Giveaway N°1!!!

Hey everyone!


The end of the year is the time to sit down and think about all the things you did during the past twelve months, and as I was doing that I realized I wasn't giving back as much as I should have.

The holidays are all about love and generosity and I decided to do a little giveaway for you guys. The products I'm giving away are all beauty-related and will work on any skin tone, whether you're very fair to very dark.

N°1 : lip sticker.

This is basically like a temporary tattoo that you apply on your lips. It works as a tattoo sticker we all played with as children. You basically cut the pattern in the shape of your lips, remove the film over it, place its colored side on your lips and wet the other with a cotton ball or towel to transfer the pigment onto your lips. Once it's done you simply remove the paper and you have super cool pattern lips!

I didn't really know which one to pick, so I chose the roses at random, but they many other designs, including glitter.



N°2 : glitter.

I love to play around with make up, and the other day I realized that hardly have any glitters, so as I was browsing through the make up section in my local beauty supply store I stumbled upon NYX's white glitter and I thought it would look very nice on absolutely everyone if properly used, I got one for you guys.


N°3 : Mavala Nail Polish.

I've been searching high and low for a shimmery and taupe nail polish, and when I saw this one I thought it was the perfect color for the winter. It's a dark taupe with purple undertones that will look gorgeous on your nails this season.


N°4 : MAC eyeshadow.

We all love MAC, but sometimes their products can be a little expensive, so I decided to give away ONE shade of their permanent collection to the person who wins this giveaway. Since I don't know who is going to win and what he/she likes, I thought I would simply let the winner tell me what shade they want. You can choose any shade you want, and you also get to choose if you want it in the pan or in the pot. If you already have a palette I recommend getting the pan, because it's much more practical. However, if you don't already have a palette the pot will protect the shadow from getting broken and dry, and you can always depot it later if you want.


Now, to the rules :

• Contest ends on January 5th at 12:00 Paris time (that leaves one week to comment)
• You MUST be 18 or have parental permission
• You must follow my blog here or on bloglovin (I just created an account)
• You must leave ONE comment on THIS post
• You must leave one comment on ANOTHER post of mine, it doesn't matter which one
• IF you have a blog, I would appreciate it if you could write a post about the products once you've received them*

* it's the simplest way for me to prove that I'm actually sending these products out to you guys.

FAQ : 

• It is international, just make sure that your country can receive packages from France
• It is for both new AND "old" subscribers
• You don't have to be a girl, you can be a guy and keep the prizes for yourself or give them to someone else, but make sure the one you give them to has use for them
• You can ask your friends to enter so you have more chances

How it works :

On January 5th I will count all the comment entries on THIS post, go to ramdom.org and generate a random number. Once the winner has been chosen I will personally e-mail him/her and ask the address where I can send the prizes and which MAC shadow they have chosen. Once that is done, I will go purchase the MAC shadow, package all the goodies and ship it to you. Bear in mind that I am going on vacation to Italy tomorrow, and will not be back until the 4th, so if you have any questions I won't be able to get back to you until the beginning on the next year.

Love,

Nina.

Fashion Fit - Winter 2011/2012 Hairstyles

Hey everyone!


I hope you all spent a wonderful Christmas and got all the gifts you wanted!

While I was thinking about my outfits for Christmas and New Year's Eve I started thinking about hair and make up. The latter is pretty easy, since most people go for super glittery eyes and a red lip for the holidays, but I couldn't really figure out what to do with my hair, so I went online and did some research about the hairstyles that seem to be most popular for this season and I have to say I was blown away.

To be completely honest with you, I'm not very good at doing my hair. I have very long and thick hair that goes down to my waist and that will NOT curl. I have tried hot rollers, velcro rollers and hair curlers, but nothing works, but luckily for me this season's hairstyles are all about the one thing I know how to do : BRAID!

Here are some pictures I found that might inspire you for New Year's:

I think braids can be a beautiful way to wear your hair, whether you want go for a classic look, if you want to accentuate your outfit by pulling the eyes away from your hair (especially if you have a dress that shows a little bit of skin around the shoulders and back) or if you simply want to stay put and out of your face.

However, I know that not everyone is comfortable with wearing braids, so you can always opt for a more subtle change like parting your hair differently. Ever since bangs have come back in style a lot of girls tend to wear their hair on the side, but this season is really loving a center part. Making small changes in your hair can be a great way to freshen up your look without much effort:

Wearing your hair in the middle is so easy and looks good with all different hair textures, going from very sleek and straight to curly and even messy. And another huge perk is the youthful and innocent feel it has, bringing us back to our younger days.

Another simple and chic way to wear your hair is a ponytail. This easy hairstyle has acquired a bad reputation in the last years (generating expressions like "was my hair in a ponytail?"), but it can actually be very fashionable if done right.

The sleek look is very popular these days, especially since the Kardashian sisters wear it a lot. All you need to do is brush your hair back with some shiny wax, tie it and use a piece of hair to hide the elastic. Another lovely option is to keep your center parting on really clean hair and tie everything in a very low ponytail and you're done.

Here are some examples :

Chic, don't you think?

I for one will most like opt for a center parting and some waves for New Year's.

How will YOU be wearing your hair this winter?


Love,

Nina.

Fashion Fit - Capes

Hey everyone!


As all of you living in the North Hemisphere have noticed, it's cold! And despite the unpleasantness of winter I happen to LOVE this weather for fashion! It's the time of the year where you get to play around with darker colors and different textures, and this season's choice is the CAPE!

It was seen everywhere on the catwalk and has now invaded our stores :

I find it very fashionable, but I have two major problems with it : it's not very easy to style and it's not as practical as it seems.

If I were to buy one (and I'm desperately trying to), I'd go for a shorter cape with slits for the arms and pockets. The shortness of the cape would elongate my legs (even more with some high-heeled over the knee boots) and keep the short me (1.61 cm) from looking like I'm draped in a comforter. The holes would simply allow me to use my hands and tuck them inside the pockets.

The second problem is that capes aren't warm enough. I live in France, so it's not as cold as the North Pole but winter does require warm clothing and the cape lets the air in at the bottom AND through the arm slits. The best solution would be to wear very warm bottoms and sweaters under the cape and some elbow length gloves over the arms, thus making the outfit warm and fashionable, but still wearable in the winter.

If and when I get my hands on a winter cape I'll try to do an outfit of the day post to exemplify that.

What do you guys think of the cape? How would YOU style it?


Love,

Nina.

Christmas Gift Guide - What do buy the WOMEN in your life!

Hey everyone!


Time is flying by! I can't believe it's already the second week of December, and Christmas is slowly creeping up on us...

Therefore, I decided to do a quick Christmas Guide to help you guys and girls figure out what to buy for a girlfriend, mother, sister, friend... any woman in your life!

I hope you find it helpful.


Personal MidroDerm :

This is a really good gift to give a woman that is a little bit older, since it provides good results on fine lines through microdermabrasion at home. It comes with an instruction DVD, the microdermabrasion machine and six different heads that you can test out. The website claims it helps with age spots, fine lines, acne and even scars. 

I have tested it myself, and it does make my skin feel very soft. However,  I honestly can't say about fine lines and age spots but there are numerous positive reviews online.

Urban Decay NAKED Palette :

This is a great gift for someone who really likes make up, but maybe doesn't have a lot of items. This is a very versatile palette with which you can create both natural and smokey looks, perfect for day and night.

If you live in the States it costs 49 USD and it's 40 € in Europe.

If the person you want to buy this for already has this palette, Urban Decay has just released the NAKED 2 palette that you might want to look into.


Kindle :

This gift is an absolutely perfect idea for the reader in your life. It's basically an electronic book on which you can download all the available books on Amazon. It's small, light and extremely practical. You can have hundreds of books in your purse in just this little thin tablet that looks just like real paper and doesn't even tire your eyes. And if you want to make it extra special you can always buy a Kindle skin like I have and personalize so it fits your woman's personality.

I have the Kindle keyboard that costs 139 USD, but they have just released one without the keyboard that costs only 109 USD.

Another great idea would be to purchase a gift card on Amazon and offer your woman some books that she wants to read in the future.


Thomas Sabbo Charm Club Jewelry :

Thomas Sabbo is a jewelry company that makes really cute charms. They sell both necklaces and bracelets that you can personalize by choosing a pendant that you think the person you give this to will like. They have a very large variety of charms going from Disney characters to the youngster to sports-related little amulets that can please the athletic girl in your life.

They also make earring, watches and other collections without charms, but those are much pricier. A charm can range from around 30 USD to 150 USD, depending on how much you want to spend.


Luxury Nail Polish :

This is a much less expensive alternative that is still really fun. Most of us can't really afford to buy Chanel or Dior clothing, but a beautiful nail polish by a brand like that is sure to make the women in your life extra special. It might be small, but it's luxurious and good quality is always great to have.

I hope this was helpful for some of you guys, and let me know what YOU would want for Christmas!


Love,

Nina.

Everyday Eyes

Hey everyone!


Today  felt like sharing with you my everyday make up look that I wear to uni and work.

I hope you like it!

Start off by putting on a base to even out your skin stone and prevent your eyeshadows from creasing, then follow by applying a light shimmery color to the entire moving lid:

Then, with a fluffy crease brush, apply a chocolate-brown color to your crease.

After that, with the same brush, use a very dark brown color to deepen the outer third of the lid and blend together with the other shadows. Take a liner brush and apply a matte black shadow to your upper and bottom lash lines to make your lashes appear thicker.

And to finish curl your lashes and apply mascara:

Products used:

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

MAC Next to Nothing

MAC Swiss Chocolate

MAC Dark Edge

MAC Carbon

Clinique High Impact Mascara

I hope your guys enjoyed it!

Love,

Nina.