Review | Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara

Today I'm sharing my experience with a new mascara I'm trying at the moment: Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara. I have to mention that I only got this one, because the one I was looking for was sold out, so I wasn't sure what to expect.
Starting with the packaging, I quite like it. It's not super chic or cool, but it's sleek and clean, which I appreciate. It makes a click sound when properly closed and this is really useful, because I always apply mascara in a hurry – meaning I always close it in a hurry...
Now, the formula is quite "wet" and according to the sales person from Clinique, it doesn't dry out quickly. It's not as black as the Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash, but then again, I haven't found any that could match it. Provides amazing volume and length, really opening up the eyes and making you look more awake! Builds up nicely, without clumping, and you can also apply more coats during the day, without making them totally crispy to the touch.
At the end of the day, it looks just as good as when I first applied it in the morning. It doesn't smudge or crumble onto the cheeks (really annoying, when that happens) and holds the curl quite well.
The brush has a wide diameter and short bristles – perfect for getting right into the roots of the lashes and working it in, for maximum volume.
The easiest way to remove it is with a balm and a warm cloth – just hold it against the lashes for ten seconds or so, and it will come right off!
Overall, I'm quite impressed by it.

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Wishlist #1 | Recently added products

I've recently added some more products on my never ending, mile long wishlist.

First up is Mac Eye Shadow in Soba. I know this isn't the most exciting colour ever, but after seeing Anna wearing it, I realised that it was the daytime colour I was looking for! It's perfect for a wash of colour across your lid and lower lashline, for a more undone-chic look. Need it. Now.

The second item is the Brow Sculptor in Taupe by Tom Ford. I've actually tried this product and it was really, really good. On one side it has a spooly brush, as most eyebrow pencils do, and on the other it has the tip to colour or fill the brows with. Now this tip has the perfect shape for the job – it is slanted and goes from fine to wide, so can you either define precisely or just fill in softly. And a perfect texture as well. Love it. Only downside: the price tag. *Sighs*.

Lastly, is a liquid lipstick, of course. There seems to be a whole trend of these now. But this one really catched my eye: Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick by Hourglass, especially in the shade Empress, a beautiful berry shade. It has a matte velvet finish – which I tend to prefer – and apparently lasts for about 14 hours. Right, I don't know about that, but it should be very long lasting nonetheless.

Now, on my way to obsess about something else...

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Top picks | Ciaté Mini Mani Month

Today I wanted to share my favourite colours from this delightful Advent Calendar by Ciaté. Yes, this isn't your typical advent calendar, filled with chocolates behind each of the 24 doors. Oh, no! This is aimed for the beauty junkies out there – like myself – who much prefer to get a little nail treat every day, from the 1st of December til Christmas Eve.

It has seventeen of the bestselling Paint Pots, four mini Caviar Blends (accompanied by the respective funnel) and three exclusive glitter shades. It's a great deal considering the price tag and there are some units left in stock, apparently, so can still grab one and make someone really happy or, perhaps, to cheer you up during the month of January...
So, the first colour that really appealed to me was Dangerous Affair, which is the perfect deep red, without being too deep – if that makes sense? This was the first Ciaté polish I've ever tried and it really surprised me by the fact that it dries quickly, lasts longer than my usual choices and has a creamy finish. I was even patient enough to let it dry completely before I put on my top coat – which never, ever happens.
My next two faves were behind doors 11 and 12, and they belong to the same shade range – black and gold – which I tend to prefer. Bumble Bee is the most wearable Caviar Blend from this collection, in my opinion. It has gold and black pearls, which look amazing on top of any black polish. You can use this on all of the fingers or just as an accent, on the ring finger. This is really easy to use, by the way. You just need to pour the pearls over a coat of wet polish (be sure to have something underneath, to catch the pearls that fall off) and delicately press them down. Then, seal the tips of the nails only, with a top coat of your choice and pour those little pearls that fell off back into the bottle, with the help of the funnel. Don't need any amazing skills here! The other shade is Twilight, which is a black with tiny gold flecks – my number one fave in the whole collection. This is so beautifully opaque and you don't lose the black within the gold. It's basically what I hoped the YSL No. 126 Black Bronze, from the The New Blacks collection, would be. Yes, it has more gold flecks in it, but in the bottle it looks like a beautiful bronze black and when you paint it on your nails, it appears to be more of a brown shade. I still like it though!

My fourth pick from the calendar is Fade to Greige – just a classic, sophisticated shade. It's perfect to use when you don't want anything too bright or if you're afraid that your nail colour will clash with your outfit – personally, I don't really care. It's ideal for an interview or to use when you just can't decide on a colour.
The final polish is Enchanted Rose, a brilliant glittery red, which is absolutely perfect for the holidays. And how appropriate is it that it was behind door number 24? Although I didn't use it on Christmas Eve, because I painted my nails in advance, on the 23rd. But still tried it on a few days after and loved it so much that couldn't stop staring at my nails like a crazy person... Hah!

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Review | Burberry Complete Eye Palette

Okay, so this amazing palette from Burberry was kinda my Christmas pressie for myself – yes, you've read that right. So, I chose the Complete Eye Palette in Dark Spice No. 05. This has some pretty neutral tones, so you can basically use this for an everyday simple look or to create an evening smokey eye. The formula glides and blends in beautifully, without much effort at all. It's very silky, and perfects the texture of your eyelids – I guess this is due to the satin smooth silicones in the formula.

The quartet has a tiny bit of shimmer and contains has a beige – which is the perfect nude tone for me –, a warm medium brown, a darker brown and a black (to line the eyes). My favourite is the warm medium brown – it is just a beautiful shade that enhances your eye colour (works for all eye colours, by the way) and blends in beautifully, in the lash line or in the crease, to achieve a subtle definition. You can also line the top lashline with the black, using an angle brush, and then smudge some of this brown on the lower lashline, for a softer look. They aren't the most pigmented eyeshadows in the market, but, sometimes you likes make-up that's not too pigmented. Like when you're in a hurry, because you have to leave the house in 90 seconds (if you're anything like me, you're always running late), and you'll want something that's quick and easy to work with. Foolproof, really!

The sleek metallic casing and the eyeshadows are embossed with the usual Burberry check print. In the velvet pouch, you'll also find three mini eye brushes. To be honest, I never use the brushes that come in these palettes, but I'll give them a go (when I'm on the go), since I was pleasantly surprised by the one that came with the blusher. I know that I won't use the sponge applicator, but the angled brush seems good and the fluffy brush is really soft. Approved!

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Empties #1

Right, so, products I've used up. I guess I'm gonna have to save up those empties for the sake of blogging! My mum was weirded out by the fact that I was saving them, especially because I'm usually eager to finish stuff up so that I can throw away my old products and my make room for new ones! Any excuse to get new stuff, right?

So, I'm going to start with Bioderma Sensibio (or Créaline) H2O. I know this is a hyped up product in the blogging/vlogging world, but trust me when I say that it is worth the hype! Now, I know some people use this as a morning/nighttime cleanser, but I really wouldn't recommend it for that. Unless you just want to refresh during the day. This micellar water is really good for make-up removal, even waterproof mascaras and liners. This range of Bioderma products is aimed for sensitive skin, which is why I tried this out in the first place, seeing that I'm included in that category. I've seen lots of people, with different skin types using this product and none of them reacted to this. I'm in my fourth bottle of this, and I think this is one of those products that I'll always have. I haven't stopped trying out other make-up removers, because I'm always looking at new stuff, but nothing compares to this. Just try it!

Next, it's the Clinique Turnaround Radiance Moisturizer. Let me start by saying that this and the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair were the only nighttime products that I used and noticed a real difference in the first morning. I have combination skin, the real type of combination skin: dry patches on forehead, brows, eyes, around the lips and sides of the nose; oily on top of my nose; normal everywhere else. Because of this, usually I need different products to use on different areas, but since this cream is formulated for very dry to oily/combination skins, I used it on my whole face (except the eyes, for obvious reasons). It has exfolianting and resurfacing properties that optimize cell turnover, so my dry patches were smoother and felt my skin clean at the same time. And no oiliness to be seen on my nose. Also, it's really good to use in the winter months, when your skin has a dull appearance, it just gives back a healthy radiance to the skin. And if you like non-sticky creams that absorb quickly, you'll like this.

For fragrance, I discovered Burberry Body around christmas time in 2011. I ordered the coffret that has a 85ml bottle of eau de parfum and a body milk with the same size. The latter is still half full because I'm saving it up. Don't know why, it's a special occasion kind of idea – am I the only one who does this? But I've been using the EDP almost everyday since, so finished it up quickly and now I'm on my second bottle already. Since I ordered the coffret again, I'm going to start using that body milk, now.
I have to admit that I love the brand, so absolutely had to try it (and the bottle is really cool, which is always a bonus). When I looked more into the description and saw the notes, I just knew that it was perfect – delicate freesia, natural rose absolute, warm sandalwood and woody cashmeran? Approved! It was love at first sniff. For me this is the perfect scent to use all year around, because it has a nice balance of floral and warm notes. Also love the fact that it doesn't disappear throughout the day – hate when that happens. But, just in case, I carry a rollerball in my purse.

The final product is something that I'm guessing most of you already tried, or at least, heard about: Benefit They're Real mascara. First of all, I love the brush on this one. You can use it horizontally to coat most of your lashes and then vertically with the spiked sphere (it's kinda like Givenchy Phenomen'Eyes) on the outer corner, to give that flared effect. It doesn't clump and truly holds the curl while lengthening. The formula is really black and volumizing, so you get a nice defined eye, even when you're not wearing eyeliner. I've used three tubes of this already, that I alternated with others (because, as you know, I like to try out new stuff), but I always come back to this one. The only downside to this is that it's a bit more difficult to remove, if you only use a make-up remover. But, if you use a balm cleanser, it's easy-peasy. It's the most amazing mascara I've ever used. Ever. I doubt that you'll get that amount of definition and volume, at the same time, with one coat of any other mascara. And did I mention that it doesn't clump?

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