frozen spring

Melt Cosmetics She’s In Parties Eyeshadow Palette – Photos & Swatches

11/21/20

Last month I finally got my hands on this wonderful eyeshadow palette! I actually had on my wishlist the She’s In Parties eyeshadow stack, but by the time I was ready to order it, it was discontinued. Luckily, they came out with this palette that has all shades from the old stack and then some. The original shades are Skeleton Kiss, Last Caress, She’s In Parties and Meanstreak. Christine from Temptalia reviewed the eyeshadow stack when it came out, and there were some inconsistencies in the formula so it got “only” a B from her. On the other hand, She’s In Parties eyeshadow palette got an A- (Christine’s review) which means Melt Cosmetics did improve the formula. Anyway, that was an additional reason I decided to buy this palette.

The reason I purchased this palette is because it has a really nice color story: a beautiful combination of purple, burgundy and plum shades, with the exception of the first shade, Skeleton Kiss, which is more of a golden-peachy shade. I do think this palette has a nice ratio of matte and shimmery shades and I do feel like it will suit you, no matter your complexion. Darker shades are indeed deep and rich, I was admiring them for a while once I swatched them! I don’t remember the last time I was this impressed with an eyeshadow palette! All shades are very pigmented and feel so smooth when swatched and applied. The only shade that felt a bit dry when swatched was the shade Meanstreak (next to last). However, it is amazingly pigmented and that really isn’t a serious issue.

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Marc Jacobs Beauty Eye-Conic Eyeshadow Palette in Steel(etto) – Photos & Swatches

03/23/19

Recently Marc Jacobs Beauty came out with a new Eye-Conic eyeshadow palette called Steel(etto) which is part of their spring 2019 release. This palette is limited edition and that is one of two reasons why I purchased it. The other reason is that I was really thrilled to see one cool toned eyeshadow palette and I really didn’t want to miss on it. Of course, I like the quality of Marc Jacobs eyeshadows, I obviously wouldn’t purchase it if I thought it wasn’t any good.

Anyway, I still haven’t tested it properly, but I did take some quick pictures and I swatched ti. Besides being cool toned, it also has purple-ish undertones which is really interesting. It contains 7 shades, most of them being matte shades (5 shades), 1 shimmery shade and one almost like a top coat eyeshadow, with a bit more pigment when compared to some other similar products. Each shade contains 0.76 grams of product, which is slightly less when compared to permanent palettes which contain 0.8 grams per eyeshadow.

One thing that bothers me about this product (and which isn’t related to the brand) is the fact that this palette is more expensive than other Eye-Conic palettes. I know this has something to do with Sephora in Scandinavia because the price of limited edition Eye-Conic palettes is always different when compared to the permanent ones (they cost 495 SEK and this one is 645 SEK), and that is not the case in other stores (for example, Sephora.com or net-a-porter.com). I think I might actually send an e-mail to sephora.se and see what’s that about…

Here are my swatches, I haven’t used any primer, I simply swatched it with my fingers. Photos were taken in natural daylight.

Details

Cruelty free? Yes.
Where to buy? Sephora (Sweden); net-a-porter.com (ships worldwide)
Price: 645 SEK / $69 / €61 (I always convert the price from SEK to $ or €; it’s actually much cheaper on net-a-porter – $49 – wish I saw that!)

Vesna ♥

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging Review

03/22/19

A few months ago I had to give up on my long time eye shadow primer, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, because my eyelids started reacting weird every time I used it – they became extremely dry, flakey and it just stopped working as it used to. And just around that time I came across a post from Killer Colours where she talks about Urban Decay’s Primer Potion Anti-Aging so soon after I went to Åhléns (biggest department store in Sweden) to buy it.

I’ve been using it ever since and I have to say this product has been a serious game changer for me! It definitely helped me to get back to using eyeshadows more often (as in, a few times a week). Beside this primer making any eyeshadow looking more pigmented, I like how hydrating it feels on my eyelids and how eyeshadows don’t crease even after 10 hours or so. My eyelids, even though they can get dry, they do get oily throughout the day and Shadow Insurance just didn’t cut it any longer. But this primer is definitely holding everything in place as an eyeshadow primer should.

The only thing I don’t like about it is the packaging. I thing a tube that you can just squeeze would be a lot better and the doe foot applicator is just unnecessary. I guess I’ll have to cut the packaging because there is no way I can use every single bit of it with the applicator.

left: no primer; right: with primer

Details

Suitable for vegans/cruelty free? Yes and yes!
Where to buy? Pretty much everywhere! KICKS or Åhléns (Sweden); if you can’t buy UD in your country, then you can buy it via lookfantastic.com!
Price: 235 SEK / $25 / €22 (10 ml)

Vesna ♥

My favourite coffee spots in Stockholm!

08/11/18

Swedes are one of the biggest coffee drinkers in the world so it isn’t surprising that there are so many beautiful and interesting coffee spots in Stockholm. Personally, I can’t say I’m a true coffee lover, but I can say I love to sit somewhere and enjoy a good cardamom bun and a cup of coffee while I’m reading something or doing my homework. That’s why I decided to share some of my favourite coffee spots that are worth visiting (in my opinion ;)). As I mentioned, I’m not a true coffee lover, I don’t visit these places because of their coffee, but rather because of the atmosphere and the way they make me feel like I’m at home.

FABRIQUE

Fabrique is a stone oven bakery & coffee shop. There’s actually a few of them in the Stockholm’s inner city. My favourite one is located at Odengatan 42 – they have a small “balcony” and a few tables. It’s especially cozy during winter, such a great place to warm up a bit! They make the best cardamom buns (kardemummabullar) (I’m crazy about cardamom buns and I’ve tried many, LOL)!

Fabrique @ Odengatan 42

BRIOCHE

Brioche is a bakery and bistro where you can enjoy great buns and cakes but also have a lunch as well. Everything is made right there and you can even see their own bakery. I’d say their lunches are a bit expensive since they mostly offer sallads and sandwiches, and they are also located a bit outside the inner city. Still, it is a place I like to visit occasionally to have some coffee.

Brioche

KANAANS TRÄDGÅRDSCAFÉ

This is by far my favourite place to hang out when I feel like enjoying some coffee “in the middle of nowhere”. Kanaans trädgårdscafé is located in the western part of Stockholm (Västerort) in the Grimsta nature reserve. This area is perfect for walking, biking, running and swimming. Just take your pick! It is quiet and relaxing. This coffee place is actually a house on two floors with a large garden. They grow their own vegetables (at least what’s possible to grow here in Sweden) and they offer a variety of cakes, muffins, grilled food and sallads (during summer, not sure about winter time). Everything is old fashioned and I just love all the small details around the house. They even have a small variety of home decor stuff that you can purchase.

It takes a bit longer to get there, but it is totally worth it. Just take the metro to Råcksta and from there follow your google maps directions.

These were my favourite spots for coffee and relaxation, but there are definitely other coffee spots you might want to visit:

VETE KATTEN – this is such an interesting place with great interior. They make awesome cakes and you have to try the chocolate ones! This is another old fashioned place, but it isn’t just the interior that is amazing, it’s also the space itself – it’s like a huge apartment with many rooms and corridors. It’s basically a labyrinth :) It’s located in the centre, near T-Centralen metro station.

RÅSENDALS TRÄDGÅRD – located at Djurgården, this is another heaven on earth! If you love nature, greenhouses and plants – this is the place to visit! Just like Kanaans trädgårdscafé, they also offer seasonal foods and they grow what they can. Obviously, this is quite a busy place since it’s really popular, especially during the summer time, but don’t let that to discourage you – it’s definitely a must visit place!

CAFÉ PASCAL – Café Pascal is probably one of the busiest coffee places I’ve been at – it’s filled with young people and students so be prepared – it gets really noisy! At the moment they have two shops, but I visit the one located near Odenplan (Nortullsgatan 4). If you don’t like noise and business, I’d suggest visiting this place during the week, avoiding their lunch time (between 11 and 13 mostly). I totally recommend their portobello toast (or any other toast – see the picture below).

Kanaans trädgårdscafé / lunch @ Café Pascal

Of course, these are just a few places you can visit. I think they are a great way of exploring Stockholm, especially Brioche and Kanaans trädgårdscafé since they are a bit outside the inner city and I doubt you’d come across them by accident (yes, Rosendals trädgård is outside the inner city as well, but it is quite a popular place and it’s always mentioned online since it’s located at Djurgården).

Well, I hope you’ll find this helpful and I hope you’ll have a good time if you visit these places!

Vesna ♥

My makeup collection

08/09/18

This summer I finally organised my makeup collection and here’s how it turned out. I don’t have my own vanity table at the moment and that’s why I’m not showing the whole space, but hopefully I’ll have my own space soon. In the meantime, I’ve occupied 1/3 of my husband’s computer desk and well, that’s working for now. :D I know this is still a large collection when compared to a collection of an average user, but if I compare this collection to the one I had a few years ago – this is A LOT smaller!

To organise all my products, I got a few Muji 2 Drawer Units. I like that they are stackable and that they don’t take up much space. That’s really important when you don’t have a lot space to begin with. My plan is to keep my collection in these six MUJI Units. I still have some space but I’m not in a hurry to fill it up.

I was actually surprised to see how many eyeshadow palettes and single eyeshadows I own! I didn’t think they will take up almost 4 units. It actually opened my eyes and I realised I seriously don’t need anything new when it comes to eye products. Okay, I don’t need anything new in general, but especially NOT eyeshadows! :D

Anyway, here are a few more photos. If you want some details, let me know! These are not all products, but around 90% of them :)