Body Brushing - Natural Skin Care

Dry body brushing not only sloughs away dry skin on areas like elbows, knees and ankles, but it also promotes tighter skin along with cell renewal and good blood circulation. Body brushing also aids the lymphatic systems that release toxins and aids in digestion and kidney function. Over time you will notice a glowy, smooth complexion. I love body brushing because it’s one of the easiest. cheapest ( one time purchase of brush) and one of the most effective methods for promoting healthy skin.

HOW OFTEN: Daily before you shower, make sure your skin and the brush are completely dry.

DIRECTION: Always brush upwards towards your heart, making long sweeps in one direction, avoid back and forth, scrubbing and circular motions. Start at your feet, moving up towards your legs on each side, then work from your arms towards your chest, stomach and the rest of your body. Don’t brush too hard, the objective is to stimulate and invigorate your skin without irritating it.

TYPE OF BRUSH: Choose a brush with natural bristles. ( A synthetic brush is a NO NO) . The bristles should be somewhat stiff but at the same time not too hard and rough. Keep in mind that a new brush could seem a little uncomfortable on the skin but over usage it will become slightly softer and comfortable. 

BRUSH CARE: Wash at least once or twice a week with a mild shampoo or soap and let the brush dry completely before using. 

*I use the 'Cactus Body Brush' by The Body Shop 

Purple Smokey Eye - Pictorial

Juice Talk - Featuring ‘The berry company’ & ‘Charlie’s’

Hi everyone, hope you all are having a wonderful day. 

Not many people will say no to juice, or dislike juice, juices have to be one of my favorite beverages and one of my favorite ways of consuming fruit. I am always on the go or just to lazy most of the time to sit and wash and peal fruit so a juice, or a smoothie tends to be my preference most of the time. 

I am always going through these phases of drinking lots of juice and smoothies because i just love how refreshing they are, how good they taste and how healthy and energized they make you feel. But then again, as much as i love making my own my fresh juices/ smoothies i am not so diligent, and i get lazy and i forget which throws me of routine. With that being said what i am always on the look out for is good pre packed juices which are readily available at super markets, because i feel that having a bottle or tetra pack of juice lying in your fridge is a constant reminder and the odds of you pouring it in a glass and drinking it and receiving the nutrients are more likely to happen. 

I have tried many brands available in the market, but what annoys me the most is how most of the packed juices available in the market try to very sneakily market them selves as all natural juices, when in reality they are juice ‘drinks’. A lot of you may not know this but there is a huge difference between ‘juice’ and a ‘juice drink’. Juice drinks are not completely natural, they have some artificial flavoring, sweeteners and preservatives and mostly made from concentrate. Where as pure juice, is just pure PURE juice with no added sugars, artificial flavorings etc. 

Juice drinks are not very healthy and are not true to the original flavor and are full of sugars and other not so healthy ingredients, to which i would say that you probably are better of not drinking at all. 

Two of my favorite juice manufacturing companies are ‘The Berry Company’ and ‘Charlie’s’. The Berry Company collects their berries from different parts of the world and make natural fruit juices, which are gluten free, free of artificial coloring, additives, sweeteners and preservatives and are also free of GMO’s and Dairy. So basically you get all the natural berry goodness which is good and healthy for you. 

Charlie’s was formed in 1999 by 3 men named Marc, Stefan and Simon, who shared the vision that juice should be purely made of fruits and vegetables, with out any preservatives, additives and artificial concentrates, leading to birth of Charlie’s the Honest beverage company.

Charlie’s has a huge variety of beverages, including ‘honest apple juice’ and ‘honest orange juice’. They also have some amazing delicious smoothies which are totally pure with no rubbish in them. There product line goes as far as juice drinks for the little ones, which are just diluted half with pure juice and half with water. They also have ‘honest quenchers’ and ‘lemonades’.  

Both of these companies just produce exceptionally good products and in my opinion are the closest you can get to real home made juices at the super store. Not only are their juices delicious but they are healthy and beneficial also, full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which are just really really good for your body, your skin.. Everything! 

If you guys are in to the real deal, have a look at these and if you guys are aware of any other good pure juice brands available in the market please let me know in the comments below. :) 

Some interesting facts - 

Goji berries 

          

1. Protect kidneys and liver.
2. Rich in antioxidants and improve eyesight. 
3. Boost immune system 
4. Stimulates release of HGH, a growth hormone which can even reverse effects of aging.
5. Prevent fatigue and tiredness, also helps in relieving headaches and insomnia.
6. Aid in weight loss and keep body fir and young .
7. High in vitamin and mineral content and also help reduce blood pressure. 

Acai Berries 

1. Good for heart health. 
2. Aids in weight loss.
3. Promotes skin health. 
4. Improves Cellular Heath.
5. May help fight cancer.
6. Anti-Aging Effects.
7. Energy Boost.
8. Improves mental function 

If you would like to know more about ‘The berry company’ and ‘Charlie’s’ please check out their websites below. X 



http://www.theberrycompany.co.uk

http://www.charlies.co.nz

Maybelline Color Tattoo Eye Shadows

Hello Everyone, hope you are doing well. 

If you are like me and love a good cream eye shadow and don’t particularly fancy having to spend an arm and leg on one, brace your selves! because these Maybelline Color Tattoos mean serious business and are exceptionally great value and quality for money. I really wouldn’t have expected anything that great from a drug store brand for a cream eye shadow, cause lets face, cream shadows tend to be slightly more complex then regular powder shadows. Finding the right consistency, pigment and lasting power and a formula which is not to dry to blend in, yet not to wet or moist to crease is not an art mastered by all make up brands. 

With that being said, i am very impressed with these bad boys, they blend like a dream, have exceptional staying power, ( they claim to be 24hr wear, but to be honest i have not tested them for 24hrs and neither am i planning on either, No makeup should be on your face for that many hours.) :P And are very very pigmented with a beautiful satin finish and no creasing what so ever.

I really love cream eye shadows because they are so effortless, and are just so easy to use and are very fuss free, you could honestly get away with just dabbing someone with only your fingers, adding some mascara and you are good to go. Also beginners who enjoy some nice eye looks could benefit from a cream shadow and achieve a gorgeous look without much hassle and struggle. 

But what i love most is that they are incredible quality, long wearing, with a good selection of 10 colors (might differ from country to country) and at a moderately  affordable price, i really find it ridiculous spending tons of money on expensive products, so finding a good drug store product which wont hurt my wallet too much is always a Win :) 

If you are in the market for some cream eye shadows go give these a try and let me know which ones you have or got :) 

I picked up ’25 Bad to the Bronze’, which is a beautiful natural brownish bronze. ( Love them so much that i am pretty sure i will be picking up a couple more of the colors) X

Damage - 19.90RM 

FRONT COVER Metallic Pastels Eye Collection Review

Hello everyone!

Hope you’re having a great day! I thought I’d share my thoughts on a palette I’ve been playing around with for the past couple of weeks. It’s the Front Cover Metallic Pastels Eye Collection Palette, I don’t remember exactly how much it cost for at Sephora, and can’t seem to find the purchase receipt anywhere either. (Sorry) 

The palette contains fifteen eyeshadows, a double ended brush, a black eye pencil and a liquid gold eyeliner. All the contents are placed nicely in a sturdy box, slightly chunky but pretty good for traveling considering the vast range of shadows.

I really enjoy how you can lift out the liners and brush and take them with you making the whole product a bit more user friendly.

The colors are what immediately drew me in to buying this palette, beautiful shimmery metallic pastels, with a good range of dark colors and light colors. Use a bit of imagination you can totally go crazy and create a number of different looks with just this one palette. 

The quality of these shadows are truly amazing, i barely had any fall out when applying them, they blended like a dream and showed good staying power. The shadows are not very very pigmented which put me off at first, but they are very build-able and if you use an eye primer or a base you will notice much more intensity and payoff  in the colors.

Over all i feel like it is a good palette that offers a lot of versatility and a fun way to build up your collection,the colors are very wearable especially with summer around the corner,  and most of the shades would look great on nearly all skin tones. Something to have a look in particularly if you are a fan of shimmery metallic eye shadows.  I hope this mini review was helpful! If you already have this palette, what are your favorite colors? X

Essence Cosmetics- Product Reviews

The "Essence" brand brings back childhood memories, it was one of the first brands i tried out when i was visiting Germany as a teenager. I was taken in by the cute, fun packaging and all the glitter and girlie-ness.

I had long forgotten about the brand until i came across a cute little store dedicated to essence here in KL, Malaysia and was drawn in by the nostalgia for my long past teenage years.

Even as a teen i loved the products this brand had to offer, especially considering the quality, pigmentation and the quantity of the product and all they had to offer at such reasonable price. And trust me when i say it is excellent product quality for the price. I must add that i have very sensitive skin and i am always scared of trying out new products or cheaper products as i always end up fearing that i might get a reaction but nothing so far, which is why i am certain that they use good quality ingredients which are carefully selected.

I have not tried that many of their products but i will share with you the stuff i have purchased and hope that you guys find some hidden treasure at a price that will make you smile, this brand is especially great if you are in to make and just want to build up your core collection and try out new stuff with out spending an arm and a leg.

1. lip liners - i don't know about you guys but i hate spending a lot on a lipliner, especially because i have yet to come across one that really has stood out to me and lets face it the only time you need all those fancy colored lip liners is when you are going a dark lip, or a red lip. So to add on to my collect i got No 4 Honey bun and No 8 Red Blush. These liners are creamy, pigmented and do the job!

2. Translucent Loose Powder - I got their fix & matte powder essentially to dab on under the eyes when doing a heavy dark smokey eye to avoid color fall out, but as it turns out its great to actually fix & matte =).

3. Cream eye shadow- I like cream eye shadows mainly to create a base and enhance powder shadows, which is why i am not a big fan on spending lots on paint pots and all. I was really pleased when i saw essence did a few and the minute i saw the black one and got it right away. Only complaint is i wish they had a wider color range. Ballerina backstage eye soufflé in No 03 grand-plie in black.

4. Eye Shadow- a just for fun purchase cause i liked the colors in this Sun Club glamour to go eye shadow palette in No 01 south beach. They had a really nice nude worth getting if you don't have already have basic nudes.

5. Bronzer -  I rarely have ever seen any good matt bronzing powder so seeing this caught my eye, and i must say it is really nice, long lasting and matt, i use this really often for contouring and shading, only con though is the smell =S but i guess one gets over it in time.  "Bronzing compact powder matt No 02 love to be matt.

6. Blush - I just don't believe in saying No to a nice pigmented blush. Silky touch blush in No 20 Babydoll. This blush is actually one of my favorites and it has amazing lasting power.

In addition to above make up products i have purchased many of their nail polishes and i love them, they make some really great, fun colors and they last really well. Just great!

Hope you guys enjoyed this post and do let me know what your favorite Essence products are! xx

Fresh - soy face cleanser

A few weeks ago I decided to try a new cleanser and stumbled at the "fresh" isle at sephora when the soy cleanser caught my eye.

What intrigued me the most about this cleanser is all the natural goodies it contains such as soy of course which has loads of amino acids and antioxidants, super great for your skin !! Along with that the formula also contains cucumber, aloe and ginseng which aid in soothing,toning and also counter act minor dryness.

Another great pro to this cleanser is how gentle it is, it doesn't irritate your eyes the least bit and it wonderful at removing all make up including eye liners and mascara! I do cleanse twice at night with this if I have a full face of make up on though...just to make sure all the make up is removed!
This cleanser is also recommended for skin types, so no fuss!
I really am enjoying it and would definitely recommend it if your in the market for trying out a new ever so fresh cleanser :)