Dr. Organic Rose Otto Facial Serum - review

I promised a review for all of my Dr. Organic products, so here I am with the Rose Otto Facial Serum! I finished it like 2 weeks ago and, even if I loved it, I decided I would also try the Argan Face oil, so I am using that one right now (review coming up!), and after that I think I will buy the Rose Otto again!

So, here is how it looked when I bought it:

And this is how it looked after I finished it, lol. I really did finish it (it lasted me for about 5-6 weeks, using it twice a day every day)!

I loved it! I mean, I grew to love it, because at first the smell made me faint! LOL It does smell REALLY strong, it is a nice rose smell, but well, to have it so close to your nose (actually ON your nose as well) can be a bit  overwhelming... Other than that, it is amazing! Really! I know I have been running away from any kinds of oils, for years, due to my acne problems, and I was only looking for "oil free" stuff to put on my face, but let me tell you, that was stupid! Because not oils in general are bad for acne-prone skin, but certain oils, especially mineral ones, that CLOG the pores! Otherwise oils are not a problem, as long as you are cleaning your skin with the right products twice a day, drink plenty of water and DO NOT put your hands on your face during the day (here I also include the necessity to wipe your cell phone and your specs/sunglasses with some antibacterial stuff once a day at least!). In my case, at least, the more dehydrated my skin is (usually due to anti-acne treatments!!), the more prone to breakouts it becomes. I am glad I dared to try organic oils, cause they are working wonders for me! 

It is not only a rose oil, but a mixture of many many oils, as follows:
- Rose Otto oil
- Rosehip oil
- Argan oil
- Passionflower seed oil
- Geranium oil
- Clove flower oil
- Arnica flower oil
- Jojoba oil
- Vitamin E
- Cotton seed oil
- Rice Bran oil
- Meadowfoam seed oil
- Calendula
- Sweet Almond oil
- Soya bean oil
- Sunflower seed oil
- Vitamin C

(I won't bore you and write about each of these oils, but trust me, I did some research and ANY of these, used alone, is really really great for your skin! Imagine having them all in one product!)

Let's see what this stuff promises. They say that it:

- Optimises skin hydration (check - yes it definitely does!)

- Lowers trans dermal dehydration (well I guess it does, my skin definitely felt happier and softer!)

- Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles (check - yep, it does!)

- Improves elasticity and firmness (check - definitely!! I was suspicious about an oil's ability to do that, but yes, this one definitely does, it was a noticeable change in my skin's firmness, to the better, or course :))

- Nourishes and restores (well I can't ask my skin how nourished it is, but by the fact that it looks alot healthier, I think I should be checking this one too!)

- offers antioxidant protection (well this is certain, because it contains vitamin E at least!)

It is also:

- Paraben free

- SLS free (SLS stands for Sodium Lauryl Sulfat, and this is what I found about it: "When animals were exposed to SLS they experienced depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, and severe skin irritation. SLS can damage children’s eyes, too. SLS may also damage the skin’s natural immune system by causing layers of the epidermis to separate and become inflamed. Even worse, when SLS is combined with other chemicals, the resulting compounds could be carcinogenic nitrosamines" (source: www.gorgeouslygreen.com)

- Free of artificial colours, fragrances or harsh preservatives.

Enough about what they say and more about what "I" say, about this product!

First of all I loved the fact that it comes in a little GLASS container! Not only that I think it's the safest way to keep a product, but is also re-usable! So - very GREEN! Also, I love the fact that it has a little pump, so it's easy to get out only the amount that you need for an application (for me it was 3-4 pumps).

As I mentioned before, the smell is strong, indeed, and could cause a headache to a person that is sensitive to strong flower smells, but other than that, this product is exceptional and way beyong my expectations. 

When I started using it I was craving for a face serum, actually my face looked like it really needed one, but I was not keen on paying 100 euros for the Estee Lauder ANR anymore, especially because I had read that it contained some nasty chemical. And I had tried others and none worked as good, so I was like...whatever, let's try all natural stuff, at least if it won't work, it won't do me any bad whatsoever. I am so happy I did!! After like 2 weeks of use, my face was looking and feeling so much better, the breakouts stopped, and the skin looked alot firmer! I must mention that I am also using the Manuka Honey face mask twice a week, and that definitely helps with the blackheads, so there are less chances for breakouts anyways.

This stuff does leave your face greasy for a while, because well, after all, its an oil. But not for as long as you would think. It does get absorbed completely into the skin after a while (30 mins for me, but I have oily T-zone anyways). On the box they recommend using it together with a moisturizing cream, and they say that you should apply it mornings BEFORE the moisturizer, and evenings AFTER the moisturizer. But I am not using moisturizer with it, I feel it alone is more than enough to keep my skin perfectly moisturized. I think adding a cream on top of it would be too much for my type of skin, but if you have really dry skin you should do that, I'd say. Of course, when I have to be fast and just slap on some makeup and leave home in the morning, I use a tissue to absorb the excess oil after like 2-3 minutes from application, so I can put on my foundation. 

That's about all I have to say about this product, I will definitely buy it again and I am very pleased and happy that I discovered it! :) Thumbs up all the way!

Hope this review helped! Thank you for reading my blog, please follow and comment, if you feel like it!

Take care and keep smiling!

oxoxox

Roxana

Garnier BB Cream - Miracle Skin Perfector ANTI-AGEING - Review (me no likey!)

Okay so for today I had planned to go out in my yard and take some beauuuutiful OOTD pics because as beautiful as the weather was yesterday, I thought the spring will be here finally. I even wanted to put all my winter gear away in boxes and replace them with the spring and summer wardrobe. Glad I did't have time to, cause it would have been really bad. Outside it's 6C degrees right now. Rain. Wind. Feels like 2C or less and it's depressing. 

So what can I do now? I think this is the perfect time for doing a bad review! LOL! No, I am not doing a bad review BECAUSE it's an ugly day and I am feeling frustrated, nope! But as you probably noticed, I don't talk about many products that I don't like, for the simple reason that I am usually very careful with what I buy, I always do some research before buying and I try to only buy what would work for my skin type and needs. 

I have been procrastinating doing a review for it for a long time, meanwhile trying to use it again and again. But no. It has to be told. I do. not. like it.
Who theheck am I talking about? This!!

The Garnier BB Cream in the fairly new "Anti-Ageing" formula, with the so-called "pro-xylane", that I have no idea what it is, I know I can easily search it on wikipedia and I am sure it is a good thing, but I just don't feel the need to know more at this moment.

I bought this because I love BB cream, and most of all, I love the BB Creams from Garnier. And because...well... I am quite old and thought I should keep that in mind and try to do what's to be done: get the anti-age option if available.

I am so bummed!!

First of all, as usual, I picked the "Medium" shade, as I always do, because even if I am white like a paper, I hate having my face that white or even whiter... so I always strive to get a bit of color (I found it's useless to use a fake tan because it always get washed off fast as I take my makeup off). But this particular BB cream's Medium shade is darker than the classic version's Medium shade, or than the Combination to Oily skin's version's Medium shade. Or at least on my skin it shows darker...

The smell is nice, is about the same as the classic BB Cream from garnier's smell, and doesn't smell like alcohool like the Combination to Oily BB Cream (thanks God). But hey, of course it doesn't, would be weird for a anti-ageing cream to have that in it (although some serums that I know do...)
 Here is how it looks, once squeezed outta tube:

Now I realise this is not the best presentation, becase the skin on my face is alot different from the skin on my wrist. I wish the skin on my face looked this good!!! But as you can see, even there and it did not spread evenly! Ohhh and I remembered I was so bummed that I even took a pic of my face...

The light sucks in my bathroom I know, and I have a bit too much of little hairs on my face. But hey, I guess everyone does, in that area... you just didn't take such a picture so you don't know! ha! But really, if you look closer at the coverage of this BB Cream...is really embarassing! I did all my best to spread it evenly and rub it in and blend some more and still I've been left with strikes!! This bugged me to no end! I tried to apply it on a clean face right after washing, cause I thought maybe previous moisture will influence the blending. Same sh**.. result. I tried to apply it on a moisturized face, hoping the blending will go smoother. Same result. I tried to even do a scrub mask before applying it, to make sure my face was in best condition. Nada. The only option that I had left was to try and apply it with a brush, like a foundation, which I did, and after quite some work (it won't get smooth at all!) I managed to obtain a no stripey finish, but the coverage was very very low, and I guess that, as it is a cream that has more qualities than just coverage, it actually needs to be applied not just like a barely there layer, but it has to also be able to moisturise, at least. Besides, as it is a cream, a BB cream, it's purpose is to be used by the women that don't want to use a foundation, at least for me, it means something easier to use, easier to wear, something I can use on the go and when I don't have time or wish to do a proper foundation, something for hot weather as well, something that can easily be re-applied. If I use a brush, which I then have to take time and wash, let alone the fact that applying something with a brush takes longer... then where's the easiness of it all?? Also, for my acne scars I need more than just a hint of coverage... the regular (classic version) of Garnier BB cream and even the one for Combination to Oily skin does a great job for me in that regards. This doesn't. Cause I can't apply it! I think they put something in it that screwed up its consistency, so it became kind of chalky and hard to blend. Besides, this Medium shade tends to look reddish, only in this case. I don't like that either. If a redhead will use it she might tend to look like a carrot :(

I wanted to like this, I really did, but I don't. It's going away. 

Here is how it looks, applied with a brush, on my forearm, where the skin is perfect. Still a bit uneven if you look closely :(

Also, about the wear I can tell you that it's not even all that moisturising after all, even thought at first I have to use a tissue and absorb the excess oils from my face (it's really shiny) after like 4 hours my cheeks started to feel really dry :( If it would have been easy to re-apply this would have been ok but in the given conditions... way too much of a hassle would have been!

I can't say this is a no-no for all, I am sure that if you are younger and have perfect skin it would look alot better on you, but... who wants to use an anti-ageing BB cream when they have young perfect skin???

If you wanna read my review on the first Garnier BB Cream (I call it The Classic) click here, and for the review on the Garnier BB Cream for Combination to Oily skin click here. 
I gotta tell you that I went back to the store and bought 2 tubes of the regular one, which I think it's the best (hope it doesn't disappear or gets changed as all the things I like tend to do). I just love that stuff! Why fix it, if it ain't broken?!?!

Thank you for reading my blog! Want more? Please follow me! (links up left)

Take care, and KEEP SMILING!
oxox
Roxana

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream for Combination to Oily skin

It's been a long time since I bought this and I have been using it A LOT...so how come I didn't make a review yet? Anyways, better later than never, so here it comes!
This, ladies and gents, is the product (insert drums)!

 I know is not the best pic, but should be no biggy, you probably all know how it looks like! I have it in the "medium" shade, even if I am a bit whiter than that, but I hate having a white face, so I try to make it look a bit more tan, of course, being very careful to cover all of my neck and earlobes and all the places that could give me away :) The best fit for my skintone would be a mix of the Light and Medium shade, I think, but is spring now so I am hoping for a tan a.s.a.p.!
Now, a bit more about this product. When taken out of the tube, it looks like this:

The consistency is more like a lotion than a cream, it is quite runny and very light, which I like, especially in summertime. It almost doesn't have a smell, maybe a faint fresh one, and I can aslo smell alcohool in it, which I happen not to like (they say alcohool on skin is no-goody!) but alas, I love the fact that it sets greatly on the skin, it kind of sinks in and blends amazingly, not streaky at all (like its sister, the Anti-Ageing BB cream - review on that later!). I noticed though, that if I spread it on my eyelids too, which I tend to do with all base products, it irritates my eyes, I think it's because of the alcohool in it, which sucks. But oh well, I can just avoid the eye area and use only concealer there, even if it is better when I can use the base to even all out.
Other than that, it looks amazing, stays on pretty well, and what's best is that if it gets rubbed off in certain areas of the face (which happens when you have a cuddly toddler around) you can always apply more without it becoming patchy like it would happen with a foundation, or showin any difference between areas. 
It matifies the face, doesn't set in the pores, but if your face has got dry areas too, like combination skin usually does, you have to remember to moisturise the dry areas before applying this or they will become quite dry after a while.  
Throughout the day my face still becomes oily in the problem areas (T-zone) but I just use a tissue to absorb the oil and it's all good, I don't use powder on top of it, but I guess it can be used, if that's what you prefer. I just freak out at the thought of putting too much on my skin cause I feel my pores are gonna die suffocated.
One more downside would be that I am getting slightly more blackheads when using it, but I am not very sure wether it is because of it, or because of the fact that it is not protecting my face like a foundation would, and as I am living in a very polluted area, the dirt in the air might get into my pores and produce the blackheads. Anyways, if I remember to use my Manuka Honey purifying mask every 2 days is all good :)
The coverage is great, I don't know about the "Light" version of it, but with this one I barely need any concealer on my acne scars (and I have plenty). In my oppinion this one has the best coverage among all the BB creams from Garnier.
I don't know what more can I say about this. Bottom line, I love it, I would bathe in it!! LOL But I kind of love all the BB creams, because I love the concept, the fact that they are lighter than a foundation, and they also are said to be treating the imperfections of the skin (BB in this case comes from "blemish balm"). I remember I used to love the tinted moisturizers before these came out, but I couldn't wear those too often because my problematic skin needs way more coverage than a tinted moisturizer could give me, so I had to keep using annoying foundations that don't match my lifestyle. Except for the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, none could keep up with me and with my combination skin :( After a few hours my face was inevitably looking all patchy and uneven. But the Estee Lauder Doublewear is expensive and smells like burnt rubber so I definitely prefer BB creams to it as well! :))
I decided I wanna give up foundations for good (or only keep them for specials occasions), in the favor of BB creams so now I am trying my best to make my face look its best and get rid of the acne scars, with masks and scrubs and all that stuff. If anyone knows a way of getting rid of acne scars without whitening your face to death or without burning it with harsh treatments, please tell me in a comment!
Thank you for reading me!
oxoxox
Roxana

Nivea's Hydra IQ - guilty for breakouts?

A while ago I bought the new Nivea "Aqua Effect" (with Hydra IQ) moisturizing face cream, because I always liked the Nivea products and because I saw the commercial and thought that would be an interesting concept, "moisturizing the skin from within", as they say... So I picked this one:

(Sorry for the blurry pic, my camera just won't cooperate at times)

It is quite a thick product, consistency-wise, but once you put it on the skin it's lighter than the classic Nivea creme, and it absorbs quite well into the skin. I also like the smell too. I must say that my skin is combination, with a high tendency for breakouts, so I am usually very cautious when buying face creams, but as I have always been using the Nivea Soft without any problem, and because I noticed that the more hydrated my skin is, the less likely it is to breakout, I thought this Aqua Effect would be worth a try.
Buuuuut! After 3 days I realised it was definitely a mistake because my face broke out badly ... at first I didnt know for sure wether the new moisturizer was the problem, so I stopped using it and went back to my La Roche Posay Effaclar, to get rid of the pimples. Then I tried it again, after a few days, to see if it really was the cause of my breakout. And it was :( I broke out again. So, I downgraded is to the "hand cream" status :)
So far so good, I thought "oh well, maybe this cream was too fatty and too rich for my oily face..."
But since a few weeks ago I noticed that I was kind of breakin out on my back too, which never ever happened to me, and it was beyond annoying, I had no idea what to do for that one. And then it "hit me" LOL. The shower cream that I have been using was also Nivea, with Hydra IQ! These ones!

As you can see, I was not happy with just one, I had to have 2 of them! Because I really enjoy them, the smell is great and they are really quite moisturising. I love using them as bath foam.
But heck, they were the cause of my back breakout :( I stopped using them and in 3 days there were no more spots on my back! Whew! I am kind of boomed tho, 'cause I really liked these :(
Back to my Dove soap bars for face and body, they clear acne like nobody's business, even if they are not meant for that ...I think precisely because they are not meant for that! lol I love these new ones, cause they are pink and they smell soooo nice!!

 

(again, sorry for the pic quality in this post but as there was no detail needed I didn't bother to try and fix the camera, that usually is a very annoying and frustrating process...) 

As for face (and whole body) moisturizer, nothing beats this one, I think it even comes close to the effects of face serums, for me at least, as weird as it may sound, considering its low price:

I did a bit of research on the "Hydra IQ" topic to see what the heck it means, and I found this:

**** Glyceryl glucoside: = glucose + glycerin. This is an aquaporin stimulator, which basically helps to maintain hydration. A recent patent expressed the capabilities of these compounds. Aquaporins are little proteins located on a cell membrane, and they police the flow of water in & out of the cell. Aquaporin stimulators basically prod & tweak the aquaporins to let it more water. In this techology it is targeted to the aquaporins of keratinocytes, which make up a very large portion of our epidermis.
Aquaporin stimulators like glyceryl glucoside are simple sugars. Glyceryl glucoside and other monosaccharides like it have a binding affinity for water (they are hydrophilic.) In nature, it has been found that some organisms produce these types of monosaccharides to survive in extreme dry environments. This is because these monosaccharides attract water, and when produced they help keep the water inside/with the organism.
{What happens otherwise, i.e. without the aquaporin stimulators, is osmosis--which is the process of two solutions of different concentrations (like, a dry environment and a hydrated organism) by natural process, equalizing via exchange (like, the hydrated organism becomes less hydrated, and the dry environment becomes more humid from the water molecules that were osmotically transferred from the organism to the air.)}
By facilitating the aquaporins, the stimulators also help to maintain osmotic adjustment--- here, skin's hydration level vs the air/atmosphere around it. They keep the skin cell membranes receptive to water molecules, i.e. hydration!

I am surmising based on the properties of aquaporins and aquaporin stimulators, that this is the Hydra IQ technology.

Source(s):

wikipedia.org, college chemistry, http://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/formulating/category/skincare/33602299.html?page=3

Yeah I put it in smaller font on purpose cuz you don't really need to read it! I read the first 3 rows and it was way too much chemistry for my brain configuration! Ugh! I don't know what to say, too much chemical stuff never sounds good to me. 

So, that was my experience with the dear new Hydra IQ. But you don't have to take my word for granted because as I said, my skin is prone to breakouts. (even if... only the skin on my face! What about my back??) Just be careful, if you have any problems with your skin too.  

Thanks for reading!

oxoxox

Roxana 

CATRICE "Color infusion" lipstain review

I've been meaning to post a review on these since a good while ago, because I've bought them a few months ago and I've been using them quite often! Right now I have just these 2 left, from the 4 that I bought (because the price was great and I love lipstains, especially for summer time), but I was really not impressed with the colors, so I gave away 2 of them. I myself like brighter colors, these are pretty neutral and quite dusty looking, if you ask me... 

 

On the lips, they look even darker, but I guess that might be because my lips are quite pigmented, maybe on some other person they would look different. The color bleeds a bit, as you can see above, but that's what happens with all lip stains, as they are a liquid, after all, comin out through the felt tip. So if you have a more mature complexion I think it would be a good idea to use a countour pencil before applying these. And of course, after they dry on the lips, use a lip balm, or maybe a clear lipgloss. My lips have a major tendency of getting all dry so I can't wear them without a lip balm on top, even if this product itself is not particularly drying. 

Before buying these I remember I tried one from Maybelline, I think, and I was pretty disappointed as it was almost completely dry, but I can't really blame the company for that, I think it was because of the way they were stored in the drugstore. I can't for the life of me understand why they are not using cold light bulbs at the cosmetics counters, in almost every store that I have been there are these super hot bulbs between the product shelves, that are completely melting some of them, especially lipsticks, but as allmost all makeup is made using some kind of oil, being so close to a source of heat can definitely ruin it. 

Anyways, these were definitely not dry, but I noticed that it is best to keep them stored on their "heads", meaning standing on the lid, tip down, because otherwise, after a while, when the liquid in the felt becomes less, it won't get to the tip anymore when you wanna use it.

I really like the quality of this product, is definitely a thumbs up, and I will be keepin' an eye on the Catrice counters and website, in the hope that they will come up with more vibrant, prettier colors! 

Oh and, you can definitely use them as cheek stain too, if you are brave enough! Actually is not a matter of bravery because they don't really "stain" your skin, they come off fairly easy with a wipe.

Stay pretty!

oxox

Roxana

PS: Could not find them on Amazon but I found others, for whoever just decided to try some! 

Organic Manuka Honey Face Mask from Dr. Organic - review

I wanted to start my comeback series with something that I absolutely love, so I picked this!

It's been a while since I've been meaning to try more of the Dr. Organic products, because last summer I had a bust firming cream from them, and I was very pleased with the results (I will make a review on that too, but I finished it and I can't show it to you anymore, maybe I will just use the pic from the promo). I love the fact that they are natural, not tested on animals, organic, with no parabens, no harsh preservatives and no artificial perfumes (that are highly irritating for sensitive skin). Lately I have been more and more into products that are not tested on animals, thanks to a friend of mine that made me cry a few times posting on facebook pictures of the horrible things they do to animals during the testing of different products :( I swear I had no idea it could be so bad :(
Anyways, this product contains this Manuka honey, that I didn't know what would be... some honey ok, but... what's Manuka? So I googled and this is what I found:


Mānuka honey is a monofloral honey produced in New Zealand and Australia from the nectar of the mānuka tree. It has in vitro antibacterial properties, but there is not conclusive evidence of benefit in medical use. It has been classified as a Therapeutic Good in Australia, and has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration in 2007.
Manuka honey has a strong flavour, which has been characterized as, "earthy, oily, herbaceous", and "florid, rich and complex". Other qualificatives used by the New Zealand honey industry are, a "damp earth, heather, aromatic" aroma and a "mineral, slightly bitter" flavour.
A 2002 review found that although the antibacterial activity of honeys (including mānuka honey) had been demonstrated in vitro, the number of clinical case studies was small. The review concluded that there was a potential for its use in "the management of a large number of wound types". (Source: Wikipedia)


<sup>Sounds  good! I have acne and acne scars on my face so this should be of help!
It's said to be useful for ages 30+, which would be me, and they say it's "oil absorbing, cell rejuvenating and detoxifying. 
It contains Manuka honey, Aloe Vera, white clay, shea butter, Coco butter, Zinc Oxyde (great against pimples), Vitamin E, Sunflower seed and Glycerin. It's advised to be used twice a week, for 10 minutes, and then removed with warm water or a damp flanel. 

This is how mine looks:</sup>

<sup>The consistency is pretty thick, but it's easy to smooth all over the face, is not chalky at all like clay products are, sometimes. I left it for longer than 10 minutes, I actually put it on and took a bath, and I guess it's been like 30 mins untill I washed it off, and it had become very dry and was pulling at my skin a bit. I love its smell, it's really strong, and you can definitely smell honey and clay, some might not like it but I appreciate a smell that is clearly natural, for cosmetics. After I cleaned my face I was like... OMG WOW! There were practically NO MORE blackheads on my forehead, and that morning I had just spent a while bitching in front of the mirror, because I had seen a bunch of blackheads on my forehead, nose and chin! After the mask, they vanished, really! I am talking about the ones with really black heads not the white ones, if that makes any sence. I think this product actually draws out all the dirt and oil outta pores but they have to be open for that, and with the white heads there is a problem! They are not open. Anyways, my skin was soooo smooth and so velvety, I mean, I know honey is great for the skin, I was usually using the honey-olive oil-brown sugar scrub or just honey mask, but with this thing is much better. It's totally worth the price! (I know I have readers from all over the world so guess is better for you to google it and see what it is in your own currency, but for a reference, it's around 10 euros) I don't think my face was ever so clean after a face mask, and trust me, I have been trying many! It cleaned my face of all the dead skin cells and stimulated the circulation, my face even looked more healthy and even as color! 
I will definitely definitely use this regularly and will buy more!!
Thanks for reading, have a fab day!

oxox
Roxana</sup>

PS: I am not affiliated with Dr. Organic, I just love this!!

I looked this mask up on Amazon, for you, but unfortunately they don't sell it there, yet (I think it's a pretty new range and product), but I found something very similar that should work just as good, for now:

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

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 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

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

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

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

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 :)

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

I hope you find this helpful! Enjoy!

oxox
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