Essence Matt Matt Matt Lipstick in 02 Perfect Match

With the recent update of the Essence assortment (but I think the spring /summer update will be here soon) we got a new line of lipsticks. As you can see from the name, they're supposed to be matt. There are eight shades in the line, mine is the second lightest.

Essence says that the light, creamy texture of the new lipstick range unites a high colour-dispersion with a matt finish.

The packaging is the same as the Sheer & Shine lipstick range with the difference that here the lid is matt. I like it, it is a step up from the packaging of their first lipsticks (remember the packaging for kiddies? :) )

The smell is also quite pleasant, I can't describe it properly, but at least is not that artificial smell that their first Longlasting lipsticks had.

Even if this lipstick is matte, there are no claims about the longevity, even though being matte we presume that it will last rather well. And in this case I can say it does. After four hours of not eating (chocolate doesn't count, ok) and after lunch (not very greasy, I have to admit this), the lipstick is still on my lips and it looks ok. It's not exactly like when I applied it, but it's close. Definitely still on the lips, and without that hideous liplining effect. So I'm satisfied with that.

It does apply smoothly, but to achieve the full colour I had to go over my lips several times, but it doesn't bother me. The lipstick is definitely matte and you can also feel it on the lips. So if you have really dry lips it could bother you. When you apply it looks satin matte, but after a couple of minutes the finish transforms into regular matte. After four hours it even looks like a liquid lipstick on my lips. But I have to say that I didn't experience any flaking and clinging on dry patches (like the feeling I have when I apply my Essence longlasting lipstick Velvet Matt 23). 

1. Bourjois velvet - Nude-ist

2. Essence - Perfect match

3. Sleek Matte Me - Birthday Suit

The colour is dusty rose with a hint of brown. I think it suits me and when I wear it it's not so in your face. A nice everyday colour. 

Have a great day :)

The gift

So what could be the perfect gift if you like make up, books and history? Book Facepaint by Lisa Eldridge could be one of them. 

I haven't read it yet, so I can't tell you about the content, all I can tell you now is that's really a pretty book :)

Thanks again to my sister for this birthday gift.

Have a great day :)

What's in my make up bag that's in my bag?

My sister suggested few themes for new blog posts and one was the classic one, what is in my make up bag that I carry with me. 

After going through my make up bag I saw that there are not many make up bits in there. It's more like utility bag. The things I carry with me are:

1. Plasters - very useful, for small cuts or blisters, always with me

2. Hand sanitizer - specially in handy when travelling

3. Make-up remover wipes - if I find myself in situations when I don't have my usuall make up removers 

4. Small mirror - for touch-ups

5. pills- in the winter time I carry with me pills for sore throat, here you can see Tantum Verde, in the pictures you can also see some other pills that are there because I was too lazy to put them out. The brown ones are Persen Forte and are for calming yourself in stressful situations and I bought them when I was travelling. I don't like flying and I thought that the pills will help me. Not sure about that. And the one little pill is Lekadol which is like aspirin, you take it when you get cold. I didn't feel well on my last trip so my friend gave the pills and this one was left.

6. Lip balm - this is a necessity, I get dry lips quite a lot, at the moment I'm using lip balm from Carmex

7. Lipgloss - never use it, but didn't know where to put it (Essence glossy lipbalm)

8. Lip smoother from Catrice in the colour 030 Cake Pop - rarely use it, but it's nice to have something that is not lip balm and leaves some colour on the lips

9. Some kind of chubby stick from Catrice that was LE - this is not suppose to be here, I forgot to take it out when I was last wearing it. I always put the lipstick that I'm wearing at that moment in my bag, for touch ups, obviously

What should be also in my bag: hand cream (forgot to buy a new one when used up last one), hair tie (always useful) and maybe bobby pins (never know when might use them).

What are you carrying with you in your make up bag? What is missing in my bag that you always carry around?

Have a great day! ;)

Catrice Ultimate Colour 450 Legend'Berry

Catrice changes their assortment twice a year. Now was the time for the spring/summer edition. I always look forward to this updates and this time a lipstick caught my eye. Catrice added three new colours in their Ultimate Colour lipstick line, I bought the darkest, number 450 Legend'Berry.

You should see me standing in front of Catrice stand for about ten minutes or so, figuring out if the darkest red lipstick in my collection is as dark as this one I wanted to buy. What I really hate is to have dupes in my collection but at the end I decided to risk it and bought the lipstick.

The lipstick is very pigmented and it glides on beautifully. It is quite soft though, so I had problems with the precise application. If you are not careful it goes quickly over the lines of your mouth, so maybe a lip liner underneath wouldn't be a bad idea, or maybe I should try to apply the lipstick with a lip brush.

It is also quite shiny so it is definitely not for the matte lipstick lovers. Because of its creaminess it also transfers quite a lot, so no eating, drinking or kissing if you want your lipstick to stay intact, otherwise you will have to reapply it. This is the reason why I prefer matte lipstick over creamy lipsticks, they don't transfer this much.

The colour, to my relief, is darker than my darker shade at home (it is also from Catrice, but a limited edition one, and matte). The colour in the tube is dark red with brown undertones. On the lips the brown is not so visible, but it's there. Here is the comparison with Catrice lipstick from Revoltaire LE, Bloody Red, velvet matt lip colour, and with Essence lip liner Red Blush, which you can still get (crazy I know :) )

As you can see, the colour is darker than both of them, you can also see the difference in the formula, since both other colours are matte. This is how it looks on me.

I like the packaging of Catrice lipstick. It's sturdy and elegant and it look like it could cost more than 4,29 €.

Do you like the colour? Peffer matte or creamy lipsticks?

Have a nice day! :)

Why do you wear make up?

"Why do you have to wear all that stuff on your face? Look at your mum, she never wore any make up and she is beautiful nonetheless" And yes, while I agree with my dad that my mother is beautiful, for me wearing make up is not always to feel and/or be prettier. 

As a teenager I never wore any make up, not even a mascara. Then came the last year of high school and I started using a mascara, in first years of college I updated my make up routine with concealer :) Having said that, I have to also mention that I always had make up products at home. Lipglosses, mascaras, eyeshadows, eyeliners, nailpolishes. It was just that I used them only for special occasions. As much as I liked to look at them and try them on, I didn't really know how to use them properly. Then around 2009/2010 I discovered make up tutorials on youtube and I was hooked. My make up collection grew and I also learned how to use it. Not that I'm a professional, but if I would like to make myself look better, now I can :D 

Of course make up has something to do with confidence. There are days when you feel fabulous and then there are days when you feel like crap. There are some days when I look at myself and I think that I do look ok without make up.

I look like I'm a teenager, but I'm not :)

But there are also days when I look like this without make up.

Painful to watch, really 

And I don't see what is wrong if we put on a little bit of make up (or a lot if you prefer). I enjoy doing before and after photos, and I make sure that in the photo before I look really tired and strange, like the one above (let's avoid term ugly). 

Collage from 2013

It is not easy to be a woman in this male oriented society and if we have one small advantage that makes us look better if we want and need to, then why not use it. I get sad and then angry that we get judged for everything that we do. You wear a fair amount of make up? This is not right, you should wear less make up or go natural. You have acne and help yourself with make up to cover them up? This is not right, you are deceiving everyone around you (really? Really?). Example here. It seems like women can't win. You know, I think we should wear as much make up as we want to, or none, without being judged. At the end of this beautiful video that Lisa Eldridge made, I was trully touched and I suggest you to look at it. So many possibilities, so many options. I decided that I will play and have fun with make up, no matter what others think of me (this is really hard for me, but I will try).

Then there is another thing about make up. It makes me happy. Not just to wear it, but to play with it. To look at my collection, trying on lipsticks, deciding what make up to wear on some special occasions. My mum often says to my sister and me "When will you use up all of this make up?" Probably never. But this is not the point. The point is that my sister and I enjoy trying make up looks even if we are not very good at it. Sometimes we try to recreate make up looks that we see on youtube. Here I would like to tell you a dad joke. A joke that my dad makes everytime. Everytime. Sometimes we try bolder eyelooks, usually just on one eye. When dad sees us he would say "who punched you in the eye?" And it is funny because we know exactly what he would say. 

Choosing a lipstick in Mac store

I can't wait for some special occasions so that I can spice my make up rotine up a little bit and to feel beautiful and confident. And I don't see what is wrong with it, but sometimes I can't be bothered to put anything on me, and I think this is fine too.

What I would like is that if I feel like putting on red lipstick just to go to the supermarket I would and not be bothered what everyone else who doesn't even know me tought of this. I know I care too much of what others think of me and this has to change! :D

Tell me, why do you wear make up? Does it make you happy, or do you feel pressured to always look flawless and is some kind of obligation?