Festive Lush Christmas Collection Haul 2016

It's the most wonderful time of the year… the time when Lush brings out the Christmas limited edition collection and regular baths and pamper sessions become a permanent part of my daily routine.

Autumn Makeup Menu

When it comes to autumnal makeup trends, I tend to be very traditional. As soon as the weather changes, I bring out all the rusty colors, and dark lip products and keep them on hand until the end of the year.

Over the past months, I've been lucky enough to receive quite a few autumnal makeup pieces and they work quite lovely together to create a quick and easy autumnal makeup look.

Movember : 5 steps to a great moustache and beard

Months are flying by and we are already well into November, a month dedicated to raising awarenes about mens health. Throught the idea of »moveber«, when men let their facial hair grow in the month of November to raise awareness, the cause has become quite widely known throughout the years and I'm sure you must have heard about it by now. 

If you decided (or will after reading this post –it's never to late to join) to support the cause by letting your facial hair grow, here are some tips on keeping your moustache and beard well maintained and looking its best.

L'Occitane Arlésienne collection & celebrating strong and confident women

There are few things as powerful in the world as a confidant woman. This holiday season L'Occitane are looking for inspiration to Arlésienne –a woman who is exactly who she wants to be. Her character is driven by the endless passion for being unique and different.

Renowned by the colourful ribbons she would put in her hair, the ribbon represent the story of a free and proud woman. To encourage all women to be courageous and exceptional, they are wrapping their collection into a pink decorative ribbon.

My found its place on a handle of my decorative basket as its brightness balances the colours of greenery, peonies and the surroundings. There it will remind me each day to believe in my self and to be who I really want to be.

Celebrating the unique and confidante woman is the re-vamped L'Occitane collection Arlésienne. With notes of rose, violet and saffron, this fragrance is soft but powerful, sexy and yet sophisticated and will make any woman feel unstoppable.

The collection will be available in Slovenian stores and online store www.loccitane.si from 3. November.

Collection Arlésienne includes: Eau de Toilette, Beauty Milk, Delicious Gloss, Delightful Bath & Shower Gel, Perfumed Soap, Velvet Hand Cream

*These days I am trying out the velvet hand cream and the delicious gloss from the collection (seen pn the pictures) and will soon tell you more about them.*

Do not forget to also take a look at the collection Cologne Cedrat, created for an adventurous, daring man filled with unstoppable wanderlust. The combination of citrus note mixed with notes of cedre, menthol and invigorating herbs is fresh, but makes a statement that can't be overlooked.

Collection Cologne Cedrat includes: Eau de Toilette, Shower Gel, After Shave Gel Cream, Soap

Let me know, who is the strongest and most confident woman who inspires you in your life?

Thanks for reading and see you in my next post!

Rawr,

your Beautysaur                    

"Before and After"- Home Decor Ideas with L'Occitane Slovenia

We all know the struggle when it comes to finding the right pieces that will transform an empty space into a warm, cosy home. Decor items are often hard to find, and when you finally see something you love, the price tag almost makes you cry.

A few days ago a couple of Slovenian beauty bloggers joined L'Occitane in browsing through their warehouse which, to be honest, seemed more like a magical land of everything cute and pretty.

Storing all the items that appear in L'Occitane windows or on displays in their stores, the warehouse was a dream come true for every decor enthusiast.

Update your routine for FALL

Autumn is officially here. It's getting colder, the leaves are changing and all this is calling for a bit of a change in my everyday routine. I'm whipping up the dark lipsticks, rusty colored everything and doing everything I can to feel as cosy and snug as possible.

If you are looking for way to bring some autumnal vibes in to your look, here are some of my tips:

No makeup is complete without a proper base, and in the colder days I start reaching for foundations with higher coverage and longevity. Milani's Conceal+Perfect has been with me since the late summer, and it's been doing wonders for my makeup. For something that covers almost all imperfections and evens my skin tone, this is an extremely lightweight and at the same time very longwearing foundation. Pigmented enough that I don't really need a concealer for everyday use, this is the perfect foundation for those cold autumn mornings when you don't want to get out of you warm bed and end up putting your makeup on in a hurry.

These days I tend to skip on the bronzer and rather use some contouring powder to gently sculpt up the cheeks and add a bit of a very natural toned blush for some colour. The ArtDeco Contouring powder (mine is in the shade 21 dark chocolate) is just the right colour for sculpting the face and blends perfectly.

 Somewhere between a blush and a bronzer, the Matte Mania Blush from Misslyn's Beauty in Boots collection is ideal for adding some natural colour to the cheeks.

When it comes to eye makeup in the autumn, I start obsessing over the rusty orange-red shades that complete the look perfectly. If you already have a set of base eyeshadow that you like to use often, try finding a single eyeshadow or a mini palette of autumnal shades, that you can incorporate into your daily routine. The Perfect Match Eyeshadow trio in Gaucho Girl by Misslyn offers the most amazing orange-rust shade, a beautiful yellow-gold and a lovely chocolate brown shade. 

With colder days comes the smoky makeup look and I feel like it's the easiest to achieve that with a good eye pencil. For an affordable option, Essences Easy Glide & Waterproof in 01 blacklove and Longlasting Eye Pencil in 02 Hot Chocolate are my favourite go-to eye pencils. If you are more of a cat-eye liner look, the Sleek Dip-It eyeliner in 262 is longwearing and really easy to work with.

Brows are something I pay more attention to when it gets colder, as I like them to look a bit bolder and bushier. A while ago, I discovered the Sleek Eyebrow Stylist in Dark and it made doing my brows so much easier.

Long and defined lashes are a must for me throughout the year, but the ArtDeco Long Lashes mascara deserves a special autumnal shout out as it works magic on my lashes and looks gorgeous in my stash with it's rose gold packaging. Also, let's not forget a good set of eyelash curlers that make sure your lashes are looking their very best (and fit great into the whole rose-gold theme.)

Red, berry and dark bold lips are the items that take the centre stage in the autumn. For everyday use I still rely on my trusty nude shades, but for special occasions, you can't go wrong with a statement lip. 

Some of my favourites are: Sleek Matte Me in 1041 Vino Tinto with an incredible longwearing formula, Makeup Factory Mat Lip Fluid in 36 Wild Berry in a glorious shade, Catrice Ultimate Stay in 160 Don't Worry Be Berry in a classical lipstick form and lovely smooth formula, and Wet'n'Wild in Ravin Rasin for a fabulous budget option. 

For the nails, I always stick to berry shades or metallics. There are many amazing options at the drugstores, like Essence (52 Amazed by you) and Catrice (38 Vino Tinto, 94 It's A Very Berry Bash) and you can't really go wrong with Essie's Bahama Mama.

Autumn scent can be quite tricky as we are moving from warm sunny days to cold, darker winter months, but this year Avon collaborated with a renowned designer Kenzo Takada, to create Avon Life fragrance. Top notes are citruses, white tea, water lily and red apple; middle notes are violet, peony and Japanese cherry blossom; base notes are iris, patchouli and ambrette. A wonderful harmony of scents creates a sophisticated scent that works great in the crisp autumn air. The bottle design is absolutely gorgeous, and also do not forget to check out the version for men as well as it is absolutely wonderful.

At the end of a long, cold autumn day, there is nothing better than an evening of pampering. To remove even the toughest of matte lipsticks, liners or mascara, Garnier's Biphase Micellar Cleansing Water in oil is a great solution. It gets rid of any makeup and leaves my skin feeling clean but not stripped. 

A cozy, warm bath is always a highlight of my day and this years Lush Halloween collection smells glorious. One of my favourite scents are Pumpkin and Autumn Leaf bath bombs. 

As a final step at the end of the day is currently my obsession, the Sleepy body lotion by Lush. With notes of lavender and tonka, this light but moisturizing lotions gets me ready for sleep in no time. 

P.S. It's been a long while since I last posted anything. There were a lot of thing going on in my life that I do not wish to get into, but this year hasn't really been the best. Hopefully, I can at least end it on a positive note. However, I am back, excited for fall, excited for tomorrow's 2. beauty bloggers conference in Ljubljana and most of all excited to be blogging again! 

See you in my next post!

Rawr,

your Beautysaur 

Le Couvent des Minimes: Eau Sereine Relaxing Pillow Mist

 

It seems like it was ages ago, that I attended the Le Couvent des Minimes's event for their new line of products called Serenity (to read a post about the event click here). The relaxing scent, combining lavender and mandarine enchanted us all, and I was so excited to find the pillow mist in the good-y bag we received on our way out.

A huge review of AVON products (2016)

There is no doubt that Avon is so incredibly generous when it comes to spoiling us bloggers with different products. Some of them I get to try the moment I get them but some take a bit longer to properly try out and form my opinion. Finally, I managed to at least try each product at least once and now I am ready to share my opinions with you:

LUSH haul + First Impressions

It's not a secret that I've been a devoted Lushie for ages, but in the last few years I lacked the time (and space in my wardrobe) to take a proper look and find any new things to try out. But, lately I've been spending more time in Lush and found quite a few items that immediately became a part of my regular routine.

Today I want to share with you a few new things that I've recently added to my Lush collection:

Review and Swatches: Essence the Beach house & Catrice Sound of Silence

It's been forever since I last posted anything on here and I've missed blogging like crazy. Due to uni work, jobs and personal life, there simply was no time left for this. However, I now managed to grab a few minutes to write the review I've been planning to do for the longest time.

Essence and Catrice presented their summer collections that are coming out in June and July and I was lucky enough to receive a few bits to try out.

Preview: Catrice LE Sound of Silence

uxurious Spirit – meditation methods, a journey into isolated dune landscapes: modern nomadic looks reminiscent of life in the desert dominate the international catwalks. These sandy desert images provide the inspiration for the Limited Edition “Sound of Silence” by CATRICE in July 2016.

Monochrome, natural tones like brown and beige stand in a modern contrast to mauve and lilac, which are refined with golden highlights. The Fluid Glow conjures-up beautiful light reflections on the skin while the Blush & Bronze sets summery accents. Desert Breeze – by CATRICE.

Preview: Essence LE The Beach House

 "Everything is better at the beach! Clear blue skies and the endless open space of the ocean: essence will be experiencing some unforgettable moments down by the sea with the trend edition “the "beach house” from mid June until mid July 2016. 

Aquatic turquoise and petrol, sandy shades, off-white and pink as well as coral as contrasting colours create a light, summery make-up look. Four nail polishes with maritime effects like the “water shine” finish ensure cool styles and the beach glow fluid provides sunshine girls with a light tan. And to make sure that all beach beauties don’t have to go without their favorite products when they are out and about, there’s a mini beach bag with plenty of room for essential beauty pieces. 

Every summer writes its own story, especially when you spend it with your best friends… and Essence!  "

New in my beauty stash #16: Spring Picks

 Spring is not only a beginning of a new year, but also a time when all the makeup brand come up with new exciting releases and what else could a beauty blogger do than try at least a few of them? 

Quick Review: Montagne Jeunesse Green Mint and Tea Tree Oil mask

It seems like sheet masks are all the rage again and I am loving it. With an expanding selection of different brands and choices appearing in the drugstore, it is really easy to find that will work the best for you.

Afrodita "Secret Garden" collection

 Spring to me is all about flowers, any kind of flower will do, but if I had to choose, I would always go for peonies and magnolias. There is just something about the gorgeous floral aroma of the blossoms that makes me feel so incredibly happy in the spring.

In their new line of shower gels called »Secret Garden«, Afrodita are transporting us to a magical garden full of fragrant blossoms. 

*Review: Neo Dry Mist Intensive Antiperspirants by Garnier

A good deodorant is an essential in every woman's life, but often we do not pay much attention to it. As for me, I usually stick to anything that proves to work well on me.

 However, when these arrived on my doorstep, I couldn't wait to try them out. The new line of intensive antiperspirants by Garnier called Neo Dry Mist is bound to catch your attention with an innovative diffuser and their performance:

*Review: Algea -dietary supplement-

The first quarter of the year is more or less over and most of the new year’s resolutions are already forgotten. However, being quite stubborn this year, I am still trying to stick to at least some of them. 

As a main part of my resolutions was to eat healthier and try to transition (at least partially) to a plant based diet. For that reason, I was quite excited when I was offered a chance to test Algea, an algae supplement that is supposed to have all sorts of health benefits. I have given it a proper try and here is what I think about it:

Preview: Catrice LE Net Works

Mesh matters. Whether as an all-over variety, in the shape of intricate and larger mesh structures or as part of sophisticated layer looks – net fabrics are one of the trends of the Spring/Summer Season 2016. 

New this summer: casual sportswear adaptations with feminine, elegant silhouettes. We’re transferring this trend to the beauty world with the Limited Edition “Net Works” by CATRICE from the end of May until mid July 2016. 

Pastel apricot, light mint and soft nude tones unite to create fresh and summery make-up styles. Softly Touch Shadows with a delicate, powdery finish, a Lip Balm with a subtle apricot glow as well as Nail Lacquers in five limited, trendy colours with a purist design ensure a sporty yet feminine look. Special must-have of the collection: the Mattifying Loose Powder with a transparent-matt finish and an innovative net dosing feature. Beauty Mesh – by CATRICE. 

Preview: Catrice LE Body Tattoos

Flash Tattoos: a shiny metallic trend that perfectly complements any summer look. In combination with a bikini at the beach or as part of a summery evening outfit, these special temporary accessories are an ideal decorative element. Just in time for the summer, the Limited Edition “Body Tattoos” by CATRICE is bringing unique body jewellery to your skin from May until July 2016. As an exciting detail on the wrist, the forearm or the fingers – the intricate designs in purist black and the two chrome colours silver and gold look fabulous on tanned skin. Available in three different versions: Oriental Ornaments, Ethno Elements and Signs of Simplicity. Body Art – by CATRICE.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying Mascara Waterproof

I've always had a thing for mascara, and to hold back as long as I did, from buying a mascara that everybody was raving about, is quite an accomplishment in my book. 

The Lash Sensational by Maybelline must surely by now be known to any beauty lover as it has been talked about again and again by so many people. One day I simply found it on Salma.si website and immediately put it in my basket, I simply couldn't resist it any more.

Preview: Essence LE Little Eyebrow Monsters

 Flashy brows! Brows are leading the Beauty Top List this season and should be accentuated and eye-catching. With the right shape, they highlight the eyes and give any make-up style an individual touch. The new essence trend edition “little eyebrow monsters” provides girls with everything they need for perfectly defined wow-brows from April until May 2016. The collection includes care products and cute tweezers for preparation, an eyebrow & highlighter set and practical helpers like stencils in three different shapes for fabulous “look at me” brows. Brow Wow… with essence!

Preview: Essence LE Lights of Orient

Oriental beauty express! Let essence take you on an exciting journey into the world of 1001 Arabian Nights with the new trend edition “lights of orient” from mid April to mid May 2016 and dive into the oriental culture. 

The pulsating bustle around the souks, desert landscapes with magnificent Bedouin tents and the temperamental rhythm of the belly dancers – the unique flair fascinates all visitors. And the oriental look with deep black eyeliner and golden highlights is also impressive. The colour scheme of this bronzing edition is as warm as the Arabian sun with cream, gold, copper and various nuances of red. 

There are many treasures just waiting to be discovered, including a beautiful bronzer in an oriental design with a matt bronzing texture and shimmering golden powder in the center. The matt lipsticks in trendy oxblood as well as two additional red tones and the golden body tattoos are particularly eye-catching on tanned skin. The body splash with a warm, floral fragrance provides a boost of freshness on hot, sunny days. essence loves… arabian nights!

On the hunt for the best hair treatment

The other day I had a few errands in the vicinity of Ilirija drugstore (online known as Click2Chic) and of course couldn't resist popping into the store. Even though I am supposed to be on a spending ban, I simply could not pass the amazing deals they had on some of the haircare pieces:

Schwartzkopf Gliss Hair Repair Million Gloss Crystal Oil

(shimmering shine & millionized light-reflexions)

I've been using the shampoo and conditioner from this line for a while now and really enjoying them, therefore it was easy for me to decide to give this one a go as well.

Even though my hair tends to get greasy very quickly, I've always looked for something to give my hair a bit of that healthy shine. This one works lovely, doesn't weigh my hair down, doesn't make it look or feel oily, but instead helps to tame any fly-aways and makes the hair feel and look shiny and healthy.

Pantene Pro-V Intensive Repair

The mask promises to hydrate and protect the hair from any styling damage and that was enough to convince me to buy it. It has a lovely fruity scent and makes the hair feel incredibly soft and smooth. After trying it for the first time, my hair was softer, sleeker and the effect were noticeable for almost a week after use. It worked great on my normal-to-greasy hair and when I got my mum (who has quite dry and coloured hair) to try it as well, she was just as impressed.  

Garnier Ultra Doux Argan oil and Cranberry Nourishing and Repairing Mask

The Ultra Doux line from Garnier has always been a favourite of mine and that is why I decided to give this one a go as well. Even though my hair isn't coloured, I think the argan oil could provide a lovely treatment for my hair. This one I have yet to try and will report back once I do so.

Syoss Repair-Care Treatment

(without silicones, parabens and paraffines)

I'm always struggling with growing my hair really long as the ends tend to look really bad after a while and need to be trimmed regularly. That is why I thought a repairing mask like this one could come in handy.

I already gave this a go and while the mask felt nice on my hair, the product apparently caused a strange allergic reaction on my skin. I'm not quite sure what might have caused it and will give this one another chance, but I am not really impressed with it.

L'Oreal Paris Elseve Fibralogy Thickness Enhancer

Even though I was blessed with lots of thick hair, I feel that my hair could always use a bit of that extra oomph. This mask promises to do just that and I am really excited to give it a try. I might include my mum as well, because she has really thin and week hair and will report back, comparing the effects.

What kind of treatments do you use on your hair? 

Rawr,

your Beautysaur

Le Couvent des Minimes: Serenity Collection

When beautiful scents of lavender and mandarine are combined in a fresh and invigorating collection the results are quite enchanting. Yesterday I attended a wonderful even held by Le Couvent des Minimes who introduced their new line called Sereine/ or Serenity. Designed to relax and pamper, the collection is filled with products to make you feel tranquil and collected.

Haul: A few pieces from Essence SS'16

Every year Essence come out with some new pieces to add to their permanent collection and each year there are a few bits that I can't pass. This year I managed to restrain myself to just a few that really caught my eye and here are the ones that I chose:

February Favorites 2016

February is over, and even though it was over quite quickly, I couldn't wait for it to be over as I am completely sick of winter and am eagerly looking forward to spring, sun and fresh flowers. However, before I completely say goodbye to this past month, let me tell you about the product I've been enjoying lately:

Battling cold with AlpStories Ginkgo Bath Salts

Weather here seems to be unable to makeup it's mind. One day it's super warm, spring-like and I'm running around in my sweater and another day I'm freezing in a thick coat in the snow. With all these quick changes, one is almost sure to catch a cold.

Whenever I felt that I was getting sick over the course of winter, I did my best to prevent it from fully developing. One thing that I find has helped a lot, were the bath salts from AlpStories.