Just some summer nail-manicuers to get us in the mood of summer!

 

 

So many choises so many ideas choose something fun!!!

Take a look at some permanent ideas so your manicure will stay perfect!

The Devil's in the Details  





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Rene Furterer Forticea Stimulating Shampoo Review

Hello all!!!

Today’s review is of a shampoo I’ve been testing out for the past few months. It’s called the Rene Furterer Forticea Stimulating Shampoo and I purchased it from my local pharmacy for around 14 euro/18.14 dollars. It’s also available on Amazon with more versions of it to choose from but I figured I should go with the one I could purchase locally and save on the shipping and handling expenses if I ended up not liking it. 

So, the shampoo I purchased looks like this…

Product Description

There’s 200ml/6.76oz of product and it’s going to last for about a month if you shampoo your hair once or twice a week. Even though taking frequent showers helps cleanse your skin and get rid of dirt and oil that has piled up throughout the day, shampooing your hair on a daily basis can actually harm your hair because you dispose of natural oils that your scalp produces that is good for your hair growth. In any case, this shampoo might be a bit expensive, it can actually last a while…

The consistency is very interesting: It’s almost gel-like but it also has round capsules in it which break as you’re shampooing your hair. It actually looks like a gel scrubbing cleanser, but you don’t feel the capsules at all. The smell reminds me of something with lemon in it, which actually gives a really clean feel – kind of important, don’t you think? The texture is very light and it doesn’t weight on the hair; afterwards, it feels like every single product you’ve used on your hair throughout the week (including the dirt and dust it might have collected from the outdoors) has been removed and your hair is squeaky clean :P 

Product Performance

Now, on to the most important question: Does it actually help your hair grow faster? In all honesty, I will say yes. My hair grows exceptionally slow and I have tried “stimulating” shampoos in the past but I got nothing… This one’s different. I have no idea what ingredient in this shampoo stimulated my hair but they has been growing faster and they also look a lot healthier than before. And I’m one of those people who colors, straightens, curls etc. my hair all the time. 

There seems to be a balance between the deep cleansing of this shampoo and how it moisturizes the hair, because even though it doesn’t weight on the hair (like some other moisturizing shampoos I have used over the years), it also doesn’t dry my hair out (like some deep cleansing ones do). Overall, I am absolutely satisfied with this product and I have been using only this one as far as shampoo goes, with a touch of the Tsubaki Damage Care Treatment for the ends of my hair, whose review you can read here 

Tsubaki Damage Care Treatment

Just to be clear: this won’t make your hair grow overnight. It doesn’t help them grow Rapunzel-style; no shampoo can do that. What it can do for you, as time goes by and you keep using it, is to stimulate your hair and help them grow a little faster than usual. So in a few months, you can start seeing actual results :)

Hope this review was helpful! Have a great weekend 

*S

Spring Time!!!

Now that the weather is getting consistently warmer, it’s time to try out some fun looks! It’s a great season to integrate some color into your make up or wardrobe and to make some subtle alterations in your everyday life that can overall lead to a healthier lifestyle!

Face/Body Care

Spring might be fun but it’s also known for its allergies and can be quite bothersome for those who suffer from them. So make sure you always have an anti-inflammatory cream or gel with you to instantly apply on the infected area. Make sure it’s a product that can also be applied on your face since pollen can reach there as well.  

 

  In terms of what products you use around this season, switch to body or face creams that don’t feel sticky immediately after application. In other words, make sure that things traveling through air won’t be able to stick (and remain) on your skin and cause allergic reactions.This time of year, I always switch to products containing cherry tree blossom extracts because they're very light but still moisturize the skin. Also, it would be good to avoid body butter and use lotions instead. 

Also, don’t wear perfume or choose one with a less strong smell. It will attract less bugs – trust me, it’s important. Clinique or Chloe have some nice spring perfumes this season :) 

On to the fun stuff

Spring is a time where you can get inspired by colors. Personally, I love a pop of color on any look, so a great style to try out this season is adding color on your lower lash line. Try out a basic cat eye look but only add the dark liner on the upper lid. Then, add an electric blue, green, purple, or yellow eye shadow on the lower lash line to complete the look. If you’re going for a day time look, skip the darker color on the upper lid and just use mascara to shape the eye a little and add a pop of color of your choice on the lower lash line. 

Some photos for inspiration:  

 

Another fun thing to try out is colored mascaras. You can play around with how you add your colors but one of my favorite looks would be to create a smoky eye with grey of darker eye shadows and use colored mascara afterwards. 

Finally, if eye shadows or mascara is not your thing and you like to keep the focus on your lips, you can always sport a bright lip color for spring! Choose one that fits your skin color but also compliments your tone! To make the color more intense, you can either use a neutral lip color as a base and then apply the brighter one or you can use a lip liner before applying your color of choice. 

 Health

Our food choices seem to get lighter as the weather grows warmer so you can totally take advantage of that and do mini detoxifying things for your body everyday! Some simple ways to detox without going out of your way looking for some rare herb that celebrities use are the following: 

✓ Drink hot lemon water in the morning 

✓ Have a fresh juice on an empty stomach so your body can absorb the nutrients better

✓ Drink tea that has ginger, licorice, dandelion root or burdock - they have strong detoxifying elements

✓ Add detoxifying foods to your diet such as: parsley, cilantro, turmeric, red peppers, lemons or limes, lots of vegetables and fruits, wheat grass, spirulina. 

✓ You could also incorporate fiber into your diet or take fiber supplements. 

✓ Before taking a shower try dry brushing your skin first. It helps remove the dead skin cells and allows for your skin to breath. 

Spring is THE time for colorful food. Don't know why but food with vibrant colors seems ten times more delicious than it does in the winter. Experiment and try out different types of lettuce or other vegetables in salads or other dishes and you might even discover a new favorite recipe!!! 

If you're up for it, try a detox bath: 

- Fill up your tub with water and add magnesium sulfate (epsom salts). Add the appropriate amount according to your body weight. 

- Add baking soda and/or ginger tea. Ginger tea can increase heart rates and help with getting rid of toxins. It's optional to add this but if you do, add accordingly to your sensitivity and the size of your bathtub. 

- Finally, add some aromatherapy salts or fresh herbs.

Stay in for at least 20 minutes (if you start feeling too hot, you can add cold water until the temperature is good for you). Afterwards you can rub your body with a loofah  or a sponge. This helps stimulate the lymphatic system.

WHEN COMING OUT OF THE BATHTUB, BE CAREFUL! YOUR BODY HAS BEEN GETTING RID OF TOXINS AND YOU MIGHT FEEL LIGHTHEADED ONCE YOU GET UP. 

DRINK LOTS OF WATER AFTERWARDS TO HELP REMOVE THE TOXINS

Have fun and Happy Spring time!!!!

*S

Happy Mother's Day to every lovely mother out there :) 

THEFACESHOP Egg white peel-off mask review

Hello all!!!

Today’s article is a review of a face mask from the company called THEFACESHOP, the Purifying Egg White Mask. 

 

 As always, when it comes to Asian products, I purchased this from yesstyle.com around the same time I bought the Lovely Me:ex - Magic Pink Powder Mask (read review here: http://thefriendzyzone.blogspot.gr/2013/02/lovely-meex-magic-pink-powder-mask.html) 

Egg white masks are great for the summer because they absorb the extra oil from the face and prevent breakouts caused from that and a mask containing egg whites is also good for evening out the skin tone, helping to get rid of the red areas that seem to become more persistent around the summer months. 

Product description:

This is a peel-off mask. There’s a 120ml worth or product and a little goes a long way. You evenly distribute the product all over the face – or just the areas you want to treat such as blackhead prone areas – and after 15-20 minutes, rinse with lukewarm water. The direction say that you can use a toner on a cotton pad to remove any remainder.

Here’s what the product looks like before it dries on the skin: 

Product performance:

This is (without a doubt) one of the best peel-off masks I’ve used. I tend to avoid peel-offs because they can be damaging to sensitive skin but this one delivers every time. It’s very gentle – so, no irritation – and soothing, and as you take it off you can feel it removing all the dead skin cells, dirt and sebum off your face. It’s for frequent use (although no more than twice a week) and the results do last. After using it for a while, I’ve noticed the area around my nose and mouth that tends to be red is less irritated and the rest of my face looks rejuvenated as well.

It won’t remove deep set black heads and the like but it’s great for everything else J However, I have come to believe that for sensitive or mixed skin types, using it twice a week like instructions say might be a bit too much. Since it removes a lot of the oil from the face, the areas that are already dry might get irritated (for mixed skin) and sensitive skin might also get irritated. None the less, if you adjust the frequency of use for this mask to your needs, it will still work pretty well. 

*S 

p.s Happy Easter to everyone who is celebrating!!!