Spotted: Essence Fantasia LE

Hey there!
Today I'd like to talk to you guys about Essence's LE for December, which I spotted yesterday.
The Fantasia LE contains 3 eyeshadows, 2 metallic eyeliners, 2 lipglosses, 1 highlighting powder, 4 nail polishes and so-called eye jewels.You can see promo pics of all products here *click*.
The eyeshadows are all shimmery, and they looked nice. I can't tell you anything about pigmentation, sorry! They're not exactly Christmas shades, but I'd say winter appropriate as they're cool tones.
The eyeliners are normal pencil liners, in metallic shades.
The lipglosses also aren't that Christmas-appropriate, but they look pretty nonetheless. I just don't love lipglosses as much, so I didn't get one.
The highlighting powder is really pretty, even though it's more cool-toned and shimmery than the promo pics suggest. I didn't like it as much anymore in real life, and decided I already own prettier highlighters.
The nail polishes are all somewhat basic, except for one, the one shade I bought. It's called 03 Take A Ride On Pegasus, and it's a red-toned dark rosewood pink with a rather frosty shimmer, but the amazing part is that it's a duo-chrome! It changes from its pinkish silver shimmer to a green one at different angles! I hope this translates as nicely onto the nail, I did my best to capture it here. 2 coats.

Last but not least, the eye jewels. Probably aren't more than rhinestones with a sticky backside, not so much my taste.

After all, this is a nice LE that works very well together, all shades matching and so on. It's just not what I wanted :D You can't always get what you want, so it's okay, whatever. But I bet a lot of people will like this LE!
What do you guys think of it?
xoxo, Misch

NOTD November 29th: Essie - Limited Addiction

Hi everyone!
Today I want to show you Limited Addiction by Essie :)

Limited Addiction (I like that name :D) is a true bloody cherry red shade, very blue-toned. It's so shiny that it almost looks like a jelly, but it's so opaque that it has to be a creme.
Application was great, it has a nice consistency that glides on, I like that :) I did 2 coats here.
Limited Addiction was part of the Essie Fall 2010 Collection, but I don't think you should have any trouble getting it.

I really like Limited Addiction, it's one of my favorite red shades, and with the starting holiday season, it's a good color :)
What do you think of it?
xoxo, Misch

Review: Palmolive Naturals Orange Splash Shower Gel

Hey there!
Today I have a review for you guys, about a shower gel I've been using lately :)

Information:

• Palmolive Naturals Orange Splash Shower Gel
• with orange and ginseng
• contains 250 ml
• costs around 2 Euros
• was part of a summer LE, but might still be available at some drugstores

Positives:

• price
• scent
• lathers nicely
• is very refreshing

Negatives:

• doesn't moisturize
• it's limited

After all, this is a nice little shower gel. I like it a lot for refreshing morning showers, the scent really wakes me up :) But I think I need something richer now in the colder months.

What shower gel do you like to use?

xoxo, Misch

NOTD November 27th: Christmas Sweater Nail Art

Hey there!
Today I have a very pretty nail art piece for you guys! It's Christmas Sweater Nail Art!

I found this design on a blog I like to read a lot, Spektor's Nails, and you can see it here *click*. I just had to recreate them, this nail art is so adorable!
It was actually pretty hard to do with all of the tiny details, and mine is far from being as pretty as the original, but I love it nonetheless :)

I'm so glad we're now entering the Christmas season :)
What do you think of them?
xoxo, Misch

My sister's NOTD

Hey there!
Today I have something very cute to show you guys :)
My little sister Julia is 10 years old, and she knows very well about my blog. Just recently, she took my camera and took a picture of the nail polish she was wearing, just like I always do.

I think it's so adorable that I just had to share it :D
Isn't she sweet?! :D
xoxo, Misch

NOTD November 25th: Essie - Little Brown Dress

Hey everyone!
Today I'd like to show you Essie's Little Brown Dress.

Little Brown Dress is a very deep blackened brown creme. It reminds me of coffee, it's really almost black, which also means that it's not that warm-toned.
Application was great, it has a super creamy consistency that just goes on smoothly. I did 2 coats.
Little Brown Dress was originally part of the Essie Fall 2010 Collection, but I think you should still be able to get it easily :)

I really like this shade, love how good the application was, and it's a chic color to wear without going all the way black.
What do you think of it?
xoxo, Misch

Review: Balea Professional Oil Repair Hair Oil

Hi there!
Today I'd like to review a hair product I've just gotten recently, the Oil Repair Hair Oil from Balea.

Information:

• Balea Professional Oil Repair Hair Oil
• available at dm
• it's an oil you're supposed to use to care your hair
• made for dry and damaged hair
• it contains 100 ml
• it costs 2,95 Euros
• you can use it on dry or wet hair as a leave-in treatment or just like a hair mask
• it's supposed to make your hair very shiny and soft
• according to the website, it's vegan
• it contains argan and sunflower oil
• made for daily use

Positives:

• price
• nice, warm, vanilla-like scent which also stays in your hair
• oily but light consistency
• easy to use
• you just need a tiny bit of product
• it detangles your hair
• it makes your hair very soft
• it doesn't look oily or greasy
• all ways of usage, leave-in treatment or hair mask, are great
• it's very rich and cares so well for your hair

Negatives:

• the pump lid doesn't fully close: it's very likely that it'll open itself up
• availability
• the oil might not be that good for already very greasy hair

After all, I'm a big fan of this hair oil. It makes my hair feel so good, really deeply cared for. I love the scent for the cold season and use it as a leave-in treatment nearly after every shower.
I think it's especially great for the cold season as you need to take more care of your hair.
What are your favorite hair products?
xoxo, Misch

NOTD November 23rd: Essie - Sew Psyched

Hey guys!
Today I'd like to show you a nail polish I've owned for quite some time now, and it's Essie's Sew Psyched.

Sew Psyched is a gray-toned military green shade, somewhat khaki. It also has a slight shimmer to it, which is somewhere between silver and khaki, I can't tell for sure.
Application was good, it has a nice consistency, almost thin, and just required 2 coats for full opacity.
Sew Psyched was originally part of the Fall 2010 Collection, but I don't think you should have big trouble getting this one now.
It's a very dirty and rather unique color, I like it a lot for this time of the year :)

Btw, a very happy Black Friday to all of you, hope you'll get lots of shopping done! :D
xoxo, Misch

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey guys!
To all of you who celebrate it today, and maybe also to all of you who don't: Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope you'll all be having lots of fun with your loved ones, and enjoy your holiday!
I'm really thankful for all of you great readers, who make blogging way more fun, thank you all!
Have a great day!
xoxo, Misch

Book Review: Richard Castle - Heat Wave

Hey there!
So, some of you might know the TV series Castle. It's one of those crime shows, and it's actually pretty cool, I like stuff like that. In the series, there's this author called Castle, and he writes books during the show. And these books have actually been published, written by that same author Castle, and about the same topics that are mentioned in the TV show. Just for the background information :D

Now, I've just finished the first book out of that series, called Heat Wave, and I'd like to review it today.
The book is built just like an episode from the TV series, beginning with a crime being committed and then our main characters trying to solve it. Sounds kinda boring, but it's just a part of the story! Our main characters are Detective Nikki Heat and author Jameson Rook. There's always a personal part to the story, when our main characters get involved in some crime themselves, and their personal life also always plays an important role.
I don't want to really tell you things about the story line, because that would pretty much give everything away already. Just read the book description on the picture so you at least get a little idea of what it is about.
I really like this type of book, because it's entertaining and a lot of fun, combined with a crime story. It's easy to read, I only tend to mix up some smaller characters due to the high number of them. But it's still a nice pleasure read, and you definitely want to know how it goes on :)
Does anyone of you watch Castle or has read this book?
xoxo, Misch

NOTD November 20th: Kiko - 304

Hi guys,
today I want to show you the nail polish 304 by Kiko.

304 is a very light silver foil. It has this special shimmer to it, that doesn't really look frosty but it also keeps it from looking metallic. It's very nice for winter!
Application was great, is has a nice consistency and the finish also didn't cause any problems. I ended up doing 3 coats, because they were needed for full opacity.

I really like this shade, 304 is such a pretty wintery color, not so much one of these typical Christmas colors but still not unique. It's kind of my start into the winter season, I've decided it's cold enough for that now :D
What do you think of it?
xoxo, Misch

More December 2012 LE Previews

Hey there!
The day I posted the already launched Essence preview for December 2012 *click*, 2 new previews for Catrice LEs have been released! So I have to show these to you, too!
Catrice will be doing two LEs for December, which is quite unusual as they normally always just do 1 per month.
The first one will be called Siberian Nights, and you can see the promo pics here *click*. It looks very wintery and frosty and stuff, and it's appropriate for the winter season in my opinion! I'm not exactly smitten with all of the products, I guess I have to see them at the store to decide what I like.
The other one Catrice'll be releasing is called NEONaturals, which can be seen here *click*. It consists of only nail polishes,  nude and neon ones. This collection actually reminds me strongly of Essence's Season Of Extremes from last spring. I'm a little disappointed to be honest, the colors look far from being unique, and I want something more appropriate for Christmas! Where are the reds, the golds, everything? Xmas collections are like my favorites, but this is not exactly what I want :P
I guess we'll have to see it at the store :D
What do you think of them?
xoxo, Misch

NOTD November 18th: China Glaze - For Audrey

Hey guys!
Today I want to show you a very pretty and classic shade I own, China Glaze For Audrey.

For Audrey is a very light bluish turquoise shade, the perfect Tiffany blue. It's a creme, very light but super pretty :)
Application was great, I did 2 normal coats and it went on very smoothly.

I know this might not be the best shade for the season, but to me For Audrey is a timeless shade that I like to wear all year round. It's so pretty :)
What do you think of it?
xoxo, Misch

Swatches: Catrice Smokey Eyes Set 030 Meet Me At The Bonfire

Hi guys!

So, my sister bought this Catrice eyeshadow palette, and I thought you might be interested in some swatches! Luckily she let me swatch it :D

So, I'm talking about Catrice's Smokey Eyes Set in the shade 030 Meet Me At The Bonfire. It contains 3 eyeshadows, 1 cream eyeliner and a double-ended applicator.

The shades are a light shimmery champagne, a medium brown, not too warm, with big glitter particles, a matte gray-ish dark brown and a black cream eyeliner with a tiny bit of shimmer.

The applicator is one the one side a sponge-tip one, on the other a little flat brush, most likely for the eyeliner. It's really tiny and the quality also isn't really that great, I wouldn't use it to be honest.

The pigmentation of the eyeshadow is pretty good, I think they're all nice. I'm not the biggest fan of the chunky glitter in the medium brown eyeshadow, but it's still pretty.

After all, I think that this eyeshadow palette looks nice and I'm sure you can create both natural and dramatic looks with it. If my sister lets me, I might be doing a look with it some time soon :)
Does anyone of you own this one?

xoxo, Misch

NOTD November 16th: Kiko - 336

Hi everyone!
I'd like to show you Kiko's nail polish in 336 today!

336 is a bright royal blue, and it's a crelly, a mix of a creme and a jelly that is. Very very shiny!
Application was nice, it is very squishy like these types of polish normally are. The consistency is on the rather thin side, but it just needed 2 coats.

I really like this blue, it's a very pretty shade :) Reminds me a little of a brighter version of OPI's Dating A Royal *click*.
What do you think of it?
xoxo, Misch

December 2012 LE Previews

Hey guys!
As it's the beginning of the month (or not so much anymore, whatever :D), I'd like to show you the LE previews for December! Time for holiday stuff!
Essence will be releasing a LE called Fantasia, and here *click* you can see the promo pics. I think it looks very pretty, I'm in love with the shimmer powder, but it doesn't look that festive to me. It reminds me a little of the Fairytale LE from December 2010, with the light shimmer colors. Maybe it'll wow me more in real life.
Up until now, no more previews have been launched, I have no idea what's up with that. Maybe later this month? Do you know more?
What do you think of this LE?

NOTD November 14th: Movember Mustache Nail Art

Hey guys!
It's November, and that means it's Movember! In Movember, lots of men around the world grow mustaches, to raise awareness for prostate cancer. And while we girls can't really grow mustaches, there are lots of other ways to support this campaign, too!

One of the easiest ways to do this is, like I did, painting some mustaches onto your nails! I just used a nude base and then created my little mustaches with black polish and a dotting tool, super simple! And it looks very cute :)

I also wear my mustache necklace, I love it :D It's so much fun!

Are you somehow sporting some mustaches this month? Tell me about your ideas!
xoxo, Misch

Comparison: Essence Home Sweet Home LE Lipstick 01 Red-y To Relax + Essence Lipstick 44 Almost Famous

Hi there!
Today I'd like to compare 2 lipsticks for you guys, both are by Essence. The first one is the shade 01 Red-y To Relax from their current Home Sweet Home LE, and the other one is a rather popular permanent shade, the color 44 Almost Famous. They looked very similar on the outside, so I thought you might be interested in a comparison!
The packaging looks super similar, only the LE one has the name of the LE on it. In the following pictures, Essence Almost Famous is always on the left, Red-y To Relax on the right.

When you open both lipsticks, they still look very similar, but you can tell slight differences. The LE one looks matter and a tad darker, the permanent lipstick a little more shiny.

When swatching them, the real differences become visible: Red-y To Relax is a matte pigmented deep blue-toned red, whereas Almost Famous is a slightly pink-toned, sheerer and shinier lipstick.

When applied to the lips, they don't look similar at all anymore.

naked lips

Essence Almost Famous

Essence Red-y To Relax

So, after all, no dupes here. They looked very alike on the outside but turned out to be utterly different products. Which one do you prefer?
xoxo, Misch