Three must-watch Japanese films

Please excuse today's randomness-
apparently, I've lost my blogging mojo and I need to get my mind off beauty-related stuff!

Three utterly amazing japanese films are the reason behind this impromtu post. I recently saw them all and -if it's any worth- I now classify them among the few best films I've ever watched. Highly, HIGHLY recommend you to watch these, if you appreciate world cinema!

Each storyline is not that unique, though they're certainly captivating and will have you glued in the screen to see what happens next. All three films are real, in the sense that they deal with the profound meaning of life, so it's inevitable for them not to have a deep impact on how you view all aspects of living such as love, pain and death.
Moving factor of all 3: very high- be prepared!

1 .    S T I L L    W A L K I N G    ( 2 0 0 8 )
A family gets together once a year to commemorate the accidental death of their eldest son, who drowned when he tried to save a boy's life. This time, the younger son brings with him his new wife, who is a widow and has a boy from her previous marriage.

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2 .    D E P A R T U R E S    ( 2 0 0 8 )
A cellist loses his job after the band he was taking part is fallen apart. He returns to his hometown to live with his wife in the house he grew up, and settles upon one of the most bizarre professions: preparing the dead before they're cremated. [Surprisignly, this film is not as heavy and gloomy as it sounds!]

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3 .    C H E R R Y    B L O S S O M S    ( 2 0 0 8 )
A german-japanese film, actually... It's about a middle-aged couple who have a loving relationship and live in a small Bavarian village, after their children moved out to seek their own future. The wife (who is Japanese) has always wanted to visit Japan's sacred mountain Fuji, but something happens along the way that changes everything. [I'd advise you to skip the trailer below, as it actually reveals the film's turn of story]

     image source



If you're mostly accustomed with the Hollywood movies' fast pace, you don't need to worry: I can assure you there's no Angelopulian fixed plans that last half an hour in these films! If you happen to have watched any of them, let me know of your opinions and thoughs ;)

There, it feels good sharing your very best "discoveries" to the world!
Do leave me a comment if you know of other japanese films that are worth watching ;)

Evi   xx

The Body Shop NEW Shimmer Cubes! palette #23-Purple

Guess who got advantage of the 20% sales at the Body Shop?

This is the last Shimmer Cubes I had to get from TBS permanent makeup collection: I'm now a proud owner of all! Can't wait to find new colour combinations and make my own mix&match palettes, weee!!!

***Before I go on with the swatches, I feel the need to make a little protest:

see the white eyeshadow at the bottom left? 3 out of the 5 permanent Shimmer Cubes have the same shade of sparkly white, albeit with a different name. It's exactly the same eyeshadow running through every palette, not like three shades looking similar to each other. And, considering I own one more discontinued Shimmer Cubes containing that colour, that makes 4 little cubes= 1 whole palette of sparkly white eyeshadow that I don't even use much! Ugh... ***

But enough with the nagging; take a look at the Purple Shimmer Cubes!

This palette consists of two flattering purples, along with a wearable pink and your ever-present shimmery white eyeshadow for the inner corner of the eyes. Normally I'm not that fond of purple/plum eyeshadows, but this ensemble looks too good to pass up!

Orchid purple: such a stunning shade, this should make a beautiful smokey eye!
Candy pink: a wearable shimmery pink. Doesn't make the eyes look sore...
Pearly white: already talked about it a lot, 'nough said!
Velvet plum: a gorgeous plummy shade with amazing pigmentation! I can imagine this to look perfect in the crease. This eyeshadow got me the most excited!

Phew! So that's my last post on the new Shimmer Cubes that the Body Shop brought out this year. If you'd like to see the previous posts I've done with the rest of the palettes, click to see the Blue, Pink, and Green Shimmer Cubes.

Are you tempted by the Body Shop Shimmer Cubes?
What's your favourite eyeshadow palette, ever?

Evi   xx

The Body Shop NEW Shimmer Cubes! palette #22-Green

You might remember I had purchased these Shimmer Cubes in a recent makeup haul;
Here are the swatches!

Before I continue, I'd like to remind you that the Body Shop is having 20% sales at the moment! Don't miss this chance if there's any products from TBS in your summer wishlist; the sales will last until Saturday 27/7.

Onto the green Shimmer Cubes:

Upon first glance, all colours look as if they were designed to be worn solely in summer; however, I can imagine the bottom two shades to look amazing during winter, as well. Needless to say, such turquoise-to-green-to-silver colours compliment brown eyes like no other! TBS recommends to use them with a wet brush for maximum colour intensity- personally, I get the same effect with a sticky dark base applied underneath: that way, the surface of the Shimmer Cubes won't harden and get ruined.

Below are the swatches;
keep in mind that I didn't use flash, that's why the shimmer is not that visible in this pic.
I can assure you though, they're called Shimmer Cubes for a reason!

Pure Turquoise: the stunner of this quad, it's extremely pigmented and has a satin finish
Mint Green: a great inner corner highlighter for green eyeshadow looks
Silver grey: a dirty silver, the most shimmery of all four shades
Forest green: this has the most beautiful green shimmer running through it, looks stunning over a black cream eyeshadow!

Don't forget that the current sales are a nice opportunity to get your hands on these, considering their full price of €20 seems pretty hefty. Coming up is the last Shimmer Cubes that completes my collection, the Violet palette ;)

Are you planning on hauling some bits from TBS sales?
Which one of the Shimmer Cubes do you like most?

Evi   xx

L'Oreal Miss Candy summer makeup collection: my thoughts

If you read my blog long enough, you'll know about my feelings on LE makeup collections:
simply put, I don't like them. I prefer the products I buy to be available for purchase if
(or when) I ever run out of them.

However, since I got my hands on the new LE collection by L'Oreal and got to play around with all the products, I felt I had to share with you my experience. These particular shades may be available for only a short period of time; still, you can read my thoughts on the Infallible eyeshadows, the Glam Shine lip glosses and the new mini nail varnishes.

Here are all the products I've tested:

The miss Candy collection is inspired by all kinds of candies: think of lollipops, jellies, turkish delight, etc.. Hence, the colours range from pink pastels to light aquatic shades. If I'm being honest, I feel that there has to be some kind of a bronzing product throwed in the mix for a makeup collection to be summer-appropriate, but I digress ;)

Color Infallible eyeshadows- Innocent Turquoise, Sassy Marshmallow: these were my first take on the infamous Infallibles. If you ask me, they deserve all the hype. I hope you can see by the swatches on the top right their multi-dimensional opalescent effect, they sure can't compare to your normal pressed eyeshadows- except the Armani Eyes to Kill Intense. I managed to take a decent pic of an eye makeup I did the other day: the light colour all over the lid and the aqua shade on the top and lower lashline. This is how far I'm willing to go with turquoise eyeshadow!

Glam Shine lipgloss- Strawberry Licorice, Cola Fizz: I've been familiar with the Glam Shines as soon as they were first released years ago, but hadn't repurchased any since then. I like them, but you know me: I'm a lipstick lover at heart. They give a fair amount of pigment and apply semi-sticky to the lips. The coral-red shade has a beautiful jelly-like transparency! I found the other one to be more winter-appropriate, as it's great for layering over nude lipsticks.

Color Riche Le Vernis nail colour varnish 213 Sassy Pink: this was by far the product I enjoyed the most from this collection! This may be LE but there is a whole new range of such mini L'Oreal nail polishes available in a wide array of colours. I won't fuss too much about it: I'm planning to get more of these and write a separate post explaining why they're so amazing!

As you can tell, this makeup collection by L'Oreal may not have much "summery vibes" going on; nevertheless, the Colour Infallible eyeshadows and especially the Color Riche nail polishes are worth looking into!

So, have you tried any of the Colour Infallibles or the new mini nail polishes?
Which one is your favourite makeup product by L'Oreal?

* Products were provided by L'Oreal. I wasn't asked to feature them on my blog and I certainly wasn't compensated for this review. My opinions are dead honest and will always be so! *

Evi   xx

Exploring Greek brands: Radiant Blush Color

Here is part 4 from my dive into greek makeup products ;)
it's gonna be a rave review- boy, am I excited!

This is the second product I've tried from Radiant, as I was in need of another blush. The sales assistant showed me the brand's best-selling shades; this was one of them. Suffice to say, I love it- all the more so because it belongs within the colour family of Nars Douceur, and it's made in Greece!

Let's get on with the review:

If I'm correct, Radiant carries only one blush format. The one I picked out from their range is the No102-Apple Brown, a matte shade which I have serious trouble describing it properly! Let's call it a rosey tan shade that has ash-brown undertones: hopefully, you'll get a better idea of what it looks like from the photos below.

Admittedly, it looks pretty boring in the pan; however, when worn on the cheeks it translates into a natural shading effect that matches any eye/lip makeup, while it looks phenomenal for a warmer version of the "no makeup" look we're all after. I always blend it a little lower on my cheekbones, as it can also double up as a natural contour powder. Pigmentation is well above average, it definitely needs tapping off the brush before you apply it!

I was also fearing that since it's matte, it would feel powdery on the skin. I'm glad it's not the case: this blush falls under the "smooth and silky" category!

All in all, given that the second purchase from Radiant was a hit like the first one, it's a promising indicator that the brand has a consistent quality running through their products. Kudos to Radiant for their high standards!

If you enjoyed this post, you can also have a look at the previous articles I've wrote on greek makeup products:
The lip liners. Which one is the best?
Seventeen Silky Blusher
Erre Due Wet&Dry Sparkler for cheeks

Now, share your experience: have you tried any products from Radiant?
Which ones are your all-time favourites makeup products from greek brands?

Evi   xx

Youtube Beauty Gurus: In and Outs

Time for a different kind of post!
I hope you're feeling chatty like I am, now that I'm typing these lines ;)

Most of the times, those of us who enjoy reading beauty blogs are also into Youtube beauty videos as well- it's inevitable for these things to go hand in hand! In this post, I'm going to share with you my new favourite Youtube gurus, along with a couple of ones I kinda stopped watching for the time being...

[Just to clarify, these are my personal preferences; please don't get offended if I'm dishing out your favourites! Also, if I'm not mentioning the big guns like Lisa Eldridge, the Pixiwoo sisters or Gossmakeupartist, it's because I wanted to omit the obvious gurus:
I freakin' love them all!]

     I N S

Essiebutton
I always get sooo excited when there's a new video from this girl in my subscription box! I love her sense of humour and that she doesn't take herself seriously. Her videos are non-scripted and despite them being relatively long, they fly by before you know it. Every time I'm looking forward for that part where she goes to tell a hilarious story!



Cami loves Kiwi
Lately I can't get enough of Cami's brit wit! Other than that, she makes well put-together videos and is always genuine when reviewing beauty products. And she pulls off so effortlessy that winged eyeliner+red lips look. For that, I envy her!



Hannahgeorgina24
I think I came upon her channel after a recommendation from Makeupneversleeps (another awesome Youtuber that I miss a lot!), and I'm so glad i did. She's a down to earth person and her videos are such a pleasure to watch; this girl deserves a whole lotta more subscribers.



BeautyQQ
Ahhh, I'm in love with this lady! I appreciate the effort she puts into every video, every single one of them is entertaining and so inspiring, her creativity and talent really shines through. The below is one of my faves:



Sasaki Asahi
The cutest girl on Youtube, all the way from Tokyo! I'm so happy she's recently gained some recognition because she truly deserves it.



   O U T S

Kandee Johnson: as much as I loved her in the beginning, now I feel I'm not getting anything new from her videos. However, I do sympathise with the fact she's a busy mom (let's face it, that is a full-time job on its own), and having an active Youtube channel requires a lot of time and effort. Maybe I've had a Kandee overload, a little break seems fitting!

MissChievous: THE master of blending, if you ask me. I can't point to a certain attribute of hers, but somehow I've grown not to like her anymore... Does that make any sense? It might have to do with the fact I've been following her for 4 years and I've now found new Youtube gurus that I like watching more than Miss Chievous.

I hope you enjoyed this random post and have discovered some new and exciting Youtube gurus to watch! Leave me a comment if you happen to know any less popular Youtubers that deserve more love ;)

Now, tell me: which ones are your favourite Youtube beauty gurus?
Who do you reckon as being under- or over-rated?

Evi   xx

My favourite body lotions for summer!

I admit I'm not a sophisticated buyer when it comes to bodycare products: anything that claims to do the job on the cheap while smelling nice, that's all it takes- I'm sold!

As far as body lotions go, I like to have different ones for each season according to their scent; because in my mind, I can only use a rose body lotion during spring or one that smells of spices in winter.

These are my picks for summer months:

See?
Mass-marketed, easily accessible body lotions that don't break the bank ;)
Each of them offers lightweight moisture to the skin, while having a crisp, green scent.

Garnier Intensive 7 days with Aloe Vera: Garnier was lacking in the body lotion department for many years, so this new range filled the gap nicely. What's remarkable is that they cater for 4 different skintypes; I chose the one for normal skin with Aloe Vera extract. Now, I haven't tested the 7 days claims- who could spend a whole week with just one application? Apart from that, it has a luuuvely cream-to-gel texture and a fresh scent, albeit a tad floral.

Dove Go Fresh Nourishing body lotion: I had to get this body lotion if only for its smell, the Dove Go Fresh cream bar is one of my most loved soaps! It's a lightweight green-tinted cream that offers adequate moisture to normal skin, with some extra menthol for that cool, tingly feeling. Smells distinctly of cucumber and green tea. Love it.

Vaseline Aloe Fresh light feeling lotion: this is probably my favourite body lotion of the bunch! In my opinion, Vaseline makes excellent body moisturisers for their price tag. This Aloe body lotion screams summer, period. It's such a pleasure to apply, the aloe scent is easily classified under "omg" category- I even adore its cheap packaging! In contrast, the Vaseline Aloe Gel was a let-down: while it felt oh-so cooling on the skin, I found it offered very little moisture.

Without a doubt, I would repurchase all three body lotions, despite the fact I love trying out new products. Goes to show you how much I love them! However, if I was somehow forced (?) to pick just one, I would definitely favour the Vaseline Aloe body lotion over the rest.

Have you tried any of the above products? Were you satisfied like I was?
If you favour another body lotion for summer, by all means let me know!

Evi   xx

June '12 favourites.

I hope you're not sick of these monthly favourites posts yet;
as much as I'd love to prepare a "products I've used up" kind of thing, I don't seem to finish anything! Well, anything apart from deodorant, toothpaste and soaps- but that's not fun talking about in a beauty blog, now is it?

For the most part, June was a month of no-makeup days: once again, I felt the need to go as "natural" as possible and wear less makeup products. That, and the fact I didn't have the time or the energy to do more elaborate looks...

That's why this attitude is reflected to the products I used the most during past month:
it all came down to the ones that were quick and easy to apply, while looking effortless.

Kiehl's Lip Balm #1: my go-to lip balm during June; I had purchased it during my
Kiehl's skin consultation appointment, as the one I was using in the tube form is prone to melting under summer heat. You wouldn't believe how little I paid for this: €8 for 17gr of product, that's insane considering the Korres Jasmine lip butters are priced at around €6 for only 6gr! I've already documented my love affair with this lip balm, you can read the full review here

Elf Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Baby Lips: as you can see, it's on its last legs... This is pretty much a clear lip gloss that feels minty-tingly on the lips and is a pleasure to apply because of its foam applicator. I'm actually surprised this lipgloss by Elf made it to my favourites list with no Mac lipstick on the side! Read my full review on this product here

Garnier BB Cream, dark: this has saved me from looking somewhat ghostly whenever I mixed Strobe Cream with my foundation! A tiny blob of this baby and, tada- skintone went back to normal. I really love mixing the dark BB cream or the light version with my foundation, it makes me feel like a little makeup connoisseur that does things other than the norm... *

Max Factor Liquid Effect pencil: this is hands-down the best eye pencil I've tried so far. It's so creamy, so pigmented, sooo easy to smudge, and when it sets it acts as waterproof! This was part of the Max Factor makeup bag that Yiannis Marketakis personalised for each blogger over at Makeup Lab, and the one that impressed me the most. *
Note: Please let me know if you'd like me to make a post on the rest Max Factor makeup products I was given; I gotta admit, I always feel a bit "guilty" when I show off products that were given to me for free... But if any of you would be interested in these Max Factor goodies, leave me a comment and I'll make a separate post for you ;)

Radiant Blush Colour #102 Apple Brown: it seems odd I've been enjoying wearing this autumnal shade of blush during June- however, on days when the only products I had on my face were foundation and mascara, this blush colour made my cheeks look warmer, without looking fake like the rest of my bronzers do whenever I have no eye makeup on. Such a pleasant surprise by a product made in Greece, it definitely deserves its own post!

Mac Prep+Prime Highlighter, Radiant Rose: I tried layering it on the high points of my face over foundation, and I loved it! On retrospeck, the yellow version would suit me best- I blame all the Youtube gurus that went on and on about how "brightening" pink-toned concealers look under the eyes, and I got screwed... Nevertheless, it's a handy tool to give some dimension to the face without messing with contouring.

    Swatches of the Max Factor eye pencil, Radiant blush, Mac Prep+Prime Highlighter

That's pretty much everything I loved wearing during June! I know, they might not be as exciting as colourful eyeshadows or bright lipsticks- let's hope July will be all about coral lips and turquoise eyes ;)

Now, share your favourites with me: what have you been loving lately?
Do you have any experience with the Radiant makeup brand? Let me know!

* Products marked with a * were given to me for free. I'd rather mention it every single time I feature a free product- mind you, this is not a given these days... Sharing my honest and truthful thoughts on these products, I woudn't let it be any other way.

Evi   xx