F&F

Another theory blog post? Oh yeah, I'm on fire! :)

I've found some fun beauty facts recently and thought I might them with you.

I bet there are at least 5 facts in this list down below that you didn't know. Scroll down if you're eager to know them!

Did you know:

• Studies have shown that the lipstick sale goes up on a rainy or cloudy day.
• Women use upto 2kg of lipstick.
• 40% of women own 20 lipsticks, but only 1% actually throws their lipstick away.
• You leave about 5% of the lipstick you're wearing behind on glasses, mugs, clothing and men.
• They say 'Blondes have more fun', but did you know they have more hair on their head than any other girls. Blondes have about 140,000 hairs, brunettes have 110,000 and red heads have "only" 80,000.
• The first polish ever made was produced in China. It was a mixture of egg whites, bees wax, gum and colored powder.
• 40% of women are satsified with their feet depending on the look of their toe nails.
• Women stopped dieting after 5 weeks, 2 days and 43 minutes.
• 75% of women who have nonsurgical procedures done such as botox, hide it from their family and friends. More than half the women don't even tell their partner.
• 96% of women have skin problems. Dry skin (43% ), acne (30%) and wrinkles (22%) are being considered as annoying.
• Glass may block out the UVB rays, but 50% of the UVA rays go right through it and it's UVA which causes ageing... (To read more about UVB and UVA, click here to read more info I've written)
• 95% of women have cellulite Yes, even thin women!
• 97% would change a party on their body if they could. 82% would replace their belly, 62% would change their thighes, 50% opt for their bum and 37% pick their upper arms. 
• The longest hair someone owned was almost 3 metres long.
• The skin on your body has about 19,000,000 skin cells. 
• Going to be wearing make up ages your sking by 7 times.

Hope you enjoyed this post! For more requests, comment below :)

NOTW: Too Too Hot

Hello all! 

It's been a while since I've posted up a NOTW post.
This doesn't mean I have kicked off of polishes, no no, it means I was just too lazy to post them... I should be ashamed of myself, I know!

Below you'll find a picture of me wearing Essie's Too Too Hot:

Essie - Too Too Hot

It's a true summery color: a creamy red coral color that can only make you dream about summer!

It applies liked heaven: 1 coat is enough to have it opaque and it lasts for about a week. I couldn't ask for more!

Think this polish will be my best friend for 2014's summer :)

Make up products come and go...

Hello everyone,

It's been a while since I've posted a pure text blog post on my blog, so thought I'd surprise you all :)
I'm sure not everyone who's passioned by make up thinks about how long they can keep their favorite product in their make up bag.
It's important to emphasize that all make up products have an expiration date. It's not easy to follow how long you've been using a certain product. Most people keep their goodies until they're dry, don't apply as smooth as they did in the beginning or just keep using it until it's empty. (ow yeah, empties blog posts!)

Enough intro, let's talk business :)

• Foundation

As for liquid foundation it is recommended to keep these stored about a half year to 1 year in your cupboard. Ingredients can dissolve or change causing this not give the same result you had when applied for the very first time.

• Blush

Powder blush can be stored rather long in your make up trolley. 12 to 18 months is a good amount to keep these in your collection. Remember that going in with a blush brush is far better than going in with your fingers, as hands always carry bacteries (yes, even after washing them!).

• Mascara

From all make up products, I think this is the one you should pay attention to the most. This tube gets very close to your eyes, and an eye infection is not cool at all. Mascara's can dry out easily as well form opening and closing it and those who push their brush into the tube constantly makes it dry even faster. If you're doubting whenever the expiry date is and it's dryer than normal or doesn't apply or give the same result, it's no longer good and it is recommended that you throw this away. They stay good for about 3 to 4 months.

• Eyeliner/lip liner

Liners are pretty much the survivors of the entire bunch. They can last up to 18 to 24 months. Yes, almost 2 years! Most liners contain ingredients that make them last longer. For those who only like to wear liners, you're lucky! :)

• Lipstick

Lip stick junkies can keep their items from 1 year to 1,5 year. Most people (not hoarders) can use their lippies up before expiring. It can be more dry than normal, but texture and pigment will remain just as good.

• Nail polish

This one's for all my polish people in the house :) Did you know that you can keep varnishes up to 2 years? I'm sure you've noticed a yellow varnish comes to the top when not used often. Just shake it up upside down and you're good to go. Inspite of some better quality varnishes, some can expiry faster than others. If it's dried out, you can put a drop of thinner and you're good to go again.

A great tip would be sticking a label mentioning the date you opened the product for the very first time. Just add the amount of months/years et voilà :)

Have fun experimenting, just remember to stay hygienic. Think we'd all rather throw way products than having an infection because you kept on using something far too long. Choice is yours... :)

First Aid Beauty: Ultra Repair Cream

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know by now that I have a combination to oily skin. But when I went to NYC, my skin dried out like nothing else. My l'Oréal gel moisturiser did not help at all, so I had to find a solution which hydrated my skin without making it burst out into oils.

I found the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream at Sephora. I've heard about it onlline and it has gotten a lot of good reviews, so I thought I'd give a fair chance. If I didn't like it for my face, I could still use it for my body.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

As soon as I opened it, I was surprised it looked like a thick cream. Yes, it would give back the moisture I need, but will it make me look shiny as well? Luckily it didn't. It's probably due to the cold weather I had there.

Back in Belgium, where it's not warm but not as cold in NYC as well, I tried this out on my skin.

I must say, this cream does absorbs fairly quick and well. I'm quite pleased with this product as I will be able to use a cream. Me! A cream! :)

It's fragrance free, free of parabens and it's safe for those with sensitive skin.

I bought a travel size as well in case I would like it. Turns out I kind of love it! I'm also bought the cleanser, which received good reviews as well. I'm excited to give that one a try and I'll keep you all posted on it!

Mario Badescu drying lotion

Yes, I'm back :)

This time I'd like to write about a rather hyped up beauty item that has gotten a dozens of good reviews and has been a HG for a lot of beauty gurus out there. I'm talking about Mario Badescu's drying lotion.

Basically it's a skin care product to treat acne.

Mario Badescu drying lotion

On the picture you'll see that the bottom is pink and the top has a yellowish clear color.
You don't shake the product before use, but you dip a cotton swab into the bottle and get a little bit of the pink solution (because basically, this is a acne treatment), take it out and you'll see the pink residu has a layer of the yellow oil. You dap this diretly onto the blemish and you'll let it dry, that's it. You do wash it off the next morning, unless you like to walk around with pink dots all over your face :)

This is supposed to be one hell of a product which is suitable for all skin types.
I have to admit, I used it a couple of time, and I must say: this did dry out the pimples I had and it did its job.

Does it work? Yes, it does.
Is it worth the hype? It is a good product, but there are other products out there that can treat blemishes as well.
Will I repurchase? I would if it were easy accessible.

Up to you to decide whether you want to give this baby a shot :)

NOTW Plumberry

And I'm back with a NOTW, oh yeah!

This week I've decided to go for a sultry look: a nice deep red by Essie :)

Essie: Plumberry

This red seemed like a pinkish red. This looks a bit more pink than She's Pampered, which is more of an oranged toned red.

I've discovered I'm more fond of the blue toned reds. The texture is creamy as well and 1 layer is enough to get an opaque color. I'm not sure whether I've gotten a bad bottle, but I've found this Essie more runny than the ones I get in Europe (Belgium).

I still like the color, and I'm sure I'll get a lot of wear of it, but the texture is just a tad too liquidy for my liking.

Besides this, loving it! :)

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 :)

Review Dior Creme de Rose

If you've known me for a while, you'd know I'm a lip balm hoarder. I LOOOOOVE me some lip balm. Whether they're cheap or expensive, I'll give them a fair chance to convince me :)

After reading and watching so many people talk about this item, I just had to get the Dior Creme de Rose lip balm.

Dior - Crème De Rose lip balm

This is a little pot with a pink cream in it. It has a slight rose fragrance to it, but nothing too much that will overpower it. It does leave my lips soft and the texture is quite pleasant. It's a thick texture, which reminds me of vaseline.

Next to this, it does have disadvantages:
the price for once. Dior products aren't cheap, and neither is this one.
Secondly, it's not very hygienic. Unfortunately you have to dip with your fingr in the pot to get the product out.

It claims to be a smoothing plumping lip balm.
I do have to admit it does makes my lips rather smooth after having some of these magic on my lips.
But as for plumping, I don't notice anything at all.

Is it worth the hype? 
I don't think so. This is very expensive for a lip balm. It's not hygienic enough, and although it does softens the lips, it's not worth the money you spent.

It actually kind of reminds the Nivea lip butters. It's a thick texture, a pot where you need to dip the product out. You do get more from the Dior, but for the price you pay, that's the least you can expect.

I use this every time before I go to bed, so my lips can absorb the cream overnight.

I'm sure I won't repurchase this, but I will continue to enjoy this :)

NOTW La Vie En Rose

Hello there my beauties!

It's been a while since I've post a NOTW! That doesn't mean I've neglected my nails (aside from my blog, I know :()...

During one of my many shopping sprees, I noticed a very subtle color, yet special enough to have caught my eye. It's a Deborah Lippmann polish:

Deborah Lippmann - La Vie En Rose

It's a very simple pastel pink when you take a first glance at it, but if you look closer you'll notice the purple sparkles in it. LOVE it!
It makes me feel extra femine, if the pink doesn't do its job already.

I do have to mention I did apply 3 coats to get a rather satisfying opaque look, which I didn't anticipate.
I was hoping it to be more opaque quicker, but oh well :)

It's not my favorite polish ever, but I do like it very much to recommend it to any polish lover out there. Do you have this polish in your collection? What do you think of this beauty?

Favorite products of the month: February 2014

Hey hey! Welcome back to my blog and today I would like to share my top products of the month. Since I was on holiday for half October and half November, this will combine my fav from both months :)

I've been loving my L'Oreal Triple Active Fresh moisturizer for combination skin. If you haven't read my review on it, please click here to give it a read. It's a gel-cream formula that will moisturize the face. Since the weather has been cold since October in Belgium my skin couldn't go through the days with a light gel formula. It clearly needed something heavier. I even dare to say that I like to compare this to the Biotherm AquaSource gel for combination skin. L'Oreal, you surprised me with this one! Very good!

L'Oreal Triple Active Fresh gel cream

Another face product I've been loving is the Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil for combination or oily skin. This is an oil that you put on your face to treat the oils on your face. Yes, you got it right. Use oil to fight oils. This has worked against my blemishes and I have to say that this keeps my oils at bay. I always wanted to try out a Clarins product and when I saw this was on sale I was excited to try it out, not knowing whether it was a good product or not. I did some quick research on the spot before buying it and it turned out for the best for me.

Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil

I've been on the look out for a gently cleanser. I've done a lot of research and the products of which people say it doesn't dry out the skin, it does with me. Until I came across this Kiehl's cleanser. It's a gel formula and foams up as soon as it comes into contact with water. This actually does cleanse my face without stripping the oils of the face. I can actually walk another 5 minutes around without having that feeling that my skin is getting tight. I got this goodie in my Deauty box, and I'll planning on purchasing this as soon as I'm finished with this sample.

*Kiehl's*

I can't have a favorite-product-of-the-month-post without including any lip balm. This month the crown goes to Maybelline Baby Lips (the American version). I've been liking all 3 I bought: Hydrate (blue), Intensive care (yellow) and Cherry Me (orange). Hydrate is on my desk to apply during the day, Intensive care is on my night stand to apply before going to bed and Cherry Me is in my purse to rock that subtle red color on my lips. They're affordable, cute, hydrating and have a lovely scent to them. Baby Lips, I welcome you in my heart :)

Maybelline Baby Lips

Well, I guess this is it y'all. Go ahead and share some of your favorite goodies with me in the comment bar below. Until next time! :)

Products I've used up January-February '14

Hello hello there!

I haven't posted anything in a while, but that doesn't mean that I haven't rigorously been using my beauty products. December, January and February have been very satisfying months when it comes to empties actually. Let's get right into it, shall we?

Lioele Auto Eyebrow

Lioele Auto Eyebrow in dark gray has been my HG eyebrow pencil for quite a while now. It's specific shape fits the eyebrow perfectly to color them in, and the color is just a perfect shade for my dark hair.

Fairy Drops Scandal Queen mascara

As for the eye balls, I have used up another Fairy Drops Scandal Queen mascara, because... they're awesome :) I like the fibres which make my eye lashes longer, the pigmentation makes my lashes look darker, the brush gives it volume and the waterproof formula holds up my short stubborn lashes. What more can a girl ask from her mascara? You can click on this link to get you some long lashes in a tube :)

L'Oréal BB Perfect base coat

L'Oreal Paris' base nail polish is a drugstore brand, but I think we all agree that it's not because it's a drugstore brand that's necessarily bad. Au contraire mes amies! This base polish has prevented my nails from turning into yellow and the consistency is just as good as a Chanel base coat, only I paid about 3/4 less money. Complaint? I don't think so!

Sally Hansen nail polish remover

Polish and nail polish remover go hand in hand of course. I've used this Sally Hanssen polish remover for a few months and I admit that this is one of my favorite polish removers so far. It gets the job done, it doesn't dry out my nails thanks to its moisturizing ingredients and the smell is way better than most acetons.

Batiste Tropical

Batiste Original: travel size

As for my hair, I often change my shampoo so my hair doesn't get used to a certain shampoo. Unfortunately my hair has its own way of life and likes to go to grease ball land every other day. To avoid washing my hair too often, I use dry shampoo on a regular basis. I have grown to like Batiste's dry shampoo. Here's the original and tropical version. I really like the original version, because there's no scent to it and it makes my hair like it has just been washed. If you'd like me to do a review on it, please comment below :)

Elvive Nutri Gloss hair mask

Next to using dry shampoo vigorously, I have finally used up my hair mask by Elseve. Man oh man, I don't often use hair masks treatments, but I have had that jar for YEARS! :D

This are the empties for this post. I'm already working on my next stash of empties, no worries :)
See you soon!

Hits & misses Jul-Dec 2013

Hi everyone!

Thank you for tuning back in and let me start off with wishing you all a great (and huge belated) 2014. I've been SO darn busy that I have neglected this blog like I never did before... Shame on me!
Anyway, a new year has begun, so this means turn a page and let those new, fun challenges begin!
If you have any resolutions, please share them in the comment bar below, I would like to know them! :)

Let's get back to business and kick off the year with a hits and misses of the passed couple of months. If you haven't read my former blog post on hits&misses, don't be shy to give it a read here.

Hits

Let's start of with za face. It may sound weird, but I have the feeling my skin has never been as oily as it has been the past year. I've used blotting sheets like crazy. And if I'm using them, sometimes I'll need 2 papers to get all the oils off! Whenever I'm in a beauty related store, I check out their mattifying sheets, because I like to try out a bunch of those papers. After using the Clean&Clear for a couple of years, I thought it would be fair to give other brands a try as well. Sasatinnie, Catrice, Suki, ... They've all lived in my make up bag. They've all done their job. Frankly, no matter which brand it says on its packaging, as long as it takes the oils off, I'm one happy lad!

I've used high end concealer, and yes, they're good, but I could not longer spend so much money on something while I've found a drugstore version that works just as well. I'm talking about the Catrice's camouflage cream. It's cheap, it has a high coverage and it works with my yellow undertone. What more can I ask from a concealer?

You know I love my lippies :) The passed year I have experimented with lip stuff like crazy and man oh man, have I fallen in love with it. I'm talking about the Bourjois Color Boost glossy finish lipsticks. They're in the form of a big fat crayon that you use to color in the lips. The pigmentation is great, they moisturize, have SPF and they're quite cheap for a lippy.

Another lip item I would like to mention are the Maybelline Baby Lips. These have been raved about for years and the company has finally decided to make its way to Europe as well. I have recommended them to my friends who aren't really into make up and they have fallen head over heels with it! Coincidence? I don't think so!

Misses

As for the face I couldn't stand the sunscreen by Avène. It has a SPF 50 and it's supposed to be for people with normal to combination skin, but somehow this leaves my face a little bit sticky and it makes me oily as an oil can! Luckily I received free samples, so I didn't spend any money on these sunscreens.

Occasionally, I like to put on eyeliner if I got out with my girls. Unfortunately this drugstore eyeliner hasn't done good to me eyes. This is by Essence and I bought it for 1€, I guess I can't complain then, huh? This didn't make my eye any red, but it did clog up the pores on my waterline. Yes, that's actually possible! It left me with a little reddish bump that hurt a little bit, but was more annoying than painful. I wasn't sure whether I did something different to my beauty routine, so I gave this a second try. I threw it away as soon as it happened again. Never again!


This was the very first blog post of the year 2014. Let's make it a wonderful year filled with make up and nail polishes! :)