Today’s Post is (Again) on Makeupandbeautyblog!

Interesting things always happen when you’re not sitting in front of the computer, like when you lie in on Sunday. By the time I finally decided to get up, make coffee, and check my Bloglovin’, I saw my own face looking back at me on Makeupandbeautyblog!

Whee my second guest post is on!!!

This post is about eye makeup tips for monolidders. If you have monolids but can’t figure out how to make the most of your eyes, this post is dedicated to you. If you don’t have monolids, check it out anyways because you might have friends who do, and you might be able to help them!

So head over here and let me know what you think about it! You can leave a comment here or there. If you have any questions I’ll try to answer them!

Have a great Sunday and I have fun new posts ready for ya soon!

Sunny, your beauty culture translator xx

Fancy Seeing You Here, Eyebrows! My 5 Brow Essentials: Tweezerman, Bobbi Brown Eye Brow Brush, Sable, Bone & Brow Shaper in Mahogany

I wouldn’t be the first or the only person to acknowledge the importance of eyebrows. They frame your face and make your features stand out. Unfortunately, my eyebrows are really invisible because the hair is very sparse. After having overplucked my eyebrows and used products that are way too dark for my coloring, I have finally come up with a brow routine that works for me. Today I’m sharing my 5 brow essentials that give me the eyebrows I should have been born with!

When You’re Running out of Time, Dior Hydra Life BB Cream Could Save Your Life!

I think I might have told you about it before: I am horrible when it comes to punctuality. It seems that no matter how early I woke up, I manage to run out of time at some point. Sometimes it takes me too long to wake up with my coffee (but that’s because I’m catching up on blog-reading at the same time *coughs*), other times I decide to start reading a really good book. By the time I get out of my shower, whoops, Houston we have a problem!

This is when you wish there were something that would function as a lotion, sunscreen, AND foundation. Is it just a dream? No. Let me introduce you to Dior Hydra Life BB Cream!

Dior Hydra Life BB Cream comes in a soft seafoam green tube with a pump. The pump is very precise, and you will never end up with way too much on your fingers. I have tried to push it all the way down, but I don’t need that much at all, so I pump it out little by little as I go along. The BB cream has a bit of typical sunscreen smell, but it’s not too bad at all! It has SPF30 with PA+++. For me personally, especially if I’m just going around the city, it offers enough protection. One thing I do have to mention though, is that this contains oxybenzone. I have been using it almost every day for two weeks now, and my skin is perfectly fine with it. If you have reacted to this particular ingredient in the past however, you might want to be a bit more cautious.

The texture of Hydra Life BB cream is surprisingly un-gloopy. I would actually say the undertone is quite neutral, as it makes my face look just a pinch peachier than it usually does. However, as you will see in my full-face photos later, you don’t see any difference between my face and my neck, so basically I think I am the only one who can tell. I’m showing you the picture of the BB cream blended out on the back of my hand with my wrist, so you can see how well the color matches! It doesn’t have the scary gray cast like traditional BB creams either, which is a big bonus in my book! I am guessing that like all BB creams, it is supposed to color-adjust. However, you might want to try it out at the Dior counter to see if the shade would work for your skin tone. It wears well, though at the end of the day some of my more obvious imperfections would be resurfacing a little.

What I really like about this BB cream is the fact that it is hydrating enough for my skin. I don’t need my day cream if I’m wearing this, which saves some time. My T-zone does look a little glowy, but if I set it with my usual setting powder than it stays matte for hours. Despite the fact that the texture is a bit watery, it actually offers enough coverage for my taste/need. If I don’t have extra imperfections going on, I don’t even need a concealer afterwards. I just pat a little more of this under my eyes and even over my post-acne pigmentation spots. It dries fast, so you have to work fast. I have found that for really dry areas, it could look a little powdery (for example, I have been blowing my nose like crazy because it’s the allergy season again). For normal skin (namely skin that is not impossibly irritated by tissue) however, it doesn’t have the powdery feeling or look at all. Another great thing is I can just use my fingers. That means I won’t have to wash a brush afterwards either!

Now, if you’re ready for a bit of a shock, here is my TOTALLY bare face next to my face with ONLY Dior Hydra Life:

As you can see, my pigmentation spots look a lot lighter with this BB cream, and my skin tone is evened out and smoother-looking. My pores are also reduced. I’ll be just fine after dusting some setting powder on my T zone, filling in my eyebrows, and grabbing an easy-going lipstick! Ready to hit the road after the process has been largely streamlined.

I’m recycling some old photos here, but I’m wearing Dior Hydra Life BB Cream in the following:

Pretty good eh? If the last picture looks particularly good, that’s because I just got my new camera and tripod! I was experimenting with them today, and I thought I’d participate in Temptalia’s spring flower-inspired makeup look challenge, so I’m sharing one of my entry photos with you.

Bottom line: Dior Hydra Life BB cream is a genius multi-tasker. For me it is a lotion, sunscreen, and foundation 3-in-1. Especially during the warmer months, I can see myself replacing foundation with this BB cream which is a lot lighter and easy to wear!

Have you seen this one where you are? Would you like to try? What base product do you usually wear in summer?

Sunny, your beauty culture translator xx

PS: Dior Hydra Life BB Cream is available as of today in Belgium. The recommended retail price is 57.52 euros for 50ml.

Disclosure: The product mentioned in this review is sent by the PR for my consideration. All opinions are honest and my own. I am in no way compensated for this review. I have always been, and will always be committed ONLY to my readers.

Behind the scenes:

Muffin: “Some BB Cream for kitty?” Me: “Oh but honey, I don’t think it’s going to match your skin tone!”

Muffin was really happy sitting in the pile of things I was photographing that day.

Quick & Dirty Swatches of L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows in 15 Flashback Silver, 28 Enigmatic Purple, 29 Smoky Green, 30 Ultimate Black + A Random Spring Day

Hey everyone!

How was your day? Are you suffering from the gloomy Monday syndrome or are you coping just fine?

I had a great day today, mostly because I got up early and got a lot of things done. I took many pictures that I need for future posts (some won’t come up till much later since they need to be tested still). There was so much sunlight that I seemed to have drawn some inspiration, and I hope you’ll like the new photos!

I haven’t had time to swatch all the Dior Vernis yet, so today I’m doing a little filler post. I went to the drugstore and saw 4 new L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows, and I did some quick and dirty swatches for you!

These are 15 Flashback Silver (I don’t believe this is new. It’s just that we didn’t get it till now. It is renamed as 222 Infinity Sky in the US), 28 Enigmatic Purple, 29 Smoky Green, and 30 Ultimate Black. I believe the latter three are relatively new, since I can’t find an awful lot of information about them online. My first impression is that these matte ones aren’t AS pigmented or smooth compared to their shimmery counterparts. They’re still very good, but not exactly to the same extent. I had no problem building them up and smoothing the slight chalkiness out though, so maybe it won’t be a big problem when applied on the lids.

Also, since it’s a filler post, I decided to share some random pictures I took today with you.

Behold Muffin and Tango tangled up in a headlock. I think they might have been fighting for the patch of sun, but it could just be Muffin getting bored. I took the pink paper out of the Caudalie tote I got last week because they sometimes play with/sit on it.

This is Tango getting his tum tanned. He eventually flipped over so that he could tan his back lol

Since the weather was fantastic, Dr. D and I went on a walkie in the neighborhood. The cherry blossoms are blooming here! Spring really has come!

Voila, just a little something to keep you entertained until I get the time to swatch/review something properly (I’m aiming at tomorrow though, so it won’t be long). I hope your week is off to a great start!

Sunny, your beauty culture translator xx

PS: What do you guys think about this kind of posts? Would you like to see it from time to time or not at all? Of course I won’t do a filler post twice every week or something, but sometimes when I’m having a good day and I have some random bits and pieces of my life in photos, I would also love to share with you! Let me know in the comment section below whether occasionally you’d be entertained by a post in the same vein or not 🙂

FOTD: Glittery Darkhorse and (Accidental) Dramatic Liner with Urban Decay Naked Palette

If you get to know me a little better, you’ll know that I am always running late. Doesn’t matter where I have to be or when I have to be there, I am most probably running late.

The same thing happened when I was supposed to meet HM in Brussels yesterday. She was estimated to get there at 9, so I was supposed to be out of my door at around 8:20. However, it was almost 8 when I was out of the shower with my hair blown dry, so I knew I was going to be late… In that case, all the new things I planned to try on my face had to wait. Instead, I opted for a look I have done a couple of times before but one that I dearly love.

For the list of products I used and more photos, please keep reading!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 53 Light Beige
Tarte Smooth Operator finishing powder
Bobbi Brown Sable on eyebrows
I primed my eyelids with UDPP (unless otherwise stated, I systematically use UDPP) before putting Sidecar from the Naked Palette on the inner half of my lids, and Darkhorse on the outer half. I used Virgin to highlight my inner corners, and Bobbi Brown Bone to highlight my brow bones.
For my lower lash line, I used Urban Decay Bourbon and Urban Decay Darkhorse to smudge it out a bit.
Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black for my upper lash line
Maybelline Magnum Volum’ Express Black (waterproof)
Tarte Exposed on cheek
MAC Harmony to contour my cheekbones
Burt’s Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil on lips

I know I am this close to pronouncing my everlasting love for Darkhorse, because I incorporate it in a ton of looks that I do. Nevertheless, I have to bring your attention to the fact that it looks particularly hot with Sidecar. There are a lot of different looks that I like on myself, but a combination like Sidecar and Darkhorse is nothing short of mind-blowing and I am not even capable of telling you why! Admittedly Sidecar is not a standout shade from the Naked Palette. Compared with a lot of other shades it is not as insanely pigmented (don’t get me wrong because it IS pigmented. It’s just that I need maybe an extra swipe or two with my MAC 239), and it is the only one that has glittery fallout. Naturally, in my state of haste I completely forgot to hold a tissue over my face while I was using this shade, so by the time I was done there was a bit of glitter everywhere (I found a grain of glitter under my nose, if you can believe it). It was mostly cleared up after foundation and setting powder, but you can still see a bit around my eyes in the close-up pictures. I would suggest you use a patting motion with a shading brush when it comes to this shadow, hold a tissue under your eyes during application, and do your foundation afterwards. I would more than love to find a dupe for Sidecar sans glitter, but before that can happen I am willing to live with it.

Here are some close-up photos so you can see my eye makeup properly:

I call my more dramatic liner an accident because it really was an accident. You know what they say about haste making waste, and in my frantic hurry I drew the liner a bit farther out than I intended to. To balance it out, I had to repeat the same mistake on my other eye. I thought my eyes looked a bit rounder this way, which I was not so used to. However, HM really loved it, and by the end of the day I was convinced it isn’t a bad way to line my eyes at all!

Because my eyes were sparkly enough, I opted for a matte blush Exposed, and I contoured my face with MAC Harmony instead of bronzing it up with Bali Brown. I didn’t use any lipstick/gloss all day, so when I finally got around to taking pictures I just slathered some lip balm on. The Burt’s Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil is definitely not my favorite lip balm because it disappears from my lips so fast, but since I bought it in a discount pack at Walgreens I’ll finish it. It is very slightly tinted but I doubt very much it changes the color of my lips in a detectable way, so what you see in these pictures are pretty much my natural lip color.

One more picture so you can see how much thicker my eyeliner was. You can also see my cheekbones are more sculpted with MAC Harmony. By the way, Tarte Exposed was faded after 12 hours when these pictures were finally taken, but it was definitely still there!

Last but not least, the Beautybay goodies that are supposed to be my Christmas present from Dr. D finally arrived last night! After I opened the packaging, Tango and Muffin swiftly proceeded to proclaiming their territory on the packaging material. In the picture below, Tango is sitting on the plastic wrapper while Muffin occupies the box. Tango’s tail is a blur because he was annoyed with Dr. D, who was trying to direct their attention to the camera by making some noise.

I will for sure review what I got soon! I just have to wait for better natural light to take my swatch pictures… Stay tuned and stay around folks!

Until then, I hope everybody is alive and kicking!

Sunny xx