Lieve lezer, het is een publiek geheim dat ik al jaar en dag dweep met de producten van Yves Rocher. Van jongsaf ingelepeld door la mama dompel ik me nu en dan graag eens onder in de wondere wereld van mijnheer Rocher. Het mag dan ook geen wonder wezen dat ik helemaal gek ben van de prachtige lippotloden, de Radiant Lip Crayons. Het begon allemaal vorig jaar wanneer door een samenwerking met Flair elke lezer mocht genieten van één zo'n potlood. Ware het niet dat ze vliegensvlug helemaal uitgedeeld waren en mijn gewenste kleur al vlug niet meer verkrijgbaar was... 

Maar... Gelukkig kon ik me enige tijd later toch nog de Rose Sorbet aanschaffen. En of ik er meteen helemaal gek van was! Heerlijk handig in de handtas, fantastisch mooi op de lippen, en de perfecte afmaker van een glossy zomerse look! Who wouldn't love them?

Dit jaar voegde Yves Rocher nog drie tinten toe aan het al bestaande gamma, namelijk Pourpre Lumineux, Rouge Flamboyant en Rose Somptueux. Ikzelf was meteen verknocht aan de Pourpre Lumineux. Maar ben nog sterk in twijfel om ook de andere twee toe te voegen aan mijn lippies-collectie! 

Wat denken jullie? 

Beste mensen, 

22 januari 2016 is alweer aangebroken, en daar is de langverwachte winter eindelijk! Het begint kouder te worden, en vorig weekend viel de eerste sneeuw. En ik voel het sinds vorige week reeds aan m’n handen, onderarmen en gezicht... de eerste tekenen van droge huid.
 

Dus worden de hydraterende lotions, lipglossen en handcrèmes terug van onder het stof gehaald! Hydraterende lotions heb ik in overvloed (en ik ben vast niet de enige). Lippenbalsems beperkten zich vroeger bij mij tot de Labello -collectie, maar sinds vorig jaar ben ik verknocht aan de Dior Addict Lip Glow. Wat ’n heerlijk product is dat toch! Bizar dat ik niet op de hoogte was van zijn bestaan vóór 2014. Ik wil nu echt niks anders meer!
 

Maar ik wilde het eigenlijk over handcrèmes hebben. Ook hiervan heb ik er meer dan 2, of 3, of 4... Maar ik wil je graag mijn favorieten voorstellen, en die zijn respectievelijk van Yves Rocher en van Natura Brasil.
 

Sinds jaar en dag gebruik ik de Yves Rocher Beauté des Mains handcrème. Deze crème bevat Arnica (in het Nederlandse dialect ook wel paardebloem of 'pisbloem' (sorry for my language!) genoemd), dat de specifieke eigenschap bezit een soort film op de huid te vormen die beschermt tegen "stoorzenders van buitenaf", en tevens ervoor zorgt dat eventuele kleine wondjes sneller gaan helen. Ik herinner me dat ik in mijn kindertijd tijdens het spelen (en bezeren) vaak paardebloem op een kleine wonde of zelfs over blaasjes gevormd door aanraking van brandnetels (who hasn't?) wreef om de pijn te verzachten. And it really worked! En ja, ik ben inderdaad een meisje 'van op de buiten'. :-)

Deze specifieke lijn komt trouwens in allerhande (what's in a word?) soorten en formaten:
The Cold Weather Balm enriched with Shea: komt in een cute plat potje, en staat bij mij op m'n salontafel. Heerlijk om je handen eens mee in te wrijven tijdens het tv kijken. De balsem voelt dik aan en heeft een nogal vaste structuur, maar wrijft heel makkelijk open en trekt snel in de huid. Nog geen minuut later voelen je handen superzacht aan.
Ultra Nourishing hand cream: deze crème komt in tubevorm (klein of groot), en heb ik steeds in m'n handtas zitten. Ik gebruik deze dus meestal "on the go". Op de trein of op het werk... handig om steeds bij je te hebben!

Wil je ook je nagels extra verzorgen, dan heb je misschien wat aan de 2 in 1 Beautifying Hand & Nail Cream. Deze crème is relatief nieuw en zeker wel goed, maar ik vind dat de gewone handcrème naar mijn bescheiden mening ook al zeer goed z'n werk doet op nagelgebied.
En daarnaast bestaat tenslotte ook nog de SOS Clean Hands, een ontsmettende gel om je handen schoon te maken zonder zeep of water.

Leuk om weten is misschien dat deze lijn dit jaar 50 jaar (!) bestaat, en dat de handcrèmes momenteel in collector's item editie verkrijgbaar zijn!

Mijn tweede favoriete handcrème is van Natura Brasil en betreft de Ekos lijn. Deze handcrème leerde ik kennen via Birchbox (box van oktober 2015 geloof ik), en veroverde vrijwel meteen m'n hart. Met zijn metaalkleurige tube en dopje doet de crème een beetje denken aan de handcrèmes van L'Occitane. Maar toen ik deze voor de eerste keer gebruikte... Oh my... wat 'n overweldigende intense sublieme geur! Deze crème bevat vooral Castahna Oil (of Braziliaanse noten), en zorgt voor een 24u durende hydratatie, en zou daarnaast ook de nagels versterken. Maar God, nog nooit heb ik zo'n heerlijk ruikende handcrème geroken! De crème zelf is van mediumvaste structuur en is misschien wat vettiger na aanbrengen. Maar na bepaalde tijd trekt ook deze helemaal in de huid. Van z'n werking ben ik niet helemaal overtuigd. Ik denk niet dat er voor mij veel tegen de Yves Rocher handcrèmes op kan. Maar hij is zeker en vast een leuke en lekker geurende afwisseling!

Heb jij een favoriete handcrème? Kan je er aanraden? Laat het zeker weten!

So yesterday I did a whole new makeup look on myself and I have to say I was very pleased with the result. I’m relatively new to the whole makeup / beauty blogging scene though, so please give me some credit. The products I used you can see on the picture below and I will quickly talk you through how I did it.

For preparation of my face, I started off with the Estée Lauder New Dimension Shape + Fill Expert serum. This serum has only recently launched and I was lucky enough to be selected by Estée Lauder to test it, through a campaign on someone’s blog I like very much, mostlysunnyblog. Its purpose is to redefine facial contours and lift the cheekbones and jaw lines. Like any other serum, you can use it before applying makeup or just before bedtime. I have been using it for about a week now and this far I am very pleased with it. You have to use it for at least two weeks to be able to tell the difference, so I will definitely get back to you on it!

Then I used the Be Creative Make Up photo perfecting primer. I only got this some time ago as I didn’t even know what a primer was till like a year ago. This is a budget product by Ici Paris XL, but what a difference it makes! It definitely persuaded me that a primer is indeed very effective before applying makeup. And I only used three drops!

 

Then the first thing I did were my eyes. For eye shadow I used my Jupiter Ascending palette by Pür Minerals. This is a palette I purchased online because I really liked the colours. It also holds an eye liner and a lip gloss with a light inside and mirror! Not really sure about its goal though (‘cause like, who applies lip gloss in the dark anyway?) and you can’t even see yourself in the makeshift mirror, but hey… 

As for the palette, I must say I’m not really convinced about it. The eye shadows seem nice after you put them on, but really they don’t last too long. Pigmentation is mediocre. I started off by applying the colour Jupiter just under my crease, which is a very lovely colour once it’s on the lid! I then used the colour Cosmos above my crease  and to fade the Jupiter out. In the outer corners of my lids, I used the Majesty colour. The brush that’s in the palette is not very nice to use either, as the hairs on it feel like little metal pins on your eyelids. So definitely a no. I used my Real Technique brushes instead! For mascara, I used my Chanel Le Volume mascara, and applied it just very lightly. Then I did my wings using the Pür Minerals eye liner and applied some fake eye lashes. As it was really my first time using them, I have had to redo it a couple of times but finally got them right! I guess practice will make perfect in the end! I really liked the effect they gave though! They really made my eyes pop!

 After I was done with my eyes, I noticed the eye shadow already began to fade so I had to retouch both eyes (pity!). I guess you can’t expect much about a palette that was put out for promo of the corresponding movie, but I’m going to keep using it for my stay-at-home makeup.

For foundation I used my Infallible 24H matte foundation by L’oréal in the shade 20 (Sand). I absolutely love this foundation. For concealing my under eye circles I used my brand new Estée Lauder Double Wear Brush-on glow BB highlighter, and then applied a fine line under my eyes using my Réserve Naturelle black eye pencil and the colour Night Sky on the palette.

To finish everything off and settle my make up, I used my much loved Bourjois Healthy Balance matting powder in 55 Dark Beige, before putting on some golden glowing highlighter by Topshop. What I forgot on this picture was my bronzing powder by The Balm, which I lightly applied over my highlighter.

On my lips I used the Max Factor Colour Elixir lipstick in the shade Mulberry.

 

 

So this is a complete resumé of my look. Let me know what you think!

I have a confession to make: I have been absolutely adoring Dior lately! I sort of love everything they put out beauty wise recently. I can’t say it any other way… I’ve also been reading so much about the Diorific line and I love the new nail lacquer collection. Especially the transparent one with the golden flakes, called Golden Shock (Duh! Sparkles!!!). I saw them worn over the Diorific Smoky nail polish and I thought it was absolutely gorgeous. Evidently, I already have the holidays on my mind and I’m already thinking festive ensembles; and this on my nails is gonna make me look so elegant and ladylike! I have to say though that I originally thought Smoky was black, but I discovered it isn’t. It’s actually very dark purple, but that just makes it all the more special.

You have to know that whenever I see something new that I really like, I have this imaginary neon sign in my head that flashes on and off and spells “Want! Want! Want!” :-) I openly “daydreamed” about it on my facebook profile (which isn’t public, sorry) and it generated a lot of (positive) reactions from many female friends. As Dior is kind of of a higher price range, I thought I’d wait till pay day and then see if I could order or buy it somewhere.  

But… last Saturday we had some friends over and guess what… one of my best friends said she’d been shopping and something made her think of me… She had a little gift for me, wrapped in the tiniest Ici Paris Xl bag. I honestly had no idea what it was at first but then I opened it and the first thing I saw was a little golden box that had “Diorific” on it. I just about lost it! Lol My God, I blab about it on facebook and a week later my best friend gifts it to me! Don’t I have the best of friends ever? I was so over the moon! 

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the bottle. Judging by the pics I’d seen, I assumed it was gonna be much much smaller. The size of the seasonal colours Yves Rocher has every summer/winter. They come in cute little bottles. But no, this one is really much bigger! I don’t have the smoky nail polish yet but I couldn’t wait and tried it over the one I still had on. And I love it! The sparkles spread surprisingly well and they dry really quick. Also, it doesn’t feel like there’s something on your nail when you touch it (I hate that). It feels really flat and looks beautiful! (Please excuse my granny hands - I know - I hate them! Blah!)

Signed, a very lucky girl! 

I think the title says it all in this post. I was in my bathroom and noticed my pile of favourite face caring creams and figured “why not share those with my fellow bloggers”. Since I was in my early twenties, I’ve taken up a habit of taking really good care of my face. And to my own humble opinion, it really shows. I’ve never had any acne, just a zit every now and then (which is perfectly normal, I suppose). My skin is rather smooth and I insist it’s because I’ve been using all these wonderful creams for so long now. 

Clinique

Superdefense Daily Defense Moisturizer

Without a doubt, I’m a big fan of Clinique. Years ago, I got my very first Clinique Super Recue Anti-Oxidant Night cream. It comes in a tube. I was really happy with this product, only when I returned for a second one, they didn’t have it in stock anymore.
But they did recommend the Super Defense SPF 25 Age Defense Moisturizer to me then. So I took this one home and haven’t jumped ship since. I think it’s my third jar by now. It’s a white cream and it comes with a lit that you can take off and put back on. This is very useful because sometimes these creams tend to change colours around the edges of the jar, which sometimes looks very messy. But if you put the lit back on after you’ve used it, it’ll remain nice and neat. Also, whenever I use it, I dip my fingertip in the cream that’s stuck on the lit, that way I don’t have to put my finger in the jar every time, which may be more hygienic. There’s not much I can say about this cream. It does what it’s supposed to. I use it on my face and neck. And you really notice the difference afterwards, as you your skin is moisturized and therefor remarkably softer. I do watch my forehead though, and make sure I don’t put too much on there, as I have a tendency to getting a greasy T-zone.
I just recently noticed they have a new one out and changed the name to Super Defense Daily Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 20. I don’t know if they’ve actually changed the formula or if they just changed the name, but I think it’s about time I used up mine and got a new one! :-)

For my puffy eyes, I use Clinique’s All About Eyes. This comes in a cute little mini jar and the cream is salmon coloured. I use it at night before I go to bed and I love that it leaves a really silky feel around the eyes. It really does help lighten dark circles under the eyes and I believe in general, it feeds the skin as well because it looks much healthier and much more clean, to my opinion. You only need a tiny amount (only a pinky tip) as it rubs out quite nicely. 

Yves Rocher

For a night cream, I use Yves Rocher’s Sérum Végétal nuit. It comes in a nice red jar, is light pinkish coloured and smells really nice of apples. Just like the day cream, it leaves your skin moisturized, nice and smooth and healthier looking! I think in general, night creams are very expensive. And I hate to spend my money on things that I’m not sure of work.  But at Yves Rocher’s, they work with “petals”. It means that every time you buy something you get points (or petals) added to you customer card. And once you have more than 3000 points, you get to choose one free product from the store (no matter if you pick something really cheap or very expensive, it’s completely your choice!). And so what I do, is I always pick my favourite night cream. Although its price is quite reasonable compared to other night creams (I believe it’s something of around 28 EUR --- I’ve seen some of around 150-350 EUR!!), I’m always really proud of myself for getting it for free this way! :-)

Dior Hydra Life Crème Sorbet Pro-Jeunesse

The last one comes with a funny anecdote. It was actually a gift from my hubby when I turned 32 last year. When I opened the present and saw the Dior logo, I was super excited and happy. I was expecting the Miss Dior perfume, which I adore! But then I saw what it actually was, Dior Hydra Life Crème Sorbet Pro-Jeunesse, and what first struck me was the “pro-jeunesse” mention. Did he think I was turning into an old tart and actually needed this cream? I freaked out a little bit, I must say. It hurt a little bit at first. But then I snuck it into the bathroom and used it and I was pleasantly surprised. It comes in a posh looking, rather heavy jar and is white. It’s a body cream. Just like the Clinique Superdefense Moisturizer, there’s a lit that you can take off and put back on.  It’s very rich, yet very light. It actually feels very fresh when you put it on and it smells nice! I use it on my face as well, and it isn’t greasy at all and dries really quickly which is a huge pro! 

So there you have it, my holy creams that are near and dear to me!