Sketches of a Life

If you're regular here, you know the drill. If you're new, passing by or stalking, here's basically what SoaL is all about: I get new make up, I put it to a test, I take some pictures, and tell you how I feel about the products used. These products are not necessarily new releases, but rather any makeup I have never used before. I just wanted to make that clear.

Recently I went on a little shopping spree and... well, let's just say I had the hardest time picking out only a few products to test. But this only means you're in for several other makeup posts coming up (hopefully) soon.

I started off with the idea of doing two Autumn-inspired beauty makeup looks but, with Halloween being just around the corner, I ended up with an unplanned, somewhat different third look. The products I put to the test this time were:

1. Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Palette by I <3 Revolution

2. Precisely My Brow Pencil in 3,5 by Benefit Cosmetics

3. Superstay Full Coverage Under-Eye Concealer in 10 Fair by Maybelline

4. Fantasy Eyeliner in Black by I <3 Revolution

5. Les Macarons ultra matte liquid lipstick in 822 Mon Caramel by L'Oreal

6. Stay 8h Lipliner in 04 keep receipts by Essence Cosmetics

7. Oh! My Lips matte lip kit in 06 Cashmere Rose by Eveline Cosmetics

8. Eye Obsessed brush collection by Morphe

Without providing a step-by-step guide through the process of applying the makeup, below are some photos of the two looks I created and my thoughts on each product used. 

Beauty look 1:

Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Palette: You know I am a big fan of I <3 Revolution but, unfortunatelly, it breaks my heart to say that this is one of their palettes I least liked. I bought it because it smelled delicious, and I really mean delicious! Also, I found the shades a bit outside of my comfort zone, but I was really in the mood od trying out something new. However, although it offers quite a pretty red-brownish shade theme, I was left a bit disappointed in the untypically poor(er) pigmentation and the fallout amount of some of the mattes. I don't know what they've done with the formula, it used to be amazing with other palettes. The shimmers are, however, as fantastic as ever. 

Precisely, My Brow Pencil: The product is quite pricey, so I advise giving it a good thought before getting it. Since this was my first time buying the product and I wasn't really sure about the shade, I decided to go for the mini version. Luckily, I somehow managed to pick the prefect shade (3,5) and I was generally thrilled by the product (it is really precise in making thin and natural-looking lines), although the mini version lacks a spoolie brush that I really appreciate having on my brow pencils.

Superstay Full Coverage Under-Eye Concealer: My under-eye circles are virtually impossible to cover, and if I ever find the product that'll manage to perform this miracle on me, I will surely let you know. Let's just say this concealer is not the one for me in this sense, although I found it performing quite well as the eyeshadow primer. 

Fantasy Eyeliner: I bought this product impressed by its pigmentation as I draw a line on my hand in the store. However, applying it on my eyelids soon reduced my enthusiasm as it turned out rather imprecise. I immediately gave up and ended up using for these looks my forever number one eyeliner, Renaissance Flick, also by Makeup Revolution. 

Les Macarons ultra matte liquid lipstick: I was left disappointed by a number of L'Oreal products in my life, but I am happy to say that this is not one of them. The colour selection is nice, the wear is quite impressive and, unlike some of my much preferred liquid lipsticks, this one doesn't feel as heavy and drying on the lips. Also, a big plus for the smell. Good job, L'Oreal!

Stay 8h Lipliner: Essence has some great lipliners, that's a fact (and mascaras, too!). Particularly in terms of colour selection, pigmentation, and price. Still, these particular ones, although advertised as waterproof, did not prove quite as such. It's unfortunate, but probably negligable for many normal makeup lovers, but I appreciate more than anything my lip makeup fixed so I can forget all about it throughout my day. This, however, doesn't mean that I will not continue using these lipliners: on the contrary, I really like them and I'll just be wearing them on the occasions that don't include eating and drinking or are expected to last for a longer period of time.

Oh! My Lips matte lip kit: Oh. My. God. What. A. Surprise! The kit contains a lip pencil (with a cute little sharpener on the cap) and a liquid lipstick. Although for me it has a major downside in terms of wear, I am obsessed with the colour of the shade 06 Cashmere Rose and so happy I got it. Just like the Essence lipliners above, I will definitely be using this one often, but only on the occassions that don't require an extraordinary lipstick durability. 

Eye Obsessed brush set: Morphe is famous for their high-quality brushes, and this set is no exception, especially for amateur use. The set contains 12 brushes (6 natural and 6 synthetic) plus a zipper bag. What I really appreciate about this set is the discernible brush sizes, perfect for anything from lining to blending. I've been using them daily since the day I got them, so I guess that says it all.

The Halloween-ispired look was also created using the mentioned products, in addition to the darker shades of the Violet Chocolate Palette by Makeup Revolution. For me, it was so fun doing this wannabe 3D spider look on my face, so I'll just leave it here for laughs.

Dalmatia is, of course, much more than beaches, sea, and summer. As a local, I made sure of this a zillion times, but still, time and time again, the Dalmatian landscape manages to sweep me off my feet. As I am not much fond of tourists, crowds and noise thereof, a getaway inland on a windy, rainy Monday afternoon seemed quite an appealing idea. And it turned out it was a good call.

Last time I wrote about the natural beauty of the Zadar area (When in North Dalmatia...), I took you on a short trip seaward, revealing the magic of the islands of Pag and Dugi Otok. This time, I'm taking you inland to share my thoughts on the splendour of Zrmanja and Paklenica that I recently visited for the first time in my life.

(Fun fact; this is where Winnetou was filmed: read on to learn why!)

THE WATERFALLS OF ZRMANJA

River Zrmanja is a typical karst river, springing at the foot of mountain Poštak. About 69 kilometers long, it flows through narrow gorges and a 200 meters deep canyon, forming a wonderful landscape of rocks, caves, cascades and waterfalls. The canyon, one of the most impressive in Croatia, is protected as a significant landscape, and the river flow from the town of Obrovac upstream is an integral part of the Velebit Nature Park.

Less than an hour long drive from Zadar takes you to one of the most beautiful waterfalls of Zrmanja: Berberov Buk. You don't really get to see much of it until you actually get there, but once you do, there's quite a scenery. I'll let the photos tell the story of the beautiful landscape, and only mention that there's also a nice campsite there and a lovely restaurant that serves most delicious trout. If you ask me, this is a great site for one-day trips, picnics, short family getaways, or even teambuildings. Entrance is, of course, free.

Paklenica National Park is located on the littoral slope of South Velebit, in the backdrop of the town of Starigrad (about 50 km northeast from Zadar). The area is protected due to its unique natural features, magnificent forests, and extraordinary geomorphologic structures: distinctive canyons with torrent flows of Velika and Mala Paklenica.

The Park is easily accessible by car, and a basic adult one-day pass ranges from €2,60 to €8,00, depending on the time of the year. I must say right away that we made a number of mistakes deciding to take this trip out of the blue, without actually thinking it through. The first huge mistake was arriving here in the afternoon: if I had known better, I would have definitely made sure we had the entire day to explore this place because less than that is simply not enough. The second mistake was not wearing a pair of comfortable walking or hiking shoes (trust me on this one). Finally, I was dupable enough not to consider (or even to ignore) the fact that the infamous bora wind might stop us at a certain point and make us go back to the foothill.

(Dear tourists, when planning your trip to Croatia, please Google "bora".)

I hope you'll like this post and that it would arouse your interest in exploring the inland if you ever happen to stay in North Dalmatia. It is truly amazing.

Whether or not you take part in the #challenges going around the social media, and whatever your opinion on these might be, you must admit these had us witness some of the most interesting moments in the history of human stupidity. All the way from the #KylieJennerLipChallenge to the #FallingStarsChallenge, we've all watched people performing bizzare actions in order to gain greater viewership and attention. Some challenges, of course, were not as dangerous or silly, and some even had a praiseworthy higher purpose. In a nutshell, they've completely taken over the social media in the recent years and it seems the trend is here to stay.

Recently a lot of people (including myself) completed the #10YearChallenge, which actually inspired me to come up with a challenge of my own. As 10 years is quite a long span, I thought I might bring it down to 10 days, but eventually, though, opted for one week. So, the idea behind this #OneWeekChallenge of mine is: I take ONE makeup product, wear it in seven different ways (for seven days/one week) and, of course, share pictures and experiences here, hoping you'd let me know if I did well.

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Anyway, if you like the idea, let me know down in the comments or on Facebook and Instagram because I'm thinking about turning this #challenge into a series!

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But without losing any more time, let's get challenged! 

The first product I chose for this challenge is an eyeshadow palette: it's the palette I got as part of the Eye Defining Kit by Revolution Makeup (the exact same I had in my recent Giveaway). I think this palette is amazing because it offers 32 different matte and shimmer shades divided into 4 categories: natural, smoky, metallic and cut crease, which makes it great for beginners.

Oh, and don't mind me taking the easy way out with this product, first time is always the hardest! :)
The results, you wonder? Scroll, scroll, scroll...

Reneissance Flick eyeliner by Revolution Makeup

Rock Couture liquid liner in 040 These White Stripes by Catrice
Lash Sensational lash multiplying mascara by Maybelline

Superstay Matte Ink in 15 Lover by Maybelline

I had to redo this look twice because the photos I had taken initially were so bad I couldn't force myself to post them.

Reneissance Flick eyeliner by Revolution Makeup
Rock Couture liquid liner in 040 These White Stripes by Catrice
Lash Sensational lash multiplying mascara by Maybelline
Kajal eyepencil in 10 Snow by Look (Bipa)
Kajal eyepencil in 12 Breeze by Look (Bipa)

Superstay Matte Ink in 100 Philosopher by Maybelline

Reneissance Flick eyeliner by Revolution Makeup
Longlasting eye pencil in 27 Purple Rain by Essence
Lash Sensational lash multiplying mascara by Maybelline

Superstay Matte Ink in 80 Ruler by Maybelline

Reneissance Flick eyeliner by Revolution Makeup
Lash Sensational lash multiplying mascara by Maybelline

Superstay Matte Ink in 80 Ruler by Maybelline

Day 5 was a disaster. I woke up with one eye half closed, probably irritated by the lash glue I had put on the day before. Ironically, the only way to make my eyes look as similar as possible in terms of size (openness) was to pop on a pair of huge eyelashes. Also, I went a little overboard with the eyeliner, so that also helped. Kind of.
 Also used:

Reneissance Flick eyeliner by Revolution Makeup
Longlasting eye pencil in 31 Rosy & Goldy by Essence

Supernatural matte lipstick in Mistery Mauve by Farmasi

Looks so Natural eyelashes in Sultry by Kiss

Reneissance Flick eyeliner by Revolution Makeup
Longlasting eye pencil in 27 Purple Rain by Essence
Lash Sensational lash multiplying mascara by Maybelline
Superstay Matte Ink in 15 Lover by Maybelline

Reneissance Flick eyeliner by Revolution Makeup
Lash Sensational lash multiplying mascara by Maybelline
Superstay Matte Ink in 80 Ruler by Maybelline

It took me THREE months to complete this post thanks to that little thing called life constantly getting in the way.  I truly hope you'll like it.

Let me know if you'd like me to turn the #OneWeekChallenge into a blog series!

And as always, thank you so much for reading.

Kisses