Favorite ESSIE Nail Polishes




I don't know if I'm making the leap into the Essie world and discontinuing my loyalty to Butter London nail polishes, but what's for sure is that Essie nail polishes are really starting to grow on me. Their vast range of color choices and the fact that they are more affordable, makes me like them... a lot. But recently, I find that Essie polishes have become easier to paint on and longer-lasting (although I do think keeping nail polishes on 3 days at a time would be the best for nails)!

I have three small shelves of nail polishes. I won't even count how many fits into those three shelves because I don't want to face the fact that over 3 years, I've been collecting quite a few. But, I do know that I have a hefty amount of Essie nail polishes. I've chosen a few of my favorite shades, although I am far from having tried even 1/4th of their range!

I've got a few on my mind as a next purchase, but until then, here are my faves! Faves as in, I'd repurchase them again and again and again. I haven't got the really famous ones, but these are shades that are right up my street and complement my skin tone exceptionally well :)

topless & barefoot, maxmillian strasse-her, bahama mama, absolutely shore, under where, casablanca

  • Bahama Mama -- best (slight) burgundy (real) plum purple shade out there 
  • Topless & Barefoot -- best nude pink, ever
  • Absolutely Shore -- sea foam summer, that's what it reminds me of
  • Under Where? -- prettiest lavender with a bunch of pink in it!
  • Maximillian Strasse-her -- gray green chic-ness
  • Casablanca -- those crazy days when you want your nails to shout
If you want to see them on, you can just search it up in the search bar on my blog :) I probably have a post for most of them. In the pictures below, I am wearing maximillian strasse-her which I love so much. 



Wishlist #6⎪beauty & others

There is something lovely about putting wish list products in a visual collage. These are some of the things that I've been dreaming about :)


  1. Tom Ford Wild Ginger
  2. Chanel Les Bieges
  3. Longchamp Le Pilage Backpack
  4. Pashley Cycles Britannia 
  5. Charlotte Tilbury Golden Goddess eye palette

Brand Focus⎪LORD & BERRY





A brand I wanted to talk about for the longest time is Lord & Berry cosmetics. It's a brand you don't hear about too often on beauty blogs, and especially in the US beauty world. I'm still not sure whether it is a UK brand or an Italian brand but what's for sure is that these products are made in Italy. I became aware of the product after Lisa Eldridge the goddess of makeup she is, used one of their lip liners in one of her beauty videos. What sold me was that the lip liner in the shade "Mandarin" which I actually have, was used on Kiera Knightley.


So what do I love about their products? Let's start with the packaging, shall we? I just love their sleek box packaging! The font is just super flattering. I couldn't throw away the boxes because I just thought they were so sleek and too cute to throw away. 

But aside from the design of these things, their products are honestly amazing! There aren't too many places you can buy them at. Their website definitely isn't the place to get them. I got all of my Lord & Berry from Hautelook but I also know that they sell some (SOME) of these on ASOS. I first bought a lipstick in the shade 60s Pink Vogue. The color was hands down, one of the prettiest bright pink ever. The pigmentation was intense, and once you apply it, you don't feel it on your lips. It's vibrantly there on your lips, but you don't feel it. It's great! This shade is from their vogue lipstick line, which is their semi-matte line. I heard so many compliments when I wore this lipstick, and I even let my friends try it on, just so they can see how amazing it also felt! 

I loved this lipstick so much, I just waited for the day Hautelook would sell them again on their website. When the opportunity came, I kind of went a little cray and got a bunch.


The lipstick below is a shade called Rose nu. This formulation is the same as the shade Secret Garden, from the line INTENSITY. You can see from the swatches that they are a bit shinier and glossier. But that doesn't mean that their pigmentation is any less sheer. I love the shade Rose nu because it gives you the I-have-nothing-on-my-lips-but-it-is-well-kept-and-one-toned. What in the world do I mean? Haha. Well, you know those days when you don't want to put any color on your lips; when you feel like your lip color looks really nice with the makeup you have on? But, at the same time, you find that your lips look a bit too bare? Then, this shade Rose nu seems to be that perfect shade that is a real your-lips color. 

Not a nude. Not a pink. Just right.

Before I splurged on Lord & Berry lip products, I did search up a few blogposts to know what to get. Most of the British beauty bloggers seem to rave in unison about their sheer Twistick. It's like their lip crayon line. I thought I'd try the shade Rock & Rose which is a bright pink as well. It isn't too neon pink as it look but actually quite wearable on a daily basis! It is definitely moisturizing and sheerer than their lipsticks. It is something you can easily slap on. But it isn't completely sheer. I'd say it was medium pigmentation. 

Another lip product that is constantly in my bag nowadays (August favorite?) is this lip crayon thing. It's crazy but I don't actually know the name of this product! All I see on the pencil is a number, so you can refer to that if you're interested in buying this exact shade. But considering how tan I am, I didn't think this nude pink would work with my skin tone but it does! It gives that pinky nude lips that I want -- a feminine, lovely illusion haha. It is super creamy and thick. What I like to do with this one is tap tap on my lips and smudge it by pursing my lips together. 


Seeing these pictures, I'm starting to think that maybe I did splurge... a lot. But they are just so good that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try a range of their products. In terms of pencils-- I've got both lip liners and eyeliners. Their eyeliners aren't the best, but they are good. I use the black one all the time. The gray one, I only bought because Lisa Eldridge mentioned it, but I find that it doesn't really work well on me. The nude pencil is just a necessity! I love it for brightening the eyes. 

The lipliners are nice and waxy. I bought an orange one (Mandarin-- the one Lisa Eldridge used on Keira Knightley) and a red one because I feel that for these two shades, you need a lip liner! 

Finally, a blush. The shade sun kissed is supposed to give you that summer glow without actual pearls or shimmer in them. I thought it'd be good for that blush+bronzer shade where you can achieve two things at once. Unfortunately, the shade is a bit too dark for me. I'm still seeing if it is working for me but so far, it's taken a seat all the way in the back of my makeup drawer! 


... and that is all! That was a lot, but I did want to introduce this brand for those folks who haven't really heard about them. I love them loads and if you ever get the chance, try some when they become available on Hautelook. Not sure when, but I'm sure they will sell again soon! Otherwise, check other websites like ASOS or Urban Outfitters. xx






Discovery Product #7. SPECIAL HEALING POWDER as a PRIMER


This is for the peeps who have been having trouble keeping their makeup on... on those days with the hormonal breakouts! I'm here with a good news :)



I took an endlessly horrible skin week to find something that would help me look decent and presentable. I have been having such bad skin after I came back from California. Don't know what it is, but when I was in Cali, my skin was behaving so nicely and right when I come back-- it's completely gone!

After doing my usual routine, I decided it was time for change. I did switch up my skincare routine, which helped my skin immensely but something else that has been helping me look quite good-skin'ed is a new healing powder that I've had for a long time, stored away in my cabinet.

It is the Mario Badescu (can I talk about this brand enough?.... no!) Special Healing Powder. I bought this, opened it, and found it made the biggest mess and so I had stored it away. Perhaps I used it twice before, each time saying... "it's good, but it makes such a mess!" and not using it again.



But recently, my skin has been producing so much oil and I was getting painful acne around my chin. I tried hydrating my skin, detoxing it, and doing all sorts of stuff. But nothing was really working, and even my well-beloved Benefit Porefessional couldn't keep up with my skin! Makeup was just dying on me... cracking, melting, and patching away!

So out of the blue, I thought I'd try the MB Special Healing Powder underneath my makeup... as a primer. Although it did make such a mess, I stuck with it. I powdered my face and I did look a bit like a clown! But after I powdered my face evenly, I then went on to apply my Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer... finish it off with the Tarte Amazonian Clay Powder Foundation. Maybe I'll do a separate post on this new foundation routine, but seriously... effective.

The Special Healing Powder is this loose greenish powder. It says on the packaging that: "it is a sulfur based powder that will help not only control excess oils and reduce redness, but will also disinfect and heal blemishes."

I recommend it for the oily-sensitive skinned gals, or for those that are going through that skin-irritation caused by hormonal breakouts period. The green powder, as a primer, helps reduce the redness in the face. Then, when you apply foundation you will see that you skin looks so much healthier, velvety, and the makeup lasts so long.

And what is better than knowing that underneath the makeup you have on (all day, even) is this Special Healing Powder that is constantly working to heal your irritated skin? It reduces oil indeed! And helps with the pore coverage! And, it disinfects and HEALS blemishes.

I don't care if this powder gets everywhere and makes a mess! If this is the result that I am getting, I'm sticking with it! xxx

If the applicator is too much of a hassle and mess, you can use a brush or what not. Also, I know some people use this on top of makeup to set it! I find that using it underneath is the best and when I do that, I don't need to reapply it on top. Also, don't be surprised at how powdery this is! I bet you will all look like a clown after applying it haha. But stick with it and keep spreading it out evenly. Make sure to use it sparingly of course. You don't want to overdo it or you might dry out your skin a bit too much. If you apply this after makeup, make sure you use a BRUSH and dust it maybe in your t-zone area. Don't use the pad applicator that it comes with or you'll end up with blots of green powder. But if you are using it underneath, no worries if you look cray. You just need to go through your next step in apply foundation. Then the green dissolves :)


JULY FAVORITES







It's a little late, but I thought I'd show you some of my July favorites. This time, it's mainly full of makeup. I actually enjoyed so much different kinds of makeup, especially since I've been on vacation. There were things that just made me happy, like the Benefit Porefessional, that I didn't feature in this post because I've been going on about it ever since I purchased it. So, I decided to keep some old things out and tell you about rediscoveries or new products I've never mentioned on my blog before! Read about the Benefit Porefessional here: http://etherealellie.blogspot.com/2014/06/battle-of-primers-benefit-porefessional.html

The first newbie is the Guerlain Terracotta Sun in the City Illuminator. I've had this for months in fact, but I've never really reached for it. I did try it a couple of times, but I didn't think I was giving it a fair chance especially since I was using it at times when my skin was acting very well. But I've been dusting this on the tops of my cheeks, tip of my nose, and the inner corners of my eyes to give my face a little shine and it's been wonderful. It is a very super creamy pigmented highlighter. The color is on the yellow side of things, I guess very well fit for its name SUN in the city. It is quite yellow as the sun, which I feel you'd have to be a little careful with. It is super pigmented so a little will go a long way, and the packaging is huge! The packaging is just beautifuuuuul but seriously, when will I ever finish it all?! 

Another product that I've been loving is the Lancome Hypnose Star mascara. If you don't know already, I love getting mascara in small sample sizes. They are the best, since a regular-sized mascara is supposed to only last about six months. I find I never completely use them up before they expire, so I like to have multiple sample mascaras. This particular one has been my absolute fave recently.  I've never tried any of Lancome's mascara, but this one I swoon over! The brush has the perfect sized bristles. I find that they really elongate and curl up my eyelashes. Because the bristles are close to each other, I also feel that it really thickens and voluminizes my eyelashes. Perfect doll eyes effect! The brush is very think at the tip, which the picture didn't quite capture, but I like the way it goes from wide to very thin. 


For face, I've been back to my Nars Sheer Glow foundation. Can't point my finger as to why I love this foundation, but I just do! The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is a great concealer no doubt, but I'm still struggling with the color! The lady at the Nars counter told me I definitely should get vanilla. My mind was set on Custard. After a bit of dilly-dallying I ended up getting the vanilla, only to find that it is way to light for me! But still, I can tell how amazing this concealer is. So super long-lasting, and gives the smoothest skin-perfecting concealing effect. I'm still missing my Collection 2000 concealer that I recently used up last month! :(


Besides these, the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar bronzer and highlighter duo is just marvelous. Perfect bronzing shade! The highlighter is great as well, with a subtle natural shade glow! I love this palette to pieces and if there is anything you should pick up from Charlotte Tilbury it is this very palette! Read more here: http://etherealellie.blogspot.com/2014/01/charlotte-tilburys-makeup-part-i.html

It seems I've been going on glow-y themed because the Benefit Coralista blush has been back in my makeup pouch. I love the shade, but what I love more is the slight gleam it has. With this blush, you don't even need a highlighter. It has that perfect amount of pearl to give you a fresh lovely face! 

The Hourglass brow sculpting pencil is super lovely! I've used it every day and I love it to pieces. Another eye product is the Jouer liquid eyeliner that I've spoke about previously. I'm almost done with it and I definitely want to get the full-size. Gives me the really natural cat eye like! Read about them here: http://etherealellie.blogspot.com/2014/04/april-favorites-giveaway.html

Besides makeup, I've been loving the Rebecca Minkoff cosmetic bag I got for $20. TWENTY-DOLLARS, can you believe that? It was sale after sale, and by the time I got to the counter, it was $20. Heck yeah! I've also opened a new Diptyque candle that I've bought Christmas season last year. It's smelling very fir-tree like, but I love that freshness. 

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