Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Top 13 Favourites of 2013.

 It's the last day of the year 2013, and what a better post to write than my top 13 favourite products of the year that is about to end in a few hours! You've may seen already these products many times in previous posts but that's the whole point of this post anyway, to write about the products that I've used and loved the most this year. So let's start!
 The highlight of the beauty products that I've tried this year has to be the skincare ones, because I experimented more with my skincare routine this year and I found some really good products that I love using this period. I changed the cleanser that I was using for many many years non stop, to the Apivita Creamy Face & Eye Foam Cleanser with Olive and Lavender. My skin now is not how it used be a few years ago, the continuous use of harsh cleansers dehydrated my skin a lot, so I had to change it. This one from Apivita is the best for those who have oily but dehydrated skin, you should definetely check it out! A moisturizer that I really love and purchased twice within a few months is the Frezyderm Moisturizing 24H Hydrating Cream, this one also helped a lot with the dehydration of my skin, it's not very  lightweight but it also doesn't leave a heavy feeling on my face. One more thing  is that it never broke me out and I have a bad history with break outs from various moisturizers, so this one is definitely one of the best moisturizers that I've tried so far. One more moisturizer that I really love, this time a little heavier and more appropriate for the nightime, is the Burt's Bees Sensitive Night Cream. It can be a little heavy underneath foundation, but it doesn't leave my skin feeling oily, so it's comfortable enough for the nightime, also it never broke me out and it's really good for those who are sensitive to perfumes.
My top foundation of the year hasn't really changed at all since last year, it's still the Mac Pro Longwear! I just love this foundation, it's long lasting and the coverage it provides it's really good. I like trying new foundations every once in a while but this one will always be my top one, you can read a full review about it here. My top beauty discovery of the year has to be this blush from Seventeen, the Cafe Au Lait Silky Matte Blusher. I've completely stopped using any of the bronzers that I own and I've been using only this one since last summer. I don't think I've ever used a better shade of bronzer before, it's a warm brown shade without any red undertones, it's also very longlasting and the texture is very velvety, I just couldn't find a better bronzer for sure!
 The Stila In The Know eyeshadow palette is also one of my best beauty discoveries of the year, an eyeshadow palette with only matte neutral eyeshadows. They have amazing quality and pigmentation, I wouldn't expect anything less from Stila, they know how to make amazing eyehadows! I've already done a full review about it here, check it out!
Even though  I included 2 blushes in my top 13 favourites, I'm gonna cheat and count them as one product. Essence's Silky Touch Blushes completely changed my mind about cheap blushes, I even think that they're better than my Mac ones, they have amazing texture and pigmentation. The ones that I love the most are the Secret it-Girl, a true peach shade, and Sweetheart, a light neutral pink. This year also I decided to try some of the Real Techniques face brushes, and they're definitely the best brushes that I've tried so far, especially the Blush Brush which I love using it to apply my bronzer and blushes, I'll definitely need a second one, really soon.
The lipgloss that completely blew my mind this year is the NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Beige! I'm not a lipgloss person, and even though I own many I rarely wear them, but this one from NYX is my weakness, I keep reaching for it and it's always in my make up bag whenever I go out. It's a medium pink that goes with every single look that I do, and the texture is very silky without being sticky but in the same time it's not watery, it has just the perfect texture for a lipgloss. A lipstick that I used a lot last spring and summer is the Dior Addict lipstick in Delice, it's a medium sheer coral-peachy shade, it's so easy to use it like a lipbalm, and that's the main reason why I love the Dior Addict lipsticks.
When it comes to nails, the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top Coat is definitely my baby and I just can't live without it! It dries my nail varnishes within a few minutes and it's way better than the famous Seche Vite which is very thick and hard to work with. The Insta-Dri does the exact same job as the Seche Vite but it's very lightweight and not sticky at all.  The perfume that I literally wore the whole year is the Vera Wang Princess, it has a light everyday scent that I love wearing all the time. If you like light scented perfumes, you should check this one for sure.
And I left the last favourite of the year for the haircare, the Sunsilk Nourishing Oil Spray for dry hair, which is propably the best product I've used on my hair this year. It's the perfect detangler, it makes my hair super soft super soft without weighting it down, I've tried many leave in conditioners but they never worked as good as this one.



So those were my top 13 products for the year that is about to end. Have you tried any of them? Let me know what were your favourite beauty products of 2013. I hope you'll have an amazing New Year's Eve, I'll see you next year my lovelies!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Collective Haul (Mac, Sedona Lace, Clinique, Benefit, Trilogy)

  Only one day before Christmas I decided to show you all the stuff that I've been hauling the past month, I know I've waited too long to do this haul post, but I bought some of them online on Black Friday and you know how it is with international shipping on holiday season, it's always late! So let's start!
 On Black Friday I ordered a few brushes from Sedona Lace because they had 50% off on all their products. At first I wanted to get only one Sigmax brush from Sigma on Black Friday with their free shipping deal, the F88 Flat Agnled Kabuki brush, but instead I decided to take advantage of the Sedona Lace deal and get the 520 brush which is identical to the Sigma F88 and buy a few more brushes too since they're cheaper. I noticed that Sedonca Lace has really good deals quite often, maybe even monthl,y so it's worth checking them out if you want brushes similar to the Sigma's Sigmax brushes.
Since I absolutely love synthetic flat kabuki brushes to apply my liquid foundations, I got two of them, an angled one, the 520 Synthetic Angled Flat Top , and a regular flat top one the 928 Synthetic Flat Top. I haven't try any of the brushes that I've got yet, but they feel much softer than the Sigma F80 brush, maybe just a little less dense but I have to try them first to be 100% sure.
I also got a small angled flat top brush to apply concealer for under my eyes, the 618 Synthetic Small Angled Flat, and I'm very excited to try this one because I use the Sigma F80  quite a few times to apply concealer under my eyes but it's a little too big for that and I prefer the angled shape since it's easier for under the eyes.And one last thing I got from Sedona Lace is an angled liner brush, the 561 Synthetic Small Angled Brush, because I use my Mac 208 a lot to apply eyeshadow as liner and since it's the only one that I own I needed a second one, and I like the fact that this one is synthetic because I have very sensitive eyes and sometimes the Mac 208 irritates my eyes. Also that day there was deal you'd get a free Liquid Eye Pen if you were one of the first 4000 orders, if I remeber correctly, and since I was one of the first ones I got one for free. This liquid eyeliner is identical to Maybelline's Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner, I haven't try it yet but the pen, the shape of it and everything is a dupe of the Maybelline one.
 A little while ago I did a small Mac purchase because I needed a few staple products, such as my beloved Lingering Eye Brow pencil. It's the perfect eye brow pencil for me, it doesn't have any red undertones which I hate, and at the same time it's not super ashy. Also I love the waxy texture, it keeps my brows in place and it's super easy to use. I also got a mini Oil Control Lotion just to try it out as a mattifying primer, I'm still not sure if I like this product or not, because it does help with the very oily parts of my face such as nose and chin but I don't really like its texture, it's very slicky. Maybe it's just because I'm not used to that type of product, maybe I will use it more in the warmer months. I also did B2M for the All That Glitters eyeshadow, and I'm conpletely in love with this eyeshadow! I still don't understand why I've never bought that shade before, it's a beautiful shimmery peachy champagne shade, I love wearing it all over my lids with a little bit of Mac's Cork in the crease and a brown liner, I've been doing this eye look a lot the past month.
My skin has been a little dry lately and for a really long time I wanted to try the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm because I read really good reviews about it. So far I've only tried it three times, and I have mixed feelings about it. I love the buttery and soft texture, I really like how it massages and melts into the skin, I remove it with a hot flannel and it does a great job at removing all of my face make up but I don't really like the tight feeling it leaves on my face afterwards. I just use the hot flannel, I don't double cleanse afterwards so I expected to leave my skin softer than my foaming cleanser does but it's not, and that's why I'm not so sure if I like it or not, but I will keep using it and see how it goes.

Also since the eye cream I was using so far, the Frezyderm Eye Balm did absolutely nothing to moisturize my undereye area, I got a new one, the Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream. When I first used it, I wasn't so sure if it's moisturizing or not, I had to wait 2 days to actually see a difference on my undereye area! It makes the skin feel so smooth and velvet, and the concealer applies on top amazingly well, it's like the perfect eye cream to use under a concealer. Of course it's not as moisturizing as the Kiehl's Avocado Eye cream but I had my problems with the Kiehl's cream, it was way to heavy and sticky and you had to wait like half an hour in order to apply concealer on top. I think It's Potent is a great moisturizing eye cream, perfect for everyday use. I can't tell you if it does anything for brightening the under eye circles because mine are very intense and I have them since birth but maybe some of you will see a difference, personally I haven't found an eye cream that does anything for the dark undereye circles.

And lastly I got one more thing on Black Friday, the Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil from Feelunique, because I heard and read amazing reviews from youtubers and beauty bloggers. I haven't tried it yet but I'm very excited to do it, because I have a few dark spots and scars from previous break outs and Rosehip Oil is supposed to do an amazing job for those.



So that was everything that I hauled the past month, I want to know if you've tried any of them and what's you opinion about them. I want to wish to every single one of you Merry Christmas and have an amazing day tommorow with your family and friends.


Wednesday, December 18, 2013

"What's In My Shower" Tag.

So about a month ago I was tagged by the lovely Vicky from the blog  Beauty & the Food Beast to do the "What's In My Shower" tag but I completely forgot about it, so I'm doing it now, even though I'm propably the last person doing it but I think that's ok. I decided to show you only the products that I use while I'm in the shower, and not any body creams or lotions. Since the corner of my shower it's not a particular beautiful spot to show to you guys, I put them all in a basket just to look more presentable.
I'll start off with the shampoos that I'm using right now. I love the Herbal Essences shampoos, I must have tried all of them but I always prefer the creamy over the clear ones because they're more hydrating. Right now I'm using the Seductively Straight one, it's pretty good nothing too special but it's OK. And every 3 weeks or once a month I use the Redken Hair Cleansing Cream shampoo, which is a clarifying shampoo, it gets rid off all the build up that I may have on my hair from styling products, hair oils etc. It does a great job but beware it is a strong shampoo that's why I always deep conditioning my hair after that, it also has a pleasant fresh/citrus scent which I love.
The conditioners that I use right now and I love them both very much are the Aussie Miracle Moist and the L'oreal Total Elvive Repair 5. The Aussie Miracle Moist is a great lightweight but very moisturizing conditioner, my bottle is almost empty but I repurchased it about a week ago, it is quite expensive in Greece but I always look out for deals and coupons. The L'oreal Elvive Total Repair 5 is an oldie but goodie, it's my favourite drugstore hair conditioner for a long time, it's actually one of the most high quality conditioners you will find at the drugstore.

Two shower gels that I love using besides soaps, which I also like but I didn't have any to show to you right now, are the Dove Go Fresh with Blue Fig and Orange Blossom, and the Soap & Glory Clean Girls body wash. The Dove Go Fresh has a very summerish scent perfect for a moring shower. The Soap & Glory Clean Girls body wash unfortunately is not sold in Greece, I got it while I was in the UK but if you can get it in your hands or any of the Soap & Glory body washes  in general just grab one, they are very moisturizing, this particular one has a very unique flowery and manly scent. And I love the pump, I wish all shower gels would come with a pump, they're so handy!
As for the scrubs that I'm using I have to say that I like to exfoliate my face only while I'm in the shower, I don't know why, don't ask me. Even though I'm a hardcore fan of the Korres Pomegranate face scrub I grabbed this St.Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub while I was in the UK just to try it out, and also because it's a very popular face scrub and I cannot get it in Greece. I can't say that I love it as much as I love the Korres one but it they're very similar in texture, the only problem that I have with the St.Ives one is that it has a strong smell of alcohol which I don't particularly like. When it comes to exfoliate my body I'm such a lazy person, I always forget to do it. Right now I'm using the Soap & Glory Breakfast Scrub which I also got in the UK, and I have to say that it smells exactly like brown sugar! The texture is kind of weird though, it's very hard, not creamy at all and I'm used to more creamy body scrubs like the ones from The Body Shop which I love. This one you have to really work it between your hands to warm it up so you can apply it on your skin, otherwise it will just fall into your bathtub, even then it will still crumble and make a bit of a mess in your shower.



So that was everything, all the products that I use while I'm in the shower, ok maybe not everything, I didn't include razors and soap for the intimate area, because to be honest they are not that intresting. I like to change the products that I'm using in the shower quite often, but these are the ones that I'm using this period, I hope you liked them.
Let me know if you're using any of them or if you've tried them in the past and if you like them or not. Even better let me know what are the products that you're using while you're in the shower, and for any of you that you haven't been tagged to do this post, I tag you all!

Saturday, December 7, 2013

November Favorites.

I know I'm a little late with my monthly favorites, maybe even the last person that's doing it now, but it's better late than never right? Well honestly it's not my fault, we had such a crappy weather here for almost a week and it was impossible for me to take decent pictures so I waited until there was some sunshine so I can take my pictures and show them to you guys! I have to say that I'm pretty happy with my monthly favorites this time, so I should just stop rambling and get on with the actual post.

I'll start off with my favorite perfume, the Vera Wang Princess, which I've already mentioned in my latest haul post here. I can't rave enough about this perfume, it has a fresh, light and delicate scent. I've purchased it twice within the past year, and I will keep repurchasing it in the future for sure.
 I always like to re-arrange my Mac quads according to the current season or my mood, this time the four eyeshadows that I've been using a lot are Arena, Time & Space, Cork and Twinks. Twinks is actually my favorite eyeshadow to use at fall time, it's a beautiful medium to dark brown with plum undertones. All of these eyeshadows are in the Mac permanent line except Time & Space.
A mascara that really surprised me is the Sephora Lash Plumper. I never thought that I would love a  mascara from Sephora, I've purchased it only because there was a deal back in October, you'd get any Sephora mascara for only 10 euros, so I grabbed this one and for sure I haven't regret it. It gives amazing length to my lashes with a bit of volume, the texture is perfect, not too wet or dry and it actually holds a curl without being waterproof, I will do a full review about it really soon.

And a product that I've mentioned a couple of times last summer is the Seventeen Cafe Au Lait blush, which I just start using again after a long break from any kind of bronzer and I don't think I'll ever stop using it again. It's just perfect as an all over bronzer or just for contouring, the shade is a warm brown, it doesn't turn orange on my skin at all. I think this is the only bronzer that I will be using from now on.
Two lipsticks that I really enjoyed using are the Mac Way To Love and the Seventeen Matte Lasting lipstick in #2. I've mentioned them in my last year's October favorites , if you want to see swatches of both lipsticks here's the link. Mac Way To Love is the perfect light pink for me and it's a shame that it was a limited edition shades years ago, I'm trying to find a dupe of this and I believe that it's a cross between Mac Creme Cup and Angel, which means that when I run out this one I have to get Creme Cup and Angel for sure! Seventeen's Matte Lasting #2 is a nude pinkish beige, almost like a "my lips but better" shade. I love this specific matte lipstick because it doesn't have a true matte texture but more of a satin one. These Seventeen Matte Lasting lipsticks are very popular in Greece because they have a really good quality for their money, they cost only 10 euros. They also have a good color range and amazing pigmentation. I only own two at the moment but I really need to get more shades in the future.
A haircare product that I got recently and fell in love instantly is the new Garnier Fructis Miraculous Oil Brushing Express. The original Garnier Miraculous Oil is a very popular drugstore hair oil that I've never tried but I read really good reviews about it, but when I saw that they released one that it's also a heat protector I had to get it. I blow dry my hair quite often so using a hair oil first and then a seperate heat protector is just too much, with this I only have to use one product and the results are amazing! I think it's even better than the Moroccanoil, well actually let me think about it........yes it's definitely better than the Moroccanoil. It has a thicker texture so I only use one pump for my whole hair, and it makes the blow drying process very easy. One more thing, it only costs 8 euros for 150 ml , come on, you can't beat that price, plus you can also find really good deals at the drugstore or the supermarket, I got mine with 30% off. If you ever see that product please grab it, you won't regret it!

My last beauty favorite is a body lotion, the Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Body Milk. Even though I got this while I was in London back in May, I was saving it for the colder months especially around Christmas time because of its smell. Oh that smell, it's like a vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream frosting, it must be what heaven smells like! It has got to be the best product that I bought while I was in London and definitely the best from all the Soap & Glory products that I've tried out, if I had the chance I'd definitely buy it again. Good thing is that this is a huge 500ml bottle so it will last me for quite a while.


Non Beauty Favorites
The Originals is definitely my TV series choice of the month! For those who don't know The Originals is a spin-off from The Vampire Diaries and set in New Orleans. I like it way more than TVD which in my opinion the last few seasons turned out to be quite boring, and from the current season I've only watched like the first two episodes and then stopped. I find this show to be way better than TVD, the plot, the scenery and the characters are way more intresting. And I don't know about you but Elijah is my dream man, such a kind, honorable and yet super sexy character, don't you agree?

This is the drink that everyone cannot wait to come every single year around Christmas time, the drink that even though it contains 55.678 calories we're still going to enjoy, this is the infamous Toffee Nut Latte from Starbucks. I had to include this drink to my November favorites since it's the Christmas season and this coffee is a guilty pleasure of mine, I have to drink this every once in a while just to make me feel more happy.


Well these were all my November favorites, have you tried any of the things that I mentioned? Do you watch The Originals, and what's your opinion about it? Let me know!

Monday, December 2, 2013

The Apivita Experience Store in Athens .

A couple of weeks ago I visited the new Apivita Experience store in Kolonaki, Athens (Solonos 6 & Kanari) for their opening event. For those who don't know, Apivita is a greek brand known for their natural beauty products, in my opinion they have some amazing products and in my blog posts I've shown you which are my favorites. The Experience Store is not only a place that you can buy the Apivita beauty products but you can also find greek honey, herbs and teas. There's also a natural pharmacy where you can create your own personal natural cosmetics with the help of a specialized pharmacist. In the same building you can also find a hair studio for women and men. On the top floor there's a very beautiful and cozy spa, the Beehive Spa, in which you have the choice of 13 different programs. For those who live in Athens and for those who are planning to visit Athens in the future, you should definitely check out this place, you're gonna love it!

If you want to know more about Apivita as a brand and of course see all of their products, you can check out their site. If you've tried any products from Apivita, what's your opinion about them? Let me know!

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Collective Haul (Sephora, Clinique, Essence, Vera Wang, Seventeen, Ecotools)

Hello my lovelies, how is everyone doing? Today is a sunny but chilly day here and I decided to write a haul post about all the goodies that I bought recently. I've been buying all these since the end of October, I also did a mini Mac haul last week but I took the pictures for this post before I bought them so I may include them in a future haul. Let's continue with the haul!
Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion
I've used the Clinique Clarifying Lotion #2 for almost 5, and I really like it. But since I was using it only on certain areas for my blemishes, I decided to go for the Anti-Blemish one this time to see if it works better. After using it for almost a month my opinion is that both this and the #2 Clarifying Lotion do pretty much the same job, the only problem is that the Anti-Blemish one is super strong, so unless your skin can handle it, I'd say go for the #2 which is milder and has a better scent.

Vera Wang Princess Perfume
This has been my HG perfume for the past year, and since the one I was using  finished, I went and bought a new one. I can't really describe the smell because I'm really bad at doing that, but for me it's the perfect everyday perfume, it's not too light or too strong. I'm very picky with my perfumes, I don't like that most of the perfumes I'm testing out on my skin at the stores, after an hour all end up smelling the same. Princess keeps its unique and light scent even after many hours of wearing it.
Sephora Smoothing & Brightening Concealer in Medium 05
I really wanted to try this highlighter/concealer for a long time, because I read that it's a really good dupe for YSL Touch Eclat and Mac's Prep n' Prime Highlighter, but this one is way cheaper. I was surprised that they have such a good color range, I chose the peach one because peach is a really good color corrector for my dark brown undereye circles. I have to admit that it's not very brightening, perhaps I should go for a more pinkish shade instead of a peachy one, but the peach does correct the brown shade of my undereye circles. It's not exactly a concealer so I like to use it on top of my regular one or maybe use it on its own whenever I feel like I just want to have a light coverage undereye my eyes. Perhaps next time I'll try the Mac Prep n' Prime Highlighter, because I used to have the YSL Touch Eclat and even though it's an amazing highlighter for underneath the eyes, it's ridiculously expensive.

Sephora 10HR Wear Perfection Foundation in Medium 25-Beige
I got this foundation because there was a deal at Sephora buy one and get one free at the Sephora brand products, and because I really wanted to try the Smoothing & Brightening Concealer that I mentioned before I thought it was a great opportunity to try one of their foundations. I've only used this foundation twice and so far I have mixed feelings about it. I thought it would be similar to Mac's Pro Longwear foundation because they're both longwearing but I was wrong. Firstly the texture is not liquid, it's something between a liquid and a mousse, and I'm a person who prefers liquid foundations Secondly it's not as long lasting as it claims to be, it doesn't stay for more than 5 hours and after that it starts to transfer all over my face. And lastly the coverage it's light to medium, I was expecting more of a medium to full. The only thing that I really like it's the shade, I chose the 25 Medium and I have to say that it's a great match for my NC25 skintone, I like the fact that it's a true beige shade rather than a yellow one like Mac's foundation shades are.
EcoTools Six Piece Essential Eye Set
This is a set of brushes that I wanted to try for a long time, ever since I saw Lucy using them in her Youtube tutorials, so I ordered them from iHerb here , and I'm surprised that they're very cheap for their quality. I love the fact that they are short handled, because that makes them very travel friendly and also cute! Since I got them I seriously can't stop using them, I love them all, especially the angled and the blending one! At first I thought that because they have synthetic hair it would be difficult to really pack the color on the lids but I was wrong, they're doing an excellent job and because they have synthetic hair they're more gentle on my sensitive eyes.
EcoTools Bamboo Flat Eyeliner
One more brush from Ecotools that I wanted to try is their angled liner one, but I couldn't find it so I went for the flat eyeliner instead, which I also got from iHerb here. I'm quite happy with it, it's very dense and it applies with precision my eyeshadows as eyeliners, especially on my lower lashlines, but it doesn't create very thin lines.
Seventeen Supreme polish #150
Seventeen it's my HG drugstore brand, especially when it comes to nail polishes! They released four new shades with their fall collection, two cremes and two shimmery ones, this was the one that I liked the most. It's a true black shade with lots of small silver glitter particles, when it's on the nail it almost looks like a graphite shade. Very pretty for those who love dark and vampy shades on their nails with a hint of sparkle, without being too much.
Essence Longlasting lipstick in 07 Natural Beauty
I've been looking for this lipstick for almost two months but it was always out of stock, and now I finally found it! Actually it's the only shade that I wanted to buy from the new longlasting lipstick line. It's a medium neutral pink with plum undertones, such a beautiful shade with a great texture, it's something between a Mac lustre and cremesheen lipstick, and it's also quite pigmented.



Have you tried any of the products that I mentioned? Do you like them?
Let me know!