Beauty Mistakes? When to Draw the Line?

Dear fellow beauty junkies,

This is not a review post, and it is not even me telling anyone what I think they should use or do or drink. As a matter of fact, I don't think I'm in a position to be making out rules and collecting followers in dark piggy banks, nor do I wish to be in that position.

I want to make it short and sweet, so here is my insight into what many people seem to call "beauty mistakes". Now, in my world, I think these "mistakes" are not really mistakes, unless it causes damage like fine lines, wrinkles, and all physical and irreversible kinds of damage, or any kind of damage for that matter. The way that you apply your makeup is nobody's business, and the way people apply their makeup is none of your business as well. Too thick of a liner, too dark of an eye, too much bronzer, or any other comment of such nature really is either a choice, or the path of growth of a makeup consumers. People's way of applying makeup constantly changes, and that change must come from within. Therefore, making up claims that a certain way of applying makeup is wrong is a claim to avoid. I guess the message is to let people experiment. Remember, makeup is not federal business, nail polish won't stop human trafficking, what makes makeup so much fun is its very leniency, so why fix what isn't broken, why limit people when there needs to be no limits.

Dear readers, if your way of applying makeup has changed throughout time, don't insult others and ask them to follow your path. If a certain way of application or a certain product is problematic to you, it may not be the same for other people. If you don't like a certain look, others may love it. Be tolerant, train your eyes to be able to see what displeases you without frowning. Let people form their own opinions and reach their own conclusions, its much more fun that way.

And well, yes I'm human, yes I'm not perfect, yes I may fall in the trap of forcing my favorite products on others, yes I may want the whole world to use my favorite foundation, but I am trying to change that, I am trying to become more tolerant of other people choices. I hope that you will try being more tolerant too. And if you're criticized, show tolerance towards whoever is criticizing you, but don't beat yourself up and don't change what you like unless it is going to blind you, burn your teeth, or any other physical damage that we all want to prevent and avoid.

Guys, this is a really important message that I wanted to put out in the open. So please, help me spread the word and try to make the world of makeup more tolerant and even more lenient. And if you're new to makeup like I still consider myself to be, please feel free to experiment!

Take care, love yourself, and others :)
And remember, you don't have to change the skin that you're already comfortable in!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer in So Vain

One of the great things that the brand Estee Lauder makes is nail polishes, and I have only discovered them after I received one of their nail polishes as a Christmas gift. So, I decided to get more of them, as I loved the formula so much.

I decided to get a nude among some other shades, quite a safe choice for many people, but certainly not for me as I am not a nude polish lover. To be honest, I would have been a lot happier with another brighter/darker color than a nude, but I thought that most people who might stumble across this blog post must have searched for nude polishes in particular, and that this might be helpful for readers.

So the nail polish I got was Estee Lauder's Pure Color Nail Lacquer in the shade G9, and it is called So Vain. I must admit that the name was also another reason why I ended up getting it in particular. It has a cream finish, so no shimmers or glitters are to be found in here. The shade looks like a tanned skin color to me, or the color of leather, which I will get back to and explain further after the following footage break I'm about to insert right now.

As I said it reminded me of leather, and that is because of an eyeshadow quad by Guerlain that I own, and it is called Les Cuirs, which means leather in french. As you can see from the following picture, the shade looks like it was directly extracted from that quad, as it is almost identical to the shades there, especially the one in the middle, right below the light beige. I am actually considering doing a tutorial pairing these products together as well as some others of course, so what do you think?

I am truly impressed by these polishes' formula, it is absolutely stunning. This shade in particular seems to be better than the one I have already tried (Viper), because it dries out super quickly, and it is one of the most long lasting nail polishes I have ever seen in my whole entire life. I will admit that I am a little obsessed with washing my hands, and I do so about 30 times a day, which is a little obsessive, maybe crazy, but I've accepted that and moved on with my life. So, the moral of the story is that this is the fourth day of me wearing this shade, and it still looks like it is freshly applied. Not to mention the settle glossiness that seems to last and last and last. In short, I am now considering getting my hands on each and every Estee Lauder polish I can find, I'm in love with them.

Now it is about time that we discuss this gorgeous packaging which I have already mentioned in my earlier brief review of Viper. It is so darn beautiful, feels a little hefty, or in other words, luxurious, and I feel like I want to display them on my vanity. The brush is not too thick and not too  thin, it is really user-friendly and it just works

Let's talk a little about money. Estee Lauder, being a high end brand, has what you'd expect to be a high end price. This nail polish would cost you about twice the price of Essie polishes, at least here in Israel. But the good news is that this is a brand with many offers and deals, and I always get mine for about 2 dollars and a half cheaper than Essie! Aint that great? So what I'd say is that you don't need to pay full price for something that is often on sail, just hold your horses a  little bit and keep your eyes and ears open for a good old sale, and I'm sure it'll come.

So, this whole entire post is trying to tell you that in the world of nail polishes and nail polish lovers, Estee Lauder is one of the places worth checking and considering, and for nude nail polish lovers, So Vain is a total and utter must. As a matter of fact, I am really looking forward trying more shades from the line, as I have never been half as wowed by a nail polish as I am now.

Brushes I Use on Daily Basis

Face Brushes:

1. Mac 187: This is a duo fiber brush, which means that it combines synthetic bristles with natural ones. It is round and fluffy but flat on top. I think this brush is meant to function as a foundation brush. However, it is really good for multiple things, starting from foundation and ending with facial highlighting. It is relatively soft, never scratchy, maintains its shape, and is never scratchy. When I use it for my foundation, I immediately give it a deep clean, I wash it with shampoo and water, and it seems to handle it pretty well. I think this is a very functional brush, and I highly recommend it.

2. Dior blush brush (discontinued): This is meant to be a blush brush, it is relatively dense, but very soft. It is wide from the front and thinner from the sides, and is kinda tapered too. At first, I was a little unsure about the size of the brush,  though it was a little too big for my face, but the more I  use it, the more I like it. To start, this is a natural hair brush, it is supremely soft and flexible. I use it with my blush, bronzer, and my meteorites, I wouldn't recommend using it with shimmery highlighters because of the size of the brush. I wash it once every week to two weeks, let it dry, and put it back in its guard. It doesn't maintain its shape very well, but it does come with a brush guard, might as well use it. If you have super pigmented blushes, say Tom Ford's blush in Flush, you shouldn't worry if you use a light hand, as this brush picks up product sparingly, and is very good at blending. I do see myself getting a smaller blush brush, but for my bronzer and meteorites, I wouldnt change anything about it. (I am considering the Hakuhodu S111, or the Bobbi Brown Sheer Powder Brush)

Eye Brushes:

1. Mac 239: This is a thin and flat brush, a really really nice brush to lay down your eye makeup, be it powder or cream eyeshadows. It's perfect for applying eyeshadow base as well. If you use both cream eyeshadows and powder eyeshadows, I suggest having two of these, they'll make your eye makeup world easier, prettier, and more professional looking. you can also use the very tip to apply shadow on your upper or lower lash line, smudge liners, or even blend, even though I personally dont like blending with this. I think spot cleaning this brush is necessary because you may not use the same shades day in and day out, or at least I dont, but spot cleaning it is pretty easy nonetheless. Deep cleaning it is pretty easy as well, I do it every Sunday, like today, and it is very easy to clean, dries out relatively quickly, like in an hour or two, which is much quicker than my blush brush for instance! I think this brush is an absolute must, and I would encourage everyone who is reading this blog post and doesn't have this brush to run out and get it. Oh, and if you're worried that the white bristles will get stained, they wont, I promise!

 2. Bobbi Brown Eye Smudge Brush: This is a dense brush, round and pointy. I personally love a darker outer v, I just love the sultriness and elegance of it. This is exactly why I adore this brush. Sometimes, I also use it in my crease, or socket line, or whatever other term is used for this area. I don't blend with it, I find it to be just a touch too hard and a touch too scratchy, maybe I'm too sensitive, but it is my eye area, and I want something gentler to do my blending with it. But back to why I think this is a must have! This brush picks up color superbly well, especially if you want to build up how dark you want your outer v to be. I use this first, blend, and if I fancy a darker outer v, I'd go back and pack more color with it, and then blend again. I think this brush is absolutely a must for me, and if you like smokey eyes, then it is a must for you too. Since it has a bit of a pointy tip, you can also use it in the inner tear duct, on your lower lash line, you can, as the name suggests, smudge liners, as well as the purposes I have already mentioned before. Overall, I absolutely cannot live without this brush.

3. Mac 217: This is a relatively fluffy brush, makes it great for blending. It is wider at front and thinner on the sides, slightly tapered. Perfect perfect blending brush. I is actually a multitasking brush that can serve for many many purposes, such as concealer, crease/socket work, quick and sheer lid color application, and probably some other purposes I can't seem to think of at the moment. This is my blending brush of choice, and its perfect to extend my darker outer v shade a little in my crease/socket, even without having to dip it in the shadow itself, just blend out what you applied earlier with the Bobbi Brown brush. Again, this is an absolute must, and if you do a little research on this brush, you'll see that I am not the only one who is encouraging you to get this brush today, unless you already have it of course. If you want to use it for concealer, you might consider getting more than just one of this brush. I also encourage you to spot clean daily, because, again, you might not be using the same shades on daily basis, and may also want to blend without having to add more color. The bristles of this brush are white, but they won't get stained, and they're easy to clean as well. I deep clean this brush once a week, and it is one of the fastest brushes to dry out.

4. Bobbi Brown Smokey Liner Brush: This is a tiny little thin and flat brush that is tapered to give it a bit of a point. If you're like me, and you want everything to be blended and diffused, you might want to look into getting  this brush. It's a tiny flat brush as you can see from the footage I included, its very thin and perfect to use as a lower lash liner smudging tool, or even to apply shadow on there. I wouldn't recommend using it damp, because it might get a little too harsh and stiff for such a delicate area, but that is just my opinion, and I am a little too sensitive naturally. It is also tiny enough to get in your inner tear duct, or for small detail work like intensifying the outer v, smudging liner on your upper lash line, etc. I never use gel liners, or liquid ones, so I cannot recommend using this brush for either purposes, but for pencil liner than can be smudged out,  this is the perfect companion for them. I fin that this brush is very easy to clean, especially when used with powder shadows, but even if I use it with my pencils, it cleans out just as easily.

New Skin Care Routine Plan

I am running out of everything, serum, cleanser, everything, and now I am practically living on samples and waiting to go shopping next week. So I thought I'd share with you beautiful people what I want to use this time, after months of reading reviews and watching people talk about products, as well as reading Caroline Hirons. I will start with from the very first step to the very last, and maybe explain a little bit why I chose each and every product.


Cleansers: I wanted a light cleanser and a balm one for nights.
     1. Dior Gentle Foaming Cleanser for Dry & Sensitive Skin. I have already had this, used it up, and I really loved it. It is very gentle, I used it on my eyes, and it doesn't irritate my skin, break me out, leave me feeling dry, or any other complaint I can possibly think of. Originally, I thought I wanted to try something else, but I really did enjoy that cleanser, and that certainly was a safe choice for me.
     2. Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. As I mentioned, I want a heavy duty cleanser, one that I can rely on at night when I come back home with makeup on my face. I have read endlessly about many options, but I don't live in a country that sells all the cleansing balms in the world, and this one gets great reviews almost entirely.

Toners: Without a doubt, I wanted an exfoliating toner.
     Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Brightening Toner. I have raved before about Guerlain Super Aqua toner, I still love it, but I'm afraid it doesn't do what I, now, want from a toner. The Clarins toner will also substitute an exfoliating scrub. Not to mention that this is a hyped product yet, and Caroline Hirons seems to agree.

Serum: I want one that has zero Alcohol or Alcohol Denatured, or any other really nasty ingredients, but I don't want one that is purely anti-aging. However, I do want tons of detoxifying going on in it!
     Estee Lauder Night Repair. I have heard tons and tons of people talk about this serum, and I looked up many  online reviews, checked the ingredients, paid a visit to the counter to get a better understanding and see whether it will suit my young skin, and after the verification, I am determined to buy this.

Eye Serum: No, I don't want one that smooths lines I don't have, or lifts my eye, or does any other anti-aging thing.
     Clinique All About Eyes De-Puffing Massage. There's a YouTuber whose channel is this, and to me, her name is Hannah and she has fantastic taste in almost everything, and I love her and I highly recommend you go and check her out, subscribe to her, and get a little glimpse of why I really like her. But her skin is combination to oily, and mine is normal to dry. But she recommended this under-eye treatment, and I did look it up of course, because I got really curious about it, and I found that it is suitable for my skin type, and I will be purchasing it.

Eye Cream: Again, no anti-aging please!
     Clinique All About Eyes. What can I say, Hannah has converted me into a Clinique eye care system consumer, and as I said, this is not anti-aging, and it goes with the same line of the eye serum I mentioned earlier.

Moisturizer: No anti-aging, and plenty of moisture.
     Dior Pro-Youth Silk Creme. I have already reviewed it, it was, a can be imagined, a rave type of post. I will link the post here and you can go and read it. It is just as thick as I wanted, and it truly is moisturizing but non-greasy.

Lip Balm: I wanted a step up from Blistix, and a highly praised one.
     Dior Creme De Rose Lip Balm. The amount of people talking about this lip balm is insane, and I was just talked into it by the people I'm subscribed to on YouTube.

Mask: I want one that does both clarify and moisturize. Now I haven't made up my mind entirely about this, but I think it is the most intriguing one I have come across yet.
     Estee Lauder Nutritious Vita-Mineral Skincare Radiant Vitality 2-Step. It has two Cleansers in one separated jar, a clay mask and a gel mask, so it should do everything I expect it to do. Plus, it doesnt seem to be an anti-aging mask. However, I am open to recommendations if you'd care and recommend a mask to me.

That's it, this is what I think will be my skincare routine. I will make a video after purchasing all the products and using them for a month or two, so you might want to subscribe to my YouTube channel and stay tuned. And don't forget to take good care of your skin.
If you're interested to see what my skincare used to be before running out, and I will repurchase, here's a video for you as well as a blog post!

My First Essie & OPI & Estee Lauder Nail Polishes

Its winter, cold, not that sunny, and even if it was, the sun doesnt last long enough. So, I thought why not get me some lovely dark colors, preferable blackened blues and greens. So I went to the mall and went straight ahead to stores that sell nail polishes. I wanted to branch out of my Ga-de nail polish obsession just a little bit and get something more beauty-cult-approved. What can I say, everyone tries to fit in sometime in their life, and I feel like I like the beauty community enough to try. So I went first a very well known store where lots of high end brands are. I was browsing through them and I must admit, Estee Lauder nail polish packaging completely sucked me in, and one color in particular stole my heart! And then to OPI, and in Israel the array of shades isn't that impressively huge, but its definitely decent enough for someone who is new to the brand. So I saw many blackened colors, and I liked a lot of them, but I wanted to get one color per brand. When it came about to Essie, the amount of shades was sadly pathetic, and many of them were starting to gather loads of dust, I was honestly a little grossed out to take one of them home with me. But, again, how can I attempt to write a beauty blog without actually owning an Essie polish! So I did end up picking one of the colors too.

So lets start with the gorgeous Estee Lauder shade, Viper! Viper's poison is more like a love potion, at least to me. It's a darkened forest green with really subtle fine shimmer that are mostly opaque in daylight. The fist coat is more sheer and it looks more green, but the second coat brings it on fully opaque and almost black, but also green. I am a green polish lover, and I know there arent many out there, and even for those who are not, I think this is worth tracking down even now that it has almost vanished. Did I tell you about how glossy and shiny  this thing is? It's like a Glossy Stain but for the nails, the gloss lasts forever! It also lasted for a really long time, and even my mom commented on how long lasting it is. (She didn't wear it, its too nontraditional for her, but she saw how long lasting it was on me)
So here are some pictures! (lord praise the packaging)

Next is OPI in Incognito in Sausalito, such a cute name! The packaging isnt as lovely as Estee Lauder, but the color is really nice as well. It is a darkened navy blue polish that almost looks black indoors, but when you go out and greet the sun that always gets shy quickly during this time of year, you can see the blue in it, and I just love it. I would say that it is a relatively long lasting nail polish, almost like Ga-de nail polishes are, but the applicator is awesome, wide and thin makes application super easy! This color has a cream finish so I wouldnt call it complex, but its beautiful nonetheless. And it is so richly pigmented that even the first coat is opaque enough.
So here are some pictures, again.

Last but certainly not least is Essie in Dive Bar. Such a pretty unique metallic teal with purple and green fine shimmer running through it, the purple shimmer is more opaque in the bottle than on my nails, but I thought I'd mention it in case I turn out to be color blind! I have to say that even though the I did not love the Essie counter, this beauty is so beautiful I feel I want to go check other colors in case I missed out on some. The formula is really average, very similar to my beloved Ga-de. Indoors, I kind of feel like there's a hint of gray in it, but maybe it's just me and my color blindness!
Anyhow, here are the pictures.

Guerlain Lingerie De Peau Liquid Foundation

Guerlain's Lingerie De Peau is not the only foundation I've tried, but its the first foundation I purchased and the only. The makeup lover within wants me to explore more options, and I have tried a ton, but no other has ever compared to this. Now lets talk about why this foundation is the one and only foundation in my makeup collection.

I think its always safe to start with packaging. Guerlain liquid foundations all look alike. The bottle shape is identical to any other Guerlain Foundation, its just the transparency of the glass that differs. The bottle still is a super sleek, relatively hefty, and very user-friendly glass bottle. It does come with a pomp, so it is hygienic. Well, this may not be the most travel friendly bottle in the world, but if this is your foundation of choice, such as myself, you can make it work.

This is a liquid foundation, so it is definitely runny, but not too much that it slips off your hand. I don't find it to be messy at all. Since it is liquid, you can either apply it with your own hands, a brush, or a sponge, and believe you me, it looks perfect all the time, no matter how you apply it. I personally don't use sponges, I don't even own one. So I generally apply it with the Mac 187 brush or my hands. If you're concerned about product getting absorbed in brushes, just don't use a brush, not a duo fiber one or a natural hair one at least. If you use your hands, you'll find how incredibly blend-able this is, the tiniest bit will go SUCH A LONG WAY. If you use a brush, you'll need more product to cover your entire face. That being said, I still prefer my brush because it keeps my hands clean.

This foundation offers a sheer-medium build-able coverage, and it is as furthest away from cakey as I have encountered, even when built up. It has a super natural satin finish, or at least its definitely not as glowing as dewy finishes are, and its more dimensional than matte, more complex I guess. If I didn't have to label the finish, I'd just say it looks like skin, your perfected skin. Lingerie De Peau is very light weight as well, it feels like you're not wearing anything on your skin, and looks like your skin is naturally perfect. Now let me just clarify one thing to you, no one's face is entirely problematic, and no one needs to camouflage the face entirely, and moreover, there are these things you call concealers. So, I think that I would choose light coverage foundation, and a concealer, and not a full coverage foundation. But to each her/is own.

Now into a bit of bad news, this foundation wont last a week on your face. It lasts for about 8 hours on my normal-dry skin. I know there are more longer lasting foundations out there, but out of the sheer-medium coverage ones I've tried, this probably lasts the longest. Either ways, you can always use a primer underneath, or a finishing powder. (I will be doing a complexion routine soon) If used with a primer, it'll last the entire day. I haven't tried finishing powder, and I wouldn't classify my meteorites as ones to begin with.

In terms of shades, I didn't get to try many shades, but I did see many of them in their containers, and I think the shades offered may not be the most generous of all, but it will fit sit almost all skin tones from really light ones to ebony. But I dont think all stores carry all the shades offered, at least not where I live!

Now the question that remains is will it suit your skin type. If you have normal skin, the answer is OF COURSE, it'll be a match made in heaven. If you have super dry and flaky skin, if you moisturize it properly, I think it should work perfectly fine, as I dont feel like this accentuates any dryness that I tend to get during the colder months. If your skin is combination, the answer is also a yes, since this foundation isn't too dewy on the t-zone or anything. If your skin is oily, definitely prime, and use a light dusting of finishing powder just on the t-zone. I think that for the natural finish this foundation offers, everyone should give it a try, so go to a Guerlain counter and ask for a sample, or get a tiny little baby container and ask for it to be filled for you to try.

Now I've noticed that when I squirt the foundation out, it  is definitely scented, but its not too strong, and once applied on the face, I smell nothing.

So, to wrap this looong review up, I must say that this is a high recommended foundation. I know I love it, my mother loved it, and I haven't heard any negative word about it. The price is steep, I mean, it is Guerlain we're talking about, but I think its worth the price, it looks stunning, and it still looks like you, which is what really sold me on this.

(Pictures will be inserted soon)