Back to blog! :-p

Hey everyone that reads my bloggy! I am still alive!! LOL In case anyone was wondering... I took a break cuz I made some changes in my life and schedule so I can be able to take better care of my baby and work too, I am now trying to fit in at least one hour for myself every day to take care of my blog too, among otherthings! I am the kind of person that NEEDS to stay organised, otherwise I don't manage to do a big deal of the things that HAVE to be done, but I do a million things that dont REALLY have to be done! I need a secretary! LOL
I will be back with posting, don't worry... in case anyone was worried! Well I for one was, because if I can't have time to do what I like I get depressed easily! And that leads to becoming bitchy! But that will make the topic for a future post when I will tell you what I learned, so far, about what a woman should do to NOT become a bitchy wife/mom/mom in law when she gets older.
Untill then, remember:

HAPPINESS IS A MATTER OF APPROACH!

Keep smiling!
oxoxo
Roxana

PS: Some cuteness for you:

Quote of the day

"Hapiness is a matter of approach". No idea who said that but it sure is true!

Sorry for being M.I.A. lately, but my baby is teething, my hubby is completely wrecked (keeps saying "I am not able to do this, I can't take care of a baby, I was not made for this" even if he only does it for at the most 2-3 hours a day...DOOOH!), my job is killing my brains, so I couldn't find time for myself anymore (blogging is definitely part of the "time for myself"). Buuuut I am gonna do it, I MUST do it! hehe
Oh, and, an advice for all girls: never rely on a man for the harder things in life, always have a plan B. They may want to help, they may do help for a while, but most likely they will let you down when you most need them and when you left the guard down and started to think they are actually able to cope! LOL NO offense to the guys, but they do have limits :-p Of course, there are always the exceptions to the rule, that actually confirm the rule :-p
Another quote of the day: "the woman that doesn't expect anything from a man will never be disappointed". No, I am not femminist, I like being a lady, but I am just realistic :)

Keep smiling!
oxoxo
Roxana

My Brogue-like booties and Face of the Day!

Today I was sittin in the car waiting for hubby to do some shoppings, because Mathias was alseep in his baby seat, so we decided to let him sleep and me to stay there, instead of carrying him out... and I was bored so I took some pics! Shhhht don't tell hubby that my feet were actually there! haha He is crazy about his car! Like all guys!

I just love these booties! I got them from Deichmann like 2 weeks ago, and they are soooo comfy and cool! I remember years ago, not even knowing what brogues are or what brogue booties are, lol, I was looking for booties with lace, and I remember I was having a hard time finding any! Was many years ago actually. I got these at a great price too, I think they were around 20 euros? I don't remember exactly but I will eventually upload my Haul video to YouTube, where I am talking about these and some handbags that I've got the same day, and there I say the prices too. I need to kick my own ass and upload the videos sooner, not a year after I film them (2 weeks are as long as year these days, with everything changing so fast)! Damn editing software! Takes so much of the time that I don't have!
And now that you've seen the best part, I ama show you my face too:

I am wearing my beloved BB cream, both shades combined, black Maybelline eyeliner, pink Maybelline Lipstick (I actually already have a tutorial for this look uploaded, you can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXwdfVQ7Y2E)
I am wearin my hair in a bun, perl earrings from Mallorca, my Swatch gold watch, Meredith Frederick gold caviar bracelet, C&A scarf, jeans from Zara (visible in the booties pics above) and the sweater is from a small peruvian manufacture store, and I love it!
That's all for today... crazy crazy CRAZY week here, I could never believe how much energy can a 5 months old have! Me and his daddy are SPENT!!

Keep smiling!
oxox
Roxana

Garnier BB Cream review!

Allright, I know that by now every beauty blogger and their grandma AND cat, already wrote a review on the new (not even that new anymore) Garnier BB Cream, but I promised one too and I will do as I promised. It took a bit long because I wanted to test it properly before I talk about it, besides, as you know, I don't really find time at this moment in my life (5 month old baby boy!).
So:

 These are my 2 tubes of BB cream! I got both shades because I happen to be inbetween them, complexion color-wise, so, as I was not sure if I wanna look too pale or too dark (lol), I bought them both and I am mixing them before application. Especially because in winter time I am using a fake tan spray, that means my color varies alot function of how the tan fades, and with this method I can be sure I am always looking natural, not like a mask, as I can make the color more pale or more dark.

 

I just mix them in my hand, I know maybe I should be using a plastic palette and a brush, but I am always in a hurry and lazy so I rather do it like this, even if at times I feel I am using up too much product cuz it gets spread on my palm. Anyways!  I have been using this for a month now, and even if my skin is prone to blackheads and breakouts, I did not have any problem with this! And the finish is fab, doesn't look like I have much, if anything at all on my face, which is what I really have been searching for, for a long time! Something that will make my face look fresh, unified and matte without being annoying like the foundation (that causes patches on my face where it wears out faster during the day, like for example on my chin because I'm touching it more), or powder (that looks cakey and gathers in the fine lines, most of the times). This is just perfect, the pigments are good and it just sinks into the skin when applied, looks dewy for a few minutes but then becomes matte and perfect, I personally don't even find the need to powder it at all, I just press a tissue on my face to absorb the excess moisture and that's it! I used to wear the Chanel Mat Lumiere foundation and to think that I depended on it if I wanted to have a luminous matte face all day long, but this bb cream proved me wrong! I don't need to spend that much anymore!! Of course, Chanel foundation is fab, but for day to day I definitely can replace it with Garnier BB Cream, with 95% same result! And more natural looking! Now that's what I call a GOOD DEAL!!
Here is a few pics of how my face looks before and after using it, but I have to warn you that it's my face with no makeup, and with messy hair, first thing in the morning. That means SCARY. Allright, you have been warned.

yeah I know I am wearing a different robe but that's because between the moment that I took the first pic.. while I was getting ready to put on the cream, my son decided to start screaming straight from his sleep so I had to run and feed him, and as usual he ate too much and spitted out some milk... on me. Oh well. It's the very same day, only like 40 mins later, I assure you! :))
Here's a closeup:

I think it's pretty awesome, for someone that doesn't have really bad skin problems. I used to have, but, after pregnancy, my skin got so much better, thank God. I still have breakouts from time to time but very small, some blackheads if I am not being careful, and some marks from the past pimple "battles" that I had to take...
Now, I find that this could be a bit more moisturizing, as it promises "24 hours hydrating care". Well, taking into account the hormonal changes that I've been through and still am, maybe my skin needs more hydration than most skin types do, now, I don't know. So for the dry skin types... you may wanna use a moisturizer before this.
Otherwise I think it's awesome, looks soooo so so natural it's impressive, is lightweight, gets into the skin so fast when applied (actually you have to work very fast to apply it evenly or you'll have to add more as it sinks right into the skin). The colors are both very nice and if you do like I do, mix them both, you will definitely be able to get your perfect shade. The price is great as well, I payed 9 euros-something for a tube, which is very worth it, in my oppinion, for being a great quality product.
It looks just as great till late in the evening, I don't even have to blot my face, maybe once if I work out,stay in a hot place, or take a nap, but I remember that with the Chanel Mat Lumiere foundation, I had to have the blotting paper or paper tissues handy at all times! And this was still better than most foundations or tinted moisturizers that I tried before, from this p.o.v. Also, I love the fact that it's incredible lightweight! After all, is just a cream, not a foundation. I love how it feels! They say it also has SPF, which is also a good thing! I can never apply spf before foundation or before other skincare, no matter what brand I use, always loks horrible on me and gives me breakouts or univen finish or a weird hue or who knows...
Bottom line, I LOVE this BB cream! I went and bought 2 more! And I will make sure I always have some in my bathroom cabinets!! It definitely won its place in my skincare and makeup routine, I just hope it stays on the market!
Hope this helped some of you, my dears!
Keep smiling!
oxoxox
Roxana

New YT Video! How to use makeup to make yourself look younger!

Finally I managed to upload this video! Whew! Took me all day to edit it! That because I was interrupted at least a million times! Babies are not understanding with beauty-related occupations or any kind of other than themselves-related occupations of their moms :(
Anyways, I saw that the videos in which I was talking rather than using background music and Annotations have got more views, so I assume you guys wanna hear my funny English rather than some nice music :) I am flattered :) And happy, because talking in a video and just uploading it with little editing is way easier for me, and like that I will be doing more vids! I wish I had time to edit like a pro like some gurus on YT do.. but oh well, thank God I have what it takes to do it as I do it anyways, because I love doin' it :)
So there you go, this is my "younger looking" makeup face that I have been wearing constantly lately, with small changes at times:

Expand the Info Box underneath the video in the YouTube page, to see the products I used and some more useful infos!
Hope you like it!
Keep smiling! oxoxox
Roxana

Girl Talk! (how to cope with heavy periods - natural remeds)

So this is gonna be a post only for girls. Guys.. don't read! Or...well, if any of you wants to be able to help a girlfriend in need with a good advice... and don't mind TMI on girls issues... you can read too, and you have my respect! :)
After giving birth, my periods started to be very heavy, doc gave me prescription bc pills that didn't do much in these regards, so I asked my mom (lol, thumbs down for docs, thumbs up for moms!) and she advised me to drink Yarrow tea (you can search on wikipedia and switch to your own language to see what the heck I am talkin about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillea_millefolium) and to take Vitamin C along with the Calcium that i was already takin (best is if you have the type that you can drink, you know, like Hot vitamin C drink and soluble calcium tablettes).

That worked as a charm, so I thought I should share it with you here on my blog, maybe someone is in the same situation and needs an advice! I am not sayin you should not see a doctor as well, cuz there might be who knows what problem, but if doc says you are fine, and you still are not, you might as well try this too! Shouldn't do any harm, as it's a plant, after all!
Hope this helps someone!

Keep smiling!
oxoxox
Roxana

OOTD for Fall, Mom and Baby

I really wanted to post today about something more interesting, but as my son did not agree to allow me to do much all day but stay with him, clean after him, rock him, feed him, change and clean him...and the usual stuff a mommy has to do, plus alot more huggin and rockin and singin and all that... I also tried to work..... so I am very tired at this moment and I am not able to use my brain and write a good post, I will just post another OOTD, of me earlier today carrying Mr. Mathias out for a walk. These pics were taken in front of my house, by hubby with his cell phone, so they are not very clear, not the same as the ones taken with the digital camera. But here they are:

As I was sayin in a previous post, this is the time that I can still take OOTD pics, because then the very cold weather will come and I will only wear boring thick jackets, with little exceptions :(( Booo to winter!
So, here I am wearing as follows:

Distressed jeans from Zara
Booties from Deichmann

Striped wool sweater from H&M
Puffer vest with fur trim from Clockhouse - C und A
Leopard print infinity scarf from New Yorker (I think!)

Mathias is all dressed from Zara (of course, the advantages of being a cute baby: mom gets you only cool clothes!)

Kisses! Keep smiling!
oxoxox
Roxana

Quote of the Day

"Prosperity begins with loving yourself" (Louise Hay)

Rexona Maximum Protection deo review

I tried this for a while...actually it's almost over and I guess I will finish it, even if I am not very happy with it. I will use it only the days that I go to the gym. Why am I not very happy? Well, it's TOO strong! I know, I know, it is supposed to be strong and I have been searching for a strong deodorant for quite a while as I am a very active person, I wake up at 5 or 6 AM every day, I move alot and I don't like to have to stop what I am doing and take a shower in the middle of the day (in the lucky eventuality that I am at home at that moment) just because my deodorant decides to leave me.. uncovered! I can't say that I am a heavy sweater but I am a bit obsessed with body odour, I just. can't. stand it! So yeah, I thought this was the answer to my prayers in these regards, untill I realised it was nothing but a pain in the... underarm! It is soooooooooooo strong that it stays there forever! I raised a brow when reading on the label that it was still efficient even after taking a shower.. I was like "What? You get your underarms wet, use soap, and this thing is still there??" And that is true, the thing stays there! But! It doesn't do anything anymore but feels uncomfortable! You can't even apply another! It's like.. you have to practically SCRUB the damn thing off to use it again, otherwise it will start smelling bad because it won't work anymore as it is supposed to! It is true, if you don't take a shower it keeps you protected against odours for quite a while, I guess over 24 hours (it is supposed to be effective for 48 hours!), but I never stay that long without taking a shower, anyways! I hate how it feels when you shower and you try to wash it off and it's so hard, I get that sensation, like trying to wipe the blackboard and hitting my nail on it, if you know what I mean. Does that make sense? My underarm skin feels like some weird sticky rubbery chalky glue! And looks very dry, too! Feels like it just doesn't breathe anymore, feels like all the pores are filled with that chalky stuff!
In my oppinion, this thing is good when you go to the gym, because is really heavy duty, you won't smell at all... but only then! Oh and I noticed that the more you sweat, the easier it comes off when you wash it! That's too graphic I guess but I wanted to inform you correctly! lol

 To make this review more detailed I will describe it a bit more: It smells nice, but I am not good at describing smells, for me it smells floral-clean.. something. It has a creamy consistency even if it comes in a stick-like container and you click like 2 times (turning the little wheel at the bottom) to get enough for an application.

So yeah, that is my experience with this product. See? I don't only post about products I am inlove with! lol This one I will probably not buy again unless I plan a trip to Sahara. What I normally use is Nivea Dry Comfort 24 hours Cream deodorant and it works just fine for me, so I am back to this one.

It is easy to apply, I like the creamy consistency, lasts a long time (not 24 hours but I don't even want that anymore, after the experience with the Rexona one), washes off easily, smells nice and one tube lasts forever, because you only need to use a little bit, if you put on too much is not nice anymore! lol

I really hope I helped someone with this post :)
Keep smiling, my dears!
oxoxox
Roxana

OOTD for Fall season

Sooo, no more warm weather :(( I don't like that because I know what cold weather means.. way less options for dressing up and creating outfits! I mean, how many winter clothes can you have? I have a few jackets and they fill up half of my huge closet! :( Is sad, let alone the fact that winter clothes are more expensive than skimpy summer ones! lol. But we'll get through it, and the summer will eventually be back! In winter time I rather spend my money on makeup and skincare and other things that make me happy, than on clothes, because for me, that I work from home so I don't have to look too good (and different and interesting...well, u know what I mean...) when leaving home for something, dressing up in winter is all about throwing on a pullover (or 2, or 3, cuz I am getting cold so easily! Brrrr) and then a jacket and boots and jeans of course... Only rarely I dress up differently than that, on special occasions, and I usually freeze on those occasions! So, at this time of the year, when there is still some sun left and the temperature is not yet close or below 0C, I still managed to wear a picture-worthy (in my oppinion! lol) outfit, which is this one:

 

Turtleneck sweater: "Clockhouse" C&A
Sweater dress: "Okay!" from KIK - at times you can find real good things there!! It's worth to take a look from time to time
Grey leopard print leggings: Zara
Suede booties with fur: Deichmann (love them! super comfy and cute)
Satchel (beutel) patent leather bag from Pimkie
Puffer vest with fur trim: "Clockhouse" C&A
Sunnies: Ray Ban
My usual gold Swatch watch
... and my few extra kilos that I'm hoping (but not really trying! lol) to get rid off! haha

Hope you liked my outfit! Have a sunny and warm day!
Keep smiling!
oxoxox
Roxana

New YT video! Clothes and accessories Haul!

I finally managed to upload this vid that's been waiting for a while... I have 2 more vids waiting and then I will kick myself in the butt to do more! I would be doing them so much more often if I wouldn't have to edit them...and the makeup look ones need to be edited.. or?? I don't know, most of the gurus edit them...but I am so bad at editing and it's so time consuming, and the only thing that I can't seem to ever be able to make is time!! But, because I love this too much, I will probably give up and just start filming and uploading with only very little and fast editing... I hope not to scare people off, we shall see. It's better to have some videos, with no editing, than no videos at all, I guess! lol
Hope you like my haul! I hope to go shopping again soon :-p

Keep smiling! Keep shopping! (I will write a post about shopping on a budget, which is what I always do, lately, keep an eye on this blog!)

oxoxox
Roxana

Batiste and Frottee Dry Shampoo reviews - how to save water! Be "green"!

I really like this stuff, ever since I discovered it (probably later than most people, lol), I've been lovin to use it! I used to wash my hair every other day but as I have long, fine and very straight hair, it was getting quite dry at the tips because of that, actually dry from half way down to the tips...and if I was using conditioners and oils, even if I was trying to put them in my hair avoiding the roots, they were always somehow making their way up to the roots, making me crazy because I HATE when my hair is stuck on the head and oily looking at the roots! I've been trying tenths of products for "oily roots and dry tips" and guess what? None worked! I really become psycho/mad/crazily annoyed when I have a bad hairday, that, for me, meaning "hair stuck on head at roots". So this was a life saver, this dry shampoo thing! I used to try powder but that was awful cuz the hair looked better but I was scratching my head like crazy because of it! So nope.. no good! Right now I go first day with fresh washed hair, second day it doesn't look as good but I usually put it up in a bun or pony tail, and 3rd day I am using the dry shampoo and it looks the best!! Becomes silky and featherweight and the roots feel and look amazing! I don't know how this works for people with curly hair but on straight hair looks smooth and silky. I just shake the tube very well, part my hair in different ways and spray it into the roots, rub it in a bit with my hands, wait a minute and then, with my head down, I comb my hair well. And that's it!
These are the ones that I am currently using, (I saw a TV commercial for Schauma presenting their new dry shampoo product, but I couldn't find it in the drugstores yet):

 

The "Batiste" is a new product for me, I only saw it in store (in Real, more exactly) for the first time last month, bought it and loved it! Probably the UK people know it better (It's written "UK's No. 1" on it, so it must be well known there) but here in Germany I think it's new. It comes in 3 scents, I will try them all out :). I like it better than the Frottee one, because it's more silky and doesn't feel like anything at the roots... with the Frottee you still can get a bit of itching, like you have a bit of sand in your hair, well, finer than sand, but still.
Thing is, in my oppinion, the best way to use it is when your roots are a bit oily, because I tried to use it when my hair was freshly washed, just for the silkiness, and it felt kind of weird, besides, you can't add more once you used it, for example, if you used it today and instead of washing your hair you wanna use it again tomorrow, it doesn't work anymore, has the opposite effect. At least for me it does.
So thumbs up for dry shampoo, it's also ecological, saves some water! :)

Hope this post was useful! Keep smiling!
oxoxo
Roxana

Tips to Prevent and Get Rid of the Fall-Depression

I have only 2 tips but they DO work so good that I must share them! I have to kick myself in the butt tho, to remember them, cuz it's human to be lazy and to be weak. They are:

1. DO sports! Cardio, or if that seems boring, DANCE! Listening to jumpy music is a must! I love my new WII - "Dance with me" game :) This will get more blood to your brain and will oxygenate it so you will become instantly more awake, energic, therefore optimistic! Don't forget the water bottle!

2. NEVER, but NEVER!! think about your problems when is dark outside. I know is hard to keep the bad thoughts away at night but trust me, all the bad things will appear WAY more easy to work out in daylight! Turning on ALL the light bulbs in the house is an emergency solution that should not be used because it's not ecological :)

Hope this helped someone. I know more tips but they are not even by far as efficient as these 2 so I don't wanna talk about them. Anyone can google and try for themselves!

Keep smiling!
oxoxox
Roxana

OOTD - shopping with my Baby!

So since a while ago, we haven't been goin shoppin alone anymore! (me and hubby) We shop in 3 now! It's fun but will be way more fun when lil Mathias will be big enough to pick for himself! Well, I know you have to have a good sense of humour (to put it mildly) to think is fun to go shopping with a baby and not get aggravated (I picture in my mind that condom commercial video with the baby's tantrum in the store) but I think we (at least I) have what it takes! LOL
Here is what I wore today:

 The little shopper exhausted....

 Hubby, that doesn't wanna pose, taken by surprise by a huge mirror store window, that I instantly used to snap a shot of us all! Great things these windows are! I love them!!

I am wearing:
Dress: Pimkie
Long sweater (cardigan, however it is called... I never knew) Clockhouse (C und A)
Tights: Thermal tights from.. ummm... don't remember? Could have been C und A also.
Shoes (pumps): Tamaris
Infinity scarf : Zara men
Watch: Swatch - Irony Diaphane gold watch
Meredith Frederick gold caviar bracelet
Bijou Brigitte hot pink bow headband
H&M fringed black leather shoulder bag
Pearl earrings from Mallorca

Keep smiling!
oxox
Roxana

Best thing in Drugstores!!

Oh my Oh My oh myyyy! I am so excited, that even if I don't have time to write a proper post, I gotta tell you that I finally got my hands on the new BB cream from Garnier, 2 days ago and so far I am totally and absolutely in awe! I will definitely dedicate a proper blog post to it but only after I will be using it for, let's say, one more week or so, to make sure it doesn't break me out or something... What I wanna say now is that I threw my eyes on some other blogs that were reviewing it and I was like WTF? Excuse the expression but those girls were at least weird! I am not sure we tried the same thing! LOL One was saying that the cream is said to be lightweight and is NOT, but then she was mentioning that she had heavy oily skin... another one said it's orange, but then she said she had fake tan on her face, too. I mean, HELLO!! If it's named "Miracle Skin Perfector" does not mean that it's gonna do miracles, really! There's no such thing in real world and you gotta think realisticaly with everything! It's like in that wise saying "The woman that doesn't expect anything from men is the happiest, because she will never be disappointed" LOL. Almost the same with cosmetic products, the less you expect from them, the more chances are to be pleasantly surprised! But for 10 euros you can't hope to have your face photoshopped!They were probably the type of people that like to find bad things in all the things that other people say that are good! I have a few persons like that in my family, so I know what I'm talkin about (shhht, you did not hear that!)
What I personally noticed lately is the surprising phenomenon that drugstore products are getting better and better! I am not talking only about this cream here, but lately I have been trying drugstore products that have been better than all the expensive stuff Ive been using before, and believe me, I did invest some money in cosmetics in this lifetime...! But right now I am going through a tight budget stage, since I have a small baby and all... so I am very happy to be able to still have good things to use without feeling bad for spending too much! (heck, who am I kidding, what I meant was ... having good products at a low price rather than not having good products at all. period!)
So yeah, can you tell Im excited?
Oh and... I just noticed I wrote quite a post after all, so maybe that's the solution, rather than waiting to have time to write properly, which rarely happens, I rather stop writting my posts in my headand just start typing them!!
So, keep an eye on my bloggy for a proper review of Garnier BB Cream!

Keep smiling! oxox
Roxana

Best find: Self Tanner that does not stink nor stains clothes!! L'Oreal Sublime Bronze review

Oh yes oh yes oh yes I FOUND IT!!!

Man, that took a while, and time, and money!!! I was going crazy reading about all the people that were using self tanners, while I could not do that because I could NOT stand the self tanner smell! I am not too picky usually, I don't know why I hate this kind of smell so much! I was askin people if they hate it too and noone really said they would, so I think it is just me! LOL! Also, I didn't like the fact that I never could really spread the product all over myself, so I ended up with stripes and stains all over. More, I always had to stand (cuz there was no way to sit without staining everything) naked, for about 30 mins at least, untill the product would set and dry on my skin. So yeah, I did not have any luck with self tanners but I am stubborn so I kept searching! I must admit that I never really looked into the L'Oreal products, I remember I used a few but I didn't think they were so great, but when I heared that L'Oreal bought Lancome, that made me raise a brow and it made me wanna try more L'Oreal products! I love Lancome, and if L'Oreal bought it means either Lancome's standards will lower either L'Oreal's will raise! haha I am just joking, of course :-p So I went and bought the Sublime Bronze spray tanner for face, from L'Oreal, and tested it for a while, and I really loved it, it was not too stinky (still not without that bad smell, but definitely bearable) was fast drying and did not break out my very sensitive acne prone complexion, so that made me go and buy the body self tanning spray too! This is how they look like, on my bathroom shelf: :)

 

I loved the body spray too, actually even more than the face one, as it has a nice lemon perfume when you apply it (after a while, especially if you sweat a bit, it does start to smell like self tanner BUT very very little, nothing annoying, if I say so myself!), if you get past the part where the spray particles choke you! LOL Also, they are both useable upside down too, which is fab for the back side! It is a dry spray, which means there is no drying time, it just applies dry! It applies super fast which I am so very happy about, as a 21rst century girl with negative time every day, and because the particles are very very very fine, is less likely to get an uneven color. Also, the color is bulding up gradually, by using it daily for a while (I myself use it every other day right after shower and after dryig my skin with the towel), so again, there's not a big danger of gettin an uneven color. I didn't even exfoliate prior to using it, which is bad, I know, but I have to be honest :-p And no, it does not stain elbows and other drier areas, as most self tanners do!
So yeah, I am very very happy because now I can be tanned without going to the tanning beds anymore!! I hated those, because it took me months to get to a decent color, as I was scared to go too hardcore (turbo, lol). Besides, while I was pregnant, even if I did not go tanning anymore, I got many new moles all over my skin and that is not a good sign either, they say that if you have over 100 moles you have to be careful with sun and tanning beds, well, you have to be careful anyways, but even more then!
The color is also great, no orangey shades in it, just gorgeous brown!  I should have taken a pic of me wearing it for this post but I thought it wouldn't be relevant as I actually should have taken 2 pics, before, and after, so you can see the change on my particular skin tone. But trust me, this stuff doen't turn you into a carrot!
Hope this post helped some people that are looking for a good self tanner, that is not very expensive either (they are around 12 euros each, or so). Definitely worth it, thumbs up for these products!

Keep smiling!
oxox
Roxana

formspring.me

Ask me anything, I will answer if I consider myself able to help in the matter :-p http://www.formspring.me/Muzette

OOTD

One of the last summer days .. in October!! Weird weather this year, here where I live! All summer was cold and since August till a few days ago (almost half October) was HOT like summer! I guess there was a delay...lol.
Here is what I wore (not today but a few days ago, you know by now that I suck at making time for posting :(():

Hot pink bra-top dress from Victoria's Secret
Red ruffled cardigan from H&M
Pink bow headband from Bijou Brigitte
Marilyn Monroe paper-like pattern handbag from Tamaris store
Red mules from Deichmann (I think)
Ray Ban shades

Yes I was in the mood to combine hot pink with orangey-red :D Just so!

Keep smiling!
Roxana

Schwarzkopf Activ Women Anti Hair-loss shampoo review

This thing is amazing! I was loosing tons of hair after pregnancy, which is said to be normal, due to hormonal changes, but I was starting to fear that by the time the hormones will get themselves back in shape, my hairs would be all gone, so I bought this and after using it for like.. only 5 times or so, I am not kidding, the hair that I was loosing was 5 times less!! And new little hairs started to grow on my head so YES, this thing DOES work! I remember I used it before, too, but I didn't notice such a dramatic change because the situation of my hair was not as dramatic as it was now. All thumbs up for this product.

Keep smiling :)
Roxana

PS: There is one for men, too! Hubby just started trying it now but I am sure it is just as good :)

Great Quote

"...the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it."

- Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

 

 Okay I know what I like doing... but that's not enough, you need luck too, to be able to make a living out of it.... Anyways, great inspirational quote. RIP Steve Jobs...

Astor Quick'n'Go nailpolish again! Minty green this time!

I really like this new acquisition in my nail polish deptartment. It's name is "361" (wish they had actual names, too) - It is a  powdery minty green and as you might have read before in this blog, I love the Quick'n Go polish range from Astor, because is fast drying (not 45 seconds tho... but somewhere at 2 minutes or so...) and the brush is amazing! I blogged about the amazing brush before (the "1 sec. flash brush"), it's just so easy to use and fast indeed! The color is pretty, not too bright, which makes it easier to wear. I applied 2 coats like 4 days ago and it still didn't chip at all on my nails, which is fab! Of course, I am always using a base coat and a top coat, too.
This is how it looks:

oxoxox
Roxana

Feeling good in your own skin! DIY face mask/body scrub for dry skin (and not only!)

How could I forget about this??

What is this? This is the BEST remed for dry and dull skin! I did not invent it, I actually saw this is an old book my mom had, called *90 minutes for your beauty*, that she apparently lost :(( But I do remember certain things from there and one of them was this miraculous scrub made of Olive oil, sugar and honey. I was surprised to see this in one of Michelle Phan's videos, too, so is not a Russian receipe as I thought (mom's book was wrote by a Russian lady)!
Since a few weeks ago I was feeling my skin really dry and I didnt like how it looked anymore, I was getting small breakouts too and since like 3 days ago the skin on my face had started to feel very dry especially around my eyes. Whoever has got dry skin knows how uncomfortable that can feel! I used all the moisturizers I had even the samples layin around my house, drunk gallons of water, but nothing!! Untill I remembered of this!
To make this, you just grab some Extra Virgin Olive oil, some honey (organic is always best, of course) and some sugar (brown sugar is great, or anyways, unrefined one..) and you mix them. I know that in the book, and also Michelle, were recommending certain quantities (I am too lazy and too tired to look now for her video) but that is irrelevant anyways becase I am gonna tell you how I do it, as this is MY blog! lol. I just take the ingredients and a cup and splash in there the oil and the honey, by eye, I mix them and then add the sugar to get to a scruby-paste consistency, which I put as a face mask and then the rest I rub all over my body in the shower. Then I rinse both my face and my body and there, the magic happens! The skin is smooth and soft and feels AMAAAZING!! Talk about feeling good in your own skin!
If you didn't try it yet, do it, you will love it! Oh and, I used it even when I was having breakouts on my face, and it didnt make them worse, nor caused new ones. Actually when you have pimples or breakouts you should make sure your face is hydrated because of the products you might be using against acne, the skin tends to get very dry. Just make sure you don't scrub your face with the sugar on the breakout areas, or on the sensitive eye areas!
Happy scrubbing!
oxox
Roxana

New YT Video uploaded: Concealers - which ones are the best, imo

I hope you find this helpful! Enjoy!

oxox
Roxana

How to get back in shape after pregnancy

Disclaimer: Noone is paying me to write about these products, they just helped me and I am sharing my experience with you!

So, as you probably know, I just had a baby! If you look back in my blog, I have many Pregnant OOTD's :) I gave birth in June and I can say that now I am 90% back into my pre-pregnancy shape.  I would have been 100% by now if I would have been doing some sports too, but I just can't manage to fit a gym routine into my crazy schedule yet... My poor cross-trainer (elyptical) is sittin alone and bored on the balcony. I only think I visited it 3 times since I gave birth... By the way, if you ask me, the cross trainer is a fabulous way of getting and staying in shape, and a very pleasant way, compared to the others cardio devices! I personally really enjoy using it and it doesn't get me tired and out of breath as the bike and the treadmill do. And I always see results after a few training sessions on it. Yes, I am trying to motivate myself to get back to riding it, at least 3 times a week!

Okay so, if I did not do any sports, then what helped me? Well, first and foremost, starting around the 25th week of pregnancy I have been using this stuff, when my belly was starting to get really huge:

and this was amazing, I am 100% stretch mark free thanks to it! Okay Ive been using some anti-stretch mark produvts before too but this one was the best!
Then, I used these:

Note: If you are breastfeeding, these Elancyl products are not recommended, I heared, because they contain coffeine, especially the anti-cellulite one. I am not sure about the others, as I started using them when I stopped breastfeeding (I only was able to do it for 2 months, which I was very sad about but, hey, long live the HIP milk formula! lol). The Elancyl products I've been using forever now, they are the only anti-cellulite products that ever really worked for me, because my celulite is really weird, the more I am rubbing it with anti-cellulite creams and gels, the more visible it becomes! I guess those only were making my skin thinner and as the cellulite layer was deep, it was becoming more visible thanks to that... But Elancyl does not do that, it really helps thinning my thighs, well, don't imagine now that I go from size 42 to 38 in a month but... the results are visible. So this time I decided to buy not only the Offensive Cellulite 14 days gel, but also to try the Bust and Tummy firming gels.

The abdominal cellulite gel is good, but I can't say that Ive noticed amazing results. Maybe because I don't have abdominal cellulite but some pure genuine fat! LOL. It did help a bit with the skin appearance tho, it looks a bit tighter. The damage was not too big to start with, but I do have a bit of a tummy left :(
This one tho, was gooood!

This I've been using for a month and seen real results. Again, the damage was not too big after only 2 months of breastfeeding but it was some... This thing helped to get my *thingies* back to their prior-pregnancy shape. Oh, I've been using cold water too :-p 
One more thing that I like about these Elancyl products is that their texture is very fine and the skin doesn't remain sticky or oily after using them, nor has that heavy smell that some anti-cellulite products have, that gets on your clothes and is just gross. They smell sooo nice!!
And one more thing Ive been using, because I had a c-section, is this scar fading cream, from La Roche Posay, called Cicaplast. It is not meant for real scars actually, is meant to be used after dermatologic treatments, but the lady at the store said it will help and it actually did. Not dramatically but it did show results :)
Also, dry brushing is very very good against cellulite, but I am not gonna talk too much about that here because I am guilty of being too lazy to do that lately...

So that's about it, I hope this helped someone, because I know I've been searching for such things the moment I got pregnant...I was looking for ways to get back in shape afterwards! lol

oxoxox
Roxana

OOTD - sunny Autumn days

The weather is still fine, although it started to get colder, so made my hubby take some pics for me!
This is what I wore today:

Jacket: Victoria's secret Utility jacket. I checked the website and they still have it! Ive got mine a couple of years ago and worn it a billion times since, is one of my absolute wardrobe favs!
Top: New Yorker - black strapless ruched tube top
Distress tie-dyed jeans: Zara (if you have curvy hips, thicker thighs and small waist, try Zara for jeans, it's the only place I can actually find jeans that REALLLY fit me!)
Orthopedic sole sandals
Ray-Ban sunnies
Earrings from Deichmann (they carry jewelery too, at some of their shops)

Hoping for more sunny Autumn days...
oxoxox
Roxana

Great quote!

Untill I manage to eventually organize my new mommy and workin girl time and be able to post again on a regular basis, I thought I would share a great quote that I just found:

"Whoever said that money can't buy happiness didn't know where to shop"- Blair Waldorf
:))


oxoxox
Roxana

Face Serums: Lancome Genifique and La Roche Posay Derm AOX review

This stuff, is FAB! I don't know if it works the same for evrerybody but I guess it wouldn't be so famous if it didn't! I have combination skin, with the T zone getting really oily during the day. Right now I don't have problems with the acne anymore, but before pregnancy I used to have really pimple-prone skin, with tendency for black heads and cystic acne! And this stuff used to work for me back then too! It does NOT clog pores, does NOT get your face greasy, does not dry it, it really gives you a nice glow after only a few days of use, the fine lines are visibly reduced and, in my case, I noticed the pimpes were fading and drying faster, when I was having those! I am using it alone at night, not under some other face cream (as they recommend), because I think it is enough for me, I don't like to put too much stuff on my face at night because I am paranoid about clogged pores and greasiness. I only use it at night, because in the morning I am using my Effaclar DUO under the foundation, and it still works great, even if on the box it's recommended that you use it twice a day. Indeed, it IS a bit expensive but I bought the big 50ml bottle and spared some money. 

In Germany, the 30 ml bottle is around 69 euros and the 50 ml one is around 102 euros.

Funny fact: I was looking at the wand that the bottle comes with and I was like...wtf is this? How do you use this, you just hold it above your face and wait for the drop to fall? LOL Actually it is a little pump wand, you press the button on top of the lid and the serum comes out, all you gotta be careful about is to actually land it on your face...or in your hand. I personally prefer pump bottles not pump wands.

 (please disregard my exfoliated polish-less thumb nail!)
 If you can't afford or do not want to pay so much for the Genifique serum, then a great replacement for it would be the La Roche Posay Derm AOX face serum.
 Compared to the Genifique, as consitency is the same only that it comes in a pump lil tube and is brown colored (The Genifique is white/colorless actually). Oh and the LRP has a smell to it that some might not like. I like it because it's clear that no perfume was used so it's only the smell of the ingredients. It is known that perfume can cause allergic reactions to sensitive skin types. I didnt't see a huge difference in results from using both serums, all I could see was that the Genifique is giving a more glowy aspect to your face, but the difference is not dramatic. The LRP costs only 26.50 euros for 30 ml, which is alot less than the Genifique. This is my used and abused tube:

  If you read my blog/watch my YT videos you know that I love the LRP products and the thermal water-based products in general, I think they are awesome and they work just great for my skin.

I wanna add that the serums last you quite a long time because they are practically liquid so 2-3 drops are enough to spread all over face and neck! I think they are alot more worthy than actual face creams. Of course, they say is best to use serums AND the cream, but here I am sharing my experience and my way of using these :)
Hope this post was helpful to some of you!
Thanks for reading my blog!
oxoxox
Roxana

formspring.me

Ask me anything, I will answer if I consider myself able to help in the matter :-p http://formspring.me/Muzette

My baby boy

This little face makes me happy every day! Happier than I've ever been!

OOTD

Whew, finally, back to posting Outfits of the Day! This is the first time I post an OOTD after the birth of my lil Mathias, and is not because I would have been too fat to wear any of my clothes, but because I was toooo busy and tired!! OMG, it IS tiresome to be a new mommy! But is the best job I ever had or wanted, I always thought it was cheesy to say this but now I arrived to the point where I say it myself and to MEAN it! Anyways, these days are unbelievably hot here in Germany, I never thought I would get to see such hot weather here in September! Usually the weather would start to become ugly by the end of August or even earlier! I even saw sparrows flyin around, and they usually go away much earlier! If I mention the invasion of bees too, that are now carnivore (they come sit on your steak if you are on a terrace), I get to agree that this global warming is actually happening! Anyways, enough rambling, here is what I wore today!

Top: No idea where that is from, Ive had it for a while now...lol, sorry I cant give details on this

Skirt: from Victoria's Secret (I absolutely LOVE its cut, and knee-length skirts are back in trend this season!)

Shoes: not a known brand, but cute and comfy

Lather bag: from Barney's New York

Shades: Ray Ban

Watch: Swatch gold

Big red stone ring: Bijou Brigitte

Pearl Earrings: Tschibo

The necklaces are not looking good together but I really wanted to wear this new bracelet-necklace set that I got from my beautiful friend Maggie, and that I love! I did not take off my Virgin Mary medal necklace tho, lately I became superstitious about that. I should have taken it off for the pictures tho :-p Silly me!

Here is a closer pic of the necklace and bracelet I got from my dear Maggie:

She also sent a bunch of nice things for my little bunny :)
Well, that's it for now, hope I inspired someone with this post,
oxoxox
Roxana

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick review

I have to admit it, despite of the annoying package, this product is great! I hate the packaging because is kind of hard to open, the lid is too big and the bottom too small and you can't really get a grip on the bottom to open the lipstick, especially if you are in a hurry. And is not too pretty either. But the lipstick is great! I grew to fall inlove with it, is far better than any other lipstick I've tried in its price range or as drugstore product, and better than some high-end ones, too! I had 4, one I finished, one I lost, one was *borrowed* by my mom and this is the one I am left with! I plan on buying a few more very soon!

The texture is creamy and your lips don't dry out, which is very important to me, as I always have dry lips, the color stays on for a really long time, and there is alot of product in the package, more than any other lipstick I've tried! Maybe there are others with as much but I havent seen them. So it's definitely worth the 10 euros.

Hope someone found this review helpful :)

oxoxox

Roxana