Jewelery Treasures!

I found a little store full of treasures!! OMG I am sooo happy! I was like Alice in Wonderland, lost in the little dark room full of real treasures! I think the guy owning it doesn't know they are way more valuable than he is selling them for! They are all real gemstones, coral, sweet water pearls and so many other beautiful things that are unique, by their nature! I love wearing unique things, and as you cannot find 2 real pearls that look just the same, 2 coral pieces or 2 turquise stones that look the same, I really was thrilled, and risked a fight with my hubby that had to wait patinetly (untill he lost the patience) for more than 45 minutes at the door of the store!!
I bought all these beauties with less than 100 euros! To think that when I was in France, I payed 20 euros for a little coral bracelet, and here I only got one for 5 euros!!! And 50 euros for a long strand of sweet water pearls, and here they are only 25 or less! I think another strand is missing from the pic, I guess it was still on the bottom of my handbag, I wil have to take a pic of it later. And some pearl earrings.

There are Turquise, white and black sweet water pearls, corals, tiger-eye gemstones, quartz and others that I can't remember the name of, now. My favorite is the big heavy strand of sculpted turquoise, that will go just perfect with most of my summer dresses, especially with the long black crochet one from Victoria's Secret!
The little handbag I also just bought, from New Yorker. I love the print, it looks so much like a gobelen, whatever that is spelled... that my great-grandma used to make, and that my folks have at home on the wall. Sewing is one of my hobbies, too, and I think I could sew something like that, but would take me ages and unfortunately for this type of a hobby, I was born at least 60 years too late and the times are way too fast now :( So I am just happy with prints like this, I am glad they are back in fashion!
I can't wait to get back to this little shop, I wanted to get more but hubby was starting to look like a bull that was looking at a red carpet... so I had to call it a ...wrap, and get out! LOL
I want the sun-stone bracelet too, and the yellow sprakly cuff, and if I can find, some really nice turquise earrings! I don't think they had any last week, tho... maybe they do now!
So this was my jewelery haul, I'm almost all good for this summer, jewelery-wise! LOL
If you are in Mainz, Germany, you probably know this little store, is right when you get out of the Romer Passage, between Bijou Brigitte and the fast food that I forgot the name of... the one with lots of chicken! LOL

Love yourself!
oxoxox
Roxana

I found some similar products for you, and I LOVE all of them as well! Wow!

 

How to Obtain the Perfect Fake Tan - Detailed Secrets

Soo, a few weeks ago, I finally got my hands on this baby:

I have been wondering, wanting and eventually craving for it for a loong time, because of the raving all over YT about it. I thought I could not get it in Germany, because from their website you can't order internationally (or anyways, last time I checked was not available to Germany) but I found it on Amazon!! It costs 39 euros, definitely not a cheapie, but it's sooo worth it! I always had troubles with getting (and staying) tanned, even if it was about real sun, tanning bed, or fake tan! I am a pinkish shade of white, lol, that I really don't find all that attractive (but to each on their own..) and I always wanted to be darker, let alone the fact that one ALWAYS looks slimmer when tanned! I tried tenths of fake tan products, I think I even have a blog post about the L'Oreal ones, which are good, allright, but don't even come close to THIS! The color is amaaaazing, just like seaside tan, nothing orangey or yellowish in it!!
It is a lightweight mousse, colored, which is great if you ask me, because you precisely can see where you did not apply it, so there is zero risk of getting white spots on your body, like it always happened to me with the colorless products. It dries sooo quickly, they say you can even get dressed after one minute, but I rather wait 10 or so, at least, just to make sure. They recommend that in the first 4 hours you don't get wet or sweaty, that is because if you get wet in that time, it does come off and you get yourself a white spot on the place where the water or the sweat was... That is a bit annoying but, oh well, small price to pay for the final result. Besides, you can always apply it again ONLY on that spot, and it will look completely blended. One of the great things about it is this one too, that no matter now much you apply on a spot, or how stripey it looks after application, at the end it will all look the same all over! (that means after you take a shower).
I tend to have very dry skin, and the tap water in Germany does not help with that at all, so my body gets dry areas and less dry areas, which is so bad for a person that wants to wear fake tan, because the fake tan (which is moisture, like any lotion or cream or whatever) will always get absorbed more in the dry areas and less in the less dry ones. So I try my very best to dry brush all my body and then moisturise all my skin every single day (when I don't manage to, it can get to look a bit like a disaster but I will tell you how I fix that right away). So, I dry brush all my body (that is great for the prevention and elimination of cellulite, too!) every morning, and then apply plenty of body lotion all over. I tan every 3 or 4 days, but during this time I try my best not to let my skin get too dry, because if it does, there will be patches of tan all over me:( I know that might not happen to everyone but to me it does. Also, I try not to wear really tight clothes from fabrics that kind of scratch (like jeans, for example) or bras with very tight straps, cuz those are going to rub against my skin and remove the tan!
OKay, so when I apply the tan, I take a shower, using a very moisturizing body wash and a sponge, then I dry my skin with a towel but I don't apply anymore moisturizer, I just put the Saint Tropez all over me, including my face (which is blackhead/acne prone, but never had a problem with this product! yay!) and as soon as I get to a dryer area (feet, knees, elbows, whatever other dry areas might be) I take a paper towel and dab the area so that there is not too much products absorbed. For me, this method works better than applying lotion on those areas prior to tanning.
And that's about it! While I wait for it to dry, I carefully wash my hands, which, unfortunately, do get stained (there is a tan remover too, but I didn;t receive it yet :(). I found out that washing them like 4-5 times in a row does help. Yeah I know thatsounds annoying but is better than looking like you tried to eat a bunch of green chestnuts! (they stain brown, for who doesnt know). I am being careful not to throw water on me and not to wash the color off my wrists, or it would look like Im wearing white gloves! If it does get washed I apply more product only on wrists when donewith the hands.
I thought the mitt they recommend would be so you don't get your hands dirty but its actually *to remove the excess product*... and I see no use for that. You can't apply it with the mitt.
Okay so, I was talkin above about the times when I get to look like having had a fight in the mud... when I forget to apply lotion daily.... haha. Well, not quite, it just looks like I havent showered for about 2 months :))) Gross! It does that only in certain areas where the skin gets very dry, tho, and rubs against clothes. For me its on my ribs and at times on the back of my calves. So, while in the shower, I use a mix of honey and brown sugar as a body scrub and scrub all those areas well. It does work wonders! But if I forget to bring that from the kitchen and Im already in the shower, lol, rubbing the skin well, right after shower while its still wet and warm, with a dry towel, can work just as good. Then, when I am an even color all over, I reapply the tan (this annoying thing usually happens when I apply it after 4 or 5 days. At 3 days is all fine.)
One more thing to add: it's really recommended that after those 4 hours you take a shower (I personally recommend waiting a bit more than that, tho) some of the color will come off but what will be left will still look amazing and it won't come off on anything after that. And the smell will go away, too. No bad smell, just fake tan smel,l that I personally don't like.
So, I know its a long post, but I wish someone would have told me all this so I don't get so many tan disasters! LOL
Love yourself!!
oxoxox
Roxana

Back! The SECRET and OOTD :)

Yay! I finally made it back to blogging! I had a long period where, hiding behind the excuse that I did not have enough time, I actually stopped blogging! I felt I was not good enough to do it, I kept comparing myself with other bloggers (BIG mistake to compare yourself with others in general!!) In the meantime, something amazing happened to me, I would say, at the right time, cuz it was such a hard time in my life...or well, as I realised, it was hard because I wanted to look at it that way! I discovered the book "The Secret! by Rhonda Byrne, actually first I downloaded the audio book "the Power" and listened to it while trying to make my baby sleep... It IS a lifechanging book, I really recommend it to everyone!
This is how they look :) but you can also get the audio or ebook versions, whatever is best for you and your lifestyle!

I can't even tell how amazing these books are, and I have to partly thank Dulce Candy (http://www.youtube.com/user/dulcecandy87?ob=4) for the fact that I got to find them, because she inspired me to look for books about self growth and positive thinking. I think she even mentioned The Power and the Magic (the latest book by Rhonda Byrne, that I didn't get to read yet but is in my tab-phone already!) And to my friend Stefania that had sent me the link to the movie The Secret ages ago, and I never had time to watch, untill the link expired! LOL But I got it stuck in my head, so, when I heared about it again, it sure rang a bell!

What I read there changed my whole perspective on life and I am so grateful and happy for that!

So... because I am giving it a new GO to my blog and probably to my YT channel as well (as soon as possible) I am adding an OOTD pic!

On the banks of the Rhine, out for a walk with my hubby and son, wearin my C&A "Yessica" leather jacket, Pimkie studded cross body brown hobo bag, Zara jeans, Deichmann clogs, H&M wool striped sweater, Ray Ban sunnies, and C&A leopard print scarf.

Love yourself!

oxox

Roxana

OOTD - spring time (quite cold still, tho..)

I am so happy that spring is here and I can actually wear nicer clothes, and not have to just bundle up in ugly dawn jackets and UGG boots... now don't get me wrong, I love my UGG"s but they are not so cute, everyone can agree on that, I guess :)))
Here is what I wore yesterday. I took the pics inside to make sure I get some pics taken, cuz outside it's always a rush, hubby not patient, baby not patient, my clothes not always in place because of that... pics usually getting me in weird poses... So there. I made sure I get some decent pics taken (even if the light was not very good in my bedroom):

And to prove what I was just telling you, here is an outside pic, too! With the unpatient baby! you can see on his face how "happy" he was that his mommy wanted to take pics of her outfit, lol. He must think that I am so silly!

Leather jacket : from Bon Ton, a leather gear shop in Romania (I love the quality!)
Pants: Black coated stretch jeggings from H & M
Boots: C & A
Beige wool sweater: Zara man (it was my hubby's but it shrinked when washed so I took it. I love it!)
Leopard print fake fur/velvet (or plush?? I dont know how to describe it, is sooo soft and nice) infinity scarf from C & A
Ray Ban shades
Louis Vuitton tote

Keep smiling!
oxoxo
Roxana

The spring is here!!!

Not only that it is the 1rst of March (disregard the date shown by blogger, is 7 AM on the 1rst of March here in Germany right now), but there are snowdrops too!! I first spotted a few, to tell the truth, like 2 weeks ago but I didnt have any camera with me then (big error!) so I saw these again yesterday and I was glad I could take their picture! Actually I suspect that the ones that I saw 2 weeks ago were brought there and planted from the store (they have it at Rewe). These ones seem more authentic, I don't think anyone has lifted the leaves to plant them, and then put them leaves back on...
I love snowdrops, for the way they look and also for their meaning! Yay for the springtime!!

Keep smiling!
oxox
Roxana

Best eyeshadow for smokey eyes makeup

Out of all the makeup styles, I think monocromatic smokey eyes is what suits me best. At times I like combining 2 colors or even 3, just for the fun of it, but that is usually useless cuz more than 2 colors are hardly visible on my hooded lids, unless I walk with my eyes closed...and not even then, because I have to cover most of the lid with the black eyeliner, to create a nicer shape for my eyes. At times I crave wearing pinup makeup but then I have to keep my eyes half closed, at least when I look at myself in the mirror, haha. But alas, at leats I finaly found out what suits me best!
This is the color that I think it works best for me, goes fine with any outfit, even when I am tanned, day or night, any occasion. Perfect for my *pack as little things as possible and have all you need in there* project for holidays (or moving).

Please disregard my nose, it always comes too close to the camera lens and looks even bigger than it is. Arghh!
The eyeshadow is from Max Factor by Ellen Betrix, from the Earth Spirits collection (I think it came out a year ago, I dont even know if I can find it anymore...fingers crossed) and its number 107, Burnt Bark. I find it to be the perfect neutral shade, dark brown with a tiny bit of shimmer, just enough to make your eyes sparkle (your eyelids, that is) and what I love most is that it doesnt have a reddish tone, it's a cold brown, no warm shades in it at all which is great for me as I have a cold skin undertone (pinkish) and my eyes are brown with green shades, so, also cold toned. I am wearing it here on top of a cream eye pencil from Clinique (that I have smudged with a synthetic hair pencil brush), which I don't like wearing alone especially because of the chestnut shade in it, but which works great as a base (Clinique Cream Shaper for eyes, no. 105,Chocolate Lustre).
There is how they look:

If anyone is in search of a great color for all occasions, I definitely recommend this one. The quality is great, too, doesn't have much fall-off and it lasts quite long if you use it with a base of any kind (if you want it to last forever, lol, use the Manhattan eyeshadow base. But I warn you, it won't come off too easy, if at all!)

Keep smiling!
oxox
Roxana

Garnier Coffeine Roll-On Tinted Concealer review

Garnier has been pleasantly surprising me again. I really think the drugstore brands have improved alot lately, maybe because of the recession... but is great because as far as I've noticed, right now you can get really great products even if you are on a budget, as long as you take a bit of time to look for them and pick them correctly for your skin or hair type. I am now gonna talk about the Garnier Coffeine Roll-On Tinted Concealer, that I have been using for quite a few good weeks now, so I can finally give an honest and documented oppinion on!
Here is how it looks:

It has got the little metal ball, that stays cold and helps reduce the eye circles and the puffiness, but in my oppinion you have to keep massaging your undereye area longer than just the time that you need to apply the concealer, to get actual results in that regrds... but that is only my oppinion, I personally don't have any puffiness under my eyes (except for when I had cried for a while, lol, and that is not so easy to make vanish) so I couldn't really check that one out.
The coverage is not full, is actually sheer and light, I think its more illuminating that covering, which is not a bad thing unless you have really bad dark circles. In that case, this won't work alone. At times I use this as a base and add a tad bit of my Clinique All About Eyes concealer on top, especially on the edges of the circles, where they are more visible. I do like this tho, because I have a very dry eye area and everything that I apply seems to gather into my fine lines sooner or later, so this watery-like formula is so thin and it actually absorbs well into the skin that there is not much left to gather! The pigments stay on the skin but the actual formula is absorbed inside and it hydrates the area at the same time, which makes it a brilliant product for me personally :) I can't talk about other people but I do love it.
Here is how I look with it on one eye (scary, I know, but the pics are for a good purpose so bear with me!):

I guess the difference is visible, no need for me to tell you on which eye I applied the concealer. Or? :)
Disregard my nose, it was just too close to the lens so it looks like a cucumber. I need nose concealer too! To make it look way smaller!

One thing I don't really dig about this product is that whenever I apply it I get a tingling sensation in my eyes for a minute, like a stinging, like when something irritates your eyes and makes them water. That could be because of the lemon essence in it and because my eyes are super duper sensitive. So you probably won't get that.

Okay so that was my review for this product.
Hoping to discover more and more drugstore exceptionally good products in the near future!
yours truly,
Roxana
oxoxox

Great find in HM

Okay I am late with this post again, but hopefully it still can help someone. I wanted to let you guys know that if you go to H&M these days you may have the luck to find some more of these (of course, if fake fur is your thing). I love real fur, too, to be honest, but deep inside I don't feel comfortable with both the thoughts that I am wearing a part of an animal corpse OR the high price that I have to pay for it! None of these thoughts make me feel good! Okay, I might be okay with buying a vintage fake fur coat because it already was bought and worn by someone else, is not new anymore so if I buy it they can't really say that I am encouraging the industry...or can they? Anyways, I am very happy with this little fake fur coat that I got in H&M for HALF of its price! It used to be 59.95 euros and I got it for 29.95!! Yay! And it feels so nice when you touch it, does not have that plastic hair feel that some of the fake fur has, like doll hair. Nope, this one feels like real goat hair, if you know how that feels. Here it is! Sorry bout the pic of me wearing it, that was the only mirror I could use at that very moment and my photographer was on... holiday!

Keep smiling, be happy!

oxox

Roxana

True things

I was just reading something and I thought this paragraph was worth sharing:

"Coming to terms with who you are is the first step in obtaining happiness in life. The sooner you realize that happiness is something that you decide internally, and not something that you get from people or posessions; the sooner you will be able to create your own destiny."

So true!! I wishhhshhh the people in my life would GET THAT! But they don't :( Oh well, at least I do! :D

oxox
Roxana

EDIT: Oh I found another one:

"one's own worth is purely a matter of perspective"

How true!!!

Evening skincare routine

I found this pic in my camera that I had forgotten I took! lol. After midnight, on the New Year's Day, I was trying to put Mathias (my 7 months old son) to sleep in his bed, but he was so excited bout the fireworks that there was no way for him to sit still and he was crying when I would try to give attention to other things than his jumpy self, so I had to bring all my skincare products from the bathroom to the bedroom and take my makeup off while *talking* to him! And looking at the bunch of bottles and jars I thought it was worthy to take a pic and share it, lol. Looks like so many, but I swear I need each of them!

Let's see what they are:

- La Roche Posay "Toleriane" face and eye makeup remover for sensitive skin and eyes - fab product, it takes off even heavy black makeup (yes, at times I feel EMO)
- Garnier Bio-Activ hydrating cleansing milk
- Garnier Bio-Activ hydrating cleansing water (yes I use both because I find that the cream one is a bit too greasy for my skin, but the watery one doesn't clean as good, so I use the cream one first and then the water one, together they are awesome for my skin, which is combination an dprone to blackheads and pimples)
- Garnier Bio-Activ hydrating Toner. I love these products, I might write a review on them when I get the time (ask Mathias to allow me to, if interested...lol). They are Aloe Vera based.
- Lancome Genifique face serum (Holy Graal to me...or whatever is that spelled, I dont have time to check the spelling now but you get the idea). Nothing more to say about this.
- La Roche Posay Redermic Eye cream - great!
- Kelyane HD lip balm (I cannot live without lip balms)
- A little sample of anti-wrinkle cream from the pharmacy that I use for my neck called Olifting - I don't use anti-wrinkle cream for my face as my skin tends to get too greasy if I do, but for my neck is fine
- Vichy Essentials Facial Emulsion (Rose Plyphenols) Paraben Free - is good and I love the smell! I apply it on top of the Genifique serum for a bit more moisture because in winter, because of the dry heat inside, my face tends to get dehydrated
- Antibiotic cream for a little stubborn blemish on my face
- Nose spray... dunno what was it doing there, is not in my routine!!!
- and, of course, cotton pads.
Whew!! Took longer to write these all than it takes me to use them!!

I would have thought I never would go to sleep withou using all these! Guess what? Last nite all I could use were my son's wet baby wipes!! And I thought I needed 48 hours in a day before having the baby! Now I think back and say "OMG how much free time I had back then!!

oxoxo
Roxana

New Year's Resolutions

Okay so I've been wanting since 2 days ago to make a blog post about my New Year's Resolutions, and I was thinking long and hard about what to pick... lol. Because I wanna do so many things that would be really funny to make such a long list, when knowing very well that I will never really get to do all that! So finally I picked a few goals, like working out more, learning German language really well, to be able to actually write a blog or make videos in it, for example... But what to do with the many others? I was thinking "well, as little time as I will have, with the baby and the work and all, it's 100% sure I will probably end the year just as frustrated as the other one, without getting to do even 20% of all I want to! Then I happened to read this blog post, and I felt relieved, haha. This girl is really smart and I appreciate her alot, some of the things she is talking about I had already learned myself, too, the hard way, so reading about all this made me feel way better about my goal-reaching process!

http://hugelove.blogspot.com/2012/01/is-new-year-best-time-for-new.html


Good luck to everyone with their New year's Resolutions and Happy New Year!
oxoxox
Roxana