My Codage: Personal Potion!

 Beauty is getting more personal these days

French brand My Codage has jumped to this opportunity to create a customised serum for the needs of each specific customer.
Personal serum: Initials on the box (boohoo for Fedex by wrinkling it) and plenty samples
I haven't seen this service for a reasonable price yet, neither that much in Europe either. It might have been for a longer time for the North-American market, as companies like Three Customs Specialist have been creating personalised lipstick colours for a longer time.

So this service was totally up my alley:

I had to fill out a questionaire of about 26 questions:

 that varied on the colour of your skin:
Mor


To the skinzones:

Moreover, there's attention to the fact whether you are planning to go sunbathing or not:
Sunbathing is, ofcourse, the big no-no in anti-ageing tactics. But truth it that it happens and sometimes it feels nice to have some warmth on the skin. Hence, My Codage also has a variety of skincare supplements and ingredients that can help you tan more safely (by protecting it better).

At the end, you have a lot of freedom by stating your own preferences in the targets you would like to tackle:
This all ended into my beautiful and personalised serum:


 The ingredients:

I still have to try out my new personal mix...

MyCodage.com has a code up until tonight (saturday, 29th June 2013): 15% off with code SEASIDE. It goes upon their whole product line, whether you like something tailored or something from their standard line.

Start of Summer present: Monica Vinader Fiji

Happy summer, or to the ones on the Southern part of the globe, happy winter.

As it's finally summer over here, I treaded myself the elegant way to friendship-braceleticity: a Monica Vinader Fiji in Gold with plum thread.
 I got this one based on the colour combination: normally I prefer rose gold but the purple looks really nice with the yellow gold.

Plum stands for prosperity, according to Vinader's site. I'm not the super-materialistic type so I consider prosperity to be more than just more cash or business success. Eg: prosperity in friendships, love and life in general.

Ps: I bot a Bobbi Brown powder in Antigua that day too: I still love my makeup too and the rose undertone of the bronzer is actually more flattering on me than a straight brownish colour.

So, how have you been celebrating the beginning of summer?

New Skin-bies: Merumaya 'Tease Me Please Me' Taster set

My unlimited curiosity of serums was being intensified after I've read some a of Merumaya's Iconic Youth Serum in the British Vogue (see here).
I'm normally not too convinced by magazine's articles but they do raise my interest if the price is right and the other reviews are positive too. In this case, yes...interested, so I went for the Taster set with a full-sized eyecream to try out first:
The serum was the item I had been most interested in, and honestly the only thing I've tried so far. Boohoo on me, because brands often recommend that you use the full line. I personally disagree on always using everything from one line, because often brands have one (or some) star-products whereas the others might be better from other brands.

In my case, I just wanted to try out the serum separately with my other cleansers before I coordinated my skincare with the whole line.

Easy description, and yes...follow up with products from their line:
Their site is throwing with some hi-tech new ingredients to raise the customer's interest:
And the precise list of ingredients:
The serum is a clearer, yellowish colour:
I've been trying it for 2 weeks and my personal verdict is this:
  • provides enough moisture for me to wear alone on warmer days
  • aromatic scent that lingers a while
  • slightly silicony feel (dimeticone is high on the ingredient list)
  • has a line/pore diffusing quality over it
Conclusion:
Serums are liked or not-so-much on aspects other than performance. I liked it performance but the scent wasn't my thing. Also, the silicony feel is something I like in a primer, but not in a serum. I am curious about the rest of the samples and the full-sized eyecream.

Available:
The 'Tease Me Please Me' set is on the Meramuya site (here) for £24.50 and the individual serum here.

Using, Used, Gonna Use...

Summer is almost here and I begin to enjoy colours again.

 So the products of the "used, using...gonna use" is finally more than just skincare:
Using:
 *Givenchy Le Rouge lipstick in Rouge Boudoir 204*
 This lipstick is bright and happy enough to pair up with a bit of (fake) tan and not too extreme for the lipstick-shy like I am. The moisture factor is not as dewy as Chanel but I actually like its resistance better for warmer weather.

Used:
*Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist sample I got in this set*
 It feels refreshing on the skin, but I was dissapointed in the misting effect: it's a pump instead of an aerosol mister. A pump might be friendlier for the environment but I prefer a thinner, aerosol-based spray instead of the slightly bigger drops you get from a pump. Also, for its price I consider it not that much better than earlier mists I tried.

*By Terry Rose de Rose Sheer Liquid blush in 03 Amber Rose*
 It is not fully finished but I have it since 2010 so I think it's due. As you can see, it is a blush lovingly used: it really needs a tiny drop for a gorgeous flush and I used lots of drops...I would absolutely repurchase but it's not for sale in Holland anymore.

Gonna Use:
* Kiko Colour Block in 04 Fierce Violet*
 Yes, I got into a Kiko shop again and fell in love with the vividness of Fierce Violet. First, It was hand-testing...then I decided to test it on my eyes, went into really warm weather, and after 9 hours it still was budgeproof and vivid!
Normally I sheer away from reallllly brights for my eyes but I totally love this sort of purple.

Newbies: More Pixi Endless Eyeliners

After liking my first Pixie Endless eyeliner I ventured into more colourful options from their line:

On tissue:
Copper Glow | Deep Plum | Black Blue | True Teal
For more dimension, visit swatch-a-rina DrivellerKate!

PS: Armani Cosmetics [almost] landed in the Netherlands!
You can order it from the Bijenkorf's website right now and get a Mini Maestro lip laquer as a GWP. Or visit the Bijenkorf in Den Haag as it will be launched officially this weekend.

Kanebo Kate Long & Curl mascara vs Kose Fasio Curl & Lock

I would like to discuss two mascaras I have been testing lately: Kose Fasio Curl & Lock mascara and the latest Kanebo Kate long & Curl mascara:

I was able to skip on the superduper curl-holding Asian mascaras as I'd been faking it for a while. That is, I gotten eyelash extensions and they come with their own curl...almost every mascara will do if you have them.
Only, I wanted a break from the "doll-eyes" because they left my original lashes quite sparse and thin:
And I do not have the cute face this adorable one has above...

Both mascaras have the name "curl" in their description and that was my main goal: keeping the curl in the miniature eyelashes.
Ofcourse, length is my second and perhaps a shared first place desire for me! 

And with Kate's promise to give a "lash extension" effect:

So there's the first difference in promise. Fasio promising to "lock" in your curl. Kate works on two levels for keeping your "curl" and making them "long". 

This aspect is visible in the texture of the mascara:
Fibres, you either love them or dislike them in mascaras. I sort of like them when I have natural lashes. I consider Kate's fibers to be one of the thinnest varieties I have come across.

Colour:
Kate Long & Curl has an inky blackness in it's texture. Similar to Fasio Curl & lock. Fasio dries up in a slighter glossier way whereas Kate brings out a softer and more natural opaque black.

Verdict:
  • Fasio keeps the curl longer than Kate. Kate is slightly droopy after 10 hrs.
  • Fasio Curl & Lock feels like a sort of superglue: perhaps too much on really thin lashes (I'll will use it with another brush soon to see if I get a finer result)
  • Kate Long & Curl brings about a soft fluttery, longer lash with a beautiful curl
  • Kate's fibers extend the lashes in a natural way 
  • Both last the whole day until the super-removers step in 
  • The colour of Kate is a soft, candlelight black: Fasio has a glossier black colour.
Conclusion:
If both would be combined it would be the best of worlds. I prefer Kanebo Kate Long & Curl for thin and short lashes: it has a natural, fluttery look, only does not keep the curl as long. I think that Fasio Curl & lock is a better choice for thicker eyelashes, when you want a glossier black, a longer-lasting  curl, and for people who do not like fibres in their mascaras.

Availability:
Both are to be found on Adambeauty: Kate Long & Curl over here and Fasio Lock & Curl over here