September's Used Ups

I have not been doing this for a while but I still like to share my September Used Ups: 

• Arcona Peptide Firming Complex: I absolutely loved this one. Natural and it packs a potent pair of ingredients on the face. 
•  Sunwarrior Fulvic Acid 'Immune Shield: Since Phylia's De M's Connect (read here & here) I have been intrigued in taking Fulvic Acid. Phyllia's version is a whopping £160.00 whereas this one is €31. Not sure if it works on hair-health but it helps to keep germs/viruses at bay.
•  Lierac Ultra Body Lift 10: Me and my anti-cellulite routine. I like this specific one in pink.
•  Yarok Feed Your Roots Hairmouse. Another favourite organic hairstyling tool that works even better than its chemical siblings.
• Antonia Burrell Creme Supreme: I had to get used to this cream but I loved how it smoothes my larger pores and made me feel I had actually good skingenes. Con: expensive!
• Skeen Intensive Revival Gel: One from team boys (review here) and so fab for puffy mornings! 
• Aurelia Revitalise and Glow serum: A staple when the season changes -> good at calming AND anti-ageing.
•  Tatcha Deep Brightening serum: How much I like Tatcha, I did not see a radical change.
• Kure Bazaar nailpolish in Rose Milk: a 3-free polish with the best milky pink base.
•  sample Leonor Greyl Volumising Shampoo: quite good at volumizing without drying hair.
• Makeup Forever Smokey Lash intense Mascara: I love this one a lot but I can only buy it in France or Spain. Oh well, good excuse to visit either country :-)
•  Eyepencils NARS & Marc Jacobs Beauty in Black: both travel size and both efficient & long lasting

 

 

Giovanni Perfectly Platinum Shampoo (& Conditioner) is the organic answer to all those purple un-brassy shampoos. Soft and non-irritating and it has enough purple to keep the hair fresh.

Oh, by the way. My last blogpost said something about E. So (disclaimer:) I have never done drugs in my young years...just hanging or clubbing with good and lousy friends and the occasional wine/cocktail etc. But the pun behind the E numbers is that many people who are living so healthy these days have been quite naughty before. But that's life and generation amnesia, right?

 

Fave Summer Oils: Face, Hair & Body

I think oils are often limited to winter...

Such a waste because the best oils can be superb for the warmer summer period:

So I am going to discuss a couple of my fave summer oils!

FACE: Aesop Fabulous Face oil

half-way on the Aesop Fabulous!

Perhaps this one is a tad too heavy for the summer period. Some might like a lighter oil, something I will discuss soon.

For me the reason I picked up on a slightly heavier oil is the unsteady skin I had for a while: I gotten more eczematic, dry spots because of the change of weather and a weaker diet. Balming up with a heavy oil on the dry spots makes my skin look smoother in the morning.

I have been discussing the psychological effect of scent in various posts (eg here) and this one really agrees with me. Night-time oils should feel like a harmonizing and comforting blend, and perhaps not everyone's is into lavender so it's often still personal. Aesop Fabulous Face oil has Ylang Ylang as it main (scentual) proponent and I love the sensual and drowsy effect of this essential oil, which makes it easier to relax and drop off to sleep.

HAIR: Leonor Greyl Palm Oil

This oil has a weird consistency in that certain temperature between solid (hard) & liquid (melting) that I just have to show here below ----->:

When it is solid it is perfect for travelling on hand-luggage only (lots of European discount airlines) because it will not count as a part of the poor 100ml anti-vanity strategics the airports maintain these days.

I kind of like this oil for it's moisturizing properties too, and it's divine scent that I can detect as something Tiara-esque. However, for a better review I will guide you to Pink Sith, which connected her fantastical mind to a fairytale of hairness to it (here).

One warning: it does take a clarifying shampoo to take off the pre-oiled tresses and not ending up in a post-shampood-but-still-oily-mess! Which is slightly the downside to this oil: Sometimes I like a plain macademia/argan oil often just as much, but those perennial liquids count as a part of the 100 ml impecunious-ness the vain & often beautiful have to compromise on when travelling by handluggage only. So for that sake, and the perfect scented concoction, I take this beauty along.

BODY: Caudalie Huile Divine (divine oil)

I placed this multitasker under body because I still needed to fill this category.

Besides, body includes face & hair anyway, and this one does as well.

Defined as a grape oil,  It's also a dry oil and therefore penetrates quickly after applying.

It has a floral fragance with I'll define as tropical paradise (ofcouse, scentual preference is always subjective). However, it's quite heady so I personally would not plunge it on my face that fast due to my sensitive complexion.

Besides smelling & feeling divine (though not completely natural nor organic), it's quite friendly to the environment too:

I only have this sample (perfect for the hand-luggage vanities) but I will get a larger bottle soon.

That sums up my fave 3 summer oils for 2013 at this time being...

Always curious for more vanity adventures, I might add more until the end of summer is near and will blend into autumn...