OPI RapiDry topcoat

Topcoat, the essential step for a shiny glossy long lasting manicure. Those of you that skip this step are really missing out on something. I have never wear a nail polish without a topcoat as I feel it isn't as shiny and glossy as I would like it to be. I recently ran out of my long time favourite Mavala - Mavadry top coat. I wanted to try something new for a change so I went for OPI RapiDry top coat. It's a much bigger bottle than the Mavala so it will hopefully last longer! 

 I reckon that I can't write a very long review about a topcoat as there is no much things to say about it.

My thoughts then : it's a good top coat that, as its name says it, dries pretty quickly. It makes my nail polish shiny and glossy like I like it to be. With my nail envy MATTE base coat my nail polish can stay intact for about 3 or 4 days, which is pretty good!  The pro-wide brush from OPI is so pleasant to use, as it really covers the entire nail in one application.

The only thing that bothered me is that the nail polish (bright colours) seem to stain the brush and I have to clean it after (thing I didn't have to do with my Mavala topcoat) . Ok I know what you're gonna tell me "just wait for the nail polish to dry before applying the top coat then it won't stain the brush".
Yeah. But If I buy a RAPIDRY topcoat it's because I hate loathe waiting for my nailpolish to dry so I expect for my Rapidry topcoat to do its job and dry it ! :) 

 Will I be repurchasing this? Mmmh I'm still on the fence as it is pretty expensive and the brush staining issue really gets on my nerves (but I'm really picky on that too). Other than that the glossiness of it is really great!  I may go back to my Mavala - Mavadry when this bottle is empty...I live near a Ici Paris XL and it's easier for me :) 

XO,MARILOU

Random

My FOTD. Bow in the hair and eyeliner with naturally wavy/messy hair.

On my nails : Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees by OPI + Models Own Juicy Jules and Milani Jewel FX in silver on the ring finger = BLINGY!

Sheeps and baby sheeps! 

Tea time.

Beautiful Gavers. 

My new Bambi beauty case :) ♥

Have a great day! 

XO,MARILOU

Sleek Pomegranate blush

My new love! My Pomegranate blush from Sleek.

This my second blush from Sleek and I'm really happy I got it. Sleek is a brand that keeps growing and growing on me, I love all of their products, I have never been disappointed the slightest so far.

 After using a lot my "SIN" blush from the Nars DanMari Palette, I knew I had to change my blush habits. Most of my blushes are pink or peach. Well, not I feel like everything more purple-y it looking even better on me and gives me that  natural russian doll look. 

Pomegranate is a pinky-plum filled with shimmer.

The colour may coming a bit heavy at first but it blends really well and it's buildable so you can change  your look depending on your mood. 

When swatched on the back of my hand. 

It looks aboslutely lovely and I'm glad I bought this colour.

My next on the list is Flamingo and the trio blushes/contouring! 

XO,MARILOU

Current hand creams ♥

I have never been a handcream girl. I only saw person in TV show using it before heading to bed.

I started when I went to Toronto three years ago and the winter was soooo cold, my hands were really dry right after my shower and all day long.  Now, the hand cream, is part of my daily moisturizing routine. Body, face, and hands! It's important to use a speficic moisturizer for your hands to avoid the greasy finish that will maybe stain your clothes or anything you will be touching.  I currently use two hand creams. One for day time the other for night time. Also, moisturizing your hands will prevent them to get all wrinkly and old and will help with the cuticules. Who wants bad cuticules? No one. Maybe except people that sells cuticules oils and hand creams. Ok so let's goooooo.

Soap and Glory - Hand Food / Avène - Cold Cream Hand Cream. 

Soap and Glory - Hand Food : was is my wish list for while. I'm really happy I finally got my dry hands on this little gem. I don't have much Soap and Glory products and I know this one has very good reviews. I was from the first glance, very attracted to this product because of the girly and cute packaging. It looks amazing in my bag and on my desk (and that's always a plus). The most intriguing for me about this product was the ingredients : shea-butter, macadamia oil AND MARSHMALLOW.
Marshmallow? AND SOLD!  I love that this hand cream is non-greasy as mentionned on the packaging, it penetrates super quickly and leaves a pretty strong girly smell around you for a few minutes. I will definitely repurcharse this and I want even more Soap and Glory. Come to mama!

Avène - Cold Cream Hand Cream : I already use the face moisturizer from the same Cold Cream range and It has worked wonder on my skin during those horrendous winter months. So, I thought, why not getting the hand cream as well?  I use this at night, before heading to bed like a certain ginger woman from a TV Show (ok I'm talking about Bree from Desperate Housewives here, she's always moisturizing her hands before heading to bed!). It is more on a the greasy side but still penetrates quickly. The scent is the same as the cold cream moisturizer, not girly or super exotic but more on the dermatological side (pretty neutral). It is really moisturizing, I can feel an immediate relief when I apply it and it leaves my hands really soft and nourrished. This hand cream was 10 €, a bit more expensive than the Soap and Glory one and can be found in pharmacies.

What are your favourite hand creams? 

XO,MARILOU

Being tender and open is beautiful. 

As a woman, I feel continually shhh’ed. Too sensitive. Too mushy. Too wishy washy. Blah blah. 

Don’t let someone steal your tenderness. 

Don’t allow the coldness and fear of others to tarnish your perfectly vulnerable beating heart. 

Nothing is more powerful than allowing yourself to truly be affected by things. Whether it’s a song, a stranger, a mountain, a rain drop, a tea kettle, an article, a sentence, a footstep…feel it all – look around you. 

All of this is for you. Take it and have gratitude. Give it and feel love. 

– Zooey Deschanel.

Vampy Face Of The Day

This is my vampy face of the day.

Actually I didn't go to uni like that, it was more of a vampy afternoon trial. I'm not wearing much bright lipstick so I'm always worried it will not suit me, I'm not used to see my lips with anything else than with nude lipstick. 

My vampy lips. 

I used the lipstick Sleek in the shade CHERRY.

It's such a beautiful dark cherry colour, absolutely gorgeous that applies dreamly (like all the Sleek lipsticks) This is my second lipstick, but as you may know if you read my blog on a daily basis, I'm on a mission to own every single one of their lipsticks (because they're brilliant)

I used : 

Healthy Mix serum gel foundation - Vanilla

Liz Earle Sheer skin tint - Bare

Illamasqua blusher (I used it as a bronzer here) - Disobey

Hema brown liner (to enhance the beauty spot I have near my eye and add a glamorous touch)

Sleek - Cherry lipstick 

On the eyes, I used : 

L'oréal Super Liner Carbon Gloss 

Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara waterproof 

with no eyeshadow (I always do that when I wear a bright lipstick)

What do you think of this more vampy look?

I quite like it ! 

XO,MARILOU

I've won a giveaway! Illamasqua blusher - Disobey

I was lucky enough to win Rachel's Illamasqua giveaway at www.ohwhoisshe.com.

I was really excited for this giveaway as it's impossible for me to get Illamasqua in Belgium and I absolutely loooove this brand. While entering this giveaway you could win a blusher of your choice from the Illamasqua range *über excitment* I couldn't resist entering it and I'm so glad I did! 

My first choice when I entered the giveaway was the cream blusher Rude. A bright peach.

After thinking about it, I changed my mind because I already have so many peachy bright blusher.

My final pick was the powder blusher in the shade "Disobey" 

I chose "Disobey" because it is a powder blusher with a matte finish, with no sparkle whatsoever and it's perfect for contouring or even works as a bronzer.

Can you believe I had not a single powder blush without shimmer or something sparkly in it ?

Crayyy-zy. 

This shade is everything I had in mind. It's the perfect shade for my NW20 skin, it doesn't have that hint of orange, the colour reminds me a lot of the bronzer Hoola by Benefit actually.

I'm utterly pleased with my new blusher from Illamasqua, the texture is really easy to blend and gives the most natural bronzing finish.

I want even more Illamasqua's products now! 

Thank you Rachel for having such a cool giveaway

XO,MARILOU

What I wore #9

HI THERE.

Just a quick OOTD before heading back to college after 6 weeks of internship.

This was one of my outfit this weekend. Please, don't mind the horrible wrist and hand fake tan application, massive disaster but It faded away after a day or so... it's ok!

Coat - Sessun

Turtle neck - Forever 21

Skirt - H&M

Thights - H&M

Shoes - Primark 

I loooove my H&m "aztec" thights!

And a little FOTD while I'm here, so you can see my new ginger hair colour.

Hope you all had a great weekend,

XO,MARILOU

Eye makeup of the day.

I went a little bit heavier on the eye make up than what I'm used to yesterday.

I went for a rosey-taupey eyeshadow mix and black liner in the waterliner.

Crazy how wether you wear liner in the waterline changes your whole makeup in a sec! 

Because it was a daytime makeup I didn't wear eyeliner on top or falsies but just a good ten coats of mascara to enhance the smokey eyeshadows. Nothing like super long full lashes to complete any good eye makeup!

I've used : 

Cover Girl - lashblast waterproof

Maybelline - Gel Liner 

Urban Decay - Naked palette in Sin / Sidecar and Toasted.

TGIF! Have a great weekend everyone. 

It's my last day at my internship today, it went by soooo fast I can't believe it's already over.

XO,Marilou 

OPI Nail Envy MATTE ♥

Are you looking for a base that strenghtens, prevent the nail polish from staining AND from chipping ?

Well Ladies, look no further, The Nail Envy MATTE is for you ! 

My nails have been really damaged from the daily use of nail polish remover, as I can't stand when my nails chip (it irritates me really bad). They've become so weak and break really easily. The Nail Envy range is said to help rebuild the natural (or not) strength of your nails. It's best to apply not one, but two coat of it before applying your nail polish because 1) it prevents from staining 2) it strengthens and 3) it prevents from chipping. The fact that it prevents from chipping is NOT mentionned in the product description, I think that the fact that the base is "MATTE" helps the nail polish to really stick to the nail.

I have been using this product for about 5 weeks now and I can see a huge difference with my nails.

They are stronger and my nail polish stays without chipping for about 3 days (I'm very clumsy with my hands so it's incredible for me) 

I love that this base is multi-task. It has become my new number 1 base by far.

I really recommand this product to you if you're looking for a 3 in 1 base, you will not be disappointed!

Belgique : en vente chez Planet Parfum, Cosmeticary et autres revendeurs voir le site http://www.opi-belgium.be/

XO,MARILOU

Real Techniques blush brush

 I couldn't resist getting my chubby hands on one the brushes from the Real Techniques new brand (created by the Pixiwoos).

They're affordable (£10), they look quite fancy and the one I picked is pink. That's three good reason enough to buy it right. I love that you can make the brush stand because of the irregular shape. This brush is incredibly soft, I was really pleasently surprised when I first touched it. The bristles are synthetic and cruelty free. I've already washed it twice and it still looks like brand new.

It's perfect to contour or apply bronzer whether you use in one or another way. It's quite large so I use it to apply bronzer sometimes as well. It's such a pleasure to use this brush, it works wonder for contouring with the top of the brush which is made to define. Now contouring has become one of my favourite thing to do when I apply makeup in the morning! 

This brush is everything is was expecting! I love the Chapman sisters from Pixiwoos, you could just guess they were going to create some amazing brushes they would use themselves first. Now I want the whooole range. I'm so over mac brushes though I was dreaming to get their whole range of brushes few years ago, now I KNOW that a good brush can rime with affordable :) 

Have you tried one of the Real techniques brushes?

XO,MARILOU

This spring, go green or go home

 As you may already have heard, green is the new IT colour for spring!

I'm not talking blue green or grey green here, no. I'm talking pure green, grass green or more flashy.

As per usual, I didn't have to look too far to get two lovely shades. OPI who is always one step further on the trends, already have many shades of green in their range so it wasn't difficult to get some pure green :) 

My picks are Green-wich Village and Gargantuan Green Grape

 Green-wich Village is your typical green grass colour. It's not as bright as in the picture, it's more of a discreet green (if that even exist) It is such a lovely colour, it will be wearing this baby a lot during sunny days. The application was very good, as always with the OPI nail polishes and I used three coats to get the most opaque result I could.

Gargantuan Green Grape is my crush colour for this spring! I had this colour for sooo long and never really used it until now. I got the matte version but one coat of Rapid Dry Topcoat by OPI and you're good to go with a glossy finish. This colour is so bright yet not neon, I absoooolutely love it. I can see myself wearing this with a black blazer, white top and blue jeans. Very basic outfit with the crazy nail colour pop of colour is my favourite trend! 

Glory to OPI for having such a wide, fun range of colours!

Will you be wearing the IT green this spring? 

XO,MARILOU

Cover Girl Lash Blast Waterproof mascara

I know, I know I've already wrote a post about this mascara but what can I say? I'm obsessed. It is my favourite mascara of all time, I've bought this countless time with the same satisfaction and need to rebuy it when it dries. Nothing like long and voluminous lashes to brighten any puffy/morning faces. It's been now almost 4 years that I'm faithful to my Cover Girl Lashblast. I always pick the shade "very black" (oooh I love that this is even a shade!) as it gives the most intense black result. This time I went for the waterproof as all the regular ones were sold out!  One thing I loathe about makeup is the way it looks at the end of the day, when you come back home and see your face that looks nothing like the way it looked like in the morning. I love that fresh makeup feeling when I've just applied my foundation in the morning but I already dread the way home as I know that it will fade away and look less attractive and flawless than in the morning. With mascara, it's the same issue, I find that some mascara do not last all day long. Not that it disappears like foundation could, but it does fade and looks less intense. I hate hate hate when that happens.

The waterproof lash blast profusion mascara is said to last all day and keep that very intense dark shade.

Also, as it is waterproof it will keeps your lashes curled all day long and will not smudge!

My guilty pleasure with this mascara is that before/after moment with the massive brush when you get to inaugurate it.

before

after. HOW DARK IT IS? love it!

This is definitely my most used and loved mascara and I highly recommand it to you if your looking for over the top curled long and voluminous lashes that stays still all day AND it is very affordable (+-10€)

The packaging isn't the girliest, not a fan of the orange thing going on but it does perfectly its job so it's forgiven! 

Also, very very important I always use this as a SECOND MASCARA. I apply a first mascara to shape the lashes then I apply my lashblast to create the drama over the top glamorous lashes!

XO,Marilou