Empties #10 - Part 1

Καλό μήνα και καλό φθινόπωρο να έχουμε όλοι! Επιτέλους μετά από ένα αρκετά μεγάλο καλοκαιρινό διάλειμμα επέστρεψα στο blog με καινούργιο post, και μάλιστα με ένα empties post. Θεώρησα πως ένα empties post είναι ότι καλύτερο για ένα come back μιας και συνειδητοποίησα πως δεν έχω κάνει ένα από τον περασμένο Γενάρη…. ναι μάλιστα καλά ακούσατε Γενάρη! Οπότε όπως θα έχετε ήδη καταλάβει επειδή μάζευα αυτές τις άδειες συσκευασίες για πάρα πολύ καιρό ήρθε επιτέλους η ώρα να τις ξεφορτωθώ, και ακριβώς για το λόγο του ότι είναι πολλά τα προϊόντα, θα χωριστούν σε δύο posts. Σήμερα θα σας δείξω τα προϊόντα μακιγιάζ, και με ένα αρωματάκι μέσα, και στο επόμενο post τα υπόλοιπα τα οποία είναι προϊόντα περιποίησης προσώπου και σώματος. Ας ξεκινήσουμε λοιπόν.

Empties #9

Καλημέρα σε όλους! Όπως καταλάβατε και από τον τίτλο αυτό θα είναι ένα post με άδειες συσκευασίες και αυτή τη φορά προσπάθησα να περιορίσω κάπως τη ποσότητα ώστε να μην βγει τεράστιο. Το τελευταίο διάστημα προσπαθώ να χρησιμοποιώ περισσότερο τα προϊόντα που έχω εδώ και αρκετό καιρό στο ντουλάπι μου ώστε να μου τελειώσουν, γι’ αυτό και στο μέλλον τα empties posts θα είναι αρκετά. 

Best of Beauty 2015 - Top 15.

Τελευταίο post για το 2015 και τι θα άλλο μπορούσε να είναι παρά από το τι προϊόντα ομορφιάς αγάπησα περισσότερο μέσα στο χρόνο, για την ακρίβεια τα 15 αγαπημένα μου προϊόντα για το 2015. Μπορώ να πω ότι δυσκολεύτηκα να βρω ποια προϊόντα θα έφταναν στο top 15 γιατί τον περασμένο χρόνο δοκίμασα πολλά και διάφορα προϊόντα ομορφιάς αλλά μπορώ να πω ότι είμαι αρκετά ευχαριστημένη με τις επιλογές μου. Τι λέτε λοιπόν πάμε να τα δούμε?

Empties #8 - Summer Edition (Hair & Body)

Καλημέρα σε όλους! Σήμερα μετά από πολύ καιρό σας έχω ένα empties post, και μάλιστα είναι το summer edition, δηλαδή όλα εκείνα τα προϊόντα που τελείωσα μέσα στο καλοκαίρι. Πρόσφατα άνοιξα τη σακούλα μέσα στην οποία φύλαγα όλες τις άδειες μου συσκευασίες και προς έκπληξη μου είχα μαζέψει υπερβολικά πολλές ,οπότε για να μην βγει το post τεράστιο αποφάσισα να τα χωρίσω σε 2 κατηγορίες, μια για προϊόντα σχετικά με τα μαλλιά και το σώμα και μια για προϊόντα μακιγιάζ και περιποίησης προσώπου. Σήμερα σας δείχνω όλα τα προϊόντα μαλλιών και σώματος που τελείωσα μέσα στο καλοκαίρι, όποτε τι λέτε, αρχίζουμε? 

Simple Back to School Make Up.

Μέσα Σεπτεμβρίου και η σχολική χρονιά έχει ξεκινήσει για τα καλά! Αν και έχω ξεμπερδέψει με τα σχολεία και πανεπιστήμια εδώ και χρόνια, είπα να αφιερώσω ένα post σε εκείνα τα γενναία κορίτσια που ξυπνάνε κάθε πρωί και πρέπει να παλέψουν με τον χρόνο και να επιλέξουν μεταξύ πρωινού φαγητού, μακιγιάζ-μαλλιά ή λίγο παραπάνω χρόνο στο κρεβάτι? I know, I’ve been there κορίτσια! Θα σας δείξω όμως πως με λιγοστά προϊόντα μακιγιάζ θα έχετε μόνο μέσα σε πέντε λεπτά ένα απλό και εύκολο look έτσι ώστε να κερδίσετε λίγο παραπάνω χρόνο το πρωί. 

July & August Favorites.

Τέλη καλοκαιριού και ήρθε η ώρα να μιλήσουμε για τα προϊόντα που αγάπησα περισσότερο τον Ιούλιο αλλά και τον Αύγουστο. Όσοι και όσες καταφέρατε να ξεφύγετε για λίγο το καλοκαίρι να ξέρετε ότι σας ζηλεύω, αλλά έστω και αργά ευελπιστώ ότι όλο και κάπου θα ξεφύγω και εγώ τον Σεπτέμβρη. Φτάνει όμως με τα όνειρα των διακοπών και της παραλίας και ας συνεχίσουμε με θέματα που σχετίζονται πιο πολύ με την ομορφιά! 

Summer Haircare Routine.

Τέλη Ιουλίου και νομίζω πως είναι η πιο κατάλληλη στιγμή να σας δείξω όλα τα προϊόντα που χρησιμοποιώ στα μαλλιά μου για το καλοκαίρι. Η ρουτίνα που ακολουθώ τους καλοκαιρινούς μήνες  για την περιποίηση  των μαλλιών μου διαφέρει αρκετά από αυτή που έχω για τον χειμώνα, και αυτό γιατί τους χειμερινούς μήνες χρησιμοποιώ συχνά πιστολάκι για να στεγνώσω και να ισιώσω τα μαλλιά μου ενώ το καλοκαίρι τα αφήνω να στεγνώσουν τελείως φυσικά, και αυτό για τα δικά μου μαλλιά σημαίνει μπούκλες, και όπως γνωρίζετε οι φυσικές μπούκλες θέλουν άλλη περιποίηση και styling. Όποτε πάμε να δούμε τα αγαπημένα μου προϊόντα μαλλιών για το καλοκαίρι και πως ακριβώς τα χρησιμοποιώ! 

Empties #7

Καλημέρα σε όλους! Σήμερα σας έχω ένα empties post, μια από τις αγαπημένες μου κατηγορίες post και αυτό γιατί βρίσκονται μαζεμένα πολλά μίνι reviews με ολοκληρωμένη άποψη μέσα σε μία ανάρτηση. Επειδή τελείωσα πολλά προϊόντα τους τελευταίους μήνες, αποφάσισα να μην τα δείξω όλα σ' ένα post, γι αυτό να περιμένετε άλλο ένα σύντομα.

April Favorites.

Μετά από αρκετό καιρό έφτασε πάλι η στιγμή να μιλήσουμε για τα αγαπημένα προϊόντα του μήνα. Μέσα στον Απρίλιο δοκίμασα κάποια καινούργια προϊόντα τα οποία με ενθουσίασαν, αλλά και κάποια παλιά αγαπημένα τα οποία άρχισα να χρησιμοποιώ ξανά.  Ας ρίξουμε λοιπόν μια ματιά στα προϊόντα που αγάπησα περισσότερο τον μήνα Απρίλιο.

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!

Empties - Products I've Used Up #3

I realised that I haven't done an empties post since May, and since my "empties" bag was really full so I thought it was about time to do one now. I don't know about you but I love reading empties posts, it's a great opportunity for the bloggers to share their complete opinion on a product. So let's start because it's going to be a long post!

Avene Cleanance Gel Cleanser

I'll start first with some of the skincare products that I've been using for a long time, Avene's Cleanance gel cleanser was my one and only cleanser for many many many years, it's great for oily and acne prone skins. But recently I've stopped using it because it became too harsh for my skin, I think with age our skin changes and mine became more sensitive and dehydrated, so I stopped using it, but if your skin is oily and can handle harsher cleansers you should definitely try this one, it's the least harsh from all the ones that I've tried that are targeted for oily and acne prone skins.

La Roshe Posay Physiological Micellar Solution

This micellar water has got to be my HG one! I've tried lots of pharmacy micellar waters, Vichy, Bioderma, Avene but this one is the best for my skin. It doesn't irritate my skin like Bioderma did, doesn't leave a sticky residue like the Vichy and Avene did. But just so you know, I don't use micellar lotions to remove my eye makeup because they tend to dry out my eye area and I don't like that. In my opinion the Physiological Micellar Lotion is one of the best out there. I've already repurchase it in the huge bottle.

Sephora Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover

I've mentioned this eye makeup remover in the past a lot, it's one of the best  eye makeup removers that I've tried. I think it works really good, it never irritated my eyes and it's not super oily like some of the high end ones I've tried, such as Clinique. I only wish it was cheaper that's why I don't buy it that often, I always use drugstore ones in between, but once in a while I love buying a bottle of this one.

Johnson's Face Care Gentle Eye Make Up Removal Lotion

This eye makeup remover is an old favorite of mine, it's propably the best drugstore one out there. It reminds me a lot of the Clinique Take the Day Off Eye but it's not as oily. I think it's better than the L'oreal duo phase eye make up remover, and way better than the Garnier one. I think it's available only in Europe though, but if you can find it you should definitely try it.

La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water

I love using thermal water sprays, especially in the summertime and in the winter too, whenever my skin is very sensitive because of the cold. I've tried this one from La Roche Posay, it's OK but not my HG for sure. What I didn't like the most about this thermal water was how it sprayed all over my clothes but always managed to miss the main target, my face! It's not a bad one, it's just nothing too special, save your money for the next one I'm going to talk you about.

Avene Thermal Spring Water

I've tried lots of pharmacy thermal water sprays, and I'm telling you that if there's one that really worth the money it's this one from Avene. It does exactly what it says, it soothes the skin and it's anti-irritating, it even helped me whenever I had sunburns. And it's the only one that calms my skin whenever it's itchy from the cold. 

The Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream

I've used this product a lot when my skin was more oily and not dehydrated, it's a light moisturizer for oily skins, that's all, but if you want it just for that it's perfect. If you want to know more about it, I've done a review post about it here.

Nivea Soft Cream

I've already talked about this cream, my mother and I used this cream so much last summer, that we've gone through two tubes of this one, actually one of them was the big one but I threw it away so I'm now showing you only the small one. If you like a lightweight but mosturizing body cream that doesn't feel like pure silicone on your body then this is the one for you. I hate when lightweight body moisturizers have that silicone feeling, I just can't stand it. I also used it on my face once because it was very dry from the sun, and it really helped. I will forever repurchase a tube of this one for sure!

Dove Go Fresh Shower Gel with Blue Fig and Orange Blossom

I never thought that I would show you a shower gel, because mostof the ones that I'm using they're kind of meh, nothing to special to talk about. But I changed my mind when I used up this one from Dove, I have to tell you how awesome it is, mostly about the scent. It has such a summerish scent and I can't really describe exactly what it smells like but to me it's summer, and beach and sun and........I don't know why, but it has to be the blue fig Please smell it next time you'll be in the drugstore or the supermarket, you will love it!

Sunsilk Conditioner for Straight Hair

Sunsilk is one of my HG hair drugstore companies, especially when it comes to conditioners and leave in creams, it never dissapointed me and this conditioner is not an exception. It really does smooth my hair and it makes the straightening process way easier. I really want to try all of their conditioners, from all of their lines and decide which one I like the most, but I've only tried this one and the one for curly hair and loved them both!

L'oreal Total Repair 5 Conditioner

This is also a conditioner that I really love, I think it's a high quality drugstore hair conditioner that really helps my hair feels stronger and healthier, I've already repurchased it. Next time I want to buy the hair mask too because I've heard really good reviews about it.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Hair Mask

Herbal Essences is the only brand I use for shampoos because they don't irritate my scalp, I've tried so so many products from this brand and I've come to the conclusion that I absolutely love their shampoos, I absolutely hate their conditioner and I love love love their hair masks. The Hello Hydration hair mask smells divine, like coconuts and summer! The best part is that it actually hydrates my hair, I don't really love hair masks, I rarely use them but if I find a good one I stick with it, and that's the case with this one! I'll definitely repurchase it in the future!

 Apivita Creamy Face & Eye Foam Cleanser with Olive and Lavender

I mentioned that I stopped using the Avene Cleanance gel cleanser because it was very harsh on my skin, so I replaced it with this one from Apivita, and I haven't regret it. It's an amazing cleanser, it has a creamy and not a gel texture, it's perfect for conbination skintypes! This is the mini bottle that I recently used up and I have repurchased it in the full size already.

Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment

I have had this for way too long, I used to like it when I first bought but then I was kind of meh about it, I realised that it didn't control the frizzyness on my hair at all, I had flyaway hairs everywhere. If I had to compare it with other high end hair oils I have to say that Moroccanoil is way better, but I have to say that  prefer the Macadamia's scent, it's more tropical.

Benefit Hello Flawless Powder Foundation 

I've talked about this powder in my blog many times, it's one of the best powder foundations in the market, it leaves a silky finish on my skin, never looked powdery which is the main problem with powder foundations in general. The only problem is the price, it's way to expensive for the amount of product you get, it's 36 euros for only 7 grams!

Garnier Anti-dark Circles Roll-on

I didn't had the chance to finish this product because after one an a half year it went bad so I had to stopped using it. When I first got it I hated, it did nothing for my concealing my under eye circles, after a few months I decided to give it a second chance, I liked the refreshing and cooling sensation it gave under my eyes, but that was it, I still didn't like it because in terms of concealing any darkness , it was awful. Overall no, I didn't like this product and I would never buy it again.

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara

This is one of Maybelline's most famous and beloved mascaras, I liked the volumizing look it gave to my lashes but I hated the formula, it's too heavy for my eyes. You can read all about it in my review here.

L'oreal Volume Million ashes Excess

With this mascara I have the exact opposite opinion of the one that I have for the Rocket, even though I absolutely adored the formula and the texture of this mascara the results were mediocre. I've done a blog post about it here.

So those were all the empties that I gathered for the past 5 months, I really hope my next one won't be that long, and I'll do one much sooner! Let me know if you've tried any of these products, I really wanna know your opinions about them.

Collective Feelunique, Drugstore & Sephora Haul

It's been a while since I've done a haul post, not because I haven't been hauling at all, but because my hauls were really small and random and I was waiting so I would gather a few products and then show them to you guys. If you follow me on Instagram, you can see pictures of my mini hauls all the time. Most of the items I hauled are drugstore and also an order I did a while ago from Feelunique.

From Feelunique I ordered 2 things, the Redken Hair Cleansing Cream Shampoo and the Burt's Bees Sensitive Night Cream. The Redken Hair Cleansing cream is a very famous clarifying shampoo in the beauty community , I've been wanting to buy it for years and I finally caved in. I've only tried it once and I have to say that this stuff is really, really strong, it completely dried out my scalp, so that means that it does work but next time I'll have to be careful and not leave it for more than 5 minutes on my scalp before I rinse it off. Also the smell is amazing, it has a gorgeous fresh lemon scent which I love.

The Burt's Bees Sensitive Night Cream was an impulse purchase, I've been trying different skincare products for a while now, and I wanted to get a moisturizer for when my skin reacts to the weather changes, and that happens to me a lot. Until now my skin has been really good, so I can't say how it works when my skin is drier and itchy, but I have been using it for a week or so, and it's really good. It has a very light texture, I can easily blend it on my skin and it doesn't feel sticky at all. It can be a little heavy to be used under makeup that's why I've been avoiding that, but for night time it's really good.

Now to the drugstore goodies, I got this new Garnier Fructis Goodbye Damage Split Ends Serum for my hair. I love trying drugstore hair products, and whenever I see a new one at the store I know I have to get it. I don't usually use hair serums, I only use hair creams and oils for straightening my hair, but I got this to use it just at the ends. I've used it a couple of times and what really surpsrised me is how thick this product is, it has a texure between a serum and an oil and it leaves my ends really soft. Also, I absolutely adore the bright orange packaging, isn't it beautiful?

Well as you can see I went a bit crazy and hauled a bunch of mascaras, and the funny part is that I never combine mascaras, I only use one for 3 months or so. I first purchased the Radiant Professional Studio Perfect mascara because of the lovely youtuber Lucy, it's her HG mascara and I wanted to use it even though I knew that it has a rubber brush which I'm not particularly a fan of them, but I got it anyway. Radiant Professional is a greek brand and I'm not sure if and where its sold outside Greece. To me it's a very basic mascara, it only gives me length because let's face it, I'm not blessed with full lashes like Lucy, but I like the fact that it holds a curl. 

I also got the Sephora Lash Plumper mascara in Ultra Black because Sephora had a great deal for about two weeks, you could buy any Sepora mascara for only10 euros. I haven't purchased a Sephora mascara before, so this is my first time. I haven't opened it yet because I'm saving it for later, but I read really good reviews about it, I read that it gives volume and keeps the lashes really soft, which are the two things that I'm always looking for in a a mascara.

Lastly for mascaras, I saw this new packet at the Essence stand, you get the new Get Big Lashes Triple Black and the Get Big Lashes Waterproof mascaras for the price of one, which is only 2.9 euros! I just couldn't get pass up this deal, they were so cheap, and they had tones of them so if you want them you should definitely check out your nearest Essence stand and grab one. I haven't try them either because I'm saving them for later.

I also purchased a few more stuff from Essence, I got a new base coat because my HG one from Radiant Professional became very gooey and I needed to replace it but I decided to try the Pro White Hardener instead, from the Essence's Studio Nails line. It's a very basic base coat in my opinion, it does the job but I don't think it's as great as the Vitamin Force from Radiant. 

I also got the Lash & Brow clear mascara, I don't usually use clear mascara for my brows, especially since the last one I had from The Body Shop was awful, it was really wet and it was leaving  my brows hard. This one from Essence is not like that at all, is doesn't leave tons of product on my brows, I really like it, and if you're searching for inexpensive clear mascara you should check this one out.

Lastly from Essence I got a lip liner in #11 In The Nude, I got this one because it was the most nude of all the shades they have, and because my HG shade the #1 Soft Rose was discontinued, it was a pink nude, this one is more of a beige nude but it's still very pretty.

So that's all the stuff that I hauled the past few weeks, I also hauled a few more stuff lately from the drugstore and online but I will do a seperate post when I'll have them all in my hands. 

Have you tried any of these products, did you like them? Let me know!

Summer Essentials Part 1 - For Skin, Body and Hair

Hello my lovelies, I hope you're having a great summer so far! And speaking of summer, I thought I would share with you my beauty summer essentials. I know I should have done this post earlier, but hey it's still summer, it's never too late.This first post is going to be all about my skin, body and hair products that I use the most at summertime, and the next one will be all about my make up summer essentials. So let's start!

Face

Now that it's summer our skin tends to become more dry and dehydrated from the sun and the salt water, so it constantly needs to be hydrated. It's very important to use a sunscreen that is right for your skintype, here I chose a lightweight sunscreen, the Korres Sunscreen Face Cream Yoghurt Extreme Fluid SPF30, which is perfect for combination and oily skintypes, and the yoghurt hydrates your skin really well, after you apply it you can feel your cheeks very refreshed. I love the Korres Yoghurt Sunscreen line, the one for normal skintypes is also one of my faves whenever I feel that my skin needs more hydration. You always have to be sure that your sunscreen protects you from both UVA and UVB rays.

A good moisturizer is also very important for the nightime, the Garnier Moisture Match for normal skintypes is very good, I love using it at nightime because it can be a little to heavy underneath make up. It really helps with my dry cheeks a lot, plus is very affordable, and you can find it almost anywhere.

A thermal water spray is a summer essential of mine for years now, whenever I feel my skin dehydrated throught the day I always spritz a little bit of this on my face, and it instantly feels refreshed and hydrated. Avene's Eau Thermal Thermal Spring Water is the best one out there, and I've tried lots of them. It also helps with skin irritations from the sun.

 

 

Body

Sometimes we forget to moisturize our body along with our face, but hydrating your body is also very important. I really like exotic scents at summertime, one of the best exotic scents in my opinion is The Body Shop's Coconut Body Butter, which is super moisturizing it smells like suntan lotion and summer!

One more product that I love using now is a body oil, Garnier's Beauty Oil is one of the best I've tried. I used to use plain baby oil on my legs after shaving, but it was too thick and it was impossible to sink into my skin. Garnier's is like a dry oil, I use it on wet legs and my skin instantly absorbs it, and it smells amazing! If you like body oils you should try it.

 Here in Greece, the sun is super hot and dangerous, a body sunscreen shouldn't just be used whenever we are on the beach or the pool but also while we are outside in the city, the same way we protect our face we should protect our body too, especially when we're wearing shorts and short skirts because our skin is exposed to the sun. Since I'm very white at the moment (my body is a lot paler than my face which I don't understand), I always use a sunscreen on my body with SPF50, the Garnier Sensitive Advanced SPF50 is really good, and absorbs really quick, which is rare for a lotion with an SPF50, most of them are very sticky and whitish. After I get a little more tanned I like to switch to an SPF30 one, the Piz Buin Wet Skin is their new range of sunscreens and they are supposed to be used on wet skin, which makes the sunscreen absorbs really quick and it doesn't feel sticky at all. I'm quite impressed with this one, is the perfect sunscreen to use whenever you're at the beach or the pool.

And here's a product that I can't live without, Apivita's Moisturizing and Cooling After Sun Cream Gel, and if you remember from last year I've already done a post about it here. It's my absolute love, I will never switch to another after sun lotion, ever. It's the best product to use when you have skin irritations from the sun, even the bad ones. Please try it if you can, you won't regret it!

Hair

And now it's time for the hair. Sun and salt water is hair's worst enemy, especially if they're already dry and damaged. I personally noticed a huge change on my hair and scalp the past few months, they switched from oily to dry, and I'm trying a whole lot of different products to keep them hydrated, I also let them air dry a lot which is rare for me because I'm not particular a fan of my natural curly hair but that's OK, it's summertime and I don't care that much.  A hydrating hair mask is very important, a favorite of mine is Herbal Essence's Hell Hydration Hair Mask, it leaves my hair really soft and hydrated, and even though it's a drugstore hair mask is a lot better than many others from salon brands. And you cannot beat the smell, OMG it smells so coconutty and exotic, it feels like you're on holiday everytime you're in the shower!

 

I always use a hair oil after I wash them, and my choice is Sunsilk's Nourishing Oil Spray with Moroccan, Argan and Almond Oils. It's seriously one of the best hair oils I've ever tried on my hair, it leaves them syper smooth, and since it's in a spray bottle I can take it with me at the beach to use it as a detangler.

And as for styling products, since I don't blow dry or use a flat iron to straighten my hair, I need to use something to enchance my natural curls,  last summer I got the L'oreal Professionnel's Play Ball Beach Fizz and I haven't regret it, even though it's a little on the expensive side, it's the best sea salt spray I've ever tried, way better than Bumble & Bumble's which I absolutely hated! It never left my hair dry, and it creates the best cute beachy type of curls, I couldn't ask for more. Sometimes I use a curl cream from Sunsilk before I use the sea salt spray, and the results are even better!

I hope you liked the first part of my summer essentials and really soon I'll post my make up essentials for the summer too. Until then, let me know what are your summer essentials for your skin, body and hair.

May Favorites.

I know I'm a little late this time with my monthly favorites, but better late than never right?

Some of these products were the ones that I wore all the time while I was in London, and some I started using them for the first time when I came back and I'm very impressed with them!

Garnier Moisture Match moisturizer for dry to normal skin

In May I received from Garnier their new Moisture Match moisturizers to try them out. When I came back from my trip I run out of my beloved mositurizer, the Body Shop's Seaweed Day Cream and since I had all 4 of these new Moisture Match moisturizers, I decided to try one of these out instead of repurchasing a new one from the Body Shop. My skin was acting very strange these days, it's still oily but my cheeks and chin are dry so I decided to try the one that is for normal skins, and I loved it! I don't usually mention skincare products in my monthly favorites that I've tried less than a month but this one made a huge difference on my skin so I had to mention it. It hasn't broke me out, it makes my skin very moisturized and my cheeks look plumpy. Yes it can be heavy, because I have oily skin, I like to use it mostly at nighttime and not under my foundation. I'm pretty sure I'm going to use this moisturizer a lot when the weather gets colder, and I'm definitely going to try the one for oily skins really soon.

Clinique Blended Face Powder in 03 Transparency

For some weird reason I've never mentioned this powder before but it's been my HG for over 7 years, this jar is actually the second one I've bought and let me tell you, finishing a jar of this powder is an accomplishment, since it's 35 grams! In the winter I do not always use a loose powder after my foundation to set it, because the foundation by itself it's quite matte, I only use a blotting powder for touch ups. But when the weather gets hotter I like to use a setting powder after, and this one is one of the best! It never looks cakey and it's very lightweight, it's not 100% trasparent but you can barely see any color on the skin.

Mac Studio Finish Concealer in NW25

I've used this concealer a lot this month, because it's very practical and easy to use, I don't need a brush to apply it, just my fingers. Also from all the concealers I own right now, besides my Seventeen Ideal Cover, it's the only one that doesn't make me look like a dead person. All the others are very light and they don't look good with my skintone now that is summer. Also it has SPF 25 which is always a plus!

Mac Brule Eyeshadow

I've mentioned before that my HG browbone eyeshadow is Heaven by Too Faced but I got Brule in a pot because it's very practical when I have to travel,  and using only this one for a whole month I noticed how much more natural it looks than Heaven. Yes Heaven brightens up the browbone more but Brule melts with my natural skintone and it looks way more natural. I definitel prefer this one for the summer, because it doesn't look so white.

Sephora Waterproof Jumbo Liner in 06 Copper

Being so lazy with my eye make up these days, I was only using this jumbo liner all over my main lids with Brule on my browbone and just mascara, and that was it, the perfect lazy summer eye look! If you haven't try these Jumbo Liners I suggest you to do it, they have an amazing staying power, I don't have to use an eye primer underneath these babies and they stay on for hours!

 Dior Addict Lipstick in 433 Delice

I got this lipstick a few days before I left for London and I didn't have the chance to show it to you guys in a haul post. Dior released a Dior Addict collection in April with the same shades of lipsticks, lipglosses and nail varnishes, Delice was the one that really caught my eye. At first when I went to buy it they were out of stock, the second time I was finally lucky enough to grab one! I love Dior Addict's formula, they're super soft and buttery without being over glossy, in my opinion they are way better than the Revlon Lip Butters. Delice is a peachy coral shade, more on the peachy-orangey side, it's the perfect summer color. If you can still find it and you love these kind of colors, you have to get it! Here's a swatch for you:

Korres LipButter Gloss in Peach

One more lip product that I bought in May but I didn't show it to you in a haul post is one of the new Korres LipButter Glosses, and of course I had to get it in Peach. These butter-glosses have a different texture than the original Korres lip butters, the original ones are waxier. thicker and stay on the lips longer, the gloss ones are more like plain lip glosses, with a watery texture that you have to re-apply more often. I was using Peach quite often in May as a lip gloss because it's very practical. The shade is identical to Mango from the original lip butters, very pigmented and more on the orange side, it's up to you if you prefer it to be more waxy or glossy. Here's a swatch:

Maybelline Express Remover

For some reason I wasn't into this type of nail varnish remover, I know Bourjois and Sephora have similar ones but I found it kind of weird. In a Maybelline event that I attended back in April they gave us this new Express Remover to try it out, this was the first time I've tried something like this and it completely changed my mind, I absolutely adore it! It makes the whole nail varnish removing process so easy and quick, that made me addicted to it.

Non Beauty Favorites

Even though this is my only non beauty related favorite I really had to mention it! Daft Punk's new album "Random Access Memories" finally released in May, and as a Daft Punk fan since the 90's and after waiting for 8 whole years to release a new album, this was something I was really looking forward to happen! It may not be their best album, definitely not better than Discovery which in my opinion is their best one so far, but Random Access Memories has a totally different sound which I quite like. All the songs are influenced by the 70s Disco era, the ones that I love the most are of course "Get Lucky", also "Lose Yourself To Dance" and "Beyond".

So these were my favorites for the month of May. Let me know what were your favorites, and if you've tried any of the products I mentioned. I really want to know!

September Favorites.

I still can't believe September it's over, the weather here it's so hot that it feels like August, and I think that we won't have any fall weather at all we'll skip right into winter! Anyway, I didn't have lots of favorite products this month, especially new ones, most of them are rediscoveries from my make up stash.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in 35 On and On Bronze

This was my go to eyeshadow when I was feeling extremely lazy to do a full eye make up, I was just using this with some mascara and I was done. I love the taupe bronze shade, and when the fall weather will come I'm going to use it even more!

Mac Paint Pot in Nubile

I've tried lots of Mac Paint Pots and I didn't like them, but this one has the exact same shade that my eyelids have, it doesn't make them look white or yellowish like Soft Ochre did, plus it's super creamy, I only wish it wasn't limited edition

Urban Decay Naked Palette

I have this palette for several months but I just start using it, I'm not in love with all the shades (yet!) but the ones that I just can't stop using are Naked, Buck and Smog. I'm pretty sure that when I'll hit pan to these 3 eyeshadows I'll repurchase them in full size!

Garnier Roll-On Anti-Dark Circles

I got this one last March, and when I first tried it I seriously hated it, I didn't think that it covered my dark circles at all, so I left it in my drawer and not using it for several months. But last month I run out of my Seventeen Liquid Concealer and I didn't want to buy a new one so I gave this one a second chance and I actually changed my mind. This time it worked because I put two layers of it and that way it works. It still doesn't cover as well as my Seventeen one but it does a decent job.

Mac Sunny By Nature Mineralize Skinfinish

This was a limited edition Mac MSF, it was released with the Color Craft collection in the summer of 2009. It's a gorgeous non shimmery and non glittery MSF that I use as a bronzer when I want to look a little more tan than when I use my regular Estee Lauder one. It's propably the best MSF I've own so far.

Essence Silky Touch Blush in 30 Secret It-Girl

I'm really impressed with this blush, it's very cheap, costs only 3 euros. The color is a light orangey peach, the texture and the pigmentation are very good, super smooth and not powdery at all, I didn't use any other blush last month and I keep using it everytime I do my make up.

Chanel Aqualumiere lipstick in 61 Santa Monica

I just love the name of this lipstick, it makes me think of summer and beaches! Santa Monica is a very sheer peach-tangerine shade but very very pretty. I have it for a long time and I actually forgot that I had it until I was searching in my make up drawer and found it. I think the Aqualumiere line was discontinued a long time ago, that's too bad because the texture is very good, especially for those who like sheer lipsticks.

Chanel Chance Eau Tendre

The perfume I was using the whole September and still using is the Chance Eau Tendre, I have it for almost 2 years and I just want to finish it. It's a very cute perfume, light and flowery but for some reason I wouldn't repurchase it, propably because I'm not that into flowery scents.

Korres Olive Stones Deep Cleansing Scrub

I run out of my Korres Pomegranate scrub which I absolutely love, and when I saw that Korres released this one I decided to buy it, I think I've repurchased it years ago but they discontinued it and released it again in the mini skincare series. It's almost as good as the Pomegranate one, it does a very good exfoliation without being harsh, I don't think it's a deep cleansing scrub while the Pomegranate one is, but the smell is divine! I love the fresh smell of olives on my face, especially in the monring.

So have you tried any of these products? What were your fave products of the month? Let me know!

Sophia

xoxo