Fancy name for a bottle of stuff that looks pretty much like clear water, eh? ;-)

Well, it's got to be a little bit more than just water, or I wouldn’t be going through this stuff like crazy. (I'm on my fifth bottle already.)

Makeup removers I’ve tried so far, be they creams, milks or lotions, have all had one thing in common, no matter how careful I was. Never mind the occasional burning and stinging in my eyes: every time I tried to remove my makeup with them, I was also bound to keep stumbling around the flat in a half-blind state for a few hours, until by some divine miracle I managed to blink the last remains of the offending stuff out of my poor, tortured eyes. A few liters of tears were also shed in the process, and by the end of the whole ordeal I was ready to swear never to put on makeup again.

Not so with Sensibio H2O: I pour some onto a cotton pad, swipe it on/ my eyes a few times, and my makeup is gone, while aforementioned eyes remain intact.
It also performs perfectly when removing foundation: just one swipe and it’s all gone. I like to use this one first and take most of my foundation off my skin, before going over the rest with some cleansing oil (mine is the Almond-Apple Cleansing Oil from L’Occitane), because in all honesty I don’t exactly fancy rubbing all that grime and powder into my face. (It’s just yucky…) So I take off the foundation with Sensibio H2O, and use the cleansing oil mostly to just remove what remains of it and my sunscreen. Afterwards, I use my favorite cleansing gel to get my skin squeaky clean and I’m set. :)

Bioderma has 3 micellar cleansers, one in each of their skincare line: Sensibio H2O (for sensitive skin), Sebium H2O (for oily, problem skin) and Hydrabio H2O (for normal/dry skin).

So far I’ve only tried the first two, and though the condition of my skin would require me to use the Sebium line, I’ll stick to Sensibio for 2 reasons:

1. Everything in the Sebium line is scented,
2. and its micellar cleanser doesn’t remove makeup as thoroughly as that of the Sensibio line.

(Also, I don’t really buy that stuff about needing to pick all items of my skincare regime from the same brand and line, sooo…)

I admit, in the beginning I was skeptical about this whole not-needing-to-wash-my-face-at-all-after-using-a-micellar-cleanser talk, aaaand… I still am. Sorry, I might be old-fashioned, but I’m never going to adopt a “sans-water” cleansing method if there’s a way to avoid it. My skin just doesn’t feel clean enough that way, no matter how much cleanser and how many cotton pads I use, and I do need that almost squeaky-clean feeling only water can provide.

Nevertheless, Bioderma’s Sensibio H2O micellar cleanser is really one of the best things that have ever happened to me: removing makeup is a cinch now and my eyes have also stopped complaining. Its only shortcoming is that it doesn’t last very long, while at the same time it’s a bit pricey, but it gives me exactly what I need from a cleanser, so I won’t take off points for that. ;-)

Where to get it: in pharmacies and online stores

Price&Amount: ~3600 HUF for 250 ml and ~4500 HUF for 500 ml (I haven't come across the 125 ml size bottle in Hungary yet: as far as I know, it's not available here.)


Sensibio H2O: WATER (AQUA), PEG-6 CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC GLYCERIDES, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, CUCUMIS SATIVUS (CUCUMBER) FRUIT EXTRACT, MANNITOL, XYLITOL, RHAMNOSE, FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES, DISODIUM EDTA, CETRIMONIUM BROMIDE.

Sebium H2O: WATER (AQUA), PEG-6 CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC GLYCERIDES, SODIUM CITRATE , ZINC GLUCONATE, COPPER SULFATE, GINKGO BILOBA EXTRACT, MANNITOL, XYLITOL, RHAMNOSE, FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, CITRIC ACID, DISODIUM EDTA, CETRIMONIUM BROMIDE, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM).

My ratings:
Sensibio H2O: 5 out of 5
Sebium H2O: 4 out of 5  

Loath as I am to admit it, there's something exhilarating about finding a face-scrub chock-full of gritty little bits and polishing our complexion to smooth, shiny, almost-glass-like perfection. You see, I am firmly against physical exfoliants. Well, most of the time. I am well aware of the fact that more often than not they drive my skin stir crazy and, depending on my skin's prevailing mood, may double (no, triple!) the amount of acne I sport at a given time.

But.

(I don't think it's only my skin that's gone stir crazy this time...)


Ahemm. So I had the privilege of sampling Bioderma's Gel Gommant (i.e.: Exfoliating Gel) twice already, but the first time it didn't quite seem to agree with my skin. Nowadays, however, we're geting on much better, to the point of me even saying that it might even become a permanent addition to my skincare stash.





There are three things I love about it:

1. The multitude of scrubbly little polyethilene particles in it: all tiny and buffing my skin as if the stuff were some sort of microdermabrasion product. (I haven't had microdermabrasion done on my skin yet, but I imagine this is what it should feel like.) You just have to be gentle with it and sort of caress your face in a circular motion, lest it should cause too much damage.
   
   
2. The added glycolic acid in the formula. Once you feel you've done enough scrubbing, just leave the gel on your face for five minutes or so (you can leave it longer of course if you have the time). The acid does a lovely job of additional exfoliation, and when it's worked its miracle on your face, just massage the stuff into your face a few more times to remove stuff that had been loosened by the acid, and wash it off.
   
   
3. Washing it off is a breeze. No clingy film, no having to rinse for hours, nada. Just a few generous splashes and it's all gone, leaving you with the most amazing, silky-soft and well, there's really no better word for it, glass-like complexion ever.

Can it get any better?

Yeah, it can. ;-)

To achieve all this you need the smallest amount of product, so while it's definitely not a cheap product, it will last you a very long time.

The product is scented, and while I'm not a fan of added perfume in skincare products, it's really not obtrusive and so far hasn't managed to bother my skin.

So, my verdict? Well, next time you walk into a pharmacy don't you dare leave without a tube of Bioderma's Exfoliating Gel. It's well worth every "penny". ;-)

Where to get it: in pharmacies
Price: varies, usually around 3300 HUF
Amount: 100 ml
My rating: 5 out of 5
Ingredients:

WATER (AQUA), POLYETHYLENE, SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE, XANTHAN GUM, LAURYL GLUCOSIDE, GINKGO BILOBA EXTRACT, GLYCOLIC ACID, MANNITOL, RHAMNOSE, XYLITOL, FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES, PRO PYLENE GLYCOL, TRIDECYL SALICYLATE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, DISODIUM EDTA, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM)  

Girls whose skin doesn’t tolerate silicones, listen up! I’ve found the perfect sunscreen for you. :-D
(That is, unless you happen to be allergic to any of its other ingredients, in which case my heart really goes out to you in sympathy.)

I’d been searching for the perfect sunscreen for more than a year now, and I finally found it a few weeks ago.

My criteria for above mentioned sunscreen were as follows.
It should:

1. not contain silicones of any kind, nor any mineral ingredients, such as titanium-dioxide, zinc-oxide or silica,
2. provide a broad spectrum protection against sunrays of various wavelengths,
3. employ the most advanced form of protection using Tinosorb M and Tinosorb S molecules,
4. have an SPF of 50 and as high a PPD as possible,
5. not leave a white cast and make my skin very greasy,
6. be unscented.
7. I also would have preferred it to be a product from a reliable manufacturer of sun-protection products, such as Bioderma or Avene. (As much as I like natural brands, I don't trust them when it comes to sunscreens, as I highly doubt they can produce anything as reliable as brands found in pharmacies.)

I was ready to make some compromises of course, but I was adamant about it not containing any silicones, as they all make my skin break out in little zits that eventually turn into full-blown cystic acne. I was ready to put up with some whiteness unless it made me look like someone who had just seen a ghost, and since Tinosorb molecules are inherently oily ones, I didn’t mind some shine either as that can at least be taken care of with some mattifying powder.


Having tried and hated a ton of sunscreens from various brands (you’ll find a full list at the end of this post), I came across Bioderma Photoderm Sensitive and was ecstatic to see silicones missing entirely from its INCI list. Another thing that I noticed immediately was the lack of any added fragrance: the stuff only smells of its ingredients, and before you scrunch up your noses in distaste, let me tell you it's not unpleasant at all.
Items 1, 6 and 7: check.





All Bioderma sunscreens (including of course Sensitive) contain Tinosorb molecules as well as some chemical filters and Sensitive has an SPF of 50+ in Europe and an SPF of 100 everywhere else in the world. (In the EU manufacturers are not permitted to claim that the SPF of a product is higher than 50.) It’s PPD (the number indicating how strong a protection it gives against UVA rays) is the highest I’ve come across so far: 40. Additional chemical filters it contains are octocrylene and avobenzone which in each other’s presence remain stable and offer additional protection.
Items 2, 3, and 4: check.


About that white cast: it’s there, but it’s a lot less noticeable than what AKN or any other Bioderma sunscreens leave on my skin, and I certainly don’t mind a little in return for all the other benefits of the product. See the product in action (sort of...):




A word of warning though: because of its high Tinosorb content, it’s very heavy and greasy if you wear it on its own. Then again, given the choice between an oilier-than-average complexion and skin cancer, it is obvious which one I’d rather be willing to live with. There is a trick though, and that is to use some sort of mattifying powder over it, one you’ve already tried, tested, and that you feel works best for you. The best such powder for me is Silk Naturals’ Oil Control Primer: no other product has been so effective at keeping the oilies at bay for me as this one, and wearing this over Photoderm Sensitive makes all the difference in the world. I’ve been using the two together ever since the beginning, but for the sake of testing both products (and to see what the other girls were talking about when they bemoaned Sensitive’s greasiness) I omitted my Oil Control Primer one day, and by the time I arrived to Budapest after an hour long journey, my face was a complete oil-slick (it was a real scorcher though). It was really surprising to see how greasy this stuff can get without a proper mattifying product, so I strongly advise everyone with oily skin not to use this on its own, but to cover it with a really effective loose powder.
Try not to put anything underneath it though: it might interfere with the product’s sun protection capability by reducing it considerably. I use it as my daily moisturizer as it contains a significant amount of anti-oxidants and other beneficial ingredients.


So much about the drawbacks, but let me just tell you: I. Do. Not. Care. One. Bit. About. Them. I couldn’t be happier now that I have this really cool silicone-free sunscreen, and I’m not about to complain about things that can’t be helped.
Item 5: check.


Seeing how excited I was about this stuff, one of my friends was awesome enough to give me a sample that lasted more than a week and that made me realize that Bioderma’s Photoderm Sensitive and I were meant to be. Besides the diet I’m on and the medication I take to treat my Insulin Resistance, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and thus my acne as well, I still had some zits on my face that cleared up during the week I used Sensitive. Now that I have my own tube courtesy of another two lovely ladies I know, I can safely say that I’ll never ever be without it again. At least I’ll try not to be, as yet again it is not available in Hungary and has to be ordered and shipped from abroad. Yay… But hey: at least it exists!


For more information, please visit Bioderma International, and check out their product specification page.


Ingredients:

WATER (AQUA), DICAPRYLYL CARBONATE, OCTOCRYLENE, BUTYLOCTYL SALICYLATE, METHYLENE BIS-BENZOTRIAZOLYL TETRAMETHYLBUTYLPHENOL, BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE, BIS-ETHYLHEXYLOXYPHENOL METHOXYPHEBYL TRIAZINE, C20-22 ALKYL PHOSPHATE, DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE, PEG 100 STEARATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, MANNITOL, XYLITOL, RHAMNOSE, FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES, LAMINARIA OCHROLEUCA EXTRACT, CREATINE, GLYCYRRHETINIC ACID, NIACINAMIDE, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN, TOCOTRIENOLS, TOCOPHEROL, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) BRAN OIL, EPIGALLOCATECHIN GALLATE, C20-22 ALCOHOLS, DECYL GLUCOSIDE, XANTHAN GUM, HYDROXYETHYL ACRYLATE/SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE COPOLYMER, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, CITRIC ACID, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, SODIUM, HYDROXYDE, DISODIUM EDTA, PHENOXYETHANOL, CHLORPHENISIN.


Stuff I’ve tried so far that didn’t work from the Bioderma Photoderm line (in extremely unempirical terms):

• AKN: white as hell, heavily scented, and despite being a specifically anti-acne product it managed to cause me some more zits.
  
  
• Spot: stung like crazy…
  
  
• Max Fluid: Not bad, pretty matte for a while, but it was still too white and broke me out.
  
  
• Max Cream: Well, whaddaya know! It was even more matte than the Fluid version. Still, broke me out, made me look like a ghost, yadda, yadda…
  
  
• AR: Why the hell did I even try this? It's not like it's even meant for my skin type... Oh, yeah, it’s Mums. Whatever… Tinted, but of course it’s beige (and I’m olive-skinned, yippee), too oily, and all in all it just didn’t feel right.
  
  
• Anti-Age: not bad, the mattest of them all (sure, it only has an SPF of 30 so it contains the smallest amount of Tinosorb), and for once Bioderma didn’t overdo on the silicones, but still not good enough.

Kanebo Allie PSF 50: incredibly matte, skin absorbed it instantly, scores relatively low on the whiteness factor, but as it turns out its PPD is laughably low. Also, it’s full of silicones, and the worst kind for me (dimethicone) is high up on the list. Toss...

Avene: Why bother? They all have some sort of silicone somewhere in their ingredients list…  

Winter has finally arrived to where I live, though it probably won't stay for too long (again). True, it has already snowed in other parts of Hungary and even in Budapest, but so far that shimmery soft layer of prettiness has always vanished overnight leaving this snow-lover hung up on winter (or more like, on the lack of it).

I have always loved winter: on my list it is second to spring, my favorite. If you have a penchant for wanting to wrap yourself in a fuzzy warm comforter and withdraw into yourself, you probably love it too. It is grey, it is dark, it is frightfully cold and sometimes downright merciless, but it is also the only season that wraps you into it's own soft grey comforter and makes you almost invisible to the other passers-by on the streets. Under tons of warm fabric and among so many other bundled up people one easily gets lost in the crowd, but I actually prefer it that way. When spring finally breezes in giving people their very own spotlight to sing and dance under, it almost feels like a brutal attack on one's piece of mind and temporarily expanded personal space.

Winter, then. What exactly does it bring to the mind of a cosmetics-crazy woman? The answer probably depends on whether she has enough time-tested and effective companions in her bag or not. It can bring to mind chapped lips and cracked hands, but it can also leave her unfazed, calling up snowball fights, snow angels, and icicles used as drumsticks. (Hey, why not? :-)

Let me introduce you to my current companions then. Though they have been with me for only a little more than a week, it seems they have settled in for the long run and will probably be enough to save me from the two aforementioned (and very dreaded) side effects of the season. They are:











Buying a new lipbalm is always a much anticipated adventure for me. My previous balm had been rubbing me the wrong way for years by smelling like lard (and tasting like it too...), so this time I decided to buy something that would make me purr and nuzzle up to its pretty little tube for hours. The girls on my fav cosmetics thread had been raving about Bioderma's lipbalm, so I figured I would give it a try.

It comes in a white (4 g) tube with blue text on it (who would have thought, right?), and it smells exactly like raspberry-flavored bubblegum. I did not detect any taste though, which is definitely for the better, as I imagine I couldn't contain myself for too long if it had any and would be sorely tempted to lick it off in a matter of seconds.

The ingredients are a bit different from Alverde's in that paraffinum liquidum is first on the list, but sometimes I just can't be bothered... In any case, I haven't spotted any adverse effects yet. (This is the moment when lovers of anything that's organic and 100% natural would wisely all-knowingly point out: "Oh, but you will soon! Veeeeeery sooooon..." I mean no offense though: I'm in a "who-the-h*ll-cares" phase right now, but I used to be devoted to "pure" things too. :-))

On with the show then. Bioderma's "Lip Stick" is noticeably thinner than Alverde's and glides on effortlessly, leaving a slight whitish cast that disappears the second you smack your lips together and warm it up a bit. After that, it'll be perfectly inconspicuous for any casual onlooker. You, however, are definitely going to notice the difference: it softens the delicate skin of your lips and spiffs them up in no time. I only use it at night though, as I'm still adamant about Silk Naturals' lippies being the best ever lip treatment and lipcolor rolled into one. (Btw: 'Tender' is the most gorgeous my-lips-but-better shade ever! Forget about EDM's 'Cozy Night'. 'Tender' beats it any day of the week.)

One other thing I like about Bioderma's lipbalm is the slanted design of the stick: nice touch.

At the moment, it doesn't seem to have any drawbacks; we'll see in a couple of weeks, but I have high hopes for it.

Here's the INCI list if you're curious. (Boy, this sure beats typing. :)








Apparently, product designers have decided to make allowance for the needs of working women who are constantly on the go and practically carry their entire offices with themselves in a bag. Incidentally, I happen to be one of them: my haversack is always filled with various coursebooks, CDs, photocopies of all sorts of complementary material for my students, and lately I've even been hiding a small red rubber ball in there. (Who would have thought that adults like to play ball too? ;-) Now, it's a relief to only have to carry an additional 50 mls worth of product instead of 100-150 mls. What is not a relief, however, is that one has to fumble with a screw-off cap instead of being able to just flip it off and on at one's pleasure.

The product itself is your regular white hand cream, unscented and nothing extraordinary, but I mean that in a good way: it does do its job perfectly as in it moisturizes your hands and seems to form a protective barrier on them (again, paraffinum liquidum, but there's some shea butter in there too), while it doesn't add another extra scent to what you're probably wearing already because of your body-lotion, facial moisturizer, shampoo and conditioner and perfume. My only qualm is that it needs to be reapplied quite often, and while it's been holding up fairly well in a milder sort of weather (usually above 0 C° or 32 F), I'm not quite convinced it'd be enough for my hands should temperatures drop below -5 C° (23 F).

All in all, Bioderma's new hand cream is a very nice product, and I definitely haven't regretted buying it as it'll probably be a real asset to my bodycare regime in spring. However, once winter decides to hit us full force (if ever...), I'll turn to La Roche Posay's Lipikar body lotion for help.



 

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  

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).