Current Body Care Products

     The body care products that I currently use work as they should, and are very satisfying and "wallet friendly".  I literally can live on these products only, but you know .. humans get bored sometimes. 


1- St.Ives Naturally Soothing Body Lotion, Oatmeal & Shea Butter :

   I did my first blog post about this product, both the lotion and the shampoo, which I used the hell out of.  Words can't explain how great this product is: Very cheap, smells heavenly, great moisturizer. I even bought a travel size one to take with me on my trip because I can't get enough !


2- Olay Plus Silk Whimsy Ribbons Body Wash :

   If there is only one scent for shampoos in this life, then it should be the scent of this Olay bodywash. It smells clean, refreshing and familiar in a good way. It leaves the skin soft and smooth. 


3- Palmer's Massage Lotion For Stretch Marks:

    I did not buy this to erase my stretch marks because I know these products won't work, and I am not even pregnant. But I have used Palmer's before and I love the formula of it especially during winter. This one smells different though, not pleasant at all, but I use it on certain areas that are far from my nose, like my knees and elbows and some other parts, and boy oh boy, it moisturizes these areas like a dream, and the effect last for days unlike some other moisturizers.


4- Secret Outlast Clear Gel Unscented Antiperspirant & Deodorant:

    If you find this anywhere, just grab it without thinking . No one knows how hard it is to find an unscented deodorant these days, especially if you are someone who is against using scented ones. I literally been using one brand since I was a teenager which was almost the only brand that makes unscented deodorants, it is called MUM. Then I found this one by Secret and now I am afraid they will discontinue it or something, that will make me sue them .. It has everything I need: no scent, clear gel which dries fast , plus it works like no other. If you live in a humid and hot area, this is your savior. 


5- Ravens Blend Scrub :

    I pruchased this from a shop at Etsy called PurplecatCreatives. And etsy is my weakness point, I always restrain myself because this website will make me spend like a royalty .  I have been looking for a coffee scrub for a long time that is not ridiculously expensive, and I know that esty has some interesting and versatile homemade things. This shop has the most seductive looking scrubs, and for only $6. I ordered the Raven Blend, which has (sugar ,coffee, hazelnuts, caramel, almonds, dark chocolate ) and I was impressed when I received it. The consistency of it is amazing, the best that I have used yet. It leaves the skin amazingly soft and is not greasy at all. With this and a moisturizer afterwards, my body has never been this soft. I only wish it smells more like raw coffee, than sweet cappuccino, but I still love it and going back to order other scents.

Disclaimer : 
This post is NOT sponsored, I wrote my honest opinion of products I purchased with my own money. 

Review | Clarins Sunscreen

     Aside from the heat, the sweat and the sticky feeling of summer, applying SPF is another hassle. The smell, the feeling and the "wait for 20 mins " thing is just annoying. I have gone through many types of consistencies and many brands of facial sunscreens, and each has its cons, the smelly ones, the heavy ones, the ones that make your face as oily as an oil jar *Cough, Elizabeth Arden, Cough* , and those that make you look like Casper. 

The smell is something you can't evade in a sunscreen, and I am not asking for a non-smelly SPF, but rather a less heavy one; one that my nose can handle and does not make my brain go haywire cursing the odor while outside.

Long story short, I went to Sephora and promised my self to be patient and try each and every sunscreen they have on my hand. And as a nice girl I did, and I was shocked by the amount of sunscreen that I don't like, almost all of them. I reached a state of hopelessness and was about to exit the store, but then there were 2 brands left, one of which was Clarins.

 

Clarins  UV Plus HP Day Screen SPF 40 - $40

    And eventually, after gazillions of hand testing,  Clarins UV Plus HP Day Screen SPF 40 was brought home with me, of course after trying a sample for a week first. And I must say that this is the best sunscreen I have used yet.  It is very light and sheer, not greasy since it is oil-free.  I have been using it for a month now, did not make my face oily not even in the most humid days.  Casper wise, it does not make the face as white as some other sunscreens, just a slight color that fades afterwards. It blends in like a dream and has that velvety feeling. I noticed that it should be blended fast because it dries fast, so I apply it part by part, rather than distributing it on my whole face then blending it. Smell wise, it smells like Jasmine,  which I can handle, but there is no Jasmine in the ingredients,  rather a plant called Rhodiola Rosea which could be it. 

All in all, I love it, and I will continue purchasing it if there is not a better one or a cheaper version of it. 

Disclaimer: This post in NOT sponsored, I wrote my honest opinion of a product that I purchased with my own money.

Melony Juice And Cheesy Bites

     Once upon atime, I went to the kitchen. What happened! You know, food. It was a quiet, very hot, very humid afternoon, and I was craving some pastry and a quenching juice going down my throat that makes me say AHHH!

Watermelon and Blackbery Juice :

Summer and watermelon, watermelon and summer, always related, but to me it is an all-year-round fruit. I am a watermelon addict, I am pro watermelon ,  I think I am a watermelon! I have never tried drugs, but I think this fruit is a drug, it has an instant effect, it makes me swoon :~

Both watermelon and blackbery are full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, who does not want that in his/her body!

Ingredients: Watermelon + Blckbery : )

Blend the two until they become one ( words of wisdom :$ )

To get rid of the pulp and  blackbery seeds, bring your strainer. Bring a bowl and place it under the strainer and pour the juice. Then with a spoon, stir the pulp just to get all the juice left. The, put it in the fridge.

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Cheese Puff Pastry:

You need:

Puff Pastry

Cheese (any type)

Flour

Muffin Pan

I must confess that this is the first time in my life to deal with a dough, and even though this is a ready-to-bake, it was a bit messy for me, but turns out great  :-}

I used Pepperidge Farm Puff pastery, I wanted the ones that are already cut into small squares, but only found this one which comes in two huge sheets that are folded and frozen, who ever folded these is an evil human...

I placed one sheet on the counter to thaw at room temperature for 40 mins. But to unfold it, it has to be done before it is fully thawed.

When it is ready, sprinkle some flour on the surface before placing it so it won't stick. then cut it the way you want. I cut it into squares.   

 

Then, I placed the squares in a muffin pan.

Time to prepare the cheese. I used 3 kinds : Nabulsi cheese( which is originated in Palestine, it is semi-hard and salty, becomes soft when heated) + Cream cheese + Mozzarella

I mixed the Nabulsi with 1tbsp of cream cheese .

And meanwhile, preheat the oven at 400F.

Then, place the filling on the center of each square and top it with shredded Mozzarella. 

Fold the edges of the squares, and try to seal it a bit with your finger.

Pop it in the oven and let it bake for 15-20 mins, or until puffed and golden.

 

   enjoyed it with a glass of the most refreshing, earthy, quenching juice . The end.

GOSH !

     I am not the girl of crazy bright lipsticks, like bright fuschia (hot pinks) or bright corals. Only the perfect tamed shade of every color that does not make me look tan when I don't want to look tan. But sometimes an unexplainable whim moves my hand towards a brighter shade, which looks so delicious, eye pleasing and shockingly coral.

I released the Picasso inside : )

    

  So when a surprising Wlagreens branch opened, with its huge selection of expensive and inexpensive brands that you won't find in any other drugstore ( which I Instagrammed ), I did some new discovery sort of shopping. And there was  GOSH, which is a Danish cosmetics brand, and which seems the upcoming invasion in the future of drugstores, so brace yourselves. Anyways, I picked a lipstick from their Velvet Touch collection called Shockingly Coral ($14) . It does not look that shocking when you look at it, but once you apply it, it comes brighter that you thought. The consistency of it is as good as a high-end, smells like a high-end too. Even though it is velvet touch, it feels matte on the lips, which sometimes gives me the feeling that it is drying a bit, so I apply a lip balm before. And you must  have perfect smooth lips, because this lipstick will make even the tiniest dry skin more visible. 

I find applying it with my finger works better, actually it works better for me with all lipsticks.  And of course, unsurprisingly,  I make it less bright by applying a little bit of it or by mixing it with a nude shade.  In terms of consistency and shade, it reminds me of a NARS lipstick I had few years ago called Niagara.

Disclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored, I wrote my honest opinion about a product I purchased with my own money.

Review: Revlon Lash Potion

     I always feel good when I run out of more than one product at the same time,  it makes me feel like a good spender.  So as I said goodbye to my lovely old friend Lancome Virtuose and the impressive Physicians Formula  mascaras, I went on my feminine quest to buy a new one. I was actually planning to get one of the Cliniques, but then I heard some ravings about the new Revlon Lash Potion, and it is not because of the ravings I bought it, but because some lashes at a blog ,that I can't recall, looked good wearing this mascara..

 

     First, let me say that my lashes have a good relationship with almost all the mascaras that I have used in my life, I don't know if it is my lashes or that I'm just a lucky picker. But this Revlon one is the worst mascara yet. If I had a chance to look at the wand at the drugstore I would not buy it. It is one of those wands that I know it won't work. It does separate the lashes but in a weird way, makes them look fewer! It clumps. It makes the lashes look messy. Glad it was only $7.99. There is nothing more to say about it...

The picture actually makes it look better than reality. Are those my lashes! never looked this ugly...



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Disclaimer: This post in NOT sponsored, I wrote my honest opinion of a product I purchased with my own money.

Review: Nine Naturals shampoo+conditioner

       Who cares if someone receives hair products specified for pregnant women in the mail when she is not even pregnant. As long as they are 100% natural, I am willing to try, even though it felt weird.And as someone who used to use organic and hair loss shampoos since the age of 17, I really appreciate beauty brands that keep the ingredient as natural as possible.

Nine Natural products are : 100% Natural. Sulfate-free, Paraben-free, Phthalate-free, BPA-free, Triclosan-free, DEA-free, Petrochemical-free. No artificial chemicals, dyes or synthetic fragrance, which is great.


Nine Naturals Citrus+Mint Nourishing Shampoo :

The shampoo is for all hair types. It is gentle on the hair and very clarifying.  The scent is not to my taste, too herabally and minty, but it fades to a more fresh scent afterwards, which is good.


Nine Naturals Citrus+Mint Nourishing Conditioner : 

The conditioner is nice, not very conditioning though, maybe because I only left it for 2 minutes, when it is supposed to be left for 3-5 minutes (someone does not have patience in the bathroom...). Or maybe because it is for normal hair while mine is dry. 


Lastly, Thanks to Nine Naturals for letting me try their products.Keep them 100% natural.


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     Disclaimer: Nine Naturals sent me these products to try, and of course this will NEVER change my honest opinion of this or any other product that I might receive in the future.

Review: Klorane Mango Butter Leave-in Fluid

     I have been eying this brand for a long time. There is something magnetizing about it, not because it is french made, but because it whispers : "Trust me, I work .." Plus the simple yet serious white packaging.

KLORANE has a wide range of hair products specified for every hair type and hair issue.  And I adore their way of classifying the products according to the herbal active ingredients, for example the Mango family is for dry damaged hair, the Chamomile is for blond hair, Almond Milk for fine hair ...etc

    I purchased the Leave-in Fluid with mango butter so that if it works I am going back to pick more of their products that my hair needs. As I said, the mango range is supposed to nourish and protect  dry, damaged hair with split ends. And allow me to say something about my hair, which I have said many times like a parrot, my hair is getting extremely dry lately for an unknown reason ( Well maybe someday I will do a post about my hair story if you want!). I have used some leave-in conditioners and Moroccan oils which either do nothing, leave just a lovely scent, or cause hair static. And because I am someone who quit curling irons and blow dryer 3 years ago, I know if a product works well on my hair or not. Because, you know, heat gives shine to the hair regardless of the product, so someone might get eluded that a product worked.. 

Without further ado,  this Klorane fluid amazed me, it actually did, turns out that the whisper was real. It did not give crazy shine, what it basically did to my hair is making it feel and look the way it is supposed to be, it made it look healthy. Gave it the right amount of shine, and made touching my hair a journey for my hand to a land covered with silk. The fluid is light weight, did not weigh my hair down even though I have fine hair. And the scent is very lovely, clean, fresh and light, which I feel no one could dislike it ( and I am the pickiest when it comes to scents, believe me..). 

I am in love with this thing.. 

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Where to buy it online :

Amazon
Sears
BeautySage


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Disclaimer : This post is NOT sponsored, I wrote my honest opinion of a product I purchased with my own money.