I've already talked about how Labello has recently managed to redeem itself in my eyes with one of its lipbalms from their new Fruity Shine line. I really love my Dragonfruit lipbalm and have been using it more often than my Silk Naturals lippies (heresy!), but I was also curious if other products from the same line would manage to perform just as well.

Now I've been trying to achieve this "just-ate-a-lollypop" look practically ever since I started using makeup and was particularly adamant in my wish to be able to get it by using one single product. Sure, I could always go and put on untinted lipbalm, after which I could meticulously apply the correct amount of lipstick (that which would only give my lips a nice sheer tint but no actual coverage), but who the heck wants to go to all that trouble at least five times a day, and more importantly, who the heck can? I certainly can't (and won't), so I am all the more grateful to Fan for introducing me to Labello's Fruity Shine line. You see their strawberry lipbalm is IT. The lippie that helps me create the highly coveted lollypop-look in approximately two swipes. Eeeeeasy. And I just love easy. Actually, don't we all? :-)

I suggest that if you're curious about other things than what this lipbalm looks like, you go and read my post on the dragonfruit version: they perform the same way, weigh and cost just as much, and have the same gel-like texture that feel sort of cushion-y on my lips and don't dry them (unlike Labello's previous attempts).

For now, just glue your eyes to the screen and watch as I show you exactly what I mean when I say this lippie is perfect (and is totally HG material). ;-)

 

So today I got home with a splitting headache, which is weird considering that my head hurts perhaps once a year, and even then it's only because I bumped it into something...It only started when I left my workplace for the day and was all the more strange because there hadn't been anything stressful going on today. In fact, I can safely say it was a pretty neat day: I've been starting to get the hang of things lately and have been having the chance to teach again, so things are looking good. :-)

Anyway, by the time I got home I was desperate for something to pamper myself with and I had just the thing: a 15 ml packet of Schäbens' Schoko Mask I bought in Müller a while back. I had been putting off trying it, never deeming the time right to give myself over to the joys of a chocolate mask, but for someone who's totally not used to having her head being slowly split in two, a full-blown headache is justification enough to run around the house looking like an Oompa-Loompa for 15 minutes. (Just to stay on topic... :-))




Schäbens' Chocolate Mask is a strange little thing: the front of the packet already had me laughing. It says that the mask "tastes delicious". Now if it said the mask smells delicious, that I would understand. I mean we all like our cosmetics to have a delectable fragrance, but very rarely do we want them to double as a midnight snack too. However, one glance at the INCI list told me I probably wouldn't be worse off if I ingested the stuff, and being the little glutton that I am, I just couldn't resist the invitation. ;-P




One tiny lick later I can tell you that it really does taste delicious (a bit like chocolate ganache), but you'll probably be better off if you put it on your face instead of in your mouth. ;-) By the way, it smells heavenly too: it'll instantly transport you into the world of chocolate rivers, cocoa fountains and whipped cream mushrooms. :)




About the product and its benefits for skin: it's a very thick, buttery substance and somewhat difficult to rinse off completely. (I only managed to reduce the amount of mask residue on my face to an acceptable level with a terrycloth towel...) My skin has been pretty oily these days, so it didn't really appreciate being slathered with what pretty much qualifies as fragrant grease in my books, but people with dry skin might end up loving this stuff. It's rich, it's nourishing, and it leaves a protective layer of cocoa and coconut butters on your skin.

Did it manage to make the trolls with the big hammers get out of my head? As a matter of fact, it did. ;-)


Rating: 4 out of 5
Price: around 250 HUF (~1 EUR / 1.3 USD) for a 15 ml satchel
Available: in Müller stores
Ingredients: see above  

Hey girls! I think I'm ready to believe that spring is finally here and intends to stay for good. The trees are blossoming, and I know it's not that big a deal, and that it happens pretty much every spring without fail, but it's still the most exciting piece of news today. The pigeons' heads are barely sticking out of the lawn and our neighborhood is practically bustling with dogs of all shapes and sizes.

It's just so good to be alive on a day like this!

Also, I'd like to say hello to my new student who, as it turns out, loves reading beauty blogs too. :-D Hey there girl! I hope you'll like what you find here. ;-)


Let's get down to business then. :)



I've been having this love-hate relationship with lipgloss for a while.

I love how it's sheerer than lipstick and doesn't sit in the tiny little creases of my lips but instead makes them look youthful and fresh. I love how it makes my lips full and shiny without being too over-the-top and how it coats them with a balmy layer of moisture and natural protective butters. I also adore it's delicious scent and taste and oftentimes wish it were edible. I'm fond of the brush that allows for precise application and the gorgeous packaging it comes in.

And I hate how usually a lipgloss manages to deliver only a few of the above.

How 'bout you?

...

Mmm-hmm, that's what I had thought. ;-)

I know we all have different requirements when it comes to lipgloss, but if you're like me and expect your gloss to be all of the above (minus the not-living-up-to-your-expectations part), then you'll probably love Stila's Lip Glaze in Mandarin Mist.






I've read several less-than-favorable opinions concerning the mechanics of the pen-styled tube on MUA, but I personally haven't experienced any problems with it. My only pet peeve is the lack of information on how to make it work the first time. * After that, it's a breeze, just make sure you give the bottom of the pen only a few twists, otherwise you'll end up with a humongous blob of lipgloss on the tip of the brush.

* Twist the bottom of the pen clockwise until you see the product appearing on the brush. It may take ridiculously long, but it's worth it. ;-)




I also don't have any issues with the brush and much prefer it to doe-foot applicators. It allows for a more precise application, and were it not part of the pen itself, it'd even be possible to clean with some alcohol, water and baby-shampoo. (If you're a hygiene-freak, that is, but really girls, how many of us actually clean our lipgloss brushes...? Just curious. ^_^)



Don't you all just want your lipglosses to smell and taste delicious? I know I do, and this product definitely hasn't let me down. Its scent reminds me of orange toffee and an orange-shaped chewing gum my Mum used to buy me when I was little. It even manages to taste the way it smells, which is no small feat in a world full of boring sugary and sometimes downright plastic-flavoured lipglosses.





Okay, so the color is a bit difficult to pin down, as with this product everything depends on lighting conditions. In warm, natural half-light and in the presence of incandescent lightbulbs it tends to take on a warm quality and comes close to being a pinkish-coral shade. However, I would probably refrain from wearing it in Tungsten-halogen light, as it tends to transform into every woman's worst dream: the opaque, icy-pink lippie of the eighties. Yuck.... Also, it pays off to apply this gloss a bit more liberally than you might be used to, because it takes away from the iciness and makes it lean more towards the coraly goodness it really is. (Don't ask me how though, it totally doesn't make any sense to me...)




First things first: it's glossy. Excuse me for stating the obvious, but as a girl who naturally gravitates toward sheerer, more natural-looking lip products this came as... well, certainly not as a surprise, but it's been quite a while since I last used anything glossier than Silk Naturals lippies, so it definitely needed some getting used to. :-D (Also, it's on the sticky end of the spectrum, but it's nothing I can't handle and a big thumbs-up goes to the Lip Glaze for not drying out my puckers.) After getting over that shocking little revelation, I didn't have any issues with the product. In fact, I like it a lot and will certainly reach for it when an occasion to crank up the pancake on my face a few notches presents itself. :-D





Stila wants you to shell out 22 USD for a 2.4 ml (0.08 fl.oz) lipgloss which, in my opinion, is a bit steep. Then again, anyone's willingness to pay that much for a lippie really just depends on what they want from the product in question. If you want a lot of shine and a delicious taste/scent, then it might be perfectly worth it for you. If you like your lips being more natural, with a little less bling-bling and more of a satiny sheen and some color, well then you might want to look elsewhere.

Make no mistake though: I love having Stila's Lip Glaze in my stash and knowing that whenever I'm in the mood for a bit more shine, I can get that (and a lot more) from this gloss. I might even buy another one (or two) in the future, but let's just say that Mandarin Mist and I are not exclusive. ;-) In the case of this lipgloss, there's scope for improvement, particularly in the stickiness department, but it has a lot more good qualities than bad: the delicious scent and taste, the lovely finish it gives our lips, the practical packaging and the wide range of shades available all speak in favor of trying Stila's lippies if you haven't already.

A big thank you goes out to Fan, my fellow beauty-blogger and friend, who sent me this lipgloss for my birthday two weeks ago. I'm ever so grateful for her that I got the chance to test one of Stila's famous Lip Glazes and hope to return the favor with something similar in May. ;-)


Rating: 5 out of 5

Available: Stila's website, Sephora, and probably other major department stores (Needless to say, Stila is not available in Hungary...)

Ingredients:
Polybutene, Octyldodecanol, Helianthus Annuus (Hybrid Sunflower) Oil, Lanolin Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla Cera) Wax (Candelilla Cera\Cire de Candelilla), Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax (Cera Carnauba\Cire de Carnauba), Tocopheryl Acetate, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Flavor (Aroma), Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Farnesol, Citral, Benzyl Salicylate, Eugenol, Cinnamal, Benzyl Alcohol, May Contain (+/-): Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090) (CI 42090), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163) (CI 77163), Carmine (CI 75470) (CI 75470), Red 6 (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 22 Lake (CI 45380), Red 27 (CI 45410), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410), Red 30 (CI 73360), Red 33 Lake (CI 17200), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985)  

Just as Fan has been let down by Maybelline on several occasions, I too have had my fair share of disappointments with Labello. Many years ago, when shopping online was only a distant dream for me and I had to make do with what was available in local drugstores, I bought Labello lipbalms several times and was pretty unhappy with each one. There was a certain yuckyness to them that I can't really describe, and they would disappear from my lips quicker than I could say "Lipsmackers".

Not so with this new lipbalm of theirs. The one I got from Fan, which contains dragonfruit and starfruit extracts, is an excellent quality product and the more I wear it, the deeper I fall in love with it.

Fine, it's not the kind of INCI list that would make me buy the product in question, but somehow it still works.




The stuff I'm happy to see on that list:

• Butyrospermum Parkii (shea) butter
• Candelilla Cera (candelilla wax)
• Prunus Dulcis (almond) oil
• Simmondsia Chinensis (jojoba oil)
• Tocopheryl Acetate (vitamin E)
• Vitis Vinifera (grape) Seed Oil
• Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (a.k.a.: avonbenzone; a chemical sunscreen that doesn't do much on its own, there's too little in there anyway, but hey, a little is more than nothing. By the way, according to Labello's website, this balm and the rest in the series has an SPF of 10.)

The rest is just artificial stuff we have to live with if we decide to buy non-organic, non-natural cosmetics...



Labello's new lipbalm lends my lips a subtle shine (no pearly effect, thank goodness), and some moderate color. It also contains silver sparkles, but while they're visible in the solid product, once you apply the balm to your lips, they disappear completely.




When it comes to color and shine, I can best compare this balm to Silk Naturals' Soft, one of my favorite everyday glosses. It's a sheer raspberry shade that's perfect for daytime wear and provides this classic fresh look that's appropriate both in the office and for a walk in the city with friends.




It feels like a buttery-gel on my lips and so far it has only managed to protect and moisturize them, which is a big deal because many lipbalms actually tend to dry my lips. (Please note the absence of mineral oil on the INCI list, which is probably the reason why this balm performs so well.)





Its scent is delicious, exotic and mouthwatering, which makes it a perfect distraction from one's work. Imagine me sitting in the office, trying to label folders and catalog documents, but failing miserably thanks to an irrepressible urge to sniff said lipbalm every few minutes.
Epic fail... :-DDD
(I even ended up putting some on my wrists as if it were a solid perfume... *blushes like crazy*)



The twist-up tube contains a generous 4.8 g (5.5 ml) and usually retails for 439 HUF (1.8-2.6 EUR / 2.5-4.0USD abroad) in DM in Hungary , so if you're on a budget looking for an affordable, good-quality lipbalm, this is definitely a product you should consider.

It's one of the best lipbalms I've tried in a good while, and I might even go as far as saying that it compares to my beloved Silk Naturals lippies. And that, my dear friends and readers, is a huge compliment from me. :-D


Available in: DM, Rossmann, Müller and Schlecker stores, and probably all major drugstores near you
Rating: a solid 5 out of 5


Okay... Since I'm a huge lipbalm/lipsgloss/lip-practially-anything freak, I am now asking you to tell me what your favorite lipbalm is. I'm risking a lot here, after all one only gets so much money a month, but what the heck, I'm still curious. :-)))


Also, check out the goodies I got recently:

• Whipping Star by Frank Herbert, my favorite author ever (By the way, was it really necessary to insert the most unbecoming picture they could find of him into that Wikipedia article...? Check him out here, at least here he doesn't look like a hobo...)
  
• Hypno Gloss mascara by Essence
• Beauty Box from Artdeco for Sagu
• Brochure from La Roche Posay full of samples

 

Fan and I have been writing each other for a while and promised gifts for the other's birthday. I had mine last Friday, so yesterday I got to be the ecstatic recipient of a lovely package from Belgium full of goodies. :-)

This is the third package I got from Fan (here are the first and second), and as usual its contents blew me away.




What I got:

• A letter. A heartfelt, beautiful, handwritten letter. You don't get those very often now, do you? And it's a shame too, because while e-mails are great, there's just something about handwritten letters that adds a whole new level of "awesome" to one's life.
  
  
• A Stila Lip Glaze in Mandarin Mist
  
  Stila is not available in Hungary (does it even surprise anyone at all anymore...?), so you can imagine how excited I was to find this among my gifts. And you can probably also guess how difficult it is for me not to tell you all about it right now, but I'm planning to dedicate an entire post to each item I got, so you'll have to bear with me a little longer.
  
  
• A blush by HEMA
  
  Fan has already written a post about it, so if you're really curious (which you should be), then you can read about this product here. For now, let it be enough that it's every bit as great as Fan said it would be. :-)
  
  
• A Labello lip balm with star fruit and dragon fruit extracts
  
  I'm risking a lot here when I tell you that my first reaction was: "Ooookay...Labello. Right." Cause we kinda have it in Hungary, and I've had some not-so-pleasant experiences with the brand about five (or more) years ago.
  
  Let me just quickly make amends for my cheek before Fan gets really angry with me and tell you that she knows her stuff when it comes to cosmetics and that this Labello is not the Labello of five years ago. In fact, this stuff is so good that after only two days of using it continuously (yeah, I kinda couldn't get enough of that juicy scent) I can wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who's looking for a good, reliable lip-balm for the summer. (There's added SPF, baby. )
  
  So please Fan, don't hate me for my initial reaction: I've been keeping your name in my prayers ever since I tried this balm. *hug*
  
  
• A lovely necklace with a gorgeous blue crystal surrounded by silvery stars that twinkle with each tiny little movement I make. To me, it symbolizes my love of stars, of endless space, and a literary genre that strives to wrap up the infinite and hand it to us on a silvery plasteel plate: science-fiction.
  
  
• Some nice sheets of paper I can use to try my hands at origami. I should probably start with something easy and not be crazy enough to attempt the Kawasaki Rose, but then again, that Rose smells like a challenge. ^_^

Don't you fret for a minute over the brevity of this post: I'm planning to spend this week and the next with telling you about each of Fan's gifts in a separate post. ;-) There's going to be pictures, lots of details, ingredients lists and all sorts of other juicy stuff to keep you entertained. ^_^

No, I haven't forgotten. Like I ever could. :-)


You've truly made my birthday a special time of year with your letter, your thoughtful (and perfect) gifts and with just being my friend. *hug*  

Also, guess who's been cheating on her diet... :-D






Recently, while wondering aimlessly in Tesco, waiting for my Mum to finish with her grocery shopping, I spotted something that almost made my heart jump out of my chest.



You should have seen me weaving* my way across the throng of people, quickly and steadily, never losing focus, and approaching my target with deadly precision and determination. And with a sort of half-crazed look on my face too... Must have been a sight to behold.

I am beyond happy to announce that Freeman foot-care products are once more available in Hungary in Tesco stores. So far, I have seen them in two: here and here.

Why's that a big deal, you ask? Simply because I've been in love with these products for almost three years. Want proof? Check out these posts:
Freeman Peppermint and Plum Softening Foot Lotion
A Trip to the Beauty Store
Freeman Has Made Me So Sad... (Yeah, well, khmm, you should know better than to take me seriously when I whine...)
Want further proof that I seriously love the Freeman foot-lotion? Here:
Tagged! Here's My Purse


You see, I use the Peppermint and Plum Foot Lotion as an all-round body lotion: I apply it to my legs, arms and hands (and feet), as its consistency is perfect and I adore the scent. There's nothing in it that would make it unsuitable for anything else but one's feet, so I just go ahead and use it anywhere my skin needs a good moisturizing lotion.




Also, in the above mentioned whiny post I complained about how unlike the product in the sample sachet the product in the full-size tube smells different and not as nice as the sample did. Well, I'm happy to let you know that that's not the case anymore: the lotion in the tube has the sweet, plummy, and slightly candy-like fragrance that drew me in in the first place.

The foot-scrub seems a little less dense than it used to be, but I guess I can live with that...




Now I finally have something to put into my empty 4,5 ml bottle that my Silk Naturals Eyelash Conditioning Gel came in. It's the perfect hand-cream for spring and summer and it's also a nice base for berry-scented perfumes (eg.: Mora Bella by CSP). :-)



I wish I'd had Freeman's Peppermint and Plum Foot Lotion with me in Nuremberg: besides doubling as a hand-cream, a body-lotion and a base for perfumes, it's also a very nice foot-lotion. :-))) It's got a nice, not-too-thin and not-too-thick consistency (I'll even go as far as to claim it's perfect), has a refreshing scent and texture, and it's full of ingredients that soothe tired feet and prepare them for another day of heavy strain.



EDIT:
Ooops, forgot to mention the price...

Both are around 1300 HUF (4.90 EUR / 6.62 USD)




* Before I forget, let's all wish Mr. Hugo Weaving, my favorite actor, a very happy 50th birthday!


 

Today's about me in more ways than one, so I thought it fitting to do the award/meme-thingy Epurica passed on to me. Thank you Epurica! :-)

Rules:

• Thank the person that gave you the prize
• Give the award to blogs you've recently discovered and think that deserve it
• Contact those bloggers and tell them about the award
• Write 7 random facts about you

Okay, right, soooo... lemmesee... :-)))

1. Back in the good old days when I still worked out regularly in the afternoons, I used my English-Hungarian dictionaries as dumbbells. They had an awful grip, but I suppose my fingers could very well use some exercise too (in addition to the hours of drawing I used to do). Let's just say my dictionaries and I have a very special connection... :-)
   
   
2. I wowe bunnies!!! When I was a child, I didn't have a single Teddy-bear, but I had toy bunnies by the dozen. :-)
   
   
3. There's a notice board beside my desk where I put clippings from brochures and magazines. They're photos of all the things I want, and whenever I get something, I remove its photo from the board. Looking at all those pretty things makes me happy, which in turn puts me into a positive state of mind, one in which I'm capable of attracting the things I desire. Well, I believe so anyway. :-)
   Right now, there's postcard I got from one of my ex-colleagues from New York, a printed picture of Lierac's Mésolift Serum, a photo of a lovely dark-blue summer-dress and a pair of brown leather sandals, a few pairs of earrings from an AVON brochure ('cause I want to have my ears pierced, but I'm sorta hesitant at the same time), a picture of LUSH's Veganese (should have removed that one... :-), and a postcard and a Dune fanart I got from my ex-students.
   
   
4. I can bend my thumb backwards at a 90° angle. Mum's always told me to pay attention not to do it in front of people, 'cause it looks weird and might freak some people out. I say, who the heck cares...?
   
   
5. I used to love ABBA and BoneyM when I was a little kid. Dad's musical taste must have rubbed off on me. (I still love ABBA though...)
   
   
6. I loathe jasmine in every shape and form, but love the scent of roses. Wonder what that says about me? (Besides the fact that I'm already an old lady at heart...)
   
   
7. When my music teacher heard me sing for the first time, he said I have perfect pitch and demanded that I sing in the school choir. I did that for about a year before I decided that I'd much prefer sleeping an extra hour to singing Kumbaya every morning, and flunked out (to my teacher's absolute horror). Though I love music, I haven't sung anything in 15 years...

Right, so now it's my turn to tag 7 people:

Spookuur
Sagu
Ale-M
Gabi
Niphetamin
DiAnais
Ladybird (You can do this in the comments, but only if you want to. :-))