Theatre or film make-up ? Piece of cake with Sigma Special FX Brush Set

If you follow my posts or social media you know by now my love for Sigma brushes. They are said to be a dupe for the very expenisve M.A.C. brushes, good quality brushes at a more decent price. I love them, especially the F80 and the E25 , E35 and E40 blending brushes. I like to browse the site for the latest news and launches. Today's post is especially for professional make-up artists who work for theatres or film but also for make-up lovers who need specific, special effects tools.

News from Paula's Choice

I don't think there is one skincare obsessed lady who hasn't heard by now about the Paula's Choice brand, about its products - especially the chemical Aha, Bha exfoliants or the ingredients' dictionary. She is renowned world-wide for the ingredients' thorough analysis and its products created with only the most benefic ingredients for the skin. In Romania you can order the products from paulaschoice.ro  . 

Let me present you with the latest releases from Paula's Choice : 

Resist Anti-Aging Lip Gloss SPF 40

• Anti-Aging
• Choose clear or sheer pink, both suitable for all skin tones

Resist Anti-Aging Lip Gloss SPF 40 is a rich, moisturizing formula that leaves lips feeling soft and hydrated all day long. Lips are treated to smoothing emollients, antioxidants, and the cell-communicating ingredient adenosine. Never sticky or greasy, this soft-shine gloss comes in a clear or sheer pink shade suitable for all skin tones. Best of all, it provides broad-spectrum sun protection to keep delicate lips shielded from sun damage.

Bold with lipstick ? MAC Viva Glam Miley Cyrus brings it on !

I think you already know I love M.A.C. lipsticks. I'm not a snob but I really love the Amplified and Matte finishes (although a little drying) and I especially love their bold colours. And if they are in a special limited edition and packaging the better! I don't usually buy M.A.C. lipsticks all the time, I buy them only when I really love the colour or the collection. And when I saw the colour of the MAC Viva Glam Miley Cyrus lipstick I knew I had to have it!

Sabon Loofah Soap with gycerine and lemon - review

I have had this soap in my stash for a few months now and I have recently started using it. I understood right from the first use that this soap is destined for specific areas since it does a very powerful exfoliation.

Sabon’s unique loofah soap is a glycerine-based soap poured into natural loofah (sea sponge) - it lathers up as you eliminate any rough spots on your body and comes in a lemon scent.

Cosmetic Plant Eye contour cream with Q10 and green tea - review

I have had this eye cream for a while and used it, so now that I've finished it it's time I'll let you know my opinion on it.
   
The Cosmetic Plant Eye contour cream with Q10 and green tea is an eye cream for the 30 to 35 years old range. It comes in a 30 ml glass bottle with a pump, which I love ! I love that the glass is transparent, I can see how much product I have all the time and the pump makes it very hygienic and easy to use.
   
Formulated to provide the optimal care for the skin around the eyes, the Eye contour cream Q10 and green tea enriched with a mineral complex, is a source of essential actives in the fight against premature aging. 

Farmec Glycerin Hand Cream - one of the best hand creams I've tried !

Hands are so important for a woman : they nourish and take care of others, they protect, they cherish, they love. They are also very sensitive to external damage from the wind and the extreme temperatures. We need to keep them healthy, strong but also soft and perfumed. They are also tools for seduction and ambasadors for elegance. We treat them at the salons with manis and treatments but also with hand creams and masks.

The hand cream with glycerin from Farmec helps you take care of your hands, prevent dehydration and restore their good looks and smoothness.

L'Oréal Paris beauty blogging school here I come !

My gorgeous ladies, I am thrilled to share with you a wonderful news : I was selected to be one of the 30 beauty bloggers to attend the courses of L'Oréal Paris beauty blogging school !!! 

It is an incredible oportunity !! I am soo happy ! I am counting on your support and your vote ! I want to be the best I can be and learn how to improve my blog and give you the quality you deserve ! You can vote me here (Tone Monica) : http://www.beautyblogging.lorealparis.ro/galerie

Thank you L'Oreal for the wonderful learning oportunity and experience! I can't wait to become a student again at L'Oreal beauty blogging school! 

My Pandora wishlist - Spring inspiration

I am tired of the chilly grey weather, of rain and wind. I am tired of wearing and layering clothes, I need to wear dresses, colour, sandals, jewellery, fresh springy perfumes, pastels and strong coloured lipsticks!
  
I have already written a post on Pandora's new Spring collection. I love Pandora jewelry, I would buy them all ! Today I felt like sharing with you my Pandora wishlist inspired by the wonderful Spring ! I love the sunny, warm days, filled with coloured, perfumed flowers, the sweet singing of the birds and the butterflies' feathery wings. I hope I'll inspire you to discover your own Spring inspiration !

Elmiplant Skinnergy - energize your face and body

Every time we leave the cold, dark winter behind and we enter the bright, warm, sunny Spring we feel the need to start again from scratch : a fresh, healthy face and body, a new haircut, a renewed joie du vivre. Elmiplant summons the power of the superfruits with their nourishing and anti-oxidant properties to create a new face and body range named Skinnergy.
   
I think it's a very appropiate name for face and body products that get you ready for Spring and Summer - after the difficult winter we need our skin to be healthy, nourished, fresh and glowing ! In short A happy skin, full of energy !

Focus on ... Ivatherm

I don't think that there are many Romanians who haven't heard of Ivatherm. It is a 100% authentic Romanian brand that has earned its reputation of great quality in products, the latest in research and technology and great service. Their products are well-known both in Romania and abroad and they are based on one of Romania's most valuable and well-known resource : Herculane thermal spring water.
 
(Herculane thermal water was founded 2000 years ago by the Romans who discovered its therapeutic benefits. The modern Herculane was build in the XIX century by the Austrians and it was kept in the same style even today. Herculane baths is the oldest thermal bath in Europe, first mention in 153 AD by the Romans and renown for its extraordinary effects of the thermal water.

It was established in 102 AD by the Roman emperor Train inspired by the Greeks. The name comes from Hercules the sun of Zeus and the beautiful Alcmena. Hercules is known in the Roman mythology as the protector of the thermal waters, the symbol of power,  an equilibrium between the physical power and his emotional side.)

Nivea Care - the WoW wonder cream

I think you know by now that I have combination skin : oilier on the T-zone and quite dry in the cheek and around the mouth area. It starts to get shiny after around 2 hours and I try to fight it using creams and make-up products especially for my type of skin.
 
This problem gets worse in the summer time : I simply cannot stand anything onto my face - the face cream feels greasy and the make-up starts to disturb me after a few hours so I use it very sparingly. The only thing I can stand onto the face is water so I go through face sprays with the speed of lightning.
  
But this doesn't solve my dryness problem; I cannot stay without a face cream and SPF protection.. so it's a struggle to find a very light cream texture that can moisturize and not feel greasy onto the skin.
 
WoW, I think I may have found the perfect summer cream : the Nivea Care wonder cream !

Blush in a rush? Max Factor Crème Puff Blush to the resque!

All of us women want to look gorgeous, young and fresh all the time, especially when we don't feel so good. It is well known that a good blush with the right texture and colour for your skin works miracles! Combined with a bright lipstick it can make you feel like a million dollars! 

    
On the other side, if you apply too much blush it can make you appear much older and feel like you are wearing a mask! Well it's time you stop worrying about all these things Max Factor has come to the resque!

    
Max Factor provides the ultimate answer with its new Crème Puff Blush as its lightweight, baked formula contains finely milled, multi-tonal pigments that blend evenly, enhancing individual skin tones, for a truly natural, polished skin finish. 

Make-up giveaway #2 - CLOSED

As I saw how much you liked the first make-up giveaway I decided to start a second one. I hope you like it.

Schwarzkopf Gliss Ultimate Color Express Repair Conditioner - review

I have a difficult hair : thin, tangly and very oily. I have to wash it every 2 to 3 days, or else it looks horrible. So knowing it is how it is, I stay away from styling it too much with too many products and I use conditioner once a month or so, so as not to make it oilier. Once every three months or so I dye it with my favourite L'Oreal ammonia-free Casting Crème Gloss, to make it less oily and more shiny.
   
Recently I have finished Schwarzkopf Gliss Ultimate Color Express Repair Conditioner so it's time I share my thoughts on it with you.

Marionnaud Nature melting body butter with ground cherry - review

If you follow my posts you already know how much I love hand creams - I have many in different rooms of the house and hand bags. The same thing applies to body butters, especially in the colder seasons. I have normal skin but often during the winter time my skin effectively tightens and feels very uncomfortable. So I fight back the dryness with body butters, the richer the better.
   
Today I will share with you my opinion on one I have just finished together with my mother (who has very dry skin and seeing the jar onto the counter wanted to try it .. of course I had to share it with her from then on.. so it's a joint review from mom and me). It is the Marionnaud Nature melting body butter with ground cherry.
   
This body butter is designed for dry to very dry skin, having a rich and thick texture and a high amount of nutrients. It keeps the skin hydrated up to eight hours, leaving it velvety soft and protected from the external factors.

Max Factor MASTERPIECE GLAMOUR EXTENSIONS 3-in-1 mascara

You know that I'm very picky with my mascara: I want volume, definition and lenghtening without the mascara clumping my lashes or having a fall-out onto my cheeks. I also want it to be very pigmented in colour and not to dry very soon. Not many things, right ? Well I think I may have found the right mascara. 

Max Factor is launching a breakthrough 3-in-1 mascara innovation creating a striking lash using a savvy combination of wand technology and expert formulation. The result is an all-out glamorous lash-look that oozes high glamour. The mascara is part of the Glamour collection, which also contains an eyeliner, a single eye shadow and a wild shadow pencil.

L'Oreal beauty blogging school - new oportunities, new blog, new me

When I've heard that this year L'Oreal Paris has opened again the doors to its beauty blogging school, I felt really excited. You know that my beauty blog has just turned 6 months. Six wonderful months, that flew by with the speed of lightning.
   
I've always been interested in all things beauty: even in my early childhood I was trying on my mother's lipsticks and necklaces trying to be more beautiful. Later in my 12th grade I discovered make-up and its transforming magic. Many years later trying to improve my English I discovered the You-Tube with its many make-up artists and beauty bloggers. I have a long list of artists I admire, from UK to America, Australia, Belgium and more.
   
On the top of my list is of course the incomparable Lisa Eldridge. I simply adore her! She brings the beauty in any woman naturally, making her look and feel her best! And last but not least I have discovered the Romanian beauty bloggers, whom I read and still do with great pleasure. The Romanian beauty bloggers have diversified and improved over the years, getting better and better.
   
So yes, I salute L'Oreal for this wonderful project of creating the beauty blogger school to help us improve even more and bring the beauty blogging in Romania to a new level, a professional level that our readers deserve!

Seductive eyes with The Body Shop's new eyeliners

As I've told you before in a previous post The Body Shop has launched a new body range with Fuji Green Tea. I have already bought the Fuji Green Tea Bath Tea together with the Fuji Green Tea Bath Tea Infuser; I will share with you my thoughts on them later. Together with this amazing body range The Body Shop has also launched several new eye liners, which I will present you in this post.

Catrice Colour Show Lip Gloss - review

I bought this Catrice Colour Show Lip gloss around one year ago when I was abroad and now I have finally finished it, so I'll share my thoughts on it with you. I had the shade Strike A Pose.

OPI Expert Touch Lacquer Remover - review

Oh sad day! I have just  finished the OPI Expert Touch Lacquer Remover! I have had it for quite a while since I've used it in tandem with another one, keeping it for the more difficult cases of nail polish removing! Now it's finished, so it's time I tell you about it.
   
It is said to provide superior performance without the drying effects of harsh removers! It sweeps away even the darkest shades of nail lacquer, while leaving cuticles soft and smooth instead of parched and dry looking.

Montagne Jeunesse Red Hot Earth Sauna Face Masque - review

I bought the mask I will talk to you about in this post together with another 4 ones in a Montagne Jeunesse mask pack with a Feelunique order. Feelunique is one of my favourite online shops for cosmetics and make-up, especially since they often have promotions and offers and many brands that I cannot find in Romania. But about my favourite online shops in another post ...

Happy Easter !

My lovely readers I wish you a Happy Easter

Full of light, love and joy

For you and your loved ones!

Easter

Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, is Christianity’s most important holiday. It has been called a moveable feast because it doesn’t fall on a set date every year, as most holidays do. Instead, Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21.

Therefore, Easter is observed anywhere between March 22 and April 25 every year. Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar to calculate when Easter will occur and typically celebrate the holiday a week or two after the Western churches, which follow the Gregorian calendar.

Freida's Pure Red Color Riche or bold and beautiful

One of the lipsticks I really fantasized about and wanted it badly is Freida's Pure Red Color Riche lipstick. It is part of a special Color Riche collection : Pure Reds - Limited edition of tailor made matte red lip colour. Shades for every skin tone. A rouge for every woman.

Nivea Q10 Plus Serum Pearls - the anti-wrinkle pearl revolution in face care

From the Ancient times pearls symbolize beauty, perfection and elegance and were and still are in high demand all over the world. Every woman who wears a pearl necklace feels like royalty : elegant and classy, never out of style. Pearls are formed inside the shell of certain mollusks as a defence mechanism against a potentially threatening irritant such as a parasite inside the shell. The mollusk creates a pearl sac to seal off the irritation. Besides being perfectly beautiful the pearl also protects the mollusk that creates it.

This protective aspect of the pearl is brought to life by Nivea, which again is at the forefront of technology and reserch. For the first time in NIVEA history, innovative Serum Pearls containing Q10 have been combined with a moisturising gel in a highly efficient anti-wrinkle product.

Collistar Transparency collection gets you ready for sun and fun - swatches

When I went to the opening of Debenhams I noticed the Collistar display and the new collection but I didn't have the time to check it out properly. So I promised myself I would be back. I did and now I present you with the latest collection from Collistar - Transparency. The collection is created in collaboration with industrial design brand Kartell which is known for its transparent designs.

They used their trademark imagery for the Collistar Transparency collection creating a brand new special packaging. The collection is already in stores in Debenhams, Douglas and Sephora.

My little Soufeel Jewelry haul

As a little treat to myself for my 6th month blog anniversary I placed an order together with a friend on the site soufeel.com . Let's find out a little bit more about the brand.

The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea body range : revive the body, detox the mind

I was and still am very fascinated by Japan, with its geishas, its culture and traditions, its samurai warriors and its bushido code. I am dreaming about visiting Japan but for now it's too expensive .. One of my all time favourite books is Shogun by James Clavell. This is the book that started my fascination and love for all things Japan. Of course one of my wishes is to actually see a proper Japanese tea ceremony. It is such a meaningful ritual, full of spirituality and aesthetics.

Source

Imagine my joy when I found out that one of my favourite brands The Body Shop had drawn inspiration from this fascinating civilization and had created a very special Fuji Green Tea body range, meant to detox, cleanse and revive the body and soul.

#Redescopera frumusetea / Rediscover beauty : mother - daughter beauty talk

As a celebration of Color Riche by L’Oréal Paris 30th anniversary, the brand has launched a beautiful challenge :  #Redescopera frumusetea / Rediscover beauty - a trip down the memory lane with our mothers in search of beauty.

  
What is beauty ? Nowadays people place great importance on the physical aspect, neglecting the beauty of the soul, which is more important, in my opinion. It doesn't matter if you are gorgeous on the outside if you are ugly on the inside. Beauty is temporary and in the end what remains is the inner beauty of the soul.
   
Beauty was not considered a must in my mother's youth but women who took care of themselves (had beautiful, elegant clothes, used creams and perfumes, had lipstick on and clean, long hair) were admired and revered. That shows the one must take care of himself at all times: beauty does not necessarily mean a perfect face and body; if you take care of your body and face, others will notice.

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Melkior Blossom Collection Spring 2015 - swatches

Hello lovely ladies, as I posted earlier Melkior has recently launched a new Spring 2015 collection called Blossom Collection. Since I own several eye shadows from them and I like them very much (very pigmented and affordable - 17ron per refill) I thought  I would visit their Afi Palace Mall shop to see the collection up front and personal.

The eye shadows : from left to right - Ethereal - matte , Coral fusion - matte , Air blue - shimmer, Iris - shimmer and Diaphane - shimmer (I simply forgot to photo and swatch one: the matte Vintage Rose, from what I remember it is a very light cold pink shade, almost white and completely matte):

in the store light

Make-up giveaway - CLOSED

Today my blog turns 6 months so as a thank you to you all my lovely readers I prepared a giveaway. This time I focused on make-up.

6 months anniversary

Today my blog turns 6 months!  

Many thanks to all of you my lovely readers for being here, for reading my blog and for your continuous support and encouragements. 

Have a beautiful Spring full of flowers, colour and joy!

p.s. I have a surprise for you later ...

A day of fun at Danamakeup anniversary

Last weekend I had a very pleasant surprise when I was invited to a day of fun and girl-talk by Dana Gramu whose blog  danamakeup turns 4 years in April. And instead of us bringing her presents we were pampered by her and her magic fairies to hair, make-up and nail sessions.
  
It was a grey, rainy day but still we laughed, talked beauty and did our make-up, hair and nails, all in a very pleasant, futuristic and colourful cafe called Senso Cinecafe (Bd. Unirii nr. 15). I loved the atmosphere and of course the coffee there!

source 

Focus on ... Kiehl's

Ladies save this date : 3rd April is a GREAT day for all skin care lovers :  Kiehl's opens its first Romanian store in Afi Palace Cotroceni Mall. Their cult product, the world famous and well-known Midnight Recovery Concentrate is on my wishlist for a long time. So is their Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate and Powerful Wrinkle Reducing Cream and the Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado and the Ultra Facial Cleanser and the list goes on and on .. 

   
I am soo happy that they have finally opened a shop in Romania, I am like a kid in a candy store, I can't wait to go and test all the products ... It is known that they are very generous with their samples .. a practice that is part of their history; they believe that if people will try out their products they will buy them.

Nivea Classic Care shampoo - review

I have had this shampoo for a few months now and only recently I have finished the last one and together with my parents we have started using it. Now we are on the verge of finishing it so it is time I share my opinion on it with you.
  
The Nivea Classic Care shampoo comes in two sizes : 250 ml and 400 ml (the size I have - in the old packaging) and has a valability of 12 months. It is a shampoo designed for normal hair, that mildly cleans the hair keeping it strong and shiny.