Best of 2013.

I am spending the day before New Years at home, relaxing and cleaning my room. I thought I'd spend a few hours in the morning to film my Best of 2013 Beauty Favorites video while I could, so that I can post the video by tonight. Filming a video takes longer than one would think, and editing it is just a whole heck of a chore! But now that I've got it done, I feel I can concentrate more on finishing this day with a more reflective note.



As always, it's pretty difficult to pick and choose "the favorites" of the entire year. I am one of those people that buy something after much research and review-reading. Once I decide to keep it in my collection, that means I love it. To choose the best from all the ones I love is seriously difficult. So, I just gravitated towards picking the ones I "used" the most instead.

I divided it up between skincare and makeup bits. Watch the entire video here:


I realize that there are so many products that I love but couldn't mention. I also realized that in the video, I forget to talk about two things that are actually right there! That's what happens, I guess, when you just wing things through. The first one is a hand cream: Rose of Bulgaria Hand Cream and the other is Nars Laguna Bronzer.

I also want to do a special mention to NEOM Candles because I enjoyed them so much this year. Although I wanted to stock up when I went to London, I just couldn't find them anywhere in the department stores I visited. I may have to just order it online! But really, NEOM candles have been just amazing and I highly recommend them as well.

On a final note, I wish everyone a Happy New Year! 2013 has been one heck of a year. Thank you to all my subscribers, readers, and followers. I truly appreciate all of your feedback! I hope to continue blogging next year with better content and format on both my blogs and Youtube channel.

I hope all of you the best in 2014 :)

Leave a Comment benefit, bioderma, bourjois, ciate, deborah lippmann, diptyque, essie, estee lauder, favorites, hourglass, jo malone, laura mercier, life update, lifestyle, mario badescu, Naked, Nars, new years, rimmel, Urban Decay

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Discovery Product #4 BOURJOIS Healthy Balance Matte Unifying Powder

picture came out a little saturated. the picture below is more true to color

The best finishing powder I've tried thus far. This is a recent purchase from a Paris drugstore called Monoprix and I talk about this in my French Drugstore and Pharmacy haul here.

I've tried many a high-end products (Kevyn Aucoin, Hourglass, MAC, Benefit, Chanel, etc.,) but for the price and result, I'm going to place the crown on this gem. The Bourjois Healty Balance Matte 10hr Unifying Powder is an amazingly fine-milled pigmented finishing powder that gives you a natural and matte finish without looking even the slightest bit cakey. The coverage is light, but buildable. I suggest it as a finishing or a touch-up powder, and not intended for coverage.

I love this to finish up my makeup. It seriously ends off all your makeup with a final note. Then, as a touch-up, it just keeps you looking fresh and matte. I love the velvety kind of makeup for the winter and colder days, and this does the job.

swatch. can you see how finely milled it is? love! love! love!

Bourjois is a bit hard to get in the States. Not impossible, of course. So, if you are ever across in the UK or Paris, go pick this up. You honestly won't regret it! There isn't that many color choices, but I found one that works just perfectly. You can get away with not getting the exact shade anyway because it blends so beautifully with the skin. The shade I bought is 53, Light Biege. 

 This has followed me around all over my trip in Europe and even back home. It's a hand-bag essential for days I'm out for more than 8+ hours! Has anyone tried this? x

Leave a Comment bourjois, discovery product, drugstore, finishing powder, monoprix, paris, powder, setting powder

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2013 Ciate Advent Calendar

The Ciaté Mini Mani Month Advent Calendar was the first advent calendar I had bought. Unlike the purpose of an advent calendar (counting down the days 'till Christmas), I ended up opening all the little trinkets the day I bought the box. I had never bought or tried Ciaté nail polish before, but I always thought their colors were lovely.

I'm all for mini nail polish sizes. For all the options and nail polishes we buy, I wonder how many of us can finish the whole bottle before it goes all icky and gooey? And the collection of nail polishes keep piling up and soon, you start feeling guilty for spending and buying so much before even finishing them! Bleh. So, I suggest a smaller sized nail polish which allows consumers to buy more, try more, and spend less. Voila!

So, this Ciaté mini nail polish set was ideal for me. The price was affordable ($58) for 24 nail polishes you get to try. I've tried about six or seven of them already. I've picked my favorite four of them (going left to right):

• Tweed and tails - a perfect military khaki green
• Main Stage - plum, plum, plum is all
• Snow Globe - best extra layer of sparkle texture/ it looks like glass in your nails
• Boudoir - the reddest of the red, the truest of them all/ reminds me of Marilyn Monroe
• follow my Instagram and you can see how the colors look on my hands aka swatches

The box also came with the little filter looking plastics so you can use the caviar pearls without spilling them all over. I still haven't mastered how to wear them and make them look good, but they are pretty to just look at!

Ciaté in general has lasting-power (like really long lasting-power), great easy to use brush (by far, one of the best), and lovely colors. It is pricey, but if you get it as a set like this, I think it's quite worth the money. 

I am sure to pick another one of these for next year! It probably is also a perfect gift idea to give to a friend :) 

Leave a Comment christmas, ciate, nails

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Ellie goes to London PART I. Drugstore Haul

Ellie goes to London, PART ONE is going to be a beauty/skincare haul. I did a bit of affordable skincare and makeup shopping when I was in London. There aren't too much you can't get in the States, but there sure are price differences in some. When I first saw the BOOTS store in the airport, I was thrilled. For all you British readers, you'd think I was joking! It would be the same if any of you Brits thought CVS or Duane Reade was thrilling. But seriously, I was just way too excited for Boots. I soon learned however, that depending on which store you go to, it's quite different.

I stayed right around Portobello Road, which was such a cute quaint town. I bought a few bits from the Boots store there, but I mainly bought mine from a Boots around Covent Garden.

This haul also has products bought from John Lewis which seemed like a Macy's here, and bought the Antipodes mask from Selfridges, and finally a Nude skincare from SpaceNK.

Watch my video here to see what I have to say about the products. It's only a haul video, so I have yet to form an opinion about all of the products. I did, though, forget to mention a Pixi product that I bought at Convent Garden. It's the Pixi Glow Tonic that bloggers have been raving about. I still have to see how it works out on me. Review will be up soon :)

2 comments antipodes, collection 2000, drugstore, lifestyle, liz earle, london, nude skincare, rimmel, sleek, soap and glory

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When in Paris... Drugstore and Pharmacy Haul from CityPharma and MonoPrix

I came back from my trip to London, Paris, and Strasbourg last night and the first thing I knew I had to do was find some way to organize the blogposts I will be posting about my trip, experience, food, and haul. Since I am mainly a beauty blogger, I thought I'd get right on to blogging and filming my haul videos.



Watch the Youtube video of the Haul: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y79r2nM8AqA 

The first one up is my French Pharmacie and Drugstore haul. This is mainly from Paris, and mainly from two stores. One is from a place called CityPharma on Rue du Four which seems to be one of the best bargained pharmacy in Paris. From far, I could see the huge crowd in the store and I knew it meant business. The other store is a store called Monoprix which is where I mostly bought my makeup bits.

Although I wanted to buy Bourjois when I was at Boots in the UK, my sister convinced me it'd be cheaper in Paris. So, I waited and as soon as I walked into Monoprix I filled it with a Happy Light Foundation, Healthy Balance Matte Unifying Powder, Mineral Radiance Pressed Powder, Black Jack Clubbing Mascara, Chocolate Bronzer.

Here are the pictures of the makeup as promised in my video.

Bourjois Mineral Radiance 02 Vanilla

Bourjois Happy Light foundation in Light Beige

Healthy Balance Powder in 53 Light Beige

By far, one of the best touchups I've used for such an affordable price! 

Here is also the perfume from Nuxe that I mentioned in the video but forgot to show. I have been chucking this in my bag and spritzing it to feel fresh, ladylike, and pretty! It's quite pricey but this smaller sized deluxe size is perfect for me. 

The rest of the CityPharma haul is all the same as is the video. The reviews of some of the products will soon follow. But until then, this will have to do! Also, look out for my UK Drugstore Haul coming soon :) I'm also going to do a lifestyle post and recommendations of where to stay, go, and eat in London, Paris, and Strasbourg.

4 comments bioderma, bourjois, cleanser, french, french pharmacy, french pharmacy haul, la roche-posay, lifestyle, london, nuxe, parfum, paris, pharmacie, strasbourg, toner, vacation, zinc

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Life Update #4 . Life in Instagram Pictures

Sorry I've been away for so long! It was FINALS week, and it's been a stressful and tough month but it's all over now and in celebration, I thought I'd give you a little update on what's been going on. Also, wanted to give you a little heads-up on what to expect on my blog from now 'till the end of the year. Can you even believe it's almost the end of the year?! Yikes.

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you some bits of my life. First, it's been 95% of this no doubt:

Of course, I made sure to put on a lovely candle by Diptyque so that I can ease into studying. I took the "study 'till I die" method the last year and came to the conclusion that I wasn't going to study that way. That's why I gave myself more pamper time and relaxing time than before. By pampering, I also mean eating delicious things like:

A delicious well-brewed vanilla cappuccino is an instant wake-me-up! It's my favorite drink, and I get my little heart-drawn coffees from either Starbucks or SweetLeaf :)

And, of course the sweeties that bring a source of jolliness into life. These brownies and blondies are SO GOOD. They are from a company called "Fat Witch", and I highly recommend y'all try it out! I am a brownie mania, and so when I see a company get it right, it makes me happy! I recommend the original Fat Witch Brownie. It always seems to be sold out when I try to get them... That's the only downfall.

 And yes. Eggs Benedict. Delish, delisssh, delicious! Just look at it, won't you? I recommend the one at Cafe Henri for one of the bests I've tried :)

And before I knew it, it was Christmas season. I still haven't got a proper tree up in the living room, but I did put one up in my study room. It's small, and I can't find any fairy lights! Grr. So, it's just there with its bobbles and not much glamor to it, but it'll have to do for now. You can read my blog post from last Christmas season and the tree I decorated here. I also had to take a picture of these alleys/streets that sell freshly cut fraser firs! Goodness, how christmasy they made me feel :)

Oh, and never forget candles for the holiday! Candles are just 100x better in the winter, and 10000x better during the holidays. I've been liking the sweet and cozy kinds, like Bath & Body Works' "Marshmallow Fireside" and their "Winter" scents.

And because I'm a beauty girl, and I love makeup so much, I did make some recent purchases that I'm excited to blog about. Also, if you didn't know, I'm a huge Catbird fan and recently they had a crazy 4-hour flash sale of one of their new ring: Black Onyx Teardrop Ring. 50% off. That's just crazy, and of course I bought and by far, it's actually my favorite ring from all the gzillion rings I've acquired over the past few years. I love it THAT much.

And, yes. I did jump in the crazy for the Naked 3 palette by Urban Decay. They just go home run on these palettes, don't they?

So, that's pretty much my life update. You can follow me on Instagram username: EtherealEllie. I love the feedback I get on Instagram :) Here's me dwindling in peace after the finals were over! #PEACE

And for further exciting news I want to share! *drum roll**********

I am leaving for Europe tomorrow! I am planning to go to London and Paris for two weeks, and I just can't wait. I've been counting down the days, minutes, and seconds for this very day and I can't express just how happy I am to be going to the UK and France. I've been to both countries before, and did stay mainly around the cities, but I just never get tired of them. Nope! I'm also visiting Strasbourg for a day or two. *THRILLED*

I would love it if anyone had recommendations of places to go, things to eat, and whatever! I'm all open to recommendations :) I've been stalking my favorite UK bloggers for places to go eat and visit. If any of my followers are from UK or France, let me know! And I will definitely be picking up GOODIES (as in BEAUTY PRODUCTS) while my stay there. I'm going to try to blog every moment I have in Europe. Look out for nice pictures (and VIDEOS on Youtube) *hopefully*!

Leave a Comment bathandbodyworks, candles, catbird, catbirdnyc, christmas, coffee, england, food, france, holiday, life update, lifestyle, Naked, naked 3, travel, Urban Decay

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