Korres - Magnolia Bark Night Cream Review

Hello! Hope everyone has had a relaxing and fun weekend :)

Today’s post is a review of another Korres product. Korres has always been a good choice for products that feel “natural” and light to the skin, but this year they truly stepped it up and produced some really nice creams and makeup products, among other things. 

The product I will be reviewing today is the Korres - Magnolia Bark Night Cream for First Wrinkles.

As you can guess from the product title, this night cream contains magnolia bark extracts for skin nourishment, elasticity and restoration. Magnolia is also known for helping fine wrinkles fade while preventing new ones from appearing. Another key effect of magnolia is that it enhances the skin's defense against inflammation. 

Product Description:

The night cream comes in a small glass-like container with 40ml worth of product. After testing this our through samples at first, I found out that you really need only  a small amount for the entire face and neck as this cream is very concentrated and moisturizing. And it smells absolutely awesome :P

Here is what the cream looks like. Like I mentioned before, it's very concentrated but thankfully enough it doesn't feel like you're piling up a product - it feels very light. 

Product Review:

You can see the results immediately after you've applied the product. Lately, my skin has been looking a lot more tired than usual and so whatever fine lines and wrinkles I had are exaggerated, which only makes me look more tired and older :S However, right after I tried the Korres night cream my face looked like I had been given a facelift! The lines on my forehead that had been accentuated due to my skin's poor performance over the past few weeks had literally disappeared while the rest of my skin looked smoother, brighter and even my dark circles seemed to have faded a little.  And that's just after the first try!  

I am pleased to say that the results last. I apply this cream every night after removing my make up and I have noticed a significant difference on the wrinkles on my forehead (which troubled me the most), while the redness on some parts of my face like around the nose and mouth has been significantly reduced. It doesn't do anything for acne so if you have acne-prone skin (like myself), make sure to use a different product for that. 

Overall, I am extremely impressed with how refreshed and bright my face looks after using this cream and I would definitely recommend it :)

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Sephora Makeup Set Review

Hi all!!!

 

So, Sephora has recently produced a makeup box similar to the Coastal Scents 88 pallet (in terms of the eye shadow collection), except the Sephora box also includes blushes and lip glosses! I really wanted to add an eye shadow/blush/lip gloss pallet to my makeup collection and this was too fun and cute to resist :P

When I saw this at the store, I was a little reluctant since I’m a firm believer of “something’s gotta give”: either the quality of the products included would be low or the price would be too high or something like that… Mea culpa, because this is easily one of my best purchases of 2013! 

 

There were two makeup box sets: a large one that included a variety of lip glosses as well as lipsticks and blushes alongside the huge number of eye shadows and eyeliners and a smaller one, which lacked the eyeliners but had an equal amount of eye shadows and lip glosses! 

Product Description

Here are some pictures of the smaller box which I ended up purchasing (I got the smaller one since I pretty much use only black eyeliners and was more interested in exploring different eye shadow and lip gloss options).

This is what the whole thing looks like. That little box in the first picture opens up to this :P There are a total of 60 eye shadows of different textures (more details in the pictures to follow), as well as 60 lip glosses with an addition of three highlighting colors (that can also be used as eye shadows) and three blushes. 

 

Here is the central piece, where all the "earth toned" eye shadows are. There is also a mirror and some eye shadow brushes stored in this compartment. The "earth toned" eye shadows are mostly some variety of brown or gold with glittered or mat textures but there are also some purple or light lilac toned eye shadows. 

 

It doesn't really come through in the picture but the two colors on the top right are purple/lilac toned...

Here is a picture of the left section, where the eye shadows are stored. 

On the last section to the left, you can see the three large highlighting colors that are available, but honestly they can also be used as regular eye shadows.

 

The 12 eye shadows in this section are gel textured (so they can pretty much be used as eye liners as well) 

 And this is the right section with the lip gloss selections and the blushes on the last section to the right. 

 

Product Review

 

First of all, I love love love the fact that every section is color coordinated :P In both the eye shadow and the lip gloss bit, there are different color families to choose from and combine to achieve different looks. Plus, it's more practical than having to go through every eye shadow to find which one would match which... 

There is a variety of lip glosses to choose from as well and not just “glittery” ones: most of them, once they’re on, look like lip sticks/lip stains and so they really add to the look.There is a lip color for pretty much any occasion!

This has to be the simplest of ways to be exposed to the wonders of makeup; you can try out colors you had never thought of before and broaden your look book :)  There are so many different colors to choose from and you can seriously create whatever look you’re in the mood for, just with the products in this kit.

The only disadvantage of makeup box kits, in my opinion, is that if/when you run out of one eye shadow which comes in small amounts, you can’t stock up as easily. However, this doesn’t seem to be a problem with this particular kit, since all  eye shadows are very pigmented and so you need very little product each time. And the quality is amazing, the colors really stand out even when creating a monochromatic look and I have a feeling that for some of them, I won't even need an eye shadow primer. 

Overall, I'm very satisfied by this purchase. The selection of colors is very satisfying and the quality hasn't suffered at all. In addition this was priced very fairly and that's always a good thing ^^ 

Hope you found this review helpful :)

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Some little prince

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... Some Manga Suggestions

So, recently, I decided to start reading manga again and in the process I re-read some of my all-time favorites. But, I have to say, I am not the biggest fan of manga. I think they are beautifully written but I always tend to prefer anime. However, here are two exceptions to the rule and even though I cannot wait to see them in their anime versions, I feel that one should also read the manga as well.

Nora:

Nora’s story takes place in two dimensions: the demon world and the human world, and  the characters as well as the attention that has been given to their development is exceptionally good. Nora is a demon; basically a more reckless version of Cerberus, the dog watcher of the underworld. He is an untamed teenage-looking boy (who by the way, does turn into Cerberus when he reaches his boiling point) who eventually pisses off Satan and she (a very voluptuous and feisty “she”) banishes him to earth so he can learn from the nobler and humble human race. 

She trusts his training and protection to a human boy, a genius named Kazuma, who is incidentally looking for something interesting in his boring life. Kazuma is also entrusted with a seal that can allow Nora to unleash his Cerberus form. There are other demons under Satan’s command that try to help Kazuma and Nora along their journey of becoming friends and learning from each other, as unknown evil forces seek to force their way to the world of humans and take over. 

The true gold in this manga lies in the characters. Satan has to be the funniest Dark Queen there has ever been and her cuteness along with the fact that she IS the mother of all evil creates one of the most unique Satan characters ever. Also, there is a great chemistry developed between the two main characters: Nora and Kazuma. Nora is more explosive, accident-prone but with true brute power and so he faces a real struggle when being controlled by someone like Kazuma who seems like he has the world figured out. However, Satan in all her evil wisdom has recognized that each of them needs what the other has: Nora needs to learn discipline while Kazuma needs to learn how to let loose once in a while. And they both need a friend.

This manga encapsulates all the things that are truly important in life: balance, friendship, family, loyalty, happiness and a sense of home and all of these concepts are explored throughout the nine volumes of this manga. And I must say that it’s the first time I cried while reading a comic book :P

I can’t sleep alone

Moving on to a completely different genre, “I can’t sleep alone” is a series of short one-piece stories that involve different people and circumstances.  It is essentially a collection of stories written by eight popular shoujo horror manga artists. Even though shoujo manga is mostly marketed towards women (shoujo can be translated as girl in Japanese), don't make the mistake of discarding this collection if you don't belong in it's target audience. What’s fascinating about these short stories is that they all, one way or another, convey a very deep message hidden in the scary scenarios of the manga.  I found the depiction of the characters as well as the talent with which the authors pass on their message to be very insightful. 

The titles of these stories are as follows:

Welcome to the world of the picture book

I want you close

I see a hen

Forest of Memory

The Show-off ghost

S.O.S Message

Me inside the Mirror

Doll shop

 

My two favorites were Me inside the Mirror and the Doll shop, but the other stories were very well written as well. The thing that captivates me the most about “I can’t sleep alone” is what I essentially appreciate most from manga and anime related Japanese art: everyday problems, concerns and issues are talked about through the use of what can basically be described as cartoons, which in my opinion makes them all the more realistic. 

 Just think about Hayao Miyazaki’s films and the message and character development that comes through his films. The same idea is effectively used in “I can’t sleep alone” making it one of my top manga suggestion.

Hope you enjoy!!! 

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ARTISTRY - Length and Definition Mascara Review

So… a few days ago, a friend gave me an ARTISTRY mascara to test out.  It’s called Length and Definition Mascara. I had previously used some ARTISTRY products like their face creams and serums and I was interested in trying out their mascaras as well.

First things first...

The color I’m trying out is the black one. It comes with a nice black and gold packaging that also has some sparkling texture; overall the mascara looks super glamorous :P It’s not a drugstore product; you can buy it from a company called Amway or maybe find it on websites like EBay. 

Here’s what the description on the Amway Website says:

“Visibly extends lashes up to 70% with the breakthrough OptiLength formula. The FlexFx brush, our most technically advanced ever, coats each lash from root to tip for ultimate separation, length, and definition. Virtually smudge-proof so lashes stay perfect all day”.

My review

Aside from the high price, this is actually a fantastic product!!! It doesn’t clump, run, smudge or smear, it stays put all day and it adds A LOT of volume to the lashes. It also makes them look full and shiny, overall creating a very glamorous look. 

The color is also very black, not “almost” black and I have to say that the thing I am most impressed by from this product is how it separates and adds volume to each lash, which is basically what you would want from a good mascara. 

The only disadvantage of this product would be that even though the wand brush is very well made, there is still some residue left on the end, which you need to wipe before applying – otherwise you end up with too much product on the end of your brush and it can transfer on your lashes. 

Also, this isn’t a cheap product (at least in my opinion, since I survive perfectly well with drugstore products), it’s listed at 25 dollars on the Amway website.

 

Would I invest in this?

Even though I am extremely impressed by the performance of this product (it seriously makes my lashes look like they came out of a Hollywood movie), the results are not so unique for me to decide to invest in this product in the future. My lashes are pretty long and curl on their own, so I have experienced similar results with other beauty store or even drugstore mascaras. None the less, you won’t be sorry if you actually decide to purchase this: it will do you wonders, especially if you think your lashes could use a “kick” of glamor, and you'd be getting a great product.

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