Coolest Leggings

Their era is gone together with Paris Hilton's partying at the Four Seasons and the only person hanging on to them seems to be Lindsay Lohan.
However...i must confess i don't hate them as much as i'd like. I usually prefer wearing matte stockings but check out these lovelies...they're simply beautiful:

My favorites:



They're cool and they're from Lucette, check them out. They'd be stunning paired with a little uni top, a romantic white shirt and a minuscule stretch skirt. Loves them.



Second runners up, the Swedish Bubbleroom leggings. This model in particular for bravery and glamming it up...although i'm not crazy about the inner black line...a little distasteful but at night..



These are so lovely and funky! and demure at the same time! love the color and the crimp! They can obviously be worn as pants without fearing you're unknowingly flashing your undies. i'd wear them with a white cotton t-shirt and sneakers or ballerina flats, and a romantic ponytail...oh summer!

Taking It All Off

Just in case you're completely oblivious i should probably mention for the n-th time that one of my major fears when it comes to beauty and skincare is aging. I am terribly, terribly afraid of saggy skin, wrinkles, dull complexion and everything in the family...especially when it comes to the eye area. I usually prefer to have my eyes made up a little heavier than the lips and i've always had problems with removing the makeup in that particular area.

I'm talking about the age factor because the delicate skin around the eyes is the first one to show age signs. You can also 'create' wrinkles, give yourself the saggy treatment if you don't take proper care of your eyes and the makeup you apply, namely not using enough moisture and RUBBING. The R word.

I never realized how important gentle eye makeup removing was until i actually started reading several beauty blogs who swore by the gentlest movements and cleansers...therefore i decided to make a little review of my own. I have used eye makeup removers and baby oil for years until several months ago when i discovered THE best product ever. From the first use i realized i will probably never go back to using bi-fasic, 'non oily' (huge inverted commas...) stuff, perhaps in case of emergency only. I hate the oiliness, the feeling of dryness underneath the grease slick, the rubbing off of the mascara, the chunkiness...brrr!

Products tested:



Chanel Precision Intense Eye Makeup remover: It is expensive and luxurious. the scent is great, the packaging is quite bulky but sassy in a retro sort of way (+the Chanel logo gives a distinctive note). It is a bi-phase solution therefore shaking the bottle is necessary. It does a good job, but i hate the dryness and the breaking off of the makeup- little pieces of mascara and eyeshadow gunk left on the cotton ball and my eye area. Those little suckers can easily get into your eye, scratch your cornea, cause irritation, and we don't want this to happen. For the price, it isn't worth it.



Biotherm Biocils: exactly the same story. A little less expensive than Chanel but still, you're paying a high price on a little bottle. Biotherm claims this formulation not only gently removes makeup but also helps condition the lashes, nourish them and prevent any fall outs or breakage. It might be true, i don't usually lose eyelashes so i couldn't notice the difference. The formulation is again extremely oily, even oilier than Chanel's. I think this makeup remover does a better job than any other similar formulations, but you'll end up with makeup particles on your eyelids anyway. Therefore, i decided this wasn't the one either.



Sephora's Eye Makeup Remover: This stuff is VIOLENT and aggressive. I will never repurchase and strongly urge you NOT to do it either. It is a low quality, inefficient and irritating product that will cause redness to your eyes and eyelids and make you literally scratch your eyes with the cotton pad in a desperate attempt to get rid of not only makeup, but the product itself. I had a terrible experience with it, if it worked for you then that's great. Again-pieces of mascara in the eyes. Hates it.



Baby Oil: Ironically enough i prefer the good ol' baby oil to expensive products such as the aforementioned ones. I like the aloe version for the scent and because i think it has a slightly lighter consistency than the classic version. Haven't tried the gel formulation but i'm willing to, because i also use baby oil on my body and i'm pretty satisfied with it. This is a very effective product for removing eye makeup, even waterproof mascara; however, you're obviously going to have to insist with the waterproof stuffies and therefore resort to rubbing if you're tired or don't have time. For the price and what it does, it is the best choice among the existing oily makeup removers. It does tend to irritate the eyes a little if you rub, and again, it didn't solve my chunkiness problem.



Olay Eye Makeup remover: Hands down the best product on the market. I can't believe i haven't heard of this product before or that it tends to be not so popular in the beauty community. It is the PERFECT dupe for Clinique's Take the Day Off balm at a fraction of the price. It is creamy yet not heavy at all and will basically DISSOLVE your eye makeup in a little dark gray creamy pond. You'll get two huge creamy 'circles' which can be a little gross, that's gonna happen only if you use it as they recommend on the packaging (and what i do, basically delicately massage a pea-sized product amount on your eyelids and lashes, it WILL do the trick much better than you ever expected). It won't make any difference if you prefer applying the cotton pad with the product on directly on the lids, it is as efficient as when being directly applied and will melt down your eye makeup in an instant. I cannot believe some Makeupalley reviewers complained about the product not being able to remove waterproof mascara- it does remove it and very well. I never had any problems with it, on the contrary, it doesn't leave that horrendous oil slick on my eyes, it doesn't irritate them (only if you get the makeup remover-mascara mixture in your eyes, then it's gonna sting a little, of course(, it hydrates my lids and leaves them fresh and clean, the scent is very faint, almost imperceptible,and it will absolutely not irritate the delicate skin around the eyes.

The product comes in a nice tube of 100 ml, which is a good quantity. A little goes a long and the price is ridiculously low compared to any other eye makeup remover i have previously purchased. I definitely recommend it as a high quality product, a perfect dupe for a higher priced item and a great choice in general. It will last for a long time and it will condition your lashes more effectively than having them drowned in oil which you must then remove as well.
Definitely on the HG items list.
Happy shopping!

Beauty questions :)

I wasn't tagged by anyone but found these (relatively old) questions the lovely miss Sandra answered so i figured i might actually give them a try. It sounds like fun, so why not! Plus, it reminded me of several things i want to blog about.

SKINCARE
-How many times do you wash your face daily?
Twice, in the morning and at night. I don't use soap or wash gel though, only at night and very rarely. In the morning i find that cold water+my pharmacy-made fluid makeup remover does wonders for puffy eyes, sleepy skin and my unruly pores. I use facial wash gels maybe three times a week, at night, after removing the makeup, if i feel like it's time to literally wash the day off...

-What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo)
I have oily-combination skin that paradoxically lacks hydration.

-What is your current facial wash?
I own several facial wash gels/products but i wouldn't refer to any of them as 'the current' one because i use them so rarely. My favorites are two, Avene Cleanance Soapless Gel cleanser and Neutrogena 2 in 1 facial wash and mask. I should probably add Lush's Coalface...once a month.

-Do you exfoliate?
YES! Probably four-five times a week, with the OCM once every ten days-two weeks.

-What brand do you use?
Gosh, my favorite exfoliant was given to me by my friend's mom in a labelless jar so i don't actually know the name of the brand. It is a pharmaceutical product manufactured by the former Swedish national pharmacy chain.It is fantastic but a little too aggressive on the skin because it's EXTREMELY granulated.If i had to choose i'd say most of the time i prefer using a home-made scrub, coffee and cream being my favorite, followed by coffee (very finely grounded) and extra virgin oils (avocado, olive, coconut, almond, etc).

-What moisturizer do you use?
Weleda Skin Food, Olay Nature Fusion Anti-Aging Fluid SPF 20, Nivea...several. I like to switch...not necessarily to swing.

-Do you have freckles?
Not naturally. I have some sun spots unfortunately, and yes they do look like oversized freckles :( I think freckles are super cute on those who can pull the look, unfortunately not on my face :(


-Do you use eye cream?
Yes. I'm not sure if i'm actually going to do it but my eye cream deserves a post of its own. It's a Swedish brand that is very good and cheap at the same time. A-maha-zing!

-Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
No. I never had acne. I experience some pimples here and there but nothing serious.

-Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
No. And even if i had to, i would (have) never put benzoyl peroxide on my face.

MAKE-UP
-What foundation do you use?
Several, but my favorite is Estee Lauder Double Wear. Hands down the best foundation ever. Second runner up, the Picture Perfect foundation from Face Stockholm.

-How about concealer?
Clinique All About Eyes.

-Do you know your undertone color?
Yes, neutral. In MAC language i'm an NW30-35.

-What do you think of fake eyelashes?
A great invention of womankind :) They do improve the overall appearance in a dramatic way...i've finally mastered the art of applying them, after years of struggling. However, i think one must be careful with falsies as they tend to look fake and porn-star like if too bushy, too long or too dramatic, like the crystal-threaded ones, sparkles, glitter, feathers, lace and other stories.

-Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
I know about the 3 month rule. However i always use a mascara until it finishes, which varies. Some mascaras go dry on me in about a month, other last longer. It depends.

-What brand of mascara do you use?
Many. My favorites are Max Factor and L'Oreal Voluminous as drugstore brands, Shiseido from the high-end ones.

-Sephora or MAC?
Neither. There is no Sephora here in Sweden and apart from color, i don't actually like other Mac products.

-Do you have a MAC Pro-card?
No.

-What makeup tools do you use in make up application?
Wet sponges, a ton of q-tips, makeup brushes (of course), fingers (a little).

-Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?
Not anymore. The 'good' ones such as the UDPP aren't available in Sweden and i've given up on the others. I do however own some concealers that do the trick.

-For the face?
Yes. Laura Mercier and Chanel.

-What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?
My favorite eyeshadow is from Isadora, a Swedish drugstore brand. I like two quads, the Classic Browns and the Golds.

-Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
Pencil. I only use liquid eyeliner for special occasions, and only because if i'm using falsies, i like to be extra sure the glue line won't be noticeable.

-How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
Lol. Never??

-What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
Very vibrant and beautiful colors, i don't own any because i think it's a hassle with the messiness, the price...maybe some day, who knows...

-Do you use mineral makeup?
Not on the face except for some blushes and bronzers. I use a mineral body powder though.

-What is your favorite lipstick?
I cannot live without L'Oreal's Color Riche in Coral Magic (Michelle Yeoh's color) and Rimmel's Moisture Renew in 600 Soft Coral. I also like the Max Factor cream blushes as lipsticks. I'm a total natural lipstick lover and would rather sport the 'no lipstick' look than an obvious slather on my face.

-How about lipgloss?
Lancome Juicy Tubes in Raspberry/Framboise. The most glorious lipgloss ever invented by makeupkind :)

-What is your favorite blush to use?
The pinks and peaches from Face Stockholm. I absolutely adore them. I love love love Rosa, Körsbär and Celestial.

-Do you buy your makeup on ebay?
I would perhaps NEVER do that.

-Do you like drugstore makeup?
Yes, quite a lot.

-Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets)
None of those here.

-Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
Yes.

-Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
No, but i obviously sometimes stain myself with mascara.

-Name a makeup crime that you hate?
One, blue eyeshadow and red lipstick. Two, the abuse of nude lipstick-if it's pink, it makes you look like a porn star with chalky lips. If it's beige, it completely washes the face off. In both cases it makes the teeth appear yellow and ages the face quite a lot. Third, the notorious fake bake+pale lipstick. Distasteful and unnatural.

-Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
I like browns for eyeshadows and peaches and pinks for lipstick. So i guess i'm a neutral shade person after all.

-Which celebrity always has great make up?
Cheryl Cole and Jennifer Lopez have the greatest complexion glow...Megan Fox has the eye makeup...but overall, it would be Natalie Portman and Kate Moss. Their physiognomy allows this high makeup versatility and Natalie always looks so clean and fresh-faced.

-If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,what would you use?
Bronzer.

-Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
I do it all the time.

-Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?
Yes, sometimes :)

-In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
There are two, Face Stockholm and Estee Lauder.

-What do you think of Makeup?
It's something that really makes the world go round...and keeps it as we know it :)


Yay! Mission accomplished :)