Top 12 Beauty Products of 2012

Since 2012 is drawing to an end I thought that a post about the products I discovered and loved the most this year would be very appropriate. 2012 was a great year beauty wise because I managed to discover a lot of products which have now become some of my staples and which I will probably use for years to come.Therefore, here are my top 12 beauty products of 2012!

 

1. Urban Decay Naked Palette. This is literally the best makeup palette I have ever used. I am a huge fan of natural/ neutral looks so this palette is perfect for me. The eyeshadows have some really beautiful shades and are of great quality.

 

2. Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation. 2012 was the year I've found the perfect foundation for my skin. It fuses so well with  my skin tone, it is really light and it leaves a natural and soft finish.

 

3. Dior blush in Sunkissed Cinnamon.  Satin texture, peachy bronze shade, beautiful finish...what's not to love about this blush?

 

4. Benefit They're Real Mascara. I've read mixed reviews about this mascara, so I was really eager to try it. And when I did...I loved it! I didn't find it clumpy at all, it gave my lashes great volume and length while carefully separating them. I will definitely keep repurchasing it.

 

5. YSL Touch Eclait. Back in summer I gave in and bought my first Touch Eclait and I'm happy I did because I really like it. It brightens by under eye area without making it look cakey or unnatural.

 

6. Sephora lipstick in shade CO7. I love Sephora lipsticks because they have a very soft and hydrating texture. And since 2012 was a very berry coloured year I couldn't pass the opportunity of buying a lipstick in this particular shade. It has a versatile colour because you can either apply it until your lips look rather dark and intense or you can apply it with your fingers so that you will obtain the "just bitten lips" effect.

 

7. Bioderma cleanser. This is one great makeup remover, because it cleans the skin really well, it doesn't make my eyes sore and it leaves my face really revitalised and fresh.

 

8. Flora Gorgeous Gardenia by Gucci. Fragrance wise this year I've fallen in love with this sweet and subtle scent from Gucci.

 

9. Syoss hair repair mask. I love this hair mask so much. It strengthens my hair a lot and it gives it great texture and volume. I use it once a week or once every other week (depending on my mood and the state of my hair) on wet hair and leave it for only two or three minutes to do its magic.

 

10. Carmex lip balm. Because I have sensible lips, lip balms are really necessary to me; and in my opinion Carmex is the best lip balm I've ever tried. It's very hydrating and I also use it as a base for my lipstick.

 

11. Rimmel Soft Kohl eyeliner. This is the best black eyeliner out there, it doesn't smudge, it lasts the whole day and it is really intense.

 

12. Sally Hansen nail polishes. I'm really happy I've discovered this nail polish brand, because they have a great variety of beautiful shades with a good staying power (my favourite shade so far is Greige Gardens - the one in the above photo).

 

So these have been my top 12 beauty products which I loved the most this year. I hope you liked this post and you've been inspired to try new products :)

 

Lots of love x

Christmas Gift Guide

Can you believe that December is already here? I can't believe we are only a few weeks away from Christmas! And since we are all looking for the perfect Christmas gift for our dear ones, I though that I should dedicate this post entirely to Christmas gift ideas for all budgets. So sit comfortably and go through the selection of gifts I've put below because you might just find the perfect gift idea for your mum, sister or best friend!

1. Ciate Caviar Limited Edition Manicure - £18 from ASOS (but I've also seen it at Sephora). This year has been all about statement nails, so why not buy your sister or best friend a kit for the most amazing party nails?

 

2. Accessorize wallet - £17 here or at your local Accessorize store. I think that an elegant wallet makes a perfect gift. I chose this one due to its lovely blush shade and the golden bow detail.

 

 

3. Make-up palettes - What girl doesn't love make-up palettes with countless options to choose from when creating the most interesting looks?

Sephora limited edition make-up palette (around 25 Euros) - you can find this in pretty much any Sephora out there.

Sleek "Oh So Special" make-up palette (around 10 Euros). My Romanian readers can find this palette on  The Makeup Shop

Too Faced limited edition palette - £19.00 from ASOS, but you can also find it in Sephora

Stila Limited Edition Large Snowflake Eye Shadow Palette With FREE Mascara - £29.50 from ASOS

 

4. "Courtesan " from Amazon. I already did a short review of this book a few months ago, so if you saw it, you probably know how much I enjoyed reading this book. It is beautifully written and it will keep you on the edge of your sits until the last pages. And what woman doesn't enjoy a wonderful love story like the one between the famous courtesan Diane de Poitiers and Henry II of France? (for my Romanian readers, you can find this book at your local Diverta)

 



5. Love jumper - £40 from Inlovewithfashion. What other colours scream festive season than white and red. This jumper from Love is a great option to wear not only on Christmas Day or during the festive season but also in the months to come since it has such a beautiful girlie design and it's so soft and comfortable.

 

 

6. Clarins skin care kit (around 45 Euros). I think that skin care kits are a great gift for our mums and not only, because what women does not want to have perfect looking skin? Again, you can find skin care kits from a multitude of brands in your local Sephora.

 



 7. The perfect party dress - £48 pounds from Topshop. If I were to receive the perfect dress for the upcoming Christmas parties or New Year's Eve, this would be it. The design and the embroidery are wonderful and I think that this is the type of black dress you will wear for years to come.

 

 

 8. Nina Ricci perfume set (around 60 Euros). Whether you choose to buy just the perfume or an entire set, any girl would love to receive her favourite fragrance for Christmas. You can find these types of sets in every Sephora or online.

 

 

9.  Pandora bracelet - For the ones with a bigger Christmas budget, a Pandora bracelet would be an amazing gift to offer to your girlfriend or your sister. The idea behind Pandora jewellery is really interesting and the charms are all beautifully designed.

10. The perfect black bag. I literally don't know a single woman who doesn't love bags. So if your budget allows you, a classic black leather bag would be the perfect gift for those bag obsessed ladies out there. You can find this one here.

So these were my suggestions for the perfect Christmas gifts; needless to say, these are only some ideas meant to inspire you, I did not try to imply that you should buy exactly the gifts I've mention above since there are many other things you can buy for Christmas.

 

I hope you've enjoyed this post and if you have some other gift suggestions please leave them in the comments box below so I can read them and get inspired! Happy Christmas shopping everyone!



NOTD - Essie "Merino Cool"

During my trip to Brussels I bought my first Essie nail polish and I chose this purple grayish number. It's a great shade for autumn/ winter, very glossy, with a staying power of around five days without chipping. Personally, I love purple nail polishes for all seasons because I think they look great on the nails and "Merino Cool" from Essie makes no exception. I have two coats on my nails in the pictures below and as you can see they are enough to obtain an opaque shade. However, in case you want the colour to be even more intense, you can apply another coat without fearing that it would look too thick. All in all, a lovely nail polish which has quickly become one of my favourite shades for the cold season!

 

What do you think? What's you favourite autumn/ winter nail polishes? x

NOTD - O.P.I. Malaysian Mist

Today I wanted to show you my favourite nail polish at the moment, which is Malaysian Mist by O.P.I. It is a gorgeous pastel peachy colour with a glossy finish. It is a a bit sheer, therefore it requires about three coats in order to become opaque, but the result is gorgeous. 

Even though it is a bit annoying to apply three coats of nail polish, as I said, it's still my current favourite summer nail polish due to its beautiful colour, but things might change after I'll devastate pay a visit to the new Nails Inc counter over at Sephora. I can't wait to buy a few shades since I've been waiting for such a long time for the Nails Inc polishes to be available in our country.

Do you have any summer nail polish recommendation for me?

x

New in: Zara spring sweaters

Hey lovelies!

I'm soooo excited to have finally found the Zara chiffon sweater I posted about one month ago here! It was totally unexpected since I'd given up any hope of finding it because I hadn't seen it in any Zara shop for such a long time. But yesterday was my lucky day! It is so gorgeous, it has a looser fit, the front print is beautiful and the colour is really pretty also. The chiffon front is a little see-through but you can put a vest underneath and the problem is solved. Love love love it! Can't believe it's finally mine!

The other thing I bought from Zara is a light sequined sweater. I know I should buy summary clothes since it's the end of May, but the weather in Bucharest has been really nasty for the last few days - cloudy, rainy and chilly bleah. So I blame the weather for my rather autumnal mood. Back to the sweater now, it is a little more sophisticated than the first one due to the fact that it has sequins sewn into it, which means I can also wear it during a night out.  The colour is a lovely beige/ taupe and it is a bit longer in the back. Again, love it!

I think these two sweaters will be great for summer chillier days or for warmer autumn days. Can't wait to wear them! Btw, Zara is going to empty my wallet this season because they have some gorgeous pieces. I have my eye on a few more things...but since I don't want to break the bank any time soon, I have to behave.

I also wanted to show you the newest additions to my nail polish collection: Max Factor Glossfinity in Amethyst and Midnight Bronze and OPI Malaysian Mist. I love the shades, especially the purple one, and I'm going to do some NOTDs with them soon.

That's it for today. I hope you are all doing great and you are somewhere hot and sunny! x

NOTD - Road House Blues by OPI

Hello guys!

It's time for a new NOTD!  I've been wanting a dark blue nail polish for ages because 1. I love dark nail polishes and 2. one of my favourite colours is dark blue. And I was lucky to find just the perfect shade at OPI!  Therefore, I present to you Road house blues from their latest collection, Touring America .

Two coats is all you need to get this great colour. I simply love it and I'm sure I'm gonna wear it like crazy this winter!

Also, I wanted to show you a few glimpses of my beautiful flowers. I think this is the best thing about anniversaries: all the flowers you get (and presents too, who am I kindding? :))!

Aren't they beautiful? :)

Have a great weekend!

NOTD - Percolated Pink

Today I have a quick NOTD for you, guys. The nail polish which I'm going to show you is from Max Factor, shade  no. 732 "Percolated Pink" from their nailfinity range . This is one of my favourite colours of all time and I have been repurchasing it ever since it appeared one or two years ago. I simply love the colour...it's a dusty pink and you can wear it no matter the season you're in. It love the fact that it looks so elegant on my nails but also the fact that it has a good staying power of almost a week. Moreover it comes with a nice price tag too. It costs around 7 euros and bearing in mind its lasting power, the good quality, the nice shine and the lovely colour it's not much at all.

This is one nail polish I'll definitely keep repurchasing because I absolutely like everything about it!

Lots of kisses

NOTD - Seventeen Supreme No. 18

Hey guys!

I just wanted to show you my new favourite nail polish. I received quite a few compliments when I was wearing it and I decided to make a little post about it in case you are interested in buying it. It is from Seventeen (a Greek company) but I'm not sure which exactly are the countries which sell their products. Luckily I can find Seventeen products where I live, which is great because they have lovely products at relatively low prices. This particular nail polish costs about 4 euros and it's shade number 18 from their Supreme nail polish collection.  Even though I'm an OPI fan (who isn't?) I can honestly say that there is almost no difference between these two brands. The colours are gorgeous and plenty to choose from, they have a good lasting power (almost a week) and they have a nice shine. The only thing I don't like is the strong smell, but at 4 euros what can I ask?

Sooo, the shade in question (no. 18) has a weird (but gorgeous) colour because it's a combination of beige and grey with a hint of purple. It looks great and even though it's a great colour for autumn and winter I think it can be worn in any season.

(in real life it has a bit more beige to it)

What are your favourite nail polish colours for this season?

Lots of kisses