Spring brownies

Brown is such an elegant color. I adore this light shade of brown leather in shoes, bags and accessories. To my great surprise, I discovered quite a few items in affordable stores like Zara, Uterque and Mango. I remember a few years back that it was alsmost impossible to purchase a leather item in such a hue and still look chic, black was the only way to go. But apparently things have changed and large companies have access to a larger variety of good and affordable leather choices.

What do you think? Do you like this hue of  brown for the spring? All of the items in the photos can be found in Zara's and Uterque's Spring Summer 2012 collections that just came out in the stores. So, hurry up...........

Anti Wrinkle - Anti Acne moisturizers

For some reason an anti wrinkle and anti acne product appears as a paradox... Well to me it does anyway.
Probably because we are so used to fighting spots and acne with the most drying products EVER and cause we are used to prevent/ control skin aging with heavier/oilier products.
Companies have only recently realized the need of women with acneic, acne prone or oily skin to protect their youth skin by using just one product. In the older days women used to apply different creams to different parts of their face according to its needs. Well actually they still do so, but this step can nowadays be avoided.

Best outhere...

Starting from top right and going clockwise, Lierac Mat Chrono Essence Lissante, Estee Lauder Time zone lotion, Murad Acne&Wrinkle Reducer, Estee Lauder Resilience lift lotion, Murad anti aging moisturizer SPF 20, Lierac Mat Chrono Emulsion Hydratante, Neutrogena health skin anti wrinkle cream. I should mention that Estee Lauder's lotions are not meant to address both issues but I did add them in the list because they are non-oily and they rarely cause any break outs while preventing aging! Murad's moisturizer is probably the best 2in1 product out there plus it can be enhanced by the Murad Acne and Wrinkle reducer serum. Lierac's Mat chrono products aim to create a mat canvas for oily skins, reduce pores and still fight wrinkles. Finally, neutrogena's cream also does the work and quite affordably I may have to admit!

Rock favourites...

My Miracle face mask

What are your thoughts on manuka honey and coconut oil?

I personally think that apart from tasting awesome, they both work wonders on the skin. Manuka Honey is produced by bees that collect nectar from the Manuka Bush or Tea Tree indigenous only to New Zealand. The particular honey has quite high levels of hydrogen peroxide that are sufficient enough to affect bacteria. Studies on the Manuka Honey benefits have shown that a special type of mono-floral honey contains an ingredient (UMF) with powerful antibacterial, anti microbial, antiviral, antioxidant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti fungal properties.

On the other hand, coconut oil has quite some benefits itself. The benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial and soothing.

 For this mask, I only recommend buying organic honey and oil because it is with these products that you will get results and instantly notice a difference in the skin. All you have to do is mix 1 teaspoon of coconut oil with 1 teaspoon of manuka honey. These 2 teaspoons will produce a mask for 2 people, so go ahead and get a luxurious treatment along with your sister, mother or  friend. When dealing with the coconut oil, be sure to either warm the -usually solid- oil between your palms until it gets liquidated or mix the two ingredients into a thick paste. In the second option (which I usually do) you will end having a thick mask with white pieces of coconut oil. Dont worry, as soon as you start rubbing the mask against your skin, the pieces will melt due to the body temperature. Apply troughout your face and decollete, avoiding the eye area and leave it on for about 15-20 minutes. Then you can either wash it off with water and soap and condition your skin as usual, or just rinse with cold water and leave on the natural moist and oil. For those of you with oily or acneic skin, you will feel that it may be too oily for you - but dont worry you will not get any break outs!!!

I call this the miracle mask, because it works excellently on all skintypes (from dry and flaky skin to acneic oily skin). This mask can also delay wrinkles, and sagging of skin which normally become prominent with age. Moreover, coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. But for such conditions it is wise to talk with your phycisian.

Beautyjoint

I just had to write a post on beautyjoint.com!!
A couple of weeks ago, I ordered a few NYX products (6 lipliners and 2 jumbo pencils) and not only did I purchase the products very cheap, paid a very small shipping cost but I also received everything in perfect condition less than a week later! (note that beautyjoint is in the US and I live in Greece)
What more could I ask for?

I dont know if you guys have noticed, but for some reason pink lipliner shades are often hard to find even if you shop from high end brands. MAC for example does not have a great variety of pink lipliners although they carry a vast variety of such color lipsticks.

So, here are the NYX lipliners I purchased and a swatch:
835 pinky
839 dolly pink
840 rose
843 citrine
854 pale pink
860 peekaboo neutral

I must admit that I really like their color payoff, duration and of course their price.....

Happy new Year

Happy New Year.....
I wish you all the best, may this year bring us health, happiness, love and joyful experiences...

2011 was a challenging year for many citizens of the World. It is important for us to let go of any bad memories and step in 2012 with positivity and courage.

Always look at the bright side of things. (look at Nubi)

New Year's Eve Makeup

New Year's Eve is coming..
Have you thought of a makeup look, or not yet?

I am currently in the process of deciding which look to go for. For some reason this day seems perfect to go with a different, more unique look. Of course some prefer to place emphasis on their outfit, others on their hair, well I think I will focus on my makeup look and build the outfit around it.

Here are some makeup looks I adore and might get inspired from.