Kora Organics - Do it yourself facial night!

Dear all,

I have been terribly absent for a while but there was so much going on in my life that I simply couldn't deliver. I moved to a different continent and made lots of new friends, while staying in touch with all my folks back home. I am very grateful for how things turned out! On Sunday, I am going to move into my favourite apartment of all times. I can overlook the entire city from my bedroom and from the kitchen window, I have a wonderful ocean view ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ :-)

I am very excited to be writing on this topic! I had to say goodbye to many brands that worked for me in Europe, so that I promised myself to treat my skin with some beautiful Kora Organics products by top model Miranda Kerr after my move to Australia. Before I got a chance to collect some items at their shop in Sydney, I read on their blog that they were holding a "DIY Facial" in a nice Yoga loft. This was the perfect opportunity to test the range before deciding on some quite expensive products... when I arrived there, I was just blown away by the amazing ambience they had pulled off! All products were nicely presented on yoga mats and there were little tealights everywhere. Before I stepped into the room, Therese Kerr, Miranda's mum, gave me a very warm and heart-felt welcome. This greeting set the stage for the entire evening...

The team had prepared little treats such as chocolate and energy balls, fruits, sorbets, and the well-known Noni juice - Miranda's favourite ingredient in the Kora Organics range. It was her very own idea to use Noni juice in her skin products. After a wonderful singer sang a touching song for the visitors, Therese gave a very convincing speech on food and nutrition. She shared with her audience that she once suffered from cancer herself and that it is her strong belief that her cancer got triggered by the high amount of fragrances she used on herself for a long time. She was able to overcome her health challenges and her blood tests actually show that she was able to reverse the aging process - as her blood profile is 12 years "younger" than her physical age! (I was very fortunate to talk to Therese, get her advice on my skin type, and receive a very own make-over by her towards the end of the event. All I can say is that she looks absolutely stunning and her personality shines bright from the inside out!) Therese also pointed out that flawless skin is directly related to digestive health and that the body can't digest properly if we women lead our stressful lives without adequate breaks. We need to switch from a constant fight-or-flight state (sympathetic response) to the calming parasympathetic response. This omnipresent anxiety that everyone, especially females, seem to have in the modern world is taking its toll and is making the bad effects of the stress condition even worse, leading to adrenal fatigue and all sort of health problems. However, with adequate nutrition, favourable lifestyle choices, and a positive outlook, those struggles can be overcome. I was very impressed to see how passionate Therese was talking about the subject and that she wanted to keep on talking :) She gave a lot of book tips, for example, The Chemical Maze by Bill Statham for people who wanted to keep on reading about this topic.

The actual testing of the products turned out to be a bit more hectic than I thought it would be. Everyone was talking and Therese could hardly get through the noise to guide us through the steps. My skin felt instantly soft and the luxurious rosehip oil (one liter of that oil costs Kora $22,000!) and the lavender mist smelled divine! As far as the other products went, you could notice that they weren't designed for fragrance, like Therese said. Some even smelled like the good old goodies my grandma used to have when I was a little kid :) However, my skin loved all of the products equally well!
With the exception of the lip balm, which is made with beeswax, the entire Kora range is vegan and cruelty-free! So, there was only this one product that I didn't try. The tinted moisturizer with natural SPF was a little cakey on my face at first but Therese fixed it for me by mixing the moisturizer with a little bit of the soothing day and night cream. She really knows her stuff! So does, Matt, her son. He came to me to inform me that the citrus mist (that Therese had chosen for me) was sold out and recommended the lavender mist instead, as both mists share a lot of the benefits. I felt so looked after, it was wonderful- Matt's partner is a sweetheart, too! They are all very kind and dedicated people, I was so grateful to have met them! The event was supposed to end at 8.30pm and when I left, it was almost 11pm - that's how much love was shared that night! No one was left out.

This is what I got that night :-) I am very looking forward to trying all the products out in my new beach home. Until then (the day after tomorrow, ha ha), I'm gonna use fresh lemon juice and mushed avocado on my face - which was the only thing helping my skin after having to adjust to the new climate. Nature is awesome and still the best! 

What do you think about Kora Organics?! I personally do not use anything on my skin that isn't organic, except some make-up. I buy my organically-grown groceries at the Farmer's Markets instead of shopping at the supermarket. I chose a vegan lifestyle out of respect for all beings and for our dear planet. I know that it can get rough doing things differently than most other people but this role grows on me. I keep meeting wonderful people who share this mission and handle it in their own unique ways. What is your passion?

Love, 

Sam xx

Alima Pure - Mineral Foundation & Brush

hello my pretty darls,

I am very eager to write about the Satin Matte Foundation by Alima Pure and the matching Foundation Brush. I've been using the foundation combo for well over two months now almost every day and I must say I am delighted about the way my skin improved! The brand is certified organic and there are no ingredients other than minerals. Normally, when I use foundation my skin gets itchy or greasy after a couple of hours and that would make me go insane. Since I got to know the Rouge Bunny Rouge line these incidents have decreased but RBR is too expensive to wear each day exclusively. So, the compromise I came up with is that I use Alima Pure to university & work and RBR for getting ready to going out :) The Alima Pure powder foundation blends in seamlessly and I forget I'm wearing it 10 minutes after application. My shade is neutral 3 - there is a wide variety of colours to choose from, which I love cause my skin tone keeps changing depending on the season and the country I am living in that year. As the Satin Matte Foundation contains minerals only it doesn't go off for years unless nothing touches the inside of the dose. So it's advisable to dust some powder onto the inside of the lid or onto a tissue and dip'n swirl the contents on the brush from there.
I strongly recommend getting the Foundation Brush, too, because it is an exceptionally high quality beauty tool. The hair is really dense and soft - it feels great and is very pretty looking! I washed it several times and it's still in its fine condition. The web-page gives information on how to take care of the brushes properly here.
The only downside that comes to my mind is that the lid of the powder broke after the first couple of times I've opened it. Since then the lid is gradually cracking further, which means that I can't take it with me on travels :(    

I'm so glad I found out about this brand! Do you know Alima Pure?! I would like to know how the other products are working. 

All the best you guys!
Talk to you soon - ur Sam xx

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I just read on allure.com that Alicia Silverstone is recommending Alima Pure, too! She is a gorgeous woman who took the time to explain to my uncle's godchild (11yrs old) at a charity event that, even though being vegetarian is important and animal-friendly, eating fish is substantial for maintaining a healthy body, especially for a person growing up. Since then my uncle's godchild eats fish cause "Alicia said so"!! I think that is great, thank you Alicia :)
 

From Sophisticated to Bohemian... in no time!

Dear readers,

as much as I love to talk about make-up, fashion, and all things beautiful - sometimes I can't be bothered to spend all that much time doing my make-up routine. I remember one day in particular, when I had 2 hrs to have pictures taken in an old building looking as neat as possible and immediately after dancing on a roof top during sunset appearing all free and watching the world go by... I had no time to redo my make-up whatsoever, so I had a little thought beforehand on which cosmetic products might be working for both settings. Once applied, I could forget about "my face" and just focus on everything else...

So, which make-up style has a jolie and a gypsy in common?! I came up with this idea:


I used the Clarins Truly Matte Foundation (shade 02- pale ivory) and the Express Compact Foundation (shade 02- porcelain beige) and dotted some liquid blush from the Rouge Bunny Rouge Decadent Duo (color: enredo) on my cheeks. The gloss of the duo (color: samba) went on my lips, of course. For my eyes, I put on the gorgeous shimmering mauve mineral Overshadow by The Balm (shade: If you're rich, I'm single) all over the lid and into the crease. I lined and smudged my eyes with my favorite Benefit kohl pencil (color: sable). I knew that it was supposed to be a hot day and this kohl pencil could smear up in humid weather, so I let the liner dry a little and then put it on a second time before smudging it with the sponge tip. Please note that this pencil is discontinued. They got exchanged with the Benefit automatic liner duo pencils. I tested them when they first came out and I thought they were awful! They did not go evenly on my lash line and when I tried to smudge them they were gone immediately because their texture was way too creamy! So, I stocked up on the older ones before they disappeared :) To finish my look I put on 2 coats of the Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara (in black). Et voilà!

This is kinda what it looked like in the end...

The clothes you see:
gyspy couture - Chacok (skirt/dress), Aubade (top)
jolie couture - Aubade (top), H&M (jacket), leggings- no idea which brand!


I had a fun day thanks to the awesome photographer Andrea Lavezzaro!

Are you surprised sometimes by how easy it is to change your outward appearance? What tells you more about a person? Their dress-code, or their behavior?
I have the feeling that everyone ultimately judges others by their words and actions but it takes a little while until we get a clear picture... in the meanwhile, we have no choice other than to "look" at each other... in the internet world this might be particularly hard but I'm eager to make a contribution to keep it a personal and fun place to hang out.
your gypsy xxx