Lierac Diopticerne Eye Creme

Long time no see...

I don't have classes at the moment and literally everything I do every day is to hang around and do nothing really... So blogging kind of flew out of my mind and without even realising it, the last post was around two weeks ago! 

Anyways, today I am going to review this eye cream for you. I have been using it for a few months now, so I think I know now exactly what I think about it...

My main problem with my undereye area are my dark circles. I tried quite a few moistruisers, that promised to lighten them, but to be honest, nothing really worked. And I am a bit disappointed to say, that this hasn't changed with the purchase of this little tube. Even though it definately moistruised my eye area, and had a very nice texture (not too light so it feels like not doing anything, but also not too creamy, so you couldn't wear it underneath makeup) it hasn't had any effect on the shadows and darkness. 

As it was not the cheapest, I will not repurchase it, and stay best friends with correctors and concealers...

Barry M White Foundation

Hellohello!

Today I want to talk about something, that I now use everyday when I wear makeup. I mentioned before, that I am pretty pale, and that I have quite a bit of trouble finding a foundation that is light enough for me. The answer to this problem is white foundation.

The theorie is really simple. Remember mixing watercolours when you were young? Mixing foundations works the same. By adding something white to your regular foundation, it turns lighter. 

There are a few brands nowadays doing those white foundation. If you want to spend a bit more money, try MAC Face and Body (even though I heard it just mixes well with another Face and Body foundation) or Illamasqua. Manic Panic and Stargazer, both beeing "Goth"-make up brands carry one, as well as Barry M, which is the one that I have. You can get the last three on ebay if you want to, prices vary, but I am pretty sure I didn't pay more than 15€ including shipping.

Colour: It is snowing like crazy today, so getting a good picture of it was pretty hard, but no matter how it looks up there, it really is a true white. Unless you are going for a Vampire/Halloween/Goth look, I wound not recommend wearing it on its own (even if you are ridiculously pale), but as I said, your are supposed to mix it to get your perfect match. 

Consistency: As you can see in the picture, the foundation is a very creamy formula. That means, that when you mix it, it turns your foundation into something a bit less liquidy. I don't mind that, as it still stays easy to blend.

Coverage: I found, that it unfortunately sheers my foundations down a bit. 

Downside: I find it works really well if you add smaller amounts, maybe up the amount in the picture. However, if you add too much, the colour tends to get ashy, coverage goes down, the foundations disappears faster from your skin, and, if you have an oily skin, the thick formula can get a bit too much and you may end up shinier than you want to. 

Unless you are really dark, I would recommend having a white foundation in your stack. Everyone who struggles to find a foundation that is light enough can benefit from it anyways, but even if you are a more medium skintone you probably end up beeing in between shades sometimes. With a white foundation at hand, you can always mix your perfect match!

Bright Red Nailpolish

Lately I have been wearing the same nail polish quite a lot, which is rare for me, as I usually switch between them every single time I paint my nails. But I found this colour to be the perfect one for this time of year.

This particular polish is extremely old, my mum used to use it but didn't like it anymore and gave it to me, and that was probably... about eight years ago? As far as I know that actually don't do that range any more. However, I am sure there are similar shades available. It is just a very true, bright, but not neon red.

The thing is, that we are kind of stuck between winter and spring at the moment. Christmas and New Years Eve is long over, so we seem to think that winter is as well, but the weather just does not agree. Technical, spring does not start until end march.
So on one side, red is definately a winter colour, reminding us of christmas, but as it is a lot brighter and lighter than what we tend to wear during that time, it is already leading us into spring. Also, the brightness really brightens my mood as well, as cheesy as that sounds, and I just really enjoy it!

My polish is drying out. Completely. I tried one of those nail polish thinners, but it seem to make it worse. Any ideas what brand and shade to get to dupe it? Thanks for helping!

Gifts for myself #1

Hellohello!

I finally finished all my exams for this semester! And I kind of wanted to treat myself to a few little somethings and I thought I show you.

So. First I needed handcreme. The Eubos one is the only one that works for me. Trust me, I ran out of it and was two days without it and just used something else, you can not imagine how my hands looked and felt. And even though it is a little bit more expensive (around 7€) than I would normally pay for something so simple, it is so worth it and I use it religiously every evening. 

Then I got a pack of those strips that gets out all the... stuff... out of your pores. I haven't used them in a while, but I really feel like my pores become bigger and bigger every days, so lets see what these can do. I had them before and liked them, and they are cheap :) . 

Onto the makeupy bits, I found a few new colours in the Maybelline Color Tattoo range. They where really hyped up when they first came out, and even though I got one and liked the formula, I never used it, because I didn't like the colour range (I know everyone uses the bronze one, but I don't really wear bronze eyeshadow...). So I was extremely excited that they had new colours that I liked, and I actually had quite a hard time deciding on which one to get. Lastly, I got it in Pink Gold, a cool, metallic rosy colour, but not too girlish. 

Last but not least (well, other than toothpaste...) I finally tried the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector. Again, suuper hyped up. It is supposed to be "the gloss for those that don't like gloss". I never wear gloss because I hate the feeling of it and the fact that my hair gets stuck in it, so I thought I should try it. Again, I had a hard time deciding on a colour. I finally decided to get the peachy shade No. 2. It looks quite nice swatched, but on my lips... They are really pigmented anyways, and this just hardly shows up. It just gives a very slight warm milky hue. I actually have lipbalms that have more colour. Maybe the pink colour would have been better, it looked a lot stronger in the swatches... But I have to say, even though I haven't worn it a lot yet, it feels nice on the lips. Not like lipgloss. So thumbs up for that.

Top: Maybelline Color Tattoo Pink Gold
Bottom: Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 2

I also got a sample of a perfum from Issey Miyake, Pleats Please (never heard of that...) and as I really like it I thought I show it as well! (Even though I just looked it up and it looks like it is ridiciously expensive and I will not spend that much on, excuse me, scented water...)

4 Shadows - 4 Looks - The Smoked One

And here comes the last one. This is actually my favourite and it is the one I tend to go for when I use this palette. It is smokey enough to go with a nudish lip, but not too over the top so you can wear a bright lip as well. Here is how to do it:

1. Apply a wash of the lightest colour from your brow to your crease.
2. The next darkest colour goes all over the lid. Make sure the two colours blend in the crease.
3. Take a dark brown eyeliner and apply it roughly to the outer half of your lashline. Also put a few dots of it at your lower lashline.
4. With a pencil brush and the second darkest colour, blend the pencil out. I like to go almost all the way in on the top, and about half way in at the bottom.
5. You can intensify the look with the darkest shadow, just place it at the very outer corner of the eye and then drag it inwards. 
6. Put lots of mascara on top and bottom and
7. Done!

I really hope you enjoyed this mini series, I certainly did. Hope to see you soon!

4 Shadows - 4 Looks - The Lined One

I am not much of a liner girl, mostly because my eyeshape makes it really difficult to get it nice and even. I also don't think that it suits me that much. However, recently I found a liner shape that works quite well on me, and as a winged liner is a classic for a lot of people I thought I add one of those looks to this little series as well. I also find that using shadow as a liner gives a much softer look which suits me a lot better.

1. After priming the eyelid I mixed the two lightest shades together to get something relatively close to my skintone. Then I dusted that all over, from lashes to brow, to conceal little rednesses and veins. It will also stop the liner from rubbing of on your browbone during the day.
2. With a wet angled brush I picked up some of the darkest colour and lined my eye with it. For my eyeshape I found it the most flattering just to line the outer two thirds, rather than going all the way in. Every eye is different, so practise until you get a shape that suits you!
3. This is optional, but I put some skin coloured liner on my waterline to brighten the eye. If you can't find an eyeliner in this colour: a lot of brands carry a nude lipliner, that will work just as fine!
4. Use your favourite mascara. I think especially with no shadow underneath the eye, coating your bottom lashes is a must, because it will balance out the eye.
5. Done!

4 Shadows - 4 Looks - The Grunge One

Welcome to number two!

This one is definately somewhat darker and smokier, but I really enjoyed wearing it!

Here is how to do it:

1. Blend the second lightest colour all around your eye, lid, crease, browbone, under the eye and right into the inner corner as well. You can go as far underneath the eye as you like. 
2. Pack the next darker colour onto the lid and underneath the lower lashline as well. Blend into the lighter one.
3. With the dark brown on a flat shader brush, start at the outer corner quite thick and get smaller towards the inner corner, kind of making a triangel shape. Also bring it quite close under the lashes. Blend again.
4. Reapply the colours and blend everything out until you are happy with the intensity.
5. Apply a dark brown liner in the waterline, if you feel comfortable, do the tightline as well.
6. Apply mascara and you are...
7. Done!

P.S.: Please excuse my brows. I really need to plug them...

4 Shadows - 4 Looks - The Basic One

Bonjour!

You probably know it as well: you have a whole lot of eyeshadows, but you always use them in the same way? Yeah, here as well. So I took out my favourite quad and I am going to show you four differrent ways to use them.

The shadows I am going to use are from Alverde and it is called Chocolate. It has a highliting, creamy bone shade, a medium quite warm brown, and a very dark, almost black brown. Obviously you can use what ever shade, finishe and price range you prefer.

The first look is a very basic one, something that a lot of you probably already do. But I wanted to include it anyways, because I actually rarely use my shadows this way.

1. Apply the lightest colour to your lid and underneath your brow.
2. Take the lightest brown on a big fluffy brush, and dust it in between, on the browbone.
3. With a smaller blending brush, apply the medium brown in the outer corner and slightly in the crease. Also run it under your lower lashline, about half of the way in. 
4. Use the big fluffy brush again to blend everything together.
5. Apply liner if you like, shape your brows and use your favourite mascara.
6. Done!

Making bread

 Hello hello!

Guess what I did yesterday? I made a bread! It was lots of fun, quite a lot of work, but it really liked it!

Here is what you need: (I used this recipe)
225g rye flour
225g strong bread flour
2 tsp of salt
20g fresh yeast
140ml lukewarm milk
140ml lukewarm water
1 tsp of honey

And this is what you need to do:

Start by mixing the yeast with the warm milk and the honey.

Stir until the yeast is dissolved and the mixture starts to bubble.

In the meantime, mix the both flours with the salt in a big bowl.

Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the yeast mixture and the warm water.

Stir everything together. Use a fork and start in the middle, and then slowly bring the flour in. Once everything is roughly combined, get your hands in and start kneadding.

You want to knead for at least 10 minutes (yes, we are working out here ladies!). You are looking for a soft, elastic dough.

Put the finished dough back into the bowl, cover with a foil and leave at a warm place till it has doubled in size (about two hours).

Kned the dough again for one or two minutes, then form a bread, place it on a baking tray and sprinkle with flour. Leave to rest for another two hours.

Afterward it may look something like this. Then preheat the oven to as high as it gets. Put the bread in the oven and reduce to 220°C. Bake for about 30 minutes. When you knock at the underside and it sounds hollow, your bread is finished.

Let it cool completely.

Afterwards you can cut it in slices and enjoy your hard work.

















Top tip: If you don't plan to eat it all in one or two days, put the slices in the freezer. Once you need them, take them out, and either leave outisde for about an hour and a half do defreeze, or simply put them into your toaster for a quick snack. That way it keeps a lot longer and won't go stale.

Pharmacy Skincare

Hello lovelies!

I became quite obsessed with skincare over the last 6 months, and I wanted to share a few of my everyday, or at least every week products with you. And as I was looking through my little basket next to my sink, I realised, that a lot of the products I own, use, love are from the pharmacy. The great thing about those brands is that their products are made for sensitive skin, which means that they have less irritating ingredients. They also normaly don't use parabens, silicons and other nasty stuff which I try to avoid anyways. Plus, for what they do, most of them are quite reasonablely priced. Yes, they tend to be more expensive than your average drugstore brand, but if you are into skincare you know that you can spend quite easily 30-40€ on a product, and most of the products below are cheaper.

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase intense masque: I got this before I went to New York because I wanted a clear hydrating mask for the plane. I like to apply this in a thick layer onto my skin and then let it sink in during the evening. By the time I go to bed it completely disappeared. The next morning I wake up and my skin does not feel tight! This is rare for me!

Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum: as you can see (or maybe not) I used it all up. It has a really thin consistency and feels very cooling and refreshing on the skin. You can almost feel your skin "drinking" it up. Really helps with my dehydration, and even though this has quite a hefty price tag I will probably repurchase it.

Bioderma H2O: how could someone talk about pharmacy skincare and not mention Bioderma? According to the mass of beauty bloggers and youtubers this is THE holy grail make up remover. I think it is good, it works and I use it, but I don't see the hype. Maybe because I don't really like to use an extra make up remover on a cotton pad, I just like to use my cleanser, but I have to agree that it works good, doesn't sting in the eyes or make the skin feel tight or leaves a residue on it. 

Lierac Diopticerne Eye Cream: this is supposed to help with dark circles. It has a nice texture, feels good on the skin and is quite hydrating, but I haven't noticed a difference with the colour of my undereye area. I am always very dark under there, and I tried a lot of eye creams that pretend to brighten and lighten and what not. I haven't found one that actually works, so I wasn't expecting too much of this one and wasn't too disappointed afterwards, but my journey goes on... (If you know something that works, please let me know!)

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo: again something that got quite a lot of attention on blogs and in videos in the last weeks and months, and this time, I can understand why people love it. It is not heavy or greasy at all but still moistruising enough for me. I definately think it helped with breakouts, clogged pores etc, and my skin always seems to look a lot better in the morning when I used it (I use this at night time because in daytime I use...)

Avene Antirougeur redness-relief moistruizing protecting emulsion SPF20: I got this in Paris because the "redness-relief" really appealed to me. The product itself is green. I like it as a day time moistruizer, especially because it has SPF, but I haven't noticed any differences with the redness in my skin. (This really is just an emulsion, so not that moistruizing, but I think they also make a version for normal to dry skin if that's your skintype!)

Last but not least, Nuxe Huile Prodigeuse: they describe it as a dry oil that can be used on body, nails, face, hair, wherever you want. I just use it for my face maybe once a week as a night time moistruizer. What is unique about this product is, that it is without silicons, so is a "real" oil, but doesn't feel oily on your skin. It also sinks in relatively quickly, and just gives a nice "moisture-kick" for those dry winter days. 

This is it guys, I hope you enjoyed it!

5 Weekend facts

Hello again!

1. Yesterday, we had quite a lot of snow, but when I went outside to make a snow man, the snow wasn't wet enough.
2. Since last night there is even more snow, and this time it looks like it could work!
3. Unfortunately what comes down now is a mixture of snow and rain, and as I want to visit a friend in an hour and as I need to drive back to my appartement today, I am a bit worried.
4. I had my first kale chips. At first I liked them, but the aftertaste is a bit too kale-y for me and my mum. (My sister likes them though.)
5. I have the chapptest lips ever. Essie posted a home made lip scrub a few weeks ago, so I need to get some coconut oil!

That's already it, need to go now and put some make up on! (Yeah!) 

Hope you had a good weekend as well.

x, Tascha

A lightbulb (or two)

I realised last week that the name of my blog has a spelling mistake. Damn it. I won't change it, just because, but I hope you don't mind too much (please tell me have not noticed!).

Also: I know I do not post very regularly. I actually think I have not post in two weeks? Well, there are just not too much things to talk about at the moment. I had a lot of free time the last weeks and I was just chilling out, and now I need to study for my exams this semester but still nothing exciting to post about. I hope it changes soon.

See ya!

Christmas presents and New Years Eve

Hello and happy new year!

I promised in my last post to "show off" the presents I got for christmas, so here we go!

First things first, I finally got a conical curling wand! This one is from Remington and 19-25mm in diameter, which is the biggest one you can get I think. I just used it once since christmas, so I need to get used to it a bit more, but so far so good! I thought this might be good to add a bit of texture in the morning without taking to much time. (It also came with protecting two-finger-gloves and a heat resistant mat by the way!)

Then I got three books. Two of the ice and fire series from Mr. Martin which I enjoy a lot, and one sewing book. It shows how to create a pattern out of an existing clothing item so you can recreate it. Again, haven't tried it yet, but I am curious to do so!

Next up is a pan. Sounds quite boring, but I wanted one that is not non-sticky, so one that is silver inside, not black. So if I cook meat I can do it with this one, and it will get a much nicer, crispier outside with this one. And I can put it into the oven as well which is very handy.

Probably my favourite present is not on the picture, but it is... 2 tickets for Swan Lake, danced by the Bolshoi Ballet! I don't think I mentioned it here before, but I dance ballet, and even though I never was a professional and never will be, I just really really love it and for those of you who don't know, the Bolshoi is the national ballet of Russia, so one of the best, if not the best ballet group of all times. And I am SO EXCITED!!

Then I also got a voucher for a facial, pyjama bottoms, a measuring tool for Spaghetti, shower gel, a necklace and a few smaller bits and bobs that I don't remember at the moment.

Yesterday was New Years Eve and me and my parents had Raclette, because that is what we always have. Then we got dressed up and went to a party in the opera where we met up with a good friend of mine (who I went to school with) and her parents. We had nearly 30 minutes of firework! Afterwards there was a party with Elvis, ABBA and Co, and even though it was a bit awkward in the beginning to dance with your parents it was quite a good night after all.

I hope you had an amazing night as well and I wish you all the best for the next year!