FOTD & OOTD | Sometimes I give myself the creeps, sometimes my mind plays tricks on me

On January 3, some of my friends and I gathered for a Christmas party and we really had a blast! I wanted to hurry up with this post since Christmas has been over for some times now, even though it saddens me a bit - I always hate to put down the decorations, they were so festive and cheerful! I might keep some of these "fairy lights" in my room all year long though (:

Benefit The POREfessional | L'Oreal Touche Magique Concealer* | Marcelle BB Cream-to-Powder 'Light to Medium' | NYC Loose Translucent Face Powder*| Annabelle Biggy Bronzing Powder 'Caribbean Sun' | mark Good Glowing Powder Blush 'After Glow'*

Annabelle Volumelash Mascara 'Black' | Annabelle Mono Eyeshadow 'Goddess' | Anastasia She Wears It Well Eye Shadow Palette ('Onyx') | MAC Eye Pencil - Ebony* | Wet n Wild Color Icon Liner Brow & Eye Pencil - Taupe | EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm 'Strawberry Sorbet'

It might not look that bad but trust me, Annabelle Volumlash is a nightmare! That brush - I just don't get it, what were they thinking? It is a brush and comb hybrid, but it just doesn't work - the brush barely infuses any volume, and the comb just makes the lashes clump together. Not to mention that even though I have the shade 'Black', my lashes are barely grey... Next, please!

leopard print dress - H&M | tights - my mother's own | multi-spike charm layered necklace - ROMWE | leopard head ring - ROMWE | nail polish - Essence 'Grey-t to be here' | hair color - John Frieda Precision Foam Color '3VR Deep Cherry Brown'

I had not tried to properly style my hair since I chopped them short very recently, so I had a look at a couple of YouTube videos for inspiration and tips, and I came across this one, which is absolutely amazing, and I must say, I am quite proud of the results!

Lyrics are from Basket Case, by Green Day

*These products are NOT cruelty-free

FOTD & OOTD | They can't, they won't, they never will, stop the party

Some times ago, my friends and I gathered for a cocktail/dinner party a bit before Christmas (hence the long hair) where we decided to dress up just for fun, so the ladies were in pretty dresses and the men wore chic jacket with tie. I figured out it would be the perfect opportunity to wear my Ruby Sequin Dress by DreamGirl since it's just so festive and chic at the same time!

Benefit The POREfessional | L'Oreal Touche Magique Concealer* | NYC Loose Translucent Face Powder*| Annabelle Biggy Bronzing Powder 'Caribbean Sun' | Annabelle Mineral Powder Blush 'Sugar Rush' | BH Lipgloss 'Wine & Dine'

NYX Doll Eye Mascara Long Lash 'Black' | Anastasia She Wears It Well Eye Shadow Palette (Glow, Foxy and Onyx) | MAC Eye Pencil - Ebony* | Wet n Wild Color Icon Liner Brow & Eye Pencil - Taupe

Since I really wanted to sport red lips to match my dress and look a bit more sophisticated, I opted for a more muted eye look and I went with a gold, brown and black smokey eye. I don't really own a proper red lipstick so I chose BH Lip Gloss in the shade Wine & Dine, which is a super sexy deep red, but it's a shame that it disappears after the first sip of beer - speaking of beer, have you tasted the limited-edition Rickars's Oakhouse Winter Lager? Succulent!

Ruby Sequin Dress - EdenFantasys | blazer - Suzy Shier | heels - Walmart | necklace - gift from my grandmother

I absolutely could not resist adding this dress to my wishlist when I spotted it on EdenFantasys, and while it is also available in sapphire, I just thought that ruby red was so sexy! It's a shame that it is so short though - next time, I will definitely have to wear tights or leggings, or at least, not bend down!

*These products are NOT cruelty-free

Lyrics are from Don't Stop The Party, by Pitbull ft. TJR

FOTD & OOTD | Christmas & New Year's Eve 2012

I was really looking forward to Christmas this year because since our parents are not together anymore, my brothers and I attended two Christmas parties instead of one and we had tons of fun! Both parties were held at my brother's house on December 23 and 24, where we enjoyed amazingly decadent food meticulously cooked by my sister in law Magali - oh, and don't even get me started on the desserts... and the drinks - let's just say that the girl who used to only drink beer discovered a new love for whiskey sour cocktails (Magali's secret ingredient is frozen lemonade concentrate)!

L'Oreal Touche Magique Concealer* | NYC Loose Translucent Face Powder*| Annabelle Biggy Bronzing Powder - Caribbean Sun | Annabelle Mineral Powder Blush - Au Naturel | NYX Doll Eye Mascara - Long Lash Black | Anastasia Want You To Want Me Eye Shadow Palette (Brass In Pocket and Iron On) | NYX Liquid Crystal Liner - Crystal Onyx | Wet n Wild Color Icon Liner Brow & Eye Pencil - Taupe | L'Oreal Colour Riche Sheer Perle Chiffon*

I totally forgot to snap pictures of my makeup and outfit from December 23 but oh well! Since it was Christmas - OK, Christmas' Eve, technically - I decided to go for a heavy smokey eye with hints of purple - which left me with swollen eyes the morning after, of course (thanks, disgusting carmine!) - and glitters with nude lips. 

I absolutely don't know what my right hand is doing in the far left picture -_-

I thought it would be the perfect occasion to wear my Stepping Out Little Black Dress by DreamGirl that fits soooo well and is so flattering! The material is just so stretchy and comfy, it's amazing! I added tights before going out to make it look a bit more dressy and elegant.

I was very lucky to have just recovered from a cold just in time for the New Year - is there a worst time of the year to be sick in bed? Our New Year's Eve party was held at my mother's home, where we ate, drank, sang, danced all night - I had not gone to bed at 5 am in such a long time! We also opened our remaining gifts - we had so many, we could not bring them all to my brother's house for Christmas! I will show you what I was fortunate enough to receive in an upcoming post but in the meantime, I posted a little sneak peek on my Facebook page.

L'Oreal Touche Magique Concealer* | NYC Loose Translucent Face Powder* | Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Glow-Boosting Pressed Bronzer - Medium to Dark | Annabelle Mineral Powder Blush - Sugar Rush | tan - St Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse 'Dark' | NYX Doll Eye Mascara - Long Lash Black | Annabelle Galaxy Eyeshadow Palette - Shooting Star | Marcelle Lux Diamond Liquid Eyeliner - Pure Gold |  Essence Lipliner - Red Blush | Essence XXXL Shine Lipgloss - Red Blossom

I was recently spoiled rotten by the amazingly generous people over at Essence so I decided to finish my subtle makeup look with a touch of red lipgloss, and Red Blossom is incredibly shiny and so moisturizing! As for my outfit, since I wore a dress for both Christmas parties, I decided to a bit more casual. Oh and yes, I did chop my hair for the new year, but I will probably write a separate post about this too!

top - Giant Tiger | white tank - Jean Bleu | leggings - eBay | hair color - John Frieda Precision Foam Color in 3VR Deep Cherry Brown

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(image: weheartit)

(image: weheartit)

*These products are NOT cruelty-free

Tag | I ♥ Drugstore Makeup

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I have never been a huge fan of tag for some reasons, but I am actually really getting into them and now, I just can't get enough! Let's be honest here; they are pretty easy posts to write, but most importantly, they are fun to do, and to read! I found this tag on Evelyn's blog (which is one of my favorite, by the way!) and since I happen to prefer drugstore makeup to high end products, I thought it wouls be super interesting to do it!

1. What is your favourite drugstore make-up brand?

I would probably say Revlon since it's one of the only cruelty-free drugstore makeup brands that is of high quality at an affordable price, even though I have not tried a lot of their products besides their lipsticks, lipglosses, lip butters and nail polishes.

2. What are your favourite face, cheek and lip products?

Face - I never wore foundation on a daily basis but I am a big fan of Marcelle BB Cream which buffs imperfections without feeling like a mask. I am also still in love with 

Annabelle Zebra Bronzing Pressed Powder which is the perfect bronzer for a natural healthy glow on fair skin!

Cheeks - My favorites are Hard Candy Fox in a Box in Spicy & Sweet and Annabelle Mineral Powder Blush in Au Naturel since they are both greatly pigmented and of high quality for the price. NYX and Milani also makes great drugstore blushes.

Lips - Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Primrose which is a close dupe to the limited-edition MAC Lazy Day Lipstick*, and also a gorgeous wearable pale pink. I have also been impress by NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in La La - amazingly pigmented, great smell and genius applicator!

3. Least favourite product?

Probably Maybelline Great Lash Mascara* - did absolutely nothing for my lashes.

4. What is the best make-up bargain?

Does nail polish count as makeup? If yes, Barry M Nail Paints, definitely - amazing selection of opaque shades that take so long to chip at such a cheap price!

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5. What is your favorite underdog product? (Something you love that often gets overlooked?)

I would say store brands in general - most products are exact dupe at a fraction of the price, it's crazy and absolutely worth a look!

6. A drugstore product that is overpriced?

L'Oréal and Physicians Formula makeup products in general, for my personal budget.

7. What is the best drugstore dupe?

For me, it is probably Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Primrose for MAC Lazy Day Lipstick*, as mentioned earlier.

8. Drugstore product that is not worth the hype?

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters, definitely! I am a bit ashamed to admit that the only reason why I finally caved in and bought Cupcake is because this product was getting so much rave on the blogosphere, but I quickly realized that it really has nothing special! It is not moisturizing enough for my dry lips to allow me to skip lipbalm, and it is not as opaque as a lipstick - I just can't justify the price!

*Please note that these products are NOT cruelty-free

L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara

Discover a breakthrough in in fiber mascara technology. Voluminous False Fiber Lashes features a unique blend of long and short nylon and rayon fibers - the same material used to make false lashes - to deliver lashes that appear fuller, longer, curled and sculpted. No clumps or messy results. Just outrageous volume for every angle.

• Dual-length fiber formula
• Exclusive polymere adheres fiber to lashes
• Botanical waxes prevent hardening or flaking
• Precision brush ensures optimal application
• Safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers

I have recently realized that most mascaras in my stash are from companies that test on animals, and I'm not happy about this, that's why I decided to review and use up those mascaras first. Mascara is a beauty product I'm pretty picky about because it's the most important step in my beauty routine, thanks to my super short and pale lashes, and I would love to find a good cruelty-free alternative to the "evil" ones I own.

The Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara is the much-awaited North American version of the Cil Architecte 4D, which was released in Europe some times ago. I've always been curious about mascaras promising a false lash effect, but I've been disappointed with the two I've tried - Maybelline The Falsies and Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cil.

From reviews I've read on other blogs, L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara seems to be a hit or miss - I've been on the fence for a long time about it, but now I've made my mind - and sadly, it just doesn't cut it for me.

I must say I'm impressed at the packaging - it looks super chic for a drugstore mascara! I find it very classy and pretty but I agree that it can be a bit bulky and awkward to hold - I think it's OK when you get the hang of it though.

From the look of the brush - it reminds me of Maybelline Lash Stiletto, which I loved - I thought it would be awesome! It's made of nylon and rayon fibers - it's not one of those hard rubber brushes that are almost guaranteed to poke you in the eye every time you use it. I also like how it's slightly bent (at 40-degree, to be exact!) as it ensures a smooth and comfortable application on the lashes.

Please excuse my swollen eye, I had bad allergies

As for the results on my lashes, I personally think this mascara doesn't fulfill its promises to provide fuller, longer and curled lashes. The volume and length it provides are pretty average - I think the Voluminous Carbon Black actually does a better job - and we are far from the expected false lashes effect. This mascara also doesn't hold a curl on me, but I have yet to find one that is able to tame my super straight lashes.

I blame all of this on the super dry formula of the Voluminous False Fiber Lashes. I must say I usually prefer my mascaras on the dry side - is there something more annoying than a mascara that nevers dries? I'm talking to you, EnvyDerm Lash Growth and Conditionning Mascara - but I also want them to allow me some time to be able to build up more coats! With this one, I would advise to finish one eye (be quick!) and then move on to the other one - don't try to add some more product to the first eyes, it will be a total clumpy mess! This is disappointing to me because I'm not quite happy with only one coat of this mascara, however, when I try to build it up, it's impossible as the first coat dries in no time!

Another thing I noticed is that because the formula is so dry, it tends to pile up on the opening of the tube and it dries in a paste so you have to wipe it away every other day. Annoying and a waste of product, yes.

I must say that this mascara did not smudge or flake on me through the day and it didn't leave my lashes feeling super hard or crispy.

L’Oréal Paris Voluminous False Fiber Lashes is available at mass-market retailers and drugstores nationwide for a suggested retail price of $8.95.

*This product is NOT cruelty-free


Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for consideration to review. I am not affiliated with this company and the fact that the product was free absolutely does not influence my opinion.