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Mami și Zâna

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Mami și Zâna

Category Archives: home

Discover my beautiful country Romania and its traditions Part II: Winter Holiday Traditions

27 Saturday Feb 2016

Posted by Mami și Zâna in beauty, home, lifestyle

≈ 53 Comments

Tags

#proud, #proudromanian, dancing, food, rebirth of Nature, romania, singing, winter traditions

If you are still wondering whether to visit Romania or not, I would definitely give you more than enough reasons in this blog post to book a full trip asap!

I mean… Just look how beautiful my country looks when she’s all dressed in white!

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And if you are still wondering when it’s the best time to do it, my advice would be: late Autumn and Winter! This is the best time to do it simply because at this time of the year we have the best traditions! Remember my previous post on my beautiful Romania and St. Andrew’s celebrations? – if not you can still read it here – take that and multiply it by 100. That’s a little closer to what Christmas and New Year means to us Romanian.

I still have to refer to our ancestors and be grateful to them for everything that happens around this time of the year in our Romania. I know that we’re not the first to sing Christmas carols ( the first known Christmas hymns may be traced to fourth century Rome, read more here ), but we sure have some of the best on the entire Earth! So soothing and calming… And merry and joyful at the same time! Joyful would be the right word to describe them!

This one is by far my favourite:

Here in Romania, mostly children go carolling since they’re believed to be the purest amongst us and their voices reach God’s ears easier…

Here they are…

image img_0261 – children singing Christmas songs in church, on Christmas day

They sing about the birth of our Jesus and they thank God for sending His Son to save our souls! In exchange they receive hot drinks, pretzels, fruits and nuts and sometimes money.

It is also said the the house that doesn’t receive them isn’t blessed for the following year! It is also said that if you’re a young family and you want children, the first Christmas carols singers you receive will help you determine the gender of your next child.

From our Christmas dinner there can’t be absent what we call “turte”. It’s a traditional sweet made out of thin cooked dough leaves ( cooked on a traditional hot owen taste the best ), softened in sweet warm water which contains honey or sugar and that they’re layered carefully on a plate. Between the layers there’s a whole lot of grounded nuts and it tastes delicious! Nothing too difficult, a simple sweet with a lot of meaning, since our “turte” represent the sheets/napkins our Baby Jesus was wrapped in when He was born.

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And since we’ve touched the topic Food, take a look at our winter specialties…

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… home made bread, which smells divine…

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… and so many goodies all home made, with fresh ingredients!

And this is what I put on my table this winter, made by yours truly!

annie's beauty... Romanian traditions

 Leaving Christmas behind the next best thing in winter is the New Year’s Eve!… And not only because it’s my birthday! Haha! That too, but around this time of the year we have other beautiful traditions as well!

In certain areas of the country, you can find actual rituals of passing… for the old year, of course! These are supposed to make way for the birth of the new year! Again, there’s lots of singing and dancing involved containing happy lyrics but also incantations, for well-being , prosperity, happiness and protection from evil and its deeds.

Two traditional dances are important now, especially in my region, Moldavia – the Dance of the Goat and the Dance of the Bear.

Here you have the Dance of the Goat

Why the goat? Because our ancestors believed that the goat was the animal able to tell whether they’ll have good weather or bad weather. Of course, this wasn’t the actual occult, empiric meaning of it! Back in the day, everything had to do with the ritual of the dead… Well especially the undead I was telling you about in my St. Andrew’s blog post! Our ancestors were wearing masks ( of goats, bears, horses, etc. ) to protect themselves from evil spirits! Nowadays we kept this tradition alive without necessarily believe in its meaning… But it sure is a spectacle to look at every time!

Also, in our pre-Christian culture the bear was a sacred animal… So sacred that even the god of our Geto-Dacians ancestors wore its name: Zamolxis ( zamo = skin, olxis = bear ). So the bear was a totemic animal, feared and equally appreciated in our ancient culture! Same as the wolf!

The bear, more than any other animal is the main character of so many legends… He was supposed to hold the pillars of the Universe on its shoulders… Our version of Atlas, the Titan that did the same – if you like. The two constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the same as in the Greek mythology, they’re linked to the ritual of passing and the transformation of the soul in the afterlife in our culture as well.

The Dance of the Bear has the meaning of the death and the rebirth of Nature, its whole choreography and the lyrics of the song that accompanies the dance express just that.

Also, by extension, it is believed that when the bear comes out of its hibernation spring will come without a doubt.

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It is a lovely show to look at!

Good food, entertainment, beautiful places to see, the most warm, welcoming and funny people to spend some quality time with… What else can you ask for?!

So next year I’m expecting you here, in Romania to celebrate winter holidays together, Romanian style!

I hope you’ll enjoy this post, which is different from what I have you used with! Please feel free to comment and to let me know what are your favourite winter tradition of your country…

See you soon, Beautiful!

xx, Annie

 

And some more pictures of my beautiful country, in winter time…

image image image imageimg_0310

[ Images found on Pinterest, Videos found on YouTube. All rights belong to their rightful owners ]

 

 

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2015 Christmas Gift Guide

13 Sunday Dec 2015

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

≈ 62 Comments

Tags

2015 Christmas Gift guide annie's beauty..., annie's beauty... last minute Christmas shopping list, Christmas 2015, gift guide

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Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette // Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Fallen From The Lipstick Tree Mini Lipstick // Zara Home stationery // Aromatherapy Associates Bath Jewels // Eve Lom The Kiss  // NEOM Candle // Zara Home Cahsmere Scarf and Beanie

Tic-tac tic-tac… A couple more sleeps and Christmas it’s here! And Santa is here…

And as the late shopper that I am I already started panicking and put together this little gift guide with a few suggestions for all those little panicked late shoppers like myself!

I will try to make this short and sweet…

  1. One can never go wrong with some gorgeous makeup items so the ones I chose for you were the  Hourglass Ambient Edit Palette, that besides the fact that it looks absolutely fabulous has some amazing quality products in it, and this little Charlotte Tilbury Mini Lipstick Charms that look oh! so adorable. I think that they would make an awesome gift for any woman at any age! 
  2. When in doubt, go for a pampering product! Aromatherapy Associates come out every year with Christmas mini versions of their cult favourite bath oils and their sets are so beautifully packaged that you don’t even need wrapping paper for them! And look at this little Eve Lom lip treatment! What a beautiful stocking filler it would make, don’t you think? 
  3. A candle is always a good idea and NEOM Candles were something I always wanted to try! They’re beautiful all year round, but this Christmas they made them so gorgeous and they smell heavenly! 
  4. Stationery is a classic gift for me! I always receive a beautiful agenda at the end of the year and I think it’s a good gift to give as well! These are from Zara Home.
  5. And last but not least, something to keep you warm: a beanie, a foulard, some mittens… They’re more than welcomed in Winter when it’s cold and dreary. These two items I found in Zara Home too, so go have a look there as wel!

This is my little selection for you. I hope you enjoy it and hurry up! Christmas is just around the corner! 

Are you done with your shopping yet? What did you get?

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

 

 

 

 

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Home Scents: BURBERRY Smokey Embers Fragranced Candle

12 Thursday Nov 2015

Posted by Mami și Zâna in beauty, home, lifestyle, perfume

≈ 77 Comments

Tags

Burberry, Burberry Fragranced Candle Smokey Embers, candle, fragranced candle, gift idea, home scent, review, smokey embers, woody notes

annie's beauty... BURBERRY makeup

Today, as you can see, I decided to take a break from reviewing all those magnificent dark, bold, sultry lipsticks… And since Miss Winter is just around the corner, I thought what better time than now to talk about one of my favourite home scents. It comes in the form of a fragranced candle, it’s from Burberry and it’s called Smokey Embers.

*Yes! Besides those iconic trenches, shawls, makeup and perfume, Burberry does home scents as well! And you have no idea what you’ve missed on!*

My absolute favourite candle to burn around the holidays has been for the past couple of years was Bibliothèque from Byredo, which I can’t wait to burn this year as well. It smells like smoke and old books and old, used leather… Delicious!

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I discovered Smoked Embers last year while I was writing my “Last minute gift guide for Christmas”. Of course I was blindly ordering it from their website as I usually do! But I wasn’t disappointed this time either…

It’s perfect candle to recreate “the mood of an English fireside afternoon”, filled with relaxation and quality time spent with the family. The warm cozy notes of patchouli, birch tar and guiac wood compliment each other in the most harmonious way and they’ll fill your whole house with the most peaceful atmosphere.

This is a single wicked candle, with a white beeswax base, presented in a transparent glass holder “with honey-coloured twill paper inspired by the unique gabardine texture of the Burberry Heritage Trench. The candle’s label references the inner label of the iconic coat.”

To prolong it’s freshness you can top it with this gold metal lid it comes with. It contains 200g of product which is set to burn for 40-50 hours. Since I had several other options, I still have a generous amout to burn this year as well.

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The presentation is amazing, as Burberry had us used with! So this would make an excellent, luxurious gift.

This particular scent is not available on their website at the moment, but I’m sure they will restock it soon. But if you’re on a hunt for a woody, cosy, warm scented candle there is another option – the Fire Embers Fragranced Candle.

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I’m still waiting for another candle in the mail, from a brand I’ve always wanted to try, NEOM. Fingers crossed it will be as awesome as all m candle picks this far!

What’s your favourite candle to burn in the Winter time? Please let me know in the comments below! I’m taking notes, as always!

See you soon, Beautiful!

xx, Annie

 

 

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MADISON Luxury Perfumery Bucharest LAVENDER CULTURE Summer 2015 Event

01 Thursday Oct 2015

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

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

beauty bloggers event, Lavender Culture 2015 Event, Madison Luxury Perfumery Bucharest, Summer 2015

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The Lavender Culture 2015 Event was definitely one of the highlights of my Summer 2015. It took place in one of my favourite places in Town to shop for beauty, Madison Luxury Perfumery Bucharest.

The lovely Alexandra and her colleagues waited for us with some amazing lavender scented surprises, in a rustic Provence-inspired decor – the perfect location for one last relaxing cocktail, to mark the end of this hot Summer.

image – image courtesy of Madison Luxury Perfumery Bucharest Facebook page image – image courtesy of Madison Luxury Perfumery Facebook page    image

With a glass of bubbly champagne in hand I was able to revisit the stands of my favourite brands in the store and catch up with all the new and amazing releases…

By Terry –  brand that holds a special place in my heart and it’s entirely “because of” Alexandra who kindly invited me to a By Terry event early last year. I was at the very beginnings of my blogging adventure, I was scared s**tless *pardon my “French”!?!? and utterly excited at the same time. Read all about my Madison experience with By Terry, here and here.

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Aesop – one of my favourite skincare brands… That infamous Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque is beyond amazing and deserves all the hype around it! I will talk about it more in an upcoming blog post.

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Byredo – ahhh, Byredo! My newest obsession in terms of perfumes and home scents! I was tempted to get me another backup for my Bibliothèque candle, but what’s the point of a backup on a backup, right?! Same story with 1996 but I can survive this Winter with just one of these candles, since I also have the perfume to “keep me warm”! But I really, really want Accord Oud now!… And Mojave Ghost for the upcoming warmer seasons!

image – here you have Alexandra and one of her lovely clients

My perfume-exploring little quest continued with Creed, Annick Goutal, Atelier Cologne, Roja, Artisan Parfumeur, Terry de Gunzburg – which is actually By Terry ( good gracious, I adore Parti Pris and I’m using a sample of that as we speak and it’s nearly gone! Have you tried By Terry perfumes yet? Which one is your favourite? Any suggestions? ).

These lavender treats were scattered all-over the place and let me tell you this: those mini-eclairs were out of this world amazing!

imageimage – image courtesy of Madison Luxury Perfumery Facebook page image – check out those colourful cigarettes! Too bad I’m not a smoker, right?!

The atmosphere was relaxed and informal… As if a group of friends agreed on a night out in one of the best locations in town, and now they have an amazing quality time together.

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Same cozy atmosphere was outside the store as well…

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Children were also welcomed to this event. We have to cultivate beauty from early ages, haven’t we?!

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Now this is me next to the glowing Alexandra, trying my best to hide the busy day I had at work before the event…

image – image courtesy of Madison Luxury Perfumery Facebook page

… which I wasn’t very successful at because I had to leave relatively early! Sad times!

But before I left, my amazing host offered me this amazing bundle of Hampton Sun products, which I wanted to try ever since I’ve seen them online, on the net-a-porter website and this magical fresh lavender bouquet!

Thank you Alexandra for this amazing invitation! I’ve lived intensely every second of it… Just like all my experiences I had with you and Madison Perfumery Bucharest!

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Until next time…

See you soon, Beautiful!

xx, Annie

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Currently burning: the DIPTYQUE Candles of the moment…

05 Tuesday May 2015

Posted by Mami și Zâna in beauty, home, lifestyle, perfume

≈ 63 Comments

Tags

Diptyque, Diptyque Baies Fragranced Candle, Diptyque Figuier Fragranced Candle, Diptyque Roses Fragranced Candle, home scent, review

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Probably one of the most luxurious indulgences all-across our beauty community, the Diptyque candles are the perfect balance between the most beautiful white-clean wax and the most original scents, categorized according to undertones such as floral, herbal/woody, or fruity which are all inspired by nature, memory or journeys of their creators.

They come in a large variety of shapes and forms like this convenient set of 3 scented seasonal candles: Baies, Figuier and Roses ( 3X70g ), which can easily make a great gift for a special someone or even to yourself, or at least to add a little visual and sensorial character to any room…

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BAIES

Family: Fruity

Notes: rose and black currant leaves, black currant fruits and ambregris

Olfactory Description:

The scent of this candle can be described best as the most beautiful English Garden, where the sound of the soft wind through the petals is combined – to the ultimate stage of perfection – with the flavours of the delicious berries.

A natural combination of scents, wild, original, rarely encountered in the world of the perfumiers… Yes, a bouquet of roses and blackcurrant leaves!… The irresistible freshness of recently picked roses, sweetened with blackcurrant leaves…

This is Baies – the most sophisticate Diptyque scent.

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FIGUIER

Family: Fruity

Notes: fig wood, leaves, and sap

Olfactory Description:

The warmth of fig wood, the freshness of its leaves and the milky sap… Close your eyes and you’ll discover that this candle is everything you’d imagine Fig to be and more!…

Wooded and racy, the nourishing accents from its bark and luxuriant foliage envelop the whole scent making out of Figuier a souvenir from a holiday spent on the Pelion Mountain, from Thessaly, in the sunny Greece.

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ROSES

Family: Floral

Notes: roses

Olfactory Description:

An armful of tender, mood-changing roses that lightly evoke world’s most universally loved flowers, in a sophisticate olfactory ambiance. Not overpowering feminine and floral, enriched with grown up, musky, sophisticate, manly, elegant notes this is a candle meant to be tolerated by both men and women.

It represents the perfect balance between the all mighty roses, the tasty lychee, woody notes and the balmy notes of honey, everything spiced up with a tinge of fiery pepper.

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And since we’re taking small, shy steps into the long-awaited Spring season, I’ve tried my best at least to mimic the scent of Spring with the precious help of this Seasonal Diptyque Candle Set.

What home scents spice up your days and nights this Spring? Please share!

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

 

 

 

 

 INTERESTING FACTS:

– all Diptyque scents are created to compliment eachother in the most beautiful way possible. Baies makes a perfect companion for Diptyque Eau de Toilette L’Ombre dans l’Eau, Figuier prolongs the pleasure of Philosykos Eau de Toilette and so on… The amazing combinations are countless!…

– the perfumes can be layered as well as the candle scents. So feel free to light up all the Diptyque candles you like at once! I guarantee you the final result is mesmerising!

– Baies is Diptyque’s best selling candle

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Seasonal Favourites – Winter 2014-2015

30 Thursday Apr 2015

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

≈ 74 Comments

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.

annie's beauty... TF Lips&Boys Alejandro – Tom Ford Lips&Boys Alejandro annie's beauty... FOTD BURBERRY– Burberry Ruby image– Chanel Arthurannie's beauty... TOM FORD– Tom Ford Crimson Noirimage– 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!

annie's beauty... DANIEL WELLINGTON

– 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.

annie's beauty... DIPTYQUE BAIESimageimage

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

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10 simple things that make me happy…

31 Tuesday Mar 2015

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

≈ 71 Comments

Tags

10 Simple things that make me happy..., Get to know me through..., tag

image imageimage photo 5 copyphoto 4 copy photo 3 copyphoto 1 copy imagephoto 2 copy

1. Black and White Pictures ( source Pinterest ) 

2. Fresh Flowers from My Man

3. Diptyque Candles

4. The Scent of Spring

5. Life in the Country Side… MY Countryside

6. Mom’s Ringtone 

7. Late Night Chit-Chats with faraway friends 

8. Cuddling This Old Hag

9. The Kids in my hometown Neighbourhood ( picture taken almost 10 years ago )

10. White Clouds while flying 

Here you have the 10 Simple things that make me happy… As simple as they are! 

This might easily be a Tag! Just do it if you like, if not just share the 10 Simple things that make YOU happy in the comments below!

See you in April, beautiful!

xx, Annie

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“The Oldest” in my collection… Tag

31 Saturday Jan 2015

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

≈ 78 Comments

Tags

Chanel Coco Shine #48 Evasion, Chanel Joue Contraste #72 Rose Initiale, Diptyque Baies Fragranced Candle, Givency Amarige Mariage perfume, MAC Satin Taupe Wedge eyeshadow, The Body Shop brushes

Today I felt like having a trip down memory lane and revisit the oldest items in my beauty stash – really old ones, but also ones that I repurchased countless times, ones that somehow managed to escape the decluttering my makeup process which takes place twice a year with the precision of a Swiss-made chronograph.

Some of the products I will show you were limited edition items, some are impossible to find at the moment because their brands decided to redraw them from the market, some are simply too cute to get rid of and some, well some have sentimental value! Yes, I’m weird like that and I have a somewhat twisted relationship with my makeup! But don’t you?!

I also thought that it would be more interesting and fun to make the whole thing a Tag!

So with the analytic process coming to an end and all my makeup sorted out and rearranged nicely back in its respective drawers, I managed to come up with 5 categories:

1) my oldest makeup item: the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine #48 Évasion and the Chanel Joue Contraste #72 Rose Initiale bought on the same shopping trip to Sephora, a couple of years ago enabled of course, by the Pixiwoo sisters. Évasion is nowhere to be find at the moment and Rose Initiale is a permanent in the Chanel Joue Contraste Blush line… Thank goodness!

CHANEL ROSE INITIALE AND EVASION

2) oldest limited edition product: the Lancôme Gourmand Colour Bare Lip Sensation Lipstick Le French Touch Collection, in #316 Soft Marshmallow.

It is a lipstick launched with the Spring of 2012 Colour Collection created by Aaron de Mey, called Roseraie des Délices.

I barely wore this one! Why?! But isn’t it obvious?! Would you imagine my boring-nudes-lover-self wearing a bright Barbie-pink lipstick sometime in this life? Exactly!

I bought it exclusively because of the gorgeous petite, pastel-coloured packaging which is a work of art itself! Me and my smart shopping… not!

Kids! Please, don’t do this at home!

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3) my oldest perfume is the Givenchy Amarige Mariage.

You can actually see how loved this perfume was. It’s almost gone and its colour and smell have also changed! I don’t use it anymore but I still keep it as it used to be my signature scent for so many years!

I bought it on my first trip to Rome – Italy so, so, so many years ago! I’ve tried to repurchase it but it’s sadly discontinued…

And also, last year I was lucky to discover the most representative scent for my personality, my real signature scent, the one I’m sure I’ll wear for the rest of my life!

Givenchy Amarige Mariage

4) my oldest home scent is Diptyque Baies Fragranced Candle, not this precise candle to state the obvious, but I always make sure I have something in this scent somewhere inside the house, whether it is a candle, a room spray, a scented oval or a diffuser! It’s not my usual scent as I mainly go for deep woody, amber-ish scents. This is a fruity one but the wild roses notes and especially the cassis notes make it lighter, not overpowering sweet, and irresistible to me!…

So irresistible that I always keep one in my office too!

DIPTYQUE BAIES

5) the oldest makeup tools: these The Body Shop makeup brushes.

These are literally my first makeup brushes I bought! I used to use them daily but when I started to become a makeup snob and sensing the difference a good brush does in terms of application ( see the review on my current Tom Ford favourites here and here ), I tossed these in a drawer and kind of forgot about them!

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These would be all “The Oldest” makeup bits I managed to find in my collection.

Now I would love to see “The Oldest” of Jackie, Serene, Katie, Zoe, Alessia, Michelle. And by the way, make sure you check these gorgeous ladies’ amazing blogs. They’re my daily, most enjoyable, relaxing reads!

Also, anyone is welcomed to share with us “Their Oldest” in the comment section below or to do this Tag if she/he desires!

See you in February beautiful, to celebrate together for an entire month, annie’s beauty…‘s first year of blogging!

xx, Annie

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Winter Holiday 2014, Last minute Gift Ideas! with V from Say Hello to Gorgeous

20 Saturday Dec 2014

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

≈ 44 Comments

Tags

2014 Christmas, Burberry, dior, Dior Golden Shock Winter 2014 Christmas Collection, gift ideas, gifts, Penhaligon's, Swarowski, Tom Ford, Zara

So… You thought you’re done with your Christmas shopping but when you started wrapping the gifts you realised that you’re missing a couple more?… Don’t worry, I got you covered! And I’m not alone! I have another Santa’s little helper doing this post with me.

You guessed right, another festive collaboration!!!… This time with the beautiful and very talented fellow blogger V, from SayHellotoGorgeous ( make sure you go and check her blog out because it is amazing! ).

So stay with us for a few gorgeous last minute gift suggestions, I’m sure you’ll definitely love!

I have 5 picks for 5 different types of friends…

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1) for “the girl that has it all”… Now it’s the right time to surprise your friend with limited edition, collectables. No girl can say no to this Limited Edition Dior Diorrific Golden Shock Winter 2014 Collection. Just look how pretty these nail polishes are!

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2) for the “fancy girl”…  You can never go wrong with a luxurious candle! My perfect winter scent has been for the past couple of years my Byredo Bibliothèque Fragranced Candle; it smells like old books, leather, vanilla and plum… The coziest home scent ever. But I recently discovered this Burberry Smokey Embers Fragranced Candle which will help you recreate the mood of an English fireside afternoon, through its comforting warm notes of patchouli, birch tar and guaiac wood. I think it will always be a most welcome gift!

FullSizeRende1r

3) let’s not forget about “THE MAN in our lives”, shall we!? The easiest option is a perfume, you’re right! But this year my suggestion is to go for something special, like a niche perfume. My pick is this Penhaligon’s Fragrance Selection Gentlemen’s Collection – an assortment of their classic scents for gents, containing 5 ml bottles of their finest masculine perfumes: Blenheim Bouquet, Juniper Sling, Quercus, Sartorial and Opus 1870. An excellent selection containing from the most fresh to the most manly and sexiest scents, for a very busy gentleman who’s concerned about the little details, like his perfume.

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4) for the “always in control girl”… What better gift than a new planner with a matching writing tool! I went for the festive gold again and picked this Zara Home Braided Diary, wrapped in this soft leather cover with amazing sparkling-gold details and this breathtaking Swarovski Crystalline Stardust Pen. With the same sparkling gold details. How gorgeous these little crystals are?!

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5) and lastly and the most difficult typology to pick a gift for, the “intellectual type”… No offense, but when it comes to this kind of friends, both male and female, they are the most difficult ones to please! Simply because all “human” things don’t seem to reach them easily… But a book, oh! THE BOOK is magical. It’s the kind of gift they’d genuinely appreciate. You can go for an old school paper book or be adventurous and buy her/him an e-book… My picks: Love Letters of Great Men and Women by Ursula Doyle, an excellent romantic read, for a girl you can get her #Girl Boss by Sophia Amoruso, Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s “Learned” by Lena Dunham or for you beauty lover friend you can pick Sally Hughes’ book Pretty Honest: The Straight-talking Beauty Companion. A classic book can also be a welcomed gift!

Here you have all my picks for the last minute gift shopping scenario I always seem to find myself in, for various reasons!…

Thank you V for doing this collaboration with me!

Now hurry up beautiful and finish your shopping! Christmas is just around the corner!

See you soon!

xx, Annie

 

 

INTERESTING FACT:

Don’t forget to add your final personal touch by wrapping your presents yourself or by attaching a personal hand written note on a hand made tag… Or whatever you think would make the person you’re giving the present feel best!

Here you have a few suggestions I found on Pinterest and Etsy…

504581-1_llFotorCreated1GIFT_WRAPPING_IDEAS_FOR_CHRISTMAS_FESTIVE_PINTEREST

 

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Favourite Home Scent: Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s APOM and Aqua Universalis Incense Paper

04 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by Mami și Zâna in beauty, home, lifestyle

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

APOM, Aqua Universalis, Beautik Haute Parfumerie, home scent, incense paper, luxury, Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Perfume is a piece of art which belongs to the patrimony of intimacy

Francis Kurkdjian

You might have read about this incense papers in my previous blog posts. And seen them in oh, so many of my Instagram photos! They are my favourite ambient perfumes. So easy to use… Definitely the ones I always turn to when I want create a cosy, relaxed atmosphere. They are the luxury home scents from Maison Francis Kurkdjian House of Perfumes and come in the form of an innovative product and very different from the usual candles or room sprays everyone is using.

Incense papers are stripes of paper soaked in the perfume oils from the Maison Francis Kurkdjian perfume collections, dried and then cut in small pieces, and packed in compact, elegant boxes.

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APOM Pour Femme, is the short term for the “A Piece of Me” fragrance, one of the best sellers of the House. It is a perfume inspired by the trip the parfumeur took to Liban. APOM is a sophisticate and classy perfume, in which the notes of the Oriental orange blossoms and those of the ylang-ylang flowers create a perfect harmony combined with the woody notes, making this perfume quirky and unique.

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Aqua Universalis is a perfume with beautiful woody notes and musk as a base, complemented by fresh bergamot and topped with Sicilian lemon, sweet oranges and lilly-of-the-valley. This is Francis Kurkdjian‘s interpretation of the clean and fresh Aqua Universalis Perfume.

photo 1

Each strip of paper has small cuts in it and it is better to fold it before burning it! Just one strip is enough to spread the perfume on a surface of over 60 m², so I definitely advise you to burn the small pre cut pieces one by one. Like this you will also have control on the intensity of the perfume inside your space.

Each slim box contains 25 strips of paper and some handy, elegant matches. You only need to light the paper, then blow out the flame. It will continue to burn slow, without a flame, gently discharging a perfumed smoke in the air.

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Available for purchase in Beautik Haute Perfumerie, Liberty London, or Neiman Marcus.

What are your favourite home scents?

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

 

INTERESTING FACTS about Monsieur Francis Kurkdjian:

– at the age of 25, Francis created his first perfume for Jean Paul Gaultier, called Le Male.

– also created for Acqua di Parma , Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani, Guerlain, Jean Paul Gaultier, Juliette Has A Gun, Kenzo, Versace and Yves Saint Laurent.

– at 30, he received the the Coty Prize for his entire career.

– 10 years later, at 40 he received the important distinction of “Chevalier des Arts et Des Lettres”. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mami și Zâna

Mami și Zâna

... life with a Fairy A new beginning... And so the magical adventure begins! xx, Annie

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