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?