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 :)