Neutrogena Moisture Shine Lip Shimmer Cooling Hydrogel SPF 20 in Glaze 60

Come rising temperatures, moods get a little lighter, and makeup should get easier. Inch thick foundation and layers of lip products just don't hold up in the heat. Who really wants to carry around a big purse with tonnes of products, when walking around in the heat of the city proves to be a workout in itself.

I have found the perfect lip product to wear this summer. Not only is the raspberry-jello shade a universally-flattering one, it boasts an SPF protection of 20 and keeps lips from getting chapped. When applied, you get an immediate cooling sensation which I look forward to every time. Its scent of guava fruit is my favorite feature. Ahhhhh, reminds me of the tropics!

Neutrogena Moisture Shine Lip Shimmer Cooling Hydrogel SPF 20 comes in 6 shades.

Credits: Grayburn

Shiseido Maquillage Eyebrow Fiber IN

This humble little container from Shiseido's Maquillage line holds a fiber gel/cream that promises fuller, cleaner-looking eyebrows. The tinted formula provides natural color to finish off carefully defined brows, or can be worn alone to provide a hint of color.

Where this product falls short is its overly 'wet' formulation. You know as well as I do that when either mascaras or liquid eye-liners are too wet, clumps happen and application tends to be hard to control. Another no-no is that the product has a tendency to flake off, leaving white flakes on the face. To add to the insult, it is not powerful enough to hold brows in shape all day.

I love quite a few products from Shiseido, and her sister lines. However, I am sorry to say that this particular one falls short of my expectations.


Now I need to find a new eyebrow gel that has good holding power and a polished finish. Any recs?


Credits: Grayburn

Window Shopping - Amsterdam's Diesel Store

Subject: Diesel
Display Style: hip, casual, old school revamped
For: Men & Women

A brand renown for its cool-sexy take on casual dressing, the Diesel store in Amsterdam has 2 floors worth of uninterrupted Diesel experience. An Amsterdam shopping itinerary will almost always have this shop on its list en-route to MAC cosmetics, as they are almost next door to each other.

From the moment that you enter the store, you will likely be greeted by bright-faced, enthusiastic SA's and loads of jeans styles to choose from. However, my last experience in their change room was less encouraging, as I found the lighting inadequate to see what I was trying on. One thing that you should notice is that they carry some pretty cool-sexy casual things to sleep in.

Diesel really made its mark on the fashion market since the late 70s by introducing its various styles of jeans. The woman's jean style named Louvely and the man's jean style named Zathan are two of the brand's more popular choices. Recently, Diesel sponsored a design contest which features the Diesel Wall; outdoors walls in New York, Zurich, Barcelona, or Manchester that feature submissions of expressive work from locals .

My pair of Diesel jeans that I bought almost 8 years ago are still in great condition today. They are certainly one of my favorite brands for jeans. What is/are your favorite brand(s) of jeans?


Credits: Grayburn

Mineral Makeup - Silk Naturals Foundation

There is something to be said for creating your own shade of mineral foundation. Those of us who have a certain controlling side to our personality will appreciate Silk Naturals ingenuity in letting us play along!

If I may say so, the most frustrating part of purchasing mineral makeup online is finding the perfect shade of foundation. Sometimes, we may even have to take on the challenge of mixing different shades together when our skin tone happens to fall in between shades.

Silk Naturals has heard our cries and is the first company to package a foundation kit which encourages us to roll up our sleeves and create our own perfect shade of foundation. They sell kits which allow you to create your own shade of ebony, buttery gold or warm gold. Each kit comes with a packet of white and colored mineral foundation, a measuring spoon, their famous perfecting powder, a user manual and an empty sifter jar to mix and hold your mineral foundation. Beginners can take advantage of their sample kit which includes a small sample of each of the three available shades.

The process, although a little intimidating to me at first, was actually fun and satisfying. Even with my experience in handling makeup, I managed to create a shade that was slightly too dark during my first attempt. I felt like a complete and utter failure. I even almost gave it all up until I decided, out of desperation, to stalk the company's forum for guidance. My call for help was quickly answered by a staff member who simply advised me to add more white powder (!). After several more times of trial & error, I finally had a shade that I could call my own! Grayburn's personal shade is 12 to 1 of white to buttery gold, with a dash of ebony.

The silk powder in the foundation produces a natural and flawless finish. Numerous raves scattered about the websphere boast about Silk Naturals' superior formula. However, my allergy to their foundation is my own personal tragedy. Now I am left saddened and envious of those lucky souls who can be artists of their own Silk Naturals mineral foundation.


Credits: silknaturals.com

Window Shopping - Amsterdam's Maison de Bonneterie

The sun has brought life back onto the streets of Amsterdam and lifted my dreariness. Now anyone and everyone is finding an excuse to be outdoors; to dine, lay about or shop around.

During the next few weeks, I plan to compile and publish a series of posts which will focus on showcasing the wonderful shop windows around the city. I am excited about this as this gives me a chance to combine my eternal love of sunshine, my passion for window shopping, and any excuse I can get to be outdoors. I hope that window shopping around the city will be as much fun and as uplifting for you, as it has been for me!

Subject: Maison de Bonneterie
Display Style: happiness, blossoms, fresh
For: Men & Women

Selling brands such as Blue Blood (shown at the 2008 Amsterdam Fashion Week), Karl Lagerfield and Aaiko, Maison de Bonneterie of Amsterdam is a place where I can easily lose myself for several hours. What I love about this shop is that they carry some wicked brands to choose from, and that I usually feel comfortable wandering about the shop. Once I even chanced upon a fashion event where they served canapé and champagne to all the shoppers!


Credits: Grayburn

Weekly Facial with Ren's F10 Enzymatic Smooth Radiance Facial Mask

After a long day busying myself with activities, I find blissfulness in curling up on the couch next to BFOG (boyfriend of Grayburn). Geared with my foot cream, cashmere socks and a face mask, I am ready to catch up on what the DVD recorder has stored for us!

This ritual happens about twice each week. The facial mask that has been participating in that weekly ritual for the past 3 months has been Ren's F10 Enzymatic Smooth Radiance Facial Mask. It has the color of apricot and the texture of sugary marmalade, like the ones in ribboned jars that you find served at high teas. The fruit enzymes in this mask, sourced from papayas, work to breakdown skin clogs and flakes, while omega 3 and 6, sourced from blackcurrent oil, work to soften and replenish. After leaving a generous film on the skin for 10 minutes, you wash it away to reveal a softened, bright complexion. This is the stuff that brings out our natural beauty!

A word of caution: try to stay away from your pets while you have this mask on as they will be inclined to chase you down in order to lick your face. And I imagine that this stuff will stick to their furs and give you a heck of a time trying to remove it.


Ingredients
Citrus Aurantium Bergama (Bergamot) Fruit Water, Glycerin (Source Coconut Oil), Polysorbate 60 (Source Rapeseed Oil), Lecithin (Source Soybean), Citrus Auratium Amara (Bitter Orange) Peel Extract, Rosa Canina (Rose Hip) Seed Oil, Ribes Nigrum (Black Currant) Seed Extract, Xanthan Gum (Source Corn), Maltodextrin Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Malpighia Glabra (Acerola Barbedos Cherry) Fruit Extract, Parfum (100% Natural Fragrance), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Citrus Nobilis

Credits: renskincare.com

LA SENZA Launches Their New Makeup Line

La Senza; the makers of fun, sassy lingerie from Canada has just launched their own line of cosmetics. Their sister company, Victoria's Secret has long been serving up cool makeup to play with. La Senza's vibe is a little different from Victoria Secret's, and I expect the same quality as well.


Credits: lasenza.co.uk

POP Beauty Eye Class Palettes - Eye Candy

This Lovely clutch-like palette from POP Beauty comes in purple/pink metallic faux-leather. This is one of a series of eyeshadow palettes designed for each individual person's eye color or the look you are going for. Other varieties include 'Green Eyes', 'Brown Eyes', 'Smokey Eyes', and a very intriguing one called 'Day To Play'.

'Blue Eyes' can also be worn by girls who have anything but. I bought this one because of the purple/pink clutch, the fabulous purple shade at the end, and the cool neutrals. The shadows are very fine-textured (think Christian Dior quad palettes), which means that they blend easily.

POP Beauty can be found at Sephora, Amazon and Asos.

Sunglass Shopping with Becki Newton (of Ugly Betty)

On Tuesday, we saw the episode of Ugly Betty, where Victoria Beckam made an appearance. Below is a video of Becki Newton (the blond and stylish receptionist from Ugly Betty), at Sunglass Hut, walking us through this year's trends for shades. She's fast talking and what she has to say does make sense.



Credits: youtube.com