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

How to Use Your Skincare and Makup Products Wisely, and save money too!

Because we all know that skincare products and makeup is not cheap, and even if it is, if it's good, you don't really want to waste it, because even if you afford to buy all the time new one, at times you might have the surprise to not be able to find anymore a certain product or color or brand, or to find it very hard. It always happens to me, I am starting to take it personal, each time I find something that I really love, it has to somehow disappear after a while. I start to think I am the only one that likes that thing! Weird huh?

Anyways, I was always bothered by the way some people are wasting things (my mom always makes real well drills in my face creams, some girl I know uses up a bottle of foundation in less than 2 weeks and a body lotion tube in 5 days). Is not because I am a scrooge, I am waaay too far from that for my own wellbeing, but, I think is not normal to waste things. Is common sense to take care of what you have and to make the most of your money and investments. It's also ecologic! So, I will teach you how to use your skincare and makeup products wisely.

To make sure you are using the right amount of the products, I will give you some size "landmarks". I picked some examples that are hard to forget. I did it on purpose :) Would you waste THESE???

Eye cream: the size of a Tic-Tac

 

Makeup Base (Foundation): size of an M&M 

Face Cream: size of a peanut M&M

Shampoo: size of a caramel candy (same goes for conditioner, and it usually needs to be applied only on the tips of the hair)

Body cream/lotion: size of an Oreo biscuit

Now, done with the sizes. I will teach you a few more things, to make the life of your favorite makeup products longer.

If your BLUSH is almost finished and you can't get it out on the brush anymore, put it in a tissue and make it a powder, then put it in a little box (an eye cream box or some other little box left from something else) and you can use it from there! Make sure it has a lid that closes well!

Is your LIPSTICK almost over? There usually is a lot of product still left inside of the tube, so use a Lip Brush to apply it from there. I promise it will last you a few more weeks!

Is your favorite EYE SHADOW almost empty? Break what's left into a powder and mix it with a drop of eye cream, you will get a cream shadow!

I hope you like my ideas and that you find them useful!

Thank you for reading me, and if you want more, please don't forget to follow me by email or by joining my blog! (you have the links to the left side) 

Take care and keep smiling!

oxox

Roxana

PS: If you have other tips or ideas about saving your fav products, please let us all know in a comment! I would love to hear them!

Good things against eye-wrinkles

All of us are being bombarded every day with all kinds of commercials for skincare products, which are said to contain this or that ingredient, but, as probably most people, I don't always know what is a specific ingredient supposed to be doing for me. I don't mean the complicate chemical ingredients listed on the boxes of the skincare products, but to the more simple ones that appear even on the front label of the package and that are also mentioned in the commercials: "the X cream with the Q10 coenzyme" or "Omega 6 and essential fatty acids" and stuff like that.
So I looked some of these ingredients up, for myself, and I thought I would share with you:

 1. The Q10 Coenzyme. It is a powerful antioxydant, which increases the oxygene amount inside of the cells, destroys the free radicals and prevents the ageing of the skin. (What are the "free radicals"?? Not "free square roots" like in Maths, no. It's all Chemistry here! A free radical is any atom or molecule that has a single unpaired electron in an outer shell. While a few free radicals such as melanin are not chemically reactive, most biologically-relevant free radicals are highly reactive.For most biological structures, free radical damage is closely associated with oxidative damage. - wikipedia)

2. Hyaluronic Acid.  It is a natural protein which can increase its own volume in water 1000 times, therefore it can fill the wrinkles on the eye area...or any area for that matter. 
  

3. Ester-C. It is a combination of minerals and Vitamin C, which stimulates the collagen production. 

4. Essential Fatty Acids. The skin needs them to maintain its integrity, to stay moist and to be able to counterract the negative effects of the sun. Omega 6 is a hero when it comes to fighting against wrinkles. 

5. Vitamin E. It heals the redness, protects the skin from the UV rays and stops the dry skin from peeling.

6. Green Tea. It is rich in antioxydants and has got anti-inflammatory properties. Also, it helps the skin maintain its elasticity.

7. Peptides from Proteins. They are essential proteins that stimulate the collagen and elastin production, for a more firm skin.
(the pics are only informative, I don't promote any brand)
Oh and one more IMPORTANT thing: NEVER use the face creams in the eye area, because their ingredients will cause, in time, more damages than benefits! Always use a cream formulated especially for the eye area!
To prevent the irritations of this sensitive area, the dermatologists recommend using creams with the same PH as the PH of the tears and with a lower amount of active ingredients. Unlike the face creams, the eye creams don't have any scent and they are more emolient.
 
Hope this helped!

Thanks for reading me, stay pretty!

oxox
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 

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! 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

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

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

New YouTube Video! Yay! I finally managed to resume making videos! Go me!!

So this is what I pretty much do every morning, to take care of my face! At times I slightly change the products, for example when I don't have breakouts or blackheads (because this routine does work, so there are times when I am free of those!) I am using a different foundation. Actually I am rotating 3 or 4 foundations, function of the state of my skin and of whatever I will be doing that specific day. For example, if I am to go out and be out or busy for a long time, I would use my Estee Lauder DoubleWear.
It took me years and years of trial and error to get to this skincare formula. I used hundreds of products and these are the ones that really work. Well, they do work for me, anyways.
So I am gonna break down the video here and explain more as I prefered to make it without talking. And talking needs to be done! :))
I am starting with cleansing my face, I try not to use water but in the days when I have a breakout or when I was out somewhere polluted or with alot of dust (then I use the Effaclar Gel Moussant Purifiant for Oily Sensitive Skin and rinse it off with water), and only in the evening of course, cuz in the morning the skin is supposed to be clean from the night makeup removing process. So I clease the excess oils with La Roche Posay's Effaclar Purifying Lotion for Sensitive Oily Skin (they seem to have a real pleasure in changing the names of their products, though, last time I bought it was named Lotion Micellaire.. but is sure the same product). After that, I apply a toner (Effaclar Lotion Astringente Micro-Exfoliante, aka Exfoliating toner, which is also from La Roche Posay and made for acne-prone skin). Yes the La Roche Posay products are GREAT for acne prone sensitive skin, the best products I have ever tried and I did try hundreds, believe me! They are not some fast remed that will cure your acne in  day but they do work great in time when used right and regularly and they prevent all skin problems because they are so gentle (not drying or harsh) but effective.
Next step is the eye cream, which I use religiously at times even 3-4 times a day, and it sure works because I am 32 and I only have a few very fine lines under my eyes, while everyone else I know my age already has goose wrinkles at the corners of the eyes and little bags underneath... In the video I was using Avene Ystheal + which is great, but I also use La Roche Posay "Redermic +" for Sensitive Eyes (which I have, grr!). Next, for when I have any spots or pimples, I apply Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Spot Treatment gel on them. This is a great product but you must apply it before your face cream or it won't be as effective anymore.
To prevent and treat the fine lines, I apply (only locally) Diadermine Intense Age Repair Day Cream, but I cannot say this is an amazing product, is good but I guess any other anti-wrinkle cream would work because I pretty much use it to prevent the wrinkles, I am not sure how it would work if one would actually have those wrinkles and would wanna get rid of them. I apply it on all expression fine lines, around my mouth, between my eyebrows, on the forehead, etc.
Now time for the main face cream, and this is a fab product, good as spot treatment, blackhead prevention and correction, hydrating and also a great foundation base. It even helped me with the cystic acne, little nodules that were forming under my skin and I wasn't even able to pop them! Grrr. I know is not good to pop them but I was doing it.. So I apply Effaclar DUO Correcting and Unclogging Anti-Imperfection Care all over my face. Vichy has got such a cream too, anti-imperfections, but I used it for a few months and is not even by far as good, it was kind of drying my face too much and sucked as makeup base.
The next step is the foundation, that I cannot go out without because I am paranoid about the spot marks and other ugly lil shadows that I have on my face. In the video, as it was specially made as acne prone skin care, I am using my Clinique S.O.S. Anti-Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup, which is a fabulous foundation, lasts long and doesn't get greasy, but it does get a bit patchy at the end of the day, unless you take care of it with blotting paper or powder. It has a great effect tho, sure prevents spots and blackeads and keeps the ones that already exist under control. I don't like to use it when my face is clear tho, I rather use my Chanel Matt Lumiere then, looks a bit more *fancy* :)
Last step in my routine of making my face look as good as it can (except for the makeup) is the concealer, and my absolute all time favorite would be the Helena Rubinstein Magic Concealer. Excellent product, has a great finish, doesn't crease, doesn't run, stays put all day and doesn't dry the eye area. is really fab! And you can believe me because I have tried a few tenths of concealers too! lol. Of course when needed I would add concealer on the visible spots too but this time was no need for that, the foundation did a good job.
So that's about it, now if I would wanna go out looking like a *good young girl* I would be only putting on some blush and maybe some tinted lip balm, and that would be about it. I am not too much into the *good young girl* look tho, so I add alot more makeup to that! haha
Well, I hope some people find this useful, and if you do, please comment and ask more, if you wanna know other tips and oppinions!
oxox
Roxana

New addition to my Chanel makeup family!

Somehow this "handsome guy" made his way onto my bathroom cabinet shelf!

His name is Chanel Mat Lumiere, and is a fabulous foundation! That I have been chasing since ages (in this case, months means ages!) because I could never find the right shade! All the shades seemed so yellow-ish, and I need pinkish beige! This one is the perfect match for my skin, the shade is called No 42, "Petale"! Whatta sweet name :) I have been wearing it all day and I only had to blot it once (my skin gets very oily in the T zone throughout the day so I always have blotting papers with me everywhere). I am impressed, is alot like my Estee Lauder Double Wear but feels way lighter! The coverage is not as full as with the Double Wear but I prefer it like that, especially now that it's very sunny outside and any foundation can look like a mask if you don't apply it in a thin and carefully blended layer. And I can always use concealer for the areas where I need more coverage. I love the way it looks on my face, is dewey but matte, if that can be, and also very very lighweight! I heared the girls at Pixiwoo (http://www.youtube.com/user/pixiwoo) raving about the Chanel foundations for a long time now but I was always like... *oh well their skin is perfect, they don't have anything to hide, like I do!* But now that my skin got a bit better with the pregnancy (Thank God!) I thought I have to give it a try! I was so frustrated cuz I couldnt find the shade, untill now!! Yay! Expensive, of course, but I am already used with the idea that my face and my feet need EXPENSIVE stuff. Face cuz I have sensitive acne prone skin on it, and the feet cuz they always get blisters in most shoes unless they are very soft and well made. Oh well :)
Done with this post :) oxox
Roxana