My Favourite Products in 2009

Hi all!

This is the last day of 2009 so I wanted to list my favourite products from 2009. These are the products that I've discovered in 2009 AND I've used most often or fallen in love with them.

10. Meow Equilibrium Primer

It soothes my easily irritated skin. What more do you want, really?

9. Lumene Blueberry Curl Waterproof Mascara in Rich Black

I had searched AGES for a waterproof mascara that would make my lashes look more thicker (I already have ridiculously long lashes) but I couldn't find one that wouldn't make ugly black smudges under my brows. This is THE ONE. It doesn't smudge and it doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes. And it stays on beautifully.

8. Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

First I didn't know how to use this and thought it would be the most useless product ever. I was wrong. I use this with strong shimmery eyeshadows. I get to keep all the glitter and make the shadows visible for a kilometre radius.

7. Sassy Minerals blush in Gimme Some Sugar

This is a lovely warm blush with the perfect amount of shimmer. It amounts a nice glow to any look. I use this for work looks to brighten things up a bit.

6. Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Shangri-La

Honestly, at first I though it would look too purple on me. When I tried this on, I knew it would be the start of a very beautiful relationship. It's not too cold (I don't look hypothermic) but it's edgy enough for strong looks.

5. Fyrinnae eyeshadow in Pumpkinfire

I love the black base with the shimmer overload! I don't get to use this often enough but when I do: oh boy.

4. Meow Cosmetics Lost Rainforest Blush in Canna

The loveliest strong pink blush there is! Unfortunately it was limited edition. Boo. I still love it and the full size will probably last a long time.

3. Aromaleigh L'Orchidée collection

These are just beautiful. This is my all-time favourite eyeshadow collection from Aromaleigh. Fortunately, some of these are now permanent. Unfortunately, not all of them are. Nonetheless, they are worth snatching. My faves are Jewel, Unicorn, Orinoco, Pink Fingers and Shadow Witch.

2. MAC Slimshine Lipstick in Long Stem Rose

It's the most beautiful golden pink! And I love the formula. It's a lipstick that truly makes lips look more juicy and glossy. It's a lipstick that feels like lipstick but looks like a gloss. And it's super moisturizing. My precioussssssss.

1. Purely Cosmetics Diamond Perfect Finish

I run out of this. All the time. It's like an instant photoshop on my face. It doesn't look dusty, it actually disappears into the skin and makes the whole face glow (in a good way that is). I hope this thing was forever.

EOTD: The Grinch (plus some Christmas photos)

Hi there!

Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. Right now I'm a bit ill (nothing major, just the sniffles) and I can't show my full face anywhere. As my boyfriend left me alone for a couple of hours today because he went out the his family country cottage to get us a Christmas tree, I felt that I owed you an EOTD at least.

For this look I used HiFi Cosmetics's Holiday Collection shadows. Adeste Fideles is what I would describe a "dirty gold" with green shimmer. It's a really beautiful colour, I love how light catches the green. I paired it with Grinch which is a neon lime type of green with golden shimmer. It really looks like Grinch's fur! It's a very strong, jaw-dropping colour but it can be used lightly for a lovely green shimmer. I also felt like a Christmas look requires a certain amount of glitter so I grabbed a smaple baggie of Slither (green glitter) from Aromaleigh's Rocks! Sonic Glitter line.

EOTD: The Grinch

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (as a primer)
HiFi Cosmetics eyeshadow in Adeste Fideles (all over eyelid)
HiFi Cosmetics eyeshadow in Grinch (outer vee and crease)
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Aromaleigh Rocks! Sonic glitter in Slither (over Pixie Epoxy)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara




Oh, how I wish I could have done a full face look! I think these colours are amazing and this tiny picture doesn't do them any justice.

I'm in love with HiFi Cosmetics. Their shadows are beautiful and Veronica, the owner, is a total sweetheart. If you have any questions about her products, I swear she'll answer them all. She names most of her colours after songs which is cool. Right now my faves are Grinch, Tainted Love, Sweet Emotions, Visions of Sugarplums, Pixies and Hot Chocolate. Grinch, Adeste Fideles, Visions of Sugarplums and Hot Chocolate are from her Holiday Collection.

I intend to do a more in-depth review of HiFi Cosmetics but all I can say for now that I'd recommend her products to anyone who loves colours and appreciates friendly and honest customer service.

So I mentioned the Christmas tree. We always have a real one and this year I wanted to buy some funny decorations. Like a sparkly pink reindeer.




Isn't he cute? We also have a teddybear, a robot, a Christmas tree and a voodoo reindeer in our tree. A Christmas tree on a Christmas tree? Yep, that's right. It's made of felt and it has different coloured buttons as decorations.

And here's a little pic of our small tree all done and lit up. Sorry about the photo quality, I just wanted to post this.




I'll post a better picture of the tree and perhaps a whole holiday look if possible.

Any plans for the holidays? How do you like the look?

It's My Party!

Hey guys!

Today is my birthday! I'm a bit closer to 30 (which no one seems to believe) and I still feel like 5.

I don't have a look for you but as you might've guessed, I'm wearing purples today.

So if you feel like joining the party, break out your purple eyeshadows and do the happy dance :)

And watch this space because I'm thinking about giving some presents to one lucky follower...

Aromaleigh Hi-Fi Retro Matte review and FOTD

The lovely Miss K from Aromaleigh sent me samples of her brand-spanking new collection to swatch and try out. Unfortunately it's dark outside and I can't take decent swatch photos :( Right now it's about the darkest time of year in Finland. In fact, I can almost make a bet that if you came here now, you would think that Finland is the most depressing place on earth. A little snow would help with the lighting problem but in Helsinki there's no snow. It snowed a little yesterday but it was gone almost instantly.

Okay, back to business. To compensate for the lack of swatch photos, I did a look with my new treats. Most bloggers have already done something with this collection and I noticed that most of them have used greens, blues, pinks and purples. I love using orange andd pink together so I decided that I should cover some of the oranges on my blog!

Heels on Fire: Intense mauved pink. Strawberry milkshake sweet shoppe heaven
Cat's Pajamas: matte coral with warm orange tones. It's not orange, it's not red. It's simply the cat's pajamas
Supermurgatroid: Intense coral orange - far out!

The colour descriptions on Aromaleigh's site crack me up. Not only are the colours lovely and cheerful but I like that the same attitude is reflected in the shade descriptions.

FOTD: This is the Cat's Pajamas!

Face:

Purely Cosmetics Skin Smoothing foundation in Custom Blend
Purely Cosmetics Silk and Pearl primer (as a top coat)
Cory Cosmetics Illuminator in Riot (as a blusher)

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Aromaleigh Hi-Fi Retro Matte eyeshadow in Heels on Fire (inner 1/3 of the lid)
Aromaleigh Hi-Fi Retro Matte eyeshadow in Cat's Pajamas (middle of the lid)
Aromaleigh Hi-Fi Retro Matte eyeshadow in Supermurgatroid (outer vee and crease)
Aromaleigh L'Orchidée eyeshadow in Orinoco (as a highlighter below brow)
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
Lumene Blueberry Curl waterproof mascara in Rich Black

Lips:

Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Lollipop-pop









I know that most people are afraid of matte eyeshadows because they're afraid that they're chalky or that they are hard to apply. Well, Hi-Fi colours are not chalky, far from it! Actually, they look chalkier in the sample bags and when I first tried out Fake Out (which looked greyish blue in the bag), I went 'holy cow!!!' because the colour was really intense. For application I suggest that you use a good primer and make sure you apply it very evenly. These colours blend really well so you don't have to worry about that. But go lightly at first because these babies are very VERY pigmented!


What you have to be careful about with mattes is that you don't "rub" the colour to much. It may become blotchy. Aromaleigh mattes are very smooth so you don't have to be too heavyhanded with the blending.

I think these three colours look utterly delicious! I used a shimmery eyeshadow as a highlighter because it makes the mattes pop even more. Try it, I swear it works! Orinoco was a perfect choice for this look because it's a pink-toned peach/coral shade.




Me and my messy hair!

I also suggest using a shimmery blush with matte eyeshadows. Too much matte will make you look a bit washed out, no matter how vibrant the colours are.

I'm bummed out for the photo quality. I tried taking photos indoors with flash but it's so dark that I looked like the ghost of a ghost. Seriously.

I love this collection. When I have the money, I will buy some full sizes. I think only colour this collection is missing is a matte fire engine red.

If you're not sure about using mattes, try them with shimmery colours. Use a matte shadow all over lid and then shimmery colour on your outer vee and crease. The result is stunning.

My opinion of this collection: I think these are the best mattes -ever. These are smooth and non-chalky and very unintimidating to use. The colours are yummy and I suggest getting as many samples as you can because I wouldnever in a million years thought that Supermurgatroid would be my colour. As it is stated on Aromaleigh website, two of the colours, In Orbit and Cranked, contain a little lustre. The shimmer is more visible on the baggie than it is on the skin. So these are both mattes, too.
The matte trend has been going on for ages on nails but I think matte makeup is so much hotter! These candy colours will bright up your day, no matter how much sunlight you're actually getting. In all, this is a wonderful collection to have this time of year!

My list of must-haves: Kookie, Got Dibs, Cat's Pajamas, Heels on Fire, In the Mix, Supermurgatroid, In Orbit, Radioactive.

So, what are your thoughts about the look? Have you tried out Hi-Fi Retro Mattes? What are your faves?

Sophie: Dark Angel

Sophie Lancaster would've turned 23 if she hadn't been beaten and kicked to death by a group of teenagers who attecked her and her boyfriend. The reason for the vicious attack? Sophie and her boyfriend were goths.

Please view this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH1NP9VoadI

If you want to support S.O.P.H.I.E (The Sophie Lancaster Foundation), visit Illamasqua store and buy their Sophie eye pencil or wristband.

I wish to express my condolences and support to the family of Sophie. It grieves me that someone should lose their life just because they look different.


Violence is not an answer to anything. Hate only breeds hate. We are all different but each one of us has to have the same right to exist in this world.

Please forward the video to send the message onwards.

Love,

Saila