Hi gals!

I'm back!

I spent most of last week in our summer cottage continuously whacking my brain over what I did wrong in the process of changing my blog's template, and what was still to be done, fingers itching to get near a PC with Internet access. That, of course, is pretty much out of the question in Horány, so only today could I finally smooth things out here. (And to my great annoyance, some things are still not perfect...)

Thank you for your lovely comments on Binary Star's new look, everybody! It was a great surprise to arrive home to such positive reception of the new template. :-)

Take a look around the InfoCreek Blog, where you can find many other great templates, most of them available for Blogger.

There's a lip-gloss I've been "lemming" for a while now, as is obvious if you read some of my earlier posts mentioning it.

It's Bourjois's Les Cocktails d'3D Effet in Rouge Sunset (27), and as it turns out, it's just as gorgeous as I imagined it to be.

I bought it a few weeks ago on E-Bay.co.uk, together with another gloss from the same line, Cassis Tropical (26), and because Bagaela was eager for me to review them, here they are. (Hope you'll like it, dear! ^_^)







This one has always tickled my fancy more than Cassis Tropical, and for good reason. Just as I expected, Bourjois' Rouge Sunset is a shade that matches olive skintone perfectly, probably because this particular skintone has yellow and green undertones. As you probably know, green and red are complementary colors, meaning they contrast with each other and make each other more bright and vivid. Now, I imagine that if a woman with olive skin puts on a red lipstick or gloss, both the gloss and her skin will become brighter and the two will emphasize each other.

Which is perfectly fine by me. :-)

The slight tan that I have boosts the green in my skin and this sheer red lip-gloss looks great one me.

Some of its features:

• Color:
  
  Red (obviously), and very-very sheer. You want to layer this pretty heavily, otherwise you'll get very little color-payoff.
  
  
• Texture:
  
  Like most Bourjois lip-glosses this one is not really sticky either, although I find that the old formula is much more smooth and moisturizing than the new one. (Rouge Sunset has the new formula already.) Well, I'm actually perfectly fine using Bourjois' glosses alone, without any kind of lip-balm, and they still don't dry my lips out.
  
  

• Special FX:
  
  Bourjois claims that it:
  

1. Gives exceptionally high shine
   
   Hmm, I don't know... Most of the time, I really cannot spot any difference between different glosses: they all seem ridiculously shiny to me (In a good way! :-)) I wouldn't, however, say that this gloss has "exceptionally high shine". Okay, maybe if you layer it on thickly, it has. But if you apply it sheer, it has a more subtle, discreet kind of shine which I prefer and which makes my lips look moisturized and healthy.
   
   
2. Has super glossy, sheer texture that burst with color
   
   Oh, it's sheer all right, but that's fine by me, as I usually stay away from things that look unnatural and that are too bright. And while Rouge Sunset does burst with color (Yeah, in the tube... it almost has a neon glow...), I can't say the same about Cassis Tropical. (I see a kind of paradox between being sheer and bursting with color anyway...)
   
   
3. Helps plump up lips for a fuller, sensational look
   Nope. Does only what all lip-glosses do: optically enhances one's lips and makes it look a bit more plump and full.
   

• Applicator:
  
  Has the usual precision brush applicator that I love so much about Bourjois lipppies. As someone who's usually not afraid take a brush in her hands and use it, I welcome this kind of application technique, because it allows for greater precision and better control over layering on the product.
  
  
• Price:
  
  I can't really say anything about this as I bought mine on E-Bay for 5.5 GBP (including shipping), but you can also get it on Strawberrynet.com for 14 USD (with free shipping), and I guess the original retail price is 15.5 USD. (For which amount I would probably not buy it...)

What remains now is for me to show you how it looks on my lips. :-)






Cassis Tropical is obviously a more berryish shade, and again, quite transparent. It reminds me a lot of two other Bourjois lip-glosses, both fairly sheer: Framboise Energetic (11) and Framboise Excentric (98). It gives the same my-lips-but-better look: just a hint of berry/rose tint and some not over-the-top shine. From the above mentioned two glosses I prefer No.98 (discontinued), so I was very happy to discover that Cassis Tropical is a pretty good replacement for it.

What I wrote about Sunset Rouge stands for this gloss too (except the color part), but I got this one for 4.25 GBP, which I think is pretty cool in itself, and more so because they don't seem to be available in Hungary. *insert picture of Izar banging her head into the wall* :-)




Finally, let's see these glosses in action!




Questions, comments about Bourjois Les Coctails glosses? Don't spare me! ^_^  

First, the really-really exciting news:

The first one was for a Bourjois Effet 3D Coctail Lip Gloss in Cassis Tropical that I mentioned in my previous post. Yeah, you heard it right: Cassis Tropical. I know I wanted Rouge Sunset, but I got this one so cheap, and I've been seriously eyeing this gloss too for a while now. Don't worry, I'll get the other one too, especially after reading Someone Loving's opinion about it. ;-)

"Hi, Izar!
Yeah, the Bourjois lipgloss in the middle is the getter. I have one, it's my favourite lipgloss ever, and it's the one that I'll definitely repurchase. It's not that red on the lips thought, it just gives them this perfect fresh look that works best for my skintone (from what I've got very close to yours ;-))"

The second was for...
...
Well?
...
Yeah, you guessed it:

It's Clinique's Naturally Glossy Mascara in Jet Brown (02)

The seller (themersey01) was super-sweet, and incredibly helpful, which was especially important for me, because these were my first E-Bay purchases (I registered specifically to get these), her responses were incredibly fast (think minutes here), she adjusted the shipping price to reflect fees for Hungary, and promised to dispatch my long-awaited mascara tomorrow morning, throwing in a free gift while at it. How cool is that??? :-)

Once again, please girls, cross you fingers for me, and pray that these two items arrive safely to my home! I do believe in the power of thought, so I actually think it would help a lot. ^_^ Thanks!

All in all, I loved shopping on E-Bay: it's sure as h*ll more exciting than anything I've ever tried before! Won't be the last time either.

Has any of you ever got anything off E-Bay? Do share our experiences with the rest of us! If you haven't just yet, what do you have your eyes set on?


All right, one lemming has arrived already, and ensconced itself into both my heart and my bag.
Come to think of it, my kitty-poo seems to like it a lot too... :-)



To those of you lusting after these black little beauties (Grayburn, Seeker), I can only say it's worth investing into one. Besides the extras that set this apart from an average notebook (to which extras I will get to shortly), there's just something about having your own Moleskine to whip out of your purse and sitting down under a tree in the park to write down a brilliant idea you've just had, or do a sketch of above mentioned tree. I guess the brand name, the look(and let's not mention the price tag) all speak to that decadent part of me which demands to keep a journal and write it into the most expensive piece of notebook it has ever come across... Yet, I don't mind, because there's just something more about these notebooks that first meets the eye. It's kind of difficult to put into words, but I'll try anyway...

As you can see, what I bough is a Moleskine Large Sized Plain Notebook.

My notebook:

• is covered in hardwearing black synthetic 'Moleskine' Acid Free paper
• is threadbound
• has elastic enclosure
• has an expandable inner pocket (in which there's an info card on the history of Moleskine)

There's also this colored paper belt around the notebook (in my case it's green, because they're color-coded) which I was a little reluctant to remove, because to me, these belts are characteristic of Moleskines which, I think, look great with them on. Eventually, I removed it, because it would have been difficult to keep it unharmed, and it would have soon fallen off anyway.

The cover is hard, which comes handy when you want to write a journal entry sitting in your favorite sofa with no writing surface available. Its texture is quite difficult for me to describe, although I've come across it many times before, used as cover for calendars, folders and other stationery. Here, take a look. There's also an elastic band which keeps it shut all the time, thus reducing the chance of crinkling at the edges. By the way, the fact that it has rounded corners does help too.

When you open the notebook, you find smooth paper with a slight yellowy tinge, which adds a kind of aged effect to the entire thing. Not a bad thing in my opinion, especially if you're the romantic type, dreaming of getting to sit next to Wordsworth and compose poems together in companionable silence. (I must confess, I don't dream about such things, as I'm more fascinated with the future, but my best friend, who's a huge fan of castles, princesses, and knights in shining armor, couldn't keep her yes off this thing.)

The good thing about this paper, other than making my friend drool all over it (Wait. Is that a good thing???), is that it doesn't soak up ink like a drunkard and makes it spread, but instead the ink from my Parker fountain pen (which, by the way, is cr*p: it's dark gray instead of black) stays on top just for a second and then dries to a nice, even line.

I must admit though: I prefer to write into my Moleskine notebook with a UniBall Signo 0.38 black gel pen. They say gel pens are best suited for Moleskines and they draw a smooth, thin, pitch black line, which I'm personally fond of.

When it's open, the pages don't fly and the notebook doesn't close, but stays flat and remains the way it was.

Attached (glued?) to the back cover of it is an inner pocket, into which you can put some necessary, good-to-have-at-hand items, like a spare bill of money (in case you need some), some Post-Its, spare bits of paper, your library card if you're a student, or anything that's good to have with you at all time.

There is, of course, a dark violet colored bookmark string in it too, the advantages of which there's no need to list, I hope.

All in all, I really can't find anything to fault here. The Large Size Plain Moleskine Notebook is a a great notebook with a long history, and the ability to make you feel special every time you open it. As Brian Jones from Cranfield, UK so nicely put it:

“Notebooks do not get better than the moleskine. They are an inspiration in themselves.”

This says it all.  

I promised you yesterday that I would soon return to the DM store in Europark and get some more Alverde makeup. Today, after teaching, I went and got myself a lipstick in Shiny Terra and a lipgloss in Cool Red. I also managed to look around a bit better, and I already have a few other Alverde makeup items on my list of things to buy in the near future.

In this post you'll find:

• reviews of all three products I've bough so far
• the ingredients list of Alverde's makeup line
• a list of prices in Hunagarian Forint (for my curious Hungarian visitors)
  

This is what I have so far.








Well, I'm happy to report that I've found yet another HG lip product.







I think I've been dreaming of a lipgloss like this all my life, I just didn't know it. Yes, yes, I know, it wasn't so long ago that I couldn't stop raving about EDM's Cozy Night lipgloss, but this one's even better.

This gloss is like having jojoba oil on your lips: extremely moisturizing, and as sticky as previously mentioned oil. (That is, it's not sticky at all. The wind could be raging, and you could have all your hair blown into your face, and you still wouldn't have to move a finger to extricate it from the clutches of your lipgloss.)

Also, it's somewhat more pigmented than EDM's Cozy Night and more glossy as well, though still not so much as to look unnatural. Colorwise it's very similar to Cozy Night: a beautiful plum red with a barely there cool undertone, which only serves to counteract the warm one, making this a perfectly natural my-lips-but-better shade. It's also a somewhat brighter shade, which makes it a cross between EDM's Cozy Night and Bourjois' Rouge Sunset.

Here, take a look! :-)



I couldn't detect any kind of taste (good thing in my book), but it did make me raise an eyebrow by smelling exactly like Mum's moisturizer (Sante Feuchtigkeits Creme Bio-Sanddorn + Papaya). It's not an unpleasant scent, however, so I just shrugged it off and kept admiring it in the mirror. ^_^






This one looked so much better in the store... (Oh how many women had uttered this sentence before me!)

It's a brownish-mauveish-beigeish mix with subtle shimmer. (Do forgive me for raping the English language like that...)

Also, it's a bit on the dry side, and when I got home, my lips were in no condition to wear lipstick, yet I put this on, because I couldn't wait to see what it was like. Well, guess what you get if you mix cracked lips with a dry lippie... After thoroughly exfoliating my lips and applying a little lipbalm (LUSH Chocolate Whipstick), I gave it another go and was pleasantly surprised to see that I finally have a pretty beige lipstick to go with smokey-eyes.







 

Beware ladies: there's lots of pathetic ranting and whining in this post!

Living in Hungary is just great but it has a few drawbacks from a beauty fanatic's point of view. My greatest heartache is the availability (or lack thereof) of many great brands and products. Just to name a few who are not present on the Hungarian cosmetic market:

1. Bobby Brown
2. Shu Uemura
3. Kiehl's
4. The Body Shop
5. Philosophy
6. Milani, NYX, Wet'n'Wild

Mineral make-up is also something most Hungarian women have never heard of, and it makes me sad to read that now, when this new kind of make-up is finally introduced to my compatriots, some of them want to apply mineral foundation with a powder-puff. See? It's crazy...

The problem is that out of the three brands that sell mineral foundation in Hungary (L'Oreal, AVON and IsaDora) one does not even advertise and costs a fortune anyway (IsaDora), one wants us to buy a product that has talc, dimethicone and preservatives in it (L'Oreal) and tests its products on animals, and then there's AVON which offers a terribly poor shade selection but at least at a relatively low price. This is why it is only next week that I'll be able to try mineral make-up (there's a huge discount at AVON in January) although I've been lusting after it for years...

Then there's the poor selection when it comes to certain brands. Why is it that my favorite brand of make-up Bourjois does not sell their perfume, body-care line and even several kind of their make-up in Hungary??? I'd give anything to own their... Oh well, it's better if I write a list of the things I'd like to put my hands on in 2008.

• Bourjois Soir de Paris EdP or even EdT:
  It was available here several years ago, back when I practically had to beg Mother to let me buy lip balm. I even smelled it in a store, and even my Mum liked it (You know how rare that is?!?), but I just can't remember its scent anymore...
  
  
• Other Bourjois stuff:
  Duo Scrub Lip Balm, Plumping Lip Gloss, Le Creme lip Gloss, Eau de Gloss (one thing that's actually available here), Restoring Night Balm, Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder and Effet 3D Cocktail in Rouge Sunset (27)
  
  
• The Body Shop body butters:
  I'm not picky at all, you know. I want whichever I can get my hands on. But I'd really like the blueberry one... :)
  
  
• Everyday Minerals:
  Foundations, blushes, concealers, veils, eye-shadows, glosses... please, Fairy Godmother of mine, toss me a jar of these! I don't care if it's a chocolate brown foundation: I want to see it, feel it, listen to the soft sizzle of the powder in the jar as I shake it... I want to touch it, taste it... Okay, maybe not that one...
  
  
• Benefit Benetint Liquid Stain:
  I've been craving the real thing ever since I tried a cheap copy years ago.
  
  
• Ganache for Lips:
  All lip balms are equal but some are more equal than others. Chocolate Marzipan, for example... :-)
  
  
• MAC Originals Glitter in Transparent Teal and Antique Gold

That's pretty much all I can think of right now but I know I have several more items on my imaginary wishlist.

And now comes my question! Which products are you lusting after and why haven't you bought them yet? Not available where you live? Too pricey? Other reasons? Let me know, I'm curious!
 

Don't you just love 'em? I sure do. And now, inspired by Grayburn's post Current Lemmings, I'll show you mine. Thanks Grayburn for the prompt!



"My current list of lemmings consist of a few items that I think will be perfect for the Summer. What about you? What are your current lemmings?" /Grayburn/





1.) Clinique Naturally Glossy Mascara in Jet Brown (02)

Judging by the customer reviews on MUA this is exactly what I need and the mascara I've been looking for all my life. Unfortunately, here in Hungary it costs twice as much as in western parts of Europe or in the US which is why I'm waiting for it appear again on Strawberrynet. You see, I saw it about a months ago, but I didn't have the money to buy it, and by the time I got paid, it was gone. (And there was weeping and gnashing of teeth...)

What I want from a mascara:

1. it should be brown (=natural), as I have medium brown hair and eyebrows so black mascara usually just looks fake on me.
2. it should make my lashes, well... "naturally glossy"
3. I don't want it to lengthen at all: my lashes are long enough on their own, just not very visible
4. can add volume, but it's not compulsory either
5. shouldn't be waterproof

 

I promised in this post that I would swatch my latest* lippie haul from SN as soon as the weather and lighting conditions allow it. Well, when I left to Nuremberg it was still winter in Hungary: cold, cloudy, silent, snow on the ground, short days and all. On my way back the sun came out of hiding, the sky cleared up and I saw its azure blue tint for the first time in months, even the last inch of snow melted, and the weather was finally warm. It's been like that ever since: the birds are singing, it's 17:39 right now and there's still some light outside, it was 10°C today (50°F), and the lighting was perfect for taking some well-overdue shots of my lippies.

* Only they're not my latest lippies from SN anymore: our group haul arrived last week and in it another 7 glosses I'm gonna rave about very soon. (SN glosses seem to be my very own version of Pokemon: if I carry on in this vein, I'll have collected them all. :-D)

Anyway, the lippies I'm going to tell you about today are:

• Cultured (vegan)
• Bisou (vegan)
• Raindrops On Roses
• Bitten

I ordered them before Christmas 2009 and immediately fell in love with Bitten. I can now safely say that I absolutely don't care for Bisou (neither the shade, nor the formula), would love Cultured if only it were a bit less pink and more brown/yellow, and have found a perfect way to wear Raindrops on Roses: mixed with Gold Blush it gives my lips a lovely bright coral tint and my complexion the perfect "I'm wide awake and happy as a lark!" look.

Anyway, let me give you some details and show you some pics.




And now, lo and behold, the same lips wearing those four SN glosses:



Karen's description:

"Cultured Vegan Lip Gloss is inspired by MAC's Slimshines...so sorta like Maiden- it's not quite as pigmented or "formal" looking as a lipstick- perfect for the office or more casual occasions. It's a lighter nude with a hint of plum and a little bit of pearl. In comparison Maiden is pinker, and more golden,Polished Pink is browner and more shimmery."

No, not quite as pigmented, but it still manages to accentuate every little crease on my lips... I have the same problem with the other Vegan lippie I have, Bisou: they both make my lips look cracked and badly taken care of (which I swear they're not).

My other gripe with Cultured is not Silk Naturals' fault: because it has too much pink in it, it washes me out and makes my complexion look really dull. I was actually hesitating about whether to buy Cultured, Polished Pink or Maiden, but eventually I ended up buying this one. Since then, I have placed another order and put Maiden in my cart so we'll see how that one looks. (That order has yet to arrive though... I absolutely hate the Hungarian postal service.)

There is actually one very positive thing I can say about Cultured: its formula is incredibly smooth and moisturizing and I love the feel of it on my lips. If only it looked good on me...

Price: 4.75 USD
Rating: 3 out of 5

Karen's description:

"Bisou is a lightly pigmented berry tone with a little bit of peach, balanced with a bit of cooler raspberry. It gives your lips just a hint of shimmer and a healthy pink flush."

Sorry, but WHAT? Lightly pigmented?? Healthy pink flush???

Folks, for one thing, this looks nothing like the swatch on SN's site. The shade is not what I expected at all: it more sort of an intense cool red in sunlight, no brown in it at all, nothing neutral about it.

For another, it is anything but "lightly pigmented". Compared to other SN lippies, it's actually very heavily pigmented and the color is very intense, it's just that when I try to put it on, it tends slide off my lips and streaks like bad quality nail-polish. And it tends to gravitate towards above mentioned wrinkles and creases on my lips.

Sorry, but even combining this with other lippies (Clear among them) has not yielded any acceptable/wearable results.

Price: 4.75 USD
Rating: 2 out of 5 (And I was very generous.)



Karen's description:

"Raindrops on Roses is a shimmery, slightly sheer pink with little hints of gold in our yummy original Kisser Slicker formula. It's understated, very seasonal and absolutely gorgeous."

Well, hallelujah, I don't have to grumble anymore. :-)))

ROR is indeed absolutely gorgeous and very versatile. It was also one of the two lippies I took with me to Nuremberg. The other one was Gold Blush, and the reason why I took these two is that Gold Blush is a perfect everyday color, ROR comes in handy for a business dinner or any other fancy occasion, and the two mixed together give the loveliest coral/golden berry shade I've ever worn, great for both everyday and formal occasions.

But back to the product itself. Raindrops On Roses is a cool-ish berry shade tempered by some golden shimmer so that it becomes more sort of neutral rather than cool. It's a bit more pigmented than my other SN lippies, sort of in the range of Berry Crush and Temptation. The gold shimmer in it is a brilliant idea as it makes the gloss just warm enough for me to wear, but like I said it's best mixed with Gold Blush: nothing's better than those two together. ;-)

It goes well with my skintone which is always a bonus, and the texture is all right too.

Price: 4.50 USD
Rating: 5 out of 5


Karen's description:

"Bitten Organic Lip Gloss is the Fall version of Damsel. It's a true red, absolutely sheer- sort of like you ate a lollypop. It's deeper, and more red than Damsel, and a true red compared with the more purple Berry Nice."

I was bitten by the love bug the minute I tried this one. (Pun totally intended.) As a matter of fact, I fell for it the first time I saw it on SN's website: the description and the swatch looked too good to be true. I mean I've been wishing for a lipgloss like this for ages. I loved my Bourjois Les Cocktails lipgloss in Rouge Sunset and have been dreaming of a slightly more pigmented version from SN. And whaddaya know? Karen made my dream come true. :-)))

Bitten is a lot like Damsel when it comes to sheerness: both are more sort of lip stains than lipglosses in that they don't have such a high pigment content that would add thickness to their formula. Bitten is really just a sheer lollypop red that makes your lips look as if you'd been kissing. ;-) It does make your lips shiny too but that really just depends on how much you put on. One swipe, and it just tints your lips. Two-three swipes: yeah, it's obvious you've got something on. Full-on application (i.e.: swiping for ages): lovely, fresh red lips. :-) A bonus is that even when most of the gloss is gone, some color remains, so it's perfect for girls whose lips are not that pigmented.

Truth be told, I haven't been wearing Bitten non-stop ever since I got it (which, judging by the tone of my review, should be the case), but I have to be in the mood to wear red and that doesn't just happen every day. Nevertheless, it is an awesome lipgloss and the one I turn to when I want to wear red on my lips.

Oh, and the texture? Perfect. :-)

Price: 4.50 USD
Rating: 5 (or even 6) out of 5


Finally, here are some swatches on my arm to give you a better idea of what these glosses look like.
(Btw, why does Cultured look so darn nice in every picture??? It's really not as appealing as that... Gives my lips that sort of lilac tint that drowned people have... *scratches head*)




So has any one of these four Silk Naturals glosses caught your fancy? Do you actually own any on them? I know Sagu has ROR (I bought it upon her encouragement). Anyone else? Let me know. :-)