Beauty ponders

Yes... it is. Today is my birthday - which is Halloween and has a creepy sidenote to it while tomorrow is the 1st of November.
But, nevertheless, I plan on trying to enjoy this day and have a look at the positive things in my life...

A new round of articles in which I'll share my favourite blogs / newly found blogs. The one today is called Front Row Beauty and I stumbled upon it while searching for Becca reviews / information & I immediately loved it and read everything she wrote in the past...
She reviews high end brands & a lot of Chinese/Japanese brands so if you're into luxury, you'll love it as well. I also love her pictures and their quality, which is important to a blog. Definitely worth checking out.

Have you recently got to know a nice blog?

Mascara is one of those make-up items that's a must for me. Without it, my eyes feel very naked. If I could choose one make-up item to wear, this would be the one. The last couple of months I've been using this Enchant mascara by Avon, which they released half a year ago or something like that and I must admit, I'm really loving it.
The packaging is sleek, black, with purplepink letters on it. Nothing too fancy, just the way I like it. The bristles have an odd curved shape to deliver a good curl at the outside of your lashes. The mascara doesn't look smudgy.

Here you can see a little before & after. The mascara definitely delivers curl, a bit of length and a bit of volume. It doesn't give you spider leges and it looks natural enough for me. It's easy in usage & doesn't smudge. I only find it a bit impractical for the lower lashes due to the curved shape. Depending how you use the bristles you get a more curled or more volumenized effect. Underneath more pictures with mascara & eyeshadow, where the volume is a bit more visible.
I have been able to use this mascara for about/more than 3 months without smudging and that's quite something. It also has a lovely price, around 7euros and is definitely amongst my favourite ones ever - well done Avon for delivering such a lovely mascara. I will surely repurchase this one, so, don't discontinue it :).

Some months you seem to empty everything around you and other months everything seems to last forever... This time I had the first thing with my hair & bath stuff, which was all getting empty while my skin care stuff seemed to last & last. But no need to worry, I already have backups ready waiting to be used ;)
Left picture:

• Diorshow Iconic mascara: I bought this in discount because I loved the little sample size I got from it, but this big version was disappointing. The brush is also bigger and less convenient. After 2 months it was starting to clogg all over, won't repurchase this. I'd rather stick to drugstore mascaras, they are a lot better in pricequality comparison.

• Paula's Choice Resist SPF25: my latest day cream which I finished but will not repurchase because I don't like it, check my review why

• Louis Widmer deo spray: what can I say? I love this product! It's not a cheap deo but it lasts you such a long time, has a nice fresh subtle scent and doesn't leave marks on your clothes. Currently I'm trying the other formations of their deo range, but I've already repurchased a spray version as well. Must-try!

• Batiste dry shampoo Tropical: dry shampoo is a must for my fringe and Batiste offers a decent range of them. This one is my favourite so far scentwise. I know a lot of people love Blush, which is very bloomy, but I'm more fan of Tropical with a sweeter scent. Will most likely repurchase this in the future.

Onto the 2nd picture:

• Joico K-PAK intense hydrator & leave-in protectant: I've been using the Joico K-PAK range for the last year and really enjoyed using it (haven't done a review yet), but for now I'm switching things up as my hair is getting used to it. But I definitely plan on repurchasing this range & doing a proper review. It's great for dry, damaged hair.

• Avon Bubble Bath: I finished two of these scents. The first was Winter Rose, a very bloomy scent which was ok but not spectacular. The second was Vanilla Peach, my favourite scent from them - it's just divine. Luckily I still have 2 bottles of this one, because Avon already discontinued this scent?! Makes me sad :(

What have you finished lately?

The last couple of months my latest obsession has become brushes, meanwhile I've bought quite a few and have expanded my collection. My biggest interest goes out to squirrel brushes as they have the softest bristles amongst all, but sadly they aren't the cheapest. So one of my first orders was from A'Squirrel -what's in a name- as they offer affordable squirrel brushes and contained 2 of them: their blending brush and this powder brush.
When taking a first glance at the bristles, they do appear very soft and fluffy. And they fulfill their claim perfectly: the bristles feel like silk against your face and are unbelievable soft (you can't compare this to Sigma or MAC at all, it's more like SUQQU-soft). I do have a hard time stop brushing my face with it, it's so lovely. During usage, not a single hair has been shed - which is always my worst fear with brushes. Washing goes easily and the bristles dry nicely into shape, it does take longer to dry than my other pony/goat/etc brushes.
The ferrule is long & small, compared to other ones. Like the blending brush, this ferrule also feels very light and of cheaper quality. While holding it, I'm always thinking it's so fragile. Off course, if you're not reckless it won't break - it's just a thought. The bristles have a nice standard wide but aren't as full as other brushes, it is flatter. Here you can see a comparison between Sigma Powder brush, A'Squirrel Powder brush, Paula Dorf Powder brush. I've been using this brush mostly for setting powder or an occasional light application of bronzer. Because of the softness of the bristles this brush isn't suited for buffing in, only for a light application and it does so perfectly. A point of negative however: squirrel brushes are very sensitive to oily skin and I noticed during summer that the bristles pick up acces oil from the face which makes the bristles more sticky. So if you have very oily skin this might not be the right brush for you, or be prepared to wash it quite often.
The goods: softness all over, price, doesn't shed, easy to wash & stays in shape, perfect for finishing powder

The bads: cheap ferrule, bristles pick up oil and become sticky, takes a while to dry, not good for buffing in

To sum it up: I really like this brush and enjoy using it all the time - I've had it for more than half a year now. So far it's my favourite brush to apply setting powder. It's just a shame that it comes packed in a cheap ferrule, I would be willing to pay more to get better quality. Nevertheless - it's a perfect brush when you're wanting a squirrel bristles brush and don't want to spend a fortune on it.

A couple of months ago there was an interesting deal in an Avon brochure featuring a mascara, sunglasses and an eyecream for only 10euros. I got the deal mostly because of the sunglasses, the goodies that came along with it were a nice little extra. This eye cream was the one in it. Now I must say that I wouldn't have purchased this eyecream on its own because of its jar packaging and price - it's mostly priced around 20euros when in promotion. I've been using it for the last couple of months and am ready to share my PRO thoughts on it ;)

The packaging is sleek and looks very luxurious, this "Anew" line from Avon is also their more expensive line aimed at anti-aging and is mostly priced around midrange brands such as Clinique. It's just a shame that it's a jar packaging, I prefer a tube or pump anyday because of the preservation of ingredients. The jar is divided into two part: one creamy part for the lower eye area and one gel part for the upper eye area.
When opening it, you immediately smell a bloomy scent, very pleasant but it's not necessary for me. I prefer my creams without perfume, although these two never irrritated my eye area at any time. The cream is white and has a pleasant texture, very soft. The gel is very sticky and not to my likings. Both of them sink in fast. Off course the cream is much richer than the gel. Both creams provided moisture to my eye area and were ok in usage but far from special (also basic ingredient list) - I didn't notice any of the promised lifting and shadow reducing.
The goods: cream has a nice texture, good basic moisturizer for the eye area, doesn't irritate, pleasant scent, sinks in fast

The bads: jar packaging (!!!), gel isn't pleasant in usage/is sticky, contains fragrance, overclaimed, overpriced

In the end I finished using this jar, currently I only have a bit of gelpart left, because it isn't a bad product. It's just a shame that it's wrongfully packed. Personally I'm not a fan of 2 different creams together, you will always like one more than the other. I won't repurchase this and I wouldn't recommend it either, but if you get it for free - you might just well use it as it's not horrible :).

Guess what came in last week in the mail?? My Dollyleo order featuring the SUQQU brush. And along with it I ordered a Becca brush as well, which has been catching my eye lately. Customer service was good and shipping took about a week, so I surely recommend the website. If you register you get a first time 10% discount code, which is always interesting.
Doesn't it look amazing? It sure does and it's heavenly soft - worth every penny. The Becca brush also looks very promising, I bought it to use for cream blush - this is the small size (they feature an extra small and medium as well).
Bristles in close-up, oh softness... Reviews will follow :)

Yesterday whilst browsing my daily blogs I ran into something inspirational on a Dutch blog about being positive and I loved this picture/saying so much I just had to share it. With my life being not so positive lately and seemingly only going downwards - this was a warm welcome and made me realise I do have a lot to be gratefull for, I may just not realise it all the time...
We are quickly overclouded by negativity, that's probably our instinct. Take a moment to think about the positive things in your life, there are probably more of them than you might guess at first glance...

Yesterday I noticed a local drugstore 'Kruidvat' was having a 30% sale on various brands when buying more than 3 items - valid till next week. I couldn't let this pass and went for more stuff form the budget brand Catrice - this is definitely my favourite drugstore brand with decent quality and prices ranging from 2 - 4 euros, love!
I got one of their new polishes, they released 5 new shades I believe but this was the only one that caught my interest - the others were just too plain and lookalikes of polishes I already have. This one is called Grey's Kelly and is a purple brown, a perfect fall colour again!
Then onto eyeshadow, as you can see all lovely nude colours :) and I love their packaging, it doesn't look as cheap as its price (hello & thanks Shu Uemura). Starting from left top: 090 Bring me frosted cake - a matte white, 340 Oops nude did it again - a satin nude, 100 Welcome to Miami Peach - a peach shimmer, 070 Mr copper fields - a satin taupe gold. Then the left bottom: 400 My first copperware party - a satin taupe brown, 080 Go charlie brown - a matte brown, 140 The captain of the black pearl - a silver shimmer black. I'm eager to make some looks with these & the best part is combined with the discount I paid 2euros/eyeshadow.

Which Catrice eyeshadow do you own? And what do you think of it?

Quite the mouthfull isn't it, this new SPF moisturizer of Paula? I'm still on the lookout for a decent SPF moisturizer and while I didn't like the other ones from Paula that I've tried in the past, I decided to give this one a go either way... you never know...

The packaging is sleek & more luxurious than her regular line, which is just plain white. This tube is made of metallic plastic, I'm not a fan of these things as they tend to break faster. What I consider a big plus on her items is their packaging: only tubes & pumps so perfect for preserving the ingredients. However this tube has a weird dop on it, it's a turn with a click and you have to be carefull because if you don't click it product comes in the dop, weird & not very hygienic - I don't get it?! It contains 60ml and costs around 27euros - only available in her online shop-, an average price but I do expect a decent product in return.
The product has no fragrance in it but it has that typical sunscreen scent, a bit disturbing but I try not to pay too much attention to it. I'd rather have this than heaps of fragrance in it to cover the scent. The consistency is weird, it isn't a cream and it isn't a lotion either. It looks a bit grainy but doesn't feel like it - it looks as though someone chewed on it - not very appealing at all - and it has a yellowish colour. It goes on smooth but needs some decent spreading out and buffing in, otherwise it leaves a white cast so watch out on your brows. I always let it sink in for 5-10minutes before applying make-up. I found it to be a decent moisturizer for sensitive dry skin, but I still needed twice or more of the amount shown below to cover my entire face. Mind that I mainly used this moisturizer during the summer months when my skin actually needs less moisture so during winter you would need quite a lot of product. During the day my skin stayed hydrated. The SPF in it delivers, I've used it in mornings when spending a day outside and didn't get burned with moderate sunshine. Nevertheless I expected more from this, especially considering its price.
The goods: decent sunscreen, packaging, good for sensitive skin

The bads: weird dop, weird consistency, sunscreen scent, not moisturizing enough for dry skin, white cast (!), only available in her online shop

Overall I'm not impressed with this moisturizer, it's ok but far from what I expected. I finished this tube, but won't repurchase and I wouldn't recommend it (if you have normal skin you could give it a go, but there are better alternatives). For some reason Paula's SPF moisturizers always let me down, even though I love a few of her regular moisturizers...

I've already talked plenty of Sigma brushes and by now you know that I'm not their biggest fan, their face brushes aren't that special, some of their eye brushes are ok but they do shine in their Sigmax line of synthetic brushes. I still love the F80 & use it daily, and since I've purchased the other two: F82 rounded and F84 angled, they also get plenty of use.

New is the third one from the left, a pointed one & the 4 smaller versions on the right for more precision work. Personally I don't feel the need of purchasing them, I guess they would be great for concealing & such - which I don't use. Maybe I'll purchase the big pointed in the future, let's just wait & see what other people's thoughts on it are!

Will you be purchasing?

Has it been a new month already? That's what I thought when my Avon of this time came in and I must admit I've almost completed my Avon polish collection by now, or at least the ones I want.
I got another Speed Dry which turned out a lot darker than expected, Rose Amour doesn't look too rosy to me? And Blue Shock, which looks lovely. In the middle are the cute little bottles from Color Trend: a peach,a red and 2 pinks. They appear to be a bit sheer at first glance.
Then bath stuff: a bath crème which smells very glamorous and a milk&honey body butter (this one smells njummy). On the right a few makeup items such as the Color Trend mascara, Pink Pucker Pout lipgloss which is a new item & Ultracolour Riche lipstick in Pout, a rosynude colour. Once again, happy me with my new things!

What have been your recent purchases?

Yes, I am... but I did it anyway because I felt like it and I needed the perk-me-up 1000%. When I think about it, I smile and I am so anxious for it to arrive!! Do you remember I got this lovely brush months ago?
I've been using it all the time - and have been washing it inbetween you know - and I'm crazy about it, it's by far the best brush in my collection and I should do a review on it but it would be one long article of praise?! Anyway, I took the splurge and got the bigger face brush on the right from DollyLeo. I had a 10% off coupon code & with my life being at an emotional downwards spiral, I decided I should indulge myself and splurge. So I did :), but it wasn't an impulse buy, I've been putting it in & out my cart for weeks. Today I took the decision and now it's on its way... I'm sure we'll have a wonderfull relation together and live happily ever after :)

Yes, this brush is expensive. Yes, there are cheaper brushes that work more or less the same. But do compare it with other various stuff in life: you have handbags of designers worth 1000euros or one brandless of 100euros, you can buy a leather couch of 5000euros or a plastic one of 500euros. Bottom line is, if you want luxury - you pay for it! Decide for yourself what you like to invest in :).

Yesterday I paid a visit to the Ikea with my sister (who recently moved to a new apartment and wanted to browse for some stuff), but off course I also had a few items on my list. One of them were these boxes, simple & cheap:
They're called the DVD and CD kassettes, but I won't be using them for this purpose. I was on the lookout for something to store my polishes in - right now they are in one box, not too convenient as they are all skattered and I can't seem to find the one I'm looking for untill I've lifted them all - with these boxes I can seperate them into nudes - light colours - dark colours - etc... These four boxes fit one shelf of my bookclosset - a Billy one by Ikea as well.

Anyone wants to take a guess at how many polishes I have currently?

A couple of weeks ago during the sale period, Rituals was also having a sale and part of it were their hand washes. I normally use cheap handwashes and don't pay much attention to them, but lately they have been working really drying on my hands and when I heard a few good things about these hand washes -  I didn't hesitate and bought two of them. Today I'm going to talk about the first one, which I've been using for the last couple of weeks.

The packaging is really sleek, simple and yet elegant. It's seethrough and has a little flower on it, the wash itself is green leaving the whole package with a calming feeling - almost like "one with nature". "Imagine" contains "Rice milk & cherry blossom", I do notice a sweet scent when I use it but nothing overwhelming - only pleasant. I use one pump to wash both my hands and this is already a point of negative: the pump. When using it, make sure your hand covers it totally, don't just put it underneath the pump because the wash "flies" out of it. When I first used it I ended up with liquid wash at the other side of the bathroom! It cleanses my hands easily and doesn't leave them too dry afterwards.

To sum it up: a decent nice handwash with a lovely scent. If other washes work too drying on you, give this one a shot. It's a bit more expensive at 5-9euros -depending on sale- but it does contain 300ml.

A couple of weeks ago my Avon order came in, with which I ordered their newly summer polishes - a pastel purple and a soft yellow. I was a bit astonished when I opened the soft yellow and discovered it was actually a beige nude... As I love nudes, I don't mind but I can imagine people being put off by it!
Packaging and bristle is the same as other Avon polishes. Application goes easily, without any streaks. It's a bit sheer - I used 2 coats but for optimal coverage you could use 3. It's a very soft beige with a bit of yellow tone to it. It's definitely a wearable colour for all occasions. But does it belong in a summer collection? Probably not, it should have been more yellowtoned for that.
Nevertheless, it's a nice polish - just not what you might expect from it when you look at the commercial picture...!

You may have noticed -ok that's an understatement- you surely have noticed that september has been an on-off month with posts appearing at random...
To be honest I'm going through what qualifies as the most difficult emotional time ever and my mind hasn't been set to blogging the last weeks. I'd rather deliver nothing than writing a post I haven't put my heart into and is of mediocer quality. Nevertheless, as the title states, October is a new month and one that I'm eager to take a fresh start on bringing you plenty of reviews *and the promised blogsale*