some ramble and the look i admired in my youth ...

 

sorry for the lack of posts, readers. today is my first day off after almost one year long of internship at my university hospital and of course my body is playing me a trick and gets sick immediately -.-
so i was home all day with an aching throat, teeth and nose, feeling cold and sneezing all the time and panting for air.  took away my muse to type pending product reviews but gave me a lot of time to play around with my make up collection and newbies. it's just amazing how make up can cover a sick and grey face, so i really love to do that when i don't feel so well, it's like a psychological therapy when my eyes see a healthy glowy face  my body will recover faster :)
haha the first day off and i already went colour-crazy (missed that sooo much the past months!!!!) - i have my nails bright orange and made a rich blue and now burgundy & gold eye make up ;D

so for the upcoming months i still don't have a clue how it will continue on the blog - i will have to learn and prepare a LOT for my final exams (which will start mid-october) but on the other hand am able to stay at home (or go to the library but all in all i can do my own schedule) so i can't predict how much free time i'll have and if i'll be inspired by the muse then. i would be happy if you'll still stick with me even when there's not as much going on on here than usual.
however i still cannot believe that i'm almost finished with my studies and will be a physician in less than 6 months! (hopefully). 6 years went by so fast... oh my god and then i will have to work for the next 40(!) years! haha student life already seems so far back but real life is just so far away...

now back to me playing with makeup: i've been on a gold trip lately, you may have noticed. oh, and i'm desperately wanting NARS Etrusque eyeshadow!!! i could kick myself for not getting it when it came out and now it seems to be unavailable for me. the only ebay offer i could find doesn't ship to germany :(
please please please give me a tip if you've seen it somewhere around or found a perfect dupe for it or if you want to sell yours: i'll buy it!!

thinking of all the golds and maroons and warm colours, i remembered an eye make up i really admired in my teen years. it was a look from Yves Rocher's summer collection of 2001 i think - the girl in the catalogue has worn such an intense, fascinating, rich eye make up of a golden copper and pinky burgundy on the outer parts. i drooled over it big time and my boyfriend (back then, now husband) bought me the two eyeshadows of that look (and the matching lipgloss or so, but it wasn't that impressive so i don't remember how i lost it :P). they were two loose eyeshadows from the Couleurs Nature line in the shades Pépite D'Or and Raisin Noir that started my love for such products.

Yves Rocher Raisin Noir and Pépite D'Or

i tried it very hard but i couldn't make it work on me - those shades are much too warm to look good on me. so i tried and failed the look again once in a while and at some point of time i gave up realising that it was a pretty look but only on other skin types. of course i could never throw them away -  they still were pretty to look at and at least a gift from him.
now that i have a much bigger variety of make up products and also a bit more knowledge about make up and about what suits me, i wanted to try this particular look with the eyeshadows that were made for it again to revive the old times ;) i don't believe that they have gone bad.
so this is my latest attempt on it - unfortunately i didn't keep the original picture (which i did, but threw it away after a few years). still, these colours are too warm for me, so i warmed up the rest of my face with gold highlighter, gold shimmering blush and a lot of bronzer to match it a bit more. also i created more depth and contour to my eyes to set them apart from the colours themselves by wearing more mascara and using darker shades along the lashline so the colours don't give me the sore-eyed appearance.

what do you think? yay or nay?

 

some of the other products i used:

Hourglass Exhibition duo (dark shade) - Flormar #21 - NARS Albatross (used as eyeshadow in inner corners)

MAC Pearlglide in Raven

cheeks: NARS Albatross, theBalm Hot Mama - Cargo Mendocino - Edward Bess Ultra Luminous Bronzer in Daydream

Hourglass gloss in Fortune

cheek stains

i have some cheek gels that were released (limited edition - sorry) last summer in the drugstore range.
with cheek stains, your own skin colour is an important factor of how the colour will look on you, please keep in mind ;)

Yves Rocher Watercolour effect blush

these two are by Yves Rocher and were in a watercolour-theme. i tried them first and was pretty impressed. while they aren't the easiest to handle, they give a beautiful effect.
this gel is very watery, so when you open the cap, you have to hold it upright to not spill any product. then i would give a little drop of this on my plate/bowl and use a small stippling brush to apply it stippling on in thin layers - this method is better than using fingers to blend because it won't mess up your foundation underneath. they won't get blotchy if you apply with a fast hand.
the scent is artificially sweet and fruity and it gives a very sheer wash of colour. but it is very buildable and will give you glowing cheeks if you concentrate it in the center of your application area. i find this effect very beautiful and lifting and always wear it alone - i don't tend to put a powder blush over top as i think it's not neccessary. the finish is without shimmers, but with a moisturized
sheen.
i like to use this in the summer to get a natural skin-effect, as it feels so light and fresh. the lasting power is excellent. i also like to use these on my lips to get an "innocent" reddish lip.
each tube contains 7ml and cost something between 2-4€, i have seen it last weekend in the "sale"-bowl at Yves Rocher, so i think you can still get it if you're interested.

Coquelicot léger - a peachy coral

Corail nude - a peachy pink

MNY Liquid Blush

the next two are by MNY, each of these contain 14ml and were about 3€, i think. i forgot the name of the collection they came out with.

these are also gels, but they are much thicker than the Yves Rocher ones. as they contain more silicones, they are more blendable and i can use my fingers to apply, too. they also blend evenly and are buildable but already quite pigmented in one layer. the finish is a bit dryer than with the Yves Rocher stains, so i like to use a cream highlighter with these. staying power is also very good.

 

#111A looks like a bright fuchsia but blends to a soft pink (in one layer)

#112A is a apple red and blends to a coral stain

all in all i find these are a very good product if you want to try cheek stains - it mustn't always be high end, and with such "special" products (at least for me, as i don't use them on a daily basis), these drugstore stains are totally sufficient. i believe there will be some cheek stains released this spring/summer again, so keep your eyes peeled!

Ombres Perlées de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette - daylight swatches + DUPES!

finally today i could make some daytime-swatches of the Ombres Perlées de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette, and i dug out some dupes for all of you who couldn't get the palette or were not willing to pay 55€ for it.

now to the dupes/comparison swatches!

this would be my "dupe palette":

MAC Retrospeck - Yves Rocher Nacres roses - Barry M Dazzle Dust #89 Oyster Grey - MAC Smoke&Diamonds - MAC Knight Divine

i don't have any (good) dupe for the lightest shade - i tend not to buy very light shimmery shades too often, and it's not comparable to MAC Brulé, Retrospeck and other light shades, NARS' Tokyo etc. and other brands i own.


for the second shade:

 i compared it to MAC All That Glitters, Yves Rocher Nacres roses, NARS Nepal

MAC All That Glitters - CHANEL - Yves Rocher Nacres roses - NARS Nepal

i think the loose eyeshadow from Yves Rocher would be a perfect dupe! the peachy-pink shade has the same colour and metallic finish as the Chanel shadow (although that doesn't show on the pic). the other shades are too peach and not metallic-y enough.


for the middle shade:

the only and best dupe for it is the Barry M Dazzle Dust in #89 Oyster Grey. the pink flash is the same, only the Chanel one is a little bit more glittery. i even like the cheaper one better.

Chanel on the left, Barry M #89 Oyster Grey on the right

for the fourth shade:

i compared the greenish grey to MAC Greensmoke and MAC Smoke&Diamonds. the Chanel one  is very similar to Smoke&Diamonds, only a mini hint more green.

the last shade:

it got compared to a bunch of dark greys in my collection - but no good dupe found :( they all have different undertones or a different shimmer.

MAC Knight Divine - Yves Rocher Dragée d'Argent - Rival de Loop loose eyeshadow - Guerlain L'instant d'une Émotion - Manhattan #101E

from left to right: MAC - Yves Rocher - CHANEL - Rival de Loop - Guerlain - Manhattan

 i hope it was helpful for you!