ZOELLA - THE END OF THE AFFAIR?

Hello my loves!

How are you all doing? Exciting times ahead! cough cough CHRISTMAS cough... I'm trying very hard to tone my excitement down, because I just looove Christmas so much! Beauty "Guru" cliché much? Anyway, that's not what this post is about. So, let's get real people.

To be honest, I thought about not doing this post, because, this past week, I've heard enough of Zoella to last me for a lifetime. If you don't know what, or who, I'm talking about, well, keep it that way, at least for now. But still I kinda wanted to review the products, so here we go.

Now, I think it's important to understand that I've been following Zoe for a very long time, pretty much since the beginning, so this was a bit of an emotional purchase. I wanted to support Zoe, and also I'm all for #TeamInternet, so I made my part, and ordered the body lotion and one of the makeup bags.

Let's talk about the makeup bag first. I actually like it a lot. It may not be the classiest thing around, but hey, I'm no Lisa Eldridge, and I happen to like guinea pigs, especially nerdy guinea pigs. It feels sturdy, and it carries a decent amount of stuff, also it was not expensive, it retails for 10€. Again, I'm happy with it.

As for the body lotion... meh... The packaging is cute, I guess. I have to say it was more moisturising than I thought it would be, but that's not saying much, because I didn't have high expectations. I usually don't, when a "celebrity" comes out with beauty products, because their name is enough to sell. I'm not a big fan of the scent, it's very bland, very safe, very generic. Do you know what I mean? Which in a way I guess it's smart, because then there's less chances people will dislike it/hate it. It retails for 6.40 €, which again is not bad, but it's not something I will repurchase, and I would regret buying it if not for the #TeamInternet thing. I'm sure Zoe would do the same, right?

And that is all I have to say about Zoella Beauty, I don't think I could have been more honest. I also have the book, which I had a feeling I wouldn't like, but it was for 5€, so curiosity got the best of me. I couldn't go past the first 5 pages. It's too juvenile, too vain for my taste. Maybe I would have liked it 10 years ago, but right now, at 25 years old, I just can't relate. And with all the ghostwriter story, and the way everything was dealt with, I feel more and more detached from this other 24 years old girl, that, I don't know why, acts like she's 15. Gee... it's almost sad, like the end of a long affair for me.

Anyway, before getting emotional, I'll wrap things here with a big kiss of goodnight :) 
I'll just leave my last video, it's very Christmassy!

Just know that I love you, and stay awesome as I know you are!

V♥

Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil Review

 Hello little kitties!

After a week of blog procrastination here I am again. I wasn't feeling that inspired to write... Don't know why. Maybe it's the weather. It's still crappy, I'm feeling crappy, I need sun, and warmth, and shorts! Like now!

So yesterday was the Oscar's (don't cry fellow Leo fans, one day will be him) and today's post has nothing to do it! Such a good introduction! I'm beyond myself with my own skills.

Today's post is in fact a review. I don't know why I keep trying to build suspense, when the post theme is on the title. But anyway, we will be reviewing the Body Shop Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil. I already bought it at the beginning of February, but I like to really try out things first, before saying anything. I don't trust any reviews in which the product was tested for like a week, or less!

But moving on! First I should tell you what type of skin I have. My skin is dry, with a little bit more oil on the T zone, not overly sensitive, very thin, and not very acne prone, only when my hormones decide to go crazy on me. Now, onto the goodies, for serum I used to use the Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair, because I like to be original! And I really like it, my skin feels supple, smooth and glowing from the inside. Of course any good skin day that i might have it's never only due to the serum, but it definitely helps! Especially because it allows me to customise a little.

I'll explain what do I mean by this. I apply the serum all over my face, and then, I only apply my night cream (Bobby Brown Extra Repair Moisturising Balm) on my cheeks, where I am most dry. But I am detouring. So, back to serums! I went into Body Shop and right at the entrance was a table full of the Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil. I got intrigued and it was so much cheaper than the Estée Lauder one, so i though "Why not?". Also the packaging is cute!

I only use at night, because even though they say it's non greasy, I think it would be too heavy for daytime, for me at least. So after a month of using it, it doesn't fall short in comparison to the Estée Lauder. And did I mention it's much cheaper? That's always a bonus. I can't talk for its effects on aging signs, but for hydrating, is really good.

Bottom line, if you're someone looking for an affordable, good quality, serum, that hydrates your skin, this might be worth a try!

That's all for today! I made chewy brownies and have some ice cream in the freezer, so you know what I'll be doing! Eating some healthy snack of course! What else did you though?

Anyway, I uploaded a new video on Saturday, so why not go check it out and subscribe, join the family instead of being here in ninja mode. I'm a nice person, I swear!

Stay Gorgeous!

V♥

MUFE makeup class of the day!

Hey!

Just got home from another class of the MUFE makeup course. So tired... Whoever says getting up early is good, never got up early (and spent the day from one public transportation to the other -.-') But enough with the whining!

Today's class was about nightout makeup, and the makeup artist demonstrated how to do a smokey eye with almost only a black eyeshadow.

He gave a lot of information, especially on technique, but one of the things I found most interesting was one thing he said about matte eyeshadow. He started with the eyes and did the look with a glittery black eyeshadow, he didn't use matte because the eye only had HD primer, so it wasn't matte, and matte eyeshadow only works on a matte canvas (can we say matte one more time?). Otherwise, due to its composition, it will absorb any moisture and stain, and the end result it's not the same. So, to work with matte, the eye should have a layer of something like loose powder first.

Anyway, in the afternoon it was our turn to try the makeup as usual. My big critique was my light hand on the black on the bottom... Oh well... just didn't want to create raccoon eyes. And we didn't have to do the skin, just the eye, so that we could alternate between partners and practice as much as we could. Here's one of my beautiful models (^.^)

Okay, so that's it for today... I already have my episode of American Horror Story waiting... Sleep tight =)

And stay gorgeous!

Glam Glow Super Mud Clearing Treatment

 Hey there!

So it's the middle of the week, a good day, I think, to give your skin a little pamper. After all it has endured the wild and hard outside environment for three long days. Thus, that was exactly what I just did.

After a warm bath, cleansing my face, and 10 minutes of face steaming, I used my Glam Glow mud mask for the second time. Yes, it's only the second time, it may seem too soon to do a review already, but the thing leaves a strong first impression.

When it comes to mud masks my standard is the Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask, which is a very high standard.

Quoting Cult Beauty, Glam Glow mask is aimed "to discipline problem complexions and render your skin clear, calm and obliging. It purges pores of blackhead causing grime, whilst resurfacing skin with a specialist blend of Alpha-Hydroxy Acids. Suitable for use as a full mask or targeted on-the-spot treatment. It unifies skin tone and stimulates the synthesis of elastin and collagen." Promising, right?

Starting with the créme du fromage, or, with what really matters, how does it perform? Well, it's powerful, and i wouldn't recommend using it before an event. After the first time using it, I woke up the next morning with a couple of tiny breakouts. I can't be for sure it was because of the mask, but it's a hell of a coincidence. Your skin also feels really clean afterwards. Also when it dries, the mask goes to a lighter color, but you can see some spots (especially on the nose in my case) that looks as if it hasn't dried out completely. It looks like spots where it absorbed more "oil". Anyway, I suck at explaining stuff, so I took pictures (don't mind the silly faces -.-'').

The mask when you aplly it!

The mask after 20 minutes (can you see the little dots on the nose?)

One thing I've to say it's not as comfortable to wear as the Omorovicza, this one dries really hard, hard like you can barely move your face. But it's a small price to pay.

I'm not going into a lot of detail with the ingredients, just refer that Glam Glow has as third ingredient Magnesium Aluminum Silicate. Now, aluminum is a known neurotoxin, however, supposedly, the Magnesium Aluminum Silicate molecules are too big, so they shouldn't be able to pass through the skin. Omorovicza mask doesn't have this ingredient at all. Just thought I'd put it out there.

Regarding price, Glam Glow is £44.99 for 30mL and Omorovicza is £57 for 50mL on Cult Beauty, doing the math the Glam Glow is more expensive, it would be £74.80 for 50mL. But, Glam Glow is available in Portugal in Perfumes&Companhia, while Omorovicza isn't (I think).

And I think I'll wrap it up here (^.^) I hope I've given enough information, any doubt you can ask in the comments.

Until next time!

Stay gorgeous!   

MUFE Makeup Course

Hey!

Yesterday I had another (very informative) makeup class. I felt like my brain couldn't absorb more information.

The makeup artist performed a natural yet flawless look and a softer eye look. While he was doing the makeup he would explain why he was doing what he was doing, the do's and dont's, tips, etc...

Some examples

-After applying moisturizer, one should wait at least 20 minutes before going with the makeup, he sometimes waits up to one hour! In a job where doesn't exist that kind of time (probably most of them), he cleans the face with a tonic and goes immediately with the primer.

-Foundations like face and body have volatile oils, and when they evaporate the color goes a little bit darker, so when in doubt choose a lighter color.

-The foundation should be tried in the chest area, near the collar bone, in the front, that will give the most accurate match, due to how the light hits.

-Don't apply foundation in the direction of the little face hair, apply on the opposite direction, because if not, if the hair lifts from the face for some reason (like shiver) it will lift the makeup and can look weird depending on the amount.

And so on...

We also got a cd with 132 slides on makeup, done by the MUFE course.

In the afternoon it was our turn to try the techniques, and again we were organised in pairs. We were to do only half of the face so the difference was most clear. In the next picture you can see what I did on my "client" (^.^) (though i was lucky with her, her skin was already really good)

Stay Gorgeous!

Affordable Makeup

Hey beauties!

Being the youtube addict that I am, I've seen people talk about those 88, 120 etc eyeshadow palettes zillions of times, but I never really got hooked on it. However, recently I've been wanting (desperately) colourful eyeshadows (for no particular reason, my shopaholic side be damned). I've been eyeing some MAC and MUFE, but, even though I'm all up for spending a little bit of money on a customised palette, of my most used eyeshadows, I couldn't justify spending that money on blues and yellows (maybe when I'm a makeup artist *twinkling eyes*).

So I went on BH Cosmetics website and saw the Take Me To Brazil palette. It looked so beautiful, I almost got blinded by so many bright colors. I ordered it, and I also ordered the 88 neutral palette. Again, my shopaholic side... deep down in my heart I know I don't need more neutrals in my life, but it was a bargain. I think i paid around 20€ for both, shipping included.

Top - 88 Neutral Palette; Bottom - Take me to Brazil Palette

 I got them today and they are exactly what I was expecting. They don't have the quality of a high end brand (obviously), and they are kind of a hit and miss. Some colors have nice pigmentation, while others I'm sure I'll need to dip my brush twice, and I also foresee some fallout with a few of them. On another positive note, both palettes have a nice balance between matte, satin, and shimmery finishes, and I'm actually excited to try them on my eyes.

Top - Swatches 88 Netral Palette; Bottom - Swatches Take me to Brazil Palette

I think they are great for someone who is starting to experiment with makeup, or for teenagers, who sometimes don't have that much budget for makeup. So, if you decide to try some, keep your expectations realistic and you won't be disappointed. I mean, they are not MAC eyeshadows, but you can get 88 for the price of 1 at MAC.

Stay gorgeous!        

Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask Review

Hey!

Today I come to talk about a product that, even though it had the help of other amazing products, helped to improve my skin dramatically. The Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask.

Now, before we continue, I have to say I never had major skin problems, but still it was far from perfect and once in a while the hormones didn't help (if you know what I mean). So one day I was doing some online shopping for facial masks (more like looking at all the things I wanted but couldn't have), and came across Omorovicza. My first reaction was 'Too freaking expensive', but after reading some reviews (very important ladies) I got very interested, so I took a deep breath, petted my credit card so it wouldn't feel as bad, and ordered it. Thank the looord!

As the name says, it's a cleansing mask, it is supposed to remove impurities and clear congested pores, and it is suitable for all skin types. It is full of good ingredients and applies the same way as most facial masks. You cleanse your face, apply a layer of it, and then leave it on for 20 minutes. I just add one extra step, after cleansing I do 10 minutes of steaming (fancy word for 'you boil some water and then stick your face in the steam, with a towel over your head *sexy image*), this will open your pores, easing the removal of the dirty stuff.

I've been using it for the last 3 months and I'm almost out of it. The improvement is obvious. I used to have those little bumps on my chin, the ones that are not pimples or anything, and now they are gone. My skin texture is super soft, I feel like touching it all day (which you shouldn't do by the way, not only because it may cause breakouts, but also because it's weird). The skin is luminous (and not in a disco ball way) and even my hormonal acne is pretty much gone.

I can't recommend it enough, and I think it would be especially suited for young skin. I know it's expensive (at least for me it is) but if you are in the mood for a splurge...

You can buy it on Omorovicza website, but it's slightly cheaper on Cult Beauty, and as it's over 50£ the shipping is free.
 If I wasn't a total product wh*re I would repurchase, but I already have something else waiting, the Glam Glow mud mask. The standard is very high now, so lets see how it goes.

Stay gorgeous and have a wonderful lazy Sunday (^.^)