My Cosmetic Side: Fragrance

I am that kind of person who needs to quite often change the perfume which I wear, as my nose cannot 'stand' the same fragrance for a long time. The world of perfumes is like an enchanted garden to me. So many beautiful scents to enjoy!


And it is not possible to say which one is the most gorgeous. In my opinion, each composition is delightful in its own way. Besides, why I should limit myself to one kind of scent only, since, every year, so many beautiful ones are created.

That is why there are always quite a few bottles of various fragrance compositions in my cabinet.

Some which I have enjoyed most are listed (in alphabetical order) below.

1. Chopard

CASMIR / night-evening-winter /

notes:

• peach, apricot, blackcurrant, raspberry;
• mandarin, carnation, cinnamon;
• vanilla, benzoin, tonka bean, opoponax ('sweet myrrh' - an oil plant native to the deserts of middle East).

2. Dior

ADDICT 2

notes:

• orange, freesia, grapefruit, bergamot,
• pineapple, pomegranate, lily of the Valley, watermelon, lotus,
• sandalwood, cedar, white musk.

MISS DIOR CHERIE

notes: 

• pineapple, mandarin orange, cherry, strawberry,
• jasmine, rose, violet, caramel, popcorn,
• patchouli, musk, amber.

DUNE /night - evening - winter/

notes:

• peony, mandarin orange, bergamot, aldehydes,
• jasmine, lily, ylang-ylang, wallflower, rose,
• sandalwood, amber, patchouli, musk,  vanilla, oakmoss, benzoin.

DIORISSIMO /night - evening - winter/

notes:

• bergamot, green leaves,
• lily, rosemary, jasmine, lilac, amaryllis, ylang-ylang, boronia, lily-of-the-Valley,
• civet, sandalwood.

3. Elizabeth Arden 

5th AVENUE /day/

notes:

• dewy magnolia, mandarin, linden blossom, lilac, bergamot, Muguet,
• carnation, violet, Indian tuberose, nutmeg, jasmine, ylang-ylang, peach, Bulgarian rose,
• cloves, amber, iris, sandalwood, Tibetan musk, vanilla.

3. Givenchy

EAUDEMOISELLE de GIVENCHY /day - summer/

notes:

• lemon, basil, tangerine,
• ylang-ylang, rose,
• ambrette, musk, tonka bean.

 4. Guess 

 GUESS for Women /day-summer/

notes:

• strawberry, bergamot, green apple, tangerine,
• freesia, peony, magnolia, peach, red berries, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-Valley, 
• oakmoss, cedar, musk, amber.

5. Lancome:

POEME

notes:

• mandarin orange, black currant, blue Himalayan poppy, bergamot, green notes, narcissus, peach, plum, 
• leather, mimosa, orange blossom, jasmine,
• tonka bean, cedar, musk, amber, orange blossom, vanilla.

TRESOR

notes:

• bergamot, peach, 
• heart of Damascena rose essence, violet flower, heliotrope, jasmine absolute,
• sandalwood, milky musk.

HYPNOSE SENSES /night/evening/winter/

notes:

• mandarin orange, orange, pink pepper,
• rose, osmanthus, white honey,
• French labdanum, patchouli, tonka bean, benzoin.

6. Lolita Lempicka

Si LOLITA evening/night/winter/

notes:

• mandarin orange, bergamot,
• sweet pea, pink pepper, elemi, wallflower, heliotrope,
• elemi, tonka bean, amber, patchouli.

LOLITA LEMPICKA /day-summer/

notes:

• star anise, violet, ivy,
• amaryllis, licorice, iris, orris root, cherry,
• praline, vanilla, tonka bean, white musk, vetiver.

7. Oriflame 

GIORDANI GOLD /night - evening - winter/

notes:

• mandarin orange, white flowers, orange blossom, lemon blossom,
• tuberose, jasmine, lily,
• white musk, patchouli, cypress, moss.

8. Yves Rocher 

COMME une EVIDENCE /night - evening - winter/

notes:

• violet leaf, rhubarb,
• rose, lily-of-the-Valley,
• musk, patchouli, oakmoss.

NEBLINA /day-summer/

notes:

• apricot, orange, orchid,
• violet, orchid, white flowers,
• oakmoss, woody grass, woodsy notes.

9. YSL

BABY DOLL /day-summer/

notes:

• blackcurrant, orange, pineapple, apple,
• lily-of-the-Valley, heliotrope, freesia, rose,
• vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood, cedar.

BELLE D'OPIUM /evening-night-winter/

notes:

• gardenia, mandarin orange, Casablanca lily, jasmine,
• peach, incense, white pepper, tobacco, fruity notes,
• patchouli, sandalwood, amber.

PARISIENNE /day-summer/

notes:

• blackberry, vinyl, cranberry,
• peony, violet, Damask rose,
• musk, vetyver,  patchouli, sandalwood.

As you can see, my nose prefers fruity-and-floral/ floral-and-fruity notes with some addition of a few other ingredients.

Many years ago, I was also a fan of some compositions signed by Priscilla Presley. They were light. but quite charming at the same time. I did like them very much. Unfortunately, I cannot recall what their names were.

What is your favorite perfume/eau de toilette?

My Cosmetic Side: Creams

One of my cousins has always used one cream only, to treat her entire face. Well, most of my life it has not worked for me. Whenever I used a face cream in the under eye area, my eyes were bugging me terribly. Besides, make up does not look too good when you apply some rich stuff near the eyelids. That is why this part of my face, the thinner and more delicate skin, requires special care, meaning eye cream.

Moisturizing, besides cleaning and toning,  is a vital part of my everyday face care routine. I still remember my very first face product, which I started using when I was about sixteen. The cream name was Juvilla. It was very light, had a pleasant, delicate and quite distinguish smell. I loved it. I can also recall, it was packed in a bluish tube with a white cap.
Later, in my early twenties, the time came when I first bought an eye cream. And has been using under eye care products since then.
Thorough all those years, I have tried many creams/brands. One of the best was an evening primrose facial cream. I had it a long time ago, so I do not know what or who the manufacturer was.But I do remember the elegant and rather heavy, glass jar with a cork top.

Nowadays, due to a damaged facial nerve, buying face care product is a kind of roulette to me. The point is: what half of my face likes, the other one most often hates. The nerve, which has been fixed, is very picky and does not tolerate most face creams. How do I know that? It simply announces the dislike with a terrible pain. The level of such pain is not funny at all, I can assure you. That is why the buying part is so difficult. I very often end up with a care item/moisturizer which I can use on one side of my face only, since the other side says painful 'no' to it. This makes the cream/lotion  application a bit complicated.

All in all, I have had some facial and eye cream which were gentle enough to be used on my entire face / under both eyes. It makes me happy when I come across such an item and can take care of the skin on my face with no pain effects.

What has worked best for me so far (meaning all my face needs)?

Eye cream

All About Eyes by Clinique
Renergie Eye by Lancome

Both products improve the condition of the delicate skin around/under eyes, in different ways though. The first one is good for puffiness and dark circles, the second one works more on the anti-wrinkle side.

I also quite liked the eye contour gel by Clarins. However, I used it as a moisturizing support only. The gel formula was good to be applied on make up as well. It was not rich enough to be used on its own.
Anyway, a kind of disadvantage of the above products is that they are rather pricey.

A cheaper option was something by Yves Rocher. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued.

Recently, I have 'discovered' Burt's Bees Sensitive Daily Moisturizing Cream. Although it is too light for my face, it is a perfect under-eye cream considering my facial nerve requirements - does not sting my eyes either.
Another item on my list was ender-eye cream Alterra for mature skin - great moisturizer for dry and sensitive skin. I used to buy it when in Europe - it is available in Rossmann stores only.

Face cream/care

• Dramatically Different Moisturizing gel for dry skin by Clinique - that was truly great indeed. 
• Day Wear Plus by Estee Lauder - I am not sure whether this version of Deay Wear morning/evening cream is still available. The one which I had was wonderful and smelled like cucumbers.

• I still use the Velvety Facial Moisturizer by Yves Rocher. It is one of my most favorite products which contains natural ingredients mainly - I wrote more bout it here.
•  If you have Rossmann stores where you live (Europe), I recommend Alterra Orchid face cream for mature skin. It has its morning and evening version and it contains coenzym Q + vitamin E (among others), moisturizes well and smells nice. Another plus is that it does not cost much.
• Right now, I am testing Equate face cream for dry skin. It seems to be something I have been looking for - replenishes my skin, makes it looks smother and, what is most important - it works well on my entire face, including the under-eye area. I bought it as I was tired with all the more expensive facial products which disappointed me considering my face special needs. I thought to myself then: 'if I buy this inexpensive cream and it does not work for me, at least I do not waste much money again'. Happy to say, it does work and my face likes it a lot! Besides, it is a type of day and night care thing in one. Well, I know that day and night creams are not the same, as they support the skin in different ways. Having had all the problems with the creams, I come to the point, I would want to use one only (like my cousin) and call it good. Anyway, next time, I will try the original formula of the face cream which is made by Ponds.

Not only the products which we use to treat our face matter, it is also important how we apply them. I usually spread a cream on my fingertips and tap it gently on my skin, including the eye area. To relax the muscles between the eyes, where two vertical lines often appear, I put the cream on my forehead and massage it at the same time (moving eg. two middle fingers - both hands - simultaneously/ see the picture below).

And what is your favorite face care product?

Stay Fresh Deodorant With Organic Aloe Vera by Yves Rocher

This roll-on deodorant is a good option for those of you who look for an aluminum free product. I like it as it has a fresh scent and works well even on a hot summer day. Besides, it does not stain the clothing and it is very gentle too - does not sting when used straight after shaving.
The deodorant is not only aluminum salts free - it does not contain any parabens/colorant either.

From the label: 
'98.7% of the total ingredients are from natural origin. 105 of the total ingredients are from Organic Farming.'

This product is also part of the Yves Rocher programme '1 product purchased = 1 tree planted'. You can read more about the campaign here.
Regular price=$4.50. Right now it is available with 56% discount. check it out at the Yves Rocher online store.

Pure Light Foundation For Summer By Yves Rocher

Since it is getting warmer and warmer (despite the rain), it is time to switch to a lighter makeup version. I have recently bought this Light & Luminous Foundation by Yves Rocher and I really love it. Although it is light indeed, it evens the skin tone and makes it look radiant and fresh. It gives medium coverage and quite a natural look. Besides, what is also important on a warm and sunny day, the foundation lets the skin 'breath' (I do not feel it on my face as it is lightweight) and stays in place all day long. It is also good for a nude and flawless makeup look. What is more, it does not irritate my eyes/skin. The fluid consistency makes it easy to apply the foundation evenly, without any darker smudges.
The Light & Luminous Foundation contains rice extract, cornflower water, soy extract and vitamin E.
Its regular price = $23 (it is often available at a lower price during 'special offer' time - right now it is $13.90).

From the manufacturer:

• Rice extract, from Asia, is rich in botanical inositol which improves the skin's radiance.
• Tested under dermatological control.

Nails: Spring In Pink

Pink enamel shades always make the nails look good. At this time of the year,  they very much relate to the flowers which are blooming here and there. If you have no garden to look at and enjoy, you can simply make your nails bloom with a (more or less affordable) nail polish.

1. New York Color Long Wearing Nail Enamel #156 (Target $0.94)
The nail polish is really great - a shimmery and vivid color. It gives a rather sheer coverage on the nails though. I like it anyway. It gets dry on the nails fast and makes them look pretty.
My rating
Packaging and brush: 5/5
Durability*: 5/5
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5
Price:5/5

2. Vernice Brillance Nail Lacquer #61 Rose Pastel by Yves Rocher ($9 - often available with 50% discount)
Another shiny polish. Although the Rose Pastel is a bright shade, it covers the nails well because it is well pigmented. The brush is rather flat which makes the application easy.
From the manufacturer: Tested under dermatological supervision.
My rating
Packaging and brush: 5/5
Durability*: 5/5
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5
Price:3.5/5 

3. Cutie Girl Nail Polish (Dollar Tree $1)
I came across it by accident and I am glad I decided to buy the nail color. A good brush, makes the application even, with no problems. The nail polish dries quickly and lasts on the nails quite long. I love the color which is more purple than pink of course. 
My rating
Packaging and brush: 5/5
Durability*: 4.5/5 
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5
Price:5/5

Great brush - makes even application really easy

4. Anna Sui Nail Color #305
The Nail Color is part of Dave Lackie's sweepstake prizes which I have won at the beginning of this year (I wrote about it here). It is a very delicate nude-like, pink shade with some shimmery accent which looks really elegant on the nails. The bottle is cute. However,  I need to get used to the shape of the upper, black part. Since it is rather flat, it makes the nail polish application a bit more difficult. But if you can manage dealing with it, the results are quite pleasing.
My rating
Packaging: 4/5 (esthetic impression 6/5)
Brush: 5/5
Durability*: 5/5
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5

 
5. Scented Nail Enamel Grapefruit Fizz by Revlon
It contains brocade-like, shiny particles. The scent, which is quite nice, appears when the nail polish gets dry. The brush allows an easy and flawless application. Although this kind of nail polish has been discontinued by Revlon, many shades of the Scented Nail Enamel series are still available at some online stores. I purchased mine in Poland some time ago. I cannot recall how much it cost there but the price was certainly quite resonable.
My rating
Packaging and brush: 5/5
Durability*: 3.5/5
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5

* My hands/nails & nail polish are 'exposed' to all the housework (including washing/dish-washing) I do every day


Whenever I decorate your nails with an enamel, I also use some base coat to protect the nail plates. This Quick Dry Coat by Revlon is one of the best I have ever tried.
From the manufacturer: DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde-free.

To make the nail polish last longer, prevent it from chipping, and add some extra shine to the nails, I also apply the Strengthening Top Coat by Sally Hansen at the end of my mani session. It was transparent when I bought it, it got some color due to the enamel shades used. Although the Top Coat dries quickly on the nail polish, I still have to be careful for an hour or so, not to mess up my nails which I most often do anyway. I simply have no time to sit doing nothing and wait till all the layers on my nails get totally dry.

Happy Spring nail coloring!

Eye Makeup With Eyeshadow Trio by Yves Rocher

Lovely! Lovely! Lovely! These Summer Collection 3 Pearl Effect Eye Shadows are! Actually they belong to 2014 Summer Collection by Yves Rocher, but I just recently bought this beautiful trio. The shades are ultra-pigmented and long lasting - simply gorgeous. The smoky blue is more on the matte side. The light bronze and golden beige are beautiful, ultra-shimmering colors though. During the application (and not only) they shine and sparkle like particles of gold in the sunshine. So wonderful! Another advantage is that the eye shadows are paraben free.

I tried them in different makeup options - using the blue eye shadow to crease or applying it to the eyelids. Both results were good - in the first case: the beige and bronze were exposed so nicely. The second way made the look rather bold but not too bold to wear it as an everyday makeup style.
The summer sun exposes the sparkling beauty of the eye shadows. The trio ($10) is perfect to create a sunny, holiday look.

1. Golden Beige - base on the eyelid. Bronze in the middle of the eyelid only. 

2. Golden Beige used as base. Bronze on the entire eyelid. Blue eye pencil by YR.

3. Golden Beige used as base. Smoky Blue on the eyelid. Bronze - crease. Blue eye pencil.

Makeup In Green

The black eye pencil used to be my no.1 makeup item in my teenage years. At that time I also enjoyed playing with various makeup styles. However, I never showed the results of my tries to the outside world. Once, I especially liked my 'green eyes' and decided to see how my neighbor (a girl at my age) would like it.  The girl was not at home and I only talked to her mum. The lady was a kind and polite woman so she sad nothing on my look, but I noticed it in her eyes - the impression my green and black makeup made. I could tell she found it rather surprising, if not improper.

Nowadays, it would be nothing very much unusual, but in the early 80s it was definitely not a kind of everyday teenage look. Anyway, I was quite happy with the effect of my 'ahead of time' makeup experiment then.
These days, I would rather use a green eye liner (along the upper eyelashes only) instead of the black eye pencil. I recently got a Kohl Duo, orange and grey black pencil, by Yves Rocher - also an orange line completes the green eyeshadow quite nicely.

Kohl Dou Eye Pencil is enriched with Cotton Oil. Both the green eyeliner and the Mandarine side of the pencil contain shimmery particles.

St. Patrick's Day is coming,  it is a good time to think of a special green or green-and-white look.

Luminelle Eye Pencil by Yves Rocher

What you need is: a green eyeshadow/green eye shadows, a white eye shadow, a green eye pencil/ eyeliner and a white eye pencil. To make it more colorful, you can also add orange shades to it, including the Mandarine eye pencil mentioned above. Play with various combinations of these  ingredients and choose your most favorite look for this year's celebrations. Have fun!

One of my tries...

For the nails: my choice is the matte green (seems to be discontinued by Sally Hansen) and pearl white (by Yves Rocher) nail polish.

Mini nail polish by YR gives a shimmering, light coverage. The green shade by SH was found at Dollar Tree

Hand Care: Hand Creams

Winter seems to have no end this year, at least in this part of the world. When it is so cold outside, it is good to remember that not only the face but also our hands need to be taken care of. Especially, if we happen to forget or skip wearing gloves. The hands skin exposed to the winter weather conditions dries out and gets damaged easily. Besides that, since I usually wash my hands often, doing all the housework at home, I need to support them with a hand balm all year round.
The creams which I have tried recently are:
 1. Fragrance free hand cream by Neutrogena - good treat for very dry, cracked and chopped hands, elbows and knees also (it contains glycerin which has moisturizing properties). If you are looking for a moisturizer only, the rich formula of the cream may seem to greasy. However, it can also be used, from time to time, (like a mask) as a special treatment to improve the hands/skin condition. Price: $4.99

2. Udderly Smooth Hand Cream - it does what it is expected: softens, smooths and moisturizes the dry skin. Its formula is quite light and non-greasy. The cream has a light and pleasant scent and it is easily absorbed by the skin. It contains (among others) glycerine, allantoin (which has healing properties) and lanolin. It stays on the skin even after washing the hands with a soap. Quite good for its price which was $1 (at Dollar Tree).

3. Nourishing Hand Cream - Honey & Organic Muesli - by Yves Rocher.
It is a very rich but also non-oily cream, good hand moisturizer, with an intense honey and acacia scent. Paraben, colorant and mineral oil free.
Organic ingredients:

• acacia honey - softening properties,
• honey and organic muesli - nourishing properties,
• chestnut extract - protective properties,
• oat extract - reperative properties,
• sunflower oil - nourishing agent.

 Regular price: $7 (sometimes available with a 50% discount)

4. Long Lasting Moisturizing Hand Cream by Yves Rocher - I did enjoy using it. The tube had a very convenient, removable top (the same as the cream described above) which allowed using the product till the last drop. The cream moistened my hands really well without leaving a greasy film on the skin. It is paraben free.
Some of its ingredients:

• glycerine,
• coconut oil,
• rapeseed oil,
• arnica chamissonis flower extract,
• carnauba wax,
• allantoin.

Regular price: $7

Spring Makeup in Winter

 I enjoy playing with various tones of eye shadows and eye pencils. Whatever combination of colors I come up with, it is neither dramatic nor too unusual. It is always something simple which I can wear every day without looking (too) awkward.

Browsing my makeup bag, I came across a Kohl Duo eye pencil by Yves Rocher.

Duo Crayon Kohl: Rose irise/Bronze dore by Yves Rocher - both colors match also nude makeup nicely

The pink (rose irise) tip of the pencil made me think of the spring and spring flowers, which resulted in creating my spring makeup version:

1. Pearl beige eye shadow - inner eye corner + eyebrow arch.
2. Eyelids: Orange and green eye shadows (from Pearl Profusion Cosmetics Eyeshadow Palette.
3. Lower lash line: pearl beige (close to the inner eye corner) + green eye shadow line.
4. Upper eye lash line: pink eye pencil by Yves Rocher.

Well, it all looks a bit different than in the pictures...

Professional lip pencil No. 12 by Collistar and lipstick Caresse 03 Lovely Rose by L'Oreal complement the spring eye makeup.

The shade of the lipstick is much lighter in real - matches the eye pink pencil

I cannot wait till the spring comes!

Dutch tulips in Ania's garden - picture by Ania L.

Nude Makeup And A Bit More

I have got this eyeshadow palette because of two reasons. First of all I wanted a set of bronzes for a nude makeup look. Since the tones of this Trio are quite nice, and I had never had any eye shadows by Maybelline, I decided to purchase them. They (and the nude eye makeup) were actually my choice for the Valentine's Day + weekend. The bronze shades are neutral so they match any outfit/lipstick color.
The pigmentation of the  eye shadows is OK (could be a bit better) but when I apply them after putting some eye shadow base on the lid, they last all day. The 'prompts', provided both on the box and eye shadows (1. Base, 2. Lid, 3. Crease - see below), help if someone does not know how the shades should be applied. I really like the colors. They create an effortless and elegant look. It is also easy to transform the nude day makeup into its evening/date version.

ExpertWear Eyehadow Trio - Chocolate Mousse (delicately shimmery) - by Maybelline

Day makeup:
a) to open the eye - I put some shimmery champagne eye shadow in the inner eye corner;

b) Chocolate Mousse Trio by Maybelline applied to the eyelids + a thin line along 1/3 lower eyelid line with shade No.3;
c) brown eye pencil - a thin line along the upper eyelashes line.

Luminelle Duo Crayon Kohl: Vert d'eau pailette and Brun nacre by Yves Rocher - soft, creamy tips and interesting shades

Every now and then, Yves Rocher offer a different version of the Kohl Duo eye pencil, meaning different colors matched together. Currently it has been Smokey Grey and Mandarine (regular price $5) - love the latter shade. Anyway, the two colors presented in the above picture go nicely with the nude bronzes of the eye shadows. The brown pencil can be used to enhance the upper eyelashes line  with the frosty green on the lower eyelid line or the opposite. The Vert d'eau pailette (I call it 'frosty green') line looks really interesting on the upper eyelid too. Anyway, on Valentine's Day, I used the brown eye pencil only.

Lips - what I used (as it matched the color of my outfit):

• Soft Precision lipliner No. 60 by Inglot
• lipstick: Raspberry No.14 by Yves Rocher.

I received the lipstick as a free gift, when I ordered something else from Yves Rocher. The lipstick smells nice, like a raspberry cake . It provides adaptable coverage and looks good on the lips. The shade reminds me fuchsia but it is a bit less intense.

Evening makeup version:
a) and b) the same as in the Day Look;
c) if you have no time to wash off the Day Look, it is enough to draw a line with a black eyeliner (on the brown eye pencil line - upper eyelid) - it changes the look dramatically.

Lips
I changed my outfit so I colored the lips red.

And a bit more

COVERGIRL Queen Collection - Peacock

It has also been my first ever eye shadow by COVERGIRL. I purchased it because I found the Peacock shadow interesting. Besides, I also wanted to try a product by this brand. I am neither disappointed nor surprised with the quality of the eyshadow (it tends to fade on the eyelid)
but I still like the green tone. It matches the Chocolate Mousse Palette and when used to crease (with no.1 and 2. from the Maybelline Trio), it gives a new dimension to the nude makeup look.