Barry M Copper Polish and MAC Carbon Eyeshadow

Oh hello :D

I can't believe how hard it is to find a black eyeshadow that's dark enough and has no trace of shimmer whatsoever. I did a Google search to find out what brand makes the blackest of black eyeshadows, and I decided to get MAC Carbon. The main reason why I didn't opt for another brand is because, out of all the black eyeshadows I read about, MAC Carbon was the easiest for me to find.

I flew through Copenhagen last week and I got Carbon from the duty-free MAC shop. I swatched it on the back of my hand, and I had to take it off with soap, which is a quality I rarely come across. This is what it looks like:

MAC Carbon

Here is how it compares to the only other matte blacks I own:

I'm quite satisfied with it. My favorite way to use it is to line my lower lash line with it, using either a pencil brush or a smudge brush. My lower eyelashes are really long, and I can't line my lower lash line with a pencil liner without getting the product all over them, which makes it impossible to apply mascara on top. Now I've finally found a black eyeshadow that's dark enough and really lasts! My favorite thing about it is that a little really goes a long way, which means it'll probably last a number of years.

There's actually a MAC shop in Bucharest too now, but when I checked they had probably run out of Carbon eyeshadows. The only downside to this product, and to MAC in general, is the price - it'll probably be quite a while before I make a second purchase from them.

And now for the nails...

Last evening I discovered a Barry M counter in Marionnaud, and I really wanted to try one of their nail polishes, so I got this one, 335 Copper. I even got a nice discount on it.

 

Barry M - Copper

I really love the shape of the bottle!

It's a metallic shade with lots of coppery, golden and sort of pinkish sparkles. I'd say the particles are medium sized, somewhere between glitter and shimmer. The first coat looks rather sheer, but the second makes it look perfectly opaque. It applies very smoothly, and the formula is quite fluid. It dries very fast.

Warning: these pictures were taken pre-cleanup and post-coffee.

Daylight

Here is a closeup of my thumbnail:

And here is what it looks like with different lighting:

Artificial light

In the shade

I'm very happy with this polish, and it probably won't be my last Barry M purchase. Really good stuff.

That's all for today!

Happy holidays to everyone, and thank you for reading!

Viva la Diva Kharma lipstick and Zoya Harmonie polish

Oh hi :D

I think I've finally found the perfect shade of purple lipstick! I've been wanting purple lips for a long time, but each shade of purple I've come across until now was either too light, too pink, or too red. But this...

... is exactly what I was looking for -  a blue-toned purple! It's Viva la Vida - Kharma, also known as #83. Here's what it looks like on the lips and on my wrist:

It's a really intense and daring shade! It has a bit of a metallic sheen to it. It sort of washes me out a little bit but I really don't mind at all. It applies smoothly and lasts surprisingly well.

It does have a couple of downsides though. If your lips aren't perfectly smooth, don't even think about it, because it will make them look even worse. Mine have seen better days too, to be honest. I'm actually thinking of getting a better lip balm at the moment. What I'd advise is to apply a ton of lip balm way in advance, and wipe it off before you put Kharma on.
Also, this color is really hard to get off, so you have to be extra careful not to mess it up! I'd love to use a lip liner underneath it, but I don't have anything that matches. I find that the best way to apply Kharma is to start with a very thin layer, spread it out to the corners of my lips with a brush, and then add another layer.

And now for the nails:

Zoya - Harmonie

I think I've had this polish for a couple of years now. I don't actually wear it as often as I should, but it's a really lovely color.

Zoya - Harmonie

At first I wasn't satisfied with it at all, because it was more sheer than I expected. In the previous picture I'm wearing two coats of it and no top coat. If you look at my pinkie nail you can actually see how sheer it still is.
It's not matte, but it's definitely got a slight rubbery look to it. I wouldn't call it a satin finish though. Actually, you know what? I'm going to quit trying to call it anything in particular. Let me show you more pics instead:

Fun with the bottle 8D

And finally, here's how it looks like with a top coat on. I use the Gel Look top coat by Essence:

Once more with feeling:

Top coat

No top coat

And since why the hell not, here's an eyeshadow to match it:

Urban Decay - Ecstasy, from the Book of Shadows Volume 2 Palette

Now everything is purple and nothing hurts.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day!

Layering: Yves Saint Laurent 43 Wintergreen and Seventeen Cosmetics 103

Oh hello 8D

A couple of months ago I had the unexpected opportunity to get a nail polish from Yves Saint Laurent for a fraction of the price. I got it from a Marionnaud shop. This is my second high-end nail polish (my first was Chanel's Peridot), and while I normally don't go for high-end stuff, I just couldn't resist digging through discount baskets. :D
So, here's Yves Saint Laurent #43 Wintergreen:

It came in a gold box which was just as shiny as the lid, but I don't have that with me. And yes, I did keep it, and no, I have no idea what I could possibly do with it.
I like these removable lid thingies. When you take them off, it's like finding out a secret.

The polish itself is pretty good. It needs two coats, and it dries pretty fast. My one issue with it is that I expected a bit more of the green shimmer.

LOL nope.

Here are some more pictures of what it looks like on the nails:

Daylight

Bathroom light

I like the color a lot, but I wanted to give it a bit of a boost, so I added a layer of flakies on top. The polish is Seventeen Cosmetics #103:

It's got a bit of a muddy water base and the flakies flash gold/orange/green.
I really love this flakie polish. I'm quite satisfied with just one coat, and it dries really fast too. I literally just picked up my camera right after I did the last nail, and by the time I was done taking photos, it was completely dry. I didn't use a top coat, because I want each flakie to really catch the light on its own.

Seventeen actually makes a color that you could easily substitute for the YSL as an affordable alternative. It's certainly not a dupe, but it'd look pretty much the same with flakies on. But I certainly do recommend YSL 43 Wintergreen, as polishes go it's really good quality, especially if you're looking for something that dries really fast.

Oh yeah - here's an eyeshadow I really love to use when I'm wearing any sort of teal-ish color on my nails - Urban Decay's Misdemeanor, from their Book of Shadows Volume 2, which is a slightly shimmery dark teal. Also, I wanted to show you my silver and labradorite earrings. I got them from a flea market in Helsinki a few years ago, and they're one of my favorite pairs ever. I think they work really well with these colors.

That's pretty much all for today. I think I'm gonna leave this manicure on for a whole week, and until I decide to  change it I'll probably blog about some makeup products.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely weekend :D