My Favorite Face Oils

I have concluded that my dry skin doesn't really react that good to creams, moisturizers or serums. What I have discovered is that my skin LOVES natural oils and butters!  
So here are the oils that are very good to my skin, especially through the winter months.

Argan Oil: is what I use on a daily basis now. It's perfect as a make-up base also. You wouldn't think it is because well...it's an oil. But it has no oily residue and your skin just feels moisturized a few seconds after applying it.
I use it before going to bed and in the morning. Especially in winter, you need an extra barrier against the cold and I find this to be ideal.
By now, I would suppose we all know what argan oil can do, having great anti aging properties and moisturizing gorgeously. Another thing I do with it is apply some on my hands and hair before going to bed. It really reduces the need for hand cream and in the hair department, it really helps with keeping it from drying out, especially with long hair like mine, where the tips are always at risk.

Apricot Kernel Oil: I use this more in summer, as it's lighter than many of the other oils and doesn't mind the heat. I've written a review about it HERE where you can read all about the great things it can do.

Rosehip Oil: I like to mix it with other oils, but when I use it alone it gives my skin an incredibly gorgeous glow.This one also falls into the category of oils full of antioxidants and anti-wrinkle/aging properties. I prefer to use it at night, after cleaning my face, because at night your skin is at its thirstiest and will appreciate the help even more.

And now, to the heavy duty oils

                          
Avocado Oil: I use this oil, like the next one I will show you, when I need extra moisturizing. It's not an everyday kind of oil, not even for insanely dry skin such as mine, because it is very effective in what it does and there's no need to overdo it. When I feel I need an extra boost of vitamin E and hydration I got for the avocado oil. 
If you have acne or itchy skin, it's even better, since it will soothe your skin.
And if we're talking super antioxidants, this oil is definitely the place to go. 

I saved the bast for last, as you do, and that is

Pomegranate Oil: When I don't use it as a face oil, I use it as an eye cream. Honest! This is my ultimate dry skin savior, as only one use on the face will cure any dryness.
This oils has the best wrinkle fighting, age signs reducing and hydrating properties of all. That's why it's also perfect for the skin around your eyes.It has a very thick texture so you will need very little of it. 
Pomegranate seed oil adds moisture, anti-oxidants, is anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, improves skin elasticity, and protects the skin. It provides relief from minor skin irritations and inflammation, including dry skin, eczema, psoriasis and sunburned skin.
I'd like to add it in the "great oils" category and is definitely a huge favorite.

If I'd have to chose, I'd probably always have Argan and Pomegranate oil with me.

Whatever oil you use or plan on using, make sure they are unrefined and as little messed around with as possible, or else many of the benefits or the oils will be lost.

Do you use any oils? If so,which ones? I'm always looking for more!








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DIY Lip Tint

Lip Tint mania is upon us, but I personally have trouble fining a color I like and most times,the colors are too generic. So why not just make your own shade?

You'd be surprised how easy it it to make it, and the truth is, you probably have all you need at home or can pick it up today quite easily. 
So let me take you through 4 easy steps!                       

STEP 1
Get some Vaseline. As you can see, I also put Shea Butter in this picture because you can use Shea Butter too. You just need to use a hand mixer and mix it with some olive,jojoba,argan,avocado or any other yummy oil. The process take a bit longer but your lips will LOVE it! Just mix them together until you get a paste.

STEP 2
Get some food coloring. I happened to have a number of them at home, like for example pink and red. You can use any color you want and even mix them.

STEP 3
Scoop some Vaseline or Shea Butter into a plastic container.

STEP 4
Pour as much or as little food coloring into the Vaseline and mix it. I recommend mixing with a chopstick or a toothpick, depending on how bug your container is.

And VOILA!

You will have your custom lip tint to enjoy!






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All About The Beautiful Marseille Soap

Let me tell you the story of the most beautiful soap I have ever used.

It's girly, it's lush, it smells incredible and it is so good to my skin!

Le Savon de Marseille, or simply Marseille Soap in English. This soap has been made in France (in Marseille, as the name says) for over 600 years now and the recipe has pretty much stayed the same.

It's made from just vegetable fats and oils, so no animal components, which should make vegans jolly.
Traditionally, it is mixed with sea water from the Mediterranean. ( How awesome does that sound! )

I found these soaps by accident at a home decor store called Bamboo and was super excited about it because I had heard so many good things about the Marseille soap but was never able to actually find it and buy it.
I got these two: Lavander and Forest Fruit.
As girls usually do, what did I try out first? Exactly, the pinkish looking one!

I love the look they have, it really looks like something that could have been made couple hundred years ago. Nothing too fancy, but beautifully traditional.
Not to mention I jumped up and down when I saw it also had Shea Butter ( the Beurre de Karite you can see written in the upper right corner.)
If you don't know how obsessed I am with Shea Butter ( and for a good reason!) , you can read all bout the Why I Love and the How I Like to use it on the links right there.

I used to be absolutely fascinated with this Shea Butter and Adzuki Bean Soap but I have to say ... this one beats it by a mile!

Like I've repeated so many times, my skin is super dry, and with the weather and temperatures changing, it got an extra boost  of  "oh no,it's getting drier!"

But my skin didn't even feel remotely dry! AND it makes the most lush foam! I now basically look forward to showering so I can cuddle with the foam. The softest, most delicate foam you will have ever touched!

Not to mention that one day I just decided to see what happens if I foam my face up a bit too. Well, what happened was that my eyeliner and mascara made a very clear disappearance from the scene.
I would have never thought it removes make-up so well too!

And the smell....oh the smell! Incredible! I'm super fussy with smells but this one won me over in a second!

I am generally of the conviction that soaps are much better, less ingredients, less bad stuff going on your precious skin.
Not to mention you get much better quality for a comparatively low price if you take soap vs shower gels.A super gel will cost you much more than a super soap.

This has definitely become one of my must have products and I think it will take a very special shower gel to ever convince me to give this soap up.



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Matte on Shiny Nails

This is still Nail Week and since it is, I decided to show you a little twist on a manicure you might have seen in my post about Nails on my To Do List .
There were so many pretty things in that post, some of which I've managed to pull off, like the Swirl Nails and the Swirl Nails Tutorial that went with it.

Well, now it's the time for some matte on shiny action.
Looking at those names, I'm starting to think it could be the name of an adult film so let's keep an innocent mind and proceed to the actual manicure.

I took a black polish, then used a matte top coat on the entire nail and then added some shiny strips I already had.
Now of course, these were strips, but you can also just use tape to make your actual strips.

What you have to do is:

• paint your nail with a normal black polish
• let it dry completely. I recommend 30 mins to 1h
• cover the desired areas with tape 
• use a top coat on the areas that are not covered with tape
• remove tape and end up with shiny stripes from what the tape covered and where the matte top coat didn't get to.

My Tip: 

If you're using really sticky duct tape, stick it on the palm of your hand a couple of times so it loses a bit of its stickiness and won't come off with half of your polish when you pull it off.

ALSO

Don't pull it off like there is no tomorrow. Do it gently or else you might again end up with the base polish moving right along too.


If you're having any tape trouble let me know, because I can easily make a tutorial on both getting the strips I used and on getting the manicure without the strips.

Hope you liked!




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The Perfect Ginger Tea

It's autumn, have you noticed? I do believe you have.

That means there's a big chance you started overdosing on hot beverages, much like myself. In my quest for awesome teas, I've come across a ginger root and while staring at it, I started thinking "You could go in my cup,couldn't you?". And it did.

Ginger in a Cup I called it, later realized it wasn't the most appropriate name and renamed it Ginger Tea. Lack of originality galore right there, but we can't be all cannibalistic with gingers in cups, can we?

In any case, I wish to share my new discovery with you, because not only does it taste good, but it's also healthy and might save your life in case of colds.

You will need:

The Ginger: preferably a root, not a human
Lemon: can't really be mistaken for a human, so I think that one's a safe description
Honey
Boiling Water

What to do with it:

• First up,cut some ginger root slices. You can slice, dice or whatever other shape you wish to give it, just try to cut it relatively thin so that the flavor comes out easier. I put about 3 slices in the cup
• Pour some boiling water over the ginger slices and let it sit for at least 3 minutes
• Add your lemon first and then the honey. There's no right or wrong here, add as much or as little of both as you wish.
• ENJOY!

I've been overdosing on this tea for the past couple of days and I've only toned the consumption down because I'm slowly running out of ginger. But it's definitely one of my favorites now and I think it's going to be a staple drink this winter!

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Organic Rose Water Face Toner

I am someone who is VERY careful with what touches her face. I've been lucky enough to not have problems with it and intend to keep it that way.
The one thing I couldn't control or reverse are the years I spent in the pool with swim training, surrounded by face destroying and skin drying chlorine.
So now, all I can do is try to keep my newly dry skin happy.

I normally use organic oils, like The Amazing Apricot Oil I posted about, or just as organic butters, like Raw Shea Butter that I was also praising a while back.

I think that the more natural, the better. This brings us to my newest favorite: Organic Rose Water

Like I said in the post about the apricot oil , it's always best to get your products as close from the source as possible.
Bulgaria is known as being the world's biggest Rose Water producer, so when I got this in Romania ( which borders to Bulgaria) I was lucky enough to pay considerably less than if I had gotten it anywhere else, if I would have found it to begin with.

This thing is beautiful! It has one ingredient: Roses , which is right up my alley when it comes to keeping the ingredient list short. You can't really beat one ingredient,can you?

I use it every morning on my face. I don't wash my face anymore, I clean it with rose water and my skin looks like I had been walking in fresh air for hours.

Benefits:

• Some say that rose water is a source of antioxidants, which can help strengthen skin cells and regenerate skin tissue. It is said to be especially good on sensitive skin types (such as my face).
• Those like myself, who have dry skin, can use rose water as a moisturizer. The natural oils in the petals trap moisture and the sugars found in the rose water have a soothing effect on the skin.
• Because rose oil has anti-inflammatory properties, using rose water can help in reducing the redness from irritated or over-heated skin. Of course if you have rose oil at hand too, add a drop of that and you get extra points.
• It is a great cleanser and removes oil and dirt accumulated in clogged pores. That's why it's perfect for preventing acne and pimples.
• It has astringent like properties (closes up pores), which is why it is used after facials and clean ups to close open pores. 

I say you give it a try if you can, if you can't get hold of it, let me know and I'll try my best to help you!

And I don't know if you've seen it yet, but I'm holding my First International Giveaway where you can win some of my favorite products!

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Picking Eyeliners

When it comes to Beauty Essentials, it's mascara and eyeliners that I couldn't do without.
I've always liked that simple yet chic line across the eyelid but it took me a lot of testing before I found the perfect thing to do it with.

So here's why, I thought I could tell you a bit about each kind of eyeliner, so you might find it easier to find the one that is perfect for you.

I'm gonna post them in the order that I've used them. Like most of us, I too started out with a pencil

Pencil Eyeliners:

For a beginner, they're easy to use. You know how to handle a pencil and you can make a line somewhat easy.
What you can't do is create a cat eye look. No matter how sharp the tip, it's still too thick to make a fine line happen.
Another issue is that it smudges easiest. It's very practical for blending, but sooner or later you will end up with unwanted black stains around your eye. Because of is creaminess, it will also not stay on for too long, especially compared to other types of eyeliners.
Of course, they are an important part in creating the smoky eye look or if you want to line your waterline.

Liquid Eyeliners:

The next step from the pencil. When I discovered them,I as over the moon because I could finally do a fine line.
Obviously they aren't as easy to handle as a pencil and it takes some getting used to until you stop making a trembled line across the eyelid. What you can do with them is a thick cat eye look because their tip allows you to apply a larger quantity of color and you can fill in shapes very well. I also find these to have the most real waterproof formula. They truly don't move when they are waterproof.

Felt Tip Eyeliners:

These are the ones like the Lancome you can see on top of the picture. Because they come in pencil form,they are much easier to handle than the liquid eyeliners that come in a pot.
You have to test out the formula though because I've experienced some very sheer ones that looked more grey than black when applied. So look for one that is truly black.
They are a good pick if you want to make subtle lines and for cat eye looks.

Gel Eyeliners:

I'll go ahead and say that these are my favorite kind. They give you a very intense black color and are very precise in applying as you can use the brush of your choice to dip and create the look you want.
Another great thing about them is that they stay in place and last until you take them off. You will also,almost never have a gel eyeliner smudge.


Hope this helped you a bit in finding the right liner or just getting to know more about the other kinds of eyeliners out there.

What kind do you use?

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DIY Lip Scrub

I think each one of us has had someone tell them at least once that lipbalms, chapsticks and other lip moisturizers of the sort can cause addiction. It's true, if you constantly use them on your lips, you disrupt the natural cycle of your skin and then it ends up "asking" for them.

The natural circle consists in your skin being renewed and the dead skin cells being ditched and replaced by new ones. 

If you allow that to happen and stay hydrated, you will never feel your lips dry again. 

BUT we all know that today everyone uses something on their lips on a daily basis. This something forms a layer on them and prevents the dead skin cells from leaving the premisses. That in turn, makes your lips feel dry and as a normal reaction you moisturize some more. Talk about a shiny, lovely smelling vicious circle!

Here's what you CAN do:

If you are going to use balms anyway, then at least help the skin cycle a bit. You can do that by scrubbing.

The same way you use body scrubs, you can use lip scrubs.

The main difference is: lips are much more sensitive so don't go rubbing salt on them as that is very coarse and rugged and you will be cursing the day you've done so!

And why wait until you purchase a lip scrub if you already have all the ingredients at home and can make one yourself?

This is why, I will give you an easy breezy solution to stopping the dry sensation and making your lips love you even more.

What You Need:

1 Tablespoon of Sugar + 1 Tablespoon of Honey

Step 1.

Put you sugar in a little bowl where you will be able to mix it without it falling out. I used Muscovado Sugar because it's quite fine but you can pick any sugar you like. Because it melts quite easily, you don't need to worry about damaging your lips. Sugar is the ideal candidate for a lip scrub.

Step 2.

Get a tablespoon  of honey. You can add more if you like it more liquid, it's all up to you.

Step 3.

Mix sugar and honey together. Ideally with a toothpick or a chopstick, something thin in any case. Because it isn't a large quantity, it's unpractical to try and mix it with a spoon.

Step 4.

Rub it on your lips with circling movements. You should feel the sugar scrubbing your skin and once you've done that you can either eat your scrub ( it is just sugary sweets after all) or rise it off with lukewarm water.

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My Absolute Beauty NO-GOs

I think all of us have our pet peeves when it comes to beauty and beauty products. I'm sure each of you has at least one of those things that will make you go OH NO! and will result in making you less than happy.
Well,so do I.That's why I made a list of the things I really dislike, be it the attributes of a specific product, the frustration that some others give,or simply things that I cannot believe can happen to someone who says they like beauty and like to take care of themselves.

To the right, you can see my TOP 6 "Please don't!"s, starting with my personal frustration and obvious incapacity of applying mascara when you give me a rubber brush and ending with the cringing that always happens when I see people walking around with chipped nail polish, or even worse, just a bit of nail polish remaining on their nails!
I'm going to go into detail with each of them as we go along, and I'm going to be very curious what your pet peeves are, once I'm done.

Rubber Bristles on Mascaras and Plastic Hairs on Brushes

They wanna make me use all those things but I said No,No,No!

1. I mean it! Don't give me a mascara that has rubber bristles. I might not be good at applying it, or my eyelashes simply don't fully understand its good intentions, I really do not know, but I can tell you that my lashes never look good when such a mascara brush touches them. They end up clumpy, stuck together, and all in all not too pretty. I always get a feeling that they are super heavy and it's very uncomfortable. I've tried. I've tried time and time again to give it one more try, but it just doesn't apply right. Sorry rubber bristles, but I don't like you.

2.  I suspect I'm not the only one who isn't a fan of plastic hairs on brushes that you are supposed to apply your make-up up evenly with. It never works. The powder doesn't stick well, it does everything but apply it evenly and when you clean it, it's like cleaning saran wrap. Once again, I'm sorry but you are not touching me again.

Awful Smelling Lip Balms and The Sudden Shock in Your Hair

3. I'm a big fan of lip balms but when I opened this therapeutic little fellow I felt like I just entered a housewife's living space during spring cleaning. It smelled like orange toilet cleaner mixed with bleach and some other chemicals I can only imagine carpets are being cleaned with. This thing has never touched my lips simply because the smell put me off so bad that I couldn't even imagine letting it come in contact with any part of my body.
It's especially disappointing when you look forward to using a product and the smell is just so bad that it robs you of any and every joy you might have had. Not funny.

4. Has THAT ever happened to you? If you have long hair like me, then I'm pretty sure it has. You're just minding your own business, trying to get that hair in a pony tail as tight as possible so it doesn't move when you run to where you have to be in 5 minutes and BAM! your trusty hair elastic pops open and becomes double in size and close to breaking. Hair is not gonna sit well and you know it can and will break when you least need it to.
The imminent death of the elastic is one of those laws that Mr. Murphy would have mentioned if he would have been a woman, I am sure!

and last but not least

Inefficient Razors and Chipped Nails

5. We've all been there: jumping in the shower in the morning, grabbing the new razor we have just purchased and having high hopes that it will work with us as a perfect human-razor team, like the higher powers had intended it. Ah, but not so fast! Razor has other plans! You do a first shave just to find that half of what shouldn't be there is still there. You do another shave to find that the other half is now somewhat gone, but your skin is looking at you and asking why you've attempted to kill it. At this point, all you want to do is take the razor and throw it away, all the while wondering why can't you just do your job?

6. If you want to make me cringe, you just have to show me chipped nails and someone wearing them proudly. Still can't fully understand how someone can have no problem with the polish on the tips having  long left the building.
I intentionally chipped off my tips in the photo above and took the polish off immediately after, just in case you were wondering. The things we do for art, don't you think?

In my opinion, a manicure is done so that nails can look well-groomed and neat, not so hat they look even worse than before. I also have problems seeing nails with just a splat of color left somewhere in the middle of them. For me, it's just not pretty. Keep it tidy or take it off.

These have been my ultimate No-Gos when it comes to beauty, maybe you will agree with some and maybe you can tell me about yours! What are your pet peeves when it comes to beauty?

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Why Do Nails Break And Get Weak?

I think many of us ladies have this problem. The once carelessly strong nails have become brittle or weak and it's a pain in the butt to keep them looking pretty.Especially since they seem to really be working against you.

Such is my case too. The cause for my nail damage was that I was a swimmer and spent up to 4hrs a day soaking my hands in not just water,but chlorinated water.And that, for years. Super awesome you say? My thoughts exactly.
I sometimes wonder how they didn't give up sooner and how they were still in pretty decent shape after I stopped my training.

But,the causes are many and the solutions also. Here are some common ones:


Your nails are simply dry!
Yeah,dry. You moisturize your body,  you moisturize your face but your hands and nails need a whole lot more. Why? Because you don't wash your face 3-4 times a day,do you? Your hands on the other hand         ( wasn't that just remarkable use of stylistic abilities?) get water on them much more frequently and that just dries them out an extra bit more and takes off any moisturized that was on them.
That's why,you always have to be careful that your hands and nails are nourished.
A handy way is to always have some hand cream in your bag,that is also made for nails. I personally use one that is designed to strengthen nails also,from Vaseline,that I will do a post about soon.

What your nails will really love is oil. Don't go out and get some fancy nail oil,you can use olive oil just as easy!
The ideal oil for your nails is argan oil , but if you can't get it,olive oil will do an amazing job also!Another uber-savior is the Shea Butter You can read about it in my post about raw Shea butter .
Think about it,when your skin feels dry, you feel the need to moisturize.The problem is,you can't really feel when your nails are dry,so you need to moisturize on suspicion,but when your nails are brittle and weak,there's a very high chance that they've dried out too much.
And remember, never ever soak your nails! Wear gloves when washing dishes or doing housework that involves the handling of chemicals. Your nails will thank you!


Are you over-polishing?

And I don't mean just putting nail polish on and taking it off at a rate imperceptible to the human eye, but also buffering them and making them smooth and shiny.
You like them shiny but do you know how you get them to be like that? By taking tiny layer after layer off the top. How do you expect them to be strong when you're thinning them out?
Once a week is still okay,but do it more and your nails won't like it.
As for nail polish,well that one's tricky too. If you're like me and love changing up the color of your nails every couple of days,then you have to be careful.
Nail polish remover also dries your nails out,so make sure you use one that contains some moisturizing elements.Mine is from Byphasse and I really like how gentile it is in removing polish.

Check your supplements!
The cause of brittle nails can be the lack of some substances your body needs to work better.
Vitamin C for example produces collagen,and that is a vital substance for healthy hair and nails. Vitamin C is usually found in most citric fruits like lemons,oranges,grapefruit, if you like it the natural way. If not,there's always pills. The thing with pills is,they package the Vitamin C in such a way that the body actually absorbs all of it,whereas eating lemons might get sour and you will need a lot of it to get a decent amount of Vit C each day. With that being said, a healthy diet,with fruits and vegetables will ALWAYS have good consequences for your body!
Another Vitamin you might be lacking is Vitamin B. And by that I mean several of them ( B1, B2, B3, B6, B12) all helping you get healthy nails. What you should look for is a Vitamin B complex that includes all of the above listed B's.
Last but not least, Beta Carotene . This one might be the most important one for your nails,as it works against dry skin and thus creates a natural balance in your body and nails.

Like I've said before,it's very important to balance your diet out with some healthy things,such as vitamin packed fruits and veggies. Very awesome are : avocado (and this one is all round amazing!),mango,papaya,leafy greens,black beans,broccoli or kiwi. And also,never forget the salmon!

 Don't be biting!
A sure way to kill any nail is by biting it. What you can do is either convince yourself to stop by thinking how pretty they will look when they grow out a bit and that they will get a more elongated shape if you stop nibbling OR, if you can't bring yourself to do that, try  Orly No Bite. It tastes awful and will probably put you off from touching your nails with your mouth in the future.



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Raw Shea Butter Vs Shea Body Butter

There's so many lotions and body butters out there that have a Shea butter base,but have you ever considered checking out the real thing?
The Raw Shea Butter

In this post,I want to show you which does what ( Shea butter and Shea body butter) and which one is better in my opinion.

SHEA BUTTER

Meet the Shea Butter. This amazing African product has been used for generations by women all over their body. Shea Butter is a fat extracted from the nuts of the African Shea tree.It actually is edible and is used for cooking in many parts of Africa.

I baught 1kg of Shea butter a while ago from a certified cooperative from Ghana. If you do a Google search,you will find a lot of such cooperatives yourself . The one that I got it from is Akoma.
It comes in chunks in a sealed bag and smells incredible. It's what you would expect such a pure product to smell like.

What you need to be careful about is to get unrefined shea butter,so the one that has an ivory color. If it's white,it probably has been bleached and you don't want any chemicals on your skin,do you?

Ingredients:

As you can see,it's organic,raw,unrefined,fairtrade and made up of 100% Shea butter.

I got this for under 20 Euros, including shipping from the UK.

Pretty unbeatable price for so much goodness,isn't it?

 The Pros:

• 100% natural!
• No chemicals,parabens or ingredients that  might cause your skin to react badly
• You can use it for anything and everything: as a moisturizer for body and nails(nails sometimes tend to break because they are too dry),as a face cream,even as a hair treatment! (And I've tried them all)
• It also has medicinal properties,such as reducing inflammations and calming your skin
• It can also absorb UV rays,making it a good sunblock 
• Is easily absorbed by your skin,because it melts at body temperature and doesn't leave any oily traces, which is really practical if you're in a hurry

The Cons:

• Truthfully,I have yet to find an argument against it

SHEA BODY BUTTER

 

We've all used Shea based body butters at one point or another.It's a good ingredient for a moisturizer to have and of course,it nourishes your skin,but could it be doing less good than you expect?

I've had this Body Shop Shea Body Butter and have also used it,but after using raw Shea butter,I started finding this one a bit too watery. You clearly can't compare the texture of a natural fat with something created in a laboratory.

Ingredients:

There are more ingredients on that list but the problems that stand out are the Paraben and then the other Paraben ...
There's also the Xanthan Gum which is derived from some ingredients that may cause allergies.

The Pros:

• It's accessible and widely available
• It will nourish the skin
• Contains Shea butter,but no percentage is specified on ingredient lists

The Cons:

• Contains ingredients that can be harmful 
• Usually has Parabens in their composition
• Clearly overpriced
• Some of these products might have been tested on animals

Conclusion:

I'd definitely go for the raw shea butter!
Price-wise,you will get better quality and more quantity than you would get in a store bought body butter.

 Not to mention the fact that one is 100% natural and the other...not so much.

So when it's this easy,why not go natural and save some bunnies from being tested on in the process?

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How To Make Your Perfect Shampoo

Couple of weeks ago I was traveling and didn’t have my shampoo with me. For a few nights, we ended up staying with relatives and obviously showering/washing hair there.

This also meant, using the available shampoo.

My luck was, that there were two shampoos there and both of them sounded pretty well separately.
But they sounded much better together, which  made me think: Why not mix them?

Yep, mixing shampoo. Sounds funny but works great!

The two shampoos were  

GUHL Prachtvoll Lang  ( “Beautiful Long” thus for long hair) and

GUHL Kopfhaut Sensitiv  (“Sensitive Scalp Skin” which pretty much meant it keeps the skin on your head from drying out )

Together, they’d make a pretty great couple, wouldn’t they?
Caring for long hair and keeping your scalp from drying out. Not a lot of shampoos can pride themselves with offering that combination. Most just focus on one. Not because it would be hard to focus on more, but from a marketing perspective, keeping things simple and offering a variety of products is good for business.

This is why I did the following:

 Held out my hand, one drop of one, one drop of the other and voila ! 

The new shampoo was born!

 

 

And I must say, I was satisfied with the result!

So why not combine a couple of shampoos that fulfill your needs separately and make it into one big super awesome, all-need fulfilling shampoo ?

I encourage you to try some out if you have them at hand or go out and get the ones you always wanted to try but that weren’t  “just right”.

For example, anti dandruff shampoos only have one purpose. But if your hair is also dry, you’ll need a product to help with moisturizing ( hair masks will cause dandruff, simply because of the mask residue they leave behind). Which means, dandruff shampoo and moisturizing shampoo make perfect shampoo! 

Test and try and you might end up with a perfect hair loving wash!

And also let me know if you do or plan on doing it, I’m super curious what you’d mix!

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Safely Removing Your Eye Make-up?

Let me tell you a couple of things I've learned,especially when it comes to removing eye make-up,because that one is the hardest to do and should be done in the most gentile manner.
We are talking about eyes here,and the skin around them is the thinnest and most prone to get ruined and get wrinkles.Rubbing your make-up off like a maniac is about the worse thing you can do
 

So,here's what I do:
I used to have a fatty, vaseline based cream at hand for it but the truth is,it takes a bit of rubbing and it requires make-up pads. To my eyes,make-up pads are dry and pretty rough,so I stopped using vaseline ointment.
Wanna know a secret tho? Vaseline helps your lashes grow and get fuller.  So don't dismiss it just yet. You can apply it on your lashes before going to bed and in a couple of weeks you will see results.
But for me,other things work nicer.

Here's some TIPS:
1.ALWAYS use a make-up remover that is SPECIFICALLY designed for removing eye make-up.
2.Use oil or oil based make-up removers.They're good for the skin and they moisturize while doing their job
3.Try to use make up removing wipes,but again SPECIFICALLY for eyes.They're wet and that makes them less rough
4.IF you use liquid make-up removers then place the pads over your eyes,and let your eyes soak a bit.It will require less rubbing that way.

Here's the stuff I use. Sometimes just one,sometimes the other,but always in collaboration with the wipes :)

• Vichy 3 in 1 One Step Cleaner ,that I wrote about in the post about my july favorites.
• My own, concocted oil. It has argan,olive,orange and rosehip oil in it,amongst other oils.Rosehip for example is super full of vitamins and it has a natural UV protection factor.
  I'll be doing a post about this soon,as oils can be really great for the face.
• The magic wipes: Lately, Purex 3 in 1 Facial Wipes have been working really well for me.
• I also included the Vaseline based Calendula ointment,because it is really good for your skin and even for your eyes,just not ideal for removing make-up.

What I've just tried is:
- Garnier Clean&Fresh Eye Make-up Remover

It is liquid,which is a good thing,but it did feel a little stingy in my eyes even if it says it is suitable for sensitive eyes also. There's also a lot of parabens in it,which I prefer not to use.


I will still stick to Vichy,which is paraben free and will remove even waterproof make-up without causing any irritation to and around the eyes. It has actually happened once that I got some Vichy in my eye and was surprised to realize,nothing burned.

What do you use for your make-up removal routine?



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All Natural: Quick Beauty Fixes!

Beauty does not only mean "What products can I put on to mask imperfections?". It means caring for yourself in such a way that you will be healthy and that it can reflect on the outside.
We all know that saying about beauty coming from the inside but the process of getting that inner balance can take a while. It is also 100% worth it,so never back away from it just because it isn't a quick fix!

We also know that today,the "quick fix" is a global favorite,so I decided to show you some great quick fixes that I use. And the best part about it: THEY'RE ALL NATURAL!

Let's start with EYES

I have a tendency of getting tired eyes really fast and really often and I also get dark circles under them. The problem is,when my eyes get tired,a headache is just around the corner.
But worry not! For I have found the quickest and most effective fix for it. And when I say quick I mean INSTANTLY !

Meet The Cucumber.
This young fellow cools,calms,reduces puffiness and dark circles. Perfect you say? Pretty much!
For me,it really is the one thing that is guaranteed to work.

Slap on two slices and you're ready to go. I like to cut them progressively thinner,from edge to middle,so that the side you put exactly under your eyelid is thinner and stays on more comfortably. Like so:

We move on to the FACE

Whenever I have some time,I cut a slice of fruit and rub it all over my face. It's a fast face mask and it is 100% natural,organic and vegan. Can't get any better,can it?
Just leave it on for 10-20 minutes (even more if you have the time) , then rinse with water and gently dry your face.

My fruit of choice is The Mango.
It is absolutely packed with vitamins ( The antioxidant Vitamin A and C, plus Vitamins B1,B2,B5,B6,B9 ) And it's suitable for any skin type. My skin is fairly dry and sensitive and I can tell you for a fact that it loves the mango. My face and Mango are potential bff's.

Cut a slice and rub it all over your face. Your skin will look healthier and in case you were pale,you will get a nice color correction from it too,leaving you looking less white and more sun kissed.Quick fix or what?!

Now to show some love to the HAIR


You might not know this,but there is one thing out there that can work as doping for your hair,giving it vitamins and nutrients and leaving it strengthened and shiny.
I bet you have no idea you probably even had it for breakfast!

Wanna know what it is? Coffee!

Yes,you heard me! Coffee and your hair will get along very, very well.

Here's what you have to do:

- Make about one cup of coffee and let it cool before using it. It doesn't need to be cold,just not as hot as to burn your skin

- Take it with you to the shower :)

- Do your regular hair washing routine (shampoo,conditioner, etc) and rinse

- When you are done and have finished your shower, pour the cup of coffee over your hair

- DO NOT RINSE OFF!  You have to leave it in your hair. It is the crowing moment of your hair routine.

- Dry your hair off. If you are doing it with a towel,make sure you use one of a darker color, as the coffee in your hair is likely to leave some stains on white towels.

- Enjoy your new brilliantly strengthened hair!

I'll also do another post soon about how coffee can make your skin look amazing,so stay tuned!

Last but not least, THE ALL-ROUNDERS

I think we've all heard about this one and we've all used it on one way or another: 

Olive Oil

Nature's little all-round miracle.

I use it on my face as a moisturizer (sometimes combined with other oils also), on my nails for strengthening (they need love too), on my hair, also for moisturizing (but use small amounts,or your hair will be greasy even after you wash it off) and of course on my salad.

Just make sure it is cold pressed and bio olive oil. This really is one thing you should pay more for, as it guarantees quality,and that is something you need if you're gonna use it all over your body

One more thing you might not know about it it has a natural SPF(Sun Protection Factor).

Of course,it is not a high SPF.Olive oil has one of the lowest (raspberry  and carrot seed oil having one of the highest,raspberry between 28 and 50 and the carrot seed oil between 38 and 40), so don't go to the Mediterranean and sit in the sun with only olive oil rubbed on you.

But it can help you get a nice tan in the spring sun and it also keeps your skin from drying out. I also occasionally use it as a body lotion,but only when I have enough time to let it sink into my skin.

Another all-round product I very much enjoy is Majoram

 

This yummy spice is full of Vitamin C,D and B3 and tastes insanely good in cooked foods and salads!

What you can also do is make an infusion (aka tea:put dried leafs in hot but not boiling water and leave them for 5 minutes). You can either drink it and get some inner benefits like better circulation,or you can use it as a face wash. It's really effective in calming your skin down if it's itchy or just feels uncomfortable.

Hope you've enjoyed this first natural post and learned some new things. I have some more natural tips for you that I can share in a future post.

Stay healthy!