Product Review: Essence Quattro Eyeshadow in Ciao Bella

This is my only Essence eyeshadow palette and I will definitely be looking at more products and eye-shadows from this brand as I was pleasantly impressed with the quality. The palette is called Essence Quattro eyeshadow where ‘quattro’ means four and it is in Italian. As the name implies you get 4 eye-shadows and the palette is called ‘01 Ciao Bella!‘ which is also in Italian and means ‘Hey Gorgeous’. Not sure if you are interested in all that but letting you know just in case.

01 Ciao Bella!, you get four shades and you get 5g/0.1oz of product
This palette contains very natural shades that can be used for everyday looks or for more dramatic and then you can add some darker shade for more depth and drama. You get a light cream shade, a light beige shade and two brown shades. All the colors are very shimmery and the payoff is really great on them. I got this palette from a local store for €3.61.

The four shades
The colors swatched, from Left to Right:
first two colors are the top two shadows (L-R),
last two colors are the bottom shadows (L-R)
The color swatches shown above are the eye-shadows swatched dry and as you can see the color payoff is really great and colors are really gorgeous. I have used these both dry and wet and the colors perform amazingly wet too. You obviously get a more vibrant payoff wet, although even wet you can see that colors come off strong. I like using this palette for everyday looks or if I am going out and put the light colors all over the lids then use a dark color to darken the crease and line my eyes.

Have you tried any Essence eye-shadows? What do you think of these?


Product Review: Montagne Jeunesse Dead Sea Mud Masque

The Montagne Jeunesse Dead Sea Mud Tired Skin Reviving Masque Dead Sea Minerals Enriched (what a mouthful!!) is the first masque from Montagne Jeunesse that I have seen which is geared towards men. The packaging itself is also very different from the others I’ve tried and seen and the scent of this masque is not the usual fruity sweet smell.

Instructions on the back of package
I found this masque to be quite powerful on my skin. I washed my face with warm water and patted it dry as instructed and then applied an even thin layer to the skin. The masque start to dry quickly and you can feel it tightening the skin a little and a tingling on the skin. After about 10 minutes I removed it with warm water to dissolve it and then splashed my face with cold water to close the pores. My skin felt very dried out from any oils, and as the package says it felt like I had exfoliated my skin with it too.

The masque consistency
Afterwards I applied a nice moisturizing cream to my face to replenish and hydrate my skin. I must say I was a little scared of the effects this masque would have on my face,  but it did not break me out and it did not give me any dry patches as I thought it would do. I bought this masque for €1.20 from a local store in Malta. So, conclusion I like this masque, it helped reduce some pimples I had and  left my skin feeling very smooth. If you can get past the rather unique smell this has, then do try it out, and even though I am not a man I still love to try new and unique products. 

Have you ever tried this masque? Which is your favorite masque?


First Impressions: Inglot Eyeshadow Pearl 434

This was my first purchase from Inglot and I actually got this in December last year when I was shopping and just couldn’t resist getting something from Inglot anymore. I am sure many of you have heard of the brand before and so have I for quite some years now. But never before have I been so obsessed about owning some of their products. The quality of these products is very comparable to MAC and other high end brands, although I wouldn’t know as we have no MAC stores here in Malta and so is the price supposedly.

Single shadows come in this round pan packaging
I got this shadow from the shop at Sliema here in Malta and the range available is really breath-taking! There is a wide range of eye-shadow, blush, foundation, bronzer, nail polish, concealer and very unique false eyelashes that I am really craving. This round pan eye-shadow contains 2g/0.07oz of product and I paid €13 for it. The color is Pearl 434 and it is a greyish violet as you will see from the swatch. I have used this eye-shadow several times now and as you can see there isn’t much of a dent in it yet. The quality of the eye-shadow is really good and the payoff and duration is amazing and long-lasting.
On the back of the pan, color Pearl 434, you get 2g of product
The first time I did a swatch of this shadow in the store, I was just looking around, with no real intention of buying anything. After I went shopping for clothes and realized that the swatch was still on my hand even though hours had gone by and it had no primer underneath. After that I had to go back and purchase it 🙂

A little swatch on my hand, has a metallic finish to it
I recently bought some other products from Inglot which I will feature soon. More eye-shadows of course and I am currently trying out their creamy concealer and see how it compares to drugstore versions. For more colors and closer look to more Inglot products, you can go on the Inglot website. For a review on my Inglot Eyeshadow Duo you can look HERE or you can check my Inglot haul.

Have you tried any products from Inglot? How would you compare them with other brands?


Product Review: Elf Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder


Bronzer is one product that I find that I reach for every time I do my makeup and this is my latest addition to my collection. Right now because it is Winter and because I have barely had time to be in the sun at all my skin is really a light shade, therefore it needs some color added to it to make me seem more alive 🙂 I love using bronzer to contour my face, make my nose look a little bit thinner and give more definition to my face really! Previously I was using a bronzer which was looking a little bit too orangey on my too pale skin. It usually works super fine when I have a bit of tan but right now it looks like I’ve smeared paint on my face and moreover I end up looking like a disco ball if I overdo it as it is a little shimmery.

€1.70 for 5g of product
Comes in the Elf Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Matte Bronze. A fantastic product for an even more fantastic price. It comes in a clear pot in which you get 5g/0.18oz of product. The color is a muddy brown that transfers to a very natural shade on the skin. I was a little taken aback when I saw it as I thought it would be too dark but it really isn’t unless you pile it up on your face. I noticed that it has the tiniest amount of shimmer if you look closely enough to the product even though the name would imply otherwise. However on the skin it doesn’t transfer at all!

Product swatch in Matte Bronze
I really love this product and for the amount and the price you really can’t go wrong. I got mine from the Elf website and have used it everyday ever since I got it, which says something about the product!

Have you tried any Elf bronzing powders? What is your favorite bronzer?


FOTD (21/03/2011): Inglot Makeup Session

Last Monday, I was fortunate enough to be able to get a free makeup session from Inglot. My friend got invited in for a session and they wanted her to invite someone else with her, and there I was ready to go! The makeup artist that did my makeup was a young lady called ‘Sandy’ and I love the look she came up with.

She used golden tones all over the lid and then darkened the crease with some black
The only complaint I have, and I don’t know if its just me, but they apply way too much powder if you ask me. It may not show that much on the photos but in real life, when I looked at myself in the mirror you could see that my face was very powdery and thus my pores looked even more enlarged. I know that I have far from perfect skin and that my eyebrows look a little funky but please be nice 🙂

She enlarged my lips a little too, definitely not a subtle look, but I love experimenting
This is my first FOTD in a long time but I have been reading the comments you have left on my Giveaway post, regarding what you would like to see and I have been trying to include your requests more. Hope you like this one and I will try to do them more often 🙂 I also bought some products from Inglot, (of course) and I will be sharing them with you very soon. Enter my giveaway if you haven’t already!

P.S: sorry for the less than perfect photos!

Do you like Inglot products? Have you had a makeup session ever?


Product Review: Sinful Colors Blush in Rosey Sand

This blush has been with me for over a year now and it is from one of my last hauls I did from Cherry Culture. I do love the site for the variety of products they offer, but if I go to eBay I am sure to find most products for much cheaper, so I don’t bother with it any more. This is the only blush I own from Sinful Colors and although it has been much used, I can’t say that I would want to get more from this brand. Now, I love the Sinful Colors nail polishes, so I am not saying that the brand is bad! However, this blush turned out to be a disappointment for me. The color is way too light for my skin, but even more the product is quite powdery and you have to really work at it to get the product to show up.
I like to use it over darker blushes to lighten them a little, if I over apply
The color would be really gorgeous if the shade transferred well to the skin. Its a coral-pink shade with nice shimmers in it but not too much.

You get 5g/0.18oz of product and the shade is 7516 Rosey Sand
A swatch of the product, had to apply over and over again to get this payoff


A blusher which I love using is the Elf Natural Radiance Blusher.

Have you tried any of the Sinful Colors blushes? Do you like them?


Haul: Montagne Jeunnesse Masques


Shame on me! Yes I have another haul post to do! I actually got these about two weeks ago but forgot to blog about them, yet! I was shopping with my mother at a local super market and near the till, I looked up and saw some Montagne Jeunnesse masques. Now as you may know if you have read some previous posts regarding this brand, these have not been available in Malta before now. But lucky for me, this supermarket had quite a wide variety of masques. I quickly sifted through the masques they had and found some which I’d never heard about and wanted to try!

Now as you may know this brand is cruelty free, they always try to use the best natural ingredients and their price is really affordable. As you may see from my packets, I bought these for €1.20 each, but the price may differ depending on your location! On the Montagne Jeunesse webiste, most masques are marked at about 1GBP, so if you are from the UK you can get them really cheap.

As I have quite a collection of these masques at the moment, I ended up getting only four masques, all of which are very interesting! I got a Sensitive Masque that has two stages, first one is a masque and the second is a serum to apply after the masque. Next I saw that they had a range for men, (but I will still use this) a Dead Sea Mud Tired Skin Reviving Masque which contains Dead Sea Minerals. The next one is also a two stage process, however this one is a hair masque, the Frizz Miracle Pink Grapefruit Masque. The first stage is to put the conditioning masque and then after washing it off apply the serum, that comes with it. Last, but not least I got an Ultra Firming Anti-Aging Masque which actually contains two masques within the single packet.

I will be doing a review of these as I get to use them. And since I have quite an amount of masques and use them about once a week, this will take some time 🙂

Do you like Montagne Jeunesse Masques? Have you tried any of these?