup).

This is outside in natural sunlight. 

The color will eventually fade to a lighter pink. I will update you with photos :)

If you have any questions at all about alternative or normal hair dying, feel free to ask me OR if you wanna hear advice from experienced people visit the "hairdyeforum.com" where there are lovely ladies that have GORGEOUS AMAZING colorful hair that can help you step by step with your hair and how to bring them to whatever color you want. I know they helped me very much! :)

Take care,

Heliana.

P.S 1. All photos except the first are mine, the first one was from google

P.S 2. I am not affiliated with the hair dye forum I am a simple member that i had lots of help from other members and admins. 

Faves and Fails of June and July 2013

I know it's super late for this but we are on vacation so you understand! Since I didn't have the chance to post my favorite products for June I'm gonna make one post for both months (anyway in June i didn't have a whole lot of  products to post about).

Let's start with the products that impressed me first, shall we?

1. Yves Rocher - Organic Vanilla Eau De Toilette. 

Best vanilla perfume EVER! I have a review on it which you can read by clicking here. I love vanilla scent and this perfume is appropriate for any time or any season. I just love it!

2. Avon Naturals: Lily and Gardenia set

This set doesn't have something extraordinary than any other spray/shower gel/ body cream set as a texture or anything but it smells like heaven!!!! Definitely a favorite at the moment!

3. Catrice - Multicolour Blush in 060 Strawberry Frapuccino

This is a gift by my friend Usi, she had sent me not long ago a package with goodies from Catrice along with a gorgeous pouch bag that I love so much. This is a perfect blush because it looks so natural but it also gives a very nice color on the cheeks. LOVE IT.

4. Bioderma - Sensibio Ar with SPF 30

I am a fan of tainted sunscreens this however is something between a foundation and a sunscreen so it's absolutely perfect now in the summer. At first I wasn't sure about it to be honest because it only has like 2 shades and the lightest was sort of yellowish on me but it turns out now that I tanned it matches me very well. The best way to apply it in my opinion is with a wet (not dripping) flat foundation brush. Now in the summer I don't even set it with powder and it has a decent staying power considering that in Greece the temperature is dangerously high and we sweat all day. 

To move on with the products that I didn't enjoy....

1. Essence - Stay Natural Concealer 

I like Essence products a lot, but this is not a good one. I was excited to try it but it's simply rubbish. Besides the fact that you have to turn the end a lot of times to take product out, it lets out a big quantity so you waste product. Second and most important issue is that it's so thick that you can't blend it properly and the finish is not "stay natural" at all. Disappointing...

2. Avon - Nail Experts. gel strength base coat

I didn't expect anything to be honest from this product and I was right not to. My nails are usually long even thought they are thin and I can keep them long without breaking them. But lately, I think due to stress they were chipping off so I thought this might help. Good thing I didn't have my expectations high...

3. China Glaze Nail Polishes in general.

I know people will hate me for saying this (hahaha) but China Glaze has GORGEOUS nail colors but the quality is RUBBISH!!! I have at least 8 colors and they all do the same thing, the same day after I apply it, it goes away from the edges. Disappointing, considering that it's an expensive brand.

That's all for now. I'm preparing a small Inglot haul for the future so stay tuned! 

Take care!

Heliana