Review: Essence Hugs & Kisses LE Blush 01 Dating Prince Charming

Hey there!
Today I'd like to review the blush from Essence's Hugs & Kisses LE! Here you go:

Information:

• Essence Blush 01 Dating Prince Charming
• part of the Hugs & Kisses LE, January 2013
• light cool-toned pink with silver shimmer
• has letters L, O, V and E in the shades green, pink and purple on it
• contains 7,4 g
• costs 2,45 Euros

Positives:

• price
• pretty shade
• design
• nice light shade, you can't really overblush
• the fine shimmer makes for a great highlight
• it lasts almost all day without fading

Negatives:

• it's limited
• the shimmer wanders over your face in the course of the day
• for lots of people it could be too light to be used as a blush

Now, onto the colored letters: they are all pigmented, but when you swirl your brush all over the blush, you'll only pick up each color in such a tiny amount that you can't tell on the face. That means the green also isn't a problem :)
After all, I do like this blush, and I'm glad to own it as it's a little different from my usual peachy pink blushes that I wear. It's not the perfect blush, but worth a look.

What do you think of it?

xoxo, Misch

NOTD January 30th: Essence Color3 Ticket To The Show (Front Row Or Backstage?)

Hi guys!
Today I'd like show you Essence's Ticket To The Show (Front Row Or Backstage?) from their soon to be discontinued Color3 line.

 This is a double-ended nail polish. Ticket To The Show is a black with a multi-colored shimmer, whereas Front Row Or Backstage? is a deep blackish sheer shade with golden copperish flakies. Both shades are really deep and work well with each other.
Application was great. Even though it's double-ended, it's not hard to handle. Ticket To The Show is a very opaque shade, I did 2 coats here. On top of it is one layer of Front Row Or Backstage.

I really like this polish, it's super pretty! Dark but interesting :) In case you like it, you should hurry before it's no longer available. Right now you can find it on sale for 0.95 Euros.
What do you think of it?
xoxo, Misch

Swatches: Essence Nude Glam Nail Polish 06 Cookies & Cream

Hi there!
Today I'd like to show you another soon-to-be-discontinued product from Essence, one of their Nude Glam Nail Polishes.

It's called 06 Cookies & Cream and is a tan-ish nude shade. It's a little warm-toned and contains tiny golden shimmer particles. I think the name is actually quite matching! It glided on really well and just needed 2 normal coats, perfect here.

I'm not sure whether this nude will work for all skin tones, I bet it's too warm for that. I'll try it with mine in the next couple of days, let's see how it is!
What do you think of it?
xoxo, Misch

Comparison: Essence Vintage District LE Bush 01 It's Popul-art

Hi there!
I know I'm rather late with this, but I thought you might interested in it nevertheless! I went through my stash and looked for blushes similar to Essence's Blush from the Vintage District LE. So, here's a comparison.

We have first of all Catrice's Duo Blush C01 As Lively As Ever from their Floralista LE of Spring 2011. Next, we of course have our center-piece, Essence's Blush 01 It's Popul-art from the Vintage District LE, which is current right now, January 2013. As a third blush I chose Catrice's Blush C01 Gone With The Wind from the September 2012 Hollywood's Faboulus 40ties LE.

Let's begin with the lighter shades. 

The Essence and the Catrice blush are both a orange-toned matte coral. Looks very similar.

Catrice Floralista

Essence Vintage District

However, when you have a look at the swatch, you can tell that the Catrice shade is darker and way stronger pigmented. No dupes here!

Now, onto the darker shades. All three of them are coral-ish pink matte shades. Catrice's Floralista one is the truest pink, with pretty much no coral in it.

Catrice Floralista

The other 2 ones are way way closer, I think that the Catrice Hollywood's Fabulous 40ties one is just a tad darker.

Catrice Hollywood's Fabulous 40ties

Essence Vintage District

When consulting the swatches, it is obvious that here again Essence's blush is the most poorly pigmented one. The other two are brighter and pinker.

After all, no dupes here. What I hope I was able to give you now, however, are some references to the color range these blushes are in. Even if the Essence one is the least pigmented, it still shows color, and is therefore better for lighter skin tones. For those of you who thought the Catrice blushes to be too dark for them, you might wanna have another look at the Essence blush.

What do you think of these blushes? I love all 3 of them! :D
xoxo, Misch

Swatches: Essence Color3 Nail Polish Ticket To The Show (Front Row Or Backstage?)

Hi guys!
With the new Essence permanent line launching in about a week or two, I wanted to show you what I got from the products on sale! All soon-to-be-discontinued things retail for 0,95 Euros now.

Today I'd like to show you one of the Color3 polishes, which will all be discontinued soon. A pity, in my opinion.

This polish here is called Ticket To The Show - Front Row Or Backstage?

It is, like all Essence Color3 polishes a double-ended one. The first part, called Ticket To The Show is a black with a multi-colored shimmer in it. Front Row Or Backstage? on the other side is a slightly lighter black base with golden copperish flakies in it. It's meant to be worn over the first polish.

Ticket To The Show is very pigmented, it looks flawless with 2 easy coats. On top of that I applied one coat of Front Row Or Backstage?, which makes for a great layering.

I really love this combo! It's classy and at the same time interesting with the flakies. Both polishes can also be used on their own.

Part of the Color3 line are also:

A Walk In The Park (*Stop For An Ice Cream) *click*

Midnight Date (City That Never Sleeps) *click*

Shopping Trip In Soho (Party All Night Long) *click*

Kiss On Top Of The Rock (Dancing In The Streets) *click*

and Boys Are Back In Town (It's Just A Little Crush), which I unfortunately don't own.

Make sure you get the ones you like before they're gone!

What do you think of this one?

xoxo, Misch

NOTD January 26th: Essence Hugs & Kisses LE - 04 Sunshine And Red Roses

Hi guys!
Today I'd like to show you a NOTD using Essence's Sunshine And Red Roses from their Hugs & Kisses LE.

So I was already wearing China Glaze's Knotty, which I showed you here *click*, and just layered the Essence polish on top.
Sunshine And Red Roses is a clear base with glitter in it. The majority of that is small red glitter, with a couple of blue and silver ones as well. In addition to that, it contains red heart-shaped glitter particles. It's sheer so it is made for layering.
The consistency of this polish is good, it spreads nicely. However, sometimes you don't get out any hearts or you have to push them around, but that's what happens with these big glitters.

I really like this combination, I really like the two polishes together! Sunshine And Red Roses is such a cute polish for Valentine's Day! :)
What do you think of it?
xoxo, Misch

Spotted: Essence Hugs & Kisses LE

Hey there!
Today I'd like to shade my thoughts about Essence's Hugs & Kisses LE, which is a Valentine's Day themed one. It's quite a big LE!
This LE contains 1 eyeshadow palette, 2 glitter eyeliners, 1 lip scrub, 2 lip tints, 1 blush, 8 nail polishes, 1 set of nail stickers, 1 pair of fake lashes and one perfume in 2 sizes.
Here *click* you can see all of the promo pictures!
The eyeshadow palette looks really cute with its packaging, and the shades are also sweet spring-like colorful shades. Not so much what I would wear, but certainly cute :)
The 2 glitter eyeliners are cute, but not so much my taste.
The lip scrub comes in a little red pot. It has a jelly-like consistency and a fruity, sweet scent. I can't wait to try this one out! Super curious how it will exfoliate my lips. It was 1,95 Euros and is called 01Be My Valentine.

The lip tints come in super bright shades, hot pink and red. They don't look like they contain any kind of shimmer. I've heard great things about them, but I figured I wouldn't wear them often enough.
The blush is as the main color a light cool-toned pink shade with a silvery and very fine shimmer. On top of this, it has the letters L, O, V and E in the shades pink, violet and green. At first I thought they were just an overspray, but turns out they actually have a color pay-off! It should be interesting how the green mixes in when you wear it :D I'll be testing it! The blush was 2,45 Euros and is called 01 Dating Prince Charming.

The nail polishes are 4 bright creme shades and 4 glitter toppers. They all looked nice, and they're actually mini bottles with just 5ml! I ended up buying just my favorite one from the glitter toppers, called 04 Sunshine And Red Roses. It's a clear base packed with small red glitter, a couple of blue and silver ones in there, and big red heart-shaped ones as well. For the swatch I did 2 coats. It was 1,45 Euros.

The nail stickers are really pretty, but you guys know I prefer free-hand nail art.
I also don't really use fake lashes, so I left them at the store.
Last but not least, the perfume. For me the scent is too sweet, didn't like it that much.

After all, it's a great big LE, the theme is awesome and all of the products are great for that. There should be something for everyone!
What do you think of it?
xoxo, Misch

NOTD January 24th: China Glaze - Knotty

Hey there!
Going on with swatching myself through my stash, so here I have Knotty by China Glaze to show you!

Knotty is a peachy golden champagne nude shade. It has a strong golden-silverish glass fleck shimmer, which makes it different from traditional nudes.
Application was good, I did 3 coats as it was a bit sheer in the beginning, but it built up nicely. The consistency is also good.
I really like this shade! It's so pretty and suitable for work and school, but the shimmer makes it something special.

Knotty was part of the Spring 2010 Anchors Away Collection, but it should still be available.
What do you think of it?
xoxo, Misch

NOTD January 22nd: China Glaze - Sea Spray

Hey there!
Around the this time of the year, January that is, I always find it a bit hard to pick season-appropriate nail colors. Like during fall and the holiday season you always have your go-to shades, that are just the perfect shade for the time of the year. In January, however, I find that this is rather difficult. So I'm taking this as an opportunity to go through my stash and swatch some colors! Beause at one point, I want to have neat pictures of all of my polishes. What a challenge!
Today I'll be showing you Sea Spray by China Glaze.

Sea Spray is a light dusty blue, with some gray undertones. I find it matches it name quite well. It has a super subtle shimmer that is barely visible, not even up close.
Application was good, it's creamy but thin, so it goes on smoothly. I ended up using 3 thin coats to cover up some patches.
Sea Spray was originally part of the Spring 2010 Anchors Away Collection, but I think you should still be able to get it. A very lovely color, I like it a lot!

What do you think of it?
xoxo, Misch

Food and stuff!

Hey everyone!
So, I've been thinking about new things to add to my blog, something that is new and that I enjoy. And I figured, this blog is about my passions, so why not add another one?! The plan is to introduce a food series!

Maybe not only food, but also just some random posts, that deal with stuff out of my life, maybe just some pictures, randomness!
What do you think? Is anyone interested in some personalized stuff, especially food?
Let me know please!
xoxo, Misch