Happy New Year

ENG: Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve with your friends or family and made a wish at midnight! If your wish was really strong, it will come true this year without a doubt. In Russia we have a saying, "The way you welcome the New Year dictates the way you'll spend it," so everyone tries to dress up and celebrate the new year in a fun atmosphere, to ensure own luck in the next 12 months. As for me, I spent New Year's Eve at home with my love. I honestly could have just worn my pajamas, but I wanted to follow the tradition and chose a more festive outfit. So hopefully, 2014 will be kind to me and will bring me luck! Let's see what I wore that night:

RUS: Всем привет! Надеюсь вы отлично встретили Новый Год в кругу близких или друзей и загадали заветное желание в полночь. Если ваше желание было очень сильным и искренним, оно обязательно исполнится в новом году! Следуя традиции "Как встретишь Новый Год, так его и проведешь," я нарядилась и провела вечер с любимым в уютной домашней атмосфере у камина, поэтому надеюсь, что новый год будет таким же приятным и принесет мне только удачу! Давайте посмотрим, что было на мне в тот день:

Top - Victoria's Secret // Skirt - Tobi // Bracelet - J.Crew

For my makeup, I chose a warm color palette to match the golden tones of the skirt and added some definition to the eyes with a burgundy eyeshadow.

В макияже я использовала теплую гамму, для гармонии с золотыми акцентами на юбке. Чтобы выделить глаза, я добавила немного бордовых теней в складку века.

Eyes - Urban Decay Naked palette // Cheeks - Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer + Chanel Blush in #84 Accent // Lips - Mac Peach Blossom // Face - Mac Matchmaster

What did you wear on New Year's Eve?
А что было на вас в новогоднюю ночь?

10 Beauty Products I Love

ENG: Hello everyone, how are you doing?
Today I've decided to share with you the products I've been loving and using non-stop lately.

RUS: Всем привет, как у вас дела?
Сегодня я решила поделиться с вами теми продуктами, которые я люблю и которыми пользуюсь постоянно в последнее время.

 

1. The original Tangle Teezer

This tool is amazing! I have long hair that gets tangled very quickly, but this brush makes combing so easy and painless, as opposed to regular brushes I've tried in the past.

Это удивительная расческа! У меня длинные волосы, которые очень быстро путаются, но процесс их расчесывания стал намного легче и безболезненнее благодаря этому изобретению.

2. Fresh Sugar lip balms

I got this little set for my birthday from Sephora, and I'm so happy about it! I use the clear balm at night, and the tinted one during the day. They are very, VERY moisturizing and add a little bit of shine to the lips.

Я получила этот мини-набор на свой день рождения от Сефоры, и я очень этому рада! Я использую бесцветный бальзам на ночь, а красный - днем, так как он дает довольно заметный оттенок. Эти бальзамы очень, очень увлажняющие и добавляют блеск губам.

3. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer

This is my holy grail bronzer. I use it all the time. Everything about it is perfect - it's matte (great for contouring!), doesn't have an orange undertone, and smells just like hot chocolate!

Этот бронзер - мой постоянный фаворит. Мне нравится в нем все - он матовый (отлично подходит для контурирования!), не имеет оранжевого подтона и пахнет горячим шоколадом!

4. Victoria's Secret Illuminating Face Powder in All or Nothing

Although it's called an "illuminating powder," it's basically a peachy-toned highlighter that has a pretty opalescent sheen. It's very smooth and doesn't contain any sparkles. I love the kind of glow it gives my cheeks!

Хоть этот продукт и называется "подсвечивающей пудрой", на самом деле это персиковый хайлайтер с красивым опаловым отливом. Он очень ровно ложится и не содержит блесток. Мне очень нравится то свечение, которое он дарит моим щекам!

5. Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey Cologne

My mother brought this amazing perfume for me as a gift from London. I'd been wanting to try Jo Malone for a very long time and finally my dream came true. This one smells fresh and fruity, and has a citrusy note in it. I've been wearing it every single day since I got!

Моя мама привезла этот замечательный парфюм мне в подарок из Лондона. Я очень давно хотела попробовать что-нибудь из Jo Malone, и наконец-то моя мечта осуществилась. Эти духи пахнут чем-то свежим и фруктовым, и в них присутствует цитрусовая нотка. Я ношу их каждый день с того момента, как они у меня появились!

6. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

I got this lip butter in the beginning of the year, but started using it more often this fall. This lipstick is very hydrating and glossy, and I just adore its perfect berry color that looks so juicy on the lips! You can see me wearing it in this post.

Я приоблера эту помаду еще в начале года, но начала активно ею пользоваться только этой осенью. Она очень увлажняющая и блестящяя, и я просто обожаю этот ягодный цвет, который выглядит так сочно на губах! Вы можете увидеть эту помаду на мне в этом посте.

7. Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer in Light

This is a full, or almost full-coverage concealer. I use it on the areas of my face where I need it the most (except for the under-eye area) as I currently don't use foundation. It matches my skin color perfectly, covers redness well, and is invisible on the skin.

Это - консилер с очень высокой степенью покрытия. Я использую его только на тех участках лица, где это необходимо (кроме области под глазами), так как я не пользуюсь тональным средством в данный момент. Этот консилер идеально подходит мне по цвету, перекрывает красноту, и невидим на коже.

8. Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Ivory

I use this concealer to brighten my under-eye area. It provides pretty good coverage and has an illuminating quality, which helps me look more rested.

А этот консилер я использую под глазами. У него довольно хорошая кроющая способность, а также подсвечивающее качество, которое помогает мне выглядеть более отдохнувшей.

9. The Clarisonic Mia 2

I just looove this! I use it every single day to remove my makeup and it works great! I've noticed that my skin has become clearer(I break out rarer) since I started using it.

Я очень люблю это устройство! Я использую его каждый день, и оно отлично справляется с удалением макияжа.А еще я заметила, что моя кожа стала чище (в плане высыпаний) с того момента, как я начала им пользоваться.

10. OPI nail polish in Malaga Wine
You can see it on my nails in this post and also here.
Вы можете увидеть этот лак на моих ногтях в этом посте, а также здесь. 


Have you tried any of the products mentioned in this post? What are your current favorite beauty products?

А пробовали ли вы какие-нибудь продукты, упомянутые в этом посте? И какие ваши любимые косметические продукты на данный момент?

Outfit of the Day

This week (or 99.9% of the year?) has been cold and rainy, which means that I can't wear all my nice summery clothes that I've recently bought. Heading for a walk, I chose comfortable shoes, jeans, and a warm cardigan. I'm not an expert at combining things, so I prefer simplicity and casual style, which help me to avoid mistakes. I paired the cardigan with a basic black tank top and a wide leather belt. As for accessories, I wore my everyday watch and a little black bag, which completed this black-and-orange look nicely.

Top - Melrose, cardigan - Ralph Lauren, jeans - Victoria's Secret, shoes - no name, bag - Calvin Klein, belt - no name, watch - Bulova

nailpolish - Wet n Wild - I Red a Good Book

I don't normally wear tons of makeup, so today I only wore light foundation (Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua,) bronzer (Too Faced Chocolate Soleil,) eyeliner (Stile Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner), mascara (Diorshow Extase), and transparent pink lip gloss (Artdeco Hydra Lip Booster #38.)

Thanks for reading and have a nice, sunny day!

My Travel Makeup/Skincare Bag + Reviews

We've just returned from our one-week vacation (we went to visit Mike's parents), and I wanted to share with you guys what makeup and skincare products I took with me.
Starting off with makeup, I want to say that I don't really like heavy/complicated makeup in general, and especially when I'm out of town. That's why I took only basic things with me, most of which I use regularly.

Here we have Jane Iredale Purepressed Base SPF 20 (mineral compact foundation). I've never been a fan of loose forms, that's why I love this powder - it's compact and not messy at all, provides very good coverage (although it's sheer, it can be built up and at the same time look thin and very natural), the color is just right for me, and I like the golden compact! But the most amazing thing about it is that it creates a soft-focus effect, making your skin look poreless and smooth.The brush I use for it is also by Jane Iredale. It's called the Handi Brush. It performs very well; however, the bristles can feel scratchy at times as it's made of goat hairs, but maybe it's just me who is used to extremely soft synthetic brushes like Sigmax ones.
I also took my favorite matte bronzer with me -Too Faced Chocolate Soleil. It's great for contouring or just adding warmth to you face, and it looks very natural - not orange at all! It smells amazing too, just like hot chocolate!I'm going to do a review and comparison on all the bronzers I have as there are a couple more that I also like.
I don't like blushes in general, but there are two in my collection that I find look good on me. One of them is Mac Mineralize blush in Warm Soul.It's hard to describe what color it really is because depending on the lighting it can go from beige to peach to bronzed pink. I really like the effect it gives my face.
The brushes I use for applying blush and bronzer are from Mrs Bunny travel set by Sigma.
My cat has recently stolen my favorite concealer, and I couldn't find it, so I took my Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch concealer instead, which is more of a highlighter than a concealer, but it still has some coverage.
The only eyeshadow palette I took with me was NYX Triple Eyeshadow palette in Rock&Roll. It has a highlighting color, a pinky-nude color, and  a darker blueish-silver color. I like the colors, and the palette itself is very versatile.

NYX Triple Eyeshadow Palette in Rock&Roll and Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake

The brown eyeliner by Stila is called Smudge Stick in Lion Fish. I got it in my Birchbox a couple months ago and really like it! For my eyelashes I used Dior Extase mascara (Birchbox again, lol), and for my brows - Mac transparent brow gel. I also took a neutral lipliner and two lip products - Revlon Super Lustrous lipgloss in Pink Pop and Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake. The latter is used in the above pictures.

Ok, next to my skincare.

High SPF was my priority. I like that Neutrogena's Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock is truly dry-touch, and doesn't feel greasy on the skin as most creams with high SPF do.
My day cream is A Perfect World SPF 25 by Origins. It's a little too thick for my liking, but if I wait half an hour before I put on my makeup, it soaks in and feels soft and moisturizing rather than greasy.
 My night cream and toner are from the same line, Vitamin E, by The Body Shop. The are both very moisturizing and smell like baby powder, which I like, surprisingly. I can say that these two products were the first ones that truly helped my skin to get rid of the extreme dryness that I had not so long ago.
The eye cream that I use is by the Grapeseed Company and is called "Vine Eyes". It's organic and is supposed to be anti-aging. I'm not sure about the anti-aging effect, but the cream itself is very moisturizing. My under-eye area is very dry, but when I put this cream on at night, I wake up with very soft and supple skin.
 I used Gold Bond Ultimate Softening Shea Butter Lotion as my hand cream. I'm not sure if I like it or not, just because it's not as rich and thick as I would like it to be. I mean it's thick when you put it on, but when you rub it in, it becomes dry, and your hands feel just bare. The cream still works, but I don't like the initial effect. I guess I'm just used to greasier types of hand creams.
I also took a hair spray that I got in my Birchbox this month and Dove soap to use in the shower.

Alright, that was a really long review, but I hope it wasn't too boring! I'll try to be more concise in my future posts though.
Thanks for reading!

My Lancome purchase: Teint Idole Ultra foundation and L'Absolu Nu lipstick in Beige Tulle

Hi everyone! This post, as you might have already guessed, is going to be about cosmetics. :)
We went to Nordstrom yesterday- I needed Lancome foundation. I tried their sample of Teint Idole Ultra foundation for about 10 days and I really liked it because it has a soft matte finish, exactly what the description says, and it stays on all day without getting oily (I have combination skin and tend to get oily by the end of the day in my T-zone).  Another plus of this foundation is that it's oil- free and non-comedogenic (it won't clog your pores or cause pimples).I was going to buy it and then the sales assistant told me that they had a special offer and with any $50 purchase I could pick out 3 samples. So I had to buy one more product to make it over 50. By the way the foundation costs 42 dollars. I picked out a lipstick from their new collection L'Absolu Nu. The shade I chose was Beige Tulle, I think it was the lightest and the most neutral in the collection. So, here are the pictures and my opinions :)

 My shade is Ivoire 3 (Warm). I hate pink undertone in foundations !:))

 The foundation does not have SPF, so make sure you apply a moisturizer that contains SPF. You don't want premature wrinkles! ;)

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra foundation

 The nice feature-it has a pump!! 

 

 Here is the swatch on my hand. I made the second swatch right next to it and blended it out. As you can see it blended with my skin perfectly! I'm very happy about that since I have pretty light skin and it's really difficult for me to find the right shade..As for the consistency - it's quite liquidy, inspite of it being a full-coverage foundation. I don't feel it on my skin at all and it is extremely easy to blend!

Lancome L'Absolu Nu lipstick in Beige Tulle

 Ta da! I like the cute rose engraving on the lipstick!:D

With flash. The lipstick is very smooth and creamy like a lipgloss. It has very subtle silver shimmer to it...beautiful! I can describe the shade as beige with pink undertones.

In natural light

 I'm a fan of nude/natural lipsticks, so here are some swatches to compare. From top to bottom, left to right : Revlon in Petal, MAC in Creme cup, Lancome L'Absolu Nu in Beige Tulle, L'oreal color riche in Fairest Nude.  With flash.
Natural light

 These are the 3 products that I've chosen- Hypnose Drama mascara, Flash Bronzer (tinted self-tanning leg gel with vitamin E) and a brush(I don't know exactly what it is for, I mean it's either a powder or a blush brush, but I'm going to use it as a blush brush as it is not big enough for using on the whole face) :)
The gel-a swatch and it blended-out right above. It has shimmer and is orangey, at least on me..Though I'm going to try it when it's warm enough outside.

Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara

 The brush. It has a unique shape,I've never seen anything like this before :) And as for the mascara itself, I was not impressed...It didn't lengthen nor added volume to my lashes. But it may be only the first impression.. I'll wait until it dries a little as this seems to help with most of my mascaras :)
Me with the foundation, mascara and lipstick on.

 Hope this helps! Have a nice day ;)