The Italian Spirit ~ ~ ~

Hello my fellow travelers,

where have you been this summer? I've been in Bella Italia by the sea ~ ~ ~ ~ what a wonderful August it was but full of work, too. I am open to new possibilities when it comes to my professional career. This last month was a wonderful time to reflect on many questions I've had and working my hardest on all kinds of projects while spending a good deal on the sunny side of life, too :-)

I haven't bought many products last month, I will need to think of new posts soon. Maybe go shopping... ;-)

Love you all, let's stay in touch! 
ur gypsy xx

Next Stop - Bella Italia!

Hi folks,

I am by far the worst job hunter I have ever come across... instead of working my ass off to earn a proper living I am taking advantage of the situation and travel all over the world to meet with friends :-) I am spending the entire August on Italy's sunny coast with a friend I worked with in my former job!! Oh well, she wants to help me out with work-related things but there will be a lot of fun and sightseeing in the meantime :-)

Beauty Confessions:
There is one urgent question I have to ask you: Is this too much blue even for a gypsy like me?!
Honestly, I think so! This outfit won't be making it into my suitcase - what was I thinking wearing that??

top: Victoria's Secret cami
skirt: Old Navy
shoes: Tamaris (second hand)
clutch: Lucky Brand (gift)
bag: no name (gift)

Girls (& boys if there are any), I have another beauty confession to make: I am not wearing much make-up anymore and I quite like my effortless look even though I miss my coral summer lips and my dark smokey eyes at times... but since I have turned to organic skincare and groceries I am feeling much more comfortable in my own skin. Something has changed, I can't really put my hands on it, yet. It could be multiple reasons: simply me growing up, or the awareness of nourishing the self, or the many nutrients of natural products...

This is how I look on most days now, except my nails are much stronger and longer (took this pic 2 months ago and trimmed the nails prior to guitar lessons):

Do you have any beauty confessions to make? This is the place for sharing them! :)

Lots of love, sunshine, & happiness
ur Sam xx

Summer Vacation Update!

Hello dear readers,

I've managed to LET GO and finally arrived home! There's been so much going on but I am trying to wrap it all up in a few words for you.

I've done the most amazing road trip with my old friend (we were class mates back in the days) in a golden car - it turned out the colour's called "champagne" but it appears very gangster ;) I can't show you a picture of our gold nugget, though, cause no single pic that we've shot does this amazing car justice... (yes, I'm just a little bit of a perfectionist). We discovered the beautiful French countryside and got to know the lovely people of France. We felt so free and in touch with life, it was awesome!! 
When we finished our trip I took the chance to visit my family and I spent some nice quality time with them. Then... I was invited to a music festival by friends I know from my former jobs at radio stations. It reminded me of how much I LOVE MUSIC - great tunes are as essential as breathing to me! After returning home for a couple of days I took off AGAIN to meet a dear friend from the US in Poland. It was so wonderful to reconnect with her - she is such a special human being and we discovered Krakow together with so much joy!

Hope you like the little impressions I prepared for you below :-)

I'm glad to be back to blogging, though :) ha ha! What have you been up to?!

Happy to hear from you,
Sam xx

Vacation Time GIVEAWAY!! Get Joop, Benefit, & Rouge Bunny Rouge Goodies - CLOSED!

Hello my dears,

I am preparing for the wedding party on Saturday and 2 days after I am taking off to a roadtrip with my dear lady friend through France!! My friend is going to move to Vancouver, so we wanna relax, chat, and see new things for a fortnight before we won't see each other much.We bought a matt golden Opel, so if you live in France and see us, talk to us!! Would make me happy to meet you :-)

For the time I am on my way I am holding a sweet little GiveAWay for your own sunny vacation:

(sorry for the silly basket but I initially prepared this gift for Easter but actually thought that it would be a better idea to present the collection during my travels)

There're travel-sized shower gel and body lotion by Joop in the package as well as
Benefit's Pocket Pal (contains the cheek & lip stain Benetint and a sheer lip gloss in one convenient wand), a mini version of the B-Spot fragrance, and sample of the Depuffing Action Eye-Gel that worked great for my friend who I am going on vacation with (she received the full-sized package from me as a present a while ago and she loved it very much - or so she said to me, ha ha!).
Last but not least I enclosed a brand new Rouge Bunny Rouge eyeshadow When Birds Are Singing for you to try as I am presenting this brand so often. I chose a sheer natural shade called gracious arasari that everyone can wear, no matter what skin, eye, or hair colour.

So, with these 6 items I hope you're gonna be all packed up for your own wonderful journey!

How to participate:
First of all, everyone from all parts of the world is welcome to join!!
Just follow my blog via google friend connect and leave me a comment saying that you would like to take part in my giveway.
I hope you tell me also which topics you would like to have covered in the future or what else you would like to find on my blog.
Enter preferably until the 5th of June, although it may take a little longer for me to return home.

What are your vacation must-haves? Which items always make it into your travel bags?

Happy participating and please tell your friends on facebook, twitter, etc... about this!
I hope to find many entries when I come back!!

Much love,
blk_gypsy Sam xx

Silk Aether Long-Lasting Cream Eye Shadows by Rouge Bunny Rouge & Benefit Creaseless Cream Eye-Shadows/Liners

Dear readers,

how are you doing today? I am soaking up every sunray that touches my skin and in my opinion this season could last forever!

This week-end I received an enchanted package by Nadin who promotes my favorite high-end make-up brand Rouge Bunny Rouge. She kindly sent me two shades, namely atlas swallowtail (no. 56) and brocade skipper (no. 57), of the new Silk Aether long-lasting cream eye shadows to try along with a beautiful letter regarding the latest beauty news: RBR is going to launch a new look next month!

btw: My neat b&w agenda on the right helps to open up the letter in style ;-)

Needless to say, I wore these cream eye-shadows for the last couple of days and this is how they look like:

on the left side: atlas swallowtail (no. 56) is described on the webpage as: "Satin wash of nude taupe with pewter reflections; buildable to darker, more opaque and metallic greyish hue of the same colour" which also is a very precise statement. I tried how buildable the colours were by putting on a small layer first and after drying "topping it up" for a slightly more dramatic look. The layers melted together despite the time that elapsed between the applications.

on the left side: brocade skipper (no. 57) is described on the webpage as: "Satin wash of blush champagne cream; buildable to darker, more opaque and metallic hue of the same colour" which I would totally agree upon. It gives the eye-lid a subtle note and can be used as a base shadow or for women that prefer a very natural "just there" look for an enhanced glowing effect.

my thoughts:
The cream-eye shadows are really smooth and fool-proof to apply. These shades are excellent for women who are aiming at putting emphasis on their appearance and radiance rather than conspicuous make-up colours and looks. I think this is a motto that runs through the entire RBR range. You can't overdo(se) on any shade as they act as a natural enhancement of the female moods and shapes as opposed to wearing a mask. This is what I love about this brand beside not being an organic brand which is the only wish I still have that comes into my mind. My skin is coping with every single product extremely well, though, and the formula contains many rare natural goodies as well.

If, however, you are looking for more colourful options I am recommending the nostalgic-looking Benefit creaseless cream shadows/liners. You can have a quick look at them in this post, too. My favourites are skinny jeans, strut, stiletto, and birthday suit. The cream eye-shadows work very well when you put them on with the talent brush by Benefit but you gotta be careful to close the lit very carefully after each use or they dry out for good... this is not an organic brand, too, of course. So, I think I would switch completely to RBR if they released equivalent shades in their Silk Aether section.

Please stay tuned for my next post this week as I am holding a GiveAWay just for you, guys, while I am AWay doing a trip through ever-beautiful France :-)

Do you prefer cream eye-shadows or powder eye-shadows? Please tell me as I am curious to know!!

Much love,
ur Sam xx

Liebster Blog Award Nomination!!

Hello lovelies,

I went online to stalk some of your blogs before going to bed and what I found apart from your beautiful entries was - to my surprise - that the lovely Vintage Makeup girl has nominated me for the Liebster Blog award!!

The Liebster Award is designed to bring well deserved additional recognition to those bloggers with less than 300 followers.  If you receive the award you link back to the blogger that nominated you and nominate 3 more blogs. 

I am extremely happy and grateful to have received this award! My 3 nominations are:

1. Anne-Marie-Bardot: Marisa has a very interesting writing style and puts a lot of effort into every post that she creates. She's a very sweet gal, too, so follow her if hadn't had the chance, yet!

2. Supreme Living: Supergirl is just the way her name claims to be: she writes every post in two languages, so that every reader can understand the workings of her beautiful mind. She blogs on make-up, fashion, and everything else a true super girl loves!

3. Alyssa's Cooking Adventures: Alyssa runs a wonderful blog on delicious & healthy meals - preferably with groceries bought at Trader Joe's. Her recipes are easy to make and perfect for a low-budged, yet high quality kitchen!

Please find out about other blogs that I love in this post.

Happy Easter, everyone!! Have you found all your chocolate Easter eggs? - I luckily did ;)
Love, Sam xx

Spring Shower - Going Green with Màdara Mint Shower Gel & Aveda Be Curley Shampoo

Hello beauties,

I hope you had a very sunny and lovely Good Friday!! I met up with friends for a fun barbecue at the waterfront. Fantastic people and the awesome weather just make me wanna jump :-)
To celebrate spring I am writing about my favorite eco-friendly shower products for the season:

AVEDA Be Curley Shampoo with wheat protein is designed to enhance curls. They say on the package that they achieve that effect because "wheat protein and organic aloe blend expands when hair is wet and retracts when dry to enhance curl or wave". My hair is naturally wavy when I don't comb it whilst still moist after a shower but wait until the waves have dried. If I put my wet hair into a bun, however, I get full-on curls when I release them once they've dried! I have three kinds of hair at once :-) For spring I prefer a slight to medium romantic wave and I do feel a difference using this shampoo as my curls get more bouncy ;) AVEDA uses preservatives to make the product last for up to 24 months after opening but IMO they make up for it by using "certified organic lime, lemon, bergamot, orange and other pure plant and flower essences" in their formula. Also, I like the convenience of not feeling rushed to empty the bottle any time soon as a small amount goes a long way. The foaming is sufficient for covering even long hair has a very pleasant natural scent. The good quality of this product justifies the price tag for me, which says $21.

MÁDARA is a young ECOCERT certified brand from Latvia that uses 80% of their ingredients from organic produce and 99% of natural substances to make this mild Mint Shower Gel. Baltic algae extract replenishes the skin and fresh peppermint gives a natural refreshing scent that really fits perfectly to a sunny morning shower! They have very cute skin products, too. I got samples of the deep moisture cream & fluid and the regenerating night cream but haven't tried them, yet. They have jojoba, rose, and avocado oil amongst other goodies in them, so they won't remain untouched for long!

I am so happy with these additions to my morning routine :)

What are your plans for Easter? Isn't it nice to wake up to the rising sun and knowing you're gonna have four days off?!

It's time to celebrate, guys!! I started with doing my own pre-barbecue baking:


Love, Sam xx

P.S.: Just read that Gwyneth Paltrow recommends Màdara in her latest post on GOOP - enjoy reading her other skincare suggestions, too! Bye xx