Chic Me Paris

2012-03-12T08:03:00.000-05:00

2012-03-09T10:20:00.000-06:00

2012-03-06T11:09:00.000-06:00

2012-03-03T01:27:00.000-06:00

2012-02-29T07:12:00.000-06:00

2012-02-26T14:17:00.000-06:00

2012-02-19T05:28:00.000-06:00

Testing Pastelli Nevecosmetics (make up)

2012-02-16T00:12:00.000-06:00

Hello sweeties! Today I've realized two make ups to show you the colors and the pay-off of the eye pencils I talked about in my latest post. As you can see I've decided to save time by making up my eyes in two different ways just using the 'Pastelli'. To fulfill my eyebrows I've used Taupe (right shade tough I wouldn't recommend to use it for this purpose because it's too creamy) and to highlight under my brows I used Beige (a really nice option, it gives a subtle glow).

On the right eye I've used Teal and Gold on the upper lid, then Brown to create a deeper crease and Bronze on the inner rim (it lasts a really short time unfortunately).

On the left one I've used Purple and Lilac on the upper lid, Black to create a deeper crease and again Bronze on the inner rim.

I really feel like recommending my favorite ones, which are Melanzana/Purple, Caramello/Bronze, Avorio/Beige and Bosco/Teal...

See You Soon My Dears!
Kali
;)

NeveCosmetics Pastelli (eye pencils) Swatches

2012-02-13T10:04:00.002-06:00

Here I'm gonna introduce the new NeveCosmetics 'Pastelli', a collection of 10 eye pencils that are claimed to be multitasking, plus moisturising, versatile, eco-friendly, vegan hence cruelty-free. You can apply them as a base, an eyeliner, a kohl, to create smokey eyes or natural looks (like every eye pencil on the market could potencially). I've not had much time to try them but I might already give you an overview of these natural eye pencils.

Price: 4.80€ each or 38€ the whole collection (just for these days)

PROS.

- really lovely smooth consistency that makes it easy to apply

- easy to smudge

- 100% natural formula (hence great for sensitive eyes)

- relatively low cost

CONS.

- as kohl pencils they don't have enough staying power

- the black one is more like a dark grey or smokey black

Although I like some more than others I could publish for you a general rating to give you an idea:

QUALITY: 8/10

COST: 8/10

OVERALL RATING: 8/10

WOULD I PURCHASE THEM AGAIN? Surely the teal, bronze, beige, taupe, brown and purple shades. Maybe the white and gold ones. No, I wouldn't repurchase the black and the lilac one.

Here are the swatches:

1- Melanzana/Purple (dark purple with a lovely light purple shimmer)

2- Pioggia/Taupe (matte taupe)

3- Ebano/Brown (matte dark brown)

4- Liquirizia/Black (matte dark grey or light black as you prefer ;)

5- Piuma/White (matte white)

6- Avorio/Beige (satin cream)

7- Cedrata/Gold (shimmery gold with green undertone, similar to ELF golden cream eyeliner)

8- Caramello/Bronze (shimmery bronzy coppery shade)

9- Confetto/Lilac (matte dusty lavender)

10- Bosco/Teal (matte peacock)

I hope it was helpful! Let me know if you need more information.

(*_*) Bye

Kali

My Birthday's Best Present

2012-02-12T12:08:00.003-06:00

Today's my birthday, not necessarily such an important day, but something has made it special... Jesse Jessen dedicated this sweet song to me. I just wanna thank you so much, I love it and more.

What do you think about it, darlings?

See You Soon,
Kali

Crystallized Essences

2012-02-07T08:32:00.001-06:00

What Crystallized Essences are? They are solid perfumes made with a base of refined styrax tree (or benzoin) resin into which only the highest grade essential oils are infused, pressed and crystallized. What scents could I find? The most common scents are Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Amber, Rose, Patchouli, Vetiver and Lavender.
How should I use them? They are easy to use, just take a small amount and rub it onto your skin, or you might use them as a drawer, closet or room sachet.
They are really concentrate essences, so powerful that their perfume will last a really long time, keeping his original fragrance. They come in little crystals that won't ever seem to consume.
I've been having Amber, Ylang Ylang and Jasmine for almost one year now, and they still preserve their precise and strong scent.

Price: in The All Natural Face they cost 5.75$ or 6.90$ depending on the scent you'll choose.

Quality: 10/10
Price: 8/10
Overall rating: 9/10

Would I purchase them again? Surely, I'd get other scents too.

A bientot mes chères!!
Bisous,
Kali

Heidi Blushes too!

2012-02-04T07:55:00.000-06:00

When it comes to blush I always need some help because without that hint of color on my cheeks I look like a hopeless living dead! So I'm really into finding shades of blushers that manage to brighten up my face and make me look fresh and healthy...

One of my favorite ever is this mauvy pinky shiny shade by Nevecosmetics that has been called Heidi (never found a better guessed name!), don't get me wrong, this blusher is not gonna make you look like a clown or a porcelain doll with two big red circles on your cheeks, on the contrary it's a perfectly buildable shade ideal from fair to dark skin tones.
If you want to see it better, here I'll give you a link where they also show you how to create a deep pink gloss with this adorable multitasking blusher.

Blushing cheers cutiez!
Kali

ELF Mineral Lipsticks Swatches

2012-02-01T22:04:00.000-06:00

I've decided to dedicate a post to these good lipsticks from ELF because they deserve it. Why?
PROS.
- Good pigmentation
- Hydrating and moisturizing formula
- Good staying power
- Good price (5$ each)
Moreover they have got a pretty good INCI, don't you believe it? Let's analyze it together:
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Ceresin Wax, Microcrystalline Wax, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Paraffin Wax, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Tocopherol (Ve),Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vc), Retinyl Palmitate (Va), Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742).

As you can see it contains four different vegetable oils, a little bit of shea butter and vitamine E, not bad at all for a 'drugstore lipstick'.

Here you have the swatches of the shades I own:

1- Party Pink
2- Nicely Nude
3- Natural Nymph
4- Runway Pink
5- Ripe Rose
6- Cheerful Cherry

NOTES: as you can see, there is not much difference between the shades number 1 and 2 and the number 3 is really clear, I wouldn't recommend it to very pale skintones in order to avoid the 'death effect'.
My favorites? Nicely Nude and Cheerful Cherry, the only two shades that I'd recommend for real.

Hasta pronto Guapas!
(:
Kali

BB (Blemish Balm) Creams

2012-01-29T09:40:00.000-06:00

Recent beauty trend, BB Creams have become lately a 'phenomenon' in western countries, but have you asked yourself the reason why?
They are claimed as cosmetic miracles, what are they?
'BB creams come in a variety of different formulations and qualities, some are said to have skin whitening or brightening properties, others are said to be anti-acne or anti-wrinkle, some are intended to even out skin tone, and yet others to lighten blemish scars. BB creams are sometimes used like a primer and if tinted may supposedly replace foundation and some newer ones are advertised as having functions of primer, foundation, moisturizer, sun block, pore minimization and skin refining together, making them an economic skin care solution.' [Wikipedia]

The last line synthesizes my thoughts about this new marketing gimmick, 'All of your problems solved with just a tube of cream!' could be the advertising slogan. It's not a revolutionary product, it's just a base used by Asian women for decades, but yea like always Western Countries try to sell to their markets 'unknown traditions' as revolutionary products and they manage to do it so well through clever marketing strategies, making you think 'Yea it's a miracle in a pretty tube, i gotta have it'. SSM (So Sick, Man).

I'm not rejecting BB Creams as useless products, I'm just trying to resize the omnipotence aura that surrounds them in women's minds.

Well my dears,
I'll BB soon (Be Back!)
(*-*)
Kali

Argan Oil (Argania spinosa)

2012-01-26T15:34:00.001-06:00

Used for centuries by Moroccan Women for his culinary and cosmetic properties, only recently it has been discovered in western countries for his great anti-age properties.
It contains more than 75% of unsaturated fatty acids and it's rich in vitamin E, hence it is an incredible antioxidant and regenerating agent for our skin.

PROPERTIES:

- softening and firming effects

- antioxidant and anti-age (fights effectively against age signs)

- extremely nourishing (effective for 'erasing' acne scars, scorch marks, stretch marks,..)

- protects your skin against extreme climatic conditions

- strenghtens up fragile nails

- donates shine to dry and damaged hair.

Now, we all know it isn't the cheapest oil on the market and I'd recommend to buy it from someone you can really trust, Why? Because argan oil is extracted from Argania Spinosa fruits and goats love them, so what happens then? Goats ingest them and 24 hours later they literally vomit the cores, hence an oil extracted from these nuts would be clearly of a cheapest quality and argan properties and smell would be definetely altered. That's why it's important to use an oil that has been produced properly using whole fruits, an incontestable guarantee they haven't been previously eaten by goats.

Hugs (^^)

Kali

Aloe Vera Gel

2012-01-23T14:47:00.000-06:00

Aloe Vera Gel is well known for his great variety of virtues deriving from the incredible content in vitamins and minerals, which are essential for the correct functioning of the skin enzymatic systems. Among the most important included elements we could highlight calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, sodium, manganese, magnesium, zinc and vitamins A, B, C and E.

Then let's move on to analyze his principal Properties:

- moisturizes and nourishes skin

- soothes and regenerate skin cells

- prevents dark spots

- antiseptic and purifying action

- helps and accelerates cicatrization.

How should I use it? You can definetely use it pure because his PH is acid so it's perfectly compatible with your skin and hair, moreover it is a complete treatment on his own; however here are his principal Uses:

- as a daily moisturizer before applying your make up

- as an eyes area tonifying treatment

- as an after-shave soothing lotion

- as a hair gel

- as a beauty treatment mask after cooling it in the fridge (you have to try it!)

It's a Wonderful gift of nature I would add (:

Bye Gorgeous ;)

Kali

DIY Deodorant Spray

2012-01-20T01:17:00.000-06:00

Making a Deodorant Spray is supereasy and supercheap, don't you believe me?
Keep on reading...

Key Ingredients:

- water (better if demineralized, it will last much longer)
- sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)

Facultative:
- essential oils (since they aren't water-soluble you should use a dispersant or you should shake the bottle before every use)

RECIPE:
Add 3 coffee spoons of bicarb to 100ml of water and mix it well, then wait until the bicarb in excess deposits in the bottom of your container, then pour the saturated solution in your bottle (leaving the deposit in the container) and add up to 20 drops of the essential oil of your choice (always be careful with these substances!)

Wasn't this basic recipe fast and furious?! -_-'
:D
Have an Happy day!
Kali

Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)

2012-01-17T15:10:00.001-06:00

Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is a Magical Candid Powder with hundreds of possible uses! I'm gonna analyze quickly his main applications so that you can have an idea of what I'm talking about :)

PERSONAL HYGIENE.
- Softens up your hands and cuticles
- Stops bad breath
- Whitens up your teeth (prepare a paste of bicarb and water, don't use the powder directly on your teeth to avoid damages to the tooth enamel)
- Decongests your nose (add it to boiling water and stay over it breathing)
- Deeply removes hair products' residues from your hair (once a week, add a bit of bicarb to your shampoo)
- Makes your bath relaxing and leaves your skin soft and smooth
- Together with his friend Citric Acid makes it possible to realize Bath Bombs!
- Makes a delicate still effective scrub
- It's a wonderful ingredient to create your homemade deodorant.

KITCHEN.
- Helps to wash properly fruits and vegetables
- Prevents bad smells in the fridge
- Removes grease from pots and pans easily
- Removes bad smells from your hands after cooking
- Key ingredient to prepare your baking powder
- Neutralizes the excessive acidity of tomato sauce.

LAUNDRY.
- Helps to remove more easily stains on your clothes
- Prevents your washing machine and clothes from limestone
- Neutralizes bad smells on your clothes, shoes, sheets, etc...

HOME.
- Fights against dust acarians
- Makes your plants and flowers live longer and better.

Ok...this is just a synthesis of the variety of uses for this incredible white powder! It sounds like everyone should have at least a pot of it at home, don't you agree? ;)

Have a Shiny Day :P
Kali

DIY Toner

2012-01-14T14:31:00.000-06:00

Why should I use a toner? This is one of the most asked question when it comes to skin.
Well, when you wash your face, you normally use a soap bar, a liquid soap, a facial cleanser (whatever...) and these products have a Basic PH, so you should use a toner (which has an acid Ph) to rebalance the Ph of your skin; moreover it manages to remove make up and dirt residues.

Could I prepare a good toner at home? Yes, yes definetely!
How? There are so many ways, but I'm gonna consider just the simplest using ingredients that can be found in every kitchen.
- Lemon Juice or Apple Vinegar to acidify
- Tea or Camomile as a base
- Actives.

BASIC RECIPE.

Prepare your tea (green tea would be the ideal choice for its antioxidant and astringent properties) or camomile (a better solution for sensitive and irritated skins), then add a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar (if you have oily skin you could add a coffee spoon of it and also one of Vodka that increases the purifying power of the toner and helps to preserve it for a longer time). Now you might had anything good for your skin type, a few drops of essential oils, a coffee spoon of kaolin or clay, glycerin, be free and fanciful! IMPORTANT: since you are not using any preservative, you'd better use it within 1 or 2 weeks, better if you keep it in the fridge (a fantastic refreshing breeze in summer! (:)

I hope this was helpful, like always ;)
Big smile,
Kali

DIY Body Butters

2012-01-12T03:02:00.000-06:00

Making a BODY BUTTER is one of the simplest things ever... the Key Ingredients are:
- VEGETAL BUTTERS (80/90%)
- VEGETAL OILS (10/20%)
- ESSENTIAL OILS (don't exaggerate! They are really powerful susbstances! A 1/2% of the whole amount of ingredients will be enough, but PLEASE ALWAYS document yourself pretty well on the single essential oils you are using because lots of them could cause serious consequences).
All you have to do is melting the butters and adding the oils when they are completely melted. Keep on mixing the ingredients and as soon as the mix gets colder, add some drops of the essential oil of your choice, mix it and pour it all in a mold, keep it in the fridge for a few hours anddddd...here you have your personalized body butter! :P

Could you ever imagine that making body butters by yourself was that easy?! ;)
Lots of kisses,
Kali

Cruelty Free Natural Brushes?!

2012-01-09T10:16:00.000-06:00

Today's post is gonna be a lil hard against the so called 'Make-Up Addicted'.
Maybe you are against animal testing and even vegetarian? Would you cry if you saw a cruelly slowly killed pet? Ok, I'm talking to you, please be realistic. Have you got any make up brushes, right? Maybe they have been sold to you as natural bristles brushes and you, following the actual trend of 'natural lifestyle' and hidden in your ignorance, have bought them happily. Ok, you perfectly know they are made with animals' hairs (goat, squirrel, pony, mink, sable, etc..) but you prefer not to think on HOW they have been removed from the poor 'beasts' and you even could consider the hypothesis that in some kind of unknown place an hairstylist for animals exists too, he makes them feel beautiful and, with their hairs cut, someone will create make up brushes to make you feel gorgeous too. Yea darling, this is a dream.
I don't exclude that some lovely breeders treat their 'beasts' as if they were their family but I'm afraid these are a rare exception. The reality is that breeders, eager of making money, remove animals' hair in bad ways to make it faster, but surely I'm not gonna describe it in detail right now because it would be a too strong image.

So...What's the point in buying Natural Bristles Make Up Brushes? Are they better than synthetic brushes? Are they cheaper? Are they more hygienic?
NO. NO. NO. I'm sorry there is no excuse. Nowadays many famous make up brands are realizing their own synthetic brushes line and these 'guys' are phenomenal and most of times cheaper. Moreover we all know that natural brushes are not hygienic at all, they're loaded with dead skin cells, bacteria, chemicals that can cause your skin to break out.

Here I'll give you some ideas for buying synthetic brushes:

http://www.sigmabeauty.com/product_p/smax03.htm
http://www.truccominerale.it/component/page,shop.browse/category_id,16/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,1/
http://www.origins.com/products/3843/Makeup/Daily-Essentials/Brushes/index.tmpl
http://www.occmakeup.com/brushes.html
http://www.everydayminerals.com/store/face/large-brushes.html

Ok, ain't got anything else to say right now.
Cheers,
Kali

DIY Facial Mask's Key Ingredients

2012-01-05T22:04:00.000-06:00

Everyone knows how to make a simple homemade facial mask, right?
But does everyone know what kind of ingredients are essential in a well-done mask and what are their functions? If you don't, just read below, it will take a couple of minutes!

DUSTS
- CLAY: the richest in actifs is the green one but it's known that it could be too aggressive used alone, I would recommend Kaolin (the white one) for every skin type or the yellow one, useful for acneic and oily skin without drying the skin out too much.
- FLOURS AND STARCHES: effective in softening the skin and give a better glow.
- BITTER COCOA DUST: great softening effect and add a bit of radiance to the skin.

LIQUIDS
- YOGURT: the key ingredient to re-equilibrate the PH of the skin but also to amazingly soften it out
- EGG: it helps regenerate skin cells
- HONEY: very moisturizing (don't use a biological one because it's too concentrate and it could irritate your skin)
- ESSENTIAL OILS: add 3 drops of the essential oil that matches the requirements of your skin type.

And then add what you want! Now that you have prepared with your own hands your beauty treatment, apply it on your face avoiding the eyes area. You can leave it up to 30 minutes, but REMEMBER: as soon as the mask starts to dry, remove it (gently!!) because it could be irritating and dry out your skin.

Let's have a good mask time ;)
Kali

Warm Retro' Tattoo

2012-01-02T10:20:00.000-06:00

Hola!
I wanted to show you a make up I realized using the 'Arcobaleni, Gli Scurissimi' palette, so here we go!
I've used Retro' and Fiori D'Ombra on the upper lid and then Tattoo to frame the lower waterline and to create the outer dark shadow.
I hope you like it....

Have a lovely Monday!
Kali

Mineral Eyeshadows/Eyeliners swatches

2011-12-31T00:12:00.000-06:00

Here I introduce to you a smart mineral eyeshadows palette, her name is :) 'Arcobaleni, Gli Scurissimi' by NeveCosmetics.
It contains 10 mineral eyeshadows free from silicons, petrolates and parabens. They can be used as normal dry or wet eyeshadows and eyeliners.
Each pan contains 3g of product, which are removable and changeable.
Price: 26.80 €

1-Tattoo

Warm grey with purpleish undertones 

2-Fiori d'Ombra

Shimmery antique purple 

3-Shopping

Dark purple with warm undertone

4-Shock

Dark blue with a cold purple undertone

5-Inchiostro

Sea blue with green undertone 

6-Incubo

Neutral blueish dark grey

7-Quadrifoglio

Dark emerald green

8-Retrò

Elegant bronzy green

9-Muffin

Chocolate brown (satin) [lipsafe]

10-Red Carpet

Warm dark red (matte) [lipsafe]

Would I buy it again? I'd definetely repurchase some of these pans, the price for a single one is 4.20€.
The ones that I don't like that much are Incubo (it's not as pigmented as his camrades!) and Shopping (I hate a warm purple eyeshadow on me!).
My Top 3 are: Retro', Fiori d'ombra and Inchiostro.
Tattoo, Shock and Inchiostro are wonderful eyeliners.
Red Carpet is a luxury deep red lipcolor!

Lots of kiss's and good wish's for the New Year!!
(^_^)
Kali

ELF Radiance Enhancer and All Over Color Stick Swatches

2011-12-27T23:04:00.000-06:00

Today I'd like to show you the swatches and talk about two illuminizers by ELF.
The Radiance Enhancer gives a nice discreet everyday illuminating touch in a liquid formula, while the All Over Color Stick has a less illuminating power and it's in a creamy formula.
I personally have tried them both in the Spotlight shade, in fact they're pretty similar, but I prefer the Radiance Enhancer because it's a lil bit shinier (the Stick is almost invisible even though it has more pigmentation) but the All Over Color has a wonderful lemony orangy perfume!!

Would I buy them again? I'd purchased again the Radiance Enhancer but I'd leave to others the All Over Color Stick!
Here you have the swatches of the two products, the first picture is taken in daylight, the second with a flash.
1: All Over Color Stick (Spotlight)
2: Radiance Enhancer (Spotlight)

Have 'warm' and sweet holidays ^-^
Kali