Beauty ponders

This look is really simple and only consists of 3 eyeshadows and an eyeliner pencil, I'm still learning the ropes you know. Let's have a look at the colours I used, you can use similar colours from other brands to recreate this as well. Pictures were made when I got home in the middle of the night, so excuse the bit of smudging on sides of my eyes and messy brows :)

1. Virgin: highlighter in the inner corner of your eye and right underneath your eyebrow (this colour doesn't show well on camera)
2. Half baked: apply this over your moving eyelid as intense as you want and blend it out to your eyebrow
3. Hustle: apply in your crease and outer corner of eye - blend these two and apply also on the lashline below
4. Finish with a -soft- black eyeliner pencil and mascara

Yes, I wear contacts !
(and the shadow got a bit smudged from rubbing but this was the only decent picture I had)

I hope you like it!

Another week, another polish... Now that the weather is becoming darker and worse and rainy, the sunny colours are out and I mostly wear black, purple, grey and brown clothes. I was in the mood for purple so I searched for a polish that would fit well with my sweater and found it in "Give Me the Moon!". This is a strange colour: it's blue-purple with light shimmer in it, sadly the purple colour doesn't show up on camera. The bottle is very misleading as it looks grey but when held into the light you can see the blue and purple shimmer reflecting in it.

I used 3 layers of this polish to get the coverage I want, this is often needed with shimmer polishes - they are always quite sheer. Used a top coat over it and it took very long to dry. This polish can be used alone but can also easily be used over another polish to add a ray of shimmer to it. It works best with purple or blue polishes. Overall a colour that can be worn daily or for going out, I like it!

Which is your favourite shimmery polish?

I'm a fan of pharmacy skin care brands, as I've stated before again and again. Today a bit of an odd review, as this used to be one of my favourite moisturizers. Yes, I said used to be... About a year ago my skin was normal to combination as it has always been but now since half a year or so it has become normal to dry and it's planning on staying that way. Logically this moisturizer wasn't rich enough for me to use anymore. I still had some left of it so I used it on my neck and hands. But before I throw it in the bin, I'll share why I loved it so much...

Today a review of a mouthful product: the Avon Planet Spa African sheabutter brown sugar body scrub, wow, I just didn't want to put it as a whole in the title... Who comes up with these long names? I ordered it because I am a fan of brown sugar, I love the scent of it especially in the winter - I find it relaxing, calming etc. Avon has a Planet Spa line so you can perform your own little Spa at home, this line is more expensive than the rest of their stuff. I bought this product for 5euros in promotion and you get 150ml in return. Let's see if it's worth it...

This non-drying foaming scrub cleans and refreshes as it polishes to remove dry, flaky skin. Leaves skin velvety smooth and healthy looking. Massage over body in gentle circular motions, paying attention to rough areas, rinse. Use 1-2 times a week.

The product is packed in a plastic hard bottle with a lid that has a tiny hole when opened. On the outside of the bottle the product looks brown but when I put it on my hand you clearly see it has a white cast and only brown particles in it. Now, I have a first complaint: it is -nearly- impossible to get it out of the bottle through the tiny hole, you have to squeeze so hard (and the bottle is quite hard as well so squeezing already is difficult), it's just unreal. I had to take the lid of and squeeze again very hard to get some out of it, not userfriendly at all...
The scent reminds me of brown sugar with an artificial hint to it. I think it's the plastic that gives it that scent, didn't like it that much but maybe other people wouldn't mind it. The product itself is a basic scrub that scrubs, it doesn't foam as much as it claims it will do and it doesn't leave my skin feeling smoother than other products. It didn't irritate my skin and left it cleaned after usage. Analysis:

The goods: it scrubs and cleanses, doesn't irritate

The bads: packaging, artificial scent, poor result, price

Overall this is a missed opportunity from Avon, with better packaging this product could be better but I would still think it's overpriced - without promotion 10euros. I expected more...

I haven't posted any looks or eyelooks simply because I'm a natural kind of girl and most of my looks are the same, I don't want to bore you to death. But I managed to take a few lovely shots and wanted to share this with you. My brows are a bit messy since I dropped my brow gel, it broke and I don't have a spare one -argh-! Hope you like it. Regarding my outfit: wearing a creamcolour sweater and matching scarf, I love scarves...

Today just a quick post, but also an important one. Regarding skin care items I'm a huge fan of pumps and tubes (jars are so unhygienic and such), but mostly tubes because they offer the best value for money. When I was little my mum always said to me that after having used a tube it's best to cut it because there still was a lot of product in it. Initially I didn't believe her but after seeing so for myself I adapted and have been doing the same, if I like the product.

With scissors and a spatula, here's how I do it: I usually cut the tube in 3 parts because it's easier to reach and get the product out of it. I take a tiny jar that closes well enough and put the product in it. I've used my Avon Eye Cream 15ml for this article and let's have a look at how much product was left behind - it was impossible to get it out of it while the tube was whole, I tried shaking, squeezing, it was empty -but not empty enough:

This amount of product gives me about 1 or 2 more weeks usage out of this tube, I don't mind using my scissors for that you know. The larger the tube, the more product gets left behind. It's worth cutting it girls...

Last week I also did a quickview - my interpretation of a quickview is this amount of text - on a product by Paula's Choice but I ordered more than 1 sample so be prepared for more quickviews. Today's topic is exfoliation, which is a must for every skin. I - and half the population of earth - uses a scrub for this simply because most lines offer only a scrub. I have used several scrubs in the past but always had the same occuring problem: my skin didn't like it that much. I have sensitive skin and most scrubs were too harsh, even though I only used them gently. After scrubbing, my face looked red in certain areas and dry, and that's how I found this product.

Paula's choice offers 2 types of exfoliants: BHA and AHA, BHA exfoliates deep into the skin and is really good if you have skin prone to breakouts as it clears them - AHA exfoliates the surface and is good for sundamage, pigmentation, scars. Since my skin isn't prone to breakouts at all I ordered the AHA in sample. It's only available in 8%, whereas BHA is available in 1% and 2%. These are the product's claims:

Gently exfoliates and renews your skin with 8% glycolic acid - pH range of 3.5–3.8 guarantees efficacy you'll see daily - Takes your dry, sun-damaged skin and changes it from dull to radiant -Stimulates collagen production for firmer, younger-looking skin - Soothing anti-irritants calms your skin and reduces signs of stress -Suitable for all skin types but best for normal to dry, sun-damaged skin - 100% fragrance-free and contains no dyes or coloring agents -View the research and studies showing the benefits of using this exfoliant here - Sunburn Alert: This product contains an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that may increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun and particularly the possibility of sunburn. Use a sunscreen, wear protective clothing, and limit sun exposure while using this product and for a week afterwards.

I ripped the sample open and put it in a tiny jar because the product is liquid in every word and you only have to use a tiny amount. It's a clear gel that doesn't smell like anything. The first time I used it I was surprised of only how little I needed to cover my whole face. Paula claims you can use it every day but I wouldn't do that as it leaves your skin sensitive to the sun, so a high SPF is needed here. I use it 2 times a week. This is used after a toner and before a serum/night cream. You can also use it in the morning but I don't recommend that because of the sensitivity to the sun.

I've used it for 3 weeks (sample lasts a long time) and I'm already impressed by this product. It leaves your skin velvet smooth and a few scars on my cheeks have become less obvious/nearly gone. This week I ordered the full product for 19euros and I'm really curious to it's effects when used longer. Will keep you up to date!

Which exfoliant do you use?

Yesterday in my haul you might have spotted this nail polish I bought from the denim collection of Essence. I'm a big fan of denim and mostly wear jeans so obviously I had my eye on this collection. Sadly enough I could only get a hold on the colour "Forever Mine", a special kind of blue. I took a picture of my left hand so you could see how much my nail has grown since the accident - I can stand how it looks and I hope it grows even faster... Guessing it will be its old self within a month from now on.

The polish has a lot of colour/pigment to it and has a tiny brush like Essie polishes, this makes application a bit more difficult. I used 2 light coats to get this kind of coverage. It glides on smooth and leaves a nice finish. A big downside is the chipping: a few hours after application -with top coat- I already had signs of chipping on the ends, dissapointing! On the colour itself: you like it or you don't, myself I don't like it and I can't really tell why. It's a bit too much I guess and I assumed it would be a darker blue. My bf loved it though, personal choice, budget price of 2,5euros.

Today another haul with lots of lovely items that I've been meaning to get for quite some time, let's peek and have a look at me rambling on and on...
First up I went shopping with a friend of mine and noticed the new season of Heroes was available, number 4, and I had to have it. I simply love Heroes - one of my favourite series - as are House and Desperate Housewives. During fall and winter I love getting in my pyamas, blanket and the couch along with a hot cup of coco while watching my faveroute series, like a lot! I also popped into Kruidvat and saw there were still a few of the Denim Essence nail polishes left, sadly enough only this one and the black one, last time I checked they weren't in stock yet and now almost completely gone, why don't these people keep up with LE arrival dates? It costed 2euros or so, really cheap.


Benefit Dandelion blush, they claim it's a face powder but for pale skin this is a very lovely blush. I tried it when I was in London, along with Coralista (which I didn't like) but hadn't bought it. When I saw it available on a blogsale for 10$ I didn't hesitate and bought it, it hasn't been used much so basically like new.

And lastly my allcosmeticswholesale order which I already talked a bit about yesterday. I also bought 2 stila items apart from the lipstick: the illuminating concealer in color light and a lip glaze in palm peach. Both products were quite cheap. The lip glaze is the small version, heard lots of goods about them so I decided to try a peachy colour in it.

As always, if something interests you, let me know!

Today I received my order from allcosmeticswholesale, I ordered about 2 weeks ago when I saw they had the MAC myth lipstick back in stock (yes, finally!) and I've been wanting this for so long so I ordered it along with some other goodies - I'm working on the haul post -. I immediately wanted to open the lipstick and try it BUT...

As you can see I got it open -a bit -, this already took me a lot of time but here's the problem: it doesn't go open any further and it doesn't close!!!! No matter what I do, how I turn, how long I turn it, it doesn't do anything??? Anyone knows how this can be fixed or not?

I already sent a mail to allcosmeticswholesale with the problem, am really curious to what they suggest. It's not like I can send it back this way. I'm a bit sad, was really looking forward to this lipstick :(

By now you should already know that I'm a big fan of hard-to-get brands and this particular one today is such a brand, especially here in Europe. I first heard about Shu Uemura on a fashion forum where people were raving about their products, after some looking into it I noticed there was one store available in my country... So far I haven't been able to pay a visit, but on my citytrip to London I luckily ran into a lot of Shu counters and I admit, I love Shu...

Shu Uemura offers skin care, make-up and hair care. In their skin care regime, the cleansing oils are quite popular - as seen above. I have yet to try a skin care item of theirs so I can't really comment on that part... They also offer a primer, UV mousse that has a lot of popularity, as always it's on my list.





I also have their brush cleaner, on which I already did a review so check that one for my thoughts on it.

And lastly, probably their most popular item, the eyelash curler. Everyone in make-upland knows about Shu curlers, they are referred to as the best and YES it's true. I bought mine a year ago and it curls them the way a curler should. I often had the problem that most curlers don't curl enough or don't curl all my lashes or the curl would fade away quickly. This is not the case with this one, it curls all my lashes the way I like them and it does so quickly. Afterwards you have enough time to apply mascara, your lashes will stay this way. I really recommend this curler, if you want your eyes to look awake and if you have some euros to spend, this is an item to consider. It will last you a long time.

Overall, I like most Shu items I have even though I don't have many. This will surely change once I visit the Shu store and have a chance to look at/feel all their items and colors... Let me know what your faves about this brand are!

Yet again a new catagory, in this one I'll be doing small and quick reviews on samples I've tested and such. This means I'm only able to use the product for a few days or a week whereas with a normal review I wait at least a month before unleashing my written thoughts on it so these reviews won't be as detailed as my normal ones. I shall also be mentioning whether I will be purchasing it or not.

A couple of weeks ago I ordered some Paula's Choice products for my bf and ordered some samples along with it for me to try. I've already been able to use a few and so far I'm liking them a lot and I will purchase them. But, yesterday, when I tried this product I was very very dissapointed.

A multi-purpose, all-you-need daytime moisturizer to nourish and protect your dry, sensitive skin. Provides gentle broad-spectrum sun protection to prevent all signs of skin aging. Lightweight cream texture repairs your skin's barrier and infuses it with skin repairing antioxidants and cell-communicating ingredients. Mineral-enhanced formula softly brightens skin for a youthful glow. Designed to work under makeup and enhance its application. Irritant-free formula is ideal for your sensitive or rosacea-affected skin. 100% fragrance-free and contains no dyes or coloring agents.

During the day I always use an SPF moisturizer or I put a sunscreen on top of a normal moisturizer. My current one is running out -review will follow- and I wanted to try this in a sample. Paula has 2 SPF moisturizers available and I got a sample for the one for normal to dry skin. When opening the sample there was no smell (fragrance free) but that doesn't bother me. The product itself is white and creamy. When I put it on my face I noticed it wasn't easy to spread the product so I warmed it up a bit, it didn't feel very moisturizing. It leaves a bit of a white cast so you have to massage it in till it's gone. After spreading I looked like a discoball, very shiny. So I let it soak in and went to watch TV, after 15-30 minutes I checked the mirror again and it hadn't changed, my skin was still shining like a bowling ball and the worst part of it was that my skin didn't even feel moisturized enough - my cheeks were still feeling a bit dry. I waited a bit more but it had no use, so I took it off...

I read that more people have this problem with it, whilst others love it, but I'm glad I only bought the sample. In America she has released a new SPF 20 moisturizer, maybe I'll try that one later on. I wouldn't recommend this product, if you want to try any of her products order some samples. On a sidenote: she does offer a refund policy if you've purchased the full product but you'll have to pay for shipping then.

Do you use any of her products?

Normally I don't do news posts because there are so many other sites out there that only offer news and they are much quicker than I am. But today -yesterday that is- I got a mail from Sigma and just had to share this with you girls, in case you don't already know. If you do, feel free to click away!

Some time ago I did a review on the Sigma F80 which I still love and use today. So I am really happy to announce that they are going to extend this collection. On the picture above you can see the F80 flat kabuki in the middle, left to it is the F84 angled kabuki for cheek stuff and right is the F82 round kabuki for precise application in smaller/hard to get areas such as nose/eyes.

The reason I am most excited about this range is that it's not available through other brands such as MAC, they don't offer these kind of brushes. I'll surely be on the lookout for "honest" reviews of these 2 new brushes and maybe I'll purchase them, will keep you up to date. Brushes are available through their website, they cost around 15$/each which is a good budget price and the shipping is fair too.

Do you plan on purchasing something from this line?

During summer I always have some water sprays/mists laying around for a quick refreshment during the day. I know it's fall already but the way the sun has been shining the last week, you would guess it's still summer!! At the beginning of summer I ran into the Grape water from Caudalíe, available in pharmacies and IU-stores in Belgium but can easily be purchased online as well. It retails for 6,5euros/100ml but it's also available in a smaller bottle, pursefriendly.

Caudalíe Grape Water is 100% plant-based and extracted directly from grapes during the harvests. This moisturising Grape Water is an excellent toner when used after cleansing or is ideal to refresh and hydrate your skin during the day. Grape Water from Caudalíe is suitable for all skin types, even ultra-sensitive skin. The 100% Grape Water, enriched with moisturising polysaccharides and mineral salts, can be sprayed onto your face at any time of day for a quick refresher. For an extra invigorating treat, store the spray in the fridge! Directions of use: spray on to cleansed skin or at any time of the day to refresh your skin.

Packaging is really simple, nice touch of grapes at the top of the bottle. The ingredient list is minimal, no perfume has been added - it really is just grape water. This product claims to be moisturizing and soothing when sprayed. The spray is quite heavy with little drops - I like mistsprays more - and has a fresh scent to it. It works refreshing, but I don't find it moisturizing at all. I would not advise to use this as a toner as they suggest because the ingredients don't have any actual benefits for your skin.

This is a good refreshment if you like heavy sprays and want to spent a few euros on it, but to me, there are better and cheaper alternatives...

A while ago I talked about By Terry in an article of the brand and let you in on some of the products I have. It's such a luxurious high end brand - pricey - and I love those. But does it also deliver quality? We'll see... She offers a lot of touch pens and I was curious to try them. Lisa Eldridge was really enthousiastic about this pen and it was also a product that immediately got my attention. There are 3 colours available: porcelain (pinkish), cream (light) and beige (medium), no alternative for dark skin tones sorry girls. I swatched it in the store and went for the cream which was light enough for me.

This multi-perfecting anti-dark circle brush provides high coverage correction for astonishingly natural anti-blemish camouflage. It brightens dark circles, camouflages blemishes, wrinkles and fine lines and instantly illuminates the eye contour area with restful radiance. Its elastic powdery texture glides over the skin and guarantees a matte, crease-free result. Application tip: click, place the brush on the marked areas and blend, smoothing over bare skin or makeup.

The pen is quite pricey and costs around 35-40 euros, available in selected stores only or online at her homepage. The price is up for debate because for its money you get 6,5ml in comparison to YSL touche eclat where you only get 2,5ml. So actually the By Terry is cheaper. I'm happy with this product and so far I haven't found a better undereyeconcealer for my dry skin (any tips - let me know), I would repurchase this.

I was really excited by this beautyschool and arrived on time. When entering the store I got redirected to the back where a table was set up, each chair had its own mirror and brush pouch in front of it. A few people were already there but there were a lot of empty chairs, normally there would be 14 people total. I got offered a drink and sat down, noticing there wasn't much space. In the middle of the table were some Dior products such as a milk cleanser along with tissues. I opened the brush pouch and checked the brushes, there weren't many in it: a big powder brush, a blush brush, a eyeshadow brush, a eyeliner brush. I inspected them and they were dirty, quite dirty. I talked about it to my neighbour and hers were also quite dirty. We inspected the brushes on our sides and they looked a lot better so we switched them - I can't stand dirty brushes. A few more people came in but apparently we were still waiting untill one of the ladies had an announcement that there were a few others coming and we would be at a total of 18 so we had to make room for 4 more people. They sat up another table at the end. She stated that this time everyone had come who had subscribed, normally a few people cancel.

Anyway, after everyone was in place one girl sat at the top of the table for the speech. There were 3 or 4 other ladies who would assist and such. The girl started with saying she was a make-up artist and today we would learn the basics of skin care and make-up, which didn't excite me at all. She went on by saying we would learn how to apply everything, along with some tips. We started with eye make-up remover on a tissue, along with make-up remover for our face. And then she said something horrible: the cleanser could have a tingling effect just like if you use an alcohol disinfecter - who on earth would use such a thing on their face? No one, apart from me, was looking weird at her... I stated my horror to the girls on my side but both of them were quite clueless on it. After that we went on with lotion, serum, day cream (no mentioning on SPF either), eye cream.

Then it was time for make-up, starting with a primer, foundation, concealer, highlighter, blush, eyebrow pencil (none in my colour) - no gel?- with tips and pointers that everyone already knows about. But not the girls present because most of them didn't even know how to apply their blush. After that it was time for eyeshadow, yes finally, we got a Dior palet (I got a neutral matte one) and she explained a 3 colour eyeshadow application with moving lid - crease and corner - highlighter. An eyeshadowprimer wasn't mentioned, weird. Noticable was that she applied it with different brushes, but we only had one brush and no cleanser apart from a tissue. Again I was the only one finding this a bit weird. Luckily I had light colours and I worked up from lightest to darkest removing leftovers on the tissue. Then we applied eye pencil and mascara. After everyone had finished their look she said that whoever was up for it could do a smokey eye. Curious to her take on it, I went along. We started with a lot of eyepencil, then black and grey shimmer eyeshadow. This was really hard because of the one brush thing - I did my best and went for a not too bold version of it. We completed it with liquid eyeliner. Then to finish everyone off, we applied a lip pencil - lipstick and lipgloss. That was the end of beautyschool. Here's the look I did (sorry for some smudges but it's freaking hard with one brush), I don't use it often because I think it looks too harsh on me.

Beautyschool costs 10euro, but you get a 10euro voucher so it's basically free :) If you're a beginner or if you want to try products by a certain brand I would advise this workshop, plus the presents are a nice bonus. But don't believe everything they say.

A few weeks ago I received the following invitation from IciParis, IciParis is a perfume/make-up/skincare store in Belgium and the Netherlands, where you can find a lot of high end brands such as Dior, Chanel, La Mer, Lancaster, Guerlain, Estee Lauder, La Prairie and so on...


If you entered a workshop like this, let me know your thoughts!

On Tuesday I started my blogsale, thanks to everyone who purchased something by the way, there are still items left. I might do a giveaway with some of the things that weren't sold :)

Anyway, that day I also received a mail from Steven who keeps a blog and lists all blogsales divided into subjects, shipping, location etc... saying I was listed too.

If you like blogsales check his link here. I've already browsed it and liked a lot of items, I just bought a blush from Benefit through it. Being an early bird is necessary on those sales, enjoy girls!

The last couple of days the weather is becoming darker and rainy and such, so does my polish mood. I decided to put on a muddy fall colour... I bought this polish by Catrice a while back, when I was doing my giveaway but hadn't used it yet. It is supposed to be a look-a-like for Chanel Particuliere, well judge for yourself, here she is:

When applying I was really impressed with the coverage: one thick layer offers enough coverage. I only put up 2 layers on my thumb and ringfinger as they are a bit larger. Application went really smooth, no struggle at all and it has a lovely finish to it as well. Tiny downside: I'm on my third day of wearing the polish and it's starting to show on the tips and sides of my nails - even though I have a topcoat on. But that's just a minor something, as this polish is really cheap.

As I promised here's my blogsale, there's more than I thought. Rules are really simple: if you're interested in an item, send me a mail on beautyponder@hotmail.com, first come first served. I'll try and reply quickly.

I'm prepared to ship international, keep in mind I live in Belgium - Europe. Some of these items can be send in a bubble envelope (between 2-10euro for Europe), others in packages, off course packages cost more (between 5-10euro for Europe). If you want to know the exact shipping for some items or if you live outside Europe, just send me a mail and I'll reply them.

Every item has been cleaned and jars have always been used with a spatula. As an extra, everyone who purchases something also gets some free samples (perfume, skincare). The more you purchase, the more samples...







Dermalogica, daily microfoliant: used a few times, 15euros SOLD










Cetaphil, creme: used 2 times, 3euros






OPI sea ya later sailor: unused, 4euros SOLD

OPI chip skip: used a few times, 3euros SOLD

Avon blush earthen rose: unused, 8euros







Avon blush russet: unused, 8euros








Avon Diamond lipstick, sequins pink: unused, 4euros SOLD










NARS sheer glow: used a few times, 26euro







Dior Bronze original tan 10: used a few times, 25euro








Avon pro-to-go lipstick, pink sizzle: unused, 4euros







Avon eyeshadow pink sands: used a few times, 3,5euros










Luna twilight glow adrenaline: used a few times, 6euros SOLD








Stila small lip glass: unused, 1euro SOLD







Avon lipstick, iced champink: unused, 1,5euros











La Mer creme foundation linen: used a few times, 25euros

Dior nude 10: used a few times, 15euros SOLD












Jane Iredale dream tint shade light: used a few times, 15euros








GOSH eyeshadow quad: swatched, 3,5euros









Clinique Illuminator blush: used a few times, 8euros SOLD












Yves Rocher masque: used 1 time, 5euros

Yves Rocher night cream: used 1 time, 5euros

Nuxe creme etincelante: used a few times, 7euros

Boss Orange deo spray: used few times, 5euros

Boss Orange shower gel: used few times, 5euros












Catrice nail polish I scream peach: unused, 2,5euros SOLD