Catrice Cosmetics All Matt Plus Shine Control Powder [Review]

I was totally bummed when I was told that the Catrice Waterproof Prime & Fine Powder was discontinued [and now they have it back in stock - go figure!] so I decided to get this one instead [since it promised to be mattifying]: All Matt Plus Shine Control Powder.

It promises to be mattifying, longlasting and ultra silky - which is a lot of promising [especially since this cost no more than €5]

I just love Catrice's packaging and I've never had any problems with them breaking etc [but all the printing on the lid has faded, meh]. This powder is, as you can see, pressed and embossed - which is quite a nice touch.

Mine is in #010 Transparent - but it does have a nude-y shade [so I wouldn't call it exactly transparent since it might show up on darker skin tones than mine]

I have been using this for the past 2 months or so and I've hit pan, but I won't repurchase this powder - especially if I manage to get hold of their waterproof powder.

This is because while it does mattify my face, it does not last a long time - it might last 3 hours [or 4-5 if I set it with a good quality fixer]

It feels quite velvety and soft, and it is picked up really well with a large powder brush. It sets your foundation and doesn't give you a caked up look [but don't overuse!]

I use this powder daily for university [I've run out of my beloved NYX Set it Don't Fret it Powder - read my review HERE] since I don't really care about looking da bomb there lol. But if I'm going out I definitely use a different powder.

Which powders do you recommend?

Love,

Lola

xoxo

TonyMoly Panda's Dream So Cool Eye Stick [Review]

Earlier this summer my brother and his wife went on holiday to Korea, and since my birthday is in July [and they know how much I love Korean stuff] they got me a couple of things from there as a birthday present.

One of them is this cute TonyMoly Panda's Dream So Cool Eye Stick. 

If you want you can get yours from here [it's the cheapest around] but mine was gifted to me.

I swear, TonyMoly have the cutest packaging around. This So Cool Eye Stick forms part of the Panda's Dream line [there's a whitening cream, eye patches and even a concealer if I'm not mistaken]

As the name implies, it comes in a stick form which you use on your undereyes when you have dry, tired eyes.

It has cooling properties [which are only felt when you are applying it under your eyes - the cooling sensation is quickly lost after]

It is also quite moisturising, and I love using this after long, sleepless nights [I sometimes also use it before applying my makeup for an instant moisture and cooling boost] - when applied you can either blend it in, or leave to be absorbed if you're not in a rush.

The wind up mechanism is a bit defective [I don't know if it's just a problem with mine] and sometimes I have to push it down with my fingers because it won't wind down]

In a nutshell, this is a good product to have if you're under a lot of stress [writing my Masters thesis at the moment - meh]

It is not a must have, but it is a nice addition to your beauty regime, especially if you're a sucker for cute packaging.

Love,

Lola

xoxo

TRESemmé 7 Day Smooth System Heat Activated Treatment [Review]

I've been trying out these TRESemmé 7 Day Smooth System for quite a while now - in fact I've nearly used them all up [the shampoo and conditioner I mean - cause I think that the serum will last for quite a long time]

If you're new to these posts, you can check out my Shampoo review here, and my Conditioner review here.

This TRESemmé 7 Day Smooth System Heat Activated Treatment is the final step in this Keratin infused system, and in my opinion it is what makes a huge difference to my hair.

You only use a couple of pumps on towel dried hair, brush through, and then use your straighteners as you normally would.

I found that I can straighten my hair in a very short time [around 15-25 mins] and when I tried curling my hair with the iron I found that they came out more defined and glossier. [Mind you, I have never tried using this system with a different hair tool other than my straighteners, but I guess it would have the same effect if used with a curling wand, for example.]

Like the shampoo and conditioner, this smells absolutely amazing and the smell lingers on your hair.

This TRESemmé 7 Day Smooth System has become a staple in my hair care routine, and I cannot rave enough about it! My hair doesn't frizz, it is knotless for a longer period, and it feels extremely smooth. 

It doesn't look like the straighteners are as damaging to my hair as they would be if I'd use them without this treatment. What split ends I have also look less obvious!

The TRESemmé 7 Day Smooth System Conditioner costs €12.28* and it is now available throughout Malta and Gozo. 

For more information and further updates, check out the TRESemme Malta Facebook page by clicking *here*

Love,

Lola

xoxo

***Disclaimer: This product was sent to me by TRESemme Malta for review purposes. I was not paid to do this review. What I wrote in the review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Yves Rocher Éclat Radiance | Raspberry Rinsing Vinegar [Review]

You may know that a while back I was invited to a meeting with the person behind Yves Rocher in Malta, afterwhich I was offered to try out some products of my choosing.

While ogling the products, my gaze fell on this Raspberry Rinsing Vinegar. I was intrigued to say the least. 

I've never in my whole life heard about rinsing vinegar [but I have heard about how good normal vinegar is to clean products!]

The first thing I did when I saw this was to open and smell it, while I inevitably waited for the smell of vinegar to hit me. I was mistaken though - because this product smells gorgeous - like raspberries, and has no vinegary scent to it. 

It is silicone and paraben free, and contains 98% natural ingredients.

You apply this after you are done with shampooing and conditioning your hair, but you need to rinse it off after you're done.

Vinegar acts as a Ph balancer, and therefore helps close your hair cuticles, giving you a healthy shine throughout. 

Apart from helping de-scale your hair after your last rinse [to my fellow Maltesers - you do know 

how much scale our tap water has!] it also helps remove product build up in your hair, which gives your roots some bounce and height. 

It also restores your hair's natural shine, and helps de-tangle your hair.

Now I don't use this everytime I wash my hair, but I do use it about 2-3 times a month to help remove product build up from my scalp. 

This vinegar costs €8.90 for 150ml and you can get yours from the Yves Rocher outlets in Malta [Sliema | Valletta | Paola].

Love,

Lola

xoxo

The Face Shop Lovely Me: Ex Mini Pet Sweet Hand Cream [Review]

I really, really, really can't resist cute packaging.

That is one of the main reasons why I just love Korean beauty stuff. I know I've said this time and time again, but it's usually a win | win situation: they have cute packaging, they're normally quite cheap, and they're good.

So a while ago I got myself this The Face Shop Lovely Me: Ex Mini Pet Sweet hand cream. 

It comes in 4 different versions [mine is Fruity Floral] and you can get yours by following this link here [this is not the same seller I bought it from but it's the cheapest one around]

As you can see from the pictures, this cute The Face Shop handcream comes in a small, plastic tub which has the shape of a cat. 

You only get 30ml so it's quite on the smallish side - but I usually keep this in my handbag [at home I have heavy duty sized products]

It smells so so good! I don't really know how to describe scents, but this one is very feminine and delicate.

It is a tad oily, so it takes about 1-2 mins to be totally absorbed by your skin - but it doesn't leave a greasy residue, so it's fine.

It leaves your hands feeling very soft and with a lovely smell, and so it's perfect for the coming cold months.

And when you've finished it all up, you can use it to store little trinkets in the cute container :)

Love,

Lola

xoxo

International Makeup Giveaway! [Beauty Products | Giveaway]

Yay! It's time for another International Giveaway! [Thanks for helping me reach 1000+ likes on my Facebook page - much love!]

Up for grabs are: 

Catrice Sun Glow Shimmering Bronzing Powder

Catrice Absolute Bright Eyeshadow Palette in #010 Candy Warhol

Catrice Prime and Fine Anti-Red Base

Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick in #310 Red My Lips

Makeup Revolution Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

Makeup Revolution Amazing Lipgloss in Nude Shimmer

The giveaway will run from today till the 15th of December [so for a month]. I will announce the winner on a blog post and will send him/her an email, after which he/she will have 3 days to get back to me or I will have to choose another winner.

To participate, just fill in the Rafflecopter below. The only mandatory rules I have are that you must follow me via  Blog Lovin', like my Facebook page and leave a blog post comment!. All the others are extra and some can be done daily to get you more chances of winning!

Important! Please do not follow via GFC privately, or else I won't know who is following or not.

Good luck everyone!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Love,

Lola

xoxo

Dr. Organic Malta [Bloggers Event]

 Last Wednesday I was invited to attend the first ever Dr. Organic bloggers event held in Malta which was held at the posh Villa Bologna in Attard.

I'm always super excited to attend these events, and I was really looking forward to see what Dr. Organic had to offer especially since it has just been introduced in Malta.

As soon as I arrived I was presented with their catalogue which is MASSIVE! They offer different lines: from Organic Aloe Vera, to Organic Olive Oil and Organic Virgin Coconut Oil [they have 12 different ones], and for each of their lines they offer from shampoos to toothpaste to lipbalms to face creams.

Dr. Organic boast that they use only the purest of ingredients which are also 100% natural [they're also Bioactive]: they use no harsh chemicals, no animal ingredients [except for example honey or bees wax], no animal testing, no mineral oils, no gm ingredients and no preservatives. 

I know what you're thinking ...

They must cost loads!

But nope. They are actually super super affordable. I was amazed.

During the event we were kindly offered to take with us any three items of our choice, and I chose an Argan treatment [which you use before you wash your hair - how intriguing! - I've used this yesterday for the first time and I'm already loving it], Coconut Oil [which I can't wait to use] and a Pomegranate Anti Aging Cream. Keep posted for future reviews.

I'll leave you to some photos of yours truly and some other local bloggers which were taken during the event.

very attentive moi :)

With Marija from Pocalocca (Left)

With the other bloggers!

From L-R

Lara, Elle, Marija, Charlene, Moi, Elaine, Steph, Maya, Teri who was our hostess for the night, and Davi.

Can't wait to share with you reviews of their products, so keep posted for more.

Love,

Lola

xoxo

Zombie Makeup Tutorial [Halloween Edition | You Tube Video]

So this weekend I partnered up with a fellow friend, who also happens to be a You Tuber, and we filmed a tutorial for you!

I know that Halloween has passed but I wanted to show you the process + the end result [especially since you haven't seen that much of me throughout the years].

This Zombie look was so much fun to create and Daryl [a.k.a Aiden Kai] was a real sport - although he was quite scared when I applied some red liner on his waterline - but who blames him haha.

Check out the process | video by clicking the link below:

Halloween Transformation!

Follow Aiden Kai on You Tube: HERE

and his official Facebook: HERE

Hope you like it!

Love,

Lola

xoxo

The Body Shop Satsuma Body Sorbet [Review]

This Body Shop Satsuma Body Sorbet is, my dear readers, one of the best smelling products that I have ever had the pleasure to smell.

This is a fairly new release by TBS and I got it in an event which was held in one of their outlets last month [or early in October, I believe].

As soon as the charming saleslady opened this tube up, I was sold.

I could smell it just by having the cap open!

These body sorbets come in 5 different scents and all of them smell amazing. This Satsuma Sorbet is the one which I fell in love with though.

Funnily enough, [as seen in the above picture] it clearly warns people not to eat this product - because it smells so good it really tantalizes you into tasting it. 

This body lotion if I may call it that is enriched with cold pressed Satsuma oil from Argentina, and its consistency is unlike anything I have ever tried.

It feels cold once applied [most probably due to the gel-like consistency which it has] and it has a kind of mousse-y / sorbet-y texture - i,e, it is much of a hybrid.

It is immediately and easily absorbed into the skin once applied - I do favour using this on my body as opposed to my hands though.

The smell of this lingers on for a long, long time and it seems like it 'injects' moisture into the skin. It really softens the skin too!

This cost me around €11-13 which is a bit on the steeper side for a body cream, but it is worth every penny [even just for the smell! - mmmm]

Love,

Lola

xoxo