November Favourites 2011

I haven't blogged... for ages. Funny, since the same exact thing happened last winter... I took a "break" from blogging during the autumn and early winter, but got back into it around Christmas time... Anyways, I can't tell you how good it feels to be writing again!

Let us dive right into November favourites - which are actually not so much November favourites, as they are simply winter favourites. Many of these items, I have been using and loving for three months. Enjoy!

First up, with makeup, I have been loving the NARS Laguna Bronzer. I know, not much of a surprise, since almost everybody who tries it falls for it completely, but since I haven't had access to NARS before (I bought it in Edinburgh back in summer), it was a first for me. I just love this bronzer - it is honestly my favourite bronzer out of all the ones I have. Not only does it give you a healthy-looking glow, but it also looks amazingly natural as a contour colour. As you can see, I've already hit pan - I use it every single day.

About a month ago or so, Dior released a new collection of foundation, called Diorskin Forever, consisting of a liquid foundation and a powder foundation. Since I already have enough of liquid foundations to last me the next few months, I decided to try the powder version, called Diorskin Forever Compact in shade no. 010. And oh my. You haven't truly understood the meaning of a powder feeling velvety, until you have felt this powder. It is so smooth, stays nicely, covers nicely (not as well as a liquid, but very nicely for a powder) and doesn't accentuate dry skin as much as many powders do. Also, I love that they have a shade which is light enough for me.

Speaking of foundations... I know I keep saying this about every single liquid foundation I buy, but I have found a foundation which simply knocks me out. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation is so, so, so beautiful. And I couldn't help laughing when the lady matched my skin to a shade called Light 2 - or Mont Blanc - that's how fair I am! This is the closest colour match I've ever had in a foundation. And I love the finish - the coverage is medium, I would say, but very buildable, and the finish is light and natural. I don't feel overdone, but definitely well put together. And if I'm going somewhere fancy and feel like I need a bit of some extra coverage, I simply set it with the Diorskin Forever powder, instead of a regular powder.

For nails, I have been all over dark and vampy shades the past few weeks. But simple, good, old black doesn't do the trick for me - I like it dark with a twist! This Ciaté Paint Pot in Wait Until Dark is exactly that - dark with a twist. It is a dark, dark purple, with shimmer, sometimes it looks purple, sometimes almost black... magical against the glistening snow which has been coming down the last days.

I have been switching up my skincare almost entirely during the past three months, and have found many great products which I love. I might do a skincare routine soon, once my Christmas exams are over.

Ole Henriksen's On The Go Cleanser has made cleansing my face after a long day something to look forward to, a treat. It smells like orange soda, and is completely sensual.

Winter hasn't been kind to my skin - it never is, but this year, my skin is feeling the best it has for many years. I think a great portion of that is thanks to the wonderful EGF Serum. It is an Icelandic serum, which is supposed to help correct skin aging effects, improve the appearance of the skin, and moisturize. Now, of course, I'm young so I haven't experienced a whole lot of aging on my skin, but as for the moisturizing part... Wow. Two, maybe three drops of this wonder liquid, and my whole face is completely moist. This is far better than any moisturizer I have ever tried - believe me, if you have dry skin, this serum will quickly become your best friend.

But just moisturizing isn't enough - in order to keep my skin smooth, I've been searching for the perfect exfoliator. I find many of the usual grainy exfoliators too... too harsh I guess, but also not effective enough. However, this Anans Enzym Peeling by Arya Laya does the job perfectly. Most of its effectiveness is derived from the enzymes in the product, but it also has tiny grains. The mask feels slightly stingy, and you have to wash, not rinse, your face afterwards, since the enzymes won't stop working on your skin unless they are completely washed off, but the mask truly works wonders. It leaves my skin nicely exfoliated and soft.

That's it for now - but you'l be hearing more from me, that's for sure!

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Autumn and Spinach...

I'm still here dollies! So sorry for the lack of posts the past few weeks - school was starting again and I getting back into the swing of things has been occupying my mind. But there are many posts coming up, including an August Favourites post tomorrow, so stay tuned! However, for now, we have weekly gratitude - enjoy.

• Thank you for school starting again - I love this season!
• Thank you to a friend, for always being able to bring a smile to my face.
• Thank you for the weekend - I have so much to do, so it's not "two days off" at all, but just being able to sleep for one or two more hours than usually is so valuable!
• Thank you to my aunt, for being home again! She was abrought, but knowing that she's safely home with her family, is so nice - welcome home :)
• Thank you for autumn - I love all the autumn colours, will be showing you some favourite polishes soon!
• Thank you for spinach... I know, that's a strange one, but unless you've tasted fresh, mountain-grown spinach (or that´s what we call it here... I'm not talking about the tasteless, artificial, perfect-looking spinach!), you really haven't tasted spinach - so good with strawberries!
• Thank you to God, for giving me so much, so many people, to be so grateful for.

Love,
Miss Diorista

Dior - Cannage Couture Collection Brush Set

Talk about travelling in style! I bought this beautiful set of four travel-sized brushes when I was in Germany in March (at the airport, to be specific). I wanted to give it a good share of use before reviewing it, but quite frankly, I didn't have the time until I travelled to Edinburgh two weeks ago - I decided to bring only these brushes with me (I did take an eyeliner brush as well though, and an angled one for my brows) - so after a whole week of using almost only these brushes, I believe I have enough to tell you what I think of them.

As you can see, the travel set come in this beautiful purse (perfect for both travelling and , and to be honest, my favourite thing about it is the "D" on the zipper. So Dior-ish!

The purse has a mirror inside, a sleeve for each brush and a nice cover to protect the brushes and the mirror - it feels rubbery, so makeup won't stick to it.

As you can see, these brushes aren't going anywhere - they each have their own little pocket, an elastic band for holding them in place, and a plastic cover for protection. Very, very professional.

The set comes with four travel-sized brushes - (from L-R) a lip brush, an eyeshadow brush, a blush brush and a foundation brush.

The lip brush is nice to have, very precise and does a great job at applying lipstick. Personally, I would have picked another brush for a travel set  - an eyeliner brush for example, but I guess it's nice to have, especially if you like strong lip colours, which tend to need precise application.

The eyeshadow brush is a medium at density - meaning that it can be used for both packing on colour, as well as putting shadows in the crease and blending them out. I have to admit that I don't use this brush on an every day basis, but I did use it every day for a week when I was in Edinburgh, and it does work - I got beautiful looks from it, and even managed to use it for smudging shadow under my lower lashline. So yes, I will definitely use this for travelling in the future, although I don't use it at home.

The blush brush is my favourite from the set - although that may not come as a surprise, I'm a blush gal :) It's very soft, and I used it both for bronzing and blushing - it's small enough to work for contouring, yet big enough to give a blended look when working with blush or highlighter. I would say that it's on the smaller side, but it is a travel-sized brush after all, and I do like it.

The foundation brush is to me the least interesting brush of the set - but that being said, I really, really don't like classic foundation brushes at all, this one is no exception. I feel that they leave my face streaky, and I always have to re-do my makeup if I decide to give them "one more try". I just don't understand how people can use them, to be honest.

So, do I recommend this set? Well, if you are looking for a really nice travel brush set, I think you will like this, especially if you use classic foundation brushes. The brushes are really well made, the bristles are fantastic and the handles are so classy, with the Dior logo printed so nicely on them. I'm really happy with mine.

Love,

Miss Diorista

OPI - Houston We Have A Purple

I believe this is the second to last jelly polish from the OPI Texas Collection (2011) that I have yet to post about... I know, I know, this is taking me ages :)

This particular polish happens to be my favourite, not only from the collection, but also one of my favourite polishes in my collection... it's for sure the prettiest purple I've seen so far - the hint of wine red is gorgeous. I really have no words, which is why I gave in to the temptation of posting more pictures of this polish than I usually do. Please click on them to enlarge them, in order to enjoy the full beauty of this polish (although my pictures don't even do it justice).

My thoughts on the OPI "sorbet" (aka jelly) formula:The jellies which came out with the OPI Texas collection are very, very sheer, but other than that, they apply like a dream. They are buildable, but getting them completely opaque would take many, many coats. You can get away with three coats, but the true magic doesn't happen until the fourth, or even the fifth coat. I usually use four coats, and I get the most amazing jelly finish I've ever seen. No patchiness, just gorgeous shine and everything looks completely even, like a professional manicure.
As far as weartime goes, those jelly polishes wear much better than the average cream formula. I don't get any chipping until the sixth day, and tip wear is minimal. Removing the jelly polishes is relatively easy, but if you use a top coat (which I don't find necessary) you might find it a bit more difficult.
Really, there is only one real flaw to those polishes - they are completely addicting!

This polish is perfect for fall - deep, rich, purple... what more could I possibly ask for?

Product (65%) - 9.5/10 (would have been a straight 10 if it hadn't been so sheer)

Value (10%) - 8/10
Would I repurchase? (15%) - 10/10
Packaging (10%) - 8/10

Overall - 9.5/10

Love, Miss Diorista

P.S. Please tell me what polishes you are loving for fall!

Weekly Gratitude - Autumn, My Aunt and Ice Cream!

• Thank you for autumn coming upon us so gracefully - I almost don't want to say it, but I feel happy about summer coming to an end and fall taking over... I can't wait for rich, deep hues on lips and nails, the autumn leaves and school... there is something so oddly charming about school starting again.
• Thank you to my aunt for stopping by this evening - she made my day!
• Thank you for ice cream... the perfect food for extending summer into fall.
• Thank you for Barnaby - ever watched those movies? I don't know if they're aired in the US, but it's a British series of movies about the police man Barnaby, who lives and works in a small town in the countryside. Lovely!
• Thank you to my new followers - I hope you like what you signed up for ;)
• Thank you to my mom and niece - the three of us went for a long ride on our bikes today. The weather was as nice as the company, and the tour was lovely.
• Thank you to God, for letting us know that our loved ones are doing what fills their life with purpose and happiness - it's an unexplainable feeling, knowing that they're doing fine, that they're happy, that their life is the best it can be.

Love,
Miss Diorista

The Dior Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations, AnaMarija T! You won the Dior Giveaway, winning a Dior Addict Lipstick in Diorkiss! I have already sent you an e-mail, so please reply to that one within a seven days, because I will be needing your address so that I can send you the lippie :) I hope you will enjoy it!

To those of you who participated - thank you so much for taking your time to post a comment! I wish I could give all 19 of you a prize, but stay tuned for more giveaways in the future - there will be more, I promise :)

Love,
Miss Diorista

Dior Giveaway Closed

The Dior Giveaway has now been closed. There are 19 comments, which I think is great (on my last giveaway we had 8 comments). And before I forget - thank you for sharing your favourite summer products with me, I loved reading about what you can't be without.
I will pick one winner completely randomly (by random.org) and announce with a blog post within the next three days - so if you commented, make sure that you stay tuned!

xox,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Edinburgh

I just came back from Edinburgh, Scotland, and oh my. What a city! It's my third time there, but somehow, this time was different. I've loved the city since I first came there, but this time, it was like coming home. And leaving for the flight was like leaving home... strange :) I'll do a second post on it as I always do when I get back from travelling, with pictures and descriptions, and of course you will also be seeing a "haul from Edinburgh" in a few parts. But let's get into weekly gratitude! Oh, and on another note - I hope you liked the posts I posted the past week - I was trying the "scheduled" post system. I quite like it!

• Thank you to my mom, for being the best travel-companion in history!
• Thank you to Angela and her family, for running the best B&B I've been to... I think that was a big part of why we felt so at home in Scotland this time.
• Thank you to Scotland and Edinburgh, for welcoming us with great weather and great people - there was only one rainy day, which is quite special when it comes to Scotland!
• Thank you to Kári for taking care of my kitty while I was away...
• ...and thank you to her for being patient while mommy was away - I'm so glad I'm back with her :)
• Thank you to God for returning me home, safely...
• ...and for letting me know that my loved ones are safe and happy, and making the people they love happy - it means everything to me.

Love,
Miss Diorista

Smashbox - In Bloom Eyeshadow Palette

What a lovely, lovely palette. I know, I should have reviewed this months ago, and I'm not sure whether you can still get this palette, but if you can, definitely consider buying it. It has a great mix of neutrals and fun colours, and it's perfect for those of us (like myself) who like neutral shadows, but also like something a little different, without that "different" having to mean "bright blue"!

The beautiful box it came in.

The palette itself is very simple and stylish, completely black.

The ten shades and the eyeshadow brush which came with the palette - yes, the brush can actually be used. All of the shadows are very nice, some are matte, others are shimmery. You get a nice highlight, nice brown shades, and a great crease colour - my favourites include Iris Blue (the blue-grey shadow in the lower rack, second from the left) and Warm Taupe (upper rack, the second from the right). Iris Blue is the perfect colour for deepening your crease and outer corners, while Warm Taupe is this gorgeous mossy-green-goldish shade. So pretty.

The brush, which is dense and flat enough for layering on lid colours, but also fluffy enough for crease colours and blending.

Swatches, same order as in the palette itself. As you can see, the lighter ones are on the top, and the darker, more pigmented ones are on the bottom. The palette is actually organized in a duo-sort of way - the duos go in a vertical way. That being said, I also think that they play beautifully together diagonally... or just any way you like.

Same swatches, but here you can see the shimmer better (enlarge the picture). The left row is the upper rack in the palette, the right one is the lower one.

Again, sorry for posting this so late! I hope you can still get this though, it was released with Smashbox's spring collection.

Love,

Miss Diorista

Preven's - Make-Up Remover Wipes

My favourite makeup wipes to date. Period.

They are 100% biodegradable, contain vitamin C, E and B5, as well as shea butter, and they are dermatologically and opthalmologically tested. Doesn't all that sound good?

Although I don't use makeup wipes all that often in general, those are the ones I use when I do. They feel moisturizing, they take my makeup off nicely, and don't leave that feeling of a slimy residue on my skin after cleansing, which so many wipes do. I wouldn't recommend them for removing mascara, but I have tried it and it's ok in emergencies. That being said, they handle eye shadow quite well.

Product (65%) - 8/10

Value (10%) - 8/10

Would I repurchase? (15%) - 9/10

Packaging (10%) - 8/10

Overall - 8/10

xox,

Miss Diorista

OPI - Need Sunglasses?

What an incredibly fun polish! Yes thank you, I do need sunglasses!

I wore this on the 17th of June, as I showed you in my June 17th post, and I loved it! I originally bought it because I wanted a yellow polish for spring (remember Chanel Mimosa? What a huge trend-setter!), but now I'm really glad I have it, because it's the perfect yellow colour. Not too mustardy, not dull (definitely not!) and not too bright - yet very bright in a fun way.



Unfortunately, this polish is extremely sheer and needs at least 4 coats, which is what I have on, but as you can see, it still looks sheer. Weartime was good though, 4 to 5 days.

Product (65%) - 8/10

Value (10%) - 8/10

Would I repurchase? (15%) - 7.5/10

Packaging (10%) - 8/10

Overall - 8/10

Love,

Miss Diorista

For that special person...

These are perfect for that one, special person - whoever that person is. Show someone how much you love them by baking for them!

I used my all-time favourite vanilla cupcake recipe from the Magnolia Bakery, and coloured the buttercream pink. The big sugar hearts are by Wilton, and the silvery sugar decorations are by Dr. Oetker. I can't remember where I bought the cupcake wrappers, but it wouldn't surprise me if they were by Wilton.

Now escape the heat outside and get baking!

Love,

Miss Diorista

OPI - My Chihuahua Bites!

Watch out, that one bites!   :)
My Chihuahua Bites is a lovely, bright coral red creme. I know it doesn't look especially bright in my pictures, but it really is. You're just going to have to take my word for it :)

This one was a true dream to apply (although I often shy away from those really pigmented cremes, since applying them can be difficult - but not with this one!). I only needed two coats, drying time was rather quick, weartime about 4 days. I got so many compliments on it!

As often with really bright, pigmented cremes, removing took slightly longer than usually. Wasn't difficult though.

Product (65%) - 9/10

Value (10%) - 8/10

Would I repurchase? (15%) - 9.5/10
Packaging (10%) - 8/10

Overall - 9/10

Love,

Miss Diorista

P.S. Does your chihuahua bite? I've only met nice ones :)

July Favourites 2011

It just can't already be the end of July. Just can't. Summer has whirled and twirled by in a sunny haze, and I've loved every minute of it! That being said, I've been getting a little bit lazy with my makeup... read on to find out what I've been wearing this month!

L-R:

• Depend Cosmetics's False Lashes in No. 4 - the most amazing (and cheap!) false lashes. They look so natural, like my own lashes, just longer, denser, thicker!
• Sigma's Large Powder Brush F30 - Love this brush for applying powder. It's quick, and the brush is so big and dense and soft.
• The Body Shop's Honey Bronze - This is a liquid bronzer, which give me a natural glow and contour when I use it with a stippling brush. Perfect for summer.
• L'Oréal's Volume Million Lashes - This mascara tends to clump my upper lashes slightly, but it's perfect for my lower lashes, because it separates them so beautifully.
• Chanel's Soleil Tan De Chanel in Bronze Corail - You already know I love this one!
• MAC's Beauty Powder in Alpha Girl - A really pretty blush, and the print makes it so summery.
• Dior's Diorskin Poudre Compacte in "Transparent Light" - As the shade name describes, this one is almost sheer. I use Sigma's F30 brush for dusting this all over my face, just for mattifying purposes. This month, my skin has been so good, that I can easily just wear under-eye concealer, this powder and a little bronzer for contouring! It hasn't been this good for over a year, I'm so happy!
• And of course, Make Up Store's Tri Brow Color seems to be an endless favourite of mine, especially during summer when I've been highlighting my brows. They have really turned into one of my favourite facial features lately.

Don't those lashes look lush? I've already used them twice, and they're still holding up pretty well!

What have been your favourites? Did you write a faves post this month? Share!

Love,

Miss Diorista

Chanel Bronzer - Soleil Tan De Chanel in 537, Bronze Corail

 Since we've already started discussing bronzers today, I want to show you a product that I'm currently loving and using every day - it's from Chanel's summer collection, and it's 4 products in 1. This is a true, high-end product - it's as much fun to look at it as it is to actually wear it.

I use an angled contour brush (I don't like the one that comes with the compacte) which is too big to fit into the "stripes" really - but that's actually what I like, since it gives me more than one colour at a time, which makes everything look more natural.

 

 As always with Chanel, the packaging is stylish, classy, luxurious.

The compacte comes in a little velvet pouch, perfect for protecting it if you throw it in your purse for touch-ups, or are travelling with it (what a great travel companion!).

 Here you have the four colours - on top is a light brown bronzer, then there's a highlighter, followed by a dark bronzer and finally a coral blush. All colours are slightly shimmery.
I actually chose this compacte because of the dark bronzer - I figured it would look gorgeous as a contour colour. Which is does, but I was amazed to see how well the colours work together as well.

I use the dark bronzer for contouring cheekbones, the lighter one for my temples and jawline. The highlighter goes on top of my cheekbones, and the blush on the apples of my cheeks, blended up.

The swatches! If you enlarge the picture, you should be able to see the absolutely stunning shimmer in the colours - it's not enough to make you look like a disco ball (far from it), but enough to bring life and dimension to your face.

L-R: Light brown bronzer, highlighter, dark bronzer, blush.

xox,
Miss Diorista

Bronzing with The Body Shop

I've been searching for the perfect bronzer for about a year now, and during summer, my quest for the perfect colour, the perfect texture and so on, has had no end!

As a part of this quest of mine, I recently visited The Body Shop, which has launched a whole new collection of bronzy products. Two things particularly caught my attention - the fact that they have a liquid bronzer (those things aren't lying around these days...) and how fair and almost grey-looking their powder bronzers were. As a result, I bought the liquid bronzer, called Honey Bronze (they only have one shade) and Bronzing Powder in No. 02, Fair Matte.

I love how soft and smooth the powder is. It's definitely buildable, but you can also wear it really lightly.

L-R: Sheered out liquid bronzer, heavily swatched liquid bronzer, bronzing powder in No. 02. The liquid bronzer is light, but buildable like the powder, and extremely natural looking.

 Here you can see how fair the bronzing powder is. On the left is Benefit's Hoola, which seems really dark and muddy compared to The Body Shop's bronzing powder.

L-R: Hoola, Bronzing Powder in No. 02. You can barely see the latter compared to Hoola!

I'm extremely happy with those two products, especially the liquid bronzer, which looks so natural and glowy (it has small sparkles in it - nothing too obvious but it really makes you glow!).

Love,

Miss Diorista

Dior Lipstick - Giveaway Reminder

I've decided to extend the giveaway until the 6th of August, just in case some of you didn't know about the giveaway. I'm giving away a Dior Addict Lipstick in Diorkiss, click here to enter (Please note: You can not enter by commenting on this post. Comment on the original post).

Have fun and good luck! I can't wait to give one of you lucky girls a Dior lipstick!

xox,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Skylight Confessions and Fresh Apples

• Thank you to Mary Hoffman, for writing the touching book Skylight Confessions. I'm currently reading it (just about halfway through) and it is truly amazing.
• Thank you for travelling season! So many people are travelling the world now, experiencing new things, seeing new places and meeting new people. It doesn't only bring a load of fun, but also maturity and understanding.
• Thank you for the kilo of fresh apples we have sitting around in our kitchen. I can't wait to do something with it! Apple pie with ice cream sounds nice enough to me :)
• Thank you to the doctor whom my uncle visited, for he is now well - he had an awful cold, in the middle of summer, and couldn't go outside.
• Thank you to my aunt, for helping out the other day - we can't be without your laughter!
• Thank you to polish companies, for bringing very interesting fall collections. Although I'm still enjoying summer, I'm really excited for fall as well, not least because of the fall polish :)
• Thank you to my friend Maja, for trying out my pudding cookie recipe :) (Psst! She loved them, maybe you will too... only one way to find out!)

Love,
Miss Diorista

Sally Hansen - Insta-Dri in Mint Sprint

On the hunt for a perfect minty polish, I picked this up. Fell in love with it the moment I put it on, but heavens, that's not minty! Or is it? Do you think this is minty? I don't. To me, this is the most perfect "sea-blue" creme I've ever seen. It is a little more green and minty in real life than in my photographs, but it's still not minty. Not by far.

This is the third Insta-Dri I've bought, and it's my favourite of the three. They all have great application, dry in a matter of minutes. The weartime of this one was about 4 days, and removing it was average. It only needed two coats to be completely opaque.

This polish looks even better with nice rings - here I'm sporting the ring from my Summer Trend post on big, bold rings.

Product (65%) - 9/10

Value (10%) - 9/10
Would I repurchase? (15%) - 8/10
Packaging (10%) - 8/10

Overall - 9/10

Love,

Miss Diorista

P.S. Any nice minty polishes out there that I should try out? Please spill the juice on the mint :D

Summer Trend - Bright Polish!

Don't let anyone tell you that summer is coming to an end - half the fun is still left!

Bright polish is a classic summer trend - it pops up every single summer. It so happens, that I love bright and fun nail polish, so I have a few to choose from. Above are some of my favourites, all by OPI. It's been a while since I took the picture, but let's hope I still got the names right!

L-R: Y'all Come Back Ya Hear?, Holy Pink Pagoda!, Big Hair... Big Nails, Too Hot Pink To Hold'em, Do You Think I'm Tex-y? and Houston We Have A Purple.

And of course, have fun with your polish! You can do accent manis, ombre manis... the options are endless!

Love,

Miss Diorista

OPI - Aceton-Free Polish Remover

The past year or so, I've been wearing nail polish almost every day, every week, every month... which definitely takes a toll on your nails. In an attempt to help them cope, I've been using aceton-free nail polish remover, since aceton really dries out your nails and just isn't good for them at all.



OPI's Aceton-Free Polish Remover is quite a nice nail polish remover - it has a nicer and not-so-strong scent as regular removers (although I don't recommend smelling it the whole day long, not at all!) and it also leaves a nice rose scent on my nails after removal of nail polish. As for the actual removing, it does a decent job. It maybe isn't quite as effective as an aceton-remover, but I think spending two minutes or so more on removing my polish is worth it, as opposed to having dry and brittle nails.

And yes, I do notice a difference in my nails since I stopped using aceton loaded polish removers - they feel more moisturized, less brittle and thicker. I will continue using aceton-free removing substances.

Product (65%) - 8/10

Value (10%) - 8/10

Would I repurchase? (15%) - 9/10
Packaging (10%) - 6/10 (it has a screw-cap, and it's easy to get way too much product)

Overall - 8/10

Love,

Miss Diorista

The Body Shop - Coconut Body Scrub

Coconutty goodness! I just want to eat this scrub, it looks and smells so good.
I love this scrub, mostly because how moisturizing it is - it feels like body butter with exfoliating grains, rather than an actual scrub - yet it exfoliates so nicely. Because of the moisturizing aspects to this scrub, I don't feel the need for a body lotion or body butter after I come of the shower, and as yet another plus, the scrub leaves a lingering coconut scent on my skin. Lovely!

A closer look at the granules - the scrub has more than one size of grains, which helps exfoliating, without feeling harsh.

I don't know what more to say about this amazing scrub, other than I love it and use it every week!

Product (65%) - 9.5/10

Value (10%) - 8/10

Would I repurchase? (15%) - 10/10
Packaging (10%) - 7.5/10 (can be slightly difficult to screw when you're in the shower!)
Overall - 9/10

xox,

Miss Diorista

OPI - Lucky Lucky Lavender

I rarely wear polishes two times in a row. I have a rather large nail polish collection and like to try as many polishes as I can, and change things up, but this nail polish had me a bit bananas, so to speak, and I wore it two, if not three times in a row :)
It is a lovely lavender cream, but it gave me troubles when photographing. It's not so warm as on the top picture, and not so cool as on the lower picture. I guess it's somewhere in between, but the pictures give you a pretty good idea.

Pretty, right? The application is dreamy, the wear time is about 4 to 5 days, and removing is easy. You do need about 3 coats (I'm only sporting 2 in the pictures), but it's worth it in my opinion.

Product (65%) - 9/10

Value (10%) - 8/10

Would I repurchase? (15%) - 9.5/10
Packaging (10%) - 8/10
Overall - 9/10

Love,

Miss Diorista

Sophisticated Chocolate Cake

Now this cake has class, don't you think?  :) I had promised my aunt to bring a cake to a dinner party she was planning, but my day turned out to be more hectic than I had expected, so I turned to something nice and easy - a simple, old fashioned chocolate cake.

The dough was a basic, one tier chocolate cake, with chocolate buttercream on top, but to spruce things up a little, I put a bit of mint into the cream, which really came through nicely. And last but not least, some quick and simple decorating can make a regular chocolate cake look a bit more glam - I melted some dark chocolate, spread it out on parchment paper, then drizzled a bit of melted white chocolate over it and let it set in the freezer. When it was completely set (I could use the time to get ready :) I just broke the chocolate into irregular pieces and stuck it on top of the chocolate mint buttercream.

The finished cake, half a minute before we ate it! I was really pleased with the results, since I put so little time into it.

Have you been baking anything recently? I've been experimenting with buckwheat... I'll let you know if I come up with something good!

xox,

Miss Diorista

OPI - Italian Love Affair

Italian Love Affair is a beautiful milky pink polish with shimmer. It takes a bit for me to love a light polish shade like this one, but this particular shade has that extra factor that made me fall for it - not to mention that I would probably wear it even though I didn't like the shade, just because of the name! I wore this for just a little less than a week, and every time I met someone who showed interest in my polish, I would ask: "Wanna guess the name?"  :) Nobody got it right, and people loved hearing the cute shade name (the name sounds even more "out there" in Icelandic!).



You can click on the pictures to enlarge them if you want to see the beautiful shimmer.

The application was nice, but since this is on the sheerer side, I used three coats. Weartime was about five days before chipping, which has to be considered quite nice.

So, if you're looking for a nice light shade, I say go for an Italian Love Affair!

Product (65%) - 9/10

Value (10%) - 8/10
Would I repurchase? (15%) - 8.5/10
Packaging (10%) - 8/10

Overall - 8.5/10

Love,

Miss Diorista