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Beauty

New in June #8

18. 7. 2016

Although I’ve been in Belgium for a week now and already purchased quite a few interesting beauty-related goodies, I wanted to show you what I got in June first. Some of you may know that I celebrated my 25th birthday last month and on that occasion, I also got some beauty products from my family and friends. Let me just say that opening birthday presents is much more fun when your loved ones know what you like, ha! As I have tried out quite many of them already, I’ll give you quick first impressions as well.

Let’s go to body care products first. I finally got the Afrodita Cosmetics Body Scrub I wanted to try out so badly! I usually do my own sugar scrubs, but it was so nice to receive this luxurious scrub with a wonderful vanilla scent. I also finally saw what a real sugar scrub looks like, it is much more liquidy than the ones I’ve been making by myself, which also makes it easier to apply. In addition to that, it leaves such a nice feeling on the skin and a lovely vanilla scent as well.

The other body-related product I got is the Alverde Dusch-Peeling. This is actually a very nice shower gel with really gentle scrub particles, which is not too much even if I use the Afrodita body scrub before. It has a light magnolia scent and a creamy texture. I love it!

As for facial care, I got two pretty nice products. The first is the Alverde Cleansing Face Foam Beauty&Fruity with lime and apple suitable for normal and combination skin type. It gently cleanses my face and I’ve been using it both in the morning and before bed. I also got the Corine de Farme Refreshing Orange Blossom Mist. Let me just say this is one of the most addictive scents I’ve tried lately. There is not just orange blossom in there, it feels like they managed to capture both spring and summer in one bottle, it’s divine! I had it on my desk all the time, just to take a sniff or two every time I saw it. You just spray your face it a few times and it already feels much more fresh. However, I haven’t tried it as a makeup fixator yet, I’ll do that in August when I come back.

I also got myself two sunscreens from the Müller brand Lavozon, skin protection is important even if you’re visiting northern parts of Europe! The one in the back is the mattifying face serum with SPF 30 and the other one is a normal body sunscreen with SPF 20. They both have a nice scent and the serum is also light enough to be used under makeup. Also, they’re so tiny, you can easily store them in your bag.

I am a huge lover of dry shampoos and also a Batiste supporter up until recently. Up until recently, I said, with a reason! My sister introduced me to the Balea Dry Shampoo for dark hair and I can honestly say it does practically the same job as the one from Batiste. I’m saying that because I’ve tried a few white Balea dry shampoos and they always disappointed me with inefficient textures and white residue on my hair. This did not happen with this one, so I’ll probably be using it all the time from now on. Plus, it only costs half the price of Batiste shampoos!

Next I got a beautiful Catrice Softly Touch Shadow in a beautiful shade called Melt Down Brown. Unfortunately, it’s from the Limited Edition Net Works, so I don’t know if it’s still available in drugstores. Nevertheless, its champagne touch and tiny silver glitter don’t make it perfect just for the eyes, but also for your cheeks! It works great as a highlighter, especially because of its creamy texture. Love love!

Because of travelling, I decided to take face wipes with me as well. I went for the Balea micellar face wipes. They actually remove makeup efficiently without any residue on the skin. I’m impressed!

Last but not least, I got three new nail polishes in June. The first one is the Models Own nail polish in shade Coral Reef. I already have the base- and top-coats from the same brand, and since a lot of Slovene bloggers love them, I expected a lot. Well, I haven’t been more disappointed about a nail polish in ages, to be honest. It not only chipped off in a matter of hours, it literally peeled off my nails without a good reason. I can easily say I won’t try any of their products, it will save me a lot of time and money, too.

On the contrary, the other two polishes are amazing! The first one from Rimmel London is a gorgeous shade Neon Fest from the Rita Ora collection. I love all polishes from Rimmel London and I love pink nails. A combination that cannot go wrong! The second one is also in a pink shade, as I said, you cannot go wrong with pink polish for me! It is the Depend GelLack in a pastel pink shade Cookie Dough, isn’t it adorable? I already dedicated a whole post to this little cutie, you can read it here.

♥

I already got myself quite a few new makeup and skincare products in the last week, let me just give you a hint: I felt very generous in The Body Shop and Kiko Milano stores! I’ll let you know more about my recent purchases soon!

Take care,
Vesna

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Beauty

Depend GelLack Cookie Dough

5. 7. 2016

Just when I thought there is no more perfect nail polish than Essie’s Fiji, my friends proved me wrong! This pastel little gem by Depend was part of their birthday gift and they couldn’t choose a more perfect shade – it’s called Cookie Dough, how adorable is that!

I applied it the same way as usual, one coat of the eBrand base coat on top of non-acid primer, then two coats of the Cookie Dough nail polish and one coat of top coat at the end. The nail polish is completely opaque, but I still apply it twice just to make it more long-lasting. Of course I will use Fiji again, but right now I’m perfectly happy with wearing pastel pink nails without the need to apply them twice a week!

♥

Beauty

Ghee-based MIRATI Cosmetics

30. 6. 2016

I’m a huge fan of testing skincare products, especially when they come from companies I don’t know much about yet. I was so delighted when the MIRATI Cosmetics contacted me to participate in their Instagram competition with one of their products of my choice. As my search for a good and effective night cream is still in progress, their Night Cream was the right choice to make.

Mirati skincare is based on organic ghee, in other words clarified butter, which is known for a number of beneficial properties. Antioxidants, for example, slow down the ageing of skin cells, thus improving elasticity and diminishing wrinkles. In addition to ghee, this night cream contains shea butter, aloe vera, vitamin E and honeysuckle essential oil to moisturize, sooth and nourish the skin as much as possible. This Slovenia-based skincare is also free from parabens, phthalates, sodium laureth sulfate and synthetic fragrances as well as against animal testing, which is always worth supporting.

It is probably obvious that this cream is the most beneficial for those with dry skin, but it nevertheless works great for me. It has an amazing scent and I often find myself opening it up to smell it throughout the day as well! I used it every single night for almost two months now and I was very happy with the result. My skin absorbed the cream quickly and its strong but lovely scent diminished in a few minutes completely before going to bed. Luckily, the cream did not cause any break outs. I was quite nervous about that and can honestly say that applying butter to my face was never on my priority list, but it feels completely fine. As the temperature is high at the moment, I don’t go for it every single day, but when I do use it, I apply a very thin layer and that’s enough – very little goes a long way.

Their Body Wash is currently on sale and the shipping is free for Slovenia and Europe! It is worth mentioning that 10% of every purchase go to the charity of your choice.

I would like to thank to the Mirati Cosmetics team for the opportunity to participate in their competition and trying out one of their products, I had a great time testing it out!

♥

*My maltese Laq kindly helped me take the Instagram picture, he was posing so patiently I had to award him at the end! :)

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Beauty

Water lilies in the comfort of your home ♥

29. 5. 2016

We are all aware how dangerous some of the ingredients in deodorants can be, so I’m all about making healthy choices when I have to buy a new one. I’m not a newbie when it comes to CD deodorants as I have tried them a few times over the past few years even before I received this lovely water lily-scented set with two deodorants and a shower gel.

Water lilies have always been highly appreciated in ancient civilizations throughout the world. In Hinduism and Buddhism, for example, water lilies symbolize universality and resurrection as their blossoms close at night and open with the first sun rays. According to the Greek mythology, they embody feminine spirits that inhabited water bodies like wells and springs. It is thus not surprising that this beautiful flower still plays a somewhat spiritual and mysterious role in our society.

I have never smelled a water lily blossom before, to be honest, but these products make me want to try to the next time I’m at the lake! The scent is literally nothing I have ever experienced or expected, I even thought I would be disappointed before trying them out. It is so fresh but not too sweet, and yet it reminds me of summer. The most important characteristic of the CD deodorants is that they are free from aluminium salts, mineral oils, silicones, parabenes, colouring and contain no ingredients derived from animals.

You might have some doubts about their efficiency, I am sure of that. They obviously cannot be as effective as antiperspirants, but try to give them a chance. I have some experience with organic deodorants, which are quite disappointing when I have stressful days. These ones, however, are much more effective and I don’t even feel the need to use one of the old ones I still have in my cabinet.

As for the shower gel, there’s nothing you don’t already know about them – I’m obsessed with shower gels and this one is another fine addition to my shower gel collection. The scent is not exactly the same as the one from the deodorants, but it still very fresh and appropriate for summer and complements the deodorant in a very nice way!

And you, have you tried any of the CD products yet? I love these deodorants so far and I believe I will go for a few other scents when I finish these two!

♥

Beauty

eBRAND and ANEMA Kozmetika – testing, testing, 1, 2, 3!

26. 3. 2016

Med vsakim obiskom v kozmetičnem salonu sem si vedno želela, da bi si takšno pomirjujoče vzdušje, kjer tudi depilacija ni kaj preveč boleča, ustvarila tudi doma. Dišeče svečke in eterična olja žal niso dovolj, saj za enako dober rezultat potrebujemo tudi primerne pripomočke – nekaj, kar v navadni drogeriji žal težko dobimo. Lahko si predstavljate moje navdušenje, ko sem pred dobrim mesecem od podjetja ANEMA Kozmetika na dom prejela paketek s kar nekaj izdelki italijanske znamke eBrand. Primerni so predvsem za kozmetične salone, kot vidite, pa jih lahko uporabljamo tudi manj profesionalne uporabnice!

V paketu sta bila dva polna kompleta za depilacijo nog in nanašanje trajnega laka za nohte, prejela pa sem tudi podrobna navodila za uporabo.

Tako sem dobila vosek (v prisrčnem roza odtenku!), sterilne lopatke za nanašanje voska, trakove za depilacijo in vlažilno kremo za po depilaciji. Ker grelca za vosek nimam, sem posodico segrela v vodni kopeli. Uporaba grelca je verjetno boljša, saj je zaradi enakomernega gretja temperatura voska ves čas enaka. Meni pa se je zato proti koncu depilacije malo shladil, vendar sem jo lahko normalno dokončala.

Izdelek se ne more primerjati z depilacijskimi trakovi ali podobnimi voski, ki jih lahko kupimo v drogerijah. Lopatko enostavno pomočimo v vosek in ga enakomerno nanesemo na kožo. Že s prvim potegom so bile odstranjene prav vse dlačice, bolelo pa me je manj kot pri običajnih trakovih ali epilatorju (verjetno zato, ker resnično odstrani popolnoma vse). Za uporabo salonskega voska torej ne potrebujemo dragih naprav, temveč samo vodno kopel in nekaj osnovnih pripomočkov. Po uporabi sem nanesla še vlažilno kremo, ki je razdraženo kožo pomirila in ji vrnila vlago.

Za nanos permanentnega laka pa sem prejela brezkislinski primer, podlak, nadlak in črn lak za nohte Rebel, dve pilici (eno za predpripravo nohta na postopek, drugo za lažje odstranjevanje), tri palčke za obnohtno kožico, celulozne blazinice za nanos odstranjevalca ter dve 250ml embalaži odstranjevalca. Svojo UV-lučko sem kupila lani, tako da imam s permanentnimi laki že nekaj izkušenj.

Sama sem si izbrala črnega, ker že nekaj časa zaman iščem dober črn lak za nohte. Pri postopku sem sledila navodilom za uporabo, še pred nanosom podlaka pa sem nanesla brezkislinski primer, ki ga prej nisem uporabljala. Deloval naj bi kot neke vrste lepilo med nohtom in podlakom in tako podaljšal obstojnost. Dve plasti črnega laka sta bili dovolj za popolno prekrivnost. Končni izgled nohtov je popoln, saj imajo tisti pravi glossy effect, ki ga je pohvalil celo moj fant!

Glede obstojnosti lahko iskreno povem, da so obstojnejši kot laki Depend (in so samo nekaj evrov dražji), vendar morate vedeti, da imam izredno slabe nohte in o tem sem govorila tudi z zaposleno z Anema Kozmetike. Lak bi moral biti obstojen vsaj 20 dni, pri meni pa je že en teden veliko, saj se mi po nekaj dneh vedno odkruši kakšen del laka s konic nohtov – verjetno zato, ker se mi nohti plastijo skoraj do tretjine. Na tem področju imam torej še nekaj dela, ampak danes imam lak nanešen že 9. dan in popravila sem samo en odkrušen delček na palcu. Verjetno bo zdržal še nekaj dni! Odstranjevanje je enako kot pri drugih trajnih lakih, celulozno blazinico enostavno pomočimo v odstranjevalec in z alu-folijo zavijemo okrog nohtka. Po desetih minutah z leseno palčko lak odstranimo, sama pa nato nohte najraje namažem s kokosovim oljem. Takšni so torej nohti po devetih dneh:

Iskreno povedano nisem pričakovala tako dobrih rezultatov. Resnično se vidi, da so izdelki namenjeni profesionalni uporabi, in dejstvo, da lahko do njih dostopamo prav vse, se mi zdi resnično imenitno. Tega depilacijskega voska verjetno ne bom še ponovno kupila, saj me bolj zanimajo voski v diskih, za katere ne potrebujemo nobenih trakov in so primerni tudi za depilacijo po drugih delih telesa. Zagotovo pa si bom še enkrat ogledala ostale odtenke lakov za nohte, saj so glede na kakovost v primerjavi z ostalimi trajnimi laki res cenovno ugodni (15 ml stane 9,67 EUR).

Vse izdelke lahko najdete na spletni strani http://www.ebrandestetika.si/, naročanje pa je mogoče tako prek spleta kot prek telefona. ANEMA Kozmetiki se še enkrat zahvaljujem za sodelovanje, prejela sem več dobrih nasvetov glede svojih težav z nohti, izdelke pa bom z velikim veseljem uporabljala še naprej!

Če vas o eBrand permanentnih lakih zanima več, si lahko preberete tudi Tamarino objavo na blogu Cherry Colors, preizkusila pa je res prikupen permanentni lak v koralnem odtenku Tibet.

♥

Around a month ago a Slovene company Anema Kozmetika kindly sent me a package full of eBrand Cosmetics goodies. Just a few introductory words: eBrand is an Italian-based beauty company that offers a wide range of high-quality beauty products. They are mainly used in beauty salons, but are available for the wider public as well. My package contained two whole sets, one for leg waxing (a pot of wax (I warmed it up in a water bath), wooden spatulas, a package of strips and a hydrating cream) and the other for permanent manicure (non-acid primer, basecoat, topcoat, black permanent nail polish in shade Rebel, cellulose nail pad role and two 250 ml nail polish removers, I already had a UV-light at home).

After a month’s worth testing, I can finally say that these products completely exceeded my expectations. The leg wax literally removed all the hair from my legs and this is why I believe it is much less painful than using ordinary strips or epilator. The hydrating cream I used afterwards calmed the skin down and didn’t cause any redness or irritation. As for the permanent manicure, I really like how the finished nails look like, so glossy and chic! It is supposed to stay on the nails for at least 20 days and I believe this can be achieved for those who have healthy nails in general. Mine are insanely brittle and just one week is a lot in my case. Today is the ninth day with the permanent nail polish on and only one small part chipped off, but that’s all because my nails peel off all the time.

All in all, I really liked the products and I am a living example that these beauty-salon products can be used at home even by those who are not professionals in that area! This was a very brief summary of my Slovene review, if you have any additional questions about any of the products, please do not hesitate to ask!

* Although I received these products for free, all opinions expressed
are my honest opinions based on my personal experience.

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Beauty

Micellar waters everywhere, which one should you choose?

7. 2. 2016

After two years, I can finally say I’m an experienced micellar water user. My initial presumption was that these are completely overrated, but now I admit I was completely wrong. I’ll go through all five micellar waters I’ve tried so far and let you know a bit more about each one of them!

♦ My first micellar water ever is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water All in one. You can never forget your first, they say, and in this case this is absolutely true. This is by far the best micellar water I have tried. It removes all of the makeup quickly and doesn’t leave any residue. In addition, this one never irritated my eyes nor it had any particular taste. The oval packaging prevents the bottle from falling over, which is a big plus. Definitely a wonderful product, a 400 ml bottle costs around €6. I will repurchase it soon!

♦ The L’Oréal Skin Perfection Micellar Water turned out to be less favorite because it doesn’t remove the makeup as thoroughly as the one from Garnier. The job was still done at the end, but I needed to work it out a bit more. What probably irritated me the most with this product is its packaging: it looks so cute in its rectangular bottle, but the fact is that it is insanely clumsy. Or am I, the fact is that I managed to turn it over a few times and almost spilled some water out (practice makes perfect, I always caught it at the end!). It is a few Euros more expensive than the one from Garnier (around €5 for 200 ml).

♦ The Mixa Micellar Water is specifically made for sensitive skin that gets irritated quickly. This is not the case with me so I cannot say it for sure, but it is a great product. For me, this one stands somewhere between the Garnier and L’Oréal micellar waters, so it is a bit less effective as the Garnier one, but still very similar to the L’Oréal. Plus, if it really doesn’t irritate sensitive skin, this one would be a perfect choice for those who suffer from reactive skin. This one is in the same price range, you can purchase it for around €7 (400 ml).

♦ In autumn, one of the Bioderma beauty advisers at the pharmacy gave me a few samples and one of them was also the oh-so-famous Bioderma Micellar Water. This brand is also the one that invented micellar water suitable for sensitive skin in the first place! All beauty lovers swear by this product and I must admit, it is really good, but also quite expensive. A 250 ml water costs around €12 and to be honest, there is nothing too special about it when compared to the Garnier. It removes the makeup just as well without any residue. The only thing that shocked me is its taste!! Removing your lipstick is not as fabulous with this micellar water, I was surprised every single time and started using other products to cleanse my lips in the end.

♦ The last micellar water I’ve tried so far is the Inell Eau Micellaire by E.Leclerc’s brand Marque Repere. This was a completely blind buy as I purchased it just because it costs around €2 and I know E.Leclerc’s products are not that bad at all, regardless of their low price. I was partially right, this cleanser for dry and sensitive skin could just as well be on a par with slightly more expensive products – you have to work it out a bit more and you also need a bigger amount of the product to remove all the makeup (the water somewhat gets lost and has to be reapplied), especially when it comes to mascara. I will use it up, but probably won’t repurchase it again.

The verdict? After closely comparing the five micellar waters, I can say with full confidence that the Garnier’s product is the best to go for. It wins in absolutely every aspect: it removes the makeup in a very efficient way, leaves no residue on your face, doesn’t irritate your eyes and has no taste. However, if you want to invest a bit more money into a more luxurious product, you should definitely go for the Bioderma micellar water, but there is nothing so special about this one that the Garnier wouldn’t provide, plus it has a bitter taste. What I also like is that Bioderma has a smaller travel-sized packaging, which comes in handy when you’re on the go.
As for L’Oréal and Mixa, the two products are good as well and I would love to use them again at one point, but I won’t repurchase them straight away. With Inell’s product, you get what you pay for: a cleanser that does remove the makeup, but is much harder to work with.

To conclude, micellar waters are much more efficient at removing your makeup than any other product, so if you haven’t decided to try them yet, give them a go and I’m sure you’ll get to love them just as I did!

♥

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Beauty

January Favorites ◊ 2016

1. 2. 2016

It’s time for monthly favorites again! Some of these could easily be part of a new-in post, but I haven’t had time to do one so I’ll just mention those that were used the most in the past few weeks here. I’m a huge fan of Real Techniques brushes and you can imagine that I’m obsessed with my new Expert Face Brush. I’m using this one for applying foundation now and it is much better than the stippling brush I used before. The foundation looks so natural – it’s easier to achieve an even finish and there are no lines left as they sometimes were with the previous brush. Next is the Lush hand and body lotion Sympathy for the Skin, one of the best multi-purpose lotions yet. I wrote an extended post about some of my recent Lush buys here and dedicated a huge part to this little gem at the end. As far as I know, it is not available at their store at the moment, but you can still get it on their website – this is definitely a treat every Lush&vanilla lover should get!

Another perfect beauty product is the Natura Siberica Energizing Facial Mask that my best friend actually got me for Christmas, she knows me (and my obsession for face masks) so well! Siberian Pine oil soothes and moisturizes the skin, Siberian Ginseng is meant to awaken and revitalize it, whereas Artic Ashberry gives a fresh and healthy glow. This product is a real life-saver in these cold months that make my skin incredibly dry.

I finally found myself a new organic foundation that actually provides some coverage! This is the Bottega Verde Skin Voile, Moisturizing Foundation that I bought just at the end of the year. I’ve been meaning to write a whole post about it – for now let’s just say that this is the best natural ingredients-based foundation that creates a matte finish and lasts for the whole day (plus I got so many compliments since starting to wear it that I just can’t even!).
Lippy-wise, I got my first Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick and it’s amazing! The shade is 470 Red Revolution, a perfect red that evolves in a hot pink after some time (and is not as bright as in the picture). Its wear-time is amazing and I’ll definitely buy some more, to say the least. Staying in the lip department, winter means chapped lips and this Figs & Rouge Pomegranate lip balm has been saving my lips (and my nose!) throughout my most-recent cold. And its pot is just gorgeous, what can I say!

I love my organic deodorants, but one cannot fully rely on them in stressful situations. I’m so happy that I found a more effective alternative – the 8×4 mild&soft deodorant with musk, rose and iris does the job pretty well. I know this is far from perfect, but just the fact that it doesn’t contain any aluminium compounds makes me a happy camper!

♥

A little update: The past few months were quite difficult for me, I was under a lot of stress because of my studies and I fell sick probably for the fourth time since October, so you can imagine how frustrated I am at the moment. I haven’t got rid of my sore throat – turned sinus infection – turned trachea infection (+ I sounded like a Terminator and then I sounded.. NOT) – turned general cold that will hopefully be the last stage of my 2-week immune system crash (hence a lack of posts). I’m doing my best at drinking lots of water and tea with honey as well as consuming every superfood that could boost my immune system naturally. I have lots of plans in the following weeks so I have to stay focused – and healthy!

I nevertheless hope you’re having a great time and are enjoying this beautiful spring weather! ♥

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* Although I received these products for free, all opinions expressed are my honest opinions based on my personal experience.

* Although I received these products for free, all opinions expressed
are my honest opinions based on my personal experience.