MAC Make-up Consultation

A couple of days ago (Friday, actually) I went and got a make-up consultation at the MAC stand in the department store in my city. In Denmark MAC can only be found in the big department store Magasin, although the stores are located several places in the country. Anyways, I had booked a time as I thought, and still think, it was a great way to try out some of MAC’s products without having to actually buy them first. It is wise as MAC products aren’t the cheapest of the bunch. It was a really nice experience, I must say! The woman who did my make-up was very kind and simply found whatever I wanted to try out from their newest collection, along with their basic products like foundation, concealer, etc.. I would recommend it to others, if only to get your make-up done prettily for the day (and that is really nice, admit it!).

Totally unphotogeneric me… oh dear *pouts*

I have tried to the best of my ability to find the products I tried and also, below listed by immediate opinion of them. Obviously, I haven’t tested them out for a longer time seeing this was a make-up consultation, but I did have some overall thoughts on them.

Make-up details,

Foundation: Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation in 1.0.

Opinion: It felt very light to wear and provided a light to medium coverage, which I really liked. I don’t like heavy foundations in general, so this one appealed to me. However, it took quite a while to get it blended nicely and that was perhaps the biggest downside to it (along with the price!).

Concealer: Mineralize Concealer in 15.

Opinion: It seemed to provide okay coverage for under eye dark circles and the formula was light and seemingly easy to work with. I think the price is a bit too high for what the product actually did for me.

Powder: Mineralize Skinfinish Natural – I can’t remember the shade.

Opinion: I honestly wasn’t wowed by the powder; it didn’t feel special from the powders I have tried over the years. In the grand scheme of things I am not really wowed or into powders, so for me a less expensive one can do the job just as well.

Blush: Mineralize Blush in Petal Rose.

Opinion: The blush was a really pretty colour and it appeared to be quite pigmented as she didn’t need much to create the effect on my apple cheeks.

Mascara: In Extreme Dimension Lash in Black.

Opinion: I wasn’t attracted to the mascara at all – and not only because it had a rubber brush! The brush didn’t ‘grab’ my eye lashes well, but instead made them clash together. Perhaps, the mascara would have been great if I had long lashes, but as I don’t, and instead have many, it really wasn’t for me.

Eye shadow: Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow: Greenluxe.

Opinion: The colours didn’t really suit me well, in my opinion, but there were few in the new collection I believe actually could have suited me. I am hands down a naturals-browns kinda girl, which the collection didn’t center around and thus tried something out of my comfort zone. It was fun to try something new! The quality of the eye shadows seemed really great – they were really pigmented, so she didn’t have to use much.

Paint: Paints in Base Light.

Opinion: I honestly didn’t get the meaning of the paint. Apparently, it was different than a primer, yet how it was different  I didn’t get.

Lipgloss: Cremesheen Glass in Star Quality.

Opinion: As you can see on the picture below, I loved the lipgloss so much it had to leave with me. I honestly prefer lipsticks and lip crayons/sticks/whatever over lipgloss because I often kind that lipglosses are sticky. I really dislike sticky lipglosses. This one isn’t sticky at all and it has the prettiest coral-pinkish colour. The price was the huge downside to it, but I felt I would use it a lot and really love it, so I decided to purchase it as the only product.

Star Quality (love the name!) and a swatch.

When you get a make-up consultation, unless it is specifically listed, you don’t have to buy any of the things you try. You are seriously not obligated to do so – I wasn’t obligated to do so… but I just did because I really liked the product.

Have you been to a make-up consultation before? Did you like it?

Until next time,

Mia ♥

Saturday; Outfit of the Day – Birthday Party

Another rare OOTD post… and on a Saturday at that. Amazing. Yes, please note the sarcasm.

Anyways, as I really don’t have a lot of time before I leave my apartment, I am heading to two of my friends’ birthday party and I confidently thought I would sneak in an OOTD post as there won’t be many of them in general and I liked the last one with the Oscars. I have decided to keep it completely simple, although gone for a more… put-together look. Does that make sense? I am not even sure it makes sense to me, but just more formal-ish like than what I normally do.

I have chosen to wear my black Selected dress, which I am absolutely in love with… the quality is amazing, especially considering the price, and I just love the cut. It can be worn as an everyday dress or for a more special event – personally, I use it for both. I typically buy dresses (and in general clothes) I can dress up and down depending on the occasion as it gives more wear out of the dresses. I have paired it with my trustworthy Decadent handbag and as for shoes, we don’t really wear shoes of any kind inside, so I will choose some random pair. For jewelry, I didn’t go all out, but instead opted for the pieces I wear on an everyday basis. I could have done something more I suppose, but yeah, I am a bit lazy when it comes to jewelry. Make-up is also kept simple, though the lipgloss from MAC will brighten up the look and came it feel more spring like with its coral-pink colour.

The picture is from Selected's website as the details of the dress
is more viewable than what I can capture.

Clothes detail,

Sofia LS Smock Dress FJ-EX from Selected (Selected Online)

Jewelry details,

Timex ‘gold’ watch (bought at a flea market).

Necklace (bought at a flea market).

Black squares earrings (bought in a shop called Tryllespejlet, though I know they are from the Nederland).

Black, shiny adjustable ring from Pilgrim.

‘Faith’ bracelet from Etsy (CREATIVEdesignbyTHAO).

Tea saucer from Royal Copenhagen, 2162 (bought at a flea market).

Make-up details,

Base: MaxFactor’s Weightless Foundation SPF 10 in number light ivory 40 and Missha’s Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 in number 21.

Mascara: Clinique’s high definition lashes in number 01 black and MaxFactor’s 2000 Calorie dramatic volume in black.

Eye shadow primer: INK by Dennis Knudsen in number 01 matt.

Quickliner: Clinique’s Quickliner for Eyes in number 03 roast coffee.

Eyeshadows: Dior’s eyeshadows in numbers 844, 031 and 770.

Lipgloss: MAC’s Cremesheen Glass in Star Quality.

What are you doing today? What do you feel about spring coming soon?

Until next time,
Mia ♥

Review: TRESemmé’s Volume & Lift Mousse

TRESemmé, TRESemmé, TRESemmé… I admittedly feel like sighing because it is the first time I have been disappointed with one of their products. That in itself just sucks as I obviously wanted to be wowed by this product so bad. But I wasn’t. Damn it.

Maybe I should start on a brighter note? There are actually qualities I liked about this product, even though they aren’t of overwhelming number. The first good quality of this product is the humidity resistance – I hadn’t thought much about that fact when I purchased the products, but as Danish weather at the moment is really changing (when isn’t it changing?!) it has proved to be very handy indeed and I haven’t experienced the same kind of electric hair like I normally do. So thumbs up for that! Secondly, I really like the formula… the foam is really lightweight, non-sticky and fluffy-like, making it incredible easy to work (and play) with. That really shouldn’t be underestimated.

… Is it sad I only like two qualities? Probably.

The truth is I am quite disappointed with the ‘volume & lift’ part, and perhaps even more so when it is a part of the title and it says ‘medium hold’ on the back of the bottle. Basically, the essential of the product isn’t up to pair. I have tried this mousse countless of times by now, and will continue with it until I have emptied it as I can’t afford to simply throw it away and purchase something else, but every time after I have blow-dried my hair I look in the mirror and think, ‘What volume? What lift?’ The difference it makes is minimal. Whenever I have tried to compare it to how my hair would look after a blow dry without it, I gotta admit the difference wasn’t striking at all. That honestly annoys me.

Perhaps what annoys and disappoints me even more, is the fact that TRESemmé usually make some really good products and, as listed before, this is the first time I have been disappointed with one of their products. When you pay 90 DKK (9 GPS) – that is right! Everything is expensive in Denmark – you want it to be great… or beyond great, actually. I think it is a lot of money on a product that just doesn’t deliver.

I wouldn’t recommend TRESemmé’s Volume & Lift Mousse to anybody as there surely are far better products for the same price.

Do you have a volume product you would recommend me instead?  

Until next time,

Mia ♥

DIY: The Sequin Hairband

 

the beginning of the project!

I absolutely love hairbands and wear them often to ‘spice’ up an everyday outfit! I think they are a great accessory to any coloured and styled hair you may have at the moment, and can help a perhaps dull outfit become more exciting for any occasion. There is no end to how great an accessory they can be!

Now, I purchased most of my hairbands some years back and then their style was spot on with whatever fashion that was rocked out. Fast forward to now and most, if not all, are really… yeah, outdated to say the least. Instead of throwing a perfectly good hairband out and purchasing a new one, I have altered a few of mine with little means and the results have always been many compliments, fascination and wonder. Apparently people do pay attention to hairbands!

The sequin hairband is my third DIY hairband project and my third favourite (I may, perhaps, at a later point show one of my other), where I had chosen I wanted something subtle, yet could stand out. Yeah, that didn’t even make a lot of sense in my head. You can obviously choose many different colours to do one in, but I opted for black/dark blue. I am really happy with the result, although I was surprised by the amount of time it took to finish it.

me wearing the completed hairband... sorry about the quality of the picture!

What you need to make this,

·         A hairband (one that is covered in some fabric).

·         Sequins… loads of sequins (buy them on sale).

·         Beads... same amount of beads as sequins (you can buy beads in most thrift shops).

·         Needle and thread.

·         Patience!

Step by step,

-       Get your needle and thread ready.

-       Sew into the hairband first to secure the thread, and don’t worry, you don’t be able to see the knots of the thread in the end.

-       The thread goes through the sequin, the bead and then through the same sequin again.

-       As you have tightened the sequin in place, you sew into the hairband again.

-       Repeat the above steps necessary to complete your hairband.

Note: You don’t have to COMPLETELY cover your hairband in sequins, as in, I did sequins until it reached the tip of my ear (I put on the hairband and measured). I did that due to the possibility of using the hairband for many different hair styles, but also… it can get rather itchy, I find, with sequins and beads behind your ear.

What do you think of this DIY? Could you image updating one of your hairbands?

Until next time,

Mia ♥

Sunday; Outfit of the Day – The Oscars

Now, you shouldn’t expect to see many OOTD posts as I will probably only do them when I am actually doing/attending something exciting... and that isn’t that often, I am afraid to admit. However, today I am attending something exciting – the viewing of the Oscars! Why does that sound so much more exciting in my head? But yes, I am going to watch the Oscars with the other English students.

I have opted for my grey and black Saint Tropez dress, which can be dressed up and down depending on the accessories, and paired it with my Sofie Schnoor glitter sneakers. I bought them last year, but didn’t get to wear them much as I bought them rather late in the season… They are good quality sneakers and they are comfortable to walk in. All my necessary things like purse, phone, keys, etc. will be in my trustworthy (and beloved) black Decadent handbag. As for make-up I have decided to keep it simple and really close to my daily routine as I will probably be home around 6 AM, but I have decided to add a red lipstick to the look. You really can’t go wrong with red lipstick… and it is very Oscars appropriate.

Details,

Base: MaxFactor’s Weightless Foundation SPF 10 in number light ivory 40 (it is suitable for sensitive skin and if you have big pores) and Missha’s Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF 42 in number 21.

Concealer: MaxFactor’s Mastertouch under-eye concealer in number 303 ivory (not recommendable!).

Mascara: Clinique’s high definition lashes in number 01 black and MaxFactor’s 2000 Calorie dramatic volume in black (it is good if you don’t have long lashes, but instead many lashes).

Blush: Rimmel London’s Power Blush in number 001 Santa Rose.

Lipstick: MAC lipstick (matte) in Russian Red (it is the classic red lipstick).

Are you going to watch the Oscars? Who are you hoping will win?

Until next time,

Mia ♥