Winter skin care favorites!

Hello!

I wonder how everyone takes care of skin in winter - it can be so rough on our delicate skin (T_T). Here in Poland we have temperature from -5C to -25C degrees... Serious freezer situation. D:

I guard my skin from all this winter by using a couple creams every day.

Below are some of my favorites!

WELEDA Skin Food cream

Oh, how I love it!! It is full of natural oils and smells like citrus fruit (mostly grapefruit/lemon to me) and it`s just like a soft warm blanket for skin! I like to apply a lot at night and just go to sleep like that - I wake up with soft, moisturized skin! (*___*) I love it! In summer I would never do that, but now I also use it in daytime, under makeup - just a thin layer and not on my forehead, because I think it would make my fringe oily. It works great. :)

You can also use it on you whole body, especially dry spots like knees, elbow, feet.

Vitacreme B12

It`s a great light cream that feels like it`s treating my skin and curing it. Blemishes, dry skin, acne marks - it helps to remove them faster and also moisturizes. It`s light and has a pleasant rose smell. (^_^*) You can also use it on cold burned/sun burned skin, on your elbows, etc. I already wrote about it HERE!

BABA DE CARACOL snail cream

Well, I dunno, the fad, the snail cream. Actually I`m not even sure there is snail secretion in this one (??), but anyway it hydrates quite well but has shady ingriedients (lots of parabens and mineral oil). I`m not crazy about it, but I`ll use it all anyway. It creates a sort of a veil on my skin, absorbs quickly and it great for layering with other creams I mention here. :D Actually I also have night version of this one too and I like it too. I won`t repurchase though. I found a way better snail extract cream with actual snail extract in it (Velvetin) and I can buy it in the natural products pharmacy right around the corner. (^_^)

IWOSTIN Hydratia Eye cream

From a Polish brand like La Roche-Posay or Avene - we also have natural springs with wonderful healthy water here in Poland, and Iwostin uses it to make really good cosmetics! (http://www.iwostin.pl/) Recently they added hydrating eye cream to their skin care line so I went and got it! I was using Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Recovery Complex, but I`ve run out and it`s kinda pricy, so I decided why not try the 5 times cheaper but still great Iwostin eye cream? ;D I like it and feel it works well. 

OXY5 and OXY10 (benzoyl peroxide acne treatment)

I decide to try it after seeing Gossmakeupartist`s acne treatment advice video! (^0^*) It dries out skin soooooo bad! XD But it really works on acne! I only apply it at night, only on my trouble areas (jaw, hairline, etc), at first I used OXY5 because the stronger one cause irritation, but now I got used to it and I can use both. It does nothing after one use, but after using it regularly I see a big difference! If you have trouble with acne why not try this? I will repurchase and continue using it. :)

What is your winter skincare?? Share your beauty secrets with me, ok?
Kisses! :D

MAC Dare You lipstick review & swatches

Hello again! I`m on a roll~ :D

Recently I really really love this one lipstick: DARE YOU from MAC! I got it because I had 6 empty containers from mac and decided I`ll get myself a dark lipstick. Didn`t decide on the color before, just went into the store and kept looking and comparing colors for 10 minutes and decided, THIS IS IT. And I was right, I LOOOOVE this lipstick!!

OK, lets just go straight to swatches and all.

Bare lips and lip balm.

Half applied - I didn`t use a lip liner, because I don`t even own one for this color. I read that MAC Brick would work good with this color? Any other recommendations?

Applied. It`s a bit messy, but I like to apply it a bit over my lip line and then just smudge it a bit with a finger or a q-tip. It`s that shiny because of the lip balm, but it has its own shine too~ I love the finish. It feels super comfortable and noisturising on lips.

Color in the tube and on the lips. :)

And my whole face with the lipstick.

I really recommend You go and try out a dark lipstick right now: dark red, dark violet/purple, brown-red colors, it looks soooo hot! Here I leave you with some dark lipstick inspiration! Ta-da!

Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick for Elle

Carmen Kass by Miles Aldridge for Vogue Italia March 2011

Rihanna

Michelle Trachtenberg

Travel blog: Kyoto & fake maiko & hydrangea blossom

Hello!!

I decided to post a travel blog kind of post. :) In 2008~2009 I was actually on a scholarship in Japan for a year, it was an amazing experience! I also got to travel then. And since I was at Osaka University, I went to nearby Kyoto quite often. This day, during hydrangea blooming season, my friend Beth from Poland, was in Kyoto with her friends, so we met up to go and see Kiyomizudera and Koudaiji together. 

Hydrangea (ajisai) in Kyoto.

In Kyoto there is a shop, Studio Shiki, specializing in dressing women up and doing their makeup, so they look like the famous geishas (well, maikos in this case) from Kawaramachi. There are a couple of "plans" to choose from, you can just dress up and have your photo taken or you can go outside and have a stroll or even a professional photoshoot - of course then the price is significantly higher. 

My friends just took photos in the studio, but we met some Japanese ladies walking around Kiyomizudera, and they were asked for photos by everyone (even fake tourist maiko are a big attraction, also for the Japanese, you can see a bunch of school kids asking them for photos too). :)

They told me a random jinx: if you have "fat" ears, it means you will be rich. You can also cheat destiny, by massaging your ears, so they become bigger, and you, by consequence, will become richer. XD

 Later we visited the beautiful Koudaiji temple, located close to Kiyomizudera. It is famous for it`S beautiful pond, best to see in autumn at night, when the momiji leaves are reflected in the water. It looks really beautiful. In summer months, you can enjoy the cool shadows of a bamboo forest they have there too. Overall it is a really lovely temple to visit! One of my favourites. :)

 So, that`s it! Maybe I can post more travel blogs like this, who knows?
That was me, reporting from the past XD That`s how I looked then.

Bye for now! :D

MAC lipstick swatches: Morange, Impassioned, Girl about town

Hello darlings.

Intense lip color! :D I love it and don`t wear it as often as I`d like too... I think it`s because it requires high maintenance - you have to check your lips often and reapply or add some balm or gloss - when you use a color this strong, it has to look perfect! :D And when I work (oh yeah, I even wear such colors to work, do you know Anime lip tar? I went to my office work in that, lol) I have to speak a lot (all the time), so I eat the lipstick away.... Anyway! What am I talking about here anyway...

ON TO THE SWATCHES!

I`ll be showing and comparing the amplified finish lipsticks from MAC: Morange, Impassioned, Girl about town! Impassioned belongs to my friend, but it`s so nice I`m considering getting it myself. Also it`s very similar to Girl about town, so if you want hot pink with less fuchsia, a bit warmed tone, go for Impassioned! :D

MAC describes the colors as Loudmouth Orange (Morange), Fabulous Fuchsia (Girl about town) and Amped-up Fuchsia (Impassioned).

Swatches in shadow, no flash. Morange / Impassioned / Girl about town

Half shadow, half in sunlight (oh yes, we have sunny days in Poland this winter :D).

The lipsticks are creamy and a bit shiny~ Amplified finish is so good.

In sunlight!

I can`t choose my favorite, they are all amazing lipsticks! Which color is your favorite? :D

MAC Casino eyeshadow GET! (swatches and eotd)

Hellooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ＼(　〇　⌒　　　▽　　　⌒　〇　)/わぁい♪ 
Long time no see! ( T_T)人(T_T ) ヒサシブリダ OMG, I am sorry to leave this blog without updates for such long time, but hpefully I can get back on track now. I`ve been going through some very hard times and changes, but I`ve done a lot of growing and am doing fine now... I can`t wait for Xmas, mostly because of the xmassy atmoshepre and illuminations - I want to decorate my apartment with all sorts of xmas lights and candles~

Today I`d love to share my latest GET! MAC`s Casino eyeshadow!!! v(≧∇≦)v イェェ～イ♪  I am really excited about it, because Momoko Ogihara is a heavy user of that eyeshadow and as you know, I am easily influenced by japanese gyaru-related celebrities` choices. And to be honest, following Matsumoto Ena`s, Yamamoto Yuuki`s and Ogihara Momoko`s makeup advice worked very well for me.

The eyeshadow is a copperish dark gold kind of color and it is a bit of a GLITTER BOMB! XD But I like glittery eyeshadows, so that`s not a problem. I would recommend to be careful about fallout though, covering your cheeks makes application less messy.

Swatch on skin. The finish of this one is LUSTRE, so it`s rather sheer, but it can build up to a really nice coverage, especially on an eyeshadow base, so don`t worry. You can wear it sheer or more opaque.

And here it is on my face, I used a little bit of Woodwinked eyeshadow around the outer corners of my eyes, but it`s mostly Casino. I love it! v(≧∇≦)v イェェ～イ♪ I had to buy it online though, as it is a some kind of limited edition eyeshadow - sth like Asia only? But I`m not sure. Either way it`s not available at MAC stores in Poland.

I hope to update more regularly from now on and I hope I still have some readers left!! LOL! 

Hugs & have a good day~ ヾ(￣◇￣)ノ)) バイバイ