Seasonal Favourites – Winter 2014-2015

30 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by Mami și Zâna in beauty, fashion, health, home, lifestyle, makeup, perfume, skincare

Tags

Burberry, candle, Charlotte Tilbury, dior, Elemis, Escentric Molecules, eyeshadows, favourites, Laura Mercier, Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist, Penhaligon's Malabah, red lipstick, Smiling Shoes, stiletto shoes, tea, Tom Ford

Since I can finally say that I can see major signs of Spring after such a long Winter, I thought I’d do a Favourites post!

Now, I’m not the one to do these kind of posts on a regular basis, mainly because once I discover a product that I really love and I know it works for me, I totally stick to it for the longest time. So a monthly makeup favourites, or skincare favourites would be kind of repetitive and unnecessary. Plus to form a decent opinion on a new product, especially with skincare, it might take a lot more than one month.

But this past couple of months I’ve tested a good few new products that instantly stole my heart and made it to my Favourites…

Here you have my absolute Seasonal Favourites for the Winter of 2014-2015:

– festive red listick was THE thing for me this winter. I particularly loved these Tom Ford shades – Crimson Noir ( permanent ) and Alejandro, from the Lips&Boys Collection. I also loved the iconic Dior Rouge 999, the orange-reds Estée Lauder Pure Colour Envy in shade Impassioned and Wild Ginger also from the Tom Ford permanent line and the Burberry Lip Cover in #18 Ruby. Later on I’ve discovered the new, reformulated Chanel Rouge Coco in Arthur, which made me dig out it’s matte correspondent, the Tom Ford ( again! ) Flame.

– Tom Ford Lips&Boys Alejandro – Burberry Ruby – Chanel Arthur – Tom Ford Crimson Noir – Dior Rouge 999

– for skincare, I don’t change it too much, I’m only adjusting it to the needs of my sensitive skin. But the products I loved the most were the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm Anti-Ageing, the Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoliator, the First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser which I like to use combined with the Diptyque Radiance Boosting Powder for a deeper cleanse, my holy grail mask – the Oskia Rainessance Nutri-Active Brightening & Resurfacing Mask and the new addition, the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel Mask and of course, my beloved Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist. Mostly cleansing products now that I take a closer look! No wonder though! because I firmly believe that a clean skin is a good, healthy skin. And a flawless “canvas” also means an easier makeup application, with less products! I also have to mention my hands and lips saviours this Winter: the By Terry Baume de Rose and the Laura Mercier delicious gourmet hand creams.

– my favourite Winter home scent for the past two years has been this Byredo Bibliothèque Fragranced Candle. I can’t even tell you how much I love this candle and how many I have burnt down. This year I went for something different, something more smokey and warm, with comforting notes of patchouli, birch tar and guaiac wood – the Burberry Smokey Embers Fragranced Candle. It’s the perfect candle to “recreate the mood of an English fireside afternoon”, as they say on their website. Definitely give this one a sniff if you’re in a Burberry store.

– for fashion items I absolutely lived in my Smiling Shoes heels! You might think that I went bananas, especially if you know what winters are like in Continental Excessive Climates, but stay assured I still had boots on for walking outside, in the snow. But for work and going out, and winter parties these shoes never left my feet!

– for random favourites, I really got into tea which I think it warmed my body as well as my soul. I particularly loved the combination of strong, aromatic tea ( mostly from the Teapigs company ) and coconut milk.

Also my love for clementines went to another level of obsession, and I always found myself munching on them and these Milka cookies…

And I totally hated 50 Shades of Grey – simply because I can’t get excited about someone else’s sexual fantasies… No offense!

I hope you enjoyed my favourite things for the Winter months and please be kind and share yours!

Also, should I make this Seasonal Favourites a regular entry on my blog? What do you think?

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

PM Skincare routine…

28 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by Mami și Zâna in beauty, skincare

≈ 127 Comments

Tags

Balance Me, Diptyque, Elemis, First Aid Beauty, Kielh's, L'Occitane, night time routine, Omorovicza, Oskia, skincare

This is my current nighttime skincare routine step by step!

STEP I:

– TIE HAIR UP – these might seem like a lot of hair ties and pins, but these go missing like crazy, so it’s always a good idea to keep a “few” in hand. Love these ones from Oysho.

STEP II:

– TAKE MAKEUP OFF – I’m a huge fan of cleansing. I firmly believe that a clean skin is a healthy skin… Therefore I double or triple-cleanse!

Here is how a triple cleanse sounds like:

I’m starting with some L’Occitane Cleansing Milk on two large cotton pads to take off most of my makeup. Then I wash my face with an oil cleanser, my pick: the L’Occitane Cleansing Oil and to make sure that there’s no makeup residue whatsoever I also use a tiny bit of the First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser combined with the Diptyque Radiance Boosting Powder.

On days where I’m not wearing a full-face of makeup, I skip on the L’Occitane Cleansing Oil and go directly to the First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser + Diptyque Radiance Boosting Powder combination.

STEP III:

– USE A TONER/EXFOLIATING PADS – I spritz some of the Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist on a regular cotton pad, then gently, in circular motions I take it all-over my face. Every other day I replace the face mist with one of the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads. These are amazing for a gentle acid exfoliation and they also tone and brighten your complexion. More on these coming soon!

STEP IV:

– HYDRATION + MOISTURE – USE A FACE SERUM – the one I’m currently using and loving the effect it has on my skin, is this Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, of which I only use a few drops rubbed between the palm of my hands, then I press it into the skin. This is fast absorbing and doesn’t leave any greasy residue… I already wrote a review on it here!

– USE AN EYE CREAM – I’m was testing for quite a while this Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream a lightweight, yet very hydrating eye cream Alina from Debenhams UK kindly enough to sent it over, along with the Kiehl’s Serum. The review is already up!

– USE A MOISTURIZER – my moisturizer of choice has been lately the Elemis Hydra-Nourish Night Cream, an anti-oxidant, rich night cream. But for an extra boost of moisture and hydration I always reach for another First Aid Beauty product, the Ultra Repair Cream – a very, very rich cream that offers intense hydration for dry, parched skin.

– USE A LIP BALM – the lip balm I’m still loving at the moment is the Omorovicza Perfecting Lip Balm. I know, I kind of strayed away from my beloved By Terry Baume de Rose, but I felt that the Omorovicza one suited my needs better.

– USE A HAND CREAM – don’t forget about your hands! They also need to be moisturized regularly, especially at this time of the year. I still have left some of the Laura Mercier Fresh Fig Hand Cream, that I try to finish up. *Gosh, this smells delicious!* This would be the last hand cream in my stash then I will have to purchase a new one! Any good recommendations?

I would love to know what your PM Skincare Routine consists of, so please kindly share it in the Comments below!

Also keep in mind that this daily routine doesn’t include masks and other treatments I use! These will be featured in a separate post!

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

DISCLAIMER here.

CHARLOTTE TILBURY’s makeup for “vamps”… The Vintage Vamp Eyeshadow Palette

25 Saturday Apr 2015

Posted by Mami și Zâna in beauty, makeup

≈ 103 Comments

Tags

Charlotte Tilbury, Charlotte Tilbury The Vintage Vamp Eyeshadow Palette, review, swatches, The Dolce Vita, The Dolce Vita Luxury Palette Colour-Coded Eye Shadows, The Vintage Vamp Luxury Palette Colour-Coded Eye Shadows

The Vintage Vamp: Rouge, antique gold and vintage treasures. Glamorous and seductive you intoxicate with a glance.

Charlotte Tilbury

Remember that Charlotte Tilbury B-day Haul I posted a while back?!

If you remember that, then you’ll also remember that The Vintage Vamp was one of the eyeshadow palettes I got then.

Even though it’s a gorgeous palette, I find myself reaching less for it… because there’s another Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette Colour-Coded Eye Shadows that always seems to steal it’s shine, The Dolce Vita ( see picture below ).

They really look pretty similar, right?! In real life they look even more similar than they look in these pictures, so for the first time I can actually say “Thank goodness, for this light I had the days I shoot these palettes and their swatches!”, because thanks to that I was able to demonstrate how similar in certain aspects these are, yet so unique and different at the same time! One has more russet-gold shades, when the other has more purple/burgundy undertones!

Now let’s get back to The Vintage Vamp!

It has been build on the same structure as all Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow palettes. I already reviewed a few here on annie’s beauty…, if you’re interested and you want to take a look! I have The Sophisticate, The Dolce Vita and The Uptown Girl, all of them gorgeous and unique!

Yes, it is build on a square of 4 complementary colours, distributed clockwise as:

PRIME – is the shade in the upper left corner. It is a pale lavender with soft pink undertones and very fine micro shimmers. Used all-over the lid this would brighten up instantly the whole area.

ENHANCE – is the purple-plum colour I was mentioning earlier, a purple sweetened by the warmest brown undertones. I use this to add a bit of definition to my crease, then I stop there because with these two shades only I have the perfect day makeup!

SMOKE – now we’re getting to the fun part! Smoke is the deepest shade in the palette, a deep burgundy-purple that will bring your eye makeup from “Desk to Dusk”, as Charlotte Tilbury likes to say. What makes it even more particular are the multicoloured fine shimmers, that in certain light reflect gold and in other the most gorgeous and unique fuchsia, bright pink micro-shimmers.

POP – is as expected, the most spectacular of all the shades! It’s packed on with glitters, that applied on my skin tend to lean more peach than the gold, I admit, I was expecting them to. Deaspite the fact that this is a glitter shade, this feels so soft to the touch, doesn’t hurt or irritate my sensitive eyes and they apply with minimal ( to none?! ) fallout! This is how my absolute definition of “grown up glitter” sounds like!

– swatches of The Vintage Vamp– swatches of The Dolce Vita for comparison

Are these two eyeshadow palettes similar? Maybe… Are they different? Definitely! I see them different, but each eye catches colour in a different manner.

I think that The Dolce Vita is maybe similar in both PRIME and POP shades, even if I can clearly see that one PRIME looks more lavender ( The Vintage Vamp ) when the other transfers more of a peach, and the POP colour looks almost like a rusty bronze ( The Dolce Vita ), when the other more of a peachy-goldeny, more of a luminous glitter ( The Vintage Vamp ).

As for the ENHANCE and SMOKE, here is where I see the most significant difference! Both might look close shades to a brown-burgundy, that’s true, but the difference is clearly made by their undertones. In The Vintage Vamp the predominant undertones are purple, when in The Dolce Vita the main undertones are rusty-red-deep browns.

Don’t you agree?

Let me know what you think about this palette and about whatever Charlotte Tilbury makeup you’ve tried this far!

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

INTERESTING FACTS:

– to learn how to achieve The Vintage Vamp look, just click on this tutorial, done by the Master, Charlotte Tilbury herself.

– the formula of these eyeshadows is so silky, so creamy feeling when you touch them, even though they’re powders. Touch them blindfolded and you’ll think they are creams not powders!

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream* – Simple Things that simply work!…

23 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by Mami și Zâna in beauty, skincare

≈ 68 Comments

Tags

Balance Me, Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream, eye cream, natural ingredients, skincare

I was happy to receive another product to test in the comfort of my own home, thanks to the lovely people at Debenhams UK. Thank you once more Alina!

Founded in 2005 by British sisters Clare and Rebecca Hopkins, the Balance Me story begun, as all great stories do, in the kitchen of the family house where the two sisters, using a holistic approach on Chemistry on a base of naturally active botanicals and pure grade essential oils, came out with amazing “clean” skincare products.

They also state that:

Working to enhance your skins’ natural radiance, whilst effectively cleansing, the luxurious skincare brand boasts multi-award winning products that really work to bring your skin back to life. Offering an infusion of sophisticated textures and aromatherapy-inspired active aromas, Balance Me products really are a treat for skin, and are suitable for all skin types.

… and I can confirm that Balance Me products are definitely a treat for your skin.

The Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream is a triple action product: a skin brightening treatment, smoothes away dark shadows and fine lines and hydrates and nourishes your skin.

Made with 99% natural ingredients, the delicate, easily absorbed formula contains calming Roman chamomile, skin-brightening lemon, cucumber oil and witch hazel, hydrating hyaluronic acid, anti-oxidant spruce knot, softening and smoothing virgin coconut, rosehip and carrot oils. A magic blend of Mother Nature’s best assets for the most relaxing and effective skincare experience.

To be used twice a day after moisturizing.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Although I haven’t really noticed ( yet! ) improvements in the whole “smoothing fine lines” area, I have to admit that the Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream is a lightweight, fast absorbing moisturizer that feels comfortable on the skin.

Made with non-irritant natural ingredients, I can messily apply it and it won’t hurt my eyes or the sensitive skin around them.

It hasn’t a strong scent, like some of the skincare products made with natural ingredients tend to have. It does have a fainted herbaly and earthy scent though, non offensive at all!

I can be easily used under makeup without causing any ungraceful slipping or sliding of your foundation or concealer.

Definitely recommend it if you’re on the marked for a simple moisturizer that… simply works!…

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

*PR Sample. Opinions expressed here are my own. (No affiliate links)

NARS Audacious Lipsticks – One Week in Spring Colours OVERALL THOUGHTS

21 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by Mami și Zâna in beauty, makeup

≈ 128 Comments

Tags

#narsissist, Grace, Greta, Juliette, Kelly, Marisa, Michiyo, NARS, NARS Audacious Lipsticks, NARS Audacious Lipsticks - One Week in Spring Colours series, Natalie, overall thoughts, review, swatches

Modern lipstick so shamelessly seductive in touch and texture, the sensation is audacious.

NARS

NARS Audacious Lipsticks

– Probably one of the best lipstick formulas I have ever tried!

Lots of people have already talked about them but for me it was literally impossible to get my hands on when they first launched ( September 1st, 2014 ) because at the time the shipping to Romania was limited, even for their online store.

They’re extremely creamy, beautiful lipsticks. With a matte-satiny finish, they feel absolutely comfortable on the lips.

Satin-matte formulas are my favourites because they are so low maintenance. In just one swipe you get the right amount of colour you need on your lips and it is there to stay for the longest time. Just one-stroke for a full-coverage, creamy wear!

Even if they are some of the most long-lasting lipsticks I own, I really don’t recommend applying only one layer and then give up! Being a luxurious texture enriched with ingredients to smooth and nourish your lips, these will still fade after a couple of hours! To avoid having to repeatedly apply it on your lips during the day, do the tissue trick! Apply one layer, then take a tissue paper and press it onto your lips ( you can do the powder trick at this point as well! ). Then reapply your lipstick and you’ll get even a longer-lasting colour! Using a lip liner will help too!

Not that these extra steps are mandatory, but they are really helpful in certain situations! So keep these little tricks in mind!

Also, keep in mind that these are essentially matte lipsticks so you will find some colours more drying than others and of course, you’ll have to take care of your lips before and after applying them. And just in case you don’t know how to do that ( although I’m sure it’s not the case ), check out this post here, where I have it all explained step by step.

Even if I absolutely love the NARS Audacious Lipsticks and I think that they are so worthy of their retailing price ( 30€, here in Europe ), in terms of colour I really think that a lot of them are just slightly off in variations, especially the nude shades and some reds…

But there are several colours that are absolute must-haves and that I gladly recommend them! Especially for the spring and summer seasons…

Here you have my recommendations:

MARISA – is a “warm pink”* that reminds me a lot of my gorgeous Tom Ford Matte Lipstick in #04 Pink Tease ( review here ), only that Marisa has a bit more depth and character to it. An excellent everyday shade! ( Swatch here! )

MICHIYO – described as a “shocking pink”*, it is indeed the most shocking colour of all my picks, which makes me love it even more. Bold, fuchsia lips are a must especially if you’re dealing with Monday Blues… Just saying!

To see how I wear it, the link is here.

GRETA – Greta has probably, the best description ever – “a wild azalea”*, the closest to a very red shade but not as sharp and pretentious as a true red. The visible warm undertones dress it down a bit and make it more wearable on a daily basis. See me wearing it here.

GRACE – taking over the world! this is how I feel wearing this “bright pink coral”*! It’s a bright coral, almost a true red with coral hints of pink and gorgeous warm undertones. I wear Grace in this post here!

Side note: Warm undertones make lipsticks so much more wearable, don’t you think my lovelies?

KELLY – I’ll correct myself and say that Kelly has the best description ever: “a coral hibiscus”*; yes, I’m absolutely subjective since Hibiscus is my favorite flower, with all its variations! This one is definitely a bright coral red, as the name suggests, with warm undertones. See me wearing it here!

NATALIE – I’ve always been scared of lipsticks described as “flamingo”! But it’s not the case with Natalie, because “she” is a muted flamingo, more of a medium pink with a coral tinge and warm undertones, that only makes it even more particular. ( Swatch here! )

JULIETTE – is a “pink coral”. It’s pretty similar to Natalie, except that it is more coral than pink and with less warm undertones. ( Click here for swatches! ) It also made me think of my Charlotte Tilbury MATTE Revolution Lipstick in Sexy Sienna, another gorgeous luminous-matte formula.

My absolute favourites from these seven options are Marisa, Michiyo, Greta and surprisingly, Juliette – a shade I never thought I would come to love in such a short notice.

And here concludes my NARS Audacious Lipsticks – One Week in Spring Colours mini-series. Make sure you check out last week’s posts, where you will see my NARS Audacious Lipstick picks from Monday to Sunday, with swatches and initial thoughts.

I will also leave you separate links for the lipsticks I wore every day this past week, here: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

I would love to read everything about your personal experience with the NARS Audacious Lipsticks, if you had any and which ones are your favourites for spring and summer!… If not, just tell me which one caught your eyes and made it to your wish list!

See you soon, beautiful!

…And remember! In a world that lacks in COLOUR, be the RAINBOW!

xx, Annie

*descriptions taken from NARS website

NARS Audacious Lipsticks – One Week in Spring Colours. Sunday – Juliette

19 Sunday Apr 2015

Posted by Mami și Zâna in beauty, makeup

≈ 131 Comments

Tags

#narsissist, NARS, NARS Audacious Lipsticks, NARS Audacious Lipsticks - One Week in Spring Colours, NARS Audacious Lipsticks - One Week in Spring Colours series, NARS Audacious Lipsticks - One Week in Spring Colours. Sunday - Juliette, NARS Audacious Lipsticks Juliette, review, swatches

Ahh, it’s Sunday again and another beautiful week has come to an end!

And it was such a special, unusual one here at annie’s beauty… All thanks to these seven amazing NARS Audacious lipsticks that kept all of us entertained throughout this whole week!

I hope you had as much fun reading all my posts this week, as I had writing them!

Here you have the last makeup look, a more smart-casual one, starring Juliette – the most beautiful “pink coral” lipstick in my entire collection!

Makeup worn:

– Jouer Matte Moisture Tint, shade Porcelain

– NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, shade Light2 Vanilla

– Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette, shade Incandescent Light and Dim Light

– Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush, shade Dim Infusion – worn as an eye makeup as well

– Burberry Curve Lash Mascara Volumising Lash Curl in #01 Ebony

– Burberry Effortless Eyebrow Definer #02 Sepia

Make sure to revisit annie’s beauty… on Tuesday for a more detailed/technical review on these lipsticks, and more swatches as well!

See you soon, beautiful!

Annie

The End

NARS Audacious Lipsticks – One Week in Spring Colours. Saturday – Natalie

18 Saturday Apr 2015

Posted by Mami și Zâna in beauty, makeup

≈ 70 Comments

Tags

#narsissist, NARS, NARS Audacious Lipstick Natalie, NARS Audacious Lipsticks, NARS Audacious Lipsticks - One Week in Spring Colours series, NARS Audacious Lipsticks - One Week in Spring Colours. Saturday - Natalie, review, swatches

It’s finally the weekend!

On a bright Saturday, we wear our NARS Audacious Lipstick in Natalie with the same elegance as the bird that inspired this shade – the flamingo.

Like the graceful bird, always remember to keep your verticality no matter the situation!…

And in a world that lacks in colour ALWAYS be the RAINBOW!

Makeup worn:

– Omorovicza Complexion Corrector SPF 20

– Omorovicza Complexion Corrector BB Light

– NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, shade Light2 Vanilla

– Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder, Radiant Light

– Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette – Dim Light and Incandescent Light

– Chanel Le Volume Mascara, #10 Noir

Burberry Effortless Eyebrow Definer #02 Sepia

– please excuse the crappy sunset light but I was out and about and forgot to take a decent picture until now! I will update this post with a new one asap!

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

To Be Continued…

NARS Audacious Lipsticks – One Week in Spring Colours. Friday – Kelly

17 Friday Apr 2015

Posted by Mami și Zâna in beauty, makeup

≈ 81 Comments

Tags

#narsissist, NARS, NARS Audacious Lipstick Kelly, NARS Audacious Lipsticks, NARS Audacious Lipsticks - One Week in Spring Colours series, NARS Audacious Lipsticks - One Week in Spring Colours. Friday - Kelly

Fridays are for going out… So they say!

So put your bright, “coral hibiscus” lipstick on, adjust your eye makeup by adding a bit more smokiness to it and a bit of sparkle, mess up your curls a bit more and off the door you go!

Makeup worn:

Dior Diorskin Star Foundation, 010 Ivory

– NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, shade Light2 Vanilla

Burberry Sheer Eyashadow #22 Pale Barley, Nars Duo Eyeshadow Alhambra, Charlotte Tilbury The Dolce Vita Eyeshadow Palette, Clarins Eye Pencil #02 Brown and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette Incandescent Light

– Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara, #10 Black

I’m taking the NARS Audacious Lipstick in Kelly with me in my bag to reapply! So don’t forget to take yours!

It’s going to be a long night after all!…

And remember…

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun!

Audrey Hepburn

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

To Be Continued…

NARS Audacious Lipsticks – One Week in Spring Colours. Thursday – Grace

16 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by Mami și Zâna in beauty, makeup

≈ 92 Comments

Tags

#narsissist, NARS, NARS Audacious Lipsticks, NARS Audacious Lipsticks - One Week in Spring Colours series, NARS Audacious Lipsticks - One Week in Spring Colours. Thursday - Grace, NARS Audacious Lipsticks Grace, review, swatches

I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass!

Maya Angelou

Mid working week, we all need a little “pick-me-up” from time to time, right?!

And when our inner strength isn’t enough anymore, some wise words form an Audacious lady named Maya* and a graceful “bright pink coral” called, how else but Grace?! – on the lips, would definitely do the trick!

I know it always works for me!

Makeup worn:

– Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation shade #4

– NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, shade Light2 Vanilla

– By Terry Hyaluronic-Hydra Powder

– Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush shade Ethereal Glow

– NARS DUO Eyeshadow Alhambra

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

To Be Continued…

INTERESTING FACTS:

*Maya Angelou was a complex character: civil rights activist, dancer, film producer, television producer, playwright, film director, author, actress, professor

– *she was also a poet and award-winning author best known for her biography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and her numerous poetry and essay collections

*she was known and loved by so many political figures – she has been a close friend of Martin Luther King’s for instance, and equally appreciated by Oprah Winfrey, or Mary J. Blige
*yes, she was an African-American woman and at her death last year, even President Barack Obama praised her saying that she was “a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman” who “had the ability to remind us that we are all God’s children; that we all have something to offer”