Bright & Bold for Spring (Drugstore)

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This is my OMGWTF Bright and Bold makeup look that's inspired by spring. It's not necessarily a typical spring-ish look, but I wanted to break out of the many smokey and dark looks we've seen for fall and winter and bust out something super fun and colorful!! Um, mission accomplished...? I hope you love this look, even if you don't wear it out to work or school (haha) maybe you can give it a whirl sometime, or just to practice your skills!

Watch my video tutorial for the step-by-step to recreate this look!

Here's all the products I used...

Face

L'Oreal Visible Lift foundation, L'Oreal Color Lift Blush in Rose Gold

Eyes

NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk, Sleek Make Up i-Divine palette in Lagoon (launches March 13, 2013), MAC Chrome Yellow, Ben Nye Toast, Maybelline gel liner in Ultra Violet, Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara, Sleek Make Up lashes in Savannah, KIKO Glamorous pencil Nr. 411

Lips

Maybelline Vivid Lipstick in Shocking Coral 

Nails

KIKO Sugar Mat Nr. 645

Beyonce "Mrs. Carter Show" Look

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Beyonce is hot, hot, HOT right now and I've had many requests by you to do a make-up look inspired by her. I looked around and saw the extravagantly styled ad for her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, with inspiration drawn from Marie Antoinette, or some kind other Romantic period queen. These are some screenshots I took from the ad, which inspired by look.

I did some strong contouring prior to filming with my foundation, then focused on the almost "plastic" looking red, sumptuous lips, and the over-blushed cheeks. The eyes are kept very neutral, with a bit of shimmer and a dose of fluttery lashes. The look is simple but quite striking!

Here's my tutorial:

Face and Cheeks
L'Oreal Visible Lift foundation, Barry M Natural Dazzle bronzer, Inglot blushes 20 and AMC 58

Eyes
Kryolan Eyeshadow Base, MAC Malt, MAC Copperplate, Ben Nye Toast, Urban Decay Sin, L'Oreal Infallible black gel eyeliner, Maybelline Natural Glaze eyeliner, MAC Handwritten, Quo lashes Nr. 805

Lips
Catrice Lipliner "The Roof is on Fire", MAC Red lipstick, Kryolan High Gloss in Vamp

Nails
Anny - Sandstorm

Sigma Eyeshadow Bases

Sigma has released nine brand new eyeshadow bases, and I decided to put them to the test to see how well they work, and if they really stop eyeshadow from fading and creasing. The nine shades released are:

• Persuade: Creamy light beige (no shimmer)
• Dash: Deep dark plum (no shimmer)
• Pose: Brown burgundy (with shimmer)
• Provoke: Light peach (with shimmer)
• Pursue: Medium warm purple (with shimmer)
• Sculpt: Charcoal grey (with shimmer)
• Spy: Duo-chrome green-brown (light shimmer)
• Strike: Rusty red (with shimmer)
• Unveil: Bronzed gold (with shimmer)

Price: $13 USD each, or a set of 3 (pre-determined) with an applicator brush for $36 USD

Top row L to R: Persuade, Provoke, Unveil

Middle row L to R: Pursue, Strike, Dash

Bottom row L to R: Pose, Spy, Sculpt

Top to bottom: Unveil, Provoke, Persuade

Top to bottom: Dash, Strike, Pursue

Top to bottom: Sculpt, Spy, Pose

Here's what I like about them:

• Interesting colour choices with some nice finishes, and several nude shades for lighter skin tones
• Easy to blend and apply, either with a finger or brush
• Hold the eyeshadow in place without much noticeable creasing for about 6 hours
• Relatively affordable price
• Packaging has a plastic stopper lid to further help prevent drying out

What I don't like so much:

• Texture is a bit thin and slippery when applying, I prefer my bases to be a bit richer and stick stronger to my lid
• The nude colours don't enhance the vibrancy of the powder eye shadows you apply on top
• Light creasing and colour fading after about 2 hours, noticeable creasing, smudging and colour fading after about 6 hours of wear
• Staining of the lid with the more vibrant colours, slightly hard to remove the stain
• Made in China - Some people might take offence at that, but I'm always a bit weary of makeup made in China because I have really no idea what kind of conditions the makeup is produced in, how stringent the Chinese government is on health and safety inspections, and the true cost of the product is probably insanely low, meaning the company makes a huge profit on mark-up. I know some people might argue that I should thus avoid buying anything made in China, but it's become virtually impossible nowadays to avoid all products made in "The World's Factory". The question is then what you think is ok for you, and what you'd rather avoid.

Bottom Line:

I think these probably aren't the hands down best eyeshadow bases out there, there is always room for improvement, but I was pleasantly surprised how well they held up for 6 solid hours of wear, before I noticed visible creasing and fading. The trio sets are a good way to try out a few colours at once, and also come with a brush for easy application if you don't have a lot of makeup brushes yourself. The colours are nice and I like the fact that there's a couple great nude shades in there, and the pigmentation of the colourful ones is pretty good.

Where to buy? Directly on the Sigma homepage here!

10% off code for February! The code BASE2013 will be valid for 10% off your entire purchase from February 1-28, 2013

Disclaimer: The above is an affiliate link and all products were sent to me from Sigma. I have no direct affiliation with the brand and do not work for them directly, I am not on their payroll and I am not encouraged to endorse the brand in any way. I will always tell you straight up what I like, and don't like about any product that's sent to me to try. If you want to buy Sigma products, more power to you, and I would really appreciate if you do decide to use my affiliate link since it takes me time to do these reviews, make swatch pictures, buy the necessary camera equipment, etc. If you choose not to, no problem. I would never want anyone to buy anything they didn't really want or need!

xo, Julia

My Joiz TV interview

Last evening I had a Live TV interview on Joiz TV, a Swiss television network. What I love about Joiz is that it's focused toward a young and engaged audience, their employees are largely 30 years old and younger, and their shows are all integrated with Facebook, Twitter, online chatrooms and other online content. A perfect platform for me to be introduced to such a great audience!

Here are all the parts of the interview, just click on the link to watch. It's in German, but maybe you can pick up some parts. And thank you so much to everyone who tuned in on TV, online through their website, and who sent in audience questions on their chatroom. Your support was great!

The 30 minute interview was split into multiple parts. Some of the issues that were addressed: Who I am and how did I get into Youtube, why has my channel been so successful, why did I get into makeup and where are my roots from professionally, what my vision is for the future, how do I deal with both positive and negative feedback, what it's like to produce content for Youtube all on my own, how I deal with cosmetic brands, how has my life changed since my Youtube fame.

Thank you to everyone at Joiz for the opportunity!

To see more Press about me, click here.

Sleek True Colour Lipsticks, Flick It Liners & Eyelashes

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I've got some fun new products from Sleek to show you from their upcoming spring collections, so get ready! First up, the True Colour Lipsticks. The formulation is highly pigmented, available in matte or sheen finish, and they come in bright colors that are very in trend for spring 2013.

True Colour Lipsticks in Loved Up, Tangerine Scream and Smoulder (£4.99)

Loved Up

Tangerine Scream

Smoulder

My thoughts: I'm loving all up on Loved Up!!!! Wow - it's incredible. It's one of those BAM in yo face kind of colours, which I personally love. Super creamy, feels smooth to wear, and very opaque. These are great lipsticks, especially when you consider the low price. I'd love to try out more colours as I think they're really cool!

Next up are the Flick It Eyeliner pens, of which the black one is permanent, and the purple and blue ones are limited edition. They have a felt tip end, and are fairly easy to apply for a cat-eyed look. Launching February 13, 2013.

Flick It Eyeliner in Royal Blue, Dazzling Black and Purple Aura (£5.99)

My thoughts: I'm not wowed about these because I don't think the colours are really all that original, and I'm generally not too fond of pen tip eyeliners. I always find they dry out really fast, and I just prefer to work with a brush. They did, however, last incredibly long. I washed my hand several times with soap after swatching, and the colour was still there. You'll have to remove these with an oil-based eye makeup remover, and some eyelid tugging might ensue. Long lasting yes, but a bit hard to remove.

Lastly, I was sent some of the new Sleek Eyelashes, which have newly launched.

My thoughts: They all look slightly "fake" when wearing, which might or might not be a good thing, depending on what look you're going for. If you want lashes that really stand out and look unique and sort of artificial and artsy on your eyes, these might be a good find. If you're more a fan of natural looking falsies that blend really well with your own lashes and don't stand out too much, these aren't so great. They are very long, and the band to apply is very thick, so they tend to stand out and draw a lot of attention. The shapes are also not very natural, so they will obviously look fake. That might work for a more dramatic look though, so it just depends what you prefer!

Sleek makeup is available at Superdrug in the UK, and online through their shop's website here.

Would you like to try out any of these products? Which ones?

Heart Glitter Nails

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Here's my nail design tutorial inspired by upcoming Valentine's Day. Although, I think you could really wear this anytime, it's so cute! Watch my video below for the tutorial:

Products used:
Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Whirlwind White
Anny Outdoor Style
L'Oréal Fancy Me
Maybelline Deeply in Love
L.A. Colors Art Deco White
Seche Vite

Question: Will you be wearing a Valentine's inspired nail design on February 14th?? Let me know in the comments!

xo, Julia

I'm on Bloglovin...finally!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Many of you have asked about this, and I finally set up an account on Bloglovin if you want to follow my blog through their service! Use the link posted above. If you've never tried Bloglovin, it's a free service to keep up with your favorite blogs on the Interwebs.

Oh and I have 666 followers right now, so you'd better help me get past that foreboding number - Muahahahaha!

Smashbox Love Me Spring Collection

Today I've got a few pieces from the Smashbox Love Me Spring collection to show you, and I have to say - I love a couple of these products so much already! The collection was created in collaboration with street artist Curtis Kullig, with his signature print decorating both the packaging and the cosmetic products themselves (blush and lipstick imprint.)  I got these a few weeks ago and have had a chance to try all the products, so here are my thoughts.

Left to Right: Love Me Blush in Idolize Me, Love Me Be Legendary lipstick in Tempt Me, Love Me Paint Pen Eye Liner in Jet Black

First things: Packaging! I absolutely love it. The blush comes with a nice sized mirror, the lipstick looks sleek, and the red writing on the front is really nice.

Next, I really absolutely LOVE the blush color, I don't have anything exactly like it in my collection. It has a satin finish without any garish sparkles, and the color is a soft pink, leaning slightly coral when worn. The pigmentation is really good, and very buildable, so if you have fair skin - no worries that you will look like a clown on the first swipe. I'm really starting to love Smashbox blushes!

Here is a swatch of the blush, and the pen liner on my hand, wherein I applied several layers of the blush for a really strong pay-off for swatching purposes.

The lipstick in Tempt Me is another great product, with an absolutely perfect color payoff that I think is so nice for spring. It has medium coverage, so you can either wear it more sheer, or apply two coats for an opaque finish. I would describe it as a warm pink, that leans ever so slightly into coral. The lipstick contains shea butter so it's very moisturising and super comfortable to wear, without being too slippery that it immediately creases and feathers into fine lip lines. I really like this lipstick a lot!

The only product I don't care very much for is the eyeliner. It's quite bulky and the tip is really thick, so I feel like I'm applying my eyeliner with a jumbo Crayola marker. I prefer more the thin tips, or an art brush for an eyeliner. However, the thickness of the tip means it's also more sturdy and easier to get an even line. I also felt the color wasn't black enough, it looked more like a very dark grey on me.

Have you tried any Smashbox products? Let me know your favorites in the comments below!

Switzerland Prices:
Love Me Lipstick (26 CHF)
Love Me Blush (40 CHF)
Love Me Paint Pen Eye Liner in Jet Black (29 CHF)

Available at Marionnaud, and wherever Smashbox products are sold worldwide.


(Products were sent for review by PR.)

Tutorial: Sexy Valentine's Look

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This is my first Valentine's Look this year. (I want to do a second one, fingers crossed!) I wanted it to be super sexy, alluring and womanly without being garish and bright colors like hot pink or red. Both the eyes and the lips are accentuated, but both are kept in fairly neutral colors so that it doesn't look like, whoa that chick is wearing a load of makeup on her face!

Watch my video to get the look:

And here's the low-down on what I used...

Face
Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation, Collection 2000 concealer, MAC Blonde Mineralize Skinfinish, Smashbox Passion blush

Eyes
NYX Jumbo Pencil in White, Ben Nye Cork, Illamasqua Obsidian, Urban Decay Virgin, MAC All That Glitters, Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, Sleek lashes Nr. 235,

Lips
Catrice Lost in the Rosewood lipliner, MAC Angel lipstick, MAC Underage lipglass

Nails
Catrice Moulin Rouge Light 050


What do you have planned for Valentine's Day? Let me know in the comments!

My Day with InStyle & Manhattan Cosmetics

I recently was invited by Manhattan Cosmetics to attend their Style Day Make-Over Event that they were hosting in partnership with InStyle Magazine. Twelve InStyle readers had won a make-over through the magazine, and I was invited to attend and document the event as a blogger journalist, so to speak.

It was so exciting not only to get a tour of the InStyle offices and interview the Editor-in-Chief Annette Weber personally (video coming on that soon), but also to see how much fun the winners had at their make-overs! They were so excited, and the stylists did an absolutely wonderful job on their hair and makeup.

Watch my video documenting the whole day including a room tour of the fancy Sofitel hotel I stayed at, a tour of InStyle's Fashion and Beauty closets, the make-overs, and an evening of fine dining and partying it up at the exclusive Heart restaurant and lounge in Munich.

Some more pictures from the event...

Inside the InStyle Fashion & Shoe Closet...a fashionista's dream!!
And the shoes are all my size - torture!

I don't have enough makeup yet, so I picked up the supersize versions. Hah!

I stayed at the luxurious and extremely comfortable 5-Star Sofitel in the heart of Munich, which was absolutely beautiful and utterly decadent. I would have loved to try out their Spa but alas, there wasn't enough time. Boo hoo :(

The breakfast buffet was jaw-dropping and utterly mouth watering. These are only a few of the things that were available, I didn't even photograph the warm buffet section. Everything from home made smoothies, fresh squeezed juices of a dozen varieties, fresh exotic fruit, tons of breads and cakes and buns, eggs, salmon, caviar, a tea samovar and many tea varities... Basically I wish I hadn't eaten in three days so I could have consumed a lot more! I love breakfasts but I usually am not very hungry in the morning yet.

Thank you to Manhattan & InStyle - it was a ball!

Recipe: Cheese Fondue

Ahhh winter! Cold nights, snowy landscapes (at least here in Switzerland), and long nights with friends gathered around a cheese fondue and white wine. What could be better?

Here's how to make a traditional and authentic Swiss cheese fondue! Watch the video for all the steps...

Here's what you need for two people. Adjust the recipe for larger parties (duhh!)

200-250g of Swiss cheese per person (for strong eaters, I'd go for 500g for 2 people)

• This can be a combination of Gruyeres, Vacherin Fribourgeois, Appenzeller, Emmentaler and Tilsiter. The most common is moité-moité which means half-half in French, which is half Gruyeres and half Vacherin. I personally prefer a mix of different cheeses.

Fondue Set (such as these on Amazon): Fondue Set (You will need to buy the correct Fire Gel with it, which is also available on Amazon.)

Other ingredients:

1 medium sized loaf of crusty, country bread

150-200ml of dry white wine

1 clove of garlic

2 teaspoons corn starch

1-2 teaspoons cherry or pear schnapps
Dash of nutmeg

1. Combine the white wine with the schnapps, then add the corn starch and stir until there are no clumps left. The liquid should be an even, milky liquid.

2. Cut the bread into bite sized cubes.

3. Rub the garlic all over the fondue dish. Then over medium heat*, heat up the liquid mixture until it is hot but not boiling. Add the entire lot of shredded cheese to the dish, then stir frequently as the cheese starts to melt and combine with the liquid.

4. Season with a dash of nutmeg and black pepper (optional) at the end. Serve immediately on your lit fondue set. Serve with bread cubes. (Other great side dishes are gherkins, mini pickled onions, cherry tomatoes and pears in juice.)

*If you use a gas flame cooker, make sure to use a cast iron fondue dish, as cheaper models will probably burst from the direct heat.

Let me know if you try it out!! You can also make delicious fondue variations. Here are some of my favorites.

Tomato fondue: Add chunks of tomatoes to the cheese while it's cooking

Herb fondue: Add finely chopped basil, rosemary, thyme and parsley leaves

Bacon-mushroom: Fry up some bacon and mushrooms in a separate pan. Drain excess fats, then add the bacon and mushrooms to the fondue

Goat Cheese fondue: Use a portion of goat cheese with the other cheeses for a slightly different taste

Get Ready With Me!

I really like those "Get Ready With Me" type of videos on Youtube so I thought I'd make one of my own. This was getting ready for a semi-casual night out with friends. I didn't want to get dressed to the nines, but still look put together and like I put in a bit of effort. Watch the video to watch me get ready from start to finish, including makeup, hair, and outfit!

Everything I used and wore is listed below...

Skincare
Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré, Clinique All About Eyes Rich, Blistex lipbalm,

Makeup
Bourjois Healthy Mix & Illamasqua Rich Liquid foundation, Smashbox Artificial Light, Kryolan Eye Shadow Primer, Catrice shadows in Grey's Philisophy & Swimming With Dolphins, L'Oreal Infallible eye shadow in Endless Pearl, MAC Brows in Lingering, Urban Decay eyelash curler, L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes, Lancome Maquicomplet concealer, Smashbox Idolize Me blush, Smashbox Tempt Me lipstick

Hair
Sebastian Molding Mud, GHD straightening iron

Earrings
Aldo Accessories

Perfume
Thierry Mugler Alien Essence Absolue

Clothing etc.
River Island blouse, faux leather pants by H&M, Wool coat by ASOS, Shoes by Tamaris, Purse by handbagheaven.com, faux fur collar by H&M

Nail Polish
Anny Ready To Go

Style Steal: Hanna from Pretty Little Liars

Have you ever seen a picture of a celebrity in a TV show or magazine, and wanted to recreate the entire look from head to toe? That's exactly what I'm going to do in this project I'm starting called "Style Steal". The idea is to make a video where I show a celebrity look, and include a hair, makeup, nails, fashion and styling segment so you can recreate the entire look at home. Since most of us can't afford the designer duds that many celebrities wear, I want to show you that you can easily capture the feel of a look with affordable brands and products.

For this Style Steal I'm going to recreate the look worn by the character Hanna Marin from the TV show Pretty Little Liars. I took these picture straight from the new cast photos on the show's website.

Check out my video to recreate Hanna's edgy and chic look, from going shopping for the clothing, to makeup, hair, nails, and styling. Her hair is obviously quite different in cut and color to my own, so I improvised! I guess this is more her style when she had longer hair.

Here's a look at the makeup from the video...

Let me know whose Star Style you want me to Steal next! You can also post your picture suggestions on my Facebook Wall here.

Here's a low-down on everything I used, and what I'm wearing:

Outfit

Grey T-shirt: H&M

Faux leather jacket: H&M

Black denims: H&M

Belts: H&M

Armor ring: Asos.com

Black ring: H&M

Necklace: Forever 21

Cuff bracelet: was a gift, don't know where it's from

Earrings: Asos.com

Shoes: Graceland by Deichmann (or Dosenbach)

Nail polish

Anny Ready To Go

Makeup

Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, L'Oreal Infallible Endless Pearl e/s, MUA eyeshadow palettes in Heaven and Earth, and Undressed, Margaret Astor eyeliner in Brown, Laura Geller black eyeliner, Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara, Kryolan Eye Brow Powder in Medium, Smashbox Blush in Bare, Revlon Colorburst Lipbutter in Berry Smoothie, L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in Rose Elixir

Hair

Enzo Milano 1" clipless curling iron, Schwarzkopf Got2b Powderful volumizing powder, Balea Trend It Up Mattifying styling paste, L'Oreal Elnett hairspray

Is this a look that you might recreate? Where would you wear it?