Quick Skin Care Tip

My Dearest Beauties,

I don't even remember where I heard that we should wash our faces using cleansers for a whole a minute or more. It is supposed to help the medicinal components of your cleanser break up and act better on your skin. I have crazy oily and problematic skin and I always get treatments from my dermatologist, I usually end up getting good results but she never pointed out that if I take an extra minute of cleansing I would see better results.

Anyway, I have started to do this a little over two weeks now. I can say that my face has not changed drastically (maybe because of the little amount of time) but during the day I feel like my face gets oily at a slower pace and that on those days that I wear makeup; I find that my makeup stays flawless for a longer time. Not only, does it stay put longer but this also, helps my pores appear tighter.

I am not a doctor and I am not even sure how this works but I can tell the difference (oily girls will understand). Try it! It only takes your typical face cleanser and a minute or two to spare.

The cleanser I use on my face day and night; for those of you that are curious is the La Roche Posay Effaclar Foaming Gel, which was recommended to me by my dermatologist.

Photo retrieved here

Click on the links if you are interested in knowing more about the cleanser and the range.

See you later lovelies,

Samar

No Makeup Makeup Pictorial

My Dearest Beauties,

We all need that makeup look to resort to when we are in a hurry or maybe when we simply do not feel like putting in the effort. This makeup is even useful for school, work, a flying day,  a picnic, and for a day-to-day basis. It is a pick me up look, so that you won't look like you just got out of bed and hit the road. This look will make you look put together and to the eyes of many, it will look like you are not wearing any makeup at all, hence the name.

1. Start off with a clean face that already has all the skin care on (moisturizer, sun screen, eye lotion, wrinkle treatment, whatever it is you use).
2. Conceal. I use the Benefit Boi-ing concealer in shade # 03 under my eyes to conceal the circles. Note that I don't go all around the eye because I use the natural pigment of my upper lid as a shadow. Use the same concealer to hide any blemishes or undesired pigmentation. Make sure to blend away the edges with the use of your fingers or brushes.
3. Powder. I use stay-matte sheer pressed powder oil free by Clinique all over my face. As the name implies this powder intends to mattify your face without adding tons of coverage. I use it to set my concealer (having oily skin I don't want the cream concealer to move around and crease) and to give my complexion a more evened out look. I apply powder with a Ecotools brush.
4. Eyebrows. Don't ever forget to give your eyebrows some love, remember they not only frame your eyes but also your face; so if you are not naturally blessed with perfectly shaped brows then go ahead and give your eyebrows a little filling. I use Seventeen Longstay Eyebrow Shaper in shade 90. 
5. Mascara. I use one coat of Maybelline The Collossal Volum' Express Waterproof first and then I go ahead with Dali Vibralash, both in black. This combo gives me volume, length and separation; which results in flirty and fluttery lashes without going OTT (over the top).
6. Blush. Blush makes you look healthy and glowy, I use a natural but satin shade on my cheeks by Chanel, 99 Rose Petale. I apply blush with an Ecotools brush.
7. Lips. Finish off with a Lip Maximizer Collagen Activ by Dior. This will give your lips a nice shine, moisture and a cool plumping effect.

Now, you are all done, this literally takes me under ten minutes. It doesn't require any extravagant makeup skills and it will make you look awake, healthy and radiant. You don't need to use these same products, I just share them with you because these are the most trusted products in my makeup collection. For something like a no makeup makeup always go with your most trusted products, because you know that they won't let you down.

If only I looked like that when I wake up every morning! Thank goodness a little bit of makeup can do a lot. Tell me what you think of this look in the comments.

Much Love,

Samar

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Welcoming Fall with a Manicure

My Dearest Beauties,

Inspired by one of my favorite J. Crew sweaters.

The dark shade is # 280 and for the light shade I used Fluo Magenta both from Dali of course.

What do you think of this classic nail color with a tiny twist?

Much love,

Samar

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil Review

My Dearest Beauties,

Are you looking for a pampering shower experience? Look no further! This is the answer. Stop reading and go pick one of these up! This delicious shower oil smells like a dream, feels amazing on the skin and lathers into the most luxurious milky foam you have ever tried. I just love everything about it, and I had to share it with all of you. It is divinely enriched with sweet almond oil, grapevine and rosemary. This magic potion makes it have the most beautiful subtle smell that will leave a very understated aroma on your skin. You will, definitely, smell of it when you come out of the shower but the smell is so soft that it will not disturb your other scents.

I usually apply it and spread it on my damp skin using my hands. It first goes on like a rich and emollient oil and then it quickly transforms into a softening milk. It will leave you with beautiful and supple skin. You will not need to to use lotion, which gives it yet another useful option; when you're in a hurry and need to be out the door in flash time the almond shower oil will give take away the moisturizing step. And, it is a luxurious way of cutting out a step. I think you can tell how much I love this stuff.

A final using tip. I use it after waxing in place of the oil. It gets rid of all the wax that is stuck to your skin. Again, putting all the steps together. Instead of oiling your skin to get rid of the wax and then showering to get rid of the oil. You can simply go straight to applying a generous amount of the almond shower oil and then rinse it off, rinse it all off! You will be left with clean and soothed skin after waxing torture.

It comes in different sizes. From the large 500 ml bottle that can beautifully sit in your shower to the small travel sizes and even a plastic bag for refills. L'Occitane thinks of everything!

I'm just in love with the Almond Shower Oil. It is a very high quality product and I think it can make a special little gift for anyone you know loves to pamper her or himself. Have you tried it? I'm sure you will love it.

Much  love,

Samar

How to Make the Most out of: Perfume

My Dearest Beauties, 

One of my dear readers, Carolina, sent me this amazing image indicating where you should apply perfume. So, I thought it would be fun to share my tricks on layering and applying perfume. Perfumes give us a scent identity, because even when hundreds of people apply the same perfume, each and every person smells differently. The way that each body interacts with a scent is different!

Now, this picture is about maximizing the life of your perfume. I have always heard that one should apply perfume where we usually check for pulse. That is because as blood travels it heats up the perfume making it linger. For that reason it is very important that you apply perfume on the right areas.

My personal trick is layering scents. I always buy beautifully and subtly scented lotions and body sprays that are in tune with my perfume. It isn't a bad idea if you buy your favorite perfume's shower gel, body lotion and body spray. The more layers, the better! Go as far as googling your perfume and finding out the components, so if the main scent is amber, you can go and pick up an amber body spray and body butter, to highlight and layer the aroma.

Most people change their fragrance from season to season. Personally, I go with my mood. If I feel like wearing a strong and musky scent in the middle of August, I will wear it. I mean, why not? It just depends on what you like and what your nose tolerates during the heat months or the cold months. 

If you find that no matter what you do, that specific perfume doesn't stay. Then it isn't the right one for your body chemistry. Try it on before investing. Ask people if they can smell your fragrance. It often happens that you love the scent and you can smell it all day long, but unfortunately no one else can. I personally love to leave a scent impression. People will tend to recognize and link the specific smell to you. 

Remember, everyone has a signature scent, and it is very easy to make the most of your perfumes. Carolina thank you so much for this lovely input.

Tell me what you think on the comments below. 

Much love, 

Samar

A Little Miracle Worker

My Dearest Beauties,

We have all been out in uncomfortable shoes. They might be too tight or even too loose, they give us the worst blisters at the end of the night. Well, I recently bumped across this miracle worker at the supermarket. I was a bit skeptical about it at first but when I used it I was utterly impressed.

Let me tell you about the Instant Pain Relief plaster by Scholl. These are transparent and cushioned plasters that come in two sizes which you can stick on the risky areas of your foot. You can stick them before being in pain to prevent it or when you start to get uncomfortable. They are conveniently packaged in a container that could easily fit in your clutch or day to day handbag.

They work perfectly, these plasters do not move. Once they are on you can go back to whatever activity you were doing and not worry about these moving around and ending up all wrinkled up in your shoe. Another amazing feature of this product is how perfectly transparent they are, so you can sport your strappy sandals with full confidence. About the cushion, it works wonders, it perfectly covers and protects the damaged area relieving you of any pain.

This is a perfect "just in case" product that you ought to have in your bag. Remember, your shoes might feel just fine when you walk out the door but as the day or night goes by, they might start to be unbearable.

Give these a try and tell me how they worked for you in the comments below.

Much love,

Samar

Manicure of the Week: Bourjois So Laque Glossy in 06 Adora Bleu

My Dearest Beauties,

Baby blue on your nails! Why not?!?! I personally think it is romantic and unique. The other day while doing my nail polish hunt down. I stumbled upon Bourjois's new line of nail polishes. Let me tell you, these creamy shades are just be-a-utiful. But, of course I picked up the powder baby blue shade to try out because it is what I was originally hunting for.

After painting my nails myself, I realized how high of a quality the varnish is. It is pigmented, it dries super fast and it is really glossy. You can easily get away with a single coat, I applied two coats, though, because I feel like that adds a bit of strength to my nails. I am definitely going to pick up some more of these and tell you what I think of them.

I am wearing Bourjois So Laque Glossy in 06 Adora Bleu.

This nail polish definitely feels really luxurious, I say it is very good value for your money. Anyways, what are your thoughts on this color? Tell me on the comments below!

Much Love,

Samar


You may also like to take a look at:

Yellow Nail Polish
Sweet Almond Nails

Diffused Eyeliner Look

My Dearest Beauties,

Today, I bring to you a very easy way to fake eyeliner and to get a variety of looks from one single very well pigmented black eye shadow and a pair of brushes. I am using NYX eyeshadow in Black ES01 and a dual brush from H&M, that has an angled brush on one end and a smudge brush on the other end.

This look can be worn as soft or as strong as you prefer. It is all about building layers of color. If you are not an expert with eyeliner or simply don't have the patience for a perfect liner look, you can always refer to this method. It is so versatile that you can wear it soft for work in the morning and very strong in the form of a smokey eye at night by just adding and blending in some more layers of shadow.

I started with a flesh toned color all over my eyelid. This will not only make your eyelid a uniform canvas but it will also make the other shadows blend more easily.

Then I simply drew a line with the angled brush from the outer corner of my eye up, as if I were to join it with the end of my brow. I do the same on both eyes. I then push whatever product is left very close to my top lash line.

Once you have done that go ahead and flip to the smudge brush and blend this line inwards to the center of my eyelid and crease.

This is optional but you can add some to your lower lash line. Join the lower lash line with whatever you have done on the top. Don't forget to blend.

That is the finished look. And I said before you can make it stronger by just repeating the same procedure all over again until you get the intensity you are looking for.

What do you think of this way of faking eyeliner? Tell me in the comments below, if you like it and if you would try it! By the way, excuse my baby hair that just decided to be rebellious.

Much love,

Samar