Sephora Instant Nail Polish Remover Review

I’m usually quite skeptical about the unrealistic promises of the companies to solve all you problems at once.
As you might suspect, I use a lot of the nail polish remover and usually I buy something like Sally Hansen in drug stores. I also have some more expensive brands like Scotch Naturals that do pretty much the same job, but for the higher price.

Sephora Instant Nail Polish Remover was among my birthday presents. I wouldn’t buy it myself, only because I never thought it would be something special or even different from the other nail polish removers on the market. 

I opened it, and it looks weird: piece of black foam with a hole in the middle. It made me even more skeptical.

I probably should not keep you waiting and tell you: It's MAGIC!!!!!

I love glitter nail polishes, but neither of the methods of their removal (foil, wet nail polish on top, etc.) worked well for me. With this product most stubborn glitter manicure is removed in less than 2 minutes.

1. I used a micro-glitter nail polish to show you how it works. You basically put your finger in the hole and wait for couple of seconds. I waited around 5 seconds, not more.

2. Surprise!!! Nail polish dissolved. I tried it with many nail polishes. Of course, cremes and jelly polishes without glitter disappear literally in a second. Glitters are more stubborn, but it still much better than all the painful time consuming methods of glitter removal.

3. Here you go. If you have "super-stubborn" glitter, a little bit of it will stay near the cuticles, but it is easily removable.

If you are intrigued enough to try Sephora nail polish remover you can check it out here. It retails for $9,50. It is on the pricier side and I don’t know how long it will last. I used it around 10-15 times with different kinds of nail polish textures and it works perfectly.


Here is the description form the Sephora website:

What it is formulated to do:
For even the most hard-to-remove nail polish, this nail polish remover effortlessly takes off lacquers. Inside the bottle, pre-moistened pleated foam eliminates the need for cotton balls. Its convenient size is perfect for travel and can be used without cotton pads.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

Rouge Bunny Rouge Delicate Hummingbird Eyeshadow Review

When I was browsing the isle with Rouge Bunny Rouge, I saw a lot of very interesting shades. I decided on Delicate Hummingbird because it is something that I don’t already have and wouldn’t normally buy.

Delicate Hummingbird is a plum-purple shimmer eyeshadow with a hint of taupe. It is medium-pigmented. But you can use a wet brush to create a brighter look. The application and quality are very good.

I thought this color would be for going out mostly. But surprisingly it is very easy to wear. I also have a very pale complexion and it is still flattering.

The texture is velvety and soft.

Description of the eyeshadow from Rouge Bunny Rouge Website:
"Discover a new powder eye shadow with an astonishing lightweight, creamy touch and unprecedented adherence. This formula creates pure dynamic iridescence while it maintains second skin effect. It has extended 8-hour wear that will stay perfect and look freshly applied all day. Orange-derived Flavonoid improves blood microcirculation, enhances luminosity and serves as free radicals scavenger."

Rouge Bunny Rouge Sketches On Water Tinted Moisturizer Review

I saw RBR many times when I used to live in Russia, but I have never actually been tempted enough to buy anything. Just a couple of weeks before going on vacation I read a very positive review of Milk Aquarelle Liquid Foundation on Best Things in Beauty blog. So, I googled Rouge Bunny Rouge and was surprised about a huge hype around this brand. I tried Milk Aquarelle at the store and it turned out to be quite creamy, so I went with the Sketches on Water Tinted Moisturizer.

Sketches on Water is one of the best tinted moisturizers I have ever tried. It gives completely flawless finish without being seen on the skin or creating a “mask”. It has a water based formula that gives subtle coverage nourishing the skin at the same time. Frankly speaking, I didn’t expect that I would like it so much. But this one is definitely worth trying out.

The price for Sketches on Water is in the higher range. On Zuneta, it costs around 74$, I bought mine in Russia for 50$ that is still quite pricey.

My skin is pale with pink undertones, so I got the lightest shade Adansonia and it matches my shade perfectly.

Adansonia 

Overall, there are only 3 shades to choose from.You can see swatches of other shades on Sparkles Unlimited blog here.

M.A.C Crystal Frost and Idol Eyes Lustre Eyeshadow Review

I’m always trying to turn away when I’m passing  MAC counter, because I know if I will just glimpse I won’t be able to resist.
My friend needed something in MAC store, so I had a lot of time to check the eyeshadow. I picked Crystal and Idol Eyes, because I don’t have anything similar.

Crystal Frost is a beautiful pale lavender that has a slight silver multi-chrome finish. The color varies from almost silver to lavender depending on the light. It’s not excessively pigmented though and can be used alone or with the darker colors if you are going out.

Idol Eyes is a part of the Lustre line. Although I generally do not use blue eyeshadow, because I have green eyes I had to buy it just to have it. It’s an absolutely stunning silver blue, a very unique color. Despite being more on a darker side in the pan, it’s not dark on the eyes at all. Probably, people who prefer highly pigmented bright shades will not appreciate this one. But for me it’s just perfect.
Idol Eyes eyeshadow is also glittery. I had no problems with application using Bobbi Brown brush.

Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee Gift Set

I’m not only a nail polish junkie, but also a perfume addict…Probably I’m just a shopaholic , but I do collect perfumes, mostly those that you will not be able to find in traditional retail and beauty stores. Ok, some of them can be found in Neiman Marcus, so I lied…a little bit J

I’m actually thinking of creating special rubric where I will be posting perfume reviews along with the manicures that I think more closely correspond to the actual scent.

Would you be interested in such posts? I would really appreciate your input J

Couple of month ago I signed up for Birchbox. I think it’s a cool idea to try new products, taking into account there are some interesting brands one the website. So far, I really liked what I got. In my beauty profile I mentioned that I would like to get nail polishes or perfume samples, so every time I get my Birchbox I get a perfume sample.

The first sample I got was Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee. At that time I was looking for the winter vanilla scent, but I wanted something non-traditional and a little darker than innocent vanilla. Let me tell you, this perfume is awesome. It’s cozy, unique and definitely will warm you up during cold winter days.

Top Notes: Lime, Cedrat, Coriander
Heart Notes: Jesmine, Vetiver and Oak moss
Base Notes: Vanilla from Madagaskar, Amber and Oak Wood

I ordered this Atelier Cologne Gift Set for 2 reasons:
- I wanted to try other perfumes of this brand that are by the way also amazing ( most of them);
- I wanted a 30ml bottle, because I already own around 50-60 perfumes.

This Gift set is a really good deal for the price and can be only found on Birchbox website. Regular 30ml cologne costs around $60 and I bought this set for $70.

It consists of:

-30ml Vanille Insensee Cologne;
- Scented Soap with shea butter and aloe;
- 5 samples of other Atelier Cologne perfumes;
- 30 ml travel bottle and funnel;

 

Bobbi Brown Cool Holiday 2011 Eye Palette

Hey Everyone,

You know that I usually don’t write about make up, although I’m as obsessed with it as with nail polishes. I just thought I’d share, because when I was looking for the grey palette I couldn’t find many swatches of this one.

I don’t have Bobbi Brown eyeshadow, but I have read a lot of good reviews about this brand, so I thought I’d try. There’re 6 eye shadows of different finishes: pearl, metallic and matte.

Bobbi Brown Cool Party Eye Palette Shades:
• White Eye Shadow
• Iced Blue Metallic Eye Shadow
• Rockstar Metallic Eye Shadow
• Sterling Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow
• Gunmetal Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow
• Onyx Sparkle Eye Shadow

This is probably the first time I will use each and every one of these eye shadow. The whole palette is very universal. The quality is really good and I like the brush, but I can’t say that it’s the best eye shadow that I ever had. Maybe I’m too addicted to Dior, it’s a little more pigmented and vibrant. 
The brush that is included in the set is a magic maker. I rarely blend shades, but it work perfectly and makes it so easy. On the other hand, I found it hard to blend shades with any other brushes.

Overall, this palette is a nice gift and definitely will be appreciated. It also awesome for traveling. I generally love various shades of grey and taupe eye shadow, so it's perfect for me. For somebody who like to use more diverse color this probably is not worth 45$.