Swatches: Illamasqua Naked Strangers Collection

 ''A place where alter egos are laid bare and naked flesh is a source of unashamed inspiration. In this delicate tipping point between intimacy and pleasurable detachment, we revel in the unknown; exploring the distance between pure Monogamous, gilded Faithful and uninhibited Swinger. Exposed nude tones, adorned with rich licks of gold, leave you gasping for more. Don’t restrain yourself. Unless, of course, you enjoy it.'' (Illamasqua)

Illamasqua and their collections: I don't know what I'm more excited to see - the products from the collection or the promo shots. Isn't this gilded, smokey eyed beauty just perfect?

Illamasqua's latest collection called Naked Strangers didn't disappoint me in any category. In fact, it's one of my favorite collections from Illamasqua so far - at least when it comes to the products. The collection consists of three nail varnish shades (£13.50 per shade), one cream and one powder blusher (£16.50 each), one intense and one sheer lipgloss (£13.00 each).

Here's what I got from the collection:

- Nail Varnish in Swinger

- Powder Blusher in Naked Rose

- Sheer Lipgloss in Intimacy

Illamasqua Nail Varnish, Swinger, 2 coats

Swinger nail polish shade is described as glistening platinum gold. I agree. With one little adjustment: it's a platinum gold foil. I've seen MANY silver foils, but this is the first gold foil that actually deserves this label. I expected it to be one of those sheer polishes that need 4 coats for full opacity and I'm glad I was wrong. It only took 2 coats of Swinger to get the effect you see on the photo above. This is one of the best Illamasqua nail varnishes I've tried. The application was super easy. I like the formula and brush as well. There's really nothing bad I can say about it. I only wish it was more 'my kind of color'.

Illamasqua, Powder Blusher, Naked Rose

Naked Rose is described as neutral beige brown. Yes, I can see pink, brown, peach... it is neutral. And it would look good on just about anyone. This is another product that won me over completely. Not just because it's well pigmented and soft - the color is perfect! If you want a good neutral/natural blusher, this is the one for you. I'm not kidding.

Illamasqua, Sheer Lipgloss in Intimacy

Sheer lipgloss in Intimacy is another hit. I forgot to take a photo of the product up close, but you can see it on the photo above with the other products. Here's how it went down - I asked my sister to try it. She did and she said: I love it. Thanks! And now it's gone. Well, to be honest I'm not a huge fan of lipglosses and I think my sister knows better since she's actually wearing them. =) I do know this gloss is not too sticky and it's not as sheer as the name would suggest. I would actually consider wearing this one, but it gets all messy when my hair sticks to the lips... and you know the rest.

I know Illamasqua is all about expressing the alter-ego and using bold colors, but I have to admit this was a nice change. iLike. 

Naked Strangers collection is available since today (May 31st) on Illamasqua website.

*Products were sent to me by the company.

Thanks for looking and commenting!

American Apparel - Mount Royal

It's time for my favorite American Apparel shade - Mount Royal. I went crazy over it the same second I first laid my eyes on it and with a little help of my American friend IceRozie, it was soon all mine.

Yes, American Apparel website scares me (it's mainly the photos of the girls wearing the clothes *shivers*), but this polish is a sheer joy! The bottle is nice and big (15 mL), the color is gorgeous and the quality of the polish is superb. Easy and flawless application, polish opaque in 2 coats, good brush and formula - what else could a girl want?

American Apparel, Mount Royal, 2 coats

Do you have a favorite American Apparel shade?

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Swatches: Niju Girl Pretty Doll's Lips by Konad

Did you know about the new decorative cosmetics  line by Konad called Niju Girl? I didn't until Maja from Ličila.si sent me these lipsticks. Anyway, I did some swatches and I thought it would be nice to share them with you.

Niju Girl Pretty Doll's Lips line consists of 5 lipstick shades: Red Queen, Nude Pink Brown (I messed up the name on the swatch photo, sorry), Hollywood Star, Secret Girl and Ballerina Pink.

Swatch time! This photo shows the colors of the lipsticks best. It's better to swatch them on the hand, I think - 'cause we all have different color of lips...

Ballerina Pink

Nude Pink Brown

Hollywood Star

Red Queen

Secret Girl

All these lipsticks are surprisingly opaque. By the look of the packaging, I almost expected they would only be a tinted version of lipbalm and boy, I was wrong. They're creamy and glide on the lips smoothly. That usually means they're not the most long-lasting, but I didn't wear them long enough to tell for sure. I searched for these lipsticks on Konad website, but I couldn't find them. I'm not sure where international ladies can get them, but I do know that Slovenian ladies can buy them in online store Ličila.si for 7.95 € a piece.

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Weekly Sum-Up #29

Sentence of the week: Damn, I'm tired! I really am. I wanna sleeeeeeeep. 

Talking about sleep. Arya is a queen of sleeping in the most awkward positions. This is how I found her the other day.

And that's one of the more or less 'normal' sleeping poses of her. 

Since I'm already talking about my cats - Aishila's been at the vet on Friday. They needed to take out the stiches. I was at work, so my mother took her. I called her after they came home and asked what he said. He basically said there's no hope for her. I was so sad, I started crying and I thought I was gonna loose my mind. I know I need to keep my spirits high, I need to keep believing, but it's so hard when someone tells you it's all in vain. I'm just waiting to get the EnergyVet remedies for her. That's my only hope.

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Confession of the week: 

I like the boys from One Direction. I know I'm too old for this boyband craze, but I really think they're cute, funny and real. I wanna pinch their cheeks. Plus, they're quite good singers.

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Movie of the week: Lars von Trier - Melancholia

This movie is a good reflection of my state of mind. Happines, sadness, not giving a damn, depression, thinking about life, end of the world... and accepting it. I get Justine. She thinks like I do.

This movie is not for everyone, but it is hauntingly beautiful. I love Kirsten and Alexander is not bad either. I love the story and I love the Wagner music. A piece of art indeed.

''Life is only on Earth. And not for long.''

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Book of the week: Vinko Möderndorfer - Ljubezni Sinjebradca

I read a book by Slovenian writer this time. I don't know if it's been translated to English, but if it has, I would recommend it to you as well. And BTW: I read the Farseer trilogy. It kind of broke my heart, but I get sad and depressed so quickly it doesn't even matter. ;)

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Posts of the week:

Check out this amazing Ribbonesque eye look by Killer Colours.

Elsa from Like a Candy Shop Blue My Mind. With her nail polish and her gorgeous photos.

Depend has released 12 holographic and 12 magnetic polish shades, according to Feline from Alizarine Claws. WoW. Now that's what I call a collection!

Vampires are still in. Viktorija from Vique's Varnish showed us Into the Dark. Plus, there's a bonus photo of her fabulous cat. <3

Who likes kittens? You do? Then you really need to check out Purrrpolish. Polish and cats. It can't get better than that.

Here's a new blog to follow - Beauty in My Mind.

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Music of the week:

''...you think you're loving but I want to be free.''

Thanks for looking and commenting!

New Illamasqua Skin Base Shades

I just dropped by to tell you about the new Illamasqua Skin Base shades. Yes, Illamasqua released 7 new shades of their foundation. Now you'll be able to find just the right shade for your skin tone.

Take the opportunity - buy Skin Base foundation and receive 50% off any powder blusher, cream blusher or bronzing duo (this is a limited-time offer!).

And another thing ... a little birdie told me about the new Illamasqua collection for summer. It's gonna be called Naked Strangers. Can't wait to see it! What about you?

My current favorite: NYX Doll Eye Mascara in Long Lash

Mascara is definitely among my favorite make up items. Even if I'm not in a make up applying mood, I'll always do my brows and lashes. It's a must for me - otherwise I look like a mouse. My last favorite mascara was Max Factor 2000 Calorie. And now I have a new favorite. It's NYX Doll Eye Mascara in Long Lash. Doll Eye mascaras come in three different variations: long lash, volume and waterproof (all in black color). I only tried the long lash one and I don't know about the effect of other two.

''Hello doll-face! For irresistibly fluttery eyelashes, try this mascara on for size. Doll Eye Mascara uses a unique blend of natural oils, Vitamin E and nylon fibers to extend eyelashes to almost faux proportions. Choose from lengthening, volumizing or waterproof versions.'' (NYX) 

NYX Doll Eye Mascara  in Long Lash has quite a unique brush, as you can see on the photo below. I'm not sure what's it supposed to do (probably to give length to the lashes) but that's not why I'm talking about it. If you look closely, you can see the little fibers on it. Yep, it's a mascara that contains fibers. I was a bit sceptic about it at first, thinking that fibers would get in my eyes, but it's not that bad. Since the fibers are in the liquid-y thing (that is mascara), they don't float around as with those lash powder thingies.

I've been using this mascara pretty much every day for the last couple of months. What can I say, I really like the effect. This mascara does flake a little, but that's probably 'cause I touch my eyes all the time. I'm not gonna say it's a holy grail product, but it's definitely one of my favorites. I used it in my Wet n Wild Lust Palette post and for my Lana del Rey inspired make up post. Here it is on it's own:

I know I already asked you about it, but I'm gonna do it again: Which is your current favorite mascara?

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Gradient Manicure with S-he and Color Club

All the cool kids are doing it. Gradient nails, that is.

I tried to do a gradient manicure, but there's no way I can compete with The Swatchaholic. Just look at her magnificent and 'there's-no-words-for-this-level-of-awesome' manicures:

- summery diagonal gradient mani

- skittle gradient

Yep, I almost died. It makes my manicure not worthy of showing it to you. But hey, I get points for trying, right? For my poor gradient, I used S-he nail polish in 247 and Color Club in Power Play. I used a sponge for dishwashing hence the rough gradient look. I think I'll use a make up sponge next time. If there ever will be a next time.

I used to enjoy doing my nails so much. And now the fun is almost gone. But I bet it will come back some day. Oh and another thing. I used a neon polish for my gradient manicure. Didn't think that one through. It was a pain in the ass to photograph. A pain in the ass indeed.

EDIT: Check out this great gradient manicure tutorial by The Nailasaurus.

I want to thank all of you for your kind words, your prayers and thoughts on my Aishila post. It's nice and calming to hear from all the good people that are reading my blog. Thank you! I'm working on getting some extra special remedies (Thank you, Aelin!). I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope it works. Aishila's wound is healing well and she's already acting like a little devil, chasing around with Arya. And here they are - at their afternoon nap. Arya haz a happy. =)

Thanks for looking and commenting!

My Little One

There will be no weekly sum-up this time. I had a very rough week and it was all about my little one - Aishila.

Aishila was born in June 2007. Her mother was a 13-year old cat of not so great healt. Aishila barely lived through the first weeks of her life. I had to wash her eyes and nose with chamomile tea multiple times a day, but she made it. She gets ill really fast though and she had some other conditions as well - multiple colds, broken rib, full anal glands... She's been on antibiotics a lot of times. 

This week I took her to the vet because of the weird swelling that she had on the side of her body. The vet said it's probably hernia. He also said that no vet in their right mind would give her anesthesia, her lungs were too weak for that. He told me to come back the next day and get another opinion. So I did. Two more vets said it's hernia. They would have to operate her. I was heart-broken. I knew we had to do this, but there was a chance she'd never wake up again. It was supposed to be my decision. They told me to leave her there so they could take some x-rays. They would call me later and tell me what would be best to do. 

An hour later - no call. I asked my sister to call them, because I was too emotional to do it myself. There was no vet available. She called them again 2 hours later. Nothing. Three hours later she finally got to talk to the vet. He said he opened Aishila up (without my permission) and there's nothing he can do. One of her lungs collapsed and the swelling wasn't hernia but an edema. All the colds took their toll. He asked what we wanted to do. He was prepared to euthanize her right away. And I said no. No way. I wanted to get her home. 

My little one is breathing with one lung. Her breathing is weak, but she lived through the operation. Third day after the operation, she's just like always - she caught a mouse the other day, she fights with Arya, she eats and sleeps. She's a curious little thing. 

I know the bills are gonna be high again, but you know - she's worth it. Every day with her is worth it. She's not the biggest, the prettiest or the healtiest cat, but she's a fighter and she's mine. And I'm not going to fail her.

If anyone has any information on cats with one lung - care, nutrition ... anything, I'd be very grateful if you could share it with me. Thank you!

S-he Stylezone 247 + Essence Punk Royal (Rock Coat, Rebels TE)

I know I said some bad things about the new S-he Stylezone polishes, but I just couldn't leave this one on the shelf. It's the colors that I'm mostly drawn to lately - not blue, not purple but something in between. I still don't know where to put it. It looked blue when I purchased it, but now it looks purple. I don't know, so lets just say it's blurple.

I still hate the fact they changed the bottle shape and I hate the fact they don't name the polishes. Polishes with names are better. Even if it's that annoying long with lots of dashes type of name OPI likes to give to their shades. I'd be more satisfied with anything, anything but a number. But lets not dwell on the things we cannot change. The color of this polish obviously won me over immediately, but what about the quality? You'll be happy to hear I was very pleasantly surprised. The formula and brush are both very good. So is the drying time and opacity. I have nothing bad to say about it - quality wise.

S-he Stylezone, 247, 2 coats

While I was at the store, I checked for the new Essence trend editions. No luck there, but I did manage to find a rock coat from the Rebels TE. I saw it in a store before, but I thought it was just a black-ish polish. It wasn't until later when I saw it has a black hexagonal glitter in it and then I wanted to have it. It reminds me of a veil. I like it!

S-he Stylezone, 247, 2 coats + Essence, Punk Royal, 1 coat

What do you say about my latest buys?

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Barry M - Magnetic Nail Paint

Barry M recently released something we've seen before, but it's still pretty awesome: four magnetic polishes aka nail paints. Yes, I would love to see more colors, but I'm satisfied with these as well. Each polish shade comes with a different magnet pattern (as you can see on the photo below).

Magnetic Nail Paint, Blue, 2 coats

Magnetic Nail Paint, Burgundy, 2 coats

Magnetic Nail Paint, Dark Silver, 2 coats

Magnetic Nail Paint, Purple (Violet), 2 coats

All the polishes are pretty much opaque in one coat, but I used 2 for a good effect. The magnets are great. They really work immediately. My favorite is the 'burgundy' one, but they're all working as they should be. I'm quite impressed by these, I have to say. 

I got these polishes from Slovenian online store Licila.si for swatches. You can buy these polishes in the same store (if you're from Slovenia) or you can go directly to Barry M website.

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Review: BeautyBird - Stick Up Nail Foils

Here's another review of a product by a German brand BeautyBird. This time it's self-adhesive nail foil. I can't for the life of me find this style on their website... but you can check out all the styles HERE. Don't forget to use the sidebar (on the left) to navigate through different themes (animal, classic, moon, spring, football, etc.).

This is the style I got. I'm not sure how it's called. It's a brick orange base with black writing on it: ''Love is sweet, but it's nice to have bread with it.'' It looks a lot like this papercut by jolene. Well, it looks almost exactly like that papercut. There's a set of 22 self-adhesive nail foils in the package along with a nail file.

Close up of the design:

The application is quite simple: choose the right size of nail foil for your nail, remove foil by using the small flap, apply the foil to your nails, file off the excess and apply a layer of top coat. Simple as that. I must say I'm not to comfortable wearing these foils. I'm always afraid they would start lifting... That's why I decided not to wear it to work. I can't tell you how long these foils lasted on me, but I do know I had some great experience with some other self-adhesive nail foils style in the past - read about it here.

You can buy these self-adhesive nail foils on BeautyBird website for 9.00 €.

*The product was sent to me by the company.

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Catrice - In the Bronx

Let's see what the Bronx looks like.

Catrice, In the Bronx, 3 coats

I like the color, the formula and the brush (it's one of the old ones, flat and not too bushy; the new ones are just crap). I hate the fact it needs 3 coats to get the right opacity. That's usually the case with this kind of metallic/frosty shades. I have to try it over black as well, 'cause I think one of you (readers) told me to. =) I just have it somewhere in the back of my mind - try it over black!

I have no idea what colors I used for this make up look, but it was in my photo vault and I guess I wanted to show it to you. I like wearing bronze/golden colors on my eyes. I think they look great with green eyes. These shades (gold/bronze) are actually flattering for any eye color: blue, green or brown.

Have you tried In the Bronx nail polish? Do you bother with 3-coaters?

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Weekly Sum-Up #28

Wazap? Hope you're all doing OK, dear ones. I'm not gonna complain, so let's go straight to the ...

Reading! I'm not sure who directed me to this trilogy by Robin Hobb, but I'm glad they did. I was completely in love with the first and second book. I kind of had a crush on the main character as well. Now I'm going through the third part. It's not my favorite and I don't like the way story is developing, but it's still a very interesting read. I strongly suggest you to read these. P.S.: These are from the fantasy genre.

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I bought this silicone facial cleansing pad on Ebay and I don't feel like writing a whole post about it. I tried it out and I don't know what all the fuss is about. It's OK, but it didn't make my face feel heavenly smooth or anything. And no, it didn't remove the blackheads either. If you want one, you can get it on Ebay for $0.99 (buy it now, free shipping).

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For the crochet loving ladies: I got these crochet hooks on Ebay for $3.95 (buy it now, free shipping). Yep, all of them for a mere 4 bucks. 12 hooks in 12 different sizes.

Here's a necklace I made using one of the Ebay hooks. It's not as I wanted it to be, so I'll probably make a new one.

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Posts of the week:

Kellie made me wanna 'eat a sandwich' after seeing her adorable Teal Marshmallow Sandwich.

Elsa posted a gorgeous Pupa Denim Blue holographic polish.

The Nailasaurus went all in - into the art of gradient nails. Wanna see how to do a gradient mani?

I don't really know what Avengers movie is about, but I love this Black Widow make up Jangsara created.

Check out these Layla Mirror Effects chrome nail polish shades on More Nail Polish. Awesome!

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See this list of 10 best travel destinations for 2012. Maybe it's time for you to finally visit Slovenia. =)

Cats and sleeping. Winning combination. Arya could be one of these cats. 

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Photo of the week:

My mother's rhododendron.

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Video of the week:

I believe I still haven't told you about my latest movie experience. I went to see Titanic in 3D. Please, don't ask me why... It wasn't my favorite movie when I first saw it and it certainly isn't my favorite now. I must say it was the worst 3D movie I ever saw. Well, the movie is the same, but the 3D effect is just... laughable. My boyfriends TV converts 2D to 3D better than that. Yes, it was a 'face-palm' situation.

Thanks for looking and commenting!

Ebay Buy: Ear Cuff

Here's one of the latest items I got on Ebay - silver toned ear cuff.

I haven't noticed it before I tried this cuff, but my ear is really weirdly shaped. I don't have the right 'ear fold' for this kind of jewellery. That's not gonna stop me from wearing it though. I like it and I'm gonna make it work.

I got this ear cuff for $1.04 (on auction, free shipping).

Thanks for looking and commenting!