the Balm Shady Lady Vol 3 Look #2

Hello Ladies,

Today's look is probably my favorite out of all the ones I've done so far (I have about 5 looks still waiting to be edited and posted). I loved it so much, that I wore it twice! It incorporated two of my favorite shades from the Shady Lady Vol 3, Come-Hither Heather and Racy Kacy.

Safe Bet Annette on the lid, Come-Hither Heather in the inner corner, and Racy Kacy in the outer corner. Heather is also used on the lower lid for an accent.

I wasn't going to show the full face photo at first because I've applied too much blush (and only noticed on the photos WHOOOOPS), but then decided what's the heck. I'm usually not bothered by small makeup mistakes, because if I did, then I would never leave my house. And I already wear such bright eyeshadows, that having too much blush wouldn't hurt me much. Nobody said anything during the day, so I figured no one was bothered. And if no one around me is bothered, than I shouldn't be bothered either :)

What do you think? Are you doing any 7 Day Palette projects? Let me know in the comments, I would love to see! :)

Also, do any of you care about me listing what else I put on my face? I started out listing every single product I've used, but then I got bored with it's repetitiveness, plus I mostly focus on eye shadows. Let me know what you think, and if there is a demand, I'll start listing again.

~ Lyuba

November 2011 Empties

Hello Everyone,

I've had a decent month for empties, although most of these products are not that hard to use up.

1. L'Oreal Absolute Eye and Lip Make- up remover - It does its job, and I will probably buy it again (when there is a sale on it ;P).

2. Simple Radiance Brightening Eye Cream - Simple is my favorite skincare range, and I will always come back to it. I liked this cream, but as I always say I didn't really notice much difference in my skin. Maybe my skin is in good condition, and that's why I don't see any changes (yay for me). I do appreciate that it doesn't have any alcohol and scent free, especially after some other stuff I've tried.

3. Sally Hansen Vita-B Lip Moisturizer - I love this stuff! It moisturizes extremely well, and the packaging is so much cuter than the regular balm. I've bought several others from this line, and I will keep buying it.

4. Boots Tea Tree + Witch Hazel Exfoliating Face Scrub - Can I say I HATED the smell? But my husband liked it, so go figure. I think it's an ok scrub, but I will stay away because I can't stand the smell. To me it's just too nasty.

5. Radox Shower Smoothies Spirit Booster - it's pretty hard to get a shower stuff wrong, and this shower smoothie is no exception. It does smell good enough to drink (and the tube has a big warning not to drink it lol), it lathers well and it cleans well. I will buy it again in a heartbeat.

6. elf Complexion Perfection powder - it's very similar to Rimmel's powder, and I liked it. I'm not sure I will bother with buying it again (or ordering anything else from US elf's website), because it takes so LONG to get to me. I'm a patient person, but waiting almost 2 month kills the excitement even in me.

7. Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush - oh Batiste, you are still my love. I don't know how many bottles of this stuff I've used up now, but this is my first one in this huge size. I love it and will buy it again and again!

8. Aussie Take the Heat Shampoo - it's my 2nd bottle of this shampoo, and I love it enough to buy again.

9. Clinique Clarifying Lotion for Combination Oily skin - this crap deserves its own photo (ok, I just forgot to include it , so had to run back and add to photos). I've bought it in a neat little gift set, figuring it's a good way to try some Clinique without spending a lot of money. I had high hopes for it... now I will never buy it again.

This is supposed to be a step 2 in Clinique's famous 3 Step System, which is "comfortable, non-drying exfoliator that helps create clear, glowing skin". I'm not quite sure what it's supposed to exfoliate, but even my skin felt noticeably drier and tighter. I'm convinced that it's main purpose is to completely get rid or ANY kind of oil on skin! I get that it's for combination oily skin, and guess supposed to control oiliness but I'm scared to even imaging how their stuff for an actual oily skin feels like! Also, as all Clinique stuff, this is 100% fragrance free. What they neglect to tell you, is that while it doesn't have any typical smells, it is full of alcohol! To the point that it REEKS of it. The smell of alcohol is overwhelming, and pretty nasty. Just because my skin is a trooper and nothing gets to it, doesn't mean I want to use cleansers full of alcohol on it. After using this, I appreciate Simple stuff just that much more.

10 & 11. No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara in 01 Black & 02 Brown/Black - I actually forgot I've finished these a while back, but they were hiding in one of my storage cups. I like these mascara, but I think for a drugstore they are a little on a pricey side. I will buy again with one of Boots No7 vouchers though.

12. Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen in Navy - oh the memories! This was one of my first felt tip eyeliners, and pretty much what started my love with them. Sadly this one completely dried up, and I found out about it while trying to use it. Although it is not surprising, because I've had it for almost a year. Sadly, Eyeko completely revamped its brand image and products, so I don't think these are available to buy anymore. While I'm sad a little, there are plenty of other felt tip eyeliners to try and I won't miss these much.

13. Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes Mascara - this was a mini size mascara in one of the Tarte gift sets, and I love it! I just bought a full size version of non-waterproof one.

14. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - another sample size that came with one of the palettes I have. I have a striking suspicion that there are more primer left, but I can't be bothered with trying to cut the bottle open and depot. Plus, I don't have any appropriate containers, it's going to dry up fast, and I just bought a full size primer. Other than the bottle, this primer is great.

15. Benefit PosieTint - (seriously, I keep forgetting stuff! This is the 4rd time I'm editing this post LOL. Well, this is the last staggler, I promise) this is a 4ml size that came with one of the magazines during summer,  and I quite like the size because it means I can actually get though it! I like the natural rosy flush PosieTint gives me, and you can see it pretty often in my FOTD. I'm glad I got to try it, but I won't be buying the full size because I don't love it THAT much to spend the amount of money it costs.

Have you used any of the stuff I listed?

~ Lyuba

the Balm Shady Lady Vol 3 Look #1

Hello Ladies,

I got bored with my last 7 Days Palette project using Sleek's PPQ Me, Myself, and Eye palette. The thing is, although I only posted 5 looks, I've probably done twice as many and half of them didn't get documented. So although I "formally" didn't finish the project, in reality I've far exceeded the number of days. :) Plus I most likely will come back to it again and finish up, but for right now I want to play with my other palettes.

Couple of month ago my mom sent me the Balm Shady Lady Vol 3 palette, but it sat neglected in my makeup stash until couple of weeks ago. I just couldn't bring myself to touch it because I have so many other stuff to play with, but after I finally tried these eyeshadows, I am so happy that I did! I absolutely love them! :)

Of course I gravitated straight to my favorite shades, the copper-red one and a taupe one. Seriously, I think I have a problem with liking red so much! :)

I've decided to break all that red a little and added the shimmery turquoise at the bottom lash for some pop of color and contrast. I quite like the way it came out.

This is my first palette by the Balm, and I'm HOOKED! I want more! The palette I have my eyes on now is Nude'tude Feeling Naughty :) :) I might treat myself for Christmas, or birthday, or wedding anniversary because all these celebrations are coming up in the next month.

Have you tried any of the Balm palettes? Let me know in comments, I would love to hear what you have to say about their products.

~ Lyuba

REVIEW: GOSH Long Lasting Eye Liner Pens

Hello Everyone,

I've had GOSH Long Lasting Eye Liner Pens for at least 6 month now, and been using them regularly. I have three of them, Black, Turquoise, and Brown, and I can tell you that I'm extremely impressed with these little liners. If I had to pick, these would be my favorite ones and the ones I use the most out of all the eyeliners I have.

What they say: 

It dries very quickly and will not fade or smudge. The super skinny tip makes the application very easy. The ingredient combination of this product provides an intense shine an extreme long-lasting-wear. GOSH Long Lasting Eye Liner is now available in 8 fantastic colours.

The optimal drying time allows the product for blending.

What I say: 
Each of these costs £5.99 at Superdrug, but they are frequently on sale 3 for 2, and you get 1.8ml (0.1fl oz) of product. I wouldn't say the tip is super skinny, but it's small and flexible enough to draw a fine line, or a fuller line. This tip offers a pretty good control, so even if you're not great at using eyeliner, you should not have much trouble with these. You can see the tip in the photos below. 

002 Turquoise - is a nice blue-green, but I wouldn't call it turquoise if I didn't know the name. To me, turquoise is brighter than this shade, but even if I'm picky about the name, I still love it. See more photos here.

003 Brown - this is my favorite shade from the bunch. I love how it is sparkly but at the same time without any glitter. The shade works very well with my eyes, making the eye color pop. It is also the most opaque of the three. See more photos here. 

006 Black  - I have plenty of plain black eyeliners, but I picked this one up because it was an unusual black. It is black with fine gold shimmer, which you can see very well in the swatch above. Unfortunately it is the most runny of the three, so I have to paint over the line 2 or 3 times in order to get it as opaque as I like it. It is also my least favorite. More photos here. 

These eyeliners apply great and stay on for good 10-12 hours on me without smudging. They do take a little bit to dry, so I have to be careful about opening my eyes too wide or they will transfer to the top lid. But once they dry, they stay put. I haven't tried blending any of them, but I would imagine that it is possible since they take some time to dry. 


One minor gripe I have with these is that during makeup removal, they collect into these little black/brown/turquoise balls that get all over the place and sometimes into my eyes. Sometimes I feel like I can just pull the eyeliner off the same way I pull off fake eyelashes. But really, whatever happens during makeup removing process should stay there right? 


Overall, I love these and would recommend them to anyone looking to try some fun liquid eyeliner shades. Have you tried any of these? 


~ Lyuba

Is it silly to be THAT excited about a product?

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday my friend and I braved the crazy madness that is Christmas season shopping on Saturday in Norwich and went there to check out the new Benefit counter opening at Debenhams. Before we even made it to Debenhams though, we hit up every Starbucks, Boots and Superdrug on the way and I've FINALLY stumbled upon the FashionistaA range. I wanted to check it out ever since I've read about it, but of course my local Superdrug did not carry the range.

I kid you not, I spent at least 30 minutes swatching, and swatching, and swatching some more, just to pick up those 4 perfect shades, but I just couldn't decide on any eyeshadows. As a result, I walked away empty handed. After my friend and I went to eat, and while munching on some Nandos I got the bright idea of making a busher palette! After lunch, off I went back to Superdrug to pick out my perfect blusher palette. This time I've only spent about 5 minutes there, but only because I had 2 shades picked already :)

L to R: Butterscotch, Flush, Cinnamon and Crimson.

I'm so excited about this palette it is borderline ridiculous. I'm wearing the Butterscotch (lightest shade) right now and it is extremely pigmented, and looks pretty natural on my light skin. I'm a little afraid to try the other shades now :) I will do an in depth review later, after I get a chance to play around with every shade.

Have you tried any of FashionistA blusher shades?

~ Lyuba