Behind the Mirror: EMPTIES

Here is a list of the products I have been using in the last months. Feel free to comment back or ask questions, if you need more info. Enjoy!

TRIACNÉAL by Avène

This cream helps healing blemishes and treating spots, it also prevents the appearance of scars. The active ingredients in this cream are glycolic acid (helps eliminating the blemished through its peeling effect), retinaldehyde (limits the appearance of new eruptions and that of scars) and Efectiose®.

This product should be applied only of perfectly cleansed and dried skin and only on the blemish, not the entire face. I used it over Cleanance K from Avène on the blemishes. I really liked this product because it helped with the healing of the blemishes and also did not irritate the skin. I will definitely use it again.

SÉBIUM Gel Moussant by BIODERMA

I used this product before and I got along pretty well with it. Even though starting to use Avène’s Cleanance gel immediately after might speak against my previous statement. J

It has a lighter consistency than the Avène one and the bottle is bigger and lasts longer, so the pay-out is much better. But I did not get along very well with it, my skin literally exploded (also due to other causes, but it did not exfoliate as good as the Avène one – it does not contain lactic acid – so it had its own contribution to the overall boom! effect) and it dried the skin pretty badly.

On the other hand as all Bioderma products it contains Rhamnose (you can check here more info about Rhamnose).

SUN Invisible Protection SPF 30 from NIVEA

I liked this product because it did not leave traces on the skin and because it was absorbed pretty fast. However it was greasy on my skin and the smell made me queasy (yes, that nasty smell-problem of mine shows its ugly head again).

From the Sun Protection point of view I got along very well with it in the May, June months before the sun started to really burn. You should know that my skin is very fair and that I use sun protection from May until the sun decides to stop burning, because living in Bucharest in the summer you can get sunburned very fast and easy otherwise.

Photoderm Kid 50+ from BIODERMA

From June until August I used this product. I know it says it is for Kids, but it also says “Very High Protection Delicate Skin”. It had no fragrance and we got along very well, the only downside (with which I learned to live) was that it did leave some white traces, but massaging the product in the skin left no white traces.

Since the sun burned horribly from July until August in Bucharest and this product kept me from getting toasted, I think it was a very good product.

Sensibio H2O from BIODERMA

I wrote about this product before here, what I wanted to add is that I started keeping the product in the fridge and using it cold to remove the eye make-up in the evening. This helped relax the eyes and reduce the swollen feel after one day in the heat & sun.

Ultra-Sensitive Body Lotion from ALVERDE

This is recommended for very sensitive skin, all its ingredients are obtained from Biological cultures. It contains Jojoba and Shea butter, its consistency is very light and very fast absorbing. However I would have expected more hydration from the main ingredients  Otherwise it was very good in calming the skin after walking in the sun in the hot Bucharest summer.

Cellulite Shower Gel from BALEA

I am not one of those cellulite obsessed girls, I like using shower gels that claim to reduce the cellulite because they help keep the skin elastic. They contain caffeine and other ingredients that claim to reduce the cellulite. I use them with a massaging brush and as a body scrub. Since I started using them for this purpose the skin is much elastic and clean.

And coming to cellulite, I think I am one of those blessed girls that don’t over-obsess about this and don’t have also a visible problem with it.

Apricot Shower Gel by YVES ROCHER

I fell in love with the smell of this shower gel! I like the shower gels from “Les Plaisirs Nature” product range. They are perfect for summer days – they hydrate and refresh the skin. They fragrances reinvigorate my senses after one long day. So I definitely recommend one of these, if you want to pamper yourself.

Shea Butter Shower Gel from ELMIPLANT

I love this shower gel! It is the only shower gel I used that keeps my very dry and sensitive skin hydrated and happy! I used it in the Summer when I went to the beach, I use it now, when it’s colder outside and it is my go-to shower gel. It smells very fresh and natural and the skin feels happy! No more cracks (yes, you read correctly – cracks, that’s how dry my skin is and feels sometimes) and no more burns after hair removal processes. If you can find it, get it! Another thing I like about this shower gel is that it has no Parabens and Silicones.

On the other hand the Shea Butter is perfect for restoring damaged tissue and it also has a natural SPF of about 6. It also fights against free radicals.

Cellufight Exfoliating Shower Cream by ELMIPLANT

I used this up and got another one mainly because of the way it smelled and because it did not irritate my skin. like I mentioned above, I use these sort of shower gels mainly for body scrub purposes and not for their cellulite fighting abilities.

This one has caffeine, Crushed olive stones, guarana and Vitamin E (a very powerful natural antioxidant).

Lavender Floral Water from MAYAM
I got this product because Lavender is very good to care for oily acne prone skin and because I never used a floral water until now and wanted to see how it felt. But I hated the smell of Lavender all the way, it made me slightly queasy. It has calming, regenerating and purifying effects, also it is antimicrobial and antiseptic.
I used it sprayed directly on the face and mixed with clay for face masks.

Smile, it is good for the skin!
Alex.

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Behind the Mirror: Beauty-Boxes în România: Lulubox

Eu sunt o mare iubitoare de surprize plăcute. Din acest motiv mă uitam cu o oarecare invidie la beauty-blogger-ițele din Germania, Angia și SUA cum povesteau despre cutiuțele cu surprize pe care le primeau. Evident primirea cutiei în sine nu era o surpriză - pentru că era precomandată și preplătită (~$10 sau ~€10) - dar conținutul nu era cunoscut până la deschiderea ei de unde și surpriza. Scriu cu invidie, pentru că respectivele cutii se livrau doar în țările respective, iar la noi nu am găsit așa ceva la data respectivă.
Dar uite că la un mom dat au apărut și la noi cutiuțele cu suprize. După un mic studiu de piață am decis să comand Lulubox. Am comandat cutia din septembrie și pe cea din octombrie. Dar am avut parte de o surpriză neplăcuta și am fost tare dezamăgită, iată de ce:

• Ca să poți comanda cutia, trebuie să primești un cod de la ei. Ceea ce mi se pare prea complicat, în definitiv este o cutie cu cosmetice, nu secrete naționale.
• Cutiile au ajuns târziu: cutia din septembrie a ajuns pe 1 octombrie și cea din octombrie (după o prealabilă informare pe facebook a unor întârzieri) a ajuns pe 7 noiembrie.
• Cutia ar trebui sa conțină 5 produse (în variante mini sau full size) - al 5-lea produs fiind o surpriza.

• În septembrie cutia s-a numit Metamorphosis și a conținut după cum urmează:
  Două mostre de parfum (1,5 ml fiecare): „La vie est belle” de la Lancôme și „Lady Rebel” de la Mango
  O mostră de rimmel  „Outrageous Volume” de la Sephora (2 ml)
  O cremă de corp de la Collistar in variantă small size (30 ml)
  O ojă de la Sephora 5 ml (produsul supriză)

• În octombrie care s-a numit Beauty Day:
  Alte două mostre de parfum (fiecare 1,5 ml unul fiind produsul surpriză): „Signorina” de la Salvatore Ferragamo și „Mademoiselle Ricci” de la Nina Ricci
  O mostră de mască antiacneică pentru față (gramaj nespecificat) de la Lush
  O mostră de șampon și una de balsam (8 ml fiecare) cu un voucher de reducere pentru tratament capilar toate de la Keune
  Un cub pentru baie (18 gr) de la Sephora
• Nu neg calitatea acestor produse, dar mă deranjează că se cer 59 RON pentru niște mostre pe care scrie clar ”vânzarea interzisă” iar singurele produse ”full size” au un gramaj similar cu cel al mostrelor.

În concluzie m-am lecuit de cutiile cu surprize de la noi. Aștept să văd dacă nu vor apărea altele mai bune cu mai multe review-uri la ele și poate abia atunci îmi voi mai comanda una.

Singurul lucru bun pentru mine din toată povestea asta a fost marea pasiune pe care am dezvoltat-o pentru unul din parfumuri „La vie est belle” de la Lancôme.

Alex.

Behind the Mirror: Empties: OILS

I know I haven't posted in a while, but this doesn't mean I have been idle. I have this post to prove that. Currently I am fighting with a pretty nasty acne and I hope to report about my "adventure" soon.

I have learned that oils come in a multitude of consistencies – heavy, light and everything in between. There are also essential oils, oils that are the product of pressing a certain plant or seed or fruit and there are oils that are the result of mixing a plant extract with another oil (usually called a base).

The majority of oils are good for hair, face and body. You don’t need to have very dry skin to use oils, there are oils that can be used also by persons with oily skin (I am one of those) to help regulate the sebum "production". I will present you some of the oils I have been using since my latest Empties post and what my experiences were with them.

MACADAMIA NUT OIL

It is a light oil, that penetrates the skin very fast. It is a lovely oil for body, face and hair. I used it mainly combined with other oils massaged into my skin after shower. I discovered this oil when I prepared myself a body lotion to help heal the stretch masks – the macadamia nut oil being the main ingredient to help with the healing process, because one of his main characteristics is that it helps healing the scars and other skin ruptures. It should be also very good for the hair, however I discovered that my hair needs a strongly hydrating oil.

I also used it combined with green tea essential oil in face massages after gommage, because it is good for oily skin like mine.

I am not that crazy about its smell, actually it makes me queasy and I usually add some tea tree essential oil to mask some of the scent, but I can still feel it. Now don’t imagine it is a very strong smell, it is only a mild smell, but I am funny like that about scents.

LOGONA BIO ALOE + VERBENA OIL

Besides aloe and verbena, it also contains sweet almond oil, olive oil, jojoba oil and soybean oil. I used this oil after showers and I liked it, however I wasn't very impressed. I think the jojoba, sweet almond and olive oils were slightly diluted. After using my own home made mixtures out of 100% natural oils, I got the feeling that the oils were diluted in this mixture. On the other hand the smell of verbena is AMAZING.

ALOE VERA OIL

This is an oil that can be used by all skin types. It helps with the cellular restructuring process and heals any irritations and allergies. It is actually aloe vera extract mixed in soybean oil and vitamin E. I used it after gommage, because it helped calm the skin and repair the cells. I also used it to calm after hair removal process appearing rashes.

I used it mixed with other oils (macadamia oil) to apply after staying in the sun.

GRAPE SEEDS OIL

Everybody went crazy after the Caudalie oil, but I am wondering how many knew, that it is based on grape seeds oil. The grape seeds oil helps keep the skin looking young and fresh. It penetrates the skin fast and keeps it hydrated. It also helps it fight against the free radicals that cause it to age and diminish its elasticity.

I used it mainly in the evenings on my neck area in slow massage movements. And I was amazed to discover some 3-4 months later that the skin looked much better. I also used it combined with green face clay for face masks.

RASPBERRY SEED OIL

This oil is a thick oil and should be used combined with other oils. I used it mixed with the macadamia one, aloe vera and the grape seed oil. It has a natural SPF of 6 and I used it mainly in the evenings after going in the sun and also after being to the beach in the after sun oil I mentioned above. When I added this oil, the consistency of the oils mixture got much thicker, but still it penetrated the skin fast and it helped keeping it hydrated.

CASTOR OIL
I got this bottle about a year ago and have been using it ever since in mixtures with powder henna, directly on the ends of the hair and on the lashes in the evening after make-up removal and after I applied the around the eye skin care. I feel this oil really helps keeping my eyelashes flexible and healthy after being coated in mascara the whole day and it also  keeps them from falling off. In the same time it helps keeping my long hair from getting dry and damaged.
This is a very heavy oil, like a thick syrup if you want, and it coats the hair completely and enters deep into the root and body of the hair. The end result is a stronger hair and less falling off. In the same time it keeps the skin from drying and has slight antimicrobial effect.

I bought all oils except the Logona mixture oil (which I bought from Life Care) from elemental.

Smile. It is good for the skin.

Music: Epica and Delain live at ArtMania Festival 2012 in Sibiu

Last week-end I went back-packing to Sibiu for the ArtMania festival for the Epica and Delain concerts. I was in Sibiu for the ArtMania festival last year as well and loved the city’s beautiful architecture and atmosphere. You can hear a multitude of languages only by walking on the street. The city center is mainly concentrated between the Large and the Small Square, where also a lot of shops and cafés with the original architecture give the place a wonderful old atmosphere. The festival has a lot of activities which happen around this area and thus giving the festival and all its events a special sophisticated aura. During the festival you will always run in Sibiu into some events that are part of it - for example, we had dinner and coffee in a most pleasant way accompanied by Tristania's concert.

Whenever I go at a live concert, I expect to be surprised. I know the music, but I don’t know the show. I am always looking for those details that set the live performance of the songs apart from their studio recorded versions. With this in mind I went to the Epica show on Friday evening. I’ve seen Epica last year in Bucharest, when they were promoting “Design Your Universe”, now they were promoting their latest album “Requiem for the Indifferent”. Their show at the ArtMania was significantly shorter, however I liked the songs the band picked to cover all their 10 year music history: “Cry for The Moon”, “Martyr of the Free World”, “Sancta Terra”, “Consign to Oblivion”. Epica’s music is complex and calculated to the smallest detail and these qualities become transparent in their live performances. I enjoyed watching each band member “at work” on the stage before me, there is a lot that can be seen and learned from them. Nonetheless I felt a slight tension in the communication with the audience, which I also felt at the show in Bucharest, but which is not transparent in other live records of their performances. I think I would like to see them perform in another venue as well…

I must admit that I was very curious about Delain’s concert, especially since their last album, “We Are The Others” starts to shape their musical identity. I was absolutely taken aback by Charlotte’s energy and enthusiasm, as she was by the public’s great response. Her voice sounds amazing: powerful and melodic, she controls it very well and is very concentrated on her technique and in the same time she maintains a constant connection to the public. The music compliments and contours her voice perfectly. The songs for which you should definitely go see a Delain concert are: “Milk and Honey”, “Mother Machine”,  “Get The Devil Out Of Me”, “Invidia”, “Virtue and Vice” and “The Gathering”. Or you should go just to see a band having fun and enjoying playing you their music.

Sing, it keeps the soul young!

Alex.

Buchrezension: Oliviu Crâznic: "... und am Ende blieb nur der Nachtmahr"

Hallo Ihr Lieben,

meine erste Buchrezension auf Deutsch (nachdem ich das Gymnasium vollendet habe), über ein rumänisches Buch (ganz schön Kulturbunt):

Nachdem ich für eine längere Weile nur Romane mit Fantasie und Zauberei gelesen habe, habe ich mich für den Horror- Roman “… și la sfârșit a mai rămas COȘMARUL” ("... und am Ende blieb nur der Nachtmahr") by Oliviu Crâznic entschieden. Ich muss gestehen, dass er mich für eine Weile ganz schön erschrocken hat. Die Geschichte ist sehr spannend und man kann einfach das Buch nicht loslegen, die Figuren sind typisch für die gothisch-romantische Literatur. Die Atmosphäre hat mich an Egdar Allan Poes Stimmung erinnert, was für mich immer ein Plus für die Schriften dieser Gattung ist.
Die Geschichte und vielmehr das Ende haben mir gefallen. Trotzdem hatte ich das Gefühl, dass so viele verschiedene fantastische Kreaturen, wenn deren Rollen nicht klar genug erklärt wurden, irgendwie verwirrend wirken. Ich habe den Schriftstellers Aufsatz, indem er verschiene fantastische Elemente, welche in seinem Buch auftauchen, am Ende sehr interesant gefunden. Man lernt sehr viel daraus und in derselben Zeit versteht man, wie viel er eigentlich dieses Thema liebt und wie fundiert seine Kenntnisse darüber sind. Meiner Meinung nach, wenn Ihr eine besondere Vorliebe für elende Wichte habt, dann müsst Ihr dieses Buch und insebsondere den Aufsatz am Ende lesen. Leider gibt es dieses Buch bis dato nur auf Rumänisch.

Diese Rezension ist aus dem Englischen übersetzt und angepasst. Hier findet Ihr den Originaltext.
Viel Spass beim Lesen, es ist gut für die Seele!
Alex.