LANCÔME IN LOVE vernis à ongles #280N COSMOPOLITAN KAKI review

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#280N, cosmopolitan kaki, France, kaki, Lancome, nail polish, nails, review

I decided to buy this Lancôme In Love nail polish in #280 Cosmopolitan Kaki the instance I saw it online two years ago, when Lancôme threw into the world the Autumn-Winter 2012 Collection, called Midnight Roses ( so exquisitely poetical! ).

I have to admit though that I wasn’t a big fan of this particular colour and I haven’t used it that too often. I very much preferred the other one, Lancôme In Love nail polish in #220 Joli Matins from the same collection. I love a nice, clean, pinky-beige nude on my nails ay any moment!

But with this year’s never ending winter,  this dark shade was the one I’ve reached for more.

– two coats, daylight

I did a bit of research before writing this post and I realized that there isn’t too much hype around these products. And I really don’t understand why…

It is true, they are not on the same lever of quality as my Dior or YSL nail polishes but they certainly are way better than my Chanel ones.

They are opaque in only two coats. The shine you see in the pictures does not come from any top coat, it is their own. They only chipped after three or four days ( unlike my Chanel ones that chip even on day two?! ). I find the brush a bit tiny but that’s because I got used to the Dior brush, which is the widest brush I’ve ever seen on a nail polish. As for the selection of colours – is not going to blow you away but I think it is pretty decent.

– day 5, daylight

Now that Spring is finally here and the sun is up, I won’t be using the Cosmopolitan Kaki as much. I need happy colours on my nails to celebrate the new season. But I am sure that when fall will be here, again, I will start enjoying it again.

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

L’OCCITANE FABULOUS SERUM – new amazing skincare discovery

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cream, emamcipation, face, fair trade, France, hyaluronic acid, natural, review, serum, shea butter, skincare, spring

This transitional weather does such significant damage to my skin. Dry patches, red skin and sensitivity to most skincare products. My face feels itchy and at times I have a burning sensation even when I apply thermal water.

This year I found the product that literally saved my skin. It is the L’Occitane’s Serum Fabuleaux / Fabulous Serum, with 5% organic shea butter.

The shea butter that the Provençal company uses comes from fair trade with the women of Burkina Faso. This is the reason why The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has distinguished L’OCCITANE as an exemplary business for its activities in favour of the emacipation of the African producers, who in this case are exclusively women.

– Photographies : YamPhoto

More on this issue you can read on L’Occitane website.

So here is my personal experience…

The L’Occitane Fabulous Serum is a serum with protective proprieties, that regenerates the structure of your skin and it was designed to act as shield against daily aggressions. It also contains hyaluronic acid that “fills” fine lines and reduces them, giving smoothness and elasticity to your complexion.

The serum has a fluid texture that allows a fast absorption. It is suitable to all skin types and it will give you 24h protection and hydration.

I applied it twice a day – morning and night, on cleansed skin before my usual moisturizer ( that happens to be another L’Occitane product and/or pure, cold pressed coconut oil ).

My skin felt as if it received an instantly facelift. It felt hydrated, smooth, bright and the fine lines I had around my eyes and mouth weren’t as obvious… I was left speechless!… On the third day application I already started to notice that some of my  redness and dry patches were gone! No itchy face!… No difficulties in applying foundation!… Everything went almost smooth and easy!

And it was this little product’s “fault”!

The only objection I have is…

… this one.

The product came in a little glass container. And since I have two left hands, apparently, I broke it. But I continued to use it anyway! And considering the effects this serum has on my skin, I can easily get over the packaging!

I got mine in two small size gifts with purchase, but the actual product comes in a 30 ml glass bottle ( be careful with that! ), provided with a pump. The full size bottle is going to be my next L’Occitane purchase.

You can easily buy it on line here, here, here  or directly from the L’Occitane stores, where you will have to pay 45 euros. A good price for a nice, effective serum!

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

My experience with BY TERRY at MADISON LUXURY PERFUMERY – Part 2: Get ready with me…

Tags

anniversary, Baume de Rose, beauty, By Terry, cosmetics, event, France, high end, luxury, madison, makeup, perfumery, rose, soft pink, Sophie KIlian

Earlier last week, I’ve got an email from the beautiful Alexandra – professional make-up artist that works at Madison Luxury Perfumery. Madison is one of the most amazing places to shop for makeup, skincare and fragrance in Bucharest. But that’s a whole other story!

Since Tuesday, the 18th of February was the date of a special event – 10 years anniversary of By Terry’s Baume de Rose, they had a special guest: the international make-up artist for By Terry, Sophie Killian. So Alexandra asked me if I want to come… I confirmed my presence in less than 2 seconds, as you can easily imagine!

–  photo – courtesy of Madison Luxury Perfumery, on Facebook

I couldn’t wait for Tuesday to come! And when I arrived there was instantly mesmerized. The atmosphere was warm, with slow music in the background and Sophie working her magic. Alexandra greet me and offered me a coffee and some appetizers, then she showed me around; this is how I found out the history behind the brand By Terry – that I shared with you in my previous post.

Then, Sophie was kind enough to perform a personalized makeup session on me. ( Imagine the excitement! )

Here is a list of the products she used on me:

– first of all, Alexandra prepared my face by cleansing it with By Terry Pureté De Rose Refreshing Cleansing Gel

– then she applied a base Cellular Rose ® Brightening CC Lumi Serum, in no 3 – Apricot Glow ( love at first sight )

– foundation: Sheer – Expert Foundation, in #07 – Vanilla Beige

– for lips – contour: Crayon Lèvres Terrybly, in #02 – Rose Contour and the Rouge Terrybly Lipstick, in #404 – Carnal Attraction

– blush: Hyaluronic Blush, in #03 – Bubble Glow

– eyes: Ombre Blackstar in #14 – Blue Obession and the Crayon Kohl Terrybly, in #01 – Black Print;

– mascara: Terrybly #01 – Party – Pris

– eyebrows: Crayon Sourcils Terrybly, in #02 – Ash Brown

The brushes Sophie used to apply the makeup, were: Pinceau Teint Précision #6, Pinceau Joues-Biseau #3, Pinceau Levres Rétractable Précision #7, Pinceau Sculpteur Biseau #1 and Dome #3.

Everything Sophie used to do this makeup look is available online at Madison, ByTerry website and at my favourite online beauty shop SpaceNK.

And here is the final result… A sultry night makeup face, with blue smoky eyes and dark lips. I loved it to death! So much that I even dare to post a close up of this look, after a few hours of being out in town with the girls!…

– I know I look tired here, but bare with  me!… Point is the makeup was still in place, even after all that time… I’ve only reapplied the lipstick!

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

My experience with BY TERRY at MADISON LUXURY PERFUMERY – Part 1: DISCOVERING LA “FEMME” BEHIND THE BRAND

Tags

brand, By Terry, France, french, ingredients, makeup, natural, skincare

By Terry is a French brand that proposes cosmetics and fragrances based mostly on natural ingredients, like rose and lavender extracts from Provence, France. It proudly wears the name of its founder, Terry de Gunzburg, the woman who said about her makeup line: ” I want to be the iPhone of makeup “.

– TERRY DE GUNZBURG

Born in Egypt, Terry grew up in Paris and was attracted by beauty in any form and shape even sine she was young. That’s why she avoided to step into her father’s shoes, and instead of becoming a doctor she chose to go for architecture. But before her classes started she followed a summer class at the Carita Beauty School.  While she passed her final exam she got noticed, and so she got her first job for Vogue magazine, the french issue. It was 1977.

This was the launch of her career as a freelance makeup artist. Soon she will do the makeup of the beauties of the moment: Cathrine Deneuve, Ingrid Bergman and Lauren Bacall. And the rest is history! Covers of the best selling magazines, she got to work with Helmut Newton, makeup for fashion shows… Terry was preferred because of her clean “techniques” of layering makeup, that made everyone look natural and flawless.

It was the 1985 when, after a non-conventional interview, she got the dream job at Yves Saint Laurent where she stayed for 15 years. During this time she created the most beautiful red lipstick 100% pigment and a few cult products as the YSL Touche Éclat ( 1992 ), other iconic products including Teint Singulier, Sheer Powdercreme Veil and the cult-favorite Volume Effet Faux Cils mascara.

In 1998 she decided to take faith into her own hands once again, and to launch her own company: By Terry. The top-selling products are: Mascara Terrybly, Light-Expert (a reprisal of her original Touche Éclat formula in foundation form), and Baume de Rose regenerating lip salve – that has taken over the beauty world.

– photo of the Baume de Rose; snap shoot from Madison’s perfumery magazine, which is at #03

And more By Terry products are yet to be discovered, including an amazing skincare line…

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie