Welcome Temptalia's Local Contributors!

Welcome Temptalia’s Local Contributors!

Temptalia is read across the world, even though much of what we do is U.S.-based (as I am U.S.-based!), which meant that, naturally, local experts from around the world would make for a much-needed addition to the content we already have. These lovely writers will provide insight to the brands and products local to them, so you can find and explore the beauty’s global offerings, which are numerous!

Adrienne, 24, Scotland | Adrienne lives in Scotland, and she writes for The Sunday Girl, which is mostly beauty but with a little life thrown into the mix. She was born and bred in Scotland, still resides in a damp Scottish town, and jokes that she sees about three days of sunshine a year–but it’s a lovely place to live. She is currently attending university studying both English and French with hopes to become an English teacher.

In her free time, she loves to shop and hang out with friends–and beauty blog when she can!

Amanda, Traveling | Although born in New York City, Amanda grew up in the historic neighborhood of Hyde Park in Chicago, IL. She pursued her academic training in New England where she studied ancient history, comparative literature, art history, and archeology.

While earning her degree at university, Amanda traveled around the world to a plethora of countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. She currently lives on New York City’s Upper East Side where is pursuing a graduate degree and working in education. Amanda has studied the histories of beauty around the world and is herself, an avid admirer and practitioner of the beauty techniques she studies.

Amanda’s multifaceted travel experiences have provided her a unique perspective and, quite suitability, an eclectic taste. To track her travels, thoughts, and techniques follow her at www.aklectique.com. As a world traveler (and with more travel plans on the horizon), she’ll be offering a unique perspective of the amazing local brands and products she’s discovered and still discovering.

Christelle Yvon, 26, France | Christelle lives in Corsica, which is in the south of France, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, though she was born in Paris. She lived in Paris for eighteen years before settling in the south of France. Christelle studied public law for three years and grauated in European Affairs two years ago; her daytime job is in public administration.

She loves to travel and has visited most of the European countries (she loves visiting Budapest and Roma). In her free time, she loves to ballroom dance, go out with friends, and enjoy the beautiful weather of her locale.

Dâmaris, 37, Brazil | Dâmaris is 37-years old and Brazilian. Her parents taught her to love nature and observe its colors, textures, sounds, flavors, and fragrances. She deeply appreciates nature and respects it, and she has found this education helped her develop a taste for beauty in all its various expressions, like music, photography, and cosmetics.

She studied in Psychology and currently teaches at the University. Dâmaris believes there is an art of self-care, which is good for your emotions. She describes her philosophy as, “Taking care of the body is good for the heart, thoughts, and does good to the will to live. Highlighting your points of beauty is a secret we learn every day.” Check out her blog, Village Beaute!

Eva, Hong Kong | Eva considers herself thick-skinned and confident, so you’ll always find her in good spirits! You might find her serious and quiet, though, but she says there’s a part of her that’s childish and always giggling inside. She’s a carefree spirit who sometimes relies too much on luck, but she can’t help it.

Eva loves meeting new friends, especially those who share her passions. She gets easily obsessed and falls in love with new things, whether it’s a book, movie, or person. She also has a fascination for history and all things historical, especially European history! Check her out on DeviantArt!

Kimberly Nissen, 25, Australia | Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Kimberly started her working life early at the tender age of 15. For most of the past 10 years, she has worked for some of the biggest media corporations her sunny country has had to offer. She always wanted to become a writer, but with no training and never having finished high school, it didn’t look like it was going to happen.

In 2009, her mother’s cancer returned for the second time in a matter of months, so she decided to quit her ‘career’ and move home to look after her. Kimberly saw this as her golden opportunity to start writing, mostly for my own amusement; on the topic she loved most: BEAUTY! She created The Plastic Diaries and The Styleless Diaries. She also co-founded the first niche-specific blogging event in Australia, the Australian Beauty Bloggers Weekend.

Lulle, 32, France | Lulle was born in France, and she says she came to life so hungry that she was trying to swallow her entire first–and the fondness for food never went away! She wasn’t obsessed with makeup as a teenager or young adult. At 25, she moved to Instanbul, Turkey, where she lived for five years, and this is where the beauty addiction started. When she wandered through duty-free shops while traveling, she discovered a whole new, glamorous world.

Lulle is easy-going, loving, and spontaneous; she loves to enjoy every moment of life. Check out her blog, Beau Miroir!

Mehak Sagar, 24, India | Mehak is 24-years old and a number-crunching economist from India. When she’s not analyzing data, she’s analyzing beauty, which is where her real passion lies. She loves blush and the color peach, and together, the two give her unparalleled happiness (hence her blog, Peaches and Blush).

Aside from beauty, she loves food, shoes, traveling, dancing, and painting. She has an unhealthy obsession with chocolate cookies, lip balms, her three-year-old niece, and planning her upcoming wedding. Mehak lives with a joint family, which means 13 people in a single house, but she says it just means there is more makeup to go around!

Melanie Castro, 21, Brazil | Melanie is 21-years old and lives in Brazil. She has brown eyes, brown and curly hair, and cool-toned, fair skin. She’s a future journalist, vegetarian, feminist, and the boldest Aries you’ll ever meet. One of her life goals is to be free of prejudice and hate as much as possible. She would love to work at a cultural magazine or write a cultural column.

Melanie attributes her interest in beauty products to Japanese men, because she was a big fan of J-rock, specifically Visual Kei, when she was younger. It inspired her to try to replicate some of the makeup looks the musicians wore! Her philosophy is simple: everyone is beautiful–every size, shape, hair, nose lips, hands, everything! You can follow her on Twitter or check out her blog!

Polly Smyth, 22, England | Polly is a 22-year old recent graduate who hails from England. She studied East Asian studies, so she learned some Japanese and even spent six weeks in Japan last summer–she loved it and hopes to return one day.

She currently lives with her family and waitresses while trying to decie on her future career. Polly is fortunate to have a wonderful boyfriend who spends countless hours with her at Boots and makeup counters–even if it is done so begrudgingly! Check out her blog, Beauty Mish Mash!

Rae Chen, Canada | Rae, the easily-distracted Canadian blogger behind theNotice: a beauty blog, is neither the brains nor the beauty of the operation. (The subjective existence of either has yet to be determined – we’ll get back to you on that one.) She is, however, a rather relentless makeup junkie with a camera, a lack of a filter, and a writing style that’s rather more snark than sycophant.

It’s a combination that doesn’t necessarily bode well for a serious conversation, but hopefully it makes for a fun, honest read. If four years of beauty blogging have any say in the matter, it probably stands to reason that she won’t muck it up too badly, right?
Expect rambling sentences, a lighthearted take on Canadian brands, and a thorough abuse of punctuation. Your brand-new Rae comes with a two-year limited warranty and can be returned at any time with tags in tact. If provoked unintentionally, attempt to placate with carbs, dinosaurs, or lipstick before calling customer service.

Ria, 27, Finland | After being born and spending her childhood in America, Ria moved to the far reaches of Northern Europe to live in Finland with her parents. Exiled away from beauty brands most of us take for granted, she was forced to branch out and challenged to find new local favorites.

Now 27, her interest in beauty started originally as a hobby about five years ago, when she was looking for something new in her life. However, it soon turned into a full-blown obsession. She also attended makeup school to pursue her interest and has worked with beauty ever since. These days she spends most of her free time studying and writing, trying to finish her master’s thesis for university. She’s interested in the associations and values connected to makeup and is actually writing her thesis on YouTube makeup videos!

Her pet peeves are people who take makeup too seriously or are unwilling to try new things. Other interests she has include movies and visual arts, like photography, painting and drawing, though these days makeup is her main creative outlet. Another thing close to her heart is traveling around the world looking for new adventures and new makeup to bring back home!

Samantha C., Hong Kong | Sam is a 16-year old junior with a passion for all things beauty, though she has a soft spot for lipstick and blush. She started off her collection with mostly Western brands but began to get more interested in Asian brands because they were so much more accessible.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Sam speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, a little German, and, of course, English. In her free time, she enjoys photography, craft projects, and spending time with family and friends. She’s studying for the SAT this year and looks forward to applying to universities in the U.S. next year.

Sheila, 21, Canada | Sheila is a Chinese-Canadian blogger in her early twenties with a passion for beauty. You can pretty much find her on Twitter at all waking hours of the day. She makes irrational judgments when it comes to purchasing decisions and would choose a $70 foundation over a $30 blouse any day.

Sheila enjoys reading random Wikipedia articles during my spare time, and also appreciates a good police procedural drama. Lastly, she loves taking random photos of things around her house in her spare time; Sheila’s camera of choice is a Canon EOS Rebel T2i (also known as the EOS 550D) with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens. For those who wonder, Sheila has dehydrated normal skin that occasionally breaks out. Her foundation shades are MAC NC25, Chanel B20 Beige Tendre and Guerlain #2. Check out her blog, Maddy Loves!

Tamara Richards, Canada | Tamara lives in southwestern Ontario, where she works in a multi-disciplinary physical rehabilitation clinic. When she’s not there, you’ll find her at the local cosmetic counters or freelancing as a makeup artist.

She rediscovered makeup in her early twenties, and since then, she’s become immersed in the beauty community. Tamara loves the idea of sharing information with others who share her beauty interests. After being an observer for some time, she started her own beauty blog. She has learned so much and had an amazing time since starting, and she considers herself lucky to have two jobs she adores.

Take a trip around the world — get to know our local contributors a little better! 

Q&A with Adrienne

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? I am from Scotland which is often depicted on screen as being one large field, thank you Mel Gibson. Let me assure you it is very much a bustling and vibrant place to live with some of the friendliest people in the world, there is never a dull moment in Scotland. We have lots of cultural places of interest which are often free and I’m very lucky to live in a country that has such a lush and green backdrop. However my main love is shopping and I’m lucky to live in one of the largest towns in Scotland which has the most fantastic shopping.
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? I am going to throw my Mother under the bus and blame her for my obsession with all local beauty products. Growing up she was forever bringing home local organic bath and beauty products for both of us to try and thus created a monster!
3. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? As I have such an appetite for all things beauty related it would be far too difficult to single out just five products so I will share with you my top five picks of local brands I find hard to resist. If you are ever in Scotland you must pick up some BeautyUK as they do some wonderful eye palettes, MUA is one of the most purse friendly brands available to us in the UK with prices starting at £1! Another budget buy has to be W7 especially for their boxed blushes. Boot’s No.17 is wonderful for duping higher end cosmetics but my absolute favorite pick would have to be Sleek MakeUp as the have the most pigmented cosmetics I have ever encountered with such a broad choice of items.
4. What can we find you doing in your free time? My free time is quickly becoming blogging time. Before I began blogging I honestly had no idea just how much work, time and effort that goes into it to keep the wheels turning on the ol’ blog. When I’m not swatching away like a woman possessed I like to go out with my friends which often results in shopping with the odd cocktail or five. I also enjoy photography and once a week I attend an evening class to learn more about fashion and beauty photography.
5. Who makes up your family? Any pets? I have a huge family! My immediate family consists of four brothers and two sisters, which I am the eldest of. As you can imagine there is never a dull moment in my mother’s household!Yes, I have two cats and if I had a larger house I’m pretty sure I’d turn into that crazy cat lady from the Simpsons haha!
6. What’s your favorite quote? “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”- Benjamin Franklin. Whenever I’m feeling lazy especially in regards to school work I can hear this ringing around my head and it usually gives me the motivational kick I need!
7. What’s your favorite color? I don’t actually have a favorite color but in terms of cosmetics I definitely tend to gravitate towards neutral shades and pink lip products. Very dull, I know, but I’m a creature of habit.
8. What’s in your makeup bag? I like to switch up the contents of my make-up bag on an almost weekly basis so I don’t get stuck in a rut but I never leave home without a Carmex lip balm and a Mac powder compact to counter my oily skin other than that I have no permanent fixtures in my bag.

Q&A with Amanda

1. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? My passion in local beauty products came from my travels around the world and my interactions with women enacting beauty in their respective societies. In all earnestness, the interest steamed more from an anthropological perspective than an aesthetic one.
2. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? Since I move around so much, there is nothing local that I keep on a consistent basis. I try many products, but accessibly eventually becomes a problem, which forces me to find something new or more mainstream.
3. What can we find you doing in your free time? I read. I think. I swim. I eat. I write. I do art.
4. What’s your favorite quote? “I’m nothing or I’m a nation.”
5. What’s your favorite color? Black, Gold, Silver, Rose gold. I also enjoy blackened yellows, greens, purples, and blues.
6. What’s in your makeup bag? MAC Careblend Pressed Power, Too faced Chocolate Soliel Bronzer, Benefit One Hot Minute Powder, Wet ‘n’ Wild Taupe Brow Pencil, MAC Typographic eyeshadow, MAC Macroviolet Fluidline, Milani Liquify Liner, NARS Lola Lola eyeshadow, theBalm Illuminizer, MAC Snob lipstick, and Burt’s Bees lip conditioner.

Q&A with Christelle

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? I was born in Paris and now live in the south of France. France is such a great place: I love its history (especially middle age period), its culture (Baudelaire is my favorite author) and the landscape is so beautiful. What’s also nice is the variety in cosmetics. Cosmetics industry is powerful in France, and lots of high end brands are french. But you can also find small but great brands, especially in the field of natural/ bio cosmetics.
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? At first, they were an cheaper alternative to the french high end brands. I had a small budget back then. Then I realized that these products were as good, efficient, comfortable as high end products. Plus we are lucky in France: small brands are very creative and their products are real good quality, you can find lots of natural products, and that’s something I look for for my beauty routine, and quality and diversity to sum it up!
3. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? Bioderma Crealine H2O (cleanser), CCB monobulle Taupe (eyeshadow), La Roche Posay Mascara Respectissime (mascara), T. Leclerc poudre libre banane (loose powder), Eye Care liner noir (eyeliner).
4. What can we find you doing in your free time? I dance a lot (rock n roll and other ballroom dances). I love reading (historical novels are my favorite). I also sew (love creating original clothes).
5. Who makes up your family? Any pets? I have one sister, she lives in Budapest, Hungary (central Europe). I am not married and have no children yet. A dog, a female dobermann: Tosca
6. What’s your favorite quote? No remorse, no regrets, (take every chance but without hurting people).
7. What’s your favorite color? Red: red lips are my signature. I like dressing in red, it flatters my skin tone.
8. What’s in your makeup bag? As far as my purse is concerned: T. Leclerc pressed powder in Banane, lipsmacker (Bonnebell), currently raspberry, blottings papers, Guerlain Rouge G in Gala, Essence brow powder, Sephora clear mascara (used as brow mascara), Eye Care black liner, Kiko nail polish in taupe, La Roche Posay, Respectissime Mascara.

Q&A with Dâmaris

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? I am Brazilian, born in the town of Tubarão, but for six years I have lived in the state capital of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis. It is an island with 42 beautiful beaches! It is a city that attracts many tourists and it is worth knowing it. Any car ride, any walk in my town already helps to distract the mind, because there is natural beauty everywhere.
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? My earliest memory on beauty products is in my childhood when I saw my mother throw scent on to go to work. How I loved to sit on the bed watching her get ready! It was a very light makeup and in my teens, but for my fifteenth birthday, she let me get my makeup done professionally at a beauty parlor. From then on, I started to see more colors and textures of makeup.
3. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? Brazil is a young country and our makeup brands are as well. In my makeup table always have these Brazilian`s products: Vult lipsticks, Natura body moisturizing oils, O Boticário Perfumes Eau de Cologne, Contém 1 grama pigments and shadows, and Yes Cosmetics Illuminator Facial.
4. What can we find you doing in your free time? In my spare time I like to shoot! I photograph my children, my beauty products, my family and the beautiful nature of the region. I love photographing the memory and thus help to preserve all that is beautiful to my eye. Besides, I love to read. Very much! Besides the books of my profession (Psychologie), I read the Bible, Philosophy, Poetry and epic romance.
5. Who makes up your family? Any pets? Yes, I have a family. My sister called Christine as well (it’s a beautiful name, and has a beautiful meaning) married to Charles, and she is passionate about makeup. Win a nephew in a few short weeks, we are excited about the arrival of Benyamin. I have parents, José and Nair – loved. I have my husband, João Luís and have two children: Débora at age 9 and little João Emanuel who will turn 1 year old on 30th of October!
6. What’s your favorite quote? Seek God first, and all other things will be added.
7. What’s your favorite color? It is very hard to pick just one color, depending on the context because I like more than one or the other. For makeup, for example, like a lot of shade in shades of green and lipstick red in color.
8. What’s in your makeup bag? In my makeup bag of the day to day is: Primer face of L’oreal, Revlon Custom Creations foundation, lip pencil from O Boticário and Vult, Eyeliner from Revlon, Lancome Hypnose mascara, lipsticks and MAC and Vult, shadows squad from Contém 1 grama, face powder Chanel, Bourjois concealer, L’Oreal blush and Illuminator Yes Cosmetics, and Chanel n5 eau Première.

Q&A with Eva

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? I am from HK. HK is an extremely vibrant city just bursting with energy. Our city is described as the place where East meets West and it’s the perfect way description. I love that almost everyone is so accepting to new ideas and cultures.
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? They’re really affordable and totally worth the money! Besides they were easy to get hold of, without having to endure some of the nosey shop assistants hovering over my back.
3. (Although I live in Hong Kong and technically, local products mean HK products, HK doesn’t really produce makeup. After all HK’s just a city! So I’m going to take about the makeup from Sasa or Bourjour, which are our local beauty stores.)
4. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? Sofina Primavista Long Keep Base – My T zone is so oily, but this base magically stops my facial oils from invading. I have to use this whenever I put on foundation, (which is every time, haha!) I haven’t found other bases that work as well. Majolica Majorca 4-pan eyeshadow palette– Prettiest eyeshadows ever! Most of them aren’t matte and they have quite a lot of shimmer. The packaging is really nice and they’re really affordable. I personally find them really buttery and smooth. I also have one of their single eyeshadow, color payoff is excellent, but of course there are some which lack pigmentation. Heroine Make Mascara – Toughest mascara I’ve ever used. Not even the Biore makeup wipes can take them off. Instead I need to use their Mascara Remover, which is good if you live in humid places, which I do. NOYL Eye Charm (Eyelash Glue) – I am a big fan of eyelashes, cause my natural ones are so short. Fake lashes instantly oomph up the whole look and can really open up your eyes. Etude Eyebrow Sketch Pencil – I love the look of a well defined brow, it just really completes the look, especially on photoshoots. I’m using No. 33, which is a brown. Besides using it on the brows, I also like using it to draw a fake crease line, not that I don’t have one, but sometimes the fake lashes hide them.
5. What can we find you doing in your free time? Cosplaying definitely, it’s also the hobby that first introduced me to makeup. I have a few comrades-in-arms. I used to stick with Japanese anime, but in the recent years I find myself steering towards to English movies and cartoons. I’ve always loved the English language, which could explain my eventual change in interest. Lately I’m interested in photoshoots, with just a theme and not from anywhere particular. I like attending private photoshoots with my friends than public events.
6. Who makes up your family? Any pets? My parents and brother. Up till now, I have had 3 cats, and boy I’ve loved each and every one of them! They were Seal, Lucky, Birman. Birman currently lives with my aunt, he’s such a darling and has such a big bum. Lucky was a Scottish Fold, sadly he was diagnosed with liver cancer at one and passed away.
7. What’s your favorite quote? “This is the only sun you ever see again. But a millennium of night will be yours to see light as no mortal has ever seen it, to snatch from the distant stars, as if you were Prometheus an endless illumination by which to understand all things. ” I will hug anyone who recognizes where this is from. This book brings tears to my eyes. Armand, such a psychopath, but that doesn’t stop us fans from loving him. He might be a psychopath, but he’s a broken psychopath in need of love! 🙂
8. What’s your favorite color? Red or blue!
9. What’s in your makeup bag? These are the armaments I use every time for photoshoots or events: Sofina Primavista Long Keep Base, Majolica Majorca eyeshadow, Etude Eyebrow Sketch Pencil, NOYL Eye Charm, MAC Soft Ochre paint pot, MUFE Aqua Cream No.4, Bourjois 10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation, Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer, Vaseline, MAC 217 219, Shiseido Benefiance Extra Creamy Cleansing Foam, Biore makeup remover wipes, contact lenses.

Q&A with Kimberly

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? I am from Sydney, which is the capitol city of New South Wales in Australia. It is a beautiful harbour city that perfectly represents Australian culture. There is diversity in every suburb, picturesque landscapes and the hustle & bustle of a thriving metropolitan city.
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? My passion for local beauty products came about purely due to a lack of access to well known brands. In Australia, internationally owned and produced products cost a great deal more, so I learnt to find alternatives at a young age. Now that I am a little older, and the market is substantially bigger, I now realize the amazing offering we have locally. The offering from Australian brands is remarkable, and we have led the industry in a multitude of avenues, including product and ingredient development.
3. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? 1. Australis Cosmetics – Their Paparazzi Perfect eye shadow palettes are so pigmented and funky. 2. Face of Australia – The Face Base primer is my go-to daily primer. 3. Le Tan – I am an avid sun protection fan, and this brand has the widest range for every personal preference. 4. Alpha-H – Amazing skincare products that really show results. 5. Ciccone Cosmetics – They have this amazing range of lipsticks, and their clear gloss is my go-to at the moment.
4. What can we find you doing in your free time? I love eating, and if there is one thing we are really spoilt with in Australia, it is good food! Being a beauty blogger, my obvious hobby is trawling through a department store beauty floor. So, if I am not window shopping or at home playing with nail polish, you will find me at any one of Sydney’s finest café or restaurants. This questionnaire is making me hungry!
5. Any pets? Oh, boy, do I have pets. I have six beautiful doggies, four of which are rescues. Jake, Chloe, Levi and Dylan are Shih-Tzu’s, Chanel is a Silky x Toy Poodle and Chani (pronounced Honey) is a Chihuahua x Silky.
6. What’s your favorite quote? A very wise man once said: “Every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain”. — Homer J. Simpson
7. What’s your favorite color? Purple …. but only specific shades of Purple. Whereas I like all shades of Pink. Hrmm, maybe I need to reconsider which is my favourite color?!?
8. What’s in your makeup bag? I am going to share the contents of my day-to-day handbag makeup bag, because as you can imagine, my regular one is just enormous. Stila Garden Bliss Palette, CLEAN Anti-Bacterial Moisturizing Hand Cream, Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat in #2, Lancôme L’Absolu Crème de Brillance lipgloss in Le Rouge L’Wren #127, New Cid i-pout lipstick in Pink Bliss, Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus, M.A.C Studio CareBlend Pressed Powder in Light Plus, Sephora Blotting Papers, Estée Lauder retractable eyeshadow and blush brushes

Q&A with Lulle

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? I am from a major city in France, conveniently situated close to the Alp Mountains as well as to the French Riviera. What I really love about France is that we have an incredible diversity of landscapes, cuisine, lifestyles, foods, architecture, traditions packed in a relatively small space: you can see a lot of different things in just a couple hours drive.
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? I fell into beauty quite late, when I was about 25 years old and decided it was time for me to start taking care of my skin more regularly. At that time, I was living in Istanbul, Turkey, and I really loved exploring small shops selling rose water, olive and laurel soaps, accessories for hamam and other locally produced beauty gems! Back in France, I’m still into brands and products that have a real story to tell: some are based on strong traditional roots, others have become part of popular culture, and talented individuals are often behind the curtain for the most innovative ones.
3. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? My favourite French brands are Institut Esthederm for face skin care products, Couvent des Minimes for body, and Bourjois for their makeup. I also NEED 2 traditional products in my life: lavender oil produced in Provence and olive oil soap made in the South of France, called Savon de Marseille.
4. What can we find you doing in your free time? I love to play with makeup and blog about it of course! I like to walk around town and have a drink at a nice terrace, play with my infuriated cat, read, eat, go to the museum or exhibitions, to the movies, travel as much as I can, meet with friends… I’m also a tea lover, and I don’t have a TV at home!
5. Who makes up your family? Any pets? I live with my American fiancé, who’s going to become my husband very soon, and my cat. Kitty is a traveler: he was born in Turkey and came back to France with me. He really hated the flight… So we’re a pretty multi-cultural household!
6. What’s your favorite quote? I never really thought about that… I particularly like the last sentence of a poem by Charles Baudelaire: Mais l’implacable Vénus regarde au loin je ne sais quoi avec ses yeux de marbre. (But the merciless Venus stares at something in the distance with her marble eyes).
7. What’s your favorite color? I really like purple!
8. What’s in your makeup bag? The bag I carry around? Well, there are blotting papers, and about 5 different lipglosses and tinted lipbalms. I’m a lippie addict, but I don’t really do touchups for the rest of my makeup during the day. Too lazy!

Q&A with Mehak

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? I am from New Delhi, India. If I had to list 5 things I love about Delhi it would be – the street food, the cold wintery weather in December, the people, the shopping haunts, and how the city looks like when it rains. I think it’s a city which combines a lot of heritage, and modernity together and that’s what makes it special!
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? Until about five years ago, there were hardly any international beauty brands in India. Watching my mom use local brands made me want to experiment with them.
3. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? My five favorite local brands in beauty/skincare are: Colorbar, Lakme, Forest Essentials, Lotus Herbals, and Elle 18.
4. What can we find you doing in your free time? When I am not blogging, I am painting, dancing, shopping, or spending time with people I love. That includes my family, my fiancé, and my friends.
5. Who makes up your family? Any pets? Oh yes!! I have one real brother who is younger to me, but I live in a joint family – so all the cousins stay in one house. It is super fun, super crazy and I like to call ourselves the Big Fat Punjabi Family. I am a bride to be however, so the family dynamics are going to change in the coming year! I have a black lab called Buzo. He is overfed, and over – pampered and in his head, he thinks he is a featherweight butterfly so he goes jumping and prancing around on people. Not too many people take kindly to that!
6. What’s your favorite quote? Favorite Non Beauty Quote: “Success is getting what you want. Happiness wants what you get.” – Dale Carnegie. Favorite Beauty Quote “It’s best to Look Natural. But it takes makeup to look natural.” — Coco Chanel.
7. What’s your favorite color? Turquoise, Coral, Purple. I like bright, feminine colors!
8. What’s in your makeup bag? Ponds Tinted Moisturizer, Colorbar I-Glide Eye Pencils, Lakme Eye Kohl , Clinique Quickliner for Eyes, Mac Peaches & Springsheen Blushes, Mac Lipsticks in Cosmo & Mocha, Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara, Himalaya Lip Butter, Chambor Glitzy Glosses, Nyx Glow, Tea Rose Cream Blushes, Neutrogena Light Night Cream, L’Oreal Gel Liner.

Q&A with Melanie

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? I’m from Sorocaba, Brazil. I’ve lived in lots of different cities, though, because of my dad’s job. Well, I love Brazil for 3 things specially: nature, we have wonderful places, animals, plants… It’s also a huge country with so much to see and experience; people, Brazilians are known for being happy and welcoming, and I’m proud of that; and future, though we’ve come a long way, our country has so much to achieve and we’re working on getting there. I look forward to contributing to that.
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? When I was first interested in makeup and they were the ones I could reach more easily. Even now, I like to prioritize Brazilian brands cause I feel we have great products that are quite underrated.
3. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? My first make up collection was from Contém 1g, so I’m kind of emotionally attached to them. I also like Natura, o Boticário, Mahogany, Duda Molinos.
4. What can we find you doing in your free time? I loooove to read. I’m that kind that ALWAYS have a book near me for when boredom strikes. I also love to play videogames. Dancing and writing are awesome too. When I’m out with my friends, I like “cultural” events, like theater, movies, exhibitions, concerts… I’m not much of a party person!
5. Who makes up your family? Any pets? My family is composed by my parents and one little sister, Mayla, who is 15. I also like to consider 3 of my cousins as my sisters, cause we’re so close. I have 4 pets and I love them very much! 3 dogs (2 old ladies, Judy and Luvinha – who have been with me since I was 10 – and an hyperactive boy named Dudu) and a turtle, named Touché (original, huh?).
6. What’s your favorite quote? “Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” — Maya Angelou
7. What’s your favorite color? White! It’s so classy and natural at the same time.
8. What’s in your makeup bag? My favorites of all makeup basics (foundation, blush, mascara…), eyeshadow duos (easier to create with), lipbalm and hand cream.

Q&A with Polly

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? I’m from England, and have spent my whole life here! Some things I love about England are my friends and family, the pretty countryside, shopping in London, afternoon tea and yummy English breakfasts! The downside, it has to be said, is the weather!!
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? I love English brands because they are the ones which made me fall in love with make up! My first ever make up purchase was a Natural Collection mascara, and I will always remember discovering Barry M’s dazzle dusts when I was 16 – that was when my make up obsession began.
3. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? Some English brands that I love are Barry M, Illamasqua, MeMeMe, 17 and Soap & Glory.
4. What can we find you doing in your free time? When I’m not looking for more make up to spend my money on, I enjoy studying Japanese, reading, and spending time with my friends and family.
5. Who makes up your family? Any pets? I have two younger sisters, and 20 cousins! I love having such a big extended family and am always so excited about our next gathering! I have a black miniature poodle called Oboe, who I love to pieces!
6. What’s your favorite quote? Don’t forget to smile!
7. What’s your favorite color? Pink!
8. What’s in your makeup bag? Unfortunately, the days in which all of my make up would fit into my make up bag are long gone, so I try to keep my everyday essentials in there. I have a weakness for pretty powders, lipsticks and loose eyeshadows – despite the fact that I find pressed ones so much easier to use! Oh, and cute packaging gets me every time.

Q&A with Rae

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? Canada. Alberta, to be more specific. Born and raised! I’m hugely appreciative of (and, okay, a little bit in love with) our healthcare system – no, I’m not kidding, – and you can’t beat a prairie sky. So maybe we don’t get any sunsets over the ocean, but we do get some ridiculously gorgeous clouds and colours. It almost makes up for all the bad weather!
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? It just kind of… happened. All of the local products I’ve fallen in love with – it’s never been because they’re local; it’s always just been because they’re amazing. The local part is simply the cherry on top!
3. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? It’s a pretty big assortment of products – a lot of Marcelle, a bit of Annabelle, some brushes from Quo, and one or two products from LiveClean and Green Beaver. But Annabelle and Marcelle are definitely the two “big ones” that I can’t live without!
4. What can we find you doing in your free time? Who said anything about actually having free time? 😛
5. Who makes up your family? Any pets? Yes to the family (the regular parental units, one sister, and a grandmother about twenty minutes away), but no to the pets!
6. What’s your favorite quote? I’m sort of terrible at picking favourites, and quotes even moreso. I believe I went with «Vivre et créer. Jusqu’aux larmes,» for my yearbook quote, ages ago – does that count? (Albert Camus; live and create. To the point of tears.)
7. What’s your favorite color? Again, not so great with the favourites thing. I’m really into neutrals – beige, blush, champagne, taupe. Really bright whites. Grey.
8. What’s in your makeup bag? It changes on a daily basis! Right now, I have a tube of Hard Candy Glamoflauge concealer, three lip products (Marcelle Rouge Xpression in Paris Rose, Clinique Chubby Stick in Super Strawberry, and Annabelle VolumeLip in Coralicious), a travel tube of Vaseline, and a little jar of German Nivea.

Q&A with Ria

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? I’m originally from the East Coast of the US, but I’ve been exiled in the northern region of Europe for a long time – Finland to be exact!
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? I’ve been a beauty buff for many years. When I started following different beauty blogs and forums, it dawned on me that many of the cult brands people love and talk about aren’t sold in my country! I started branching out and found my own personal favorites from the local brands offered in my region.
3. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? I love Scandinavian brands Make Up Store, Gosh and Isadora as well as European brands like Illamasqua and Essence.
4. What can we find you doing in your free time? A lot of my free time is taken up by work and school, but I always find time to surf the internet or indulge in my ultimate guilty pleasure — reality TV!
5. What’s your favorite quote? I don’t have one, but I love to quote movies!
6. What’s your favorite color? Turquoise.
7. What’s in your makeup bag? Colgate tooth paste, Illamasqua cream blush in Rude, Essence lip gloss in Pink Candy,
   Make Up Store Eye Pencil in Black, Lumene Anti-puffiness Roll-on Eye Serum and a couple of Mac brushes. I tend to carry a lot of lip products in general!.

Q&A with Samantha

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? I’m born and raised in Hong Kong, a very densely populated area. My favourite thing about the city is that everyone walks like they’re in a hurry. Although the shoving and nudging on the streets can get irritating sometimes, I’m a naturally fast walker so the city’s fast pace suits me quite well.
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? My passion for local beauty products began when I discovered the online beauty community and realised that such a wide array of Asian brands was accessible to me. It was then that I began to explore the choices I had and to take advantage of what was right in front of me.
3. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? Lioele, Majolica Majorca, Canmake, KATE and Dollywink.
4. What can we find you doing in your free time? I try to find the fun in whatever I’m doing, but I particularly enjoy craft projects, photography, playing the guitar and, above all, spending time with my family and friends.
5. Who makes up your family? I’m a single child and live with my mom, dad, uncle and grandma. I am so grateful for having such a supportive and loving family. I’m also lucky enough to have an amazing boyfriend, even though he is 8,000 miles away for a good part of the year.
6. What’s your favorite quote? People close to me know that I live by many quotes so here are some of my favourites: “Do what you want and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” “Don’t worry about the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn’t happen, you have worried in vain. And if it does happen, you have worried twice.” “Love doesn’t mean inseparable, it means being separated and nothing changes.”
7. What’s your favorite color? My favourite colour really depends on my mood. I like bright colours like orange and lime green but I’d say blue, or navy more specifically, is a colour that I never have a problem with. Now that I think about it, pink and purple are pretty colours too… Okay, my answer is: I pretty much like all colours!
8. What’s in your makeup bag? A handful of products that are easy to use for when I’m on the go or need to touch up. The contents of my make up bag stay the the same for the most part, with a couple of items that get swapped in and out. Things that I make sure are always in my makeup bag are a concealer, an eyeliner and some sort of lip and cheek product.

Q&A with Sheila

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? I grew up in Vancouver, Canada but I am from China. Growing up in Vancouver has made me appreciate the multicultural world that we live in; this includes the Asian influence even in the beauty products that get imported into Canada. The products I use very much reflect my multicultural upbringing. I love to use a mix of Western and Asian brands both in my skincare regime and in makeup.
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? My passion for local, non-mainstream products when I became more aware of the ingredients put into mass-market beauty products. After I started carefully reading the ingredients lists of the products I was using, I realized I wanted my products to be less chemical and more natural. Thus I started my search for products that avoided the ingredients on my “blacklist” and it led me to mostly non-mainstream brands.
3. What can we find you doing in your free time? I enjoy blogging and watching police dramas in my spare time. I love a night filled with new eyeshadow palettes with a side of Criminal Minds. I am also trying to practice my photography skills by taking photos when I can, and reading Wikipedia to fill my mind with new and interesting things.
4. Who makes up your family? Any pets? I am living with my family with a younger brother. I do not have any pets, but I would love to own a dog or a cat. I just can’t decide if I love dogs or cats more.
5. What’s your favorite quote? My favourite quote is, “those who fail to remember the past is destined to repeat it.”
6. What’s your favorite color? My favourite colour is PINK, which matches perfectly with the theme of Temptalia.
7. What’s in your makeup bag? My makeup bag is almost non-existent. I usually keep a mirror, oil blotting paper (I love Clean & Clear Pink Grapefruit scented Oil Control Film!), lip balm, and a lipstick for touch-up.

Q&A with Tamara

1. Where are you from? What do you love about your locale? I’m from Hamilton, Ontario which is about an hour west of Toronto. I love it for all the green space, the numerous waterfalls, the relatively low key vibe and all of the revitalization of the smaller shopping districts. Not to mention the fact that it’s just as easy (and quick) to get to Toronto as it is to get to Niagara Falls and cross-border shopping!
2. Where did your passion for local beauty products come from? It started in a round-about kind of way. With the many blogs and YouTube channels that focus on beauty products, I found myself often wanting for brands that weren’t available in Canada. It’s a unique kind of frustration to see something that looks amazing, only to have it unavailable to you. However, once I started looking into what was available; I realized just how many Canadian beauty gems are out there.
3. What are five local brands/products that you can’t live without? Annabelle: This brand has been around a long time, but their recent revamp has made them the edgy, cool kid of the drugstore makeup aisle. In particular, the Smoothie Eye Shadow Pencils are my new favourite eye shadow base. Lise Watier: I don’t have a ton of experience with the brand, but their mineral eyeshadow in Folie Douce is the perfect subtle highlight on face & eyes for darker skin. MAC: What can really be said? It’s an ionic brand and had a heavy influence in terms of inspiration and vast product options. I adore their blushes, lipsticks, pigments and pressed shadows. The lipsticks in particular (and a few helpful MAC Arists) were instrumental in changing my perception of wearable lip colour. Marcelle: A sister brand to Annabelle, this is the classic and polished older sister. I’ve had nothing but good experiences with their skincare; in particular the Hydra-C line. It’s reassuring to know that even sensitive skin can find excellent skincare options at the drugstore. QUO: This is the in-house brand of the Canadian drugstore; Shoppers Drug Mart. My very first proper makeup brushes came from QUO and I still have them after all these years. Great quality at a reasonable price and they frequently go on sale too.
4. What can we find you doing in your free time? When I’m not in beauty geek mode; you can find me catching up with the natural hair community, indulging in some PC gaming, curled up with a book, shopping with my girlfriends or exploring the lounge scene in Toronto.
5. What’s your favorite quote? “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” — Paulo Coelho
6. What’s your favorite color? Grey.
7. What’s in your makeup bag? A mirror, powder foundation, cheek colour, blot film, lip balm, lip gloss, lipstick, lip liner, eye liner, eye shadow trio, eye shadow base, mascara, a travel brushes.