My favorites of 2013...

Hi my beautiful people! I apologize for the lack of posts but I am back in Greece for the holidays and I don't have much access to a pc.
But, I decided, before this year ends, to make a post about the products I liked the most this year ( I will mention products that I bought this year and not general, all time favorites, that should be another post).
Also, keep in mind that these are my personal favorites so what worked for me and my skin type might not work for you. I'm not really sure how to construct this post, I will mention products of different type and I guess one affordable and one on the more pricey side (if i have).

SKIN CARE:
Makeup Remover:
This was a very late discovery of mine, only in December. I heard about it from a lovely youtuber called Melissa. My boyfriend got it for me this month and I love it ever since. I think I found the perfect makeup remover. I shouldn't say more about it since I want to make a video review for it but it's amazing!

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The word is about Sephora's cleansing oil. I am telling you it's awesome! It's not much more expensive than the generic cleansers of the supermarket and it's so gentle and awesome. Review is coming up soon :)

Moisturizer:
I finally found a very good moisturizer for my weird stupid skin and I owe it to my good friend Usi that sent me samples of several moisturizers and I had the time of my life trying all these different products (I love that!) and finding what is good for me and what is not. I also understood more about my skin which is always good. So thank you Usi! ^_^

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I am talking about Biotherm's Aquasource (the pink line). Keep in mind that my skin is sensitive, very dehydrated, sensitive to the weather conditions with quite a lot of red spots yet is acne prone around the lips and chin area. 

MAKEUP

Well if this is not the section where I have lots to say, then I don't know which is. Hahaha.

Foundation:

Affordable: p2 - Illuminating touch makeup (thank you Usi, bahahaha)

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Pricey: Clinique: Even better foundation

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I only had the chance to try a sample of it but it was very nice.

Powder:

Unfortunately I didn't descover any good powder to set my makeup so no favorites on this section

Blush:

Affordable: Catrice: Multi Colour Blush no. 060 "Strawberry Frapuccino"

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Pricey:

None, lol :P

Concealer:

Again, didn't try a whole lot of products to have a favorite.

Lipsticks:

Affordable: Avon: Luxe lipstick in "Nude Slip"

Pricey: Ysl: Rouge Volupte no. 09 (purchased literally a few days ago)

Lip liners:

None

Eyeliner:

Definitelly Inglot's gel eye liner no. 77

Highlighter:

Affordable: None

Pricey: TheBalm: Mary LouManizer

Bronzer:

Affordable: Nyx: Taupe (blush)

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Pricey: Benefit: Hoola bronzer (thank you sooooo much for that Usi!!!) <3

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HAIR:

Unfortunately I didn't find any revolutionary hair products this year, I just stick to my old Diplona shampoo and conditioner but one favorite thing to mention is: COCONUT OIL!

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Perfumes:

Affordable: Yves Rocher, Organic Vanilla Eau de Toilette

Pricey: Lancome: La vie est belle

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That's all my friends! Let me know if you tried any of my favorite products and how did you like them!

Take care and I wish you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Alverde's Spray Deodorant Cherry - Cranberry, Review!!!

Hiiiiiii cuties! I hope you are doing great! Today I am doing a small and to the point review about the Cherry - Cranberry Spray Deodorant from the Alverde company.

Alverde is a German company that is sold exclusively in the "dm" stores.

This deodorant claims to give fresh feeling and protection that lasts 24 hours. Well.... it doesn't :P
The spray smells AMAZING! If I had to describe as precisely as I could the smell, it smells like the cherry flavored PEZ candies (I'm sure you all know the PEZ candies...). So it smells incredibly well BUT it doesn't last :(. No matter how much I spray it on the skin or the clothes, the smell unfortunately doesn't stay which is a HUGE disappointment :(

Here is me with a totally silly face to show my disappointment about it :P

Pros:

- Incredible smell

- Affordable (around 3 euro)

- Cute packaging

Cons:

- No lasting power

- Only sold in dm stores

- Are you satisfied by the product?

- From the smell yes but not from its performance.

- Do you recommend it?

- Ummmm i don't know, i don't think so.

- Will you repurchase it?

- No, after it's finished I will buy probably the cranberry organic perfume from Yves Rocher because I know those have lasting power, they are more expensive but at least they last.

Purple and Gold makeup look (and video tutorial in Greek!)

Hello everyone! How are you? I hope you are doing great! I finally managed to edit my video. I haven't posted a makeup look for so loooong! The thing is I always want to put up the camera and record but I just don't get around it eventually :P hahaha

This is the look, please excuse the poor photo quality....

Here is the link to the video (it is in greek):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esY-PDROKzY&feature=youtu.be

Products used:

FACE:

Clinique - Dramatically different moisturizing lotion (for Dry skin)

Seventeen - Time Plus foundation 

Toyoko - Small round with flat top foundation brush

Avon - Translucent Tan powder as bronzer

Bourjois - (can't remember name or number) blush

Essence - Powder brush

TheBalm cosmetics - Mary Lou Manizer as highlight

Essence - Blush brush

Avon - Natural Shimmer as an all face bronzer

EYES:

Clinique - All about eyes, cream

Radiant - Tone corrector, nr. 03

Essence - nr. 22, Blockbuster, as highlight

Essence - nr.35, Party all night on inner corner

2 purples from the 88 matte palette 

MAC - Blacktrack gel liner

p2 - Spectacular Volume Mascara 

Radiant - Eyebrow pencil, nr 2, blondes

Lips

Avon - Ultra color lipstick, carnation

I have one more registered (waiting to be edited) and I will try to film a few Xmas ones before I leave for holidays, I just wish I weren't so darn busy for it. The ratio of the video is messed up, I don't know why. Even though I film it in 16:9 the editing program just doesn't accept it and that is so frustrating because I don't look properly in the video and neither does the makeup look (it makes my eyes and the application look like circles lol).

Take care as always!

Loves and kisses.

Heliana

Faves and Fails of November 2013 and a rant about Sephora in Romania

Helloooooo!!! Boy, I haven't done a favorites of the month in quite a while! How y'all doin? :D Here are the products I liked, disliked or didn't care for, for the month of November.

FAVES:
Skin Care:
Biotherm: Biosource Exfoliating Gel Dry Skin

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My friend Usi sent me a sample of this and I loved it from the first try! It has some very fine particles in it but they don't scratch your face whatsoever! It's so gentle and it lets my sensitive skin clean and fresh. I definitely love it! Thank you Usi!

Makeup
Foundation:
p2: Illuminating Touch makeup

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Another product sent by my friend. In her previous gifts she had sent me a p2 foundation that it was quite nice but it was looking and feeling dry on my totally dried out, dehydrated skin and she was kind enough to send me the more "moisturizing" version and I L-O-V-E it! No, lies i don't love it, I ADORE IT! It applies super easy, has a perfect finish on the skin, looks totally natural and dewy, it doesn't suffocate my skin and it doesn't make dry patches on me. My shade is the number 025 "touch of nude" and when I first saw the bottle I was like "uh oh! this is too dark!" but actually, when applied it's lighter than what it seems in the bottle. 

Gel liner:

Inglot: gel liner, number 77.

By far the best (not only gel but generally) eyeliner I have ever tried. It's super black, it's easy to apply, it's creamy, it doesn't irritate my eyes and it doesn't smudge! Amazing staying power. Inglot has really amazing products.

Eyeshadow:

Maybelline: 24H Color Tattoo number 35 "on and on bronze"

Since I bought this I have been reaching for it very often. Needless to say that it's always my eyeshadow base when I wear gold or bronzed shadows but I can also use it alone with no powder shadow on it. I read on reviews on the internet that after many hours it creases but it didn't go anywhere to me. Maybe because I don't really have oily lids or something. Great product, would love to try other neutral shades of it.

Lipstick:

Maybelline Watershine Lipstick, number 120 "Fuchsia Diamonds"

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This was one of the first lipsticks I have ever bought! From what I know it doesn't exist anymore. I was all about pink and sparkly lip colors when I started buying makeup and this was amazing! I reached for it a lot this month. The color is pretty much how it looks in the picture, it is a light sort of burgundy fuschia glossy/matte color with gold shimmers. Totally appropriate for winter evenings, especially now that Christmas is coming.

Highlighter/Bronzer:

Kryolan: Glamour Glow in the shade "Natural Tan"

I categorized this as a highlighter and a bronzer because it really depends on your skin tone how to use it. To me that I have fair (not pale) peachy tone it applies like a soft natural colored highlighter. But I think for paler skins it wouldn't fit as a highlighter because it has some color to it. Since I have naturally pink/peach cheeks though, on me looks like a natural glow. I LOVE IT! And thank you once again Usi for this :D 

Mascara:

p2 Spectacular Volume Mascara, number 010 "Spectacular Black"

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One MORE item from my friend (I know, she spoils me ah <3 ). I enjoyed it so much! I have long but very thin and sparse lashes and this mascara while applying color to them, it distributes them into a "fan" shape making them look thicker. Loved it! :D I used it almost daily for the previous months.

Body Products:

Bath products:

Avon: Warm Vanilla and Fig Bubble Delight, Bubble bath

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I have no words. Everyone knows that this specific line of Avon's bubble baths is awesome and it has great range of beautiful smells. I wasn't sure because of the fig but this smells like perfection. I loved it so much that I will repurchase it. 

Perfume:

Avon: Kate's World - Pretty Fabulous Purse Spray

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I loved this perfume and it's almost done so I am on the search for a similar smelling perfume maybe with a better staying power than this one. Very affordable. Lovely smell: The luscious smell of apple mingled magnolia blossom and irresistible vanilla sugar. Need I say more? 

A general fail of the month:

Seventeen "Lipstick Special" Lipsticks:

Seventeen is a Greek drugstore company (drugstore in a way of speech because it's quite pricey). Now, don't get me wrong about this, I love seventeen as a company and their lipsticks (besides their price) are lovely but they have that SMELL of the old times ordinary lipstick, you know what I mean? like the dusty, powdery lipstick smell of the vintage lipsticks and it makes me sick to my stomach whenever I use them and that's too bad :( 

Another fail of the month and rant. 

Sephora stores in Romania.

I have a rant about this. I am sick and tired of the sephora stores in Romania. First of all, they don't have all the products sold in Sephora stores in the world, like Urban Decay, Nars etc. Second of all they don't provide samples at ANYTHING. How the hell are we supposed to buy something if we don't test it, especially at those prices. And this is my third subject of my rant. Why Sephora in Romania (and in Greece) is so much more expensive than other Sephoras in the world? I just checked a christmas set of skin care and while it retails for 28 pounds in UK it is being sold more than 40 here. This is truly disturbing. 

That's all for now my dears! I have almost done my makeup look (edited - in Greek) and I will make a post with pictures and the products used in the weekend hopefully :) I will be reviewing most of the products I mentioned in this post.

Take care of yourselves! Much love and kisses!

xo Heliana xo

Balea: Mango + Aloe Vera Hair Moisturizer and Rest in Peace Paul Walker :(

Hello everyone, we finally are in December and I cannot believe how fast the fall passed and we are already in Christmas. I have been so busy this whole semester and right after New Year I will be having exams at the university so I will be so much in stress!

Anyway, I am guessing you are already in a Christmas-y mood and I will try to film a few classic makeup looks with greens, golds, glitter, red  lips etc. But first things first. This is  my review for Balea's - Mango + Aloe Vera - Hair Moisturizer.

Balea is a brand sold in the German franchise stores "dm". There are dm stores in a lot of countries in Europe, I know for sure there are in Romania and Bulgaria. They don't all have all the exclusive brands that are sold in Germany but they have some basics ones and I really like them because they are affordable, decent quality and they are different from the products they are sold in the normal stores.

That's the picture of it and that's me, obviously, posing silly. It comes in a 200ml bottle with a pump and everyone knows how I love bottles with pump because they are less messy and easier to use without spilling or wasting too much product.

Here are the ingredients:

I avoid using products that have silicones inside but it's hard to find sometimes. 

What the site says:

"Provides moisture, protection from blow-drying and makes the hair easier to comb. The Balea moisture hair milk Mango + Aloe Vera with anti-drying effect nourishes your hair and smooths the hair structure from the outside. Dry, damaged hair regains shine and the elasticity and makes the hair look healthier overall.

~ The special care formula with Mango Extract and Aloe Vera supplies your hair and scalp with moisture.

~ It protects while repairs the hair.

~ Dermatologically approved, skin compatibility

~ pH skin friendly.

Vegan Product."

Ok, so first of all, if you read my blog for sometime now you know that I don't believe in miracles with hair products. Once the hair is damaged you cannot undamage it. The hair is not made out of cells that regenerate so you can "heal" it so once the damage is done you simply cannot do anything about it to go away. However there are products that make damaged hair LOOK healthier and make it  more manageable (without saying that this is the best thing, if your hair is destroyed it's only negative to keep it because the damage just travels up and up and you get random hair breakage). 

Anyway, the reason I bought this is not because I believe it will repair my hair (because no product does) but because my hair is curly and curly hair tends to dry out especially at the ends and it's very sensitive when dry and eventually breaks off. So to keep moisture on my curls I have to use a leave in conditioner. Now this is not EXACTLY that but it does provide some moisture to the hair.

I don't really use heat so I am not sure how well it protects the hair but I am guessing since it leaves some sort of film on the hair it should protect it. It makes the hair softer but the main plus of this product is the smell. It smells HEAVENLY! That mango smell oh my gosh! It sort of reminds me of peach.

Overall I like this product and for its price (around 2.5 euro) it's great! 

Pros:

- Amazing smell

- Affordable

- Moisturizes the hair

- Practical packaging

- Vegan product.

Con:

- Has silicone derivatives.

- Are you satisfied with the product?

- Sure.

- Do you recommend it?

- Yes.

- Will you repurchase it?

- Probably.

PS: Yesterday on 30/11/2013 Paul Walker was in a car accident with a friend and he passed away :( I am terribly sorry to hear that. Rest in Peace Paul Walker :(

The best remedies for a skin burn! (from a hot metal)

Hey hey heeeeey! How y'all pretty people doing? :) I hope you are doing great. I myself feel better from even though it's ridiculously cold here and also my mood is excellent because today I received a package full of makeup and other cutzie stuff from my friend from Germany :) I will of course make a post to show you what I got but I am not sure when (there is a smaller package inside that she only gave me permission to open on Christmas Eve, so maybe I will make 2 separate posts or I will post them all then later on December. We will see. :) Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanyways!

Today's post is about how to treat your skin if you get burnt from a hot metal. You have to keep in mind that every type of burn is different and therefore it has to be treated differently, so this remedy works specifically from burns from hot metals such as cooking pots, frying pans, curling irons, oven etc.

You should always have in your fridge a pure tomato paste (the one we use for pasta sauce that doesn't contain anything else but tomato). So if you get burnt do not use cold water but pour IMMEDIATELY tomato paste on the affected area. Let it there for a while until it doesn't feel cooling anymore then rinse it off and apply again. What I do, to not mess up everything is put the paste in a small tea cup or a small plate and I put my hand in (I usually burn my hands). Keep your hand in cool (not freezing) paste for as long as you feel comfortable and then slowly (if the burn is not very serious), the burning sensation and the pain will start going away.

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After that you can wash the area with normal temperature water and you can apply pure Aloe Vera gel that is soothing and cooling.

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Keep in mind, this is a remedy for not serious burns. If you get burnt really badly you have to go to the doctor. This is a remedy for small burns that we get while cooking or doing our hair or heating up something to help the pain go away and minimize the scarring.

If you don't have tomato paste, you can use ketchup. It's not as effective but it will help with the pain. And if you don't have ketchup you can use fresh cold milk or yogurt, they are as well not as effective but they will help.

Alrighty! That's it! Take care while doing stuff that require hot metals and be safe and healthy!

Kisses!
xo Heliana xo

What's in my (our in this case) shower tag!

Hi y'all! How y'all doing???? :) I am trying to fight out a cold that is around me for like a week now and today I decided to be a little lazy and stay home since it's mildly snowing outside. (Don't judge, haha).

The lovely Vicky  was kind enough to tag me to do this. I LOVE tags. :D 

So this is a simple tag where I will show you what products I use in my shower (and since I live with my boyfriend what he uses too). Y'all ready? Let's go see 'em!

1 - Avon: Warm Vanilla & Fig, Bubble Bath. 

I adooooooooooooore sweet fruit smells and vanilla! This smells sooooooooooooo good. Avon has shower gels and bubble baths that smell heavenly!!!!

2 - I should have skipped this one from the picture I guess :P This is actually a feminine wash for the intimate area that I poured into an empty body lotion bottle because I like the pump (the pump from the original box of the product broke). Can't remember the brand thought :( I mean it's Avon for sure but I can't remember which one from them. It's an okay product nothing too exciting.

3 - Another Avon product, this is from the line Naturals and it's the Lily & Gardenia shower gel (I had shown this in an Avon haul that I did around the summer or spring, I think. I am not that crazy about flower smells but this one smells so good. :)

4 - I am dealing with a LOT of stress and that always affects with one way or another my health. This period I noticed a hair fallout - not something extremely dramatic - I DO believe it is from the time I used that awful blonde hair dye to lighten my roots and that store in Athens (Dafnis) is lucky I am far or I would have gone and make a huge scandal for the hideous product they sold to me. The sales lady in the store in Pireaus is NO WHERE CLOSE to experienced. I will always be furious to them for what this awful product they sold did to me. Anyway, I got out of topic and sorry about that but I am sure you would understand if you were in my position. To prevent and control this hair fallout that I have I decided to use once in a while an Anti-Hair Loss shampoo and this is from a really nice Romanian company called, Gerovital Plant.

5 - Gillette Sensitive Skin Shaving Foam: This is obviously my boyfriend's :P but I use it too on my legs sometimes when I am too lazy or sensitive to use my depilatory device. It's quite nice :)

 6 - Diplona's Conditioner for Nutrition and 7 - Diplona's Shampoo for Repair. I LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Diplona hair products so much! I discovered them when I came to Romania, they only came to Greece like a couple of years now I think (for my Greek readers, you can find them at Hondos Center stores). My all time favorite conditioner is the repair one but this one works wonderfully as well I just sometimes change them to not get bored of the smell because as you can see they are huge and even to me that I use A LOT of conditioner, it lasts very long so at a point I can get bored with the smell. But I love this brand and I always go back to it. I think it's a German brand by the way. OH and the conditioner is stained pink from my hair, it looks messy but I am not the person that will play the perfect girl sorry :P Sometimes my shampoo bottles get stained when I was my hair when it's freshly dyed. :) 

8 - Head & Shoulders anti-dandruff conditioner with almond oil. I don't really have dandruff but as you probably know if you read my blog for sometime (or if you read the at the previous products) I have bright colored hair and I don't like to use shampoo more than once a week. As gross as it sounds it's actually really good for your hair and also for the color, if you dye it. My hair doesn't get greasy and gross but I still don't want to wash my hair only once a week so once or twice a week I will CO-WASH my hair. CO-WASHING is basically washing your hair with a conditioner and it's a great method for girls with curly hair because it makes your hair less freezy and more controllable. Now, since normal conditioners are made to condition (duh!) your hair they will not provide any sort of "cleaning" to you. But this conditioner is made to be used on your roots to help you clean the dandruff so it is a sort of cleaning conditioner so until I find a better product for the job I use this. So I was once a week with shampoo and my normal Diplona conditioner and once or twice only with this one. It has a fun smell to it, it almost reminds me of melon!

9 - Wash & Go for Men: obviously my boyfriend's shampoo. He just uses different men shampoo like this or Head & Shoulders or Nivea or whatever he will grab from the shelf basically (haha). 

I have some other products too that I don't have them laying around on my shower because I use them rarely or not for my shower and I keep them in the bathroom cupboard such as baby shampoo for cleaning my brushes, some face cleansers and masks etc. 

A classic shower where there is a billion girl products and literally 2-3 (i didn't post his dove bar soap hahaha) men products :P What can I say, girls are girls! 

I tag everyone that wants to do this and please tag me when you do tags I LOOOOOVE doing them!!!

Take care!

xo Heliana xo

P.S: I have filmed a makeup look like a week ago but I hadn't have the time to edit it! It will be on my Greek and the English speaking channel but it will be dubbed on top for the English one :D It will take me a while but I will post it and I'll also make a post here with the list of the products I used :) 

P2's "Spectacular Volume Mascara" Review.

Helloooo! If you guys remember, in around September my friend from Germany sent me a parcel full of incredible stuff!!!!

As I had said I will in time review a few of them, so this post is a review on the "Spectacular Volume Mascara" from P2 company.
P2 cosmetics is a company, unfortunately for us, only available in the DM stores of Germany. And I say unfortunately because they have very affordable makeup products that have very good quality so you can imagine this is not gonna be a negative review. :) Keep in mind I've been using it for more than a month so I have a good point of view about it.

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It comes in a black tube and it has an extraordinary wand! As you can see in the picture above it has a zig zag wand. 

The site says: 

"With the spectacular volume mascara intense color output is achieved without sticking. The special S-shaped elastic wand captures every little eyelash and creates voluminous, finely fanned lashes."

So let's take everything this sentence says and analyze it, shall we? 

Intense color output: I can agree, it makes my lashes quite black but not so intense that they would look fake, it actually makes them look naturally fanned.

Without sticking: I can agree on that too, it doesn't make my eyelashes stick.

Captures every little eyelash: Even though at first the wand was totally weird to me after a few uses I figured out how to use it and I can say that it is a bit hard but it does grab well the lashes.

Creates voluminous, finely fanned lashes: This mascara doesn't create voluminous lashes by building up product on them to make them look like spiderlashes, instead, and I am guessing this is due to the zig-zag wand, it applies the product while separates the lashes and as it says it makes the lashes fanned. So to make it clear, my eyelashes are still thin but they are distributed better so my total lash line looks better and fuller, if that makes sense. 

To make a long story short, this mascara really does a great job, it definitely didn't give me any problems or irritations but I do have a small complain from it. After 2 weeks of use (even tightly closed) the formula starts getting drier and when applied, after a short period of time I get black fallout (dried out mascara falling from my lashes) at the bottom of my eyes which makes me look very messy. I don't know if mine was opened before at the store so the formula had started drying from before or that's how the mascara is but it's sort of a minus to have a nice makeup and then get all black under your eyes. So that makes me a bit sad because my lashes really looked nice with it.

- Are you satisfied with the product?

- Overall, yes.

- Do you suggest it to others?

- Yes but I will point out the part with the fallout.

- Will you purchase it (again)?

- I am not sure, there are really tons of mascaras out there to try first. 

- How much do you rate it from 0 to 5?

- Almost - not entirely- a 4/5.

Seventeen Cosmetics - Time Plus - Foundation Review + VIDEO REVIEW IN GREEK!

Hi hi hi!!! I'm reviewing a product from a greek company so I decided to make a video about it (in greek) just because it's easier to say and show more stuff than when you are writing.
For my greek friends, you can watch the video by clicking HERE!
I'm only gonna write a few and basics things for it just because it's only available in Greece and the countries around. I forgot to put subtitles to my video btw :P Sorry about that. Here is my opinion in a nutshell.

It comes in a plastic bottle of 35ml, I bought it around 9 euro in Romania, not sure about its price in Greece. It is a great foundation, it gives medium coverage and it doesn't irritate my skin.
If you are interested in other products from Seventeen cosmetics click here.

- Are you satisfied with this product?
- Yes, it's not that great of coverage but I am not looking for big coverage anyway.

- Do you recommend it?
- Totally.

- Will you repurchase it?
- I will probably try other foundations first.

- How much do you rate it from 0 to 5?
- 4/5

Cheers! Heliana

Elmiplant's Daily Exfoliate Review

Hi again! One more review!!! I actually took pictures for a makeup look that I did but I can find the cable to connect my camera to my pc :P. Anyway!

Today I'm gonna tell you about the daily exfoliating gel from Elmiplant company. Basically Elmiplant is the same company with Bioten, comes from a greek cosmetics company (Sarantis). The 2 companies have similar products, the difference is the company is know more as Bioten in Greece and as Elmiplant in Romania.

I am not really using exfoliating products but a friend of mine suggested that it would be good for my skin to do. So i thought I should try and I got this one which was obviously the wrong exfoliating product for me.

It comes in a squeeze tube of 150ml which is a decent quantity. It contains lemongrass and micro-particles of bamboo and it's supposed to have a 3 in 1 action on the skin: Exfoliation, Hydration and Helping at imperfections such as black spots etc.

I would REALLY love to tell you if this thing worked but I can't use it. It scratched the hell out of my face I couldn't even massage it gently for 10 seconds. I am serious.

I strongly suggest to avoid this product if you have sensitive skin because it hurt so badly that I just put it on my face and had to rinse it out. Epic fail.

0/5

Byphasse's Face Soft Cleansing Milk and Face Soft Toner Lotion Review.

Hello again. I'm sorry I haven't been able to make posts more often but I just don't have a lot of time :(. Anywayz I'm back with another of my bold reviews :P
In this post I will be reviewing 2 face products from Byphasse, the Soft Cleansing Milk and the Soft Toner Lotion. These are 2 products that I have them for sooooo long so I have a clear opinion about them. I have already finished the toner and my milk is also to its end soon (it will be in my empties :D )
Byphasse is a spanish company that its products can be found in Romania long time now and only a few years in Greece. They are really cheap and in big quantities.

Soft Cleansing Milk

It comes in a white bottle of HALF A FREAKIN LITER (500ml) with a pump on top which I find very practical and convenient because you don't waste a lot of product with containers with a pump. So plus 1 for this. The product itself it's a creamy white semi-liquid (not that runny, even thought it's a cleansing milk). It has a faded soft smell to it that doesn't really bother me (and i do get annoyed from smells). It's pretty standard to use, you just pump on your hand and massage your face with it and them remove with a wipe, cotton, cloth or/and rinse with water. It can be used to the face as well as on the eyes. At this point I think I will make a pros and cons list right here.
Pros:
- Cleans stubborn makeup (eyeliner, mascara) with the least effort and without having to rub again and again.
- It leaves the skin soft.
- Very big quantity so it lasts forever.
- Very cheap.
- Easy to find (super markets, cosmetic stores etc.)

Cons:
- It feels just a bit greasy but it works great.

It definitely takes 4/5 ★★★★✰

Soft Toner Lotion

The toner comes in a pinkish sort of transparent bottle of half a liter as well but without any sort of pump, it does have a smaller plastic cap inside that has the tiniest hole so you won't spill too much product so good work on the packaging. The liquid is pinkish and it has a fresh maybe a bit sweet smell to it.
Pros:
- Nice smell.
- Cools off the skin.
- Leaves the skin feeling fresh, clean and regenerated.
- Again, huge bottle, tiny price.
Cons:
- Doesn't really have but then again you don't really find often toners that are bad.

I give again 4/5 ★★★★✰

Have you tried any Byphasse products? Do you like them? 

Yves Rocher's Concealer Brush Review!

Helloooo! I'm so happy that I finally have a good review to give for a product! Haha! This review is about Yves Rocher's concealer brush. It looks like this...

It is a flat brush, not bendy but not totally stiff either. The hairs are very soft and the packaging suggests that is a concealer brush for fluid and cream textures.

I am not sure how much it retails at the Yves Rocher stores because mine was a gift in a magazine (yay).

This brush is awesome awesome awesome!!! It gives a very easy concealer application, you just pat the brush and the product blends easily on your skin. BUT, it's utility doesn't stop there! I sometimes use this brush for smudging eyeliner or shadow on my lash-lines as it's very thin. It's great for applying pigments wet or dry because of its shape and hair quality it doesn't create a mess. Also I use it when I apply cream shadows such as the 24 hour color Tattoos of Maybelline and it gives a nice and even application.

I cannot freaking believe how good this brush is! It's good for so many uses and I definitely recommend it to you! It does what it promises AND MORE!

5/5 ★★★★★

Syoss: Anti-Frizz Lotion Review!

I don't know what is up and I only score products that won't work so I have to write a negative review about them but I think that the negative reviews are somehow more helpful than the positive ones because you can see for who and why it doesn't work.

So this review is about Syoss' Anti-Frizz Lotion. As you know I have curly hair and curly hair is often frizzy especially in cold weather. Now I usually use coconut oil after I wash my hair and a conditioner as a leave in and I am frizz-free at most of the times. But sometimes the coconut oil can be heavy on the hair especially if you have bright colored hair and you don't wash them daily. So i thought i should give this lotion a try. It may come to your surprise but I haven't tried any other Syoss products before so I don't know if they are good. However I tried this specific lotion and.... it's not.

It did absolutely NOTHING to my hair! It's supposed to give smoothness and texture and tame hair without stickiness. Lies! My hair was sticky, looking like hay and feeling totally dull and frizzy. Terrible, TERRIBLE product.

And comparing the really nice results that I have with just plain simple coconut oil and with this product that is supposed to be specifically made to control frizzing, it makes this product complete rubbish.

I don't really even wanna use up the product because it's just too bad! Maybe I'll try it one more time just so that I can show you a picture of how my hair is like. We will see.

This is the first product that gets ZERO from me.
rate: 0/5 ✰✰✰✰✰

Biotherm - AQUASOURCE - Gel Cream Review

My struggle for the perfect moisturizer keeps on for years. This summer - i think - my friend suggested that I try the Biotherm's Purefect Skin line. So I went to the huge beauty store chain in Athens (for those that know, I'm talking about Hondos Center) to ask for more info and maybe a sample because I don't like to try some specific stuff (like skin care or foundations) without trying them out first, otherwise it might not be good for me and why would I spend my money to buy a full sized product and then I'll have to toss it or give it away, since in Greece we don't have return policy whatsoever and shame on us! Of course like almost always this beauty store somehow NEVER has samples they are "always out" i don't know if that is actually true or they just don't wanna give the samples to people or WHAT-EVER. Of course the same happens at Sephora here in Romania. I mean in all the other countries people are more than happy to give you samples because this multiplies the chances of you buying the product, what's up with this cheap ass policy ???

ANYWAYS! The chick in the store in Greece, mentioned that the Purefect skin is supposed to be for oily skin, just because it gives a nice velvety finish on the skin. Which proves how little some sales people know about the products they promote. So she suggested that for my skin the Aquasource is probably more appropriate. I was like okay great give me a sample of both to try them out and I will decide. But of course THEY JUST DON'T GIVE SAMPLES. Well girl, I'm for sure NOT gonna give 45 euro (and why products are so much more expensive in Greece, i don't get it) to get a cream that you suggested while you clearly don't perceive a lot about your own products?

So I did't buy either of them but then luckily there was this magazine that had a 15ml sample of the Biotherm Biosource gel cream so yay me!

As stated above, it has a consistency between a gel and a cream. It's supposed to be and I quote from the site "Deep Hydration Replenishing Gel for Normal to Combination Skin" but okay! Which proves one more time that the sales lady knew nothing about anything because she "diagnosed" my skin as dry (ffs) and she wanted me to buy a normal to combination cream - i mean what the hell....  Continuing the quote "Our latest breakthrough, Biotherm's next generation AQUASOURCE formulation, delivers intense and long lasting hydration. For plump and radiant looking skin. Discover the innovative gel texture of new AQUASOURCE. Now paraben free and mineral oil free. A fresh and creamy touch that melts on the skin to help awaken the senses every day." The company also claims in magazine commercials that the cream is equivalent to 5000 liters of thermal plankton cellular water, that's just so fancy and "please buy our product" like, don't you think? Now to to my opinion.

First of all what I look for in a moisturizer is to get that cooling effect when I apply it, to make my skin smooth and to feel my skin hydrated all day long. So I will just tell you how much it covered my needs.
It does give an amazingly cooling feel on my skin when I apply it and that is something I love in a moisturizer so no doubt there, my skin really feels cooler and soothed JUST right after I apply it.
It does make the skin smoother, it gives a velvety feel which is also quite nice so thumbs up for that.
BUT, it doesn't make my skin feel hydrated all day long. Especially if I apply foundation (and even when i don't) after a few hours my skin feels poorly and tired and by the end of the day it just feels totally dehydrated and i have that "pulling" feeling at the sides of my cheeks (that I hate so much).

So to sum up. Yes it temporarily cools you off, yes it smooths out your skin for a few hours but it doesn't have lasting results.

I will just grade it with the 3 criteria above.

Cool and soothing effect on the skin: ★★★✰✰I give it a 3/5 because yes it gives a nice feel but it's gone after a while

Makes the skin feel smoother: ★★★★✰I'll give a 4/5

Lasting results: ★★★✰✰ 2/5 

I think overall as a general result it would get a 3 out of 5 which for me is not good enough to make the cut as my future moisturizer. Maybe it will work better or more oily skins but to my skin that is dehydrated and quite sun and weather sensitive it just doesn't do a great job. I'm really sorry to give such a review on a Biotherm product because I liked a lot their old face cleansing soap for sensitive skin which is now long gone discontinued. BUT, my friend sent me samples of the Purefect Skin line which I will start testing soon, once this sample is over. 

- Are you satisfied by this product?

- Well, not really. I don't think it's appropriate for MY specific skin type.

- Will you repurchase it (or purchase the full size)?

- No, not only it doesn't completely satisfy me but (in Greece and in Romania) it's so expensive! So, sorry but no.

Avon's Ultra Color Lipsticks (NEW FORMULA) swatches and mini review!

It's amazing how much Avon's products changed over the years. Some of their products are REALLY awesome! One of them is their lipsticks. I LOVE Avon lipsticks. They are rich, creamy, not drying on the lips, they smell good and they are affordable.

So, Avon has a lipstick line called "Ultra Color". Lately they changed the packaging and formula (i guess) and also the color palette. Since I had a nice big price reduction (as a representative), I ordered a few because... well, just like that :P  I got 6 colors and here they are:

They come in a square plastic tube with the known metallic part that writes Avon on it. As usual, the name is stated at the bottom of the tube. I got the colors Carnation, Pout, Latte, Hot Pink, Red 2000 and Sparkling Nude. I'll show you separately swatches on my lips (btw at some of the photos my mouth is red because of the constant rubbing to take the colors off while doing the swatches. I tried so many times that my lips got numb at a point- haha). So let me show you:

CARNATION

Carnation is a creamy nude pink that it's almost the exact color of my natural lip color. It's very pretty and it has a lovely texture. Perfect for an everyday lip color, it's one of those colors that would look good pretty much on every one.

POUT

Pout (or Pout Cream) is the perfect nude with a teeny tiny hint of pink and it's my absolutely favorite color from the whole collection (and I will let you know why in another post soon, hihi). Carnation and Pout are just a tiny bit similar but Pout is less pink and it has a glossy finish whereas Carnation has a cream one.

LATTE

Latte is clearly a beige nude color with no hints whatsoever of pink or peach or anything like that. Another color that looks good on every skin color and tone. It has a cream finish to it and I forgot to mention that all 2, carnation, pout and latte don't have sparkles/shimmer/glitter in them.

HOT PINK

Hot pink is a medium bright fuchsia, again, no shimmer or glitter. It has more of a matte/creamy finish. It is a more bold lip color, not everyone's cup of tea but I really like it.

RED 2000

First of all, excuse the sloppy application, anyway I just applied it to show you the color. Red 2000 is a neutral (i know it shows pinky on the photo with the flash but it's a true neutral red). It's pretty for an elegant everyday look or a more glamorous appearance. It has a matte/creamy finish. One more color that I think it looks good on everyone.

SPARKLING NUDE

The only one from the colors I picked that - as the name states- is glittery and sparkly. It's a nude color, on the beige side and it has fine silvery sparkles. Naturally, being a sparkly color, it is a bit more sheer.

Overall I like A LOT these lipsticks. Even though they are very affordable they are not cheap (if you know what I mean). They apply really well and they are not drying. The specific line - Ultra Color - has a very big range of colors (my only complain is that that they have the most wearable shades of pink, coral, nudes, reds, oranges etc but not some more special shades like shades of purple etc.) Other than that I love them and I totally recommend them! 

★★★★★: 5/5