2008 was a year that had brought many changes into my life, including cosmetics and makeup. Remember my rant at the beginning of last year bemoaning the fact that we have such limited access to beauty products here in Hungary? Well, the situation could still be improved, but along the way I discovered the miracle that is online shopping, starting with Everyday Minerals and then moving on to eBay and other online stores. So yeah, I guess I could say 2008 was rich in anxious anticipation of much awaited little parcels and boxes, new discoveries and sometimes disappointments, and receiving inspiration and great tips from so many fellow beauty- and fashion bloggers.

Because of the above mentioned changes I did not manage to review all my precious discoveries back in 2008, but that won't stop me from listing them here (with the promise of discussing them later), because I think it'd be an absolute crime not to share them with you.

I would like to thank Grayburn for bringing us fellow bloggers together to do this project and for supervising it all the way. Thank you dear!

To me 2008 rolled by in the spirit of discovering mineral makeup and then taking notice of the unfortunate fact that my skin just won't tolerate mineral foundation in its present state. I've been struggling with PCOS for the better (?) part of my life and I've been dreaming of having perfect skin ever since. (Fine, it doesn't have to be perfect, but one or two zits less would be great...) It seems I won't be able to achieve that until I consult with an endocrinologist this year.

Otherwise though I just love MMU, and will now introduce you to my favorite items from several different brands. I've noticed that most brands excel at producing and prefecting at least one type of product, and it seems to be just as true of MMU companies.



I tend to favor those of Everyday Minerals: they offer a huge selection of shades and produce really unique combinations of different base colors, shimmers, sparkles and whatnot. They're quite cheap and can be bought in small amounts which means less waste of both money and product.

My favorite go-to blush is Best Friends. It looks absolutely scary and unwearable in the jar, but once you blend it into your skin it becomes the most beautiful matte, rosy, just-came-in-from-the-cold shade.
I wear it practically every day now, especially when I don't want anything fancy and just want to create a low-key look.




I'll have to vote for Pure Luxe products in this category. Their shadows can't be beaten. They're wearable, vibrant, creative, long-lasting, come in a huge selection of shades and you can buy generous samples for as cheap as 1$. (Not to mention that their shipping prices are very International Customer friendly. ;-)

I have 15 or so colors so far, but I'm definitely planning to order more. The ones I recommend are: Asp, Twinkle, Seashore, English Ivy, Enlighten and Splendor.

Will review them soon!



You hear raves about Silk Naturals lippies everywhere and with good reason: these are the most gorgeous, wearable and moisturizing lip products I've ever come across, and I have tried many lippies in my life, believe me.

Right now I have seven of them, but I'm definitely ordering more as soon as our currency gets a bit stronger. *blushes*

My review of them can be found here.



Back to Pure Luxe now: I find their cream Eraser perfect eyeshadow primer ever created, though unfortunately it can't touch my face lest I break out with ever more zits due to the silicone in it...

It's not perfect in that it doesn't contribute anything towards mattifying my skin, but on my eyelids it does real miracles. Try it sometime but make sure to read my review on it before you do!




I have not been impressed with any of the mascaras that MMU companies make, but I do so love my Clinique Naturally Glossy Mascara in Jet Brown. I've been blessed with relatively long lashes but I need something that'll lend them some color and volume, and this mascara does the trick perfectly.

It's a favorite of many women who don't want any extra ooomph, but merely wish to accentuate their lashes with a pretty brown tint in a preferably clump-free way.






I haven't bought the full size version of this product yet, but I received a very generous amount of samples (6x10 ml) from a very friendly SA in my very favorite drugstore, and I'm absolutely certain that I'll invest in this cleanser as soon as I run out of my samples. The first time I used this stuff I was blown away. It removed all the makeup from my face without having to vigorously rub it with the cotton pad, which was definitely a first for me. According to instructions it doesn't need to be washed off, but I prefer to follow up with my regular gel cleanser just to have my skin free of chemicals.





I gushed about this at the end of November and I was amazed at how long-lasting this product is. Well, I bought my first tube in the middle of September and lo and behold, it only ran out the day before yesterday. I say that's pretty good mileage for a facial cleanser; at least I tend to go through them like crazy.

It's a very concentrated gel with a nice aquatic scent and the ability to cleanse your face without drying it. It also doubles as an exfoliant and a chemical one at that which, in my opinion, is far more gentle and effective than physical exfoliants.






In all honesty this product was never meant for my oily, problem skin, yet I'm on my second tube now. It's the perfect night cream and the perfect base for when I want to tone any of my serums or skin treatments down a bit. (e.g.: AHA, BHA, retinaldehyde)

It's unscented, contains no colorants, is preservative-free and hypoallergenic. Perfect for people with sensitive skin or anyone who doesn't want to irritate her/his skin more than necessary.

It also doubles as an eye cream for me.




I wish I could say that it's the best acne treatment as well, but I can't, though originally it's supposed to be just that. I mean, who's the idiot who put silicone into an anti-acne product?!?!?

Anyway, I used this for about a month and a half, and though I noticed some improvement first, it soon became obvious that the cyclomethicone in it is yet again making this product useless for me. My zits just weren't willing to disappear and I got those small zits that soon turn into full-fledged cystic acne that I get whenever I put any kind of silicone or mineral foundation onto my face. I hoped it was just what people nowadays call "purging", but sorry, I don't want to "purge" for one and a half months on end, thank you very much...

But (and that's a huge BUT, and the reason why I still mention it among my favorites) I did notice an impressive reduction in my wrinkles on my forehead (you know, the ones you get when your frown) and even around my nose. I guess that means that retinaldehyde (0.1%) and glycolic acid (6%) are capable of successfully fighting wrinkles, so if your skin tolerates silicones, a product with retinaldehyde might just be what you've been looking for all your life.

Be very careful though: retinaldehyde diminishes wrinkles through accelerating the turnover of your skin cells, meaning it's a powerful exfoliant, which leads us to two things:

1. Use a strong sunscreen (min. SPF 40 in my opinion, but 50 is better) whenever you use any kind of retinols on your face.
   
   
2. Be very very patient with your skin in the beginning, introduce it to retinols only very gradually, and never ever start with such a strong product as Diacneal. You'd better try Ystheal first and then slowly move on to stronger concentrations, lest your skin should become irritated by it. (You want to avoid irritating your skin, as it leads to the formation of free-radicals, which in turn results in aging.)

A lady I got to know on a Hungarian forum for women mixes her own blend of hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5 (ala Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel), and she was kind enough to share this miracle product of hers with me.

The results are immediate and simply amazing. Approaching 26 I still have no reason to worry about wrinkles (especially because worrying leads to more wrinkles ;-), but I do have some fine lines under my eyes, next to my lips and on my forehead. They're only visible when I smile or frown, but this product makes them almost invisible in all situations.

My Mum also loves this gel and, unlike me, she has quite a few wrinkles to get rid of, one the one hand because she's 64 and on the other because she'd been neglecting her skin all her life. This is the only product she's been religiously using ever since I introduced her to it, and that says a lot about this gel. She only uses things that really work and give instant, visible results, and boy does this gel deliver...

We also have a wrinkle correcting serum made by Clinians and we've both been seeing the same great results from that one, indicating the effectiveness of hyaluronic acid.









In this cold and dismal weather my Neonatura Cocoon EdP is a real godsend and though it doesn't smell better than it did in summer (nothing beats warm skin), it sure is even more comforting and pleasant.









This concludes my list of favorites in 2008, but the fun is by far not over. Head over to these beautiful ladies who each have their own favorites to show you:


Beautiful Makeup Search

Beauty 411

Beauty Talk

Beauty Tyrant

'*:.blu3.:*'

For The Love of Beauty

Grayburn

Life Of A Ladybug

lily loves mac

Make Do Style

Miss Whoever You Are

Perfume Shrine

Platinum Blonde Life

Searching the Inner Me

Slap Of The Day

The Beauty Alchemist

The non-blonde

Urbane Girl  

Hey everybody! How are you doing?

Today was one of those days that make me happy to be a teacher. :-)

One of my advanced-level students whipped up such a funny piece of writing in his end-of-course test that even watching him write made me chuckle and look forward to reading his essay once I got home. I saw that familiar surge of inspiration wash over him like a wave, and his classmate and I were properly perplexed (and fascinated) every time he asked me about words that were totally unrelated to the topic. And once I actually sat down and read it... Oh boy, I'm still experiencing random fits of laughter and occasional giggles... Once I correct some grammatical and stylistic mistakes I might ask for his permission to share it with you. It's truly hilarious. :-D

My other student (his peer) is currently considering taking a half-year break, but today he was more in favor of staying, something that has also improved my mood in a great deal. Let's face it: I tend to get attached to my students emotionally very much and loosing any of them would unquestionably cast me in low spirits. I really hope he'll stay with us.

Anyway, I guess these are the things that make a teacher walk 10 centimeters above the ground and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. ^_^

Now then: it's about time I wrote something that's actually related to beauty. I've been a bit uninspired lately all thanks to the horrible state my skin had been in until very recently. (Some might even argue that last part.) This is mostly due to a hormonal imbalance I've been struggling with for the better (?) half of my life. I had tried just about everything drugstores and department stores could offer; that is, all but one. However, that one thing may turn out to be the thing that will actually help my skin recover, but I'm not about to make any early (and much too hurried) assumptions just yet. We'll see in about a week or two whether I can rejoice or go back to the drawing board and start from scratch. (Keep your fingers crossed for me, girls! There isn't supposed to be a dermatologically challenged beauty blogger out there, but sadly I fit the part perfectly...)

Today I want to tell you about a product that started me on the path of the gentle (and at times not so gentle) peeling of the upper layers of the skin and showed me what a huge difference it can make to one's complexion.

There's a thread on a Hungarian forum dealing mostly with skincare and cosmetics, and what's special about it is that the women who frequent it (and who actually contribute and not just lurk around) are bigger experts when it comes to our skin than many dermatologists. My fellow blogger Bagaela is one of them, so I'll just take the opportunity to say hello to her and give her a big "Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!"-hug. :-)

They were the ones who first discovered what has since become my HG facial wash: Cleansing Foam Gel with Mandelic Acid made by Clinians, an Italian cosmetics company. Clinians is generally considered to make good products anyway, but this one is worth its weight in gold.

Behold! :-)

It's important for people with sensitive skin to find out what it actually reacts to, be that some kind of physical impact (e.g.: abrasive substances = scrubs) or a certain chemical. For me it was abrasion caused by facial scrubs containing tiny bits of scrubbing particles with an uneven surface that caused microtears to form on my skin and the resulting and ever-present irritation
just wouldn't allow my skin to focus its self-healing powers on other (and in my opinion, more pressing) matters, such as banishing my zits.

At one point I realized that I needed to adjust my daily skincare routine so that it would take my skin's peculiar quirks into consideration. If you find your skin unwilling to tolerate any kind of abrasion, the Cleansing Foam Gel with Mandelic Acid made by Clinians might just be a great alternative to physical peels for you. It contains mandelic acid and other alpha-hydroxy acids in an amount which, with daily use, is perfectly enough to keep your complexion soft, glowing and free of any dead skin cells.

As you can see in the picture it comes in a clear plastic tube, and even though I've been using it for exactly two months now every morning and night (and sometimes even in between), it still has enough product in it to last another two or three weeks or so.

About the ingredients:

• What I can ascertain at first glance is that it's a paraben-free product and besides the unavoidable artificial stuff it contains many natural ingredients (AHAs, most likely, derived from cherry, lemon, orange and blueberry).
• Coco-glucosides come in second place on the list which is good if you're looking for something that won't dry and irritate your skin. Although the following two are look suspiciously like SLS (sulphates)...
• It also contains glycerin to moisturize your skin but not in such amounts that would achieve the opposite effect.

Physical attributes:

• Thick, sea-green/blue gel, with a very aquatic scent, which makes it perfectly suitable for men and women alike. (it's a bit too strong for my liking but I'm willing to tolerate it for the sake of its many benefits.)
• It comes in a 150 ml plastic tube and has a shelf-life of 12 months.
• Dermatologically tested, hypoallergenic.

There's one thing you should pay attention to: you really need a very small amount of this for a single use. In order to make the most of this particular cleansing gel, you have to stick to the instructions and lather it up in your palms before applying it to your face, otherwise it will not create much foam and out of frustration you'll end up using twice as much product as you would otherwise.

My overall impression is a very favorable one. Clinians' Cleansing Gel eliminates the need for any kind of physical scrub while at the same time being very gentle with your skin. It gets rid of dead skin cells and turns a dull face into a glowing complexion making its positive effects felt already upon first application. It's also very economical as you need only a very small (2-peanus-still-in-their-shell-sized :-)) amount, thus one tube will last you more than two months. True, this cleanser does not leave me with that squeaky-clean feeling I'm used to, but I find myself liking that more and more as time goes by. I think this product is ideal for people with dry, sensitive skin who don't want their cleansers to strip their skin of its natural protective layer.

Me? First I just loved the way it made my skin soft and supple, but I have come to value it as
a great boon to my daily skincare routine, and I'll definitely buy a second tube once this one runs out which, let me assure you, is a very rare thing for me. ;-)

Check out Clinians.it to find more information on their products.

Btw, check out all the stuff I have in store for you. What you can see in the picture below is but a small portion of the things I plan to review in the future, but I hope it's enough to pique your interest a bit. ;-)

 

I don't have much time to write today, so I'll just bring you up-to-date on things.

The reason you haven't heard from me for a good while is that I've been having some trouble with my eyes recently.

You see, about six years ago it turned out that my retina likes to detach itself from the surrounding tissue and gets a kick out of scaring me to death by producing small holes and tears near the periphery. Nothing that modern medicine cannot deal with though: the doctor has to seal the many layers of the retina together by burning the area around the tear with a highly focused laser beam, which will leave scars on the tissue, which will, in turn, keep those layers together and basically makes sure that I don't become blind anywhere in the near future.

A few weeks ago I noticed a slight loss in my field of vision and had to have another laser surgery. It's not serious in the sense that it only takes about 5-10 minutes, and patients are allowed to go home right after the treatment (mostly just to recover from the splitting headache caused by the flashes of intense light...), but I really didn't want to take a risk by reading more than necessary. The rapid eye movement that accompanies reading is not something that's very good for a freshly burned retina, so I had to cut down on it and do only as much as was essential for my job as a teacher...

Anyway, I'm back now, and have lots of new stuff to report on, but I postpone that to Friday, because it's 22:17 here in Budapest, and I still have some housework to do, and hope to get in a good eight hours of sleep as well. :-)

I just want to thank my dear friend Grayburn for the quick message she sent me two days ago: you're great and thank you for thinking about me! A "Thank you!" and a big hug to Seeker for another award she gave me a few weeks ago. I haven't forgotten about it, and of course, I'm honored. *hug*

Another big, big hug goes out to Bagaela, who sent me a parcel full of "yummy" stuff which, in my case, can only be cosmetics. I got a very generous sample of ArtDeco's famous eyeshadow base and lots of Bioderma samples (mostly sunscreen). Among them, there was a 5 ml sample of Bioderma's Sensibio Light moisturizer, which I liked so much that I bought the full size product a few days ago, and I'm really very happy with it, so thank you dear! More on Bioderma soon!

Another great piece of news is that starting today the long-awaited Alverde make-up line is finally available in Hungary. I saw the stand in a nearby Drogerie Markt store and quickly checked out the products. My first impressions:

• The packaging and design is really cute, looks even better in real life.
• Not many colors to choose from, but hey, this is not Chanel, or Bourjois, or EDM...
• People in the Alverde laboratory obviously haven't heard about olive skintone yet...
• The lip products (especially the glosses) feature some really natural colors: I can hardly wait to go back tomorrow and buy a few items!
• Their kohl eyeliner pencils are a bit too soft for my liking, but they're very pigmented. (Yeah, I got myself a brown one today.)

I also bought a facial cleanser by Clinians, containing mandelic acid: I think it'll be my morning cleanser as it's very gentle, but I didn't have much luck with it when trying to remove makeup. (I didn't expect it to perform well in that area, so that's okay.)

Whew! So much for today, I guess. Talk to you tomorrow! Till then, I'll let you have a few glimpses into my life nowadays. ;-) Enjoy!

Lots of love,
Izar





















































On an unusually cool summer day, Munchkin decided that my bed is the perfect place to get cozy and warm. We weren't happy...









My preciousssssssss.... My second attempt at baking (the first one was kinda forgettable, though the family gobbled it up), and I'm proud to say it's my own recipe. And that it was gobbled up even faster than the first batch. :-)



Third attempt, this time a traditional Scottish cookie. This one's yummy too, just tastes a little bit like ghee (I think I used way too much butter).