NYC beauty haul

Hi everyone!

If you remember well, my last haul was a beauty haul from Thailand. If you haven't read it yet, click here to give it a read :) This time I've got another interesting beauty haul from the other side of the world: New York City baby!!

I went ALL OUT to get myself goodies, so let's jump right into it, shall we

Here you'll see my little beauty collection I got from  Victoria Secret/Pink (their junior line).

I got 2 body mists, a pink glittery nail polish and a rollerball of one of their best sold perfumes: Night.

Since I heard so much from US drugstores, I just had to drop by a Walgreens to get me some stuff :)

• Yes To Tomatoes moisturiser 
• Aveeno Postively Radiant moisturiser with SPF30
• Bioré Pore Unclogging Scrub
• It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product Keratin
• Maybelline Mega Plush mascara
• Essie polishes
• Tweezermans
• Tresemme's heat protection spray
• Eye shadow palettes: CoverGirl and Wet 'n Wild
• Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

3rd stop: Sephora, oh yeah!

If there's one place I splurged like a nut, it's Sephora. We don't have a Sephora in Belgium, we used to have one in the Netherlands, but unfortunately they've decided to break the Dutch beauties hearts and remove all Sephora's (all 2 :p)...

• Fragrance samplers are a great way to introduce scents without splurging a ton of money. There's a voucher included as well to exchange one of the rollerballs for it: I got the Viva La Juicy rollerball.
• Boscia luminizing black mask
• First Aid Ultra Repair Cream (travel size)
• First Aid Deep Cleanser
• Deborah Lippmann La Vie En Rose. I've already posted a NOTW on this polish. If you want to see how this looks like, don't hesitate to have a look.
• Butter London polish
• Fresh Sugar tinted lipbalm
• Boscia blotting sheets
• Shiseido eye lash curler
• Sephora dual end brush: powder and blush
• Dior Serum Maximizer
• NARS eye shadow palette: Charade
• NARS concealer: Custard

You haven't shopped in the Big Apple, unless you've stopped by Macy's :)

• Tarte Maracuja Oil
• Simple exfoliating wipes
• Maybelline clear mascara
• L'Oréal polishes
• Benefit Porefessional primer
• Benefit They're Real mascara (sample size)
• Maybelline Instant Age rewinder 
• Milani blush: Luminoso
• Revlon eye shadow palette
• Benefit PoreFessional: Zero Agent Shine

And my last stop was at Bath&Body Works. I wanted to shop here for a couple of years now, but unfortunately they don't ship to Belgium. I was extremely excited when I ran into a Bath&Body Works. This is what I got: 

Paris L'Amour: fragrance mist, body cream

Cherry Blossom: shower gel, fragrance mist, body cream

5 hand sanitizers: Pink Chiffon, Paris L'Amour, Cherry Blossom, Sweet Pea, Market Peach

I have to admit, I never went that crazy with buying beauty stuff as I have been this time. 

I got very enthusiastic when seeing all goodies I've been seeing in video's all these years, and finally... I could get them myself, in person!

Hope you all like this post. I'll be posting some reviews on some of the items, but if there are some you'd like me to post my thoughts on, you can go ahead and comment in the bottom box below :)

Thailand haul

Hi everyone! I just got back from Thailand abut a week ago and I have done a little bit of shopping in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. I thought I'd share my beauty haul with you all, so let's go :)

Beauty haul

I wasn't quite sure which drugstores I'd ran into in Thailand, but seems like Boots is very popular there, so I just had to explore the store!

First thing I ran into were these blotting sheets. I've been using the Clean&Clear blotting sheets for years now, but I'm always on the look out for cheaper versions. These are the Aiko and the Gatsby blotting sheets.
I've heard the Gatsby are just as good as the C&C ones, so we'll see whether they can match the more expensives ones. The Aiko I just got because they were cheap :D

Gatby & Aiko blotting sheets

Next up are the cleansing strips by Biore. If you haven't heard of them yet, they're black nose strips which you stick to your nose to get rid of the blackheads on the nose. I think they're one of the better nose strips on the market for now.

Biore nose strips

You all know by now that I'm a lip junkie, so I jut had to check out their lippies. I ran into a Baby Lips Belgium hasn't released, which is the mango pie fragrance.

Maybelline Baby Lips. mango pie

Right next to it was the Maybelline Color Bloom lip balm, and since I've never heard about that I just had to grab it as well to give it a try.

Maybelline Color Bloom

Honestly I don't wear much blush, but everytime I see a pretty color on the shelves, I just can't restrain myself and I have to have it. This powder blush is a matte peachy color.

Revlon blush: Perfectly Peach

I got really excited when I saw this lying on the shelves: the Soap&Glory Hand Food. I've heard so many good things about this hand cream. There's a very sweet scent to it and reminds me of Dior's perfume.

Soap&Glory: Hand Food

My last item I got at Boots is the Cetaphil moisturiser. It's supposed to be a lightweight moisturiser with SPF. And after hearing so many people rave about this product, I just had to give this a go as well.

Cetaphil moisturizer

My next stop to do beauty shopping was 7/11. It's a little supermarket that sells pretty much everything: from food to beauty, they have it all.

I used products by the brand Ponds before and although I'm not their biggest fan, I really wanted to try out some of their facial products.
The pure white was very gentle on the skin and I quite liked it.

Pond's Pure White Deep Cleansing Brightening Facial Foam

Because I liked the product mentioned above, I wanted to get myself another Pond's product. Since I like mattifying products, I couldn't keep my eyes off of this facial foam, because of the words mineral clay. I used to experiment with clay before, but the results didn't turn out as I wanted them to be. We'll see what this can do to my face.

Pond's Oil Control Skin Mattifying Facial Foam

As I had a day off (no activities planned) I decided to had a pamper session and do my nails. I went and got a polish remover by the brand Joy Us. I can't ay it's the best polish remover ever. but it did the job...after a while :)

Joy Us nail polish remover

As I was in a hot country, I bought a deodorant. It's funny to see that the deodorants we have in Europe are the same in Asia, only Asians added the words 'extra whitening' to their products. Yes. Asians still like to be as pale as ever. It's all about their status after all...

Nivea Extra Whitening Anti-Perspirant

After hearing so any raving about this product, I just couldn't be left behind. This is a daily scrub to remove blackheads. It's a white creamy texture with yellow micro beeds in it.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub

On my last day I found out I had some 7/11 stamps left. 1 stamp equals 1 Baht, and since I had 31 stamps left over, I decided to use them up before leaving Thailand. I got 2 Clean&Clear miniature sizes of their Essentials line.

Clean&Clear Esentials: Foaming Facial Wash - Oil Control Toner

I also got a polish by Revlon, which I got at a very big drugstore. I don't really remembered the name, but most big brands were very cheap. Frankly, I don't have high hope for this polish but we'll see.

Revlon Nail Enamel: 220 Provoke

If you had noticed, I only bought products which are all or Western or Eastern, everything except Thai. Well, I accidentally bumped into Oriental Princess. This is a little boutique which has only beauty items that is as Thai as can be. I've heard about this store, and as it is affordable, it's not super cheap as in most drugstores. I got the Acnemise, an oil free moisturising gel.

Oriental Princes: Acnemise

On my last day we had some time to spare at the airport. Amd what do you do to kill time at an airport? That's right, you go duty free shopping :)

The first thing I picked up was an eyeliner by NARS. I've heard so many good things about this, and since my eyes are quite tricky to please, I splurged on a high end eyeliner to check whether it's worth the hype.

NARS Larger Than Life Long Wear Eyeline: Via Veneto

Second thing I got is another eyeliner, but this time it's a cheaper alternative. This should supposedly stay on for 16 hours, so I just had to put this one up to the test.

Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner: Charcoal

When I was already planning on leaving for my gate, I saw this in the corner of my eye and I was sold immediately. This is a travel exclusive little box containing 5 Baby Lips (jumping up and down).

Maybelline Baby Lips

And last but not least, I knew I would make a loss should I change my Bahts back into Euro's, so (and this may sound dumb), but I tried to use up all of my Thai money. When I saw this on the shelf, I've been hesitating to get it but I decided to pamper myself :) This is the V&R set: perfume, body lotion and shower gel. Although it's not much cheaper as in stores, unfortunately most stores are out of this set. (Yes, i was a valid excuse for me to get it)

Victor&Rolf Flowerbomb

This was my Thailand haul. I was hoping I would get much more, but I'm quite pleased with the end results after all. If you want me to do a review on any of these products, let me know in the comment bar below :) Lah gorn!

Beauty meets food: Oh honey, honey, sugar sugar

Honey, just a delicious sweetener, or is that much more?


Let's go over some of the home remedies you can make with some honey:

• Hair: Have you been out a lot during the summer? Is your damaged from the UV rays, chlorine and the humidity? Well, let's pop out a honey mask to bring some shine and to take care of those split ends you have. Mix 1 cup of water with 2 table spoons of apple vinegar, 5 drops of rosemary oil and 1 tea spoon of that delicious honey. Leave it in for about 10 minutes, rinse it off and welcome back shiny hair!
• Face:
• Lips: Who doesn't dislike dry, chapped lips? Take some olive oil, brown sugar and a bit of honey, mix it up and scrub away! Your lips will be ready to be kissed like it has never been kissed before :)
• Scrub: Personally I like scrubs with bigger beeds in them, it makes me feel like my skin is actually being cleaned. But some of you prefer scrubs with the tiniest beeds. Instead of going out to the store and buying one, why not make one yourself? At least you're sure of what you're putting on your skin, right? Take your lip scrub, add some lemon juice and apply it to your face. This will get rid of the dead skin cells and it will leave your skin as smooth as a baby's bottom.
• Breakouts: Honey is antibacterial which will take on the impurities in your skin. Redness will reduce when honey is applied to sooth the inflammation.
• Body: 
• Throat: If you mix some pure honey with water (and maybe a tad of lemon juice), this can soothe a sore throat.
• Bath: Did you know that legend has it that Cleopatra loved taking milk&honey baths? Milk contains AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) which can make the skin more firm and smooth. Honey contains enzymes will make the skin softer. Who needs fancy bath bombs if you can take a bath in Cleopatra style?
• Wax: Sometimes you just don't have the time to go to the beauty salon and get something waxed. You can make your own wax by mixing water, honey and brown sugar (lemon juice can be added if desired). Cook the sugar and water until it's caramelized, add the honey (and lemon juice) until it has reached it's boiling point. Set it aside and let it cool off before using it on your body.
• Scarves: Scarves, you're stuck with them for the rest of your life once they have appeared. Put on some raw honey, cover it with a bandage. Remove it the day afterwards and clean the skin.
• Sunburn: Although you should always wear sunblock before going out the door, a sunburn can always occur. Apply some honey to the sunburns to alleviate the pain.
• Moisturize: Add honey to some shea butter and you have just created your own moisturizer.

As to my first question... It's so much more than just a sweetener :)

Beauty meets food: Oh my hair smells like chocolate

tyyu!è § ,wsftyké:àç!èyktkazeee v cpmoi

Oh, I'm sorry, I was just wiping the rest of the chocolate away that fell on my keyboard.
For real, who doesn't likes to eat chocolate from time to time. Ladies? Don't you hide now, I need you to back me up on this one.

But hey, for all you chocolate lovers out there, did you know that eating chocolate is actually healthy! YAY! I'm not saying that you can finally justify eating tons of chocolate, but it has got some benefits that I think you should know. Let's jump right into it, shall we?

• Hair
• Dull: Let's start off with a dark chocolate hair mask? Sounds good? All you need is honey, yoghurt and dark, unsweetened chocolate. Wrap it up with a plastic foil so the mix can do its job. Rinse it off with cold water after letting it sit in for about an hour and hello shiny hair!
• Length: Dark chocolate contains iron, calcium and 10 kinds of vitamins and minerals. By eating a tiny amount of dark chocolate on a daily basis (yes, every day!), you'll get much healthier and stronger hair!
• Skin
• UV-protection: Have you ever heard of flavonoids? They're like antioxidants that can protect your skin from sunburns, redness and other signs of damage caused by UV. Did you know that you can actually recover and moisturize your skin with dark chocolate after it has been exposed to the sun?
• Anti-ageing: Cocoa in chocolate can reduce the stress hormones, which means that collagen won't go anywhere, and that means less wrinkles.
• Dry skin: Remember that dark chocolate contains iron, calcium and 10 kinds of vitamins and minerals? Well, these make sure that your skin is being nurtured as well which will give it that dewy look you always try to create with your foundation and highlighter.
• Body
  
  • Heart: Guess what helps to protect blood vessels from rupture, enhance the activity of vitamin C, prevent inflammation of the body? Yes! Flavonoids! These can actually lower your blood pressure and reduce your cholesterol by up to 10%. 
  • Mind: Did you know that dark chocolate can actually serve as a feel good treat? It can give you that mental boost whenever you're in need of it. It stimulates the production of endorphins, which are chemicals in the pleasure section of the brain. Next to endorphins, we also have serotonin which acts as an anti-depressant. No wonder we gravitate towards chocolate when we're feeling a bit down...

Whenever it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Well, in this case, it's actually false. Chocolate is good for you, especially dark chocolate. Can I get a whoot whoot!! *cricket noise*

Anyway... Do you know any other chocolate secret that you use in your beauty regimen?Go ahead and share with me, because I'll be more than excited to try it out!

Announcement beauty meets food series

Hi everyone,

This blog post will be rather short.

I would like to announce that I'll be posting a short series of articles this week about home remedies with ingredients you can easily find at home. These posts should help you in how to improve your beauty regimen.

I was inspired by reading recipes in magazines and thought of how some of the key ingredients cannot only be used to feed the body but also to take care of the body from the outside.

People have published a lot of articles on these ingredients before, but these has been given the true Mistletea-stamp to it (aka: these might work better on some of you than others. There are remedies I've mentioned that I haven't tried, but I've heard or read a lot of experiments and information from friends, magazines, beauty salons, etc. I did try the majority of the remedies and they did work on me)

Should you be interested, keep those eyes peeled for some beauty-meets-food information :)


P.S.: Should you recognize any of the songs in the upcoming post titles, go ahead and tell me in the blog post's comment bar below!

My makeup story

Hi my beloved blog readers!

This blog post will not be a regular 'here's-what-I-like-to-share-with-you post, but be aware that this will be a text post on how I fell in love with makeup.

Growing up with 2 older brothers didn't exactly encourage my femininity to come out of me. I often played with the typical boys' toys such as lego, cars and action figures even after being spoiled with Barbies, dolls and all that jazz.
My mom and my aunties used to bought me dresses to dress me up. I never actually REALLY enjoyed wearing dresses, but being an '80 girl, I had to work with what I got!
One of my first makeup memories was - like most girls - going through my mom's make up collection. I remember pulling out a dark red nail polish out of it and asked my mom to help me painting my nails because I couldn't. It made me feel so proud... If only I knew it was ugly as heck :D

Until the age of 19 I didn't act much of a girl...
I liked my baggy pants and never thought about acting ladylike or whatsoever. So I'm sure you get it that makeup didn't interest me at all.
When I was in college I remember seeing these doll like girls who were more occupied by their makeup than by their studies. The only makeup thing I was interested in was my performing well at school (and my lip balm because I didn't like the feeling of dry lips, haha!)
I do have to admit that by seeing these girls doing their make up, wearing sexy dresses, talking about what new make up items they bought, ... it lit a little fire inside of me. I didn't act like them, but I did start to pay attention to what I looked like: getting a new hair cut every year, looking for what clothing suits me, learning about my skin type, ...

During my college years I discovered the following (in that exact order!):

• eyelash curler (drugstore one which broke off the majority of my lashes, causing me to walk around lash less for weeks!)
• moisturizer (Nivea moisturizer which turned out to be way too greasy for me)
• concealer (drugstore one as well and was way too pink for my skin tone)

After graduating I was finally prepped to take a step into the grown up world: to get a job.
That's when I did some research on 'how to become presentable for dummies', haha!
I finally got my hands on a Shu Uemura eye lash curler, an Olaz (Olay in the States) moisturizer targeted for combination to oily skin and a concealer with a yellow undertone. I was good to go folks!
It wasn't until the age of 22 I actually started to act like a true girly girl.
I wore dresses and skirts (voluntarily!) and wore a teeny tiny bit of makeup (as in moisturized, curled my lashes, concealed and put on some lip balm). 

But now the interesting part you've been waiting for:
I discovered makeup when I was 24 (knowing that I'm 26 for the moment, that hasn't been long at all!)
It all started when I got unemployed for quite a while. Spending all those hours on your computer was very tiring and you know how it goes: whenever you need to spend your time doing something useful, you start finding all sorts of distraction. My distraction was Youtube.
I accidentally bumped into makeup video's and saw these girls talking about how they put their makeup on, how they did their hair, what new makeup items they bought, ... I got sucked into it LIKE A FOOL, hahaha!

That's when I started to collect makeup items as well. I'm lucky enough to get to travel to Hong Kong every few years and buying makeup there was so exciting, because they're Asian items that Europe and the States don't have. I'd have the best of ... three worlds, right?
It was confusing seeing the brands' name change depending on which continent you are. I started recognizing product which were performing the same, but had a different name.
As I watch a lot of American beauty gurus on Youtube, I know what the name is in the States. Living in Belgium makes it easy for me to find out what the European name is and being able to travel to HK, allows me to compare those with the ones I've heard about from the other side of the world. That's why I started this blog, to introduce the people to all makeup items from 3 continents!

By now my makeup routine has changed tremendously, but I'm sure this beauty blog proves it all. I truly hope this blog post doesn't push you to put makeup on, because it has just become something that happens to interests me. I'm glad to share my knowledge with my friends, but I do have to admit that I still don't wear a ton of makeup as some of my friends do... Let's just say that I'm still digging the natural look, and let's keep it that way for the upcoming years, shall we? :)

Best of Deauty boxes

Hi everyone!
Glad to have you back there to pay my blog a visit :)

As you've read the title you're probably interested in this Deauty box. If you're not sure what it is exactly, please find here the link to my blog post to have some more information on it.

About a half year ago I discovered the Deauty box and ever since, I've been addicted to these little boxes that I decided to get a subscription on it.

I'm not going to review each and every product in each box, no. What I would like to do is share my favorite products of all 9 boxes I've received so far (although Deauty's success kicked off at September 2012, I only started Deautying in October 2012).

If you're interested in what's in every box, here's a sneak peek to all the products they've sent to their Deauties. I do have to say that they don't send out ALL the products that are being displayed on the picture. Depending on your beauty profile you have filled in, they'll send you products which will correspond to your needs the most. So don't think that they've ripped you off by giving you less products than displayed on their website. They're just showing you the collection of products they've chosen from to send over to your house.

Anyways, let's get this started, shall we?

Shu Uemura Art of Hair - Essence Absolue Nourishing Protective Oil - 30ml

I think Shu Uemura is known for their 2 best selling products: their eye lash curler and their hair oil. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this little bottle in my first Deauty box!

I apply some of the oil on the ends of my hair after washing it, and nourishes the ends and gives a lovely shine to it. 

Make sure you don't apply too much to keep it light. For those with oily scalps, don't apply it near your roots.

Full size: 150ml - 49,00€

 Kiehl's lip balm #1 - 15ml

This lip balm put Kiehl's on the map. It's a lovely translucent lip balm that will moisturize and give your lips a pretty gloss look. I've been using it ever since I received it, and if I keep on using a certain product, it's a definitely must have product!

Full Size : 15 ml - 8 €

Catrice Ultimate Color Lipstick 260 It's A Matte World

As Gwyneth Paltrow said: “Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.”

I never dared to buy a red lipstick. I'm still on the fence if I'm wearing my rather sheer red tinted lip balm, haha!

It has a very creamy texture which doesn't dry out the lips. I love that this is a matte lipstick, because honestly, you can make anything glossy if you want to, but not the other way around.

Although this is a drugstore product, I have to admit this is a great product to have received in my Deauty box!

Full Size: 3,8 gr - 3,99€ (FYI: I was given a full size product)

There were many more products in the Deauty boxes, but I haven't had the opportunity to use all the products because it was just too many too try out :D

It's worth the spent money, because you get more valued products than you actually pay.
I'm really glad that I discovered this box. Hopefully many many years to come Deauty! :)

Discover your beauty, that's their duty after all :)

To make up or not to make up

Hi (healthy) co-beauty obsessed fans :)

Today's post is going to be slightly different...
No pictures, just pure raw writing on a blank canvas.
I was inspired to write this by a Youtube video and a certain TV show I saw yesterday.

If you've read my blog posts, they're mainly about how I like or dislike a product, or how much I suggest or don't suggest you to try out a certain product.

I have to admit, I may mention a lot of beauty products, but honesty (if you would really know me) you'd know I don't wear a lot of make up AT ALL. I'm all about the natural look. If I go out I do wear some eye brow powder, mascara, concealer and lip balm. If I'm going out I may add some eyeliner and blush. And if I'd stay in I wear lip balm, that's it.

I like make up, I do, very much. But, I don't feel comfortable wearing tons of make up.
Yes, I like to experiment, and yes, I like to put on some make up to see how it works, how long it lasts, ... but after a half an hour I'll be wiping it all away :D Just because, I like to let me skin breath and I dislike the feeling of make up sitting on my skin.

It's funny how make up can change lives.
When I was young and all my friends wore make up, I felt comfortable in my own skin without any make up. I would be the last one to put on some make up (to fit in) because it just wasn't me... It felt like putting stuff on my face to cover myself. No thank you.

Nowadays, I love make up. And I'm sure I own much more make up than all my friends together. But do I ever wear it? No. I know it's not healthy as well for splurging money on products I don't actually use.
On one hand, I want to be able to use it, so I can make my money's worth.
But on the other hand, I know people can actually get addicted to make up.

There are plenty of women (and men) who don't dare to walk out the door without wearing make up. Women who wear make up to exercise, to do chores around the house, to do groceries, ... Women who don't feel like themselves without any make up.

Come to think about it...

Are you one of them?

I know I'm not...yet. But I'm afraid that I'll be one of those women once I keep on using make up. Afraid of walking out that door, and be scared of looking the people in the eye because my eyelashes aren't curled, or terrified people will be staring at my red blemishes.

Let's be real: no one can be that superficial. Can they??

I know it can be different for those who have severe acne. I've heard stories about girls who are terrified of going out without make up because they're so self conscientious of their skin, and who end up being anti-social.
Honestly, I had acne when I hit puberty. A lot of acne, which left me with acne scars all over my face.
Sometimes I do look in the mirror and sometimes I can feel insecure as well. My advise for this? Get over it and try to live with it. It's a part from you now. If you feel secure enough from within, you won't even think about those acne scars anymore, which will give you instant confidence boosts! It'll make you think: hey, people actually like me for my personality, and not for my foundation or for my blush.

For those out there who can relate to me, make sure you have some makeupless time in the week, even if it's just for a few hours. It'll do you good, and believe me, your skin will be grateful to you as well.

For those who like a bit more make up than me... Try to go out without make up: walk around block for 5 minutes and go back. You'll notice that no one will make fun of you, no one will be staring at you for not wearing make up, no one will make a remark on it. Frankly, they wouldn't even notice because they're living their own lives.

I strongly advise young women to give this a go.
We all know that being conscience about how they look hits the younger generations as well. Unfortunately this generation is getting younger and younger.
Recently I overheard a little 6 years old girl asking her mom whether she looked fat in her dress or not. Honestly, it broke my heart a little...

Let's face it, the world is changing into a shallow place. Adding the media, peer pressure of looking good and insecurity tops it all off.

I'm not trying to be a hypocrite: I love make up, try this, try that versus don't wear make up, you're shallow.
Yes, I like make up. But, I don't need it to go through the day. I can live without it. Look at make up as a supplement, not as a requirement. Very cliche, but beauty is so much more than what we all see on the outside.

Have a wonderful day, I truly hope that this blog post has made you think twice before applying make up :)

Eyelash curlers: to have or to have not?

If there's one beauty item I can't live without, it would be eyelash curler!
It's an item that can totally change the way you look!

For all those beauty newbies out there, buy yourself an eye lash curler! Trust me! It opens you look in an instant and if you look around in drugstores, you CAN get yourself a cheaper but a good one!

I have pretty stubborn eye lashes, they're the typical Asian eyelashes which are short, stick straight and pointing down. In other words, they're one of the suckiest lashes out there :D

An eyelash curler was my first beauty buy when I just started getting interested in beauty related thingies. I used a ridiculous cheap curler and my eye lashes punished me by falling and breaking off... I guess I learned to appreciate those short eye lashes over having no lashes at all, hahaha!

I started to do some research and found out the Shu Uemura was a holy grail for a lot of Asian people out there. I decided to invest in a Shu curler, and man oh man, did I fall in love with it!

Shu Uemura

It has a comfortable handle, it curls well (which makes my lashes !!long!!) and it can be used for several years. This curler is an HG!

After using it for a few years, I decided to keep an eye open for cheaper versions but have the same curve and I came across with this...

Cyber Colors

I must say I'm pretty impressed by this.
This is the Cyber Colors eye lash curler that I got at Sasa, an Asian drugstore (as in Target, Ulta, Walmart, ... in the States).  I even dare to say that it can be compared to the Shu Uemura one, except ... this is WAY cheaper!

Here's a picture of both eyelash curlers next to each other.

Shu Uemura - Cyber Colors

As you can see, the Shu Uemura has a more curving wand and I was kind of hesitant to use this, because I've used cheaper ones before and they eventually pulled my eyelashes out (not a pretty sight if you already don't have a lot of them!). But, it has the same curling effect, the handle is comfortable to use. The only (maybe) downside is that the CC's cushion doesn't last as long as the one from Shu, but hey...you're paying almost no money for this curler!

For the moment, I'm loving both and can alternate between them both. Since I didn't pay much for the CC, I'm more comfortable carrying this one around in my beauty case without being scared of dropping, losing (though I hope I don't!), breaking it. As to the Shu, I prefer leaving that one at home where my beauty case stays put and doesn't need to be carried out and about :)

Best of 2012 TAG

Goodbye 2012 and hello 2013!

I've seen beauty guru's doing this tag and I thought: "Why not? Let's start this year's blog with a tag called 'Best of 2012'. 
And oh, I tag everyone to do this tag! If you do, don't be shy to share the link to your fav's of the year. Let's jump right into it, shall we? :)

My Favorite....

BEAUTY
1. Face product

Nivea Ideal Finish Mattifying powder: 04 sand

A drugstore mattifying powder. No matter how much you put on, this doesn't get cakey. I usually powder my face lightly after applying some concealer and leaves it mat for about 4 hours.








2. Cheek product

Benefit Coralista blush

I'm most of you have already heard of this blush, if not you already own this one!
I LOVE this blush!

It's a gorgeous corally color with some light shimmer to it. As soon as you apply some of it on your cheeks, it gives your face a certain glow (a nice glow, not the greasy looking glow!). And yes, you can build this color up to get some vavavoom on your cheeks!

This blush will suit a wide range of skin colors, so you can't go wrong with Benefit's Coralista!




 3. Eye product

Fairy Drops mascara

This mascara has become my holy grail. It gives volume, it lengthens and yet, it makes it look natural as the eye lashes are your own. I'm loving the waterproof version as well. A must have in my beauty kit!






4. Lip Product

Maybelline Baby Lips

As most of you already are familiar with Maybelline's Baby Lips, these Baby Lips came out in Asia. They're not exactly the same though.

The Asian ones aren't tinted lip balms, they just hydrate the lips like hell :)

Unfortunately I haven't got the chance to try out the US versions...








5. Skincare Product

Bioderma Sensibio H2O

This toner has gotten a lot of hype on the internet. It's a toner which I use to remove my make up with, or if I'm not wearing any make up, I'll still use this to freshen up my face. In spite of my combination skin, I 'm using the one for sensitive skin (which I have as well). I have just read a lot of good things about the red bottle (sensitive skin) compared to the green bottle (combination skin).







6. Nail Polish

Sasatinnie - Rose

I bought this polish when I was in Hong Kong. Unfortunately I can't seem to find this on the Sasa website. It was 'buy 1, get 1 50% off'.

It's a gorgeous corally, pink color that's great during spring and summer.

You know I LOVE my polishes, but if I can only choose one for the year 2012, it has to be Rose.








7. Hair product

Biosilk Silk Therapy

This hair serum should be applied on towel dried hair and makes your hair freakishly soft! :D I like the scent because it's non-chemical and not overpowering. A must try!






8. Body product/Perfume

Christian Dior perfume: Addict To Life

I'm very bad at describing fragrances, but this smells sooooo good! I had to cheat and look up some words to describe the scent: rose, floral, slightly woody, fruity, musky and sweet. I have definitely fallen in love with this perfume and am considering of buying another bottle (which I have never done :O)
Only downside? This is quite expensive...






FASHION
9. Clothing piece

H&M skinny jeans

Man, have I lived in this pants during 2012 :D
They're a skinny low waist jeans, but do stretch which makes it comfortable to wear this pair. Often when I wear skinny jeans, it can get quite uncomfortable because it's just too tight. Thanks to the 2% elastane, it makes it wonderful comfy! They do have some distressed details, which makes it more "edgy" ;)












10. Accessory

ASOS glasses ring

 



 I got my pair from an asian website, but apparently these can be found on ASOS as well. You can easily bend this ring bigger and let it fit appropriately to your finger. There's quite a wide range of colors you can choose from: red, black, blue, white, even gold!
A cute accessory, for almost no money, and which will give that umpf to your outfit!








11. Pair of shoes

New Look boots

I have a pair in camel color, but unfortunately (after wearing them a gazillion time), they're worn off. Thanks to a friend, who was still a college student at that time, I used her discount card...mwoehahaha! You can easily style these boots with pretty much anything: with skirts, dresses, skinny jeans, ... Loved these!



RANDOM
12. TV Show/Movie

Dexter

This is without a doubt Dexter. For those who don't know the show, it's about a loveable blood spatter analyst who works for the Miami police department. During his secret life his dark passenger (himself) kills criminals who got away by the legal system. A quite addictive show that knows how to keep the tension!








13. Book

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

For those who don't know me very well since I only talk about beauty stuff, I'm a huge sucker for books :)
I have always loved reading (except when it was obliged at school, haha!). But this year, I accidentally picked up the first book of 50 shades, and didn't know what to expect at all. After finishing the book and liking the story, I suddenly noticed a lot of hype around this book. My friends asked me whether I've heard of this book, seeing a lot of commercial in the book stores, ... Then I found out the 1st book I bought was part of a trilogy. I bought no2 and no3. By then this book became viral, all my friends kept talking about this book, people talking about this on television, ... It became HUGE! I loved the books. I read them in Dutch the first time, but I read the books a 2nd time in English, just to compare, because books are never translated exactly the same.
E.L.James, I'm sure you didn't know what was coming at ya girl!







14. Food

sushi

 I learned how to make sushi early 2012, and I've made sushi whenever I was in the mood for some raw fish :)









15. Beverage

SPA water

I had to taught myself to drink water, since I used to be a soda junkie.
I have to admit: I like drinking water and only drink soda whenever I need some sugar. I can't imagine going through a day without drinking any water. Only downside? I only drink SPA water (Belgian brand)... Water all the way!







16. Song

Emeli Sandé - Our Version of Events

The first time I heard Read All About It, I fell in love with Emeli's voice. I started to get into her and looked up some songs. Around the beginning of April, a friend of mine invited me to go to her concert. I didn't hesitate for one second, and man oh man, it was the greatest concert I have ever attended! I've already bought another concert ticket for 2013 and I'm soooo looking forward to it! :)








That's it beauties, wish you all a happy new year! May 2013 be even better than 2012! :)

Discover beauty

Hello everyone!

I'm sure you've all heard of Birchbox, the Little black Bag, the Ipsy Glam Bag, ... As a beauty freak I've read/saw tons and tons of reviews on these beauty boxes. These are subscriptions to a certain site where you pay a fix (and low!) amount of money and every month you'll get a box filled with beauty goodies in it. GREAT idea! Only downside? It's only for those beauties who live across the world! :(

Then, one day, I started reading the newspaper and saw a little add on the new Belgian beauty box, called Deauty.

Deauty stands for Discover Beauty. I didn't want to post anything about it before trying it out. In the meantime I've received 2 Deauty boxes, and I must admit...I'm pretty impressed by the goodies! Deauty mainly cooperates with brands such as Biotherm, Clarins, Essie, Kiehl's, Shu Uemura, ...)

Just make sure you create your own beauty profile (what type of skin, type of hair, ...) and you'll get your monthly box with approximately 4 to 6 beauty products. Sometimes I even received full size products, so I do think it's worth the money for trying out new goodies.

Here below you'll find the pictures of the boxes I received. Now, since I've already used most of my products, I had to use the pictures from their website www.deauty.be.

They've put ALL available products on these pictures. This means I didn't receive all these products. Depending on your beauty profile, you won't be able to try out products which aren't meant for your skin or hair.


Deauty box October:

This is a picture from their website.

I received 6 out of 8 from this box:

• Biotherm serum (full size)
• Biotherm for combo skin
• Kiehl's lip balm
• L'Oréal mascara (full size)
• L'Oréal eye liner (full size)
• Shu Uemura hair oil

Deauty box November:

This is a picture from their website.

As for the November box I got 6 products:

• Kiehl's Ultra facial cleanser
• Kiehl's Ultra facial cream
• Paul Mitchell super skinny serum
• Nails polish corrector pen by Jean Marin (full size)
• L'Oréal Youth Code luminizer serum
• Clinique High Impact mascara

As for the quality, I must say they're pretty darn good :)
I'm sure I'll be continuing my subscription with them and maybe surprise a friend by gifting her Deauty boxes!

I'll try to review them as soon as I receive them, but I hope you understand I wanted to make sure they were good stuff before I post anything about it.

Until then, see you later Deauties!