Fabulous European Makeup & Beauty Brands I Tested In Paris and Loved

10 months in Europe, and i have to say, they were probably the best 10 months of my life so far. 

Sure, there had to be some give and take. I had to spend 10 months without my Mommeeyh and Dedi, my siblings (who just proved yet again that they could be medicine to flu) and my nephew whom i am crazy in love with. Plus 3 months into staying in Europe, i got a niece too, and now i'm crazy in love with her too.

But at the same time, i also got to spend some serious quality time with my husband, whom i crazily adore and who is my most favouritest everest person in the world. Shah and i managed to do some of the famed Euro-trip (we didn't get to go to Scotland, Greece, Monaco, etc. oh oh half sadface) and had the best time evah (and we went to Disneyland like 50 times. we still want more).

Anddd, of course, there's that whole point of me writing up this post: makeup and beauty stuff found in Europe!

Here i present to you the brands that i tried and loved and wish they were available here in Malaysia:

Embryolisse

I tried three of their products, and i loved all three. I got to know about Embryolisse from the Pixiwoo sisters. Sam Chapman regularly put this on in the beginning of her makeup videos, and i was totally intrigued. Embryolisse happened to be a product of France; since i lived in Paris for those 10 months, this was a must-try for me. 

Technically, i didn't discover this brand in Europe per say; it would be more accurate to say i discovered this sitting on my bottom in my old apartment watching Pixiwoo videos. But i did try this in Europe itself.

I love Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre as a night cream now since it's too heavy for day use in Malaysia. I'm still clueless as to what i will be using in my before-sleep beauty regime after my one and a half tube of it empties.

Aside from their infamous Lait-Creme Concentre, i also brought back an extra tube of their gentle facial wash and their BB cream.
I should probably do some kind of review on their BB Cream, shouldn't i?

For more thoughts of mine on Embryolisse, click on this link: Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre Nourishing Moisturizer, the Miracle Skin Worker - or Is It?

Deborah Milano

Hailing from Italy, Deborah Milano to me resembles Revlon a lot; it's an affordable pharmacy line but has this elegant air to it. I loved their lipsticks, lip liners and eye liners a lot, and i still do. My favourite Deborah Milano items are the two lip liners i purchased; one deep red and one bright orange. There aren't that many colour choices however, but they still manage to offer sophisticated and bold hues anyhow.

For more thoughts of mine on Deborah Milano, click on these links:
Deborah Milano and Debby Makeup Load + Other Essentials
Makeover With Deborah Milano Products!
Deborah Milano: Milano Red Lipstick 9

Debby

I don't know if this is true but apparently Debby is a "sister" line to Deborah Milano. I won't be surprised if they came from the same company, since what i love about Debby is their lipsticks. I wish i had tried more of their products but i just didn't have the source ("source" is really 'money', of course) to do so. I love their hot pink lipstick so much that i will bawl my eyes out when that tube runs out—or goes bad, since i am somewhat more of a makeup chicken in Malaysia than the Liyana Aris i knew back in Europe. I haven't even taken my Debby tube out of my makeup bag since i went back to Malaysia. Soon, it must be, soon.

Don't you just LOVE that crazy pink shade on my lips? It's OK if you don't, because i can readily admit it's a love-hate kind of shade. Like orange.

For more thoughts of mine on Debby, click on this link: deBBY kissMYlips Lipstick 7

Vichy

I read somewhere that Vichy used to be sold in Malaysia and then mysteriously went off the racks. I said "mysteriously" because i found online forums/reviews in which Malaysians sadly discuss about their disappearance and but not one of them knows why exactly they stopped being available. Why, indeed? Hmmmmm.
I'm sure a lot of people can nod in agreement to what i'm about to say: "Bring back Vichy!!!"
Unlessss...unless they ARE available here and i just didn't know about it?
???
I tried the Normaderm range, the one with salicylic acid as its active ingredient. I wasn't a fan of the whole range, but to this day i have faithfully used the Night Cream in that range solely on my nose to combat blackheads. It works for me in that way, so, big yay!
Blackheads on the nose is a constant headache source for me, so to find a product that can lessen those nasty black spots is superb. HOWEVER, i will be experiencing more serious headaches soon since i don't have an extra tube of the Normaderm's night cream, and since Vichy can't be found here (right?), what will i use to ward off blackheads later??

For more thoughts of mine on Vichy, click on this link: Vichy Laboratoires Normaderm Range

Sleek

Sleek is known for their eyeshadow palettes that offer a wonderful array of colours. So when i went to England, i just knew i had to get one palette at least. 

I also got my hands on their powder, blusher and contour kit; i have to say, i absolutely adore every single one of them. If i have to pick a winner, i would pick their Pomegranate blush. The purplish hue is incredible and oddly flattering on me (my personal opinion, of course). I like it so much that Shah has said i have the tendency to overdo it on my cheeks. Unfortunately i don't have a photo of the colour, or the swatch or anything, but that is one more thing i must write about. It's appropriate for me to dedicate a post to Pomegranate, absolutely.

For more thoughts on this Sleek palette, click here: Sleek Makeup i-Divine Original Palette

No7

What attracted me towards this brand had everything to do with Lisa Eldridge, who was their Creative Director but recently quit that post. If it weren't for Lisa talking about the brand in her videos and using their products, i wouldn't have noticed No7 in the local England pharmacies; their products appear quite low-key, in my opinion. Subtle, understated. I bought a brow gel from No7 and got a small clutch full of freebies in return in one of the Boots in one of the train stations. I've never owned a brow gel before so it was nice to get my first one from No7.


Sadly this is where my post will end. I know, i know, TEN GLORIOUS MONTHS IN PARIS and these are all i could come up with? Travesty, travesty. But it must be noted, Shah and i spent a heap of money on travelling around Europe, so we had to cut down on other things, like makeup/beauty products and Manchester United jerseys. Give and take, which in this context means "the practice of compromise".

I hope your day is going well!
xxoo