Long time no see

Oh, it's April already. No new post in March, I am so sorry about that. It's not like I don't have anything to write about, it's just I don't know, lack of motivation to update this blog? Now I don't buy as much beauty products as I used to, because I'm trying to save money for something else. Items are good and it can make you happy for a while, but experiences and good memories are much, much better. I've recently read Zoe's post about travelling and I can't agree more with her. Read it here.

Also since February I've been working for new company and I don't really have much time to dig through beauty blogs 24/7 as I used to do on my previous job (lol). Less beauty blogs reading = less feeling pressure that you NEED to own something.

Nevertheless, here are few items that I bought and loved in February/March.

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Sorbet - I've started going to gym lately and I wanted to bring body lotion with me that I can use after shower. This one is perfect, since it absorbs into skin very quickly making it soft and moisturized. It also has unobtrusive strawberry scent, so I guess even ladies who are very sensitive to scents should love it.

Lush The Kiss lip scrub - I got Lush gift card for Secret Santa during Christmas period from my ex-coworker, so I used it for this lip scrub from limited St. Valentines collection. I have never tried Lush lip scrubs before and I need to say that it is totally worth the hype! It smells like candy, removes all dry and chappy skin from my lips and makes it soft. A little big pricey, but very good product.

Ecotools Rectable Kabuki Brush - I wash my brushes once a week and sometimes it takes a lot of time for my Bellapierre kabuki brush to dry out, so getting another kabuki brush wasn't bad idea. As a result I'm using Ecotools one all the time now. Its bristles are much softer and it's easier to get even application of mineral foundation all over your face because of brush's small size.

Nars Dragon Girl Velvet Matt Lip Pencil - I don't think that this product need any introduction. "I've got that classic red lip thing that you like"- it's Taylor Swift's favorite lipstick after all ;) Red with pink undertones, similar to MAC famous Russian Red, but cruelty free matte lipstick, which lasts for very long time even if you eat/drink. Since we don't have Nars in Estonia and I didn't want to pay ridiculously high shipping cost (Net-a-porter, what the heck?), I asked my friend from UK to buy it for me. For 26 euro it's not cheap lipstick at all, but well, I really wanted red lipstick of high quality.

Best of 2014

2014 was "make up" year for me. I bought a lot, tried a lot, watched tons of videos how to use all the stuff I own. The most used brand this year was Urban Decay for me. I expanded my eye shadow collection by buying their Naked 3 and Basics palettes, used their famous eye primer potion, loved their Revolution lipstick range. I know that a lot of cruelty free beauty bloggers don't buy their products, because UD is owned by L'Oreal, but still I choose to support them. High quality products, last for a long time, can be easily bought at almost every online beauty store, is certified by the Leaping Bunny... so yeah. I love it and will use it in the future.

For base I have found my holy grail - Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation SPF15 in Warm Peach*. To tell the truth, I don't use liquid/cream foundations because I had bad experience with them in the past (they made an emphasis on dry skin areas or big pores), so for a while mineral foundations have been my best friends. If you don't know, mineral foundation looks like loose powder, but has good coverage ability. Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation is affordable, evens out my skin tone, covers everything I need (I have combination skin with dry cheeks & oily T-zone, breakouts happen time to time). 

The best concealer this year was e.l.f. Maximum Coverage Concealer*, because it is so easy to blend + definitely gives very nice coverage. Best facial primer award goes to Too Faced Primed Poreless Skin Smoothing Primer* (no parabens, makes makeup stay in place all day long). For fixing eye brows - Anastasia Beverly Hills Beverly Hills Brow Fix and for filling - Urban Decay Faint eye shadow (Naked Basics palette).

For contouring I love using The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in Medium 03 because it doesn't make my skin look orange and blends very easily. And it smells like honey, I can't get enough of it!

My most favorite blusher was Nars Orgasm, but I also love Too Faced Pink Leopard Bronzer which I bought at beautybay.com when they had Black Friday sale. Since it's too shimmery it can't be used for contouring, but it gives beautiful golden-pinky glow to the cheeks.

What about mascara? Pixi Large Lash Mascara is something I'd recommend to try if you need to add volume to your lashes. This mascara can be used by contact lenses wearers.

Next year I'm going to focus on skin/hair care products. Stay tuned!

What are yours 2014 beauty favorites?

Product marked with * are 100% vegan.

How has my make up bag changed this year

Well, it has changed. A LOT. Make up was my biggest obsession this year. I've started reading a lot of beauty bloggers and wanted to try almost all famous products. Now I have three eye shadow palettes (I used to have only one), more than 6 blushes, uncountable amount of lipsticks and empty wallet. Did I need all these things? No. I believe every woman can survive with only two lipsticks in her bag. But every time I felt sad or stressed I wanted to treat myself. Unfortunately, illusion of happiness of having new thing doesn't last too long and you find yourself constantly looking for something another to buy. In the end this shopaholic mania left me feeling guilty about spending too much. Next year I want to learn how to control my expenses.

In order to do so, I'm going to follow simple rules:

• I'll buy new make up products only in case if I run out of something. I have plenty of products to play with already. Got tired of your usual eye shadow palette? Try to create looks with shades that you don't use on regular basis (and don't lie that you don't have such shades - everyone has one or two that they don't use at all). Experiment with things that you already own.
• Focus on skincare and hair products that are affordable (of course only cruelty free and possibly vegan). Brands worth checking out: Urtekram (shampoos & conditioners), Sukin Organics (skincare, hair care), Natio (skincare), natural oils like Macadamia Oil, Avocado Oil, Coconut Oil, etc (for hair treatment).
• Avoid sales and impulsive buys. Ask yourself "Do I really need this?" all the time.
• Have budget for every month.
• Remember that not material things will make you happy, but people and interesting experiences.

The biggest step this year was learning about ugly side of beauty industry i.e. animal testing and trying to buy only from cruelty free companies. Next year I'll also try to cut my spending on brands that have non cruelty free parent companies, if 100% cruelty brands offer much better deals. In other words, next time my Urban Decay eye primer potion runs out, I'm buying shadow insurance primer from Too Faced, because hey, it's the same size as UD but much cheaper on beautybay.com (and beauty bloggers reviews tell me that quality doesn't differ much + Too Faced is 100% cruelty free).

Another big step was starting using sunscreens. Yeah, I know. I didn't used it even when I lived in Japan (and I tell you, Japanese sun is a killer for skin, especially during summer) :S Now I'm using it 365 days a year, because sun in the primary case of skin ageing and may lead to cancer.

What are yours beauty resolutions for next year?

November favorites

Nars Orgasm Blush is the most famous Nars blush and I don't believe there's anyone out there who hasn't heard about it once or twice. Early this year I followed the crowd and decided that I need "Orgasm" in my life too. After purchasing it I've been using it daily, but in summer I got Illamasqua Hussy to play with, so Orgasm was lost in the pile of cosmetics I own. But in November I got tired of bright makeup and wanted to create more natural looks, so here I am, loving Orgasm blush more than ever. In case you don't know, it's peachy pink with golden shimmer. It tends to look more pink than peachy on my skin. The pigmentation isn't very intense, so if you want the blush to show up on your cheeks you need to built the color up, but I don't see it as disadvantage, because one or two swipes will give you natural, healthy glow to your face (and I like to use it this way).

Urban Decay Naked Revolution Lipstick is a new acquisition to my makeup collection which I grabbed during sale on feelunique.com for €15. To tell the truth, I'm not fan of nude lipsticks, but I usually eat/drink a lot when I'm out with friends and bright lipsticks tend to leave marks on boyfriend's face + UD Revolution Lipstick in Naked was recommended as "perfect Autumn lipstick" by many bloggers on my bloglovin' feed, so I thought, why not to try something new? 

 Naked is warm pink nude color with opaque finish - it's like my own lip color, but better. It lasts about 4 hours and is very moisturizing which is a big plus during cold winter months. The package also looks very expensive and elegant - I love it! Urban Decay has always been like "eye shadow brand" for me, but I must admit they did quite a nice job on lipsticks too. Can't get enough of Naked ;)

Please note that both Nars and Urban Decay are cruelty free, but owned by parent companies who test on animals. Orgasm blush isn't suitable for vegans, since it contains lanolin, but Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick range is completely vegan. You can buy Nars blushes from here and UD lipsticks here.

What did you love in November?