What's in my shower tag!

Dear Tina from all the vanity tagged me, so, here it is!

Hair:

I'm currently trying a few products from the Macadamia line:

• Rejuvenating Shampoo, great for dry or damaged hair. 
• Deep Repair Masque, 7 minutes after shampoo mask 
• Healing Oil Spray, just started using this one, fingers crossed it turns out good!

I recently took a turn to more natural hair products and this is the second brand I try. Sulfates and paraben free, color safe, so far so good, my hair feels soft, lightweight and well hydrated.

Body products:

I'm a huge fan of Korres body products, from the main brand and Kings & Queens as well.

They smell heavenly, feel nourishing and moisturising, are very affordable, natural and greek! What more can I ask?

My favorite fall/winter scent is cinnamon and these Vanilla Cinnamon shower gel and body milk are just divine, I stock up every time I see them on buy one get one free.

For a special occasion or night out, I love these Tom Ford Black Orchid shower gel and body milk because they smell sexy, seductive and luxurious (if that makes sense!) with some dark, vampy vibes. 

I do have them for over a year (I got them at my first ever visit to the Estee Lauder bazaar)  because i forget to use them (lol) but they're in top condition so far and hope they stay this way!

Tools of the trade:

First time ever I purchased a pair of The Body Shop scrub gloves must have been in high school. I got them just for the novelty, I had no idea if I would like them, but they were pink (what else?) and looked so cute and out of the ordinary.

Since then I 've purchased a lot of pairs, in every color available, because it's the only thing I use in my shower, every day.

I am gentle while at it and I do moisture well after use and my skin is baby soft, resulting in many compliments and I have converted quite a few friends and female colleagues into using them.

As for exfoliating, I can't stand grainy products on my body, so, once a week (during spring/summer) or twice a month (during fall/winter) I take an extra step and I exfoliate with a body brush.
This one was actually a gift to my brother who never used it, so I claimed it mine, it also comes with a long handle to reach the back.

It comes with out saying that I follow up with generous quantities of moisturiser and my skin stays silky smooth for days.

That's it for now, I hope you are all well and thriving! 

The Body Shop BBloggers event!

I was invited once more by the lovely Dimitra Kaldi, along with other fellow beauty bloggers, to a Body Shop event, this time at Nea Smyrni. I call these events infotainment evenings, because we learn a lot of interesting new things while we're having fun socializing!

Here's my experience from the previous event.

I won't talk again about the values of TBS because I regard them as common knowledge but I will share with you what happened that evening.

We were informed of the new products in three separate presentations:

• Skincare
• Fragrance
• Makeup

So, skincare was our first stop where a very helpful sales assistant (that also answered patiently all our questions) explained to us the benefits of the new products, in particular:

• Drops of Youth by the Nutriganics line. This product is focusing on dealing with the first signs of ageing by making the skin look fresher, healthier and smoother.
• Tea Tree Pore minimizer by the Tea Tree line. It minimizes the appearance of pores, matifies and smoothes the skin and also acts perfectly as a face primer.
• Aloe Soothing Cream by the Aloe line. Well, aloe is pretty much self explanatory but I've never thought to use it as an after sun product although it makes perfect sense, due to the calming and soothing properties.
• Vitamin C Face Mist by the Vitamin C line. I love to spritz it on my face in the morning, its scent wakes me up instantly, lol! I also spritz it on my face when I return home after work because I feel it brings back life to it.

Next stop, fragrance. Here, a lovely and very stylish SA informed us of the Scents of the World eaux de toilette and the various accompying products. There are five scents:

• Amazonian Wild Lily: if you like "green" scents you will love this!
• Madagascar Island Vanilla: vanilla with an oriental twist
• Indian Night Jasmine: jasmine with woody base
• Atlas Mountain Rose: rose with musky and oriental elements
• Japanese Cherry Blossom: my favorite by far, floral but not boring or overpowering, with some woody base, really pretty and easy to wear, even for work.

For each of the five fragrances there are accompying products (shower gel, body lotion, body mist, perfume oil) and I think that I will treat myself of a Japanese Cherry Blossom set! Also, I find that the perfume oil offers the best longevity of scent, although the body mists and eaux de toilette can be easily combined, even with different scents, thus creating your own fragrance!

Last stop, makeup!

The new BB cream was the item we were all very excited about and its application is very impressive because it changes color from white to pink and then to skintone!

It offers hydration, an even and undetectable finish with light to medium coverage and it feels very nice. I did find one flaw though and that is the color range: although it is supposed to match your skin tone, the lightest shade 01 was dark for me, the only time I could probably wear it is when I'm tanned. So, fair skinned ladies, that's bad news for us!

We also received a bag of goodies and we were super excited because it included:

• the Tea Tree Pore Minimizer,
• the LE Peach body butter that smells totally yummy,
• the BB cream
• the Japanese Cherry Blossom perfum oil
• a sample of the Nutriganics Drops of Youth and
• the Foundation lip butter. The profit from the sale of this item goes to one cause of three selected ones and you get to chose the cause your money will go to. How cool is that! I also purchased one as a gift.

All in all it was a fun evening, we got a chance to chat, talk about the products, see each other, we couldn't ask for anything more!

Thank you TBS!

Δημοσιεύτηκε με το Blogsy

Monthly Favorites: May

Many products (skincare, haircare, foundation etc) are staple to me so I won't bother you again (you can always read about them here ) so, here are some items that I really enjoyed using this month.

In my shower, strawberry is the scent! One thing I don't get about TBS shower gels is why they don't come with a pump (or why they don't sell one separately) so, I removed the pump from a backup body lotion I have and placed it on the shower gel bottle. Perrrrrfect!

As for perfume, I am head over heels in love with the Jo Malone Sweet Lemon cologne I got at the Estée Lauder bazaar. It's fresh, it's sweet but with an edge, it's there but not in your face, I just love it (and got many compliments wearing it!)

I also used quite a bit of the Vitamin E Face Mist by TBS. It was in the goodies bag that we were given at the TBS bloggers' event (you can read all about it here ). When I return home from work I don't take off my makeup right away, so one spritz of the Face Mist on top gives my skin freshness and hydration. I still love my Mac Fix + but I use this one in the morning, after completing my makeup (and I keep a mini bottle in my purse at all times).

As for makeup, I've been mostly sporting coral/peach cheeks with lips in accordance and minimal eyeshadow. I was up since 6:30 in the morning everyday for work (I'm currently working at another location of my company - well, not MY company but you get the point, lol! - that's on the other side of Athens and I won't return to my basis for another week...) so, I didn't feel like doing much eyeshadow work.

I mostly used the Clarins Coral Tonic and the Tarte Blissful blushes, apart from being really pretty they also survive 11+ hours on my cheeks.

My YSL Glossy Stains have become everyday staples since I got them but this month I mostly used #7 and #12 because they fit into my coral/peach scheme. I also used Morange by Mac, a tiny bit with a lip brush over well moisturizer lips.

Morange, YSL #7 and #12

For eyes, my staple was Nubile paintpot by Mac because it is darker than my skintone so it defines my eyes in a natural, barely there way.

When I felt like putting a little extra on top, I used Pearl #390 by Inglot or Stilife paint by Mac or the champaign color from TBS Moonstone eyeshadow. Just a wash of color, nothing dramatic or complicated.

The rest of my favorites are miscellaneous:

• Garnier roll on concealer. I have this for some time but now that i'm a tiny bit darker, it suits my skintone better. I really like its thin consistency and the way it feels under my eyes.
• Bourjois eye brow pencil #4. Although I loved the Fling mechanical eyebrow pencil by Mac, it run out very quickly, so I decided to buy again this old time favorite.
• Prunella kohl eye pencil by Mac. I use this one everyday on my upper waterline, it's such an intricate color because it's not black, neither brown, nor plum, I really can't describe it.
• When I felt really adventurous, I used Undercurrent on my lower lash line, a tiny bit of this with Nubile on the lid gives an interesting twist to a nude look.
• Saunter lip pencil by Mac is the only nude lip color I have and I'm really liking it!
• Shore Leave is another lip pencil by Mac, this one is pinky-coral and used it quite a bit.

Here are some swatches

That's it for May favorites, June had better be warm because I have some aqua and teals to sport!

 

The Body Shop Bloggers' Event

Last Wednesday TBS invited me and other fellow beauty bloggers to the revamped Pulse store in Kolonaki. Before I go into details, allow me to tell you a little story about me and TBS!

As a young teen, I was intimidated to go into the big and crowded cosmetics stores: too many brands, too many products, too many decisions.

So, when I decided that it was time to start pampering myself, I entered my local TBS store in Kallithea and it was love at first sight! I was awed by the colors, the fragrances, the nifty little things, the helpful SA, it seemed the right place to start my fun journey towards looking like a polished young woman. Can you guess what was my first purchase? Strawberry shower gel and body lotion!

I had also in mind that the things I got not only made me look good but made me feel good as well. Not only because no animals were hurt in the making process but also because the brand provided work and prosperity to people all over the globe through the Community Fair Trade program.

Making a long story short, choosing this brand was something that made me feel good inside out and we journeyed together for a few years. Then, as I grew older, the sirens' calling became loud and distracting and other brands gained my attention. But there was always a soft spot in my heart for my little local TBS shop.

So, when I was invited to the relaunching and entered the Kolonaki Pulse store, even if it was a different one, I almost felt like the first time! The colors, the fragrances, the warmth of the people, it was like a shinier, more colorful déjà vu.

There, we were informed of the new approach, Beauty With Heart, that is perfectly illustrated through the moto Look Good, Feel Good, Do Good.

• Look Good is about using nature's high quality ingredients in an effective way
• Feel Good is about being pampered with products that are made with respect to the planet
• Do Good is about helping people all over the globe to gain their income in a respectable way

In compliance to the above mentioned values, TBS also reduced their electricity consumption in store (and elsewhere), uses wood that is approved by the FCS, recycles and also plant trees to balance the ones that are used for bags etc. Also, in store, there is a community and values wall that houses announcements and information about worldwide and local campaigns and actions.

The store itself is very well lit and although it's not big, it feels spacious and clutter free. The colorful packages, bottles etc line the walls and in the middle there are two long tables that house the newest products.

The revamp didn't stop there but also affected my favorite product, the body butters, that come in a new packaging with a QR code that can be scanned via a smartphone and show the ingredients and other information.

I also had a chance to see in action the new limited edition makeup line named after the brand advocate, Lily Cole and was mostly impressed by the Lip and Cheek Dome because it gives a nice, fresh flush to the cheeks. I would buy in a heartbeat especially because it is limited edition if I didn't already have more blushes that I will use in a lifetime, lol!

The product I was mostly curious about was the new Beautifying Oils and I had the chance to enjoy a really luxurious and pampering hand massage by a lovely SA, and I was sold on the spot! It feels soothing and moisturizing and smells lovely (it comes in ten scents) and more importantly it is a multitasker since it can be used on face, hair and body! I think this one will be my staple product in my beach/vacation bag.

I also heard that they'll be launching limited edition body mists in all our favorite scents, so, that's something to wait for!

As for the social aspect of the event, although I was up from 5:30 in the morning and didn't feel (or look, lol!) very posh, it was a very refreshing and invigorating experience, not only because of the very warm welcome of the TBS people but also because I had a chance to meet for the first time with fellow lovely beauty bloggers and a little wine and more than little chat and laughter, it was an upbeat ending to a very stressful day.

To make it even better, we were given a TBS goodies bag with:

• the Chocomania body butter (mine is almost empty so it's good to have a refill!),
• Moringa Shower Gel,
• Vitamin E Face Mist (I can never have too many face mists, I love them!) and...
• Satsuma Beautigying Oil! It goes without saying that I've used it already (I gave my hands, nails and cuticles a moisturizing massage) and this one smells amazing! Very citrusy, invigorating and fresh!
  

 

I also did a little shopping and got myself:

• Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil, it smells drop dead gorgeous and leaves a slightly tinted, lightly shimmery finish. It can be used alone or mixed with a body moisturizer for a more subtle result. If I wasn't sick I would already be sporting this on my legs!
• Moonstone baked eyeshadow (I saw it in a blogpost by Evi and loved it!)
• Out of pure curiosity I got a Facial Flannel, it is a sort of rubbery like fabric that is used instead of cotton balls etc, in order to remove the makeup in conjunction with a makeup remover/cleanser. I've tried it once so far and I like it because it feels very soft and smooth.

Here's a wet swatch of the Moonstone, I love the taupe/cool champaign color combo!

 

All in all, it was a great evening, and most importantly, it was good to see that TBS still follows and enhances the values that Anita Roddick set, in the present timeframe, without loosing the perspective.

Well done TBS, keep up the good work!

Monthly favorites: April

A many months favorite that for some reason I always forgot to mention is the Mac Cleanse Off Oil. I just use a pump on my hand and then massage it gently first on the eye area and then on the rest of my face. No cotton balls, no cloth, just straight on. It removes everything in a few seconds and then I lightly rinse it with water. I love it because it feels very emollient and soothing, but I do take the extra step of properly washing my face afterwards because I don't think that just a makeup remover is enough.

Although April has been rather gloomy and cloudy, I decided i should upgrade my sunscreen protection and the La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF50+ is right on the target, since it provides high protection but in a thin, user friendly consistency that adheres excellently on the skin without messing with my foundation etc. and most importantly, without the dreaded white face result!

After the sunscreen I use the Skin79 Super+ BB cream. I have been using this instead of sunscreen, during the winter, but as the days grew longer and sunnier, I felt that this alone was not enough sun protection for my skin. So, after applying the Anthelios, I use the BB cream instead of foundation because it has a decent coverage (something between a tinted moisturizer and a foundation) and the added sun protection (as well as all the other "special attributes" BB creams are supposed to have in abundance, lol!).

Another item that I really enjoy using is the Laura Geller Balance 'n Brighten powder in Porcelain because it does brighten up my dull complexion a little bit. I use it with a light hand though because a little bit too much does look cakey on my dry skin. In that case, just a spritz with my Mac Fix+ and cake face no more!

As for the eyes, Added Goodness fluidline by Mac is my staple eyeliner. As for eyeshadow, I really enjoy Stilife Paint by Mac on the eyelid, it's my go-to, no fuss champaign cream eyeshadow. Then i do a little crease definition with Equilibrium blush/bronzer by Mac and ready in a second.

On the days that I wanted to look more springy and fresh, I added a tiny bit of Steamy eyeshadow by Mac. I am a fan of duo chrome eyeshadows and this one is really pretty, it's blue, it's green, it's turqoise, well, I don't know exactly what it is but I love it!

As for blush, I mainly used these two by Mac and my two Clarins blushes . The reason I set these Mac blushes apart is that, while they do offer shimmer, the position of it in the pan gives me the option to use it with the blush, by swirling the brush all over the pan, or to use it separately, after applying the blush, exactly where I want it. It's actually two products in one and I love multitaskers!

Flower Fantasy and Sunday Afternoon.

I don't have to tell you my favorite lip products (of this month, next month, etc) you can read all about them here, lol!

Although I don't like bluish nail polishes that much, I find that I really like the "I don't have a herring problem" by Opi because it fits into my dusty and mutted taste that I've acquired some time ago. It's sort of a faded grayish medium blue color with a hint of green and fine silver and gold dust. I usually use one layer because I like the semi translucent effect but it is equally pretty with two layers.

The problem is that I couldn't get a decent photo, in real life it's greenish blue, probably the green scarf in the background distorted the color accuracy.

A more "spring appropriate" color that I enjoyed using is the Play Day by Mac. I can't say that I enjoy applying it because it is quite streaky, but I love the milky light peach/coral result and I can see this color becoming a staple to me for spring and summer.

As for body products, I 've been using the Body Shop Chocomania range once a week, when I do my scrubbing routine, and for the rest of the week I went back to my beloved Canelle Orange range from Kings & Queens. I adore this scent, it's practically my favorite for some months now!

As for scents, I kept reaching for Lovestruck from Vera Wang because it's a fuss free, go with everything perfume and I think I will run out of it any time now! That's a first for me, usually I have 2-3 perfumes that collect dust on a shelf but this one got much love and attention from me this past month!

That's it for now, I hope you're all well and thriving!

Rainy days require a little spring shopping!

Rainy and chilly days in spring are not my favorites and this gloomy weather today was sitting really heavy on my nerves.

So, while doing errands after work, I decided to get a couple of things from The Body Shop. Next, I decided to hop in a H&M (I became a fan) and before I knew my spirits were again soaring high (in the rainy sky)!

First thing first, if you like bangles (or cuffs) but find them rather large for your wrists, try H&M! That's where I found these two cute sets and they fit my slim wrists (I do have a slim part on my body, lol!) perfectly.
Price wise they're not darn cheap but still very affordable, €6,95 and €7,95 each set.

Next thing I got at H&M are these two tops.

I loved the white one because it has this lace-y second layer on the front (on the back it's plain white) but it's not over the board, it's really simple but elegant. It will be really nice for casual but feminine outfits. It cost me €14,95.

The multicolored one was on my to buy list because I love the pattern and the combination of colors. It is really sheer but I have a light beige tank top with a little lace in front that will be pefect underneath. This one can be worn casually or a little more dressy, and will be handy for days at work when I want to be a little more smart and chic. At €9,95 it's a bargain!

I almost forgot to mention that at H&M I was given a €5 gift card (I didn't know there was a promotion going on), it's not much but still, it's a nice move!

From TBS I wanted some antibacterial hand lotion and the lipscuff. Well, I couldn't resist a deal (I think it was €5) on my spring favorite strawberry shower gel!
On the way out I spotted the Love Etc EDT and I grabbed the 10ml purse spray for these mornings when I sprint to work and forget to put on some perfume. It doesn't rock my world but it's a lightly floral everyday scent that goes with everything.

Check here If you want to see a previous little spring hall I did.

That's it for now, I hope you're all well and thriving!