Recently Picked Up #1

I thought I would introducte a new series to my blog today which I call 'Recently Picked Up'. I rarely ever buy a ton of stuff at once, so haul posts just don't work for me very well. Instead, I'll use this spot to tell you about products I've recently purchased and perhaps even my first impressions on them.

Paris Haul!

Hi guys!

I safely arrived home yesterday from a lovely 4-day trip to Paris. I experienced so much and am still a bit overwhelmed by everything! We did loads of sightseeing, but our teachers allowed us one or two hours every now and then for a bit of shopping and relaxing too. I actually didn't buy that much as it was more important to me to get a few bits that are not that easily available near me.

We took a little trip to Sephora on Champs Elysées and it was fantastic! I swatched dozens of products and perfumes and picked up a few pieces I wanted to try.

• Yes To Carrots Lip Butter in Berry
I have wanted this for ages and it hasn't disappointed me at all! It's a very moisturizing lip balm that leaves the slightest glossy sheen on my lips. This might become a new handbag essential of mine!

• Sephora Eau Micellaire Démaquillante / Triple Action Cleansing Water
Everyone in the beauty world is raving about micellar solutions for removing your makeup, so I figured I would give the Sephora one a whirl. I might purchase the full size if I like it!

• Sephora Thé Vert Eau de Toilette / Green Tea Eau de Toilette
I love green tea and when I saw this in store, I just had to test it out. It smells very refreshing and I feel like it's a nice little perfume to keep in your bag during the summer time!

• Sephora Nail Polish in L11 Samba in Rio
I was admiring all the nail polishes they had in store and I picked out this bright coral color with a bit of red. I'm excited to see how it applies, wears and all that stuff. Expect a "Daily Nail" post soon!

I also passed what felt like a zillion of magazine stands and got the July issue of Glamour (which was on a €1 offer, score!). I read a bit of this on the train back home and really like it so far! Oh and yes, I do speak french ;-)

We checked out multiple souvenir shops at Montmartre and I also got a few things there. First of all, I got myself a cute mug with the Paris writing on it. I also always get some Eiffel Tower key chains because they're really cheap and I also lose them all the time haha! Oh and I found the prettiest silver charm bracelet too :)

We also stepped into the H&M store on Champs Elysées, it's my tradition to go there every time I am in Paris. It's the H&M biggest store I've ever been to and also it's the only store I know that gives away paper bags instead of the boring plastic ones. I got a satin-like carrée which I absolutely adore (and adore is an understatement here). It looks so chic and elegant! Besides, I got my hands on this cute rose gold bracelet that actually goes very well with the scarf.

So at this point my Paris Haul technically ends, but I came home to a parcel from the lovely Cream with an eyeshadow I had purchased in her blogsale a week ago. As I was still all in my "Parisienne" mode, I allowed these two products to go in here as well.

I bought the Shady Lady Single Eyeshadow by theBalm in "Just this once Jamie". It was swatched 2-3 times and had the slightest crack in the tin, but since I picked it up for half the RRP, that evens out everything for me. I used it today and I don't think it's too much when I say it's absolutely gorgeous! I have a makeup post including this shadow coming Sunday or Monday, so stay tuned!

The Parcel also included a generous gift, the Avon Moisture Seduction gloss in "Violet Beauty". I love the marble gloss design inside the bottle and overall I think it's very nicely packaged. The color itself is a bright violet, but it's very sheer on the lips. Now the downside of this product is that it's quite sticky in my opinion and also that it contains a lot of glitter. After removal, there were still some bits of it on my lips. Maybe I can make it work although (on wind-free days, haha!).

Have a lovely weekend!

Love,
Nathalie x

Spring Haul (Shoes, Clothes, Beauty)

I was out and about yesterday and as I'm in terrible need to update my wardrobe a bit, I got a few things.

I absolutely adore these ballet flats by Graceland. They are a very deep, chocolatey brown color and made of two different fabrics. Even though there's some patent leather on them, they're so comfortable!

I got this three-quarter sleeve at a store called Pimkie. The color is totally out of my comfort zone, but my friend Hannah pushed me into trying this on and so I did. The color looked fantastic on me, it especially worked well with my hair color, so I had to get this.

The blue shirt is by H&M and I actually purchased this last week. I loved the color and it looked fabulous and so I couldn't resist. I love the button-down a lot! (see above)

Then I went to The Body Shop (I had a voucher and got 20% off with Glamour Shopping Card).

I had been wanting this skincare set for so long and finally took the splurge. It's the Seewead Range which is made for oily/combination skin. It contains a wash gel, a toner, a day cream and a night treatment. Can't wait to try this!

I had seen this conditioner online and when I was in store, I just grabbed it, smelled it and - Oh my gosh - this stuff smells heavenly! It's the Rainforest Shine Conditioner and as it's silicon free and everything, I purchased a mini-sized one (60ml / 2 fl.oz.)

Freebies!

I bought stuff for more than 20 bucks and so I received a sample size (50 ml/1.69 oz) of the Chocomania Body Butter. And of course a little sample, this time I got the Sweet Lemon Body Butter. We'll see how I like these :)

That's it for now, I have to say that I'm really happy with my purchases. One of my 2012 goals is to add more color to my wardrobe and this was definitely a good start!

What did you buy lately?

Love,
Nathalie xx

Mini HAUL: Eyelash Curlers, Lush...

I'm having a mini vacation next week (YAY!) and so today I went to school for only 3 hours of class. It's a tradition to go to town with your friends afterwards, and my girlies and I did. I actually wanted to get way more things, but then I ended up buying these few beauty items.

• Beliance Eyelash Curler
I repurchased this, my old one started to squeeze my lashes and make them fall out :(. I had had it for a year or so, I guess you can't expect too much.

• Balea Clear-Up Strips
I'm having some massive issues with my face at the moment and so I was is terrible need of some strips to remove all the blackheads I have.

• Balea Aqua Sheet Mask
I keep on repurchasing this over and over again: It moisturizes my skin perfectly making it soft and smooth and super hydrated. Plus the smell is really nice!

• p2 Cuticle Softener Gel
My cuticles are a serious mess at the moment, completely dried out and cracked (even though I always use hand cream, cuticle cream and stuff). So during my vacation, I will have plenty of time to recover them and make them look nice and beautiful again.

• LUSH Fresh Farmacy Sample
My oily skin is breaking out at the moment, not to much, but in a way that calls for extra treatment. I stopped by the new LUSH shop in my town and picked up a sample of this face soap. I hope this is going to turn my skin for the better! Review coming soon.


What did you recently buy?

Love,
Nathalie x

Two-In-One: e.l.f. haul + lip combination

Hey everyone!
I hope you're doing fine, and I apologize for not having blogged for about a week. I've been SO busy that I don't even know where to begin doing everything I have to.
So today I decided to do a Two-in-One Post because I can't seem to find the time to post a lot right now.

First up:  The lip combination I've been loving lately!

 I love lip glosses so much, but I just can't wear them alone in winter because if I do, it takes 5 minutes for my lips to crack and that's bad. So I figured to use a nude lipstick under it.

Lipstick: Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Nude Pink
This is actually not a nude pink in my opinion, it's more like an orangey coral, but with it lipgloss below, it actually looks pretty gorgeous!
Lipgloss: Catrice Lip Appeal in Bare Necessity
Favorite nude lipgloss ever. Full stop.

P.S. Thumbs up for weird mouths!

Second topic: My first e.l.f. haul!
If you follow me on twitter, you know I went crazy when the order arrived. I know you always have to be careful with e.l.f. stuff because some products are really awesome but some are just awful. After reading a bunch of reviews, I got this ( +quick reviews!):

• e.l.f. Stipple Brush

I love this brush a lot! It blends my foundation perfectly leaving my skin looking flawless and natural. I have been using this for 2-3 weeks now and I washed it a couple of times and the hair loss is slight. I recommend buying this!

• e.l.f. Eyelid Primer

Maybe it was a little blasphemic to believe that a very cheap eye primer could hold my makeup in place. My eye shadow creases super quickly (I have oily lids, BTW). Only use this if your lids are very dry.

• e.l.f. Smudge Brush

Lost a couple of hair, but this does a great job smudging eyeshadow on my lower lash line.

• e.l.f. Blending Eye Brush

This brush lost the most hair, but blends my eye shadows so well that I just fell in love with it.

Love,
Nathalie x