Miranda Kerr inspired ~ Noni Juice

Hello darlings,

I don't have time to surf the internet a lot lately but I am all over the Kora Organics blog by the lovely Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr. The beautiful lady herself and many other fantastic guest bloggers contribute to spread her passion for a healthy and mindful life style. I noticed that when I first started my little blog I had something very similar in mind: getting together with all those wonderful people I know to share their insights on the beauty and fashion industry on this blog. Until I finally get going with that I am following her blog instead!! There, Miranda states that she drinks Noni juice ever since she was twelve years old and that it is a key ingredient to her Kora Organics skin care line (that I desperately wanna try btw!!).

In my local organic supermarket I found 100% Cook Islands Noni Juice for about 12 Euros. I deliberately chose a gross color to highlight this juice because it taste unlike anything I would normally drink!! Despite the awful taste I managed to drink two sips each morning for two weeks now.

This is what the GSE - Cook Islands web side writes about Noni:

"We are the first company in Europe to be able to offer a certified organic juice from the Noni fruit in accordance with the European Law, the Council Regulation. The product is
sold by the name Cook Islands Noni® and is certified organic. The Cook Islands claim to be „the only fully organic farming region in the world“. The use of pesticides and herbicides is not allowed on any of the islands. Cook Islands Noni® is a product of the intact environment of this small group of islands."

What I found on Wikipedia did not sound that positive. Repeated studies did not find any positive effect on the well-being of people volunteering to take part in validating examinations. That's why all manufacturers are prohibited to label the juice as "health-promoting". Nonetheless, I am drinking the juice for a fortnight and I have to say that I feel like my body craves the juice despite the taste!! It's really hard to describe but I haven't skipped a single intake since I started!! Anyone help me explain that, please?! Did you ever had a similar experience?

My personal theory to make sense of that oddity is that the Noni juice does contain some minerals that other fancy juices and foods in every day life may not have to that extend. Even though it might not "heal" anything, it does contribute to get all the various nutritions a healthy body needs. What do you think on that matter?! Am I just superstitious??

Much love,
Sam xx

Chasing the Last Sunrays - Natural (Elemental Herbology) vs. Drug Store (Garnier) Self-Tan Lotions

Hello my dear bloggers & blog readers,

I've sadly come to the realization that Autumn isn't around the corner anymore - it most definitely has begun! Although this is a lovely season I can't quite give up on cozy summer dreams just yet... at least my hard-earned tan should remind me as long as possible of sandy beaches and hours-long outdoor barbecues :)

I usually get the Garnier Summer Body (for fair/normal skin- yes, thanks to the vampire hype my unintended pale look's finally become appropriate all year round). A big 400ml bottle costs only a couple of Euros and does its job quite well (the bottle in the picture shows German writing as I bought it in a German supermarket but the design looks the same everywhere). It has a fruity scent and sinks into the skin right away, leaving a soft feel for hours. It takes about 3 days until I notice the tanning effect. If I apply it daily, though, some areas can get yellow such as the shin bones. Luckily, I'm a lazy bum and do almost everything on an irregular basis, so I didn't have to care that much about any yellow streaks, lol ;-) For a list of ingredients please see codecheck.info. It contains silicons and parabens, which made me wanna try a new natural alternative... 

As I am finally riding my natural and organic wave ~ that I've believed in for years but hesitated to take action for too long ~ I purchased the UK-based Elemental Herbology Sun Kiss body hydrator with self-tan for all skin tones. This 200 ml bottle, though, costs 29 Euros/22.50 British Pounds!! The eco-cert quality of the ingredients justify this steep price for me at least for this time: organic and fair-trade watermelon seed oil, macadamia oil, lavendar oil, water lilly, aloe vera, and pomegranate extract - just to name a few (see full ingredients list at codecheck.info)! I can tell that the smell derives from the actual essential oils as opposed to an artificial fragrance. I can imagine that some people might need to get used to it, though. To me this is great! The consitency of the Sun Kiss is not as fluid as the Summer Body but my skin absorbs the lotion very well. The tan is more immediate and results in more of a brown shade than the Garnier one.

In sum:

I was very hesitant at first to try a natural product for tanning but I was proven wrong:
I like the Elemental Herbology Sun Kiss better because my skin darkens more into a brown shade (not yellow) and the ingredients are very natural BUT the difference in price is huge!! In consequence, I will probably end up buying the Sun Kiss and Summer Body on a rotating basis to save money.

What do you think of Elemental Herbology? Do you think it's worth the price? Do you guys self-tan at all?!

Much love,
ur gypsy Sam xx

Rouge Bunny Rouge - Glide Concealer vs. Luminous Skin Wand (& Outfit)

Hello my dears,

it took me a little longer to create this post because I tried to do another video but it turned out so badly that I figured for days whether to put it up or leave it! As I had taken no pictures to substitute the purpose of the video I decided to include it after all... you don't know what I'm talking about? How could you :)

So, I better start from the beginning:

I was kindly sent the newest release by Rouge Bunny Rouge, the 'Naked Disguise' Glide Concealer crayon (shade: thalia). As I already own the standard concealer, the 'Fine-Spun Light' Luminous Skin Wand (shade: orionis; see previous post), I decided to compare the two with each other.

Here's what they look like:

As you can read on the official RBR web-page, the Luminous Skin Wand has by far more active ingredients than the crayon and I must say that there is a lot of paraffin in the Glide Concealer (see ingredients' list on Zuneta). The Luminous Skin Wand is, of course, more creamy in texture than the stick but neither of them leave me with a dry feeling or settle into my wrinkles. I hate it how bad concealers make wrinkles even more visible! I think the crayon is a little faster to apply because you can just dot in onto the skin, whereas, when using the Luminous Skin Wand, you have to push out the concealer first and then apply it with the brush end (as you do with the Touche Eclat by Ives Saint Laurent).

Trial phase:

I put both concealers to a test and applied one under the right eye and the other one under the left eye in the morning and waited till late at night to compare the two. That being said, when I came home after a long day at university and having one glass of champagne with my friends (we celebrated the results of our theses in a café/bar/restaurant on a Monday night, lol), both concealers had faded almost entirely. I would've definitely needed a touch-up during the day!! The shadows under my eyes showed through like crazy: you can see that in the video, I look like I've been robbing a bank or some other draining activity like that... At least I could show that they came off without leaving any nasty residues. To me this is crucial: I don't wanna feel and look masked by any "beauty" products.

So, this video shows the dreadful late-night test result, beware:



Conclusion:
I would say that the Glide Concealer crayon is good for traveling and for actually doing those quick'n easy touch-ups I should've been doing (!!) and it's definitely more suitable for buildable coverage.
The Luminous Skin Wand is the better choice for every-day treatment and concealing as it has a lot of nourishing components and is very light-weight.


Last note on my outfit:

This is what I wore on Monday - it was sunny but windy and a little chilly outside. I'm definitely preparing for Autumn already :( Sorry for the weird pose, I couldn't quite squeeze into my photo booth!!

Jacket - Dunlop (one of my best friends gave this to me. The jacket has a lot of details, very nice! She got it from a model wear sale where they sell the runway clothes very cheaply. It was such a great surprise present!)
Shirt - Mustang (a Christmas gift from my dad - well done, daddy!)
Jeans - Killah (this pair has been "customized": I removed the big Killah logo because I loath looking like a moving advertisement and one fine day I decided that I have too many blue jeans (am I nuts?!), so I dyed 'em black. Now they're my blue/black no-logo "Killah" jeans...)
Shoes - Jumelles (no story, just bought them :) lol)

What do you think of the concealers, would you prefer one over the other? Do you have days when you tell yourself: "bad hair, bad brows, bad everything!" and is it intimidating to you when people watch you doing touch-ups in public? Have you ever felt like turning your outfits into something completely new?!

Great to hear from you,
Sam xx

P.S.: I included the option of answering questions via Formspring. Hope to see you there, too!!

BECCA - Tinted Moisturizer and Mascara

Hey gals,

I hope you are doing good! I started my blog 2 months ago, so I guess I am still a real newbie, lol. If you have any suggestions, please contact me anytime, I am looking forward to receiving your messages - either use the comment box below, or write me on facebook. Alternatively, you can tweet me or check out my youtube channel :) I am geared up for upgrade!

I purchased two cosmetic products by the Australian brand BECCA - the Luminous Skin Colour tinted moisturizer (shade: Camel) and the black Water Resistant Mascara. I spent one year down under and it's been one of the most amazing times in my entire life!! So, when I discovered BECCA, their style reminded me of the Australian summer beaches and the wonderful spirits that exist nowhere else in the world...

An ode to Australia:

Ok, back to make-up... The tinted moisturizer didn't quite meet up to my expectations.
Pro's: I love the fact that it contains SPF and the coverage is beautifully sheer. Also, the bottle holds 50 ml of product, which is more than the usual 30ml. Out of a wide variety of colour choice I'm a Camel, lol (a yellow tone, needless to say).
Con's: The downside is that it mysteriously sits on my skin! It's even worse, logically, when I apply it subsequent to a primer or day-time lotion. The effect is not as strong when I use my fingers to spread the product on my face - but it streaks when I use a foundation brush and all my enlarged pores show, argh! I have no idea why it's behaving that way on my skin :( I typed in the ingredients on codecheck.info but I couldn't find anything exceptional.

On the picture below you can see the sheer colour make-up on my hand. I rubbed it in on the left side and on the right side you can see how it comes out of the pump:

Luckily, I am totally in love with the mascara! It somehow curls your lashes with every stroke which gives it a beautiful finish!! I also typed in the contents on codeck.info (green substances are considered advisable). One thing I think is unique about the entire BECCA range is the soft feel of the packaging - there is a certain grip to it that makes it feel very sophisticated. I know, this is so subjective!

On my wish-list is a BECCA palette (can't decide for which one, though. They have several in stock on their official web page) and a beach tint (my favorite is the watermelon shade, as far as I can tell from pictures).

What do you think of the brand BECCA? Have you been to Australia or do you come from there even? What are your experiences?! Let me know, babes :)

Love,
Sam xxx

Summer Skin Dreams - Laser Hair Removal (Part I)

Hello my dear readers,

I hope you're having a great Sunday afternoon! I am not writing as many blog posts as I was aiming at when I started out but I am on a very tight schedule with my studies and I am spending practically my entire spare time with family and friends. BUT I have a lot of ideas for future posts that I am very excited to publish in the next couple of weeks (some products are brand new and need to be tested further). So, please bear with me, I am so enjoying to stay in touch with you!!

Last week I had my first laser hair removal treatment using the Super Hair Removal (SHR) system. According to the doctor at the Laser Center (I went to a specialist- NO mocking around with semi-trained persons in tanning salons on this matter, no no no!!) said that this laser is superior to others because it uses the benefits of an improved frequency rate (energy is released up to 10 times per second), so it can go with only 25% of the heat exposure of regular lasers, making it the safest on the market! The laser responds not only to the melanin (pigment) of the hair but also to the stem cells. As a consequence, even dark-skinned people experience good results and light fair hair will come off, too.

So Far So Good!

I decided to get rid of the lot - legs, underarms, upper lip, and bikini area. I was not sure at all what to expect but I can honestly say that my first session was surprisingly pleasant!! I did not feel intimidated by the staff (in fact, everyone was really considerate) and the SHR applicator did not hurt. The heat went up gradually each time that it was run over the skin (about 8-10 times on a fairly large body section, e.g. the front and sides of one upper leg) - and just when I felt like it was getting hot, the body part was done! Only on the thick pubic hair in the bikini area (the more melanin a hair contains, the more heat is being absorbed) I was really counting the seconds until it was over, ouch! I spent about two hours there, including waiting time and payment.

I can describe my impression best that way: The heat resembles the sensation when walking on an asphalted side-walk on a hot summer day.

What's supposed to happen now: All the hair that was growing at the time of this first laser session will grow out and (hopefully) never come back. As only 25% of the entire body hair is in this "growing" phase at any given point in time I need at least 4-8 sessions until the procedure is finished. So, the new set of "growing" hair will be treated in another 8 weeks time, and so on, until I am satisfied with the results.

I have experienced no side-effects so far. In fact, my skin feels smooth and is not red at all. I am required, though, to wear high protection sun block on the areas that are exposed to direct sun light. Also, a couple of days before the next treatment I was recommended to quit using self-tan lotions and I need to shave a day prior to the next session.

I was so worried to try this method but now I feel confident that I am doing the right thing. I decided to take this step because I get irritated skin and ingrown hair from any conventional hair removal technique (such as shaving, waxing, using epilators, shaving creams, you name it...) and my skin just does not come to a rest. A friend of mine used a similar method a couple of years ago (the second generation of the Intense Pulsed Light, IPL-2) and is very satisfied with the results!

I will keep you up to date after every new treatment, so finger's crossed I'm gonna stay this positive :-)

Dreams, dreams, dreams ...

(picture taken at the enchanted Getty villa in Malibu, California)

I really wanna know: What do you think of laser hair removal?! Have you heard of SHR or even tried it yourself?

All the best,
your frivolous(?!) gypsy Sam xx

The Balm - Off to Balm Springs!

Hello lovelys,

did everyone survive Friday, 13th all right?! I hope so! I had a pretty good day, actually, can't complain :)
Before summer hurries completely into autumn, I do my best to keep my warm spirits up! Last year I've been celebrating Thanksgiving with my wonderful friend and her amazing family in Palm Springs, California. We experienced an unforgettable couple of days. When I saw the cute retro-styled Balm Springs palette by The Balm I just got it as the name reminded me of that wonderful experience. I did not have a single look at what was in it at that point!!


When I unwrapped my palette and eye-shadow I collected from the store I was very amazed by the quality of the Overshadows- the sexpot series. Brilliant names (I've got the full sized If you're rich I'm single and the palette contained a mini version of no money, no honey) meet excellent quality!! The shadows are 100% mineral makeup that contain no other ingredients than Mica, Iron Oxides, and Titanium Dioxides - a dream come true! I use those all the time as my sensitive eyes (I wear contacts, too) get itchy and red sometimes by using too many conventional eye-products but not so with these! This is a definite 'yes' for the fab sex pots!! As for the other things in the palette - the Shady Lady shadow in shameless shana, the Pick-up Liner eyeliner in casanova, and the eye-shadow brush I must admit that I don't use them much. The shameless shana shadow works well, stays put and has a subtle sheen to it, so there's no reason to not use it regularly (memo to myself!). The pencil is good quality and the brush's small, both are fine for touch-ups on travels. At home I would use alternative kohls and brushes.

Below is my eye using only the products in the palette, sorry if the colors look too fair in the picture.
for color reference - no money, no honey is the same as Bare Escentuals' queen phillis!


What about you?! Did you buy make-up because of its packaging before? What do you think about the retro style?

Best, Sam xx

Official web page: http://www.thebalm.com

Rouge Bunny Rouge - Aqua Primer & Face Powder

Hi guys,

as y'all know, I am a huge Rouge Bunny Rouge addict! So much, indeed, that my blog caught the attention by the lovely Nadin who is RBR's PR manager. She sent me the Prelude In The Clouds - Aqua Primer and the Precious Velvet - Flawless Face Powder in piano forte (which I've already presented in my video). I tried these products for 2 weeks to give a proper opinion on them. To make known that I got these items officially for review purposes I'm gonna add some press pictures with permission further down.

This is my pic:



Aqua Primer:

The Aqua Primer is a sheer water-based primer that makes it possible for all skin types to make the best out of their face make-up. I have combination skin that is acne-prone and highly sensitive but after wearing the primer for two weeks straight my skin actually feels nourished and at ease. Two pumps are enough to cover the entire face. On days where I just wanna apply concealer on certain areas I even use only one pump. The liquid settles into skin in no time, my morning routine doesn't take any longer even though I am applying more with that extra step.

This is what the press kit says about the ingredients:
"Sea-Buckthorn Berry Extract serves as a superb-antioxidant and anti-ageing ingredient that promotes cell tissue regeneration. Iris Florentina Root Extract smoothes out fine lines and wrinkles to create a perfect canvas for other products to be applied to the skin. Saccharide Isomerate provides intensive hydration, firming and smoothing; Bisabolol is used for its anti-irritant and anti-inflammatory capabilities. Vitamin E Acetate and Retinol Palmitate improve skin texture."

I typed the Inci list into www.codecheck.info, where you can find every ingredient.
So, for me the Aqua Primer is a big hit cause it's hard for me to find a product that keeps the balance between sufficient care and oil prevention. Plus, all face products really stay put for longer even in summer time :)



Flawless Face Powder:

I don't need to stress that all RBR products are beautifully packaged - the powder line was even improved to make it look absolutely divine! The box is now flat which gives it that sophisticated look and the sponge is of better quality than it used to be (I've got a bronzer and a highlighting powder in the older version).
I adore the consistency of the powder, I need to check whether at all I applied anything on my face because it blends in very seamlessly at once and gives me a natural finish with medium coverage (my summer freckles still show but not my occasional redness). I don't break out on the powder at all, too. Please keep in mind that my skin tone is rather fair, for darker skin types I would recommend using a bronzer as face powder substitution.

Here is what the press kit says about the consistency and contents:
"An advanced micronisation process guarantees a combination of a velvety and creamy texture for ultimate comfort, perfect adherence, smoothness and an even finish. Innovative ingredients include Papaya Fruit Extract as a natural “face lift” and skin softener, plus Hyssop Extract with soothing properties. Rice Powder imparts a perfectly natural, non-shiny finish."

The full ingredients list can be viewed on codecheck.info. There are small amounts of substances in there that can cause allergic reaction, so please read before purchasing! I never experienced any problems with any of the RBR powders but it's always advisable to see for yourself.



What do you think of the fact that companies send products to bloggers? What's your opinion on this??

Love, Sam xxx