Random Post Monday : Italy edition.

Ciao a tutti,

I wanted to put this post up as soon as possible since I am off to the U.K. in less than 5 days which means back to work which in turn means very limited time for blogging.
As some of you might have guessed I spent this past academic year in the North of Italy. I met some great people, taught some interesting individuals and visited some amazing places. I took quite a few photos along the way and I thought I would share a snippet of this new adventure of mine with all of you...!!I hope you enjoy it!!

p.s. This is a collection of photos from Milan, Verona and some smaller places in Northern Italy :) 

xoxo
A.

Collective Spring Haul

Ahoy internet people,

The past couple of weeks I have been feeling a bit spendy. The truth is that we've been working quite hard and that fact, paired with general boredom and the moody weather has led me to visit Milan a few times and pick up some stuff. Of course, as the title suggest this is a collective haul...meaning I did not pick up everything in one trip.
But enough with the chitter chatter...let's get on with it.

Firstly, I picked up the beauty blender which I have been wanting to get my hands on for quite a while.
Then, I splurged on the AMAZING NARS Yachiyo kabuki brush.
I also picked up the Nails Inc "St' James square" nail varnish.
I also popped into MAC and got "Flamingo" lipstick.
Clarins was up next where I checked out a couple of things and I decided on the Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil.
Kiko was, of course, another stop where I swatched the new Cream Crush eyeshadows and decided on No6.

Here are swatches of the products mentioned above, under natural light.

Nails Inc "St' James Square"

     MAC "Flamingo" lipstick

 Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil

   KIKO Cream Crush eyeshadow No 6

And the tools...<3 nbsp="" p="">

I also picked up a try-out set from clinique featuring these three products in deluxe sample sizes. 

 

Now, here are some re-purchases of products that I have loved in the past or have been loving recently. 

Firstly, I went back to my Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel for make-up removing purposes. 

Then, the NARS creamy concealer repurchase was in order since I am running low of the other one(Read my review of this product HERE). 

Last but most definitely not least, I bought the magical Hourglass "Arch brow pencil" in soft brunette. This pencil has been my only brow product for the past 7 and a half months and I have only positive things to say about it. 

My last two shopping stops were Kiehl's and &Other Stories where I picked up the Ultra Facial Toner  & Moisturiser (in travel size) and the "Steel Garden" Body lotion, respectively(two of them actually since the second one is a little treat for my mom).

I hope you guys enjoyed this collective haul. 

Feel free to ask for reviews for any of the products mentioned above.

xoxo

A. 

Small Spring Haul

Spring has sprung here in the North of Italy(I don't really know for how long though :P) and I grabbed this opportunity to visit Milan and do some beauty shopping. I didn't go crazy, mainly because I am planning to do so next month, but I got some bits and I thought I should share them with you. :)

Here is an overview....

Firstly I visited Sephora to pick up a mascara I have been dying to try out. I am talking about the Too Faced "Better than Sex" mascara.

Next, I popped into Lush to get a mask. I, of course, left with something extra and a couple of samples. I got the "Catastrophe Cosmetics" fresh mask and the "Eau Roma Water" toner which I have been using as a facial water (more information on that to follow).

Next stop.....& Other Stories. I am huge fan of their body care products and their accessories. The scents are fantastic and there is a wide selection. So, I picked up a product that I bought a couple of months for the first time, and absolutely loved. That is the "Fig Fiction Body Soufflé". I also picked up the corresponding body mist.

Last ,but most definitely not least, I wanted to purchase a spring perfume since I have been using the Jo Malone "Peony and blush suede" and that is a little too florally for Spring. So, in order to find the perfect fragrance I went into the Rinascente and headed to the Jo Malone counter to try their new limited edition scents. However I decided on a permanent collection scent instead and purchased the "Wood Sage and sea salt" cologne and I am in love. 

That's all for now but something tells me you should expect another haul in a couple of weeks or so(probably, right after pay day :P)

xoxo

A. 

  

NARS radiant creamy concealer review.

Ahoy and welcome back my dear readers,

Today,  I thought I would talk to you about a product that I have been using for a while now. I first decided to give this product a go when I finished my trusty Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer a couple of months ago.

The background
After watching numerous videos on youtube and reading posts on both high-end and high-street brand concealers, I was finally between two concealers I believed were worth trying. The first one was actually the Clarins Instant Concealer and the second one was the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. After hunting for the former, right left and centre, I was disappointed for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, I swatched the 3 available shades,then, decided on the lightest shade and proceeded to ask the assistant for the product. I tried 3 different Sephora counters and none of them had the shade available for me to purchase. So, I decided to give the NARS concealer a go.

The product
The shade I chose was Vanilla (Light 2) which is the lightest shade available. There are 6 available shades at Sephora (in Italy) and 10 on the NARS website.
There is 6ml of product in the tube and the product comes with a  doe-foot applicator (which, surprisingly, I do not hate).
The price is 28.90 euro(sephora) & 28.00 euro(Nars website).

My opinion
First and foremost this product is marketed as creamy and radiant and it covers both of those bases. It is creamy, blendable, brightening under the eyes and with a good amount of coverage.
It is not completely crease-proof under the eyes especially when you are pushing 30(not that I would know anything about that :P) and those tiny fine lines start making an appearance under the eyes. However it works well with translucent powders and it is very long-lasting.
I would say this is one of the best concealers I have ever used and that says a lot. Yes, the price is a little out there but you really need a small amount to get the most out of this product. One thing I would say is that if you are looking for a very high-coverange concealer for the skin(to cover scars, pimples, birthmarks etc) this is not your best bet. It is however a phenomenal choice if you have under-eye circles you'd like to cover as well as general redness around the face. I prefer applying it with the doe-foot applicator that comes with the product and proceed to blending it either with a Beauty Blender sponge or the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. 
Finally, price aside, I believe this is an amazing product and you most definitely need to try it if you are looking for a concealer that is blendable, brightening but not ghost-like, long-lasting and looks natural on the skin. 

What is your favourite concealer?Have you tried this product? Is it on your wish list?

Let me know in the comments below ;)

On my nails: Barry M Jelly Nail Paint "Lychee"

The big pre-spring clean out!!

Ahoy my dearest readers,

I am back, yet again, with another empties post. I have been collecting empties for a very long time now and I have finally decided to throw the empty containers out and do this post. These empties have been collecting in both my Athens and Milan flats so as you can imagine, it was about time to get rid of them especially since Spring is around the corner (or at least that is the hope). 

So without further ado....here are all the products I recently put in the bin ...!!

This time, I have not commented on each of them individually since I have very limited time. Instead, I have colour coded the products according to the following factors: 

Red: I would not purchase this product again

Purple: I have already re-purchased this product

Green: I would re-purchase this product in the future

Blue: I neither loved, nor hated the product

Bioderma Photoderm Max 50+ facial sunscreen

Cetaphil Daily moisturiser

L'oreal Idea Glow cleansing oil

Bioderma Sensibio H2O

Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm

L'occitane gentle toner

Avene soothing eye contour cream

Yves Rocher Gommage Gourmand

Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel

PURE DKNY body butter

EOS lipbalm in Summer Fruit

Oriflame Silk Hand Cream 

Rituals perfume 01

Bath and Body works "Market Peach" pocket bad

L'oreal Elvive Keratine shampoo

Batiste Dry shampoo in "Cherry" 

Lee Stafford "Poker Straight" Dehumidifier

Elegant Touch Acetone Free nail polish remover

Sephora Express nail polish remover

Bats Extra Effective antiperspirant cream 

Vichy roll-on antiperspirant x2 

Sensodyne Gentle Whitening toothpaste

Sensodyne Repair and protect toothpaste

Pearl Drops "Hollywood Smile" Transform toothpaste

Yet another Vichy antiperspirant :P 

Dove Body Silk body cream 

Spa Sanctuary Comforting night butter

LUSH Snow Fairy shower gel (italian packaging :P)

LUSH Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub

Josie Maran Argan Oil light

Yet another bioderma Sensibio H2O

Origins GinZing moisturiser

Tarte Maracuja C-brighter eye cream

The Body Shop Camomile sumptuous cleansing butter

That is all for today....!I am hoping to return soon once I have a tad bit more time to prepare and put up posts. I hope you are all doing well.

xoxo

A.