Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts

Saturday, 11 May 2013

I can't stop sniffing myself: Philosykos EDT by Diptyque

Close your eyes and visualize that you 're on the beach. Now, I'm not talking about a filled with people and 4 SPF oil "sunscreen" type of beach, under an umbrella on a chaise longue with a frappe on hand and the latest hits pouring out of the speaker over your head. Not that there is anything wrong with this picture, it 's just a different thing than what I have in mind right now.
So, the beach. I choose my most favorite, secluded little spot of sand and sea, where I lay under the shade of a tamarix tree (not sure about the translation, I'm talking about the lovely almyrikia or armyrikia tree that can be found on many Greek beaches).
The sand is golden beige, the sea is a gradient of blue green to ultramarine, far off, where a tiny speck of a ferry is going towards its joyfull destination. The sky is a blinding cobalt blue and the sun is the king on his high throne.
The only sound that comes to my ears is the rhythmical caress of the sea on the sand in the form of lazy but repetitive tiny waves. Somewhere in the back is a company of cicadas that sing the classic August hit of sweet idleness.
There is also a refreshing breeze coming from the sea, soothing and comforting, despite the blazing hot sun.
I feel relaxed, tranquil, one with the elements around me, safe in the embrace of nature, with no worries or anxieties, my mind is a white sheet of paper.
This, my friends, is Philosykos to me.
Fear not for my mental health, (lol!) it 's just that I haven't been so head over heels about a fragrance for a long time now (well, not since last May when I discovered the, alas LE, Sweet Milk by Jo Malone).
First of all, let's get professional-like and review this heavenly fragrance.
I got a 12ml, travel sample spray bottle of the eau de toilette, a few days ago, in the first Cherrybox box that I bought. It was a lovely surprise because Diptyque is such a niche brand and very expensive so I was not familiar with its products.
Philosykos as a word is actually a joint of two Greek words:
  • Philos, that means friend
  • Syko, that means the fruit of the fig
So, Philosykos means friend of the fig (I know, translated it sounds a little weird and not so posh, lol!)
Diptyque describes this fragrance as an ode to the fig tree and was created after the memories of one of the founders of the brand, when, "in the heat of Greek summer he had to walk through an orchard of wild fig trees in order to get to the sea".
Technically speaking the notes are:
  • Top: fig leaf and fig
  • Middle: coconut and green notes
  • Base: cedar, wood and fig
Not technically speaking (lol!) I find that it opens up crisp, fresh and green but without being sour or tart, as it happens some times with green scents.
Instead, there is a sweet, milky quality, not at all pungent and offending but quite the contrary, that manages to balance wonderfully the fig. It 's - my oh so dear - coconut that does it, standing on a base of delicate woods.
It's a tight and wonderful ensemble that can be worn by women and men alike (well, that was a strange way to put it...!). It 's definitely a summer scent but I can probably wear it all year round. Also, to me it stands out of the group of summer-y perfumes because it 's more refined, more polished, in a good - not elitist - way.
The part that I like the most is that, as time goes by, the scent doesn't become loose, disheveled. It retains its integrity but the harmony becomes deeper, richer not meaning heavier but like as more in unison with my skin.
I also love the fact that it 's not a screaming type of perfume, meaning that it doesn't fill a room as soon as I enter it, but it does leave a faint but distinguishable trail.
The only part that I wasn't excited about is the average longevity, I would be thrilled with a bit more, but, it's not bad.
So, the premiere of Cherrybox service was quite impressive to me but I 'm going to talk about it in a following post. I am so in love with the fragrance that I couldn't hold myself, I just had to tell you about it!
I 'm definitely going to buy the full size, we 're just 84€ apart, (sigh) for the 100ml bottle.
That 's it for now, I hope you 're all well and thriving (off to sniff my wrist a little more!).

Sunday, 5 August 2012

July favorites!

Most of my favorites for July can be seen in the June favorites post, but here are a few more things that I really enjoyed using this month!

Garnier new BB cream: I was contemplating whether I should buy a darker foundation, being a little tanned and all, but i couldn't justify the expense for a product I will use for a month or so. Meanwhile, I had seen online swatches of the Garnier BB cream and I thought it had a decent opacity, so when I saw it at the supermarket, with a price tag of €7, I decided to buy this instead of a foundation.

At first try I got scared because of the slight orange tint and I also did't like the fact that it oxidized on me. So I buried it in a drawer but after a few days I thought to mix it with my Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation. I'm happy to say that the combination is perfect colorwise and it lasts a long time without oxidizing.

Inglot 4SS brush: some time ago I purchased its little sister, the 6SS and it has become my favorite brush for applying highlights and sheer wash of color on my lids. So, I thought to get the bigger one solely for applying highlight on the cheekbones etc and it works like a dream.

Inglot blotting paper: I had never tried blotting papers before because my skin is not oily but in the summer I sweat on the face, so I though that blotting paper would be the answer and it is because it does the job without affecting my makeup. Now I never leave the house without this little packet in my purse!

Clarins Instant Light blush in Coral Tonic: love it. It spent all month in my purse for touch ups on the go because it doesn't require a brush, just my fingertips!

Mac blush in Flower Fantasy: I used quite a bit this one not only because of the lovely color but also because it has a coordinating highlight in the pan. The only downside, as with a few other Mac powders, is that it is so fine that it can acquire a film on top that makes the product useless. I tried sweeping it with a paper towel and I even scraped the surface a bit but nothing worked out until one day that I thought to use a Korres face brush that is a little coarse and it worked!

Mac blush in Sunbasque: this blush scream summer to me! I had neglected it for a while but it was well loved all month.

Clarins Coral Tonic, Mac Flower Fantasy, Mac Sunbasque
Maybelline Color Tatoo in On and On Bronze: a swipe on each eyelid, blending out the edges, ready and bronze-y in a minute!
Wet 'n Wild Shadow Pencil in Pixie: lovely color with poor durability but it's a perfect shimmering and brightening base for the lids, under powder eyeshadow.
Mac Prunella eye kohl: I used this one a lot on my tightline because it's not harsh like black but it's a bit more intense than brown.
Inglot brow pencil: again in the hunt for the perfect brow product, I decided to try this one by Inglot. I've used it all month and I really like it because the color is light so the result is natural and it also comes with a handy little brush.
On and On Bronze, Pixie, Prunella, Inglot brow pencil

Inglot #181 nail polish: I hadn't worn metallics in a long while and I really enjoyed this coppery-pink, bronze shade by Inglot.

Orly Rage: love it! It's pink and cool golden and a little beige, precious in a word!

L'Oreal #208 So Chic Pink: it's a bold and beautiful, vibrant coral red. It lived on my toes almost all month!

These are my favorites but there are a couple of things that disappointed me.

Bourjois 2step Volumizer mascara: so far I don't remember having a mascara that flacked, but this one is like I've worked in a coal mine! At midday, my under eye area and the tops of my cheeks become "adorned" with itsy tiny little bits of mascara. I really like the color though...

While preparing the shoot I discovered that the bigger wand broke and got stuck inside the tube, that's a first too...lol!

Givenchy Phenomen' Eyes in #5, Vintage Bronze: this one was another experiment in the quest for the perfect brown mascara. I saw it in a local outlet, I had read all the raves about the brush and the name of the shade "Vintage Bronze" was very alluring. Now, the wand is not bad at all, it's just that it takes a looot of time to coat my lashes because it's small, think of an eternity and a day, lol!

The main problem is that the color is not bronze, at all. In fact it is a charcoal grey/black. Well, as a color description maybe it doesn't sound that bad but on the eyes, it's like I've applied a grey eyeshadow while the mascara is still wet and it catches the fallout on the lashes. It 's so weird that I'm really considering to toss it in the garbage.

So, these are my July favorites spiced up with a couple of misses.

I hope you're all well and thriving!

Sunday, 8 July 2012

June favorites!

Almost mid July but here are my June favorites!

Coconut was the fragrance of the month and in particular:

  • Coconut shower gel TBS
  • Coconut shimmering (ooohhh!) body butter TBS
  • Sweet Milk cologne by Jo Malone (sooo unhappy that it was a limited edition!)
The Annemarrie Borlind self tanning lotion is not a June favorite because I got it on the first of July, so let's say it's a July favorites preview!

It has become a favorite item because it gives me a natural tan, check here for more info.

For the face, I religiously used:

  • La Roche Posay Anthelios 50spf sunblock (not pictured here because I'm sure you've seen it a million times by now!
  • Mac Fix+ (surprise!), I'm sure you're sick to death to see it every month, so no pic today!
  • Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, I really like this one because it's lightweight and evens out any discolorations. I would say it offers medium coverage but it can be used lightly or in layers.
  • Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer because it is full coverage and it takes just a tiny tiny bit.
  • Mac Lush-Light Bronze powder (from last year's Surf Baby collection). I use this lightly all over my face and neck because the foundation is in my winter shade and the bronzer gives me a lightly sun kissed look.
  • Elf blush brush. I rediscovered this brush in my stash and I use it with a little powder to set under eye concealer and a little bit on the T-zone. It's perfect because I can deposit powder exactly where I want it.
Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation and concealer, Mac Lush-Light Bronze

For the eyes, I did some naked eye but usually I didn't stray from my favorite teal/brown combos, with a little peach in between:

  • Mac Expensive Pink, Steamy, Club, Carbonized
  • Inglot pearl in # 393 and #413
Inglot #413 and Mac Steamy look similar but Steamy leans green and #413 is more blue.

As for lips, although I haven't been unfaithful to my beloved YSL Glossy Stains, I took advantage of a promo in my local Inglot store and while purchasing a few things for presents, I got two lipglosses for free!

  • Inglot Sleeks Cream #107 - a vibrant coral/pink, it's perfect to spice up a minimal face look
  • Inglot Sleeks VLC #73, my first nude lip product, pink/beige with a little shimmer, I used it mostly when I wanted to keep the focus on the eyes.
Last but not least, nails!

  • Mac Play Day, I can't have enough of this color!
  • Korres Vert Amande, lovely light green/aqua
These were my June favorites, I wish you're all well and thriving!

Sunday, 1 July 2012

First Impressions: Self tan lotion!

Already midsummer (happy July btw) but I was still struggling to get rid of the white-pale as dead-color. It's not that I don't get tanned, it just that for me it requires too many hours under the sun. Being pale I used to think that it would be easy to tan, but actually it's not because i have to wear a very high spf and although I like the sun, I can't stand it for too long.

So, almost every summer I am my friends' joke because I am almost white as snow. That being said, I've also tried various self tan lotions through the years, but I ended up being my friends' joke once more because I would turn into a funny orange, or sickly yellow, or whatever, lol!

Yesterday, I felt brave enough to try once more because I couldn't stand my whiteness, so I paid my local Hondos Center a visit.

Imagine my surprise when none of the mainstream brands (Garnier, Dove, L'Oreal etc) had any self tan products available! I don't know what happened this summer, but the shelves were all about sunscreen and that's it!

So, I asked a SA and she shown me a couple of unknown (at least to me) brands and finally she proposed me the Annemarie Borlind Sunless Bronze lotion. While she was talking to me I was thinking "well, keep yapping, I'm not going to spend my money on a product by an Annemarie something," etc etc.

And then a weird thing happened: I started to actually pay attention to what she was saying and in particular about providing a natural tan, without streaking and funny coloring. She also mentioned that it could be used on face and body as well, and she even opened the bottle to show me that it had a not offensive smell.

So, I thought to try this out anyway, although the price seemed a little steep to me for a product that could end in the garbage (19€ for 75ml, with the 25% off i paid about 13€).

Coming home the first thing I did was to test a little bit on my thigh, just to see the color. Today I noticed that that part seemed a little tanned but I was surprised to see that it really did look very natural, not yellow or orange.

It goes without saying that I felt my hopes surging and could't wait to properly try it!

So, I went the whole nine yards, meaning, meticulously exfoliating and hydrating, applying the product, waiting for it to dry to the touch, etc.

At first I couldn't see any difference but after a few hours I started seeing it and I so far I am so happy with the result because at last I found something that really looks like me after hours (or should I say days) under the sun!

Now, don't get me wrong, when I say tanned I don't mean JLo tan, I mean a couple shades darker than fair, and that for someone that has a quite pale and light skin tone, is a great deal!

I was so impressed that I applied a tiny bit on my face too and the result is really nice and natural.

So far it has surpassed my expectations and the next critical point is how it will fade as well as how it will look in a few days when I 'll repeat the application.

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

Wednesday, 13 June 2012

Mac summer eyeshadows palette

The best way I found about storing my most used Mac eyeshadows is a standard Mac palette where I rotate them according to the seasons. So, during winter and fall I keep mostly subdued and neutral shades in it but coming spring and especially summer, my palette is like an explosion of colors.

See for yourself!

Let's take a closer look!

First row:

Brûlée, Expensive Pink, Kid, Espresso and Carbonized (LE)

Second row:

Short Shorts (LE), Sun Blonde (LE), Swimming, Steamy and Aquadisiac

Third row:

Baby Petals (LE), Pink Venus, VIP (LE), Moon's Reflection and Deep Truth

I call this candy for eyes!

And here' s a little eye of the day!

I used:

  • Short Shorts for the inner corner and browbone,
  • Steamy on the lid,
  • Deep truth on the outer corner and V
  • Equilibrium blush/bronzer for the crease, it's a gorgeous neutral to use with colorful looks because it makes any combination more wearable.
What colors do you mostly use for eyes during the summer?

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