Tutorial : Long-wearing bold lips

Lipsticks are just like expensive heels; precious and addictive, they can change everything and dress up any look. But let's admit it, they're a bloody nightmare when it comes to wear it all day/night long. If you're tired of not being able to drink, eat, or speak properly - those lipsticks are serious bi*ches and never miss any chance to bleed do they? - then keep on reading, I have a few tips for you.

As you may know, I'm quite fond of my bold lips and I have been investigating for a while to find a way to make the hole process less stressful. This is what I go for when I'm going out, sometimes even for dinner as this method is almost full-proof. To some extends, of course (stay rational and don't think you'll ever be able to wear flawless bold lips when eating an hamburger. Or when you're in a "boyfriend situation", obviously).  

1. USE A LIP LINER

I'm sure that it will sound old-fashion to some of you and remind you of those old ladies wearing a lip liner three times darker than their actual lipstick color, but lip liners are a definite must-have. Not only are they very helpful if you're a lipstick-fresher and sometimes still suffer from the shaky hand syndrome, but also they really do contribute to maintaining you lip color all night long. 

You can simply line you lips like I did on the picture - it'll keep your lipstick from smudging - or entirely fill in your lips for even more coverage. Be sure to apply a lip balm beforehand as both lip liner and lipstick are usually quite drying on the lips.

Plus, lip liners usually have a long-wearing formula so if you're a bit lazy and in a rush, you can get away with simply wearing the lip liner all over.

2. APPLY YOUR LIPSTICK

Keep going by applying your lipstick carefully. Use a lip brush if you still aren't confident with your hands - or if you're perfectionist and definitely not in a rush.

3. MAKE IT LAST

That's when the magic happens. I'm sure you all know the blotting paper trick, just take a tissue and bite it gently, press your lips against it or whatever you want, I'm sure you got what I mean. 

Then take some fixing powder - a translucent one if possible - and dab a fine layer of powder all over your lips, like so.

Once you're done with the powder, apply some lipstick again. Finally, put a finger between your lips *weird* so you don't end up with lipstick on your teeth. Et voila, you're good to go !

Moral of the story ? Don't fear lip liner, just find the right color and give it the love it deserves, it's a staple really. If you're a bit freaked out to draw on some sultry lips with your bare hand directly with a lipstick, use a lip brush, it helps. So please, please don't fear bold lips anymore. They're a 100% worth it, I promise.

xxx

M'

Skincare - How to deal with breakouts

As much as I love rambling about new fancy lipsticks and other beauty goodies, I've decided to go for a less exciting subject that we unfortunately all know too well; breakouts. Now, I'm not going to put you through the boring (but necessary)  "basic skincare lesson" as I've already done it here, but let me tell you that if you follow religiously those rules, it helps a lot at minimizing breakouts. So don't forget to remove your make-up, cleanse your skin properly, apply the right products, drink enough water and get some sleep. I'm stopping now, I promise. Of course it isn't that simple - not only is there tons of reasons for suffering of breakouts, but there also is many spot types. Problem is, getting into all of those details would take me hours and make that post last forever. You couldn't handle it and neither could I. But as always, you're very welcome to ask any question in the comments and I strongly recommend you to check out Caroline Hirons' blog - that women is the absolute Goddess of skincare. Seriously.

One of the most common (and unmanageable) reason for our breakouts is hormones. Ladies, I can assure you that I curse and hate that week of the month just as much as you do. There isn't much you can do against it, at least to avoid it, but from my experience and after everything (let me tell you that it's a big everything) I've been testing, there are indeed a few products worth some affection. That's why I 'm now going to share some of my favourites with you, as they really do help me to deal with my breakouts when I have some (God knows I do, hello combination/oily/sensitive skin!).

HOW TO : MAINTAIN A CLEAR SKIN & PREVENT BREAKOUTS

Origins - Out of trouble mask £ 20 // La Roche-Posay - Effaclar duo  £13.50

In order to keep my skin as clear as possible as well as minimizing my breakouts, I use the Effaclar duo everyday, usually during my morning skincare routine. This is probably one of the most famous product of all time in the bloggers world and I'm sure you've heard of it thousands of times before. To make it short, I can't live without it. That's the one product which survived the "skincare crisis" I've been through during the last year, trying out way to many products. When I first started to use it, I wasn't that satisfied with my skin and applied it morning and evening. I know for sure that it's one of the reason why my skin improved so much, so quickly. It acts as a serum, can be use as a moisturiser (even if I wouldn't recommend it - for me you should always use a proper moisturiser, oily skin or not) and does not dry out the skin. Plus, it makes quite a nice base under your makeup, as it slightly matifies the skin. All benefits.

On a weekly basis, I like to use the Origins' Out of trouble mask. I'm sure you know plenty of those masks, there're a lot of good ones out there (I won't quote them all 'cause again, we'd still be here tomorrow) but this one is one of my favourite. Maybe it's only in my head, maybe it's only because of its name (what a shame it'd be) but whenever I have a few spots pointing out and getting me angry, I feel like using that bad boy helps calming everything down, limiting further damages. Literally, when i pop it on, my spots seems much smaller the next day. You can chose to believe me or not, but in the end you won't risk much at giving it a try do you ?

HOW TO : GET RID OF IT

I'm sorry to say what you don't want me to say and admit, even though deep down you know it : there's no miracle cure. Just like no shampoo can make your hair grow faster or a cream can erase your wrinkles. Nope, no Santa Claus. Sorry. The only way ? Patience. Now, read it again, accept it, and move on with your life (don't hate me, I wish someone had told me that there isn't any magical hair treatment when I was fourteen, desperate and hard up. So be grateful. Or mock me, whatever ;))

There're a few tricks that can help though, such as "spot remover". Again, keep in mind that it won't instantly erase your spot. Look at all the tiny little bottles on the picture, those are just a few that I've tried, and I can assure you that they pretty much do all the same ; they dries out the area, make the blemish look smaller, sometimes helps it to go away faster. That's it. I won't recommend one in particular because I wasn't immensely impressed by any of them. The Origins' one seems to be quite famous though and isn't too pricy. You also can go for the natural option and simply apply some Tea Tree oil on your blemish (but be warned, it stinks). Oh, and please, stay away from it. I know how ridiculously hard it is not to squeeze it, but the more you're messing with it, the more it will be messing with you in return.

HOW TO : HEAL THE DAMAGES

Sudocrem £2.55 // Heal gel £37.50

If like myself you get a stubborn scar after every single spot, you'll love The Heal gel which does an amazing job at fading the old scars and avoiding the new ones (if you put it on your blemish soon enough). A natural and cheaper alternative would be to use some Rosehip oil (as a serum or as a weekly treatment).

A last piece of advice ? STAY AWAY FROM SUGAR ! It'll only make the inflammation worse and breaks you out even more. Sugar is evil.

Let me know what your secret weapon(s) is/are and feel free to ask any more specific question, I'd be glad to share what I've learn with you if it can help !

And keep in mind that it does get better. So if you're in a bad skin period or whatsoever, give yourself  and your skin some time, try not to freak out too much (stress is a way too underestimated factor of breakouts !) and find some alternative to your favourite yummy chocolate. A new lipstick, a gripping book, a TV show, a man, any addiction will do you 'no.

xxx

M'

Face of the day

Here we are, our last sunny days  and warm summer evenings are numbered; it's time for autumn. At the risk of sounding a bit pessimist, I actually am quite happy to welcome the new season. As much as I enjoy the summery mood, weather and holidays and that I adore spending days and nights in light dresses and mini-shorts, autumn always remained my favourite. I love how the nature is getting on fire with all those red and orange-y tones, I love the fact that you're never either too hot or too cold, everything is somehow balanced. And of course, I love the repercussions of autumn on the beauty and fashion world. 

I'm not too keen on rules, specially when it comes to make up. Of course, I admit that some classic basics have to be followed,  but I am the kind of person who think that if you want to wear something, no matter how inappropriate it might be according to some seasonal rules, to your skin tone or even your style, you should do it. As long as you're comfortable with it, it's all that matters. Anyway, I've tried to be wise this year and get used to the pastel-y colours of this summer, I almost even liked wearing nudes. Almost. But now that summer comes to an end, I have only one thought in mind ; it's time for my beloved dark berry colours again (not that I really did stop wearing them though, to be honest...). 

In a bold lip kinda mood (nope, not like everyday, I swear) I thought I could do a FOTD. The entire look is very simple, super quickly done - neutral eyes, nothing too crazy with the base and bold lips.

For the base, I used my usual Collection concealer in combination with my new Mineral powder from Laura Mercier. I didn't used any bronzer (yay, no more summery guiltiness, I can embrace my snow-white complexion again !) but I went for a quite defined contour, using my NYX blush in Taupe. On the cheeks, I used a tiny little amount of Stila convertible colour in Lilium.

On the eyes, I used my Naked Basics palette and used a neutral colour all over the lid as well as a darker one in the crease to slightly define the eye. I then used the shimmery shade of the palette to highlight my inner corner and therefore make my eyes look a tiny bit bigger. I finally added some mascara, lined my waterline with some flesh-y pencil and boom, done !

Finally on the lips, no big surprise, I used my M.A.C Captive (reviewed here).

That's it for a very simple make-up look ! Let me know what you think about it or about the products that I've used in the comments. Also feel free to follow me on Bloglovin if you like what you're reading so far or/and on Instagram (vicky9469)  for some extra updates !

Take care' xx

M'

NYX lip cream - Review

GETTING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

You might or might not know that I'm a bright lip kinda gal' - if the step you can't miss when you're in a minimal make-up mood is foundation, powder, mascara or eyebrow pencil, mine is lipstick. How logical. Yeah, I know. It's just that I can't stand having bare lips ; I look washed off, even paler than I already am, worse, I feel exposed. No need to say that wearing nude color is so off my comfort zone. We all have those barriers, some people feel too uncomfortable with their skin to skip the foundation part, some can't live without three coats of mascara - so what ? Sometimes trying something new help us to see things differently, specially when it concerns our physical appearance - we give ourselves options instead of barriers. Some changes are good, some aren't, but in the end the only fact of being experimental is a huge step forward - to what ? To use make-up the only way it should be used; to enhance your features, rather than to hide or change them.

So I've decided to change a bit, try something else, 'cause we never know, maybe nude isn't that bad ? As I am freshly obsessed with my Laura Mercier lip glacé, I wanted to keep going and try another product of that glossy-family. I've heard a lot about those NYX lip butters and lip creams, and the lip creams are the only ones I could get my hand on in Switzerland (but honestly, it's a waste of money when you know that you can get them here for their real price : $5 - be smart ! ). I was intrigued by many shades, almost  felt for the gorgeous bright red shade Spicy - that's when I spotted Buttery nude, a dark warm pink with some orang-y undertones. Not exactly your average nude color. But it is a nude to me. I put it on as soon as I went home and loved it. The texture make me think of the Rimmel Apocalips as it is very similar. You need only one coat to have it all covered - plus it is quite sticky, like any lip stain so I wouldn't recommend to go to crazy on the coats anyway. It is super easy to apply and is quite long lasting. I'm not too keen on the smell but it isn't that disturbing either. I'd say it's more practical than a lipstick and less discreet than a lip gloss. Kind of a good deal isn't it ?

I'm getting used to that "nude-lip-thing", slowly but surely, and I have to admit that I quite like it; it allows me to go back to my beloved heavy smoky eye without being tortured by sacrificing a bold lip. New isn't that bad, not only with make-up - it is scary for sure, but one lives only once right ? It's all about taking your time. Baby step by baby step.