International Women`s Day giveaway

Are you're wondering why Google has a funny logo this morning? Many countries celebrate International Women's Day on 8th of March – that's today!

Funny women at Google today.

The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries Women's Day has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers. Did you know the tradition began in early 1900s already?

Well, I didn't, but you can find all about it and more from the special website dedicated to International Women's day here.

I like the holiday very much, so I thought I shall have a small giveaway. Since pink is probably the most feminine colour, I decided I'll try to make this an all-pink giveaway.

One lucky reader will win all this pink or almost pink stuff:
* two Wet'n`Wild Eyeshadow trios, one in Knock On Wood and one in Walking On Eggshells;
* Bourjois blush in 74, Rose Ambre;
* Lumene Raspberry Miracle Mascara 01 Midnight Black (well, the tube is bright pink at least :P);
* two Essie nail polishes, in Infatuation and Big Spender;
* Avon Glazewear Sparkle lip gloss in Sugar Cane;
* E.L.F. Studio Matte Lip Color in Coral;
* two fragrance samples from Avon.

All chosen and bought by myself and everything brand new of course. Tried to choose wisely so the pinks will be wearable by many skintones.

Terms and conditions:
* Ends on March 22 (two weeks from now);
* Open internationally (it`s international holiday after all!);
* I will use registered mail and do my best to pack carefully, but I will not be responsible, if any damages occur or the package gets lost in the mail;
* The winner is responsible that the postal regulations allow to send all these goodies to her/his country.

If you would like to enter my giveaway, all you have to do is fill in the Rafflecopter form that you will find below. Good luck!

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Ilusat naistepäeva kõigile! Kas teadsite, et rahvusvahelist naistepäeva tähistatakse lisaks endistele nõuka-riikidele ka näiteks Indias, Kanadas ja USA-s? Madagaskaril, Nepaalis ja mitmetes Aafrika riikides on see koguni riigipüha. Mõnedes riikides on püha küll ainult naistel :P

Tean, et paljud arvavad, et naistepäeva tähistamisel on punaste nelkide, karvamütsi ja kreemitordi maik, aga mulle see tähtpäev meeldib juba lapsepõlvest peale. Minu arvates on see isegi vahvam kui valentinipäev või emadepäev, sest tähistamisest võivad osa saada kõik naised suhtestaatusest või laste arvust hoolimata.

Auhinna püüdin koostada roosast kraamist: vaadake nimekirja ülal või piiluge pildilt.
Osalemiseks tuleb ära täita allolev vorm, kuna loosimine on rahvusvaheline, siis on see inglise keeles. Igaks juhuks lisan selgituse.

On kolm asja, mida PEAB tegema, et osaleda:
1. Olema GFC kaudu minu blogi jälgija (leiate paremalt küljeribalt follow nupu);
2. Vajutama like minu blogi fännilehele (lingi leiate rafflecopteri vastava lahtri juurest või paremalt küljeribalt);
3. Jätma oma e-posti aadressi, et mul oleks lihtne ühendust võtta. Auhinna saadan postiga. Head loosiõnne! 

Kas ja kuidas teie naistepäeva tähistate?

Tolmu Rull 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOTD: Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Head valentinipäeva kõigile!

Yours truly,

Tolmu Rull

Just peeking out again ... 42 questions tag

The last months of 2012. were not exactly the time of my life. Hence the big pause in blogging.
I've thought of quitting, but blogging and reading other blogs is too much fun to drop entirely.
So I peek out a bit to the blog world again and post something old I wrote a few months back already, just to test the waters :P

The 42 questions tag is a super old tag itself, but since I had a lot of fun reading the answers to this tag from other bloggers and spent a lot of time filling it out, I might as well post it. I just edited my preferences a bit, so that they would be current.

1. How many times do you wash your face daily?
Once, in the morning. At night I use eye makeup remover, some cleansing milk and a toner and/ or simply wet wipes.

2. What skin type do you have?
Combination to oily, I'd say. Good in one sense, not so good in anothers.

3. What is your current facial wash?
Right now, I alternate between Alverde Naturkosmetik Aqua Washgel Meeresalge and Elizabeth Arden 2-in-1 Cleanser.

4. Do you exfoliate?
Yes, once or twice a week. Otherwise my skin would feel dirty and I would get the feeling it can't breathe at all.

I like very much those daily wash-and-exfoliate solutions such as Garnier Pure Anti-blackhead Deep Pore Wash or Lush Angels On Bare Skin (see my full review here), as this type of light exfoliation works well on my skin, but currently I don't use a daily exfoliator.

I also use Sothys Desquacrem deep cleanser sometimes after exfoliating. It's not an outright chemical exfoliator, but it does dissolve impurities pretty well and leaves my skin fresh.

5. What brand do you use?
Generally, I prefer exfoliators with micro beads. Avon Liiv Botanicals Revitalizing Facial Scrub used to be my holy grail exfoliator. Unfortunately the tube is nearly gone and the product itself has been discontinued. Must see, if it`s still available on eBay...  I plan to use Blue Corn 3-in-1 Deep Cleansing Scrub Mask from The Body Shop instead and am thinking of getting Vitamin E Cream Exfoliator from The Body Shop as an alternative.

6. What moisturizer do you use?
It's a common misconception that oilier skintypes don't need moisturising! In fact, my skin does produce more oil if not taken proper care of and it lacks moisture. I try to use light moisturisers or serums mostly, nothing too heavy or greasy.

In daytime, I use Green Nature Porgandikreem (a moisturiser with carrot oil from an Estonian natural cosmetics company). I also have a slight flirtation with BB creams going on right now.

In nighttime, I use Lumene Arctic Aqua 2-in-1 Skin Perfecting Moisture Booster. Neither is totally perfect for me, so I'll use them up and move on.

My summer favourite was Neal's Yard Remedies Rose Moisturiser, read full review here.

7. Do you have freckles?
Yes, I do, on my nose mostly. They became more noticeable in summertime. I'd say I quite like them :)

8. Do you use an eye cream?
Yes, of course! Separate ones for day and night actually (blush :)), as I'm not getting any younger and have some laugh lines around my eyes already. In nighttime I use Avon Anew Genics Eye Treatment and in daytime I use something a lot lighter, like Biotherm Multi Recharge Yeux right now.

9. Do you or don't you have acne prone skin?
No, I don't. I do get occasional pimples, spots and blackheads, but I've never had a case of severe cystic acne in my life.

10. Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
No. Nor any other treatment for severe acne.

11. What foundation to you use?
I used to like Oriflame Giordani Gold Adaptive Foundation the most, but lately I've grown to dislike all liquid foundations for some reason. So I'm currently exploring new grounds and flirting with BB-creams (as I mentioned earlier), compact foundations and and mineral bases.

12. How about a concealer?
Sure. I use something light reflecting like YSL Touche Eclat or Clarins Instant Light under my eyes and a heavier concealer from Sephora on pimples occasionally. Garnier Caffeine Tinted Eye Roll was pretty good too, see full review here.

13. Do you know your undertone?
My skin does not have a strong undertone. It's light, but pretty neutral, so I can go both ways. I tend to prefer slightly rosier foundations though, they look healthier to my eye. I must admit, I have a complicated skin tone, for I do tan quite well (for me at least :P) and then in summertime a bit of yellow undertone is in order.

14. What do you think of fake lashes?
I love the effect of them! I can apply glue-on falsies onto myself and others as well without a problem, but I don't have a chance to use them very often. They're meant for festive occasions and photo shoots, I think. Certainly you wouldn't wear falsies for cleaning the bathroom, just going to the grocery store or making some jam. Unless you were Sophia Vergara. Or would you?

I've had permanent lash extensions once. Frankly, I hated those. They had just so many minuses, from being expensive, needing a lot of care and irritating my eyes. They did a lot of damage to my own lashes, so I won't be repeating the experience probably.

Oh, and one more fun fact as a bonus for you: I can't really wear individual eye lash strands, because my own lashes have too much of a curl.

15. Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yes, I did know that! I do refuse to take this statement as a fact. I do believe that beauty companies invented that silly “rule” as a clever tactic to make you buy more mascara and more often.

I don't share my mascara with other people, I don't have regular bacteria induced eye infections, I don't spit in my mascara (yuk!), I don't pump air in it, I don't dilute it with water, I don't keep it in direct sunlight for unlimited amounts of time etc. etc. so I use my mascara until it starts to dry up.

16. What brand of mascara do you use?
I don't really care. I have quite long lashes naturally, so most brands work pretty well for me.

17. Sephora or MAC?
I think this is a stupid question. MAC is only a certain brand of cosmetics, but Sephora is a store chain that sells cosmetics from many other high end make up and skin care brands besides their own house brand.

I would probably prefer Sephora from the two, as they have more options to choose from. Besides, I find Sephora Professional line brushes slightly better than MAC brushes.

(My hubby probably screams and swears as reading this. Apparently, he prefers MAC. He's never purchased a MAC product in his life, but he has awaited at the door of many Sephoras. So the reaction is quite explainable :P)

18. Do you have a MAC PRO card?
No, I don't, but I certainly wish I had one. I always like a good discount program. I'm not sure whether there is a pro card program in Estonia though.

19. What makeup tools do you use in makeup application?
Brushes mostly. Sometimes an occasional sponge or a cotton bud comes out to play too. I don't use my fingers, as I have long fingernails that tend to interfere with product application.

20. Do you use makeup base/primer for the eyes?
Yes, usually I do. Creased eyeshadow is my pet peeve. Too Faced Shadow Insurance is my current favourite.

21. Do you use makeup primer for the face?
Yes, if I don't forget to use it. Oily & shiny face is another pet peeve of mine. I like Lumene Beauty Base Mattifying Primer the best so far.

22. What is your favorite eyeshadow color/shade?
Ivory white and other nude shades in pearly and matte both. And taupes, of course. I can never resist a beautiful taupe :) Bright shades are beautiful and tempting, but I don't use them much myself.

23. Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
I use both, but I tend to prefer pencil eyeliners for everyday use. Liquid liners look rather harsh in daytime, I like to go for a more natural look instead.

24. How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
That has never happened to me. I've poked my eye with mascara though. That hurts badly.

25. What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
Do I have to have special thoughts about certain type of eyeshadows?

In my opinion, pigments are pretty much needed for evening/party/fancy makeup to add that special shimmer & glimmer. In everyday makeup, they're a bit too much to wear. Unless you work as a stripper or hooker, of course.

26. Do you use mineral makeup?
I'm JUST flirting with it at the moment. Has a great potential for me though. Read more here & here.

27. What is your favorite lipstick?
I don't have a signature shade. I alternate between rosy nudes, bright reds, pinks and berries.

28. What is your favorite lipgloss?
Usually, I just grab whatever works for the day. I like glosses from Chanel, NYX and Too Faced.

29. What is your favorite blush to use?
Nars Deep Throat in wintertime, Benefit Bella Bamba and Avon Sun Powder Pearls in summertime. These belong to my current routine of blush. MAC And Sleek Makeup blushes are also awesome.

30. Do you buy your makeup from eBay?
Yes, I do. So many brands are just not available in Estonia. But I don't ever buy any expensive high end brand make up like MAC, Benefit, Nars, Chanel, Dior etc from there, because I would probably end up with a fake product.

31. Do you like drugstore makeup?
Yes. Nowadays the quality can be as good as you'd get from high end expensive brands, but I'll be paying a lot less. So why not? But lately high end brands lure me a little bit more.

32. Do you go to cosmetic company outlets?
Yes. Who wouldn't like to buy a really high-end brand new 25-euro eyeshadow for 2 euros, eh? That has really happened to me!

33. Did you ever consider taking makeup classes?
Yes. Actually I have completed a full-on 160-hour make up class. I can do makeup on other people pretty well, but I find it a bit complicated to do a perfect eye makeup to myself. I am pretty good at lips and bases, I think.

34. Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
Yes, I am. I know a lot of tips and tricks in theory, but I just need more practice. Practice makes perfect, they say.

35. Makeup crime that you hate?
Too thick, badly blended and false coloured foundation that looks like mortar on the face. Ugly overplucked eyebrows in unnatural colours. Entirely shaven eyebrows drawn back to the wrong place. Old Russian lady look: bright blue eyeshadow on eyes and bright pink lipstick on lips worn together. Tramp stamp tattoos. Permanent falsies in neon colours. Too harsh and heavy black liner. It's an endless list.

Unfortunately, you have a pretty fair chance of seeing all these together in Estonia while using public transport.

36. Do you like colorful shades of makeup?
Sure! My special preference belongs to bright, saturated lipsticks. I just love a full-on Marilyn look, with natural, but heavily lined eyes and bright red mouth.

37. Which celebrity always has great makeup?
Marilyn Monroe was perfect! In the modern world I like Jennifer Aniston for her always tanned no-makeup makeup look.

Picture somewhere from internet.

But then, Jennifer Lopez looks so good too … and Katy Perry … and Kirsten Dunst (especially as Marie Antoinette in the movie).

38. If you could leave the house wearing just one makeup item, what would it be?
A light coat of loose powder to tame down the shine a bit.

39. Could you leave the house without any makeup on at all?
Yes, I could and I do it regularly, not a problem for me.

40. Do you think you look good even without any makup on?
No. That fact does not stop me going without makeup.

41. What is the best makeup line?
There's no such thing in Earth. Every line has it's advantages and disadvantages, good and bad products.

42. What do you think of makeup?
Makeup isn't the most necessary thing in life, but it's pure joy & fun.

OK, now you know my skincare & makeup preferences quite well. As it is customary with this tag, I tag everyone who wishes to fill it. Consider yourself tagged :)

In a few days, I'll try to bring you the second part of my visit to Baltic Beauty. It was long time ago, I know, but there are some interesting pictures to be posted. The mantra is better late than never, right?

Next week I'll pay a short visit to Munich, one of my favourite cities in the world. So some impressions of my German shopping experience are in order too.

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies: 

Oi ei, seda saagat tõlkima ma ei hakka. Põhimõtteliselt on tegu vastustega 42le nahahoolduse- ja meigiteemalisele küsimusele, mis ammust ajast blogide vahet ringlevad.  

Siiralt teie,
Tolmu Rull

Make up for a dead mother / Et olla daam...

 

I know, makeup for dead people is not a very conversational topic. I used to think it's somehow unnecessary, too morbid, an old people theme or as such. And it's always too hard to talk about death. If it touches you the by closest, the hardest it becomes.

About a month ago my mother was accidentally found dead at her home. That explains pretty well the long silence here.

You may consider makeup is the least to consider in that situation. Well, it's not.

At some point, being responsible for arranging the funeral, you have to choose what clothes the deceased (saying 'the corpse' feels somehow too rough!) would wear and in what colours he/she would be.. Especially, when she is frayed: I mean, as cut up and sewn back together again. 

And being ladies as we are, at such case we of course need to think of the jewellery and makeup too, at an instant. There is not too much room to think in advance, in my case we only had a few minutes, probably less than a lady would spend putting her look together.

Well again, my mother was very much of a lady. She was 65 plus, but still dyed her hair blonde, had Gelish done on her nails regularly, pedicures, hair dyes and blowdries. Somehow, for old ladies blowdries last for a week or so, mine looses it's oomph on the second day.

For the jewellery, we chose pearl earrings and a pearl ring that were the last gift from my (also deceased fnow) father. We also chose her wedding ring and a heritage ruby ring from my grandmom, but we were told by the funeral attendants to keep those as family heirlooms. I think it was a good decision.

Anyway, there still had to be some makeup done. You may know or you may not, but dead people may require a lot of makeup. In some countries, there are special makeup artists for them :S I only found that out later, googling. It's found to be a perspective job, as people are getting older and it has been said that the business is blooming.

I wish a very good nerve to those who have chosen that path, as I have never ever touched a dead thing (not even a hamster!) and I intend to keep it that way. At first, I was thinking that I must do her final (ouch!) makeup myself, but my hubs quickly convinced me out of it.

It was not such a good idea, as I wouldn't  have had a good chance anyway, You know, you can’t use the same products as for alive people, because those made for the living are designed to work with the heat from the body. For cold skin the makeup needs to be non-thermogenic.

It would have caused too much of a trauma for myself, besides the special makeup used on the deceased people ...

My mother had an eye surgery a few years ago, so she didn't wear any eye makeup, that could have irritated her eyes more. But she always wore a bright lipstick in bright pink or fuchsia colour and it went for her marilyn-blond-hair-light-skin-colouring so well. So I just took the lipstick (it was something from Maybelline!) she wore last out of her purse and gave it to the funeral attendants.

It turned out to be a mistake. As we got to oversee the body before the funeral, the lipstick instantly looked too dark and severe. I told that to the funeral guy, so he put on his rubber gloves, got out a lip brush and the lipstick and started to do it all over again.  With not much luck, because it didn't stuck to the cold body, still he smeared it on somehow. He also gave me a tip: it's always the upper lip that has to be painted more, as it brightens the face lying in the coffin. Ouch.

By the way, I chose some high heeled shoes to wear for the funeral. Turned out, it was not such a good decision, because during the night before the funeral I had forgot how to walk in high heels, in spite of doing that for more than fifteen years :(  Yes, that statement is for real :S A bit of shaky leg and stumbling occurred.

I think it was excusable. It's a good thing my hair were still at their place, but my hands were so much swollen up from the nerves I decidedly couldn't wear any of the rings, including the heritage ring.

In honour, I will not have some pictures of the event or the main heroine of the event posted. You'll just have to use your imagination and I hope you don't have to deal with any of this in (near) future.

I am very well aware that some people will find this post obscene, inappropriate and such.

Have you ever had to bury some close relative of yours? If so, did you have to think of the makeup details also? Have you a makeup kit laid out, in case you yourself should have a sudden death?

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull


For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Uh-oh, no kuidas ma ütlen... Kuu aega tagasi pidin matma oma ema. Ah et mis see ilusse või ilublogimisse puutub? No puutub ikka küll, sest ka surnud tahavad olla ilusad. Või meie tahaks, et nad oleks ilusad... Meil vennaga oli isegi väike vaidlusepoeg, et kas on vaja matusekorraldajale ema huulepulk anda või mitte. Minu argument oli see, et ükski tõeline daam ei lähe viimast teekonda astuma ilma kõrge kontsaga kingade ja huulepulgata ja nii saigi tehtud. Onju? 

Doris Kareva on minu emotsioonid nii suurepäraselt sõnastanud.

Et olla daam, ma kannan kõrgeid kingi

Kord nädalas üks daam teeb maniküüri.
Kord aastas on ta enda vastu aus.
Sa elad minus, kuid ei maksa üüri.
Siinkohal tuleb teha mõtlik paus.

Daam kasutab vaid valgeid taskurätte.
Täis saladusi on ta buduaar.
Siin avaned, kuid end ei anna kätte.
Me vahel pole muud kui vikerkaar.

Üks daam ei kerja. Tal on kõike küllalt,

ka siis, kui tahaks valust oiata.
Et olla daam, ma vaikima pean üllalt.
Kui plahvatan, siis ette hoiatan.

Siiralt teie,
Tolmu Rull

Riga, my love! The visit to Baltic Beauty 2012, part 1

Baltic Beauty is the biggest beauty trade show in Latvia. The organizers claim, it's the biggest in whole Scandinavia, but I'd take that statement with a pinch of salt :P. This year it was held from 2.-4. November in Kipsala Exhibition centre Riga. It was my first time at Baltic Beauty: I wanted to go last year already, but then I had no time. This year, in spite of many unhappy events beforehand, I was finally there and felt like I deserved some fun and play! 

About ten minutes before opening on Sunday morning. The crowds start to pur in. 

This year, Baltic Beauty was said to be especially big with a record number of participants: 300 companies from 37 countries around the globe. Though, I must mention that there were mostly local Latvian representatives of the beauty companies present plus a few companies from Estonia and Lietuva. 

Some images of the halls, getting ready for the day.

Siberika girls, all nice and neat, ready for the crowds.

The exhibition consisted of two halls, one of them was filled with skincare, makeup, nail stuff, beauty salon equipment and health goodies, the other was dedicated mostly to haircare, but also had some cheap blingy jewellery, tights, gloves and such things. As always on these kind of events, there were lots of special shows, lots of great deals and discounts and a vast number of greedy-faced women lurking around :) 

Peggy Sage had a rather small booth...

...bur rather good deals on some items (these eyeshadows cost 10 euros originally).

Apart from that, these two exhibitions were very different. Firstly, there were less companies present at Ilu Sõnum/Beauty Word in the beginning of October, but overall Baltic Beauty seemed a bit smaller, as the stalls and boothes were not as big and fancy as they were in Estonian exhibition. I'd even say they were rather on the small side mostly, causing a lot of elbowing and toe-stepping, as by Saturday afternoon the event became very crowded. I spent a good 4 or five hours browsing on Saturday, after that I was too tired for any sensible decisions. I went back for some final pictures and purchases on Sunday morning (the advantages of a press pass, don't ask :P).

Pure Elements, natural cosmetics from Germany.

Da Vinci brushes.

Secondly, although Tallinn and Riga are only some 300 kms apart, shopping experience at Baltic Beauty was totally different from shopping in Ilu Sõnum/Beauty Word. There were so many brands, both professional and consumer products, that are not sold in Estonia. 

Inglot

Make Up For Ever

Kryolan

SLA Professional Cosmetics

There were very many salesmen and women, who couldn't speak any English, only Latvian and Russian. Let's just say that my vocabulary that consists of some very basic Latvian words like 'sveiki', 'labas dienas' and 'saldejums' was not nearly enough. At least I could understand one word 'akcija' very well :) Card payment opportunities were rare too.

There were also a lot less natural products and mineral makeup offered than in Estonian exhibition and only a few things from local Latvian beauty brands. In that sense, situation seemed a bit better in Estonia. 

Latvian bath salts and soaps.  

Riga souvenir soap.

Thirdly, it was funny that so much space was taken up by haircare, hair styling and hairdressing tools companies. It was probably due to the fact that there was International Hairstyling Festival going on during the fair. And again, many haircare brands – oh dear, probably most of them! – were completely unfamiliar to me and I guess they are not sold in Estonia. 

Farouk, at least that's in Estonia too.

Must be some very precious hair stuff :)

Salons24.eu from Estonia had as good deals as in Estonian trade fair...

... but less products were available. 

All in all, the trip to Riga for Baltic Beauty was tiring, but completely worthwhile. I had amazing time there and needless to say, bought quite lot of stuff :P I shall share some more exeptional moments from the trade fair in my next post, so be sure to check back! 

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull 

Just a random beautiful model.

For my lovely Estonian ladies: 

Riiaga seoses meenub mulle alati üks vana laul Vennaskonnalt: Riia, mu arm (kuula näiteks siin). Seekordse armastuse põhjuseks oli lätlaste suurim ilumess Baltic Beauty, mis toimus 2.-4. novembrini ehk siis eelmisel nädalavahetusel Kipsala messikeskuses. Ma polnud varem Baltic Beauty'l käinud, aga meie oma Ilu Sõnumist erines see nagu öö ja päev, nii korralduse kui ka pakutavate kaupade poolest. Väga palju ruumi oli pühendatud kõikvõimalikule juuksekraamile, müüdi brände, mida Eestis ei ole ja pakuti ka siinmail täiesti tundmatuid teenuseid.

Üldiselt julgen seda messi soovitada, kel võimalik, käigu järgmisel aastal ära. Arvestada tuleb aga, et kaardimaksetega sealmaal eriti ei arveldata ja kui vene või läti keele oskus puudub või on nigel, siis tuleb käte-jalgade abil asju ajada :)

Siiralt teie,
Tolmu Rull 

My latest blush crush: Benefit Bella Bamba review and comparison swatches + a sale alert

I love blush. I'm easily enchanted by new products and can almost always justify the purchase. I'm a blushaholic!

I hadn't tried any of Benefit's cult-worthy blushes before. There were several reasons for this: partly because they are difficult to get your hand's on in Estonia, partly because their price tag, partly because there are many other great blushes out there...the list goes on and on.

Bella Bamba became mine (oh, mine!) this summer (read more about it here). I don't care that it has been reviewed a million time or so, it's my latest blush crush and I'm going to say a few words about it! 

Bella Bamba is not Benefit's latest creation in terms of blush, but it's their only 3D “brightening face powder” (they call their blushes “face powders” for some reason that remains mysterious to me, guess that's a part of their retro attitude). 

The first thing that catches the eye in Bella Bamba is of course it's colourful rectangular box with holographic effects. It is one of the famous cardboard boxes of Benefit's blushes: sturdy enough for keeping on your vanity, but will probably get ugly quickly if carried around in handbag in daily bases. But it sure does endure some dropping. 

The blusher comes with a natural hair brush, mirror in the flip over lid and plastic separator to keep the blush and brush apart. The brush is quite big and clumsy, but would do in case of emergency.

Bella Bamba itself is a most gorgeous watermelon-coloured blush, more bright pink than coral. I love the vibrant hue! The 3d part simply means it has lot's of pale gold shimmer-sheen in it, not holographic particles or anything. The shimmer is so fine that looking from some distance you can barely see it, you'll just notice a nice glow, the so-called brightening effect.

See the beautiful golden shimmer and holo effects on the box!

The blush is very-very pigmented, but it's texure is soft and well-blendable, so you can apply it with a light hand for only some rosy sheen on your cheeks or go for full on bright colour. Benefit says it amplifies cheekbones and creates the illusion of sculpted features: it sure does, you probably won't be needing any separate highlighter with it.

The blush is lightly scented (a sweet candy scent, doesn't remind watermelons to me), but you can only feel it when smelling the box directly, not on your cheeks.

Bella Bamba in the left, Nars Deep Throat on the top and Nars Orgasm below.  

I think Bella Bamba tends to beat Nars blushes, as it's texture is softer and even easier to blend. Don't get me wrong, I love my Nars too, but Bella Bamba just has something special about it. 

It is a lot more bright and vibrant than Nars Deep Throat and has a lot less of the golden-yellow sheen than Orgasm does (personally, I don't find the yellow sheen flattering on me). I hope you can see that from the swatches. Surprisingly, in the box Nars Deep Throat seems a lot lighter, but in swatches it came out really similar to Bella Bamba, minus the sheen. Maybe just a tad more red, whilst Bella Bamba leans more to the pink. 

Bella Bamba heavy swatch on my NC 15/20 skin.

From left: Nars Deep Throat, Bella Bamba, Nars Orgasm heavy swatches. Click on the picture to make it bigger ( as always).

Also, Bella Bamba is surprisingly a lot more affordable than Nars blushes (especially when you get it in a kit, like I did). Bella Bamba has 8 g (0,28 Oz) of product in it, Nars blushes have only 4,8 g (0,16 Oz). The prices in Europe are about 32-33 euros for Bella Bamba and 28-29 euros for a Nars blush. I don't know the US prices, according to Sephora.com they both cost 28 USD, but that makes Bella Bamba still a lot cheaper, as you get roughly twice as much the product. 

BTW, there is major Benefit discount going on on Cheapsmells.com website! They sell genuine perfumes and quality beauty products at affordable prices and deliver all over the world. So if you want to get your hands on some Benefit products at quite affordable prices (for Benefit of course), check this out! They have Bella Bamba individually and also some blushes in travel sets, but these are going fast! 

What do you think of Bella Bamba? What's your latest blush crush?

Yours Truly,
 Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Ma olen täielik põsepunahull! Minu viimane "armastus" on Bella Bamba Benefit'ilt, kuidas ma selle omanikuks sain, loe siit. Arbuusitooni, külluslikult õrna kuldset sädelust sisaldav Bella Bamba on veel ilusam, kui kultuslikud Narsi põsepunad (piltidel näed võrdlust). See on Narsi punadest pisut pehmema tekstuuriga, sädeleb rohkem ja on pakitud suuremasse karpi. Benefit'i tooteid saab Eestisse tellida näiteks CheapSmells'i lehelt või kõige lähemalt osta Poolast Sephora poodidest.

Milline on teie suurim põsepunalemmik?

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull

Adorebox review: is there anything to actually adore?

Tadadaa, yesterday morning I got my first Adorebox. It's good that I just had barely got out of my robe when the nice delivery guy came :P

If you are not familiar with the concept, Adorebox is a mystery beauty box you order from the web for 11.99 euros and get delivered each month. It promises 4-5 samples and/or full-size products per box for 11.99 euros, free delivery. 

So, what did I get in my September box?

• Anne Lind 150 ml body lotion with Guarana scent. 7.35 eur. 

This is the highlight of this box. It's a lovely, 100 % natural body lotion, free from preservatives, synthetic colourants, mineral oil and silicones, produced according to the BDIH guidelines for natural products. Besides smelling yummy it sinks into the skin really fast too.

The downside? I just bought exactly the same lotion from Ilu Sõnum/Beauty Word trade show two days ago! And the Adorebox one came without the original cardboard box. I think I'll shut my eye on the fact that I already have one and shall happily use it up nevertheless. 

• Royal Functionality brush set. 3.95 eur. 

Sorry, but these brushes are actually a royal fail! Their shape and quality of hair is unbelievably poor and they stink of cheap plastic! They're too flimsy for decent use too. Or maybe my daughter could use these for some play makeup, but I'm not too sure these are up to even that job. I think they'll go straight to the bin. 

• Esprit lipstick in 302 Beige Chic. 9.90 eur.

I didn't know Esprit had their own cosmetics line :S Hmm... a frosty brown beige, a shade that used to be "chic" 20 years ago or so. Really? I might, just might, try it on, but I'm quite sure this shade would look very unflattering on me. To the bin probably.

• Nivea Pure Diamond Eye Shadows 5.50 eur.

Three highly shiny shadows in one box, I have them in white +green shades. These seem nice, although I haven't tried them on yet. At least it seems like these won't be a bin material completely...

• Stenders Bath Bubble ball, 2.90 eur. 

Handmade bath bubble in a shape of a ball. Looks like a small orange :) The letter says it should smell as good as Sundays breakfast. Well, mine smells more like a Toilet Duck. Have I managed to mention that I don't have a bathtube in my apartment?

I might be able to use this doing a foot bath (in the case I manage somehow to survive the stink, of course). Otherwise -- a bin material again.

So I'm not sure what to think of Adorebox. I love the fact that the products are full size. I love the nice packaging and included delivery service, but surely, if three out of my five products are bin material, I could do something better with my 11.99? What do you think?

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian readers: 

Sain eile hommikul kätte oma esimese Adoreboxi. Kes veel ei tea, mis see on, võib uurida siit. Põhimõtteliselt on süsteem lihtne: maksad 11.99 euri ja sulle tuuakse järgmisel kuul koju karbike 4-5 ilutootega. Mis need täpselt on, näed siis, kui karbi avad. 

Ma ei teagi, kas olla Adoreboxiga rahul või mitte. Ühest küljest on Anne Lindi kehakreem hea “saak”, aga ülejäänud kraam on kas ebakvaliteetne, lootusetult moest läinud või täiega ebavajalik. Ja see WC-puhastaja lõhnaga vannipall, öäk! Seega viiest üks pihta või nii... Ma pole päris kindel, kas raiskan raha ja tellin ka järgmise kuu karbi...

Ootan teie  mõtteid ja arvamusi Adoreboxi kohta.

Siiralt teie,
Tolmu Rull