How do you reuse your empty Diptyque candle jars? And the #breastcancerawareness month

Tags

#BCAwareness, #breastcancerawareness month, #pinkwarrior, Baies, candle, Diptyque, diy, empty candle, Figuier, multiple uses, roses

… This is what I’m doing with mine! 

You all know how much love Diptyque candles get in this household. And I’m not only talking about those gorgeous home scents, but the beautiful packaging as well.

I used to have jars in different sizes scattered all over my place and because I was getting too attached to some of them, I was keeping those in their original boxes! EMPTY that is! #hoarder much!?

… Until one day when I had to move house and had no room for junk, so “that” needed to go away. And so it did!

At the moment, the only empty candle that I have is this Baies travel size that came in a set of three ( see full post on it, here ) and I will show you how you can reuse it after all the wax is consumed.

First I clean the remaining wax by putting it under hot running water ( I prefer this method because I have to wash the jar anyway and the warm water does an excellent job! ), then I go in with an abrasive kitchen sponge and some dishwasher detergent ( taking care not to wet the label too much ), rinse it well and wipe off all the excess water with a clean cotton towel.

Now that our jar is clean, I will give you some ideas on what to use it for:

• to hold your nick-nacks, those pesky little things that always tend to disappear… like hair grips, hair ties or as pictured, cotton buds
• to hold your makeup brushes
• as a vase – these look lovely in pictures, you must’ve seen them all over Instagram and Pinterest.

I hope you enjoyed this little DIY post and please tell me what happens to your empty candle jars!

See you soon, Beautiful!

xx, Annie

 

But before you go, please make sure you read this: 

Since October is the

#breastcancerawareness month,

this is my little tribute to all those who are fighting this terrible disease and to those close to them who are going through a difficult time as well!

So please my beautiful ladies, go check your breasts at least once a year! It’s for your own good!

And also make sure that you spread the awareness! Sharing is caring! 

Why not living in a healthier world, right?!

It’s entirely up to us! 

For more suggestions make sure you follow me on

Instagram   |   Twitter  |    Pinterest  |    Facebook

THE Best 10 Online Shopping Destinations for Luxury Beauty

Tags

Aesop, Aoro.ro, Aromatherapy Associates, Bobbi Brown, Burberry, chanel, Chantecaille, Charlotte Tilbury, Creme de La Mer, Cult Beauty, dior, Diptyque, Emma Hardie, Eve Lom, feelunique, Fillerina, Glam Glow, guerlain, Harrods, Jo Malone, Kiehl's, La Prairie, Lancer, Laura Mercier, May Lindstorm, MV Organic Skincare, NARS, net-a-porter, Omorovicza, online luxury shopping destinations, Oribe, Rahua, REN, RMK, Sarah Chapman, Selfridges, Shiseido, Sisley, SK II, SpaceNK, Sunday Riley, SUQQU, Tata Harper, Tatcha, Therapy, Tom Ford, Urban Decay, Verso, Zelens

Since many of you, my lovely readers, always ask me where do I shop for my makeup and my skincare, here you have it – a full post dedicated to my favourite online places to shop for luxury beauty!

  

SELFRIDGES

BRANDS AVAILABLE:

– Tom Ford, Charlotte Tilbury, Dior, Chanel, Guerlain, NARS, Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, RMK, Urban Decay, Omorovicza, Zelens, Eve Lom, Kiehl’s, Diptyque, Jo Malone

SHIPPING:

– to over 60 countries around the world, including North America, Australia, the Middle East and China.

– “For all orders outside of the European Union, we’ll even remove UK VAT and include any relevant import charges before you pay so there are no surprises when your order arrives.” ( Selfridges )

INTERESTING FACT:

– currently Selfridges is running a SALE on selected items all-over their website, so you might want to take advantage of that!

 

HARRODS

BRANDS AVAILABLE: Tom Ford, Chanel, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, SK II, Creme de La Mer, Shiseido, Sisley, SUQQU, Lancer, La Prairie… See more brands here.

SHIPPING*:

Delivery Service	Availability	Area	Charges	Delivered
Europe Zone A	24/7	– Belgium – Denmark – France – Germany – Guernsey – Ireland – Italy – Jersey – Luxembourg – Netherlands – Spain – Sweden	£20.00	5 – 6 working days
Europe Zone B	24/7	– Andorra – Croatia – Iceland – Monaco – San Marino – Gibraltar – Greece – Latvia – Lithuania – Poland – Portugal – Slovakia – Balearic Islands: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza, Formentera (country is Spain) – Austria – Bulgaria – Cyprus – Czech Republic – Estonia – Finland – Hungary – Liechtenstein – Malta – Norway – Romania – Slovenia – Switzerland – Canary Islands: Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma	£20.00	6 – 10 working days
North America and Far East	24/7	– USA – Canada – Hong Kong – Malaysia – Japan – Singapore – Thailand – Macau – South Korea – Philippines	£25.00	6 – 10 working days
Rest of the World	24/7	– Australia – Bahrain – India – Israel – New Zealand – Qatar – Saudi Arabia – UAE – Jordan – Kuwait – Lebanon – Oman	£25.00	10 – 12 working day

*Please note that Harrods currently ONLY delivers to the countries listed above.

 

NET-A-PORTER.com

BRANDS AVAILABLE: besides fashion http://www.net-a-porter.com has also a beauty section where I like to get items from brands like Hourglass, Charlotte Tilbury, Burberry, RMS, Byredo, By Terry, Eve Lom… just to name a few!

SHIPPING:

– get more info on International delivery, Times and Fees here.

– excellent Customer Service and free Tracking Order option!

 

SPACENK.com

BRANDS AVAILABLE: Hourglass, By Terry, Chantecaille, Sarah Chapman, Aesop, Oribe, Rahua, REN, Sunday Riley, Tatcha, Verso

SHIPPING:

EUROPEAN DELIVERY

1. Option 1: STANDARD DELIVERY
   You’ll receive your order within 10 working days European standard delivery service is available for all European addresses to the countries listed below.
   £5.00 including VAT.
2. Option 2: FREE EUROPEAN DELIVERY ON ORDERS £100 AND OVER
   If your order totals £100 or more, you’ll automatically qualify for FREE European delivery Free European delivery of orders will be within 10 working days as per usual European delivery.

Destinations: UK, Austria, Armenia, Andorra, Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Hungry, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine.

REST OF THE WORLD DELIVERY

1. Option 1: STANDARD DELIVERY You’ll receive your order within 21 working days Rest Of The World delivery service is available for all addresses to the countries listed below.
   £5.00 including VAT.
2. Option 2: FREE REST OF WORLD DELIVERY ON ORDERS £150 AND OVER
   If your order totals £150 or more, you’ll automatically qualify for FREE Rest of World delivery. Free Rest of World delivery of orders will be within 21 working days as per usual Rest of World delivery terms

 

FEELUNIQUE.com

BRANDS AVAILABLE:

– all the brands you can imagine for makeup and skincare, from luxury to affordable

– last month they added a new brand to their never ending selection, a personal favourite of mine – BURBERRY

SHIPPING:

FREE WORLDWIDE DELIVERY ON ALL ORDERS OVER £10 

 

BURBERRY

One of the best Customer Services I have ever encountered online, it made me prefer order my favourite makeup items from their online shop rather than anywhere else!

SHIPPING:

– you can find more information on shipping destinations, costs and delivery for your country by clicking here

– they also give you the possibility of tracking your order

 

CHARLOTTE TILBURY

One of my favourite makeup brands as well, www.charlottetilbuty.com not only has an amazing selection of their amazing makeup and skincare, but also an excellent Customer Service but exclusive offers too!

SHIPPING:

– they currently ship to addresses within the UK and EUROPE:

Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Channel Islands, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic Of Ireland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

To order from the USA, click here to visit the US site.

 

CULT BEAUTY.com

– by far my favourite destination for luxury skincare shopping

BRANDS AVAILABLE: Oskia, Omorovicza, Sunday Riley, Tata Harper, Zelens, MV Organic Skincare, Therapy, Aromatherapy Associates, Aesop, Emma Hardie, Glam Glow, Fillerina, May Lindstorm…

SHIPPING:

– destinations:

Mainland UK

United Kingdom

Non-Mainland UK

Jersey  /  Guernsey  /  Isle of Man

North America

United States  /  Canada

Western Europe

Andorra  /  Austria  /  Belgium  /  Cyprus  /  Czech Republic  /  Denmark  /  Finland  /  France  /  Germany  /  Greece  /  Iceland  /  Ireland  /  Isle of Man  /  Italy  /  Luxembourg  /  Malta  /  Monaco  /  Netherlands  /  Norway  /  Poland  /  Portugal  /  Spain  /  Sweden  /  Switzerland

Middle East

Bahrain  /  Israel  /  Jordan  /  Kuwait  /  Oman  /  Qatar  /  Saudi Arabia  /  United Arab Emirates

Asia & Australasia

Australia  /  Brunei  /  China  /  Hong Kong  /  Japan  /  South Korea  /  Malaysia / New Zealand  /  Singapore  /  Taiwan  /  Thailand

Rest of the World

Aland Islands  /  Anguilla  /  Bahamas  /  Barbados  /  Brazil  /  Cape Verde  /  Cayman Islands  /  Croatia  /  Estonia  /  Gibraltar  /  Hungary  /  India  /  Latvia  /  Lithuania  /  Maldives  /  Reunion  /  Romania  /  Russia  /  Slovakia  /  Slovenia  /  South Africa  /  Turkey  /  Ukraine  /  Vatican City  /  Venezuela

– Standard Delivery is FREE worldwide on all orders over £50 except for mainland China.

 

OMOROVICZA

– this is Omorovicza’s official website, where they always host amazing offers and deals and periodically, some amazing sales! The current amazing offers are a beautiful LE Queen of Hungary Face Mist in a beautiful summery bottle, with the possibility of doubling your Pengo and some amazing sets at such convenient prices!

SHIPPING:

	Price	Free over	Business Days
UK	€7	€150	2-5
EU Standard	€20	€150	7
EU Expedited	€30	n/a	Up to 5

– due to customs restrictions, they are not able to ship to China and Russia.

– import taxes and duties will be the responsibility of the customer should goods be ordered from our website for delivery outside of Europe.

 

AORO.ro

BRANDS AVAILABLE: Chanel, Dior, Guerlain, Giorgio & Gabbana and many more

SHIPPING: for my Romanian girls ONLY!

Here you have my main online shopping destinations! I hope you feel inspired and get some new shopping ideas from them!

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

The affordable goodies from my skincare routine Part 1: the FIRST AID BEAUTY Face Cleanser and the Facial Radiance Pads

Tags

Diptyque, Diptyque Radiance Boosting Powder, Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoliator, First Aid Beauty, First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser, First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads, Foreo Luna Mini, review, skincare, Zelens PHA+ Bio-Peel Resurfacing Facial Pads

I already took you step by step throughout my PM Skincare routine ( see picture above ) in last week’s blog post, but now I want to talk to you about two lovely First Aid Beauty products, that make taking care of my face very enjoyable, no matter how tired I am. So here you have the Face Cleanser and the infamous Facial Radiance Pads.

I would like to start by saying that First Aid Beauty products are really affordable and they can also be found in convenient sets. I got mine from feelunique.com, where you can find them periodically discounted too, with free shipping worldwide for orders over 10£.

That aside, let’s get to the actual review!

The First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser is a basic foaming cleanser good to remove any excess oils on your face or even traces of makeup. I love it because it leaves my skin clean without stripping all those “good” face oils off.

How I use it:

– by itself, daily, as a second cleanse and I only need a tiny amount of product to do that. I apply it on my damp face, massage it in – moment that it actually foams up, and more you massage it in, more it transforms into a soft, creamy paste. Then I either rinse everything off with lukewarm water or I clean everything with a muslin cloth.

– every other day – I use it combined with the Diptyque Radiance Boosting Powder for a deeper cleanse, also as a second cleanse, only at night

– once or twice a week according to the needs of my skin, I also use it with my Foreo Luna Mini, a cleansing device that I will write an in-depth review on soon.

All in all, the First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser is a decent, gentle cleanser that really has the job done at any time, morning and night.

The First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads are “the thing” when it comes to skincare nowadays. Everybody uses them and raves about them all-over the Internet. But what are they anyway?

They are round cotton pads ( made with one of the softest cotton to touch! ) pre-soaked in a mix of lactic and glycolactic acid to use all-over your face as a chemical exfoliator. I have sensitive skin so physical exfoliators aren’t my favourites to use on my face, unless they’re really gentle – like this Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoliator, which I carefully only use once or twice a week at most, anyway.

The First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads are an awesome introductory exfoliator, so if you’ve just started using exfoliating acids I highly recommend these. They’re mild and gentle enough to be used daily ( although I find that a bit too much to handle for my sensitive skin! ) but efficient enough to free your complexion from that superficial layer of dead skin cells, brightening everything up and allowing your skin to easily regenerate and breath again.

You simply take one pad, swipe it all-over your face ( no pressure or rubbing needed ), you turn it the other way around and go on your face once more. I use this before using my toners or face mists, or even instead of those, in the evenings mostly ( they are really also very comfortable to sleep in without the fear of getting irritations or redness ), every other day.

Will I repurchase them? Probably not, but only because next I want to try the more expensive ( crazy expensive that is! ) version of these, the Zelens PHA+ Bio-Peel Resurfacing Facial Pads.

First Aid Beauty products are also great because they don’t have any added fragrance to them, so they are really good for sensitive skins, even though I have to say that the Radiance Pads do have a faint chemical scent to them, nothing that would bother you too much though, or for too long.

As they say on their website:

FAB products are free of harsh chemicals and known allergens, including parabens, phthalates, alcohol, fragrances and artificial dyes. Select products also boast FDA-approved over-the-counter formulations that target specific skin issues such as eczema and acne. The result is true first aid beauty and a collection of products that may be used safely by even the most sensitive skin types.

I definitely recommend First Aid Beauty products for being simple, effective and affordable!

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

 

 

INTERESTING FACTS & TIPS:

– make sure you know the difference between a face wash and a makeup remover, so that when you’re tempted to use your face wash only when you take your makeup off and you don’t see the results you’re expecting, not to blame the product and use a makeup remover/makeup wipes as a first step in your cleansing routine, as you should!

– ALWAYS double, triple cleanse ( check how I currently triple cleanse in this post here ), because a clean skin is a healthier skin and a smoother canvas for your makeup application… Not to mention that you also use less makeup -> those “good days skin” everybody’s talking about, and some are only wishing for… unfortunately!

– NEVER sleep with your makeup on!

– IF you can, cleanse your face and reapply your makeup as many times a day as possible!

– make sure you keep your most expensive/most packed with nutrients/effective face cleansers the closest to your skin, and use them as the last step in your cleansing routine! Like this you can benefit from all those nutritious ingredients longer and you don’t wash them away completely… and with those, all your sweet money!

Currently burning: the DIPTYQUE Candles of the moment…

Tags

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

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…

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.

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.

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.

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

PM Skincare routine…

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.

#anniesbeauty1yearanniversarygiveaway series! Happy Anniversary with… Diptyque! WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!

Tags

#anniesbeauty1yearanniversarygiveaway, Diptyque, giveaway, winner

It’s with extreme pleasure that I’m announcing the winner of my second anniversary giveaway of the series! Congratulations to my lovely Katie from Plus+ Beauty here on WordPress!

You, my lovely are one of my bestest friends in this blogging world who brought so many like us together! You always manage to comfort me with your lovely comments and your support! So for that I will be forever thankful!

Now, please make sure you contact me until Friday, 28 February 2015 midnight, EET to establish all the details I need to send you your prize as soon as possible!

If not, another winner will be picked via random.org!

  

Also, a huuuge thank you to everyone else who entered this and my previous giveaway!

And remember all! Tomorrow is the day of my last anniversary giveaway series, where you can win some amazing products which have easily became staples in my daily routine!

So, let’s party on!

 

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

 

 

 

UPDATE :

Giveaway winner confirmed by email Monday, 23 February 2015, at 18.34 EET!

#anniesbeauty1yearanniversarygiveaway series! Happy Anniversary with… Diptyque!

Tags

#anniesbeauty1yearanniversarygiveaway, Diptyque, giveaway

And the celebrations continue as promised, this time with two of my favourite Diptyque skin care gems I discovered on my first year of blogging.

I guess you already realized that all my giveaway prizes contain and will always contain my favourite products… These Diptyque ones are no exception!

Actually, if you need more convincing material, I already reviewed this enchanting hand cream on a blog post and you can read more about it, by clicking here.

First of all here is YOUR PRIZE:

– one Diptyque Eau Rose Hand Lotion

– one Diptyque Eau Rose Body Lotion

Then you have MY GIVEAWAY RULES:

– the giveaway starts the moment this post will be up, which is Tuesday, 17 February 2015 midnight, EET and it will end on Sunday, 22 Ferbruary 2015, EET.

– you can enter this giveaway if you’re a subscriber of annie’s beauty… blog ( if not you can subscribe by clicking the Follow button on my main page or via email ) and write me a comment about whatever you like, as long as it’s decent. Also by following annie0ne on Instagram and by re-posting the giveaway official image and tag it with the #anniesbeauty1yearanniversarygiveaway. Or if you follow me on Bloglovin but make sure you like this post! Or if you like my Facebook page, like and share the official giveaway photo with the official tag. Or if you follow my Twitter account and also re-post the same giveaway image under the same hashtag, #anniesbeauty1yearanniversarygiveaway.

– strictly ONE ( 1 ) entry per person will count

– NO business accounts, NO private profiles, NO fake accounts or giveaway accounts, PLEASE! Such entries will be immediately disqualified. This is only for personal, active accounts!

– giveaway opened internationally

– strictly ONE ( 1 ) Winner will be picked using random.org and announced no later than Monday, 23 February 2015 .

– MY decision will be final. MY giveaway, MY rules!

Good luck, beautiful and let’s go on with the celebrations until the end of the month!

See you soon!

xx, Annie

Diptyque Infused Facial Water for the Face – a very late review

Tags

cleanser, Diptyque, Infused Facial Water, Nasturitium insfusion, review, Rosa Damascena Hydrosol, skincare, toner

It has been quite a while since I posted something skincare-related!

But my skin care routine is different during the hotter months of the year. I use less harsh, more lightweight products!  Plus I had some amazing skincare to try ( *hint hint: Omorovicza* ), then kind of forgot about this one. But now with the seasons changing and this transitional weather, my skin gives me signs it needs a change too! So it is time to take out the big guns!

This is the Diptyque Infused Facial Water for the Face! It is part of the L’Art du Soin skincare system Diptyque came out with this early Spring. I bought the Infused Water when I bought the Diptyque Nourishing Cleansing Balm for the Face and the Diptyque Radiance Boosting Powder for the Face, both previously reviewed ( click the links ).

The Diptyque Facial Water is just my kind of face water! Since I gave up on using tap water to wash my face, morning and evening, I have noticed a big improvement in the texture and appearance of my skin. What I do is to soak a cotton pad with this water and apply it on my face using gentle, circular motions. It takes off all the dead cells, grease or impurities. I also have noticed that my pores are less visible too!

This product counts double in the economy of my skincare routine: as a cleanser and as a toner.

The Diptique Infused Facial Water is, in fact, an infused water to use on your face. Its particularity is that it is enriched  with Rosa Damascena hydrosol* and infused with Nasturitium, plus a blend of nine traditional plants and flower extracts. It acts like a treatment to bring back radiance to your complexion, it revitalizes and energizes the skin, getting it ready for the next step in your skincare routine.

What about you? Do you have problems with your skin in this transitional weather? If so, what are your recommendations in terms of products?

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

 

INTERSTING FACTS:

*hydrosol = aqueous products of distillation

*Rosa Damascena hydrosol = rose water, the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals, a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume. It is used to flavour food, as a component in some cosmetic and medical preparations, and for religious purposes throughout Europe and Asia. Rose syrup is made from rose water, with sugar added.

 

DIPTYQUE Radiance Boosting Powder for the Face – My thoughts on it

Tags

Diptyque, luxury, poudre pureté pour le visage, powder, radiance boosting powder, skincare

The Diptyque skincare range IS truly amazing!

This time the product I’m going to tell you about is the DIPTYQUE Radiance Boosting Powder for the Face, a product like no other I have tried before. When released, this facial powder and the cleansing balm ( review here and another post here ) were the two products I wanted the most and my intuition wasn’t wrong!

The Radiance Boosting Powder for the face is a powder meant to clean, sooth and purify your complexion. It contains white clay with a purifying effect and remineralizing action, and a powder made out of a combination of rose petals, jasmin and neroli flowers. In contact with water the powder transforms into a creamy, soft mousse, which will leave your skin clean and bright. It will also prepare it for the next steps of your facial routine.

How I used it:

– I poured some of the product into my hand and added instead of water some Diptyque Infusal Facial Water for the Face, another great product from their new skincare range. The result is going to be a very soft and smooth, and herbaly scented white paste which I massaged into my skin with my bare hands, because I have sensitive skin and I discovered that the little black sponge that came with the powder was to harsh for me. But if you want a more of a mechanical exfoliation you can use it, if your skin allows you to. After a few minutes I rinsed everything with warm water.

The effect was immediate! My skin looked bright, plumped, elastic and clean. What I did after that was to wipe my face with a cotton pad with some more of the Infused Facial Water on… and nothing else. I went to bed and when got up my face was still bright, plumped, elastic and clean… No excess oils, no redness, and more important – no allergic reactions. After two days my skin was still feeling fresh and healthy.

– beside using the product as I told you before, I also used it as a deep clean face mask. I used the same “ingredients”. I applied it on my face with a brush and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then I rinsed it off, and the effect was the same. Plus, I noticed that my pores weren’t as visible as before. Keep in mind to take the product after 5 minutes, otherwise it will leave you with some redness in your sensitive areas. Nothing bad though!

I used the powder for its own purposes twice a week and as a mask once a week, or even every other week.

The Diptyque Radiance Boosting Powder for the Face is not a miracle worker but I am very pleased with the results so far!

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

SPA AT HOME – Luxury products 2 – Face

Tags

Ambre, dior, Diptyque, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Melvita, SPA, Yon-Ka

Here you have part two of the SPA AT HOME mini-series which is entirely dedicated to how I take care of my face. For the other two SPA AT HOME – Body posts, click here and here.

This is going to be my luxury approach and it will be followed by a DIY post featuring natural and affordable products.

It is my skincare routine at the moment, if you like, since I really wanted to write a blog post about what products I use on a daily basis to take care of my skin, but I always seemed to postpone it without any decent reason.

These are the steps:

First I double cleanse my face with the Diptyque Nourishing Cleansing Balm which is a beautiful and easy-to-use cleansing balm. I have a review on it here if you want to read more in depth about it. I use it with plain water but I also use it combined with the next product from my skincare list:  the Diptyque Infused Facial Water. And to remove it I use a muslin cloth. The smell of the products combined with the hot water give me a sensation of relaxation and make me think of a sunny holiday in Bali.

For a deep cleaning I use the Diptyque Radiance Boosting Powder for Face an innovative exfoliating product which leaves my skin clean and glowy.

After washing my face with the cleansing balm and using the radiance powder as a gentle exfoliant, I use the Diptyque Infused Facial Water on a cotton pad as a toner to calm and soothe any irritation. I use gentle patting motions all over my face and I bring it down to my neck too.

The next step is hydration. To hydrate my skin I use two amazing products the Ambre Luxurious Oils Blend Vitamins & Fatty Acids Rich Face Serum a lightweight face oil/serum which is suitable for daytime and for nighttime as well. I reviewed it a while ago ( click here to read ). It absorbs so fast into the skin and leaves no greasy residue. On top of that I use a cream. My current daily moisturizer is the Yon-Ka Age Defense Anti-Oxidant Anti Pollution Day Cream, a natural anti-aging product which acts as a barrier between your skin and the pollutant agents in the atmosphere.

Another step is to take care of my eyes. To clear them I use Visine drops. I have photo sensitive eyes so it is easier to get THOSE(!) fine lines… Since I ran out of my Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Eye Serum, I went through my stash and found this long loved but forgotten Melvita Argan Oil and Rose Hip Oil Targeted Roll-on for Wrinkles and started using it again. What I like to do is to apply it on my eye area straight from the fridge, where I keep it. Like this the coldness of the roller ball helps the oil penetrate easier into the skin. And since this is my absolute pamper day, I take my time and apply another layer of the Melvita Eye Oil and put on a Cooling Eye Mask ( The Body Shop ). I wait 10 to 15 minutes then I take off the mask, and gently massage in whatever is left of the product.

Cooling eye masks might not be everyone’s cup of cake but I know that for me they are since they help me a lot with dark circles, wrinkles, making easier to achieve the minimal/natural makeup I like to wear during the days I have to go to work.

The last ones I’m taking care of are my lips. I don’t have the driest, flaky lips ever. So the scrubbing step it is not a necessity. I only like to use a good lip balm, or a lip oil. I absolutely love my By Terry Baume de Rose but right now I can’t apart from my Dior Lipglow. I love the rosy tint it gives my lips and makes them look plumped, natural and very moisturized.

That is it!

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie