GlamGlow Youthmud Review

I'll start by saying that, when I purchased this product, I really hoped that I didn't like it. But my hopes sadly vanished.. This product is great!! I've heard so much rave about it from bloggers and youtubers that when I saw that it was available in travel size I couldn't resist.

As I read in their website, GlamGlow claims that "YOUTHMUD® provides gentle resurfacing exfoliation and helps to leave skin smoother, brighter, and softer resulting in immediate camera-ready glowing skin" . And it's all true.. Sadly.. For me. Now if you know anything about GlamGlow then you can understand my resentment. But if you don't, then let me enlighten you.. It's damn expensive!!

The texture is grainy and gently exfoliates as you spread it on your face as well as when you wash it off. The whole process of leaving it on takes 10 minutes tops and in the meantime the mask dries and draws out impurities while tightening the skin. This results to smoother skin and a notable decrease in the appearance of blackheads. Now I've only used this once, but I bet if you use it twice a week as it suggests, you'll see wonders!!

The final question though is one... Is it worth it?? Well that solely depends on how much you can afford to spend on an exfoliating mask. If you want to splurge on something then this is it!! I'm not saying that I'll never buy it again, I'll surely do, but not on a regular basis for sure!!

Shop 'til you drop

Alternative title : Eat - Shop - Repeat, without the Eat of course!! As you can see I went out on a binge and bought everything I've thought this last month, all at once!!

It all started with a simple visit on BeautyJoint. Big mistake!! The shopping cart was getting fuller and fuller and with great self-restraint I managed to limit my purchase to only four products.

The first, and the reason why I went on the website in the first place, was of course the NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Mauve. Rumor has it that it's a dupe for a certain lip pencil a certain celebrity wears - *cough* Whirl *cough* Kylie Jenner - so I went for it!! 

Then I stumbled upon the Studio Matte Lip Color by Elf and just couldn't resist to another nude matte lipstick, so I got one in the shade Tea Rose.

And then I remembered all the good things I've heard about the Jordana Matte Lipsticks, so I got one of these too.. in the shade Taupe, which surprisingly is just the same as the mauve lip pencil from NYX.

To end the BeautyJoint binge, I decided to get this little Blossom Blush Brush, which is just great for contouring!!

But that wasn't all, because the next thing is a Sephora suddenly appearing before me.. so I went in.. and got a thing or two - most likely three!!

First I was on the look for a new mascara and my eye caught the Sephora Outrageous Volume Mascara. It has a very similar wand to Benefit's They're Real Mascara, so I thought to give it a try.

Then I recalled that I always wanted a nude eye pencil so I got the Sephora Long Lasting Kohl Pencil in Infinite Beige to try out.

And as there weren't enough for me, at the cash register I saw a travel sized GlamGlow Mud Mask just standing and waiting for me to buy it. And so I did!!

There are a lot of stuff, I know!! And I will probably have to starve for the rest of the month.. but what can I say??? I love them all and I'll manage!!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

After last week's poor attempt to find inner peace and re-adapt to everyday life, I'm back again with another Eat - Shop - Repeat!! After all there's nothing like shopping and eating, when you try to survive Summer In The City!

EAT : It wasn't long ago, actually it was in this post right here, that I went on an endless rant about the new craze of cocktails on a stick! So, because when I like something I wanna have it ALL the time, I tried to make my own! And I succeeded!! To be fair, my attempt was to make a watermelon popsicle, but accidentally threw a little booze in the mix.. accidentally!! I used this recipe and I adapted it to taste - the amount of sugar in the recipe is far too much!

SHOP : The crop top madness continues and I've enlarged my collection by one more! I got this one last week from Tally Weijl - for heaven's sake if someone knows how to pronounce it, please enlighten me!! - and I'm in love with it already! It's a basic black and white with a little neon green running through it and a halter neck, which I wasn't so keen on - until now! What you can't see in the picture is that it has cut-outs on each side and a zipper running down the back! My describing skills are so bad, but it'll have to do, as I couldn't find it in the website.

Eat - Shop - Repeat

This week I'm channeling all kinds of summery vibes and I hope one of those will get you too!!

EAT : I'm going to introduce to you something new and completely groundbreaking - okay I didn't discover gravity, but this is quite exciting too! It's called Papoto and you can find it exclusively at Bios - read more about it here! Basically it's a cocktail in a popsicle form, made with fresh fruits and a bit of booze!! I had my first experience with it last Thursday at the Papoto Craze Night Party at Bios, where they gave out little mini versions of it and the people declared the best flavour of them all - watermelon!!

SHOP : I spoke about summery vibes and other than swimsuits, there isn't anything more summery than sunglasses!! I have created a little collection over the years and I can't help but making it bigger and bigger! So this summer I went for colour and chose this pair of sunglasses from Pink Woman. The lense has a little bit of a blue going on and they just seem so funky and laid back!!

L'Oreal Elvive Fibralogy Shampoo and Conditioner Review

Since my Aussie shampoo (see post here) came to an end and I proceeded to, at last, cut my completely damaged hair, I went on a hunt to find the perfect shampoo, again.

I found out about L'Oreal's Elvive Fibralogy shampoo, through a youtube video and the review was quite good, so I decided to give it a go, together with the conditioner from the same range.

There hasn't been a long time since I've started using it, so the review is still on an early level, but I have to say that I'm satisfied for the time being. This is supposed to be a thickening product, but to be honest I didn't expect big results, as my hair are very straight and heavy. However, I think that it's working. I don't know if it's some kind of a placebo effect, but I've noticed my hair getting a little bit fuller. The conditioner makes my hair really soft and easy to detangle, but I skip it sometimes in order to get a less silky result.

In conclusion, this range gets a thumbs up from me, the only reservation being that I haven't tested it for a long time. So stay tuned and if anything changes, you'll be the first to know!!

My Little Beach Kit

I'm the kind of girl that likes a more organised beach bag and that means that I have smaller bags in my bags, that contain even smaller bags and so and so forth.. So in this spirit of divide and conquer, I present to you this small kit of essentials every summer beach bag should have!!

First and definitely very important is my face sunscreen, from Bepanthol. It has an SPF 30 and is very moisturising, without leaving greasiness on my skin or that common white cast most sunscreens do leave! Then there is sunscreen for my lips. I know it seems a little far fetched, but Piz Buin make this great lip balm with SPF 30, which I really thought is a brilliant idea for summer, when my lips get dry from the sea salt.
Another product, that I thought was useless but found it completely life saving, is my mini Evian Facial Spray. There are times that the heat is so overbearing and a little spritz of Evian is just what you need.
And then there is my travel size concealer from Estee Lauder. Although I've never used it on the beach, it's something I always carry with me!! Last product in my little kit, some wet wipes! These ones are from Lidl and they smell like melon - quite summery if you ask me.

Some non-beauty essentials are of course my phone and earpods (both from Apple), my sunglasses, which I got from Stradivarius and a little mirror from The Body Shop. The bag itself came as a gift with July's Mirror magazine (the Greek edition) - which fits inside perfectly - and I quickly turned it in my go-to bag-inside-the-bag for this summer!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

Eat - Shop - Repeat is back after a brief leave of absence. This week we talk about how Sales mess with my mind and how I can't do without chinese takeout.

EAT : It was 13 years ago when my parents had the brilliant idea to take their 10-year old to eat chinese food and since then I've battled with this addiction. I love, love, chinese food and I have tested every takeout in my neighbourhood. Lately I've been in love with Asian Corner. It is a place with a more modern take on chinese food and focused on noodles and fried rice. Great big plus.. the portions are humongous!! Favourite noodle dish : Singapore Noodles. Vermicelli rice noodles with chicken and prawns, in a mild curry sauce. Pure awesomeness!!

SHOP : SALES!! What else do I need to say?? But just for the sake of clarification, I'll continue with the fact, that sales mess with my mind. There's something going on when I hear the word sales, that makes me go crazy and think that I must shop. I MUST SHOP. So this time - and with great self-control - I went in and got a thing or two. First of all I got this bag from Bershka ,which was done in a spontaneous spirit - saw it, loved it, got it! And then I got this pair of shorts from Pull&Bear, which was totally planned, as I had spotted them on the Pull&Bear web page in advance.

The Body Shop Shimmer Waves Review

Now this is a post I wanted to make ages ago and ultimately the time has come!

Shimmer Waves from The Body Shop is a product that has been in my make up collection for years and years, but just when I thought to make a post about it, then came the time that I hit pan and I decided to wait until I got a new one. The sacrifices we make for the sake of photographs.

This product comes in three shades - I have the one in Bronze - and as the official promotion states , its "Five shimmering shades for face and cheeks in one neat compact.". All five of them are very pigmented and can be used individually to create the perfect summer eye makeup or all swirled up together on the cheeks for a bronzy glow. I also like to use the gold shade on its own as a highlighter both in the inner corners of my eyes and on the tops of my cheeks. For the days that I want a more subtle rosy flush on my cheeks, I choose to omit the deep bronze shade.

Over the years, it has proven to be a must have product for the warmer months - dull, cold weather and pale skin don't go well with this - and is also very useful for summer vacations, when you don't want to bring all your make up with you. This multipurpose product gives endless possibilities to create a lot different looks and I'll go out on a limb and say that you can take this with you and leave all your other eyeshadows and highlighters at home resting.

Summer Tanning Essentials

Bikini Top and Bottom : OYSHO

Summer is here - nobody can deny that with 38°C roaring outside - and although I'm still city bound, I'm practising the old "a girl can dream" moto and I'm thinking of sandy beaches and gorgeous tan lines!

Unfortunately I'm the kind of person that is more likely to spontaneously combust under the sun, than get a magical sun kissed look, so this summer I'm getting a little help from my friends.. Carroten and Hawaiian Tropic that is!!

They are both tested and well-loved, so the recipe is pretty much guaranteed. Let's start by saying that if you are fair like me, then you have to pass through a phase of SPF 30 and 20 before you move to this particular Carroten product - unless you like burned skin, so in that case ignore what I just said!

So after you've elluded burning and you're in the first stages of tanning, enter the lovely Carroten Sunsations intensive exotic tanning gel SPF 10. It has been my favourite since last year, as it helps speed up the tanning process, while it protects from the sun - which most tanning oils and gels don't. The formula is moisturising and not at all sticky and it gives a nice glow when applied. Another great plus is the scent of this product. Although it says exotic flowers fragrance on the tub, it really smells like summer and exotic beaches without any hint of floral in it! I cannot really describe it as you can tell, but I guarantee that it's a really addictive scent.

Now let's skip to the part when you're back from the beach, all bathed and dolled up.. all you need is an after sun product and here comes the Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Body Butter. Long story short, I swear by it and I have all my friends hooked on it too!! It's not only a great after sun product, it's also the best body butter formula I've ever tried. It's really moisturising but after applied it gets completely absorbed, leaving no residue on the skin whatsoever. As for the scent, I have the exotic coconut one and once I've found it, I haven't used anything else layered under my perfume.

Stripes and Bubbles

Photography : Bill Bar

SHOP THE LOOK

top : H&M

kimono : Bershka

shoes : H&M

You can't say that I didn't warn you, in this post, when I said that you'll be seeing more of my beloved kimono soon!! So I stayed true to my words and after grabbing my favourite flavour of Bubble Tea, I went for a walk from Thiseio to Gazi - taking pictures was completely coincidental, I promise!!!

Initially I thought to put the top in a different look, where it would be the main item. After wearing it with the kimono though, I really liked the way the straps are peeking through the material - accidentally or not! Both the top and the kimono are airy and loose, and are really perfect to bring with you in your vacation for that "night out in the island" aetherial kind of look!!

As far as the shoes are concerned.. I know you've seen them before and I know I said they weren't the most comfortable footwear item in the world, but I'm a weak person and a sucker for these shoes! I really like the way they look and the way they hug my feet. Also for tall girls like me, it's not everyday when you find such a flatform!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

Another Sunday is here and the shopping and cooking spirits have overcome me once again!!

EAT : Fact about me : I love eggs! Poached, scrambled, omelette, sunny-side up or straight up boiled, I don't care, I love them anyway!! In a recent visit to Hip Cafe, I tried poached eggs with salmon and then I tried to recreate it at home with scrambled eggs instead!! And it worked!! I used a technique for Quick Cured Salmon (link) by Chef John - check him out, if you don't know him already - and the result was truly yummy!!

SHOP : So the Kimono trend is no news for many of you. It's been going on for some months now and though I've seen many shapes and sizes in the stores, I was still looking for that perfect one!! In my mind it was short sleeved and with a length reaching to the hip area and not so much a maxi one. After a meticulous search, I found the perfect one at Bershka (link to the kimono) and I can tell that you'll be seeing more from it soon!!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

If there is one place that combines Eat and Shop perfectly, that is IKEA!! Being a foodie and a shopaholic this is the place to be, so this week I'll tell the tale of my IKEA adventures.

EAT : What IKEA is best known for, is of course the swedish meatballs! Everybody is going crazy about them and the raving is non-stop. So call me stubborn but I went for the Chicken Schnitzel with fries - although I stole a meatball or two from a friend. And the verdict? The meatballs are great and all, but the schnitzel is even greater!! Juicy, tender and a big enough portion to feed two - or me!

SHOP : Now this was the challenging part. Everytime I step foot to IKEA, I feel an unbeatable urge to redecorate my whole house, buy new kitchenware and even get some garden furniture - for the garden that I don't even have! In the spirit of sensibility though, I decided to buy only what was needed - plus a completely unnecessary scented candle! With that in mind, the checkout found me with a new Matilda curtain for my bedroom ,a Sinnlig candle that smells of tangerines and a mind full of ideas for an extreme makeover: House edition!!

H&M Liquid Eyeliner in Bronze

I know this post in looong overdue, as it was supposed to be up last week, but it's better late than never, so let's get to it!!

Although the name of the shade is, as you can see, Bronze, my opinion is that it's far from accurate. It's most likely a khaki or olive green colour, but I'll let this one pass and attribute the name to the colour of the metallic glitter of this eyeliner, that is infact bronze! I made a little introduction two weeks ago in this post and told you about the almost aluminum foil effect this liner has, which I find really unique and impressive.

The consistency is really liquidy and the applicator is a typical thin brush, so if you are accustomed to the regular liquid eyeliners then this will be a piece of cake! Now, you may think that being an H&M product, it's immediately a lower quality one too. So let me tell you, no! This is the most waterproof liner I've ever come across in my life and I'm really bummed this doesn't come in black! It dries really quick and then stays forever.

If you want a little something extra from your liner and not the typical black line, then this is perfect for you. Also great for brown eyes, as it really brightens as well as defines them!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

In this week's Eat - Shop - Repeat, the baking success continues with some of the most addictive cookies ever eaten by mankind and two new purchases, a necessary and a totally unnecessary one!

EAT : Starting with the yummy stuff, hurray to me for managing to bake something lemony, without it resulting to total disaster - thinking back to this moment!! Today we're talking about Lemon Crinkle Cookies and I'm setting the bar really high by saying that this is my all time favourite cookie!!

RECIPE

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp vanilla

powdered sugar for rolling

I always start with the butter and the sugar and when they are combined I continue with the egg. After that I just throw everything in the bowl with no particular order and mix until everything is well combined. I know it doesn't sound very fancy, but it works every time!! The mixture is quite runny and cannot be rolled into a ball by its own, but if you place a teaspoon in the powdered sugar then you can shape it into a little ball. Place the cookies on a baking tray and bake for 10' in a preheated oven on 180° Celsius!

SHOP : And on to my purchases!!! Breaking the habit of getting the same mascara over and over again, I decided to try something new!! Bourjois launched a new mascara called Volume 1 Seconde Mascara and in a spur of the moment, I just went and got it. It has a plastic spiky wand and claims to give 360° clump-free volume. Taking into consideration that my beloved Avon mascara is almost finished, this was the necessary purchase!!

The unnecessary one : another simple, black top! Maybe it's the strappy neck, or the flowy material, but when I saw this top at H&M, I thought it was meant to be!! It comes in many colours and now that I think about it it could be possible that I need another one..

Eat - Shop - Repeat

Eat - Shop - Repeat is back and this time there are no baking failures.. this time it worked!! On the Shop part of the post, I tried out H&M's makeup line and it also worked! It's a win-win for today's post, so let's get to it..

EAT : Since I first saw people eating pancakes in all those lovely American movies, where the Sunday breakfast table is full with stacks of them, I made it my life's goal to make them myself! Through trial and error I found the perfect recipe - simple, quick, efficient and above all yummy!! I know it's no news for most of you, but if anyone hasn't tried them.. please, give them a go!

RECIPE

3/4 cup milk

2 tbs. melted butter

1 egg

1 cup self-rising flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

And that's it.. just put them in a bowl, combine well and then pour 2 tablespoons of the mixture for each pancake in a small pan over medium heat, after covering the pan with the thinnest film of seed or sunflower oil you can manage - even better if you wipe the pan with a paper towel after you pour the oil. When you see little bubbles on the pancake, it's time to flip!!

SHOP : All those times I've been to H&M and I haven't tried their makeup line... Shame!! I bought this liquid eyeliner mainly because of the colour. It has an olive green base but has a strong metallic - almost aluminum foil - gold effect. It's just gorgeous and as you can imagine, there's a full review coming up!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

In this week's Eat - Shop - Repeat, it's all about crop tops and baking failures - hence the "stolen" picture of the lemon squares!

EAT : It must be psychological in some way, because every year around this season I find myself craving lemony desserts. Either it is cupcakes, cookies or plain old ice-cream, if it is lemon flavoured, I'm into it!! So I tried myself to make Lemon Squares (link) - for the second time! And I failed - for the second time! This recipe just doesn't want to be made right and though it tasted so lemony and buttery and perfect, it looked like it had been in a car accident - and smelled kind of funny too! I don't know what's going on, but I'll confine myself to cupcakes from now on!

SHOP : I'll also put the blame on the warm weather for this shopping splurge that happened last week. Whenever I was in a shop and there were crop tops on sight, I just saw red lights and something was beeping in my head, saying "Target Locked"!! So I gave in, with good measure, and got only two! The one on the left (link) caught my eye during a casual walk, when I randomly found myself in H&M. The right (link) one is from Pink Woman, a shop in The Mall Athens, that I always passed by but never went in.. seems like I'll be visiting it again!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

Back to the classics (?!) with another Eat - Shop - Repeat and this, is a good one!! The pictures speak for themselves and make you drool with just one glance - or it's just me..
The past week was one of my favourites, it was my birthday, me my friends went for a picnic and... I bought a new camera!! So without further ado, let's get to it..

EAT : So as I said, we went for a picnic in the park and we decided for each of us to contribute with either a sweet or a savory treat, with mine being : Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownie Swirls (link)!! Ok it is a mouthful, but that's a good thing for a brownie, right?? Just bare with me.. It's a brownie and a cheesecake and it's red velvet on top of that.. What's not to love?? I swear it's the best brownie I've ever had and it isn't quite so difficult to make.. for the recipe click on the link above and you won't be disappointed, at all!!

SHOP : I'm trying so hard not to leap from joy as I'm about to say that now I have my very own camera!!
I've wanted one for so long and I was always postponing it but now I set my mind to it and I got it.. and let me tell you she's beautiful - not quite a trait for a camera but what can I say..? I got the Samsung NX2000 (link), a mirrorless camera, which is actually if a compact camera and a DSLR had a baby!! I've had it only for a couple of days and I'm trying to explore it's full potential which I'll never get to do because I don't know a thing about photography, but I'm at least trying and it's something!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

This Sunday we are back to basics, meaning : Eat - Shop - Repeat is back!! With a slight variation as the "Eat" part stands once again for "Drink" (same old Dim), and one of my all time favourite "Shop".

EAT : As an avid tea drinker I'm always on the hunt for some new flavour or brand or whatever the market has to provide. On a recent walk around the local shops I visited Tiger (it's a classic for me) and found this packet of four loose leaf tea tins in yummy spring flavours - pomegranate, forest fruits, white peach and plain green tea. Either hot or cold these are light and perfect for any time of day.

SHOP : Now let's be serious and talk about this gift of heavens that answers to the name of MAC. One of the best quality makeup brands out there, it may be on the pricey side but let me tell you.. It's SO Worth It!!
My MAC collection is a tiny one right now, but I'm working on making it bigger and better. The latest addition, Magenta Lip Pencil. It's gorgeous and really works all year around. Expect a detailed post soon.

Eat - Shop - Repeat

In this week's eat - shop - repeat (oh yeah it has come to stay) we're dealing with my problems - once again.
Problem no1 : I can't go past an H&M without going in - and buying something
Problem no2 : I'm a sucker for anything sickly sweet - preferably drinkable - and if it says Starbucks on, even better!!

EAT : Or as I said above, drink!! I have been a loyal subject of the Starbucks realm for many years, but I hadn't tried heaven until my darling dear Bethany Mota shared the Cotton Candy Frappuccino (click for the video) with us mere commoners. It's a  vanilla cream frappuccino with raspberry syrup - and some drops of unicorn tears apparently - and it's my new favourite addiction.

SHOP : I went past an H&M and the rest is , as they say, history!! This time I went for skincare and stocked up in some facemasks (link). I tried to have some variety in my picks so I can have (and also give you) a better opinion. I got four to begin with and if they are as good as I've heard, then I'll be back for the whole selection. Stay tuned this week for a post on my experience with them.


+ Bethany also made a video recreating the Cotton Candy Frappuccino! So for anyone interested heeeere it is!!

Eat - Shop - Repeat

However hectic my week might be, I will always find time for lunch with my friends and some shopping - even if it's the smallest thing.

EAT : A walk around the centre of Athens - especially Ermou street - isn't complete if you don't take some time to go grab a bite to eat in one of all those great little places hidden in church squares. Of course I'm referring to Agia Irini Square, THE hotspot these days. Gina and I went to School Pizza Bar, a great place with even greater pizza!! This time (oh yes we've been there before) we tried the chicken pizza and we'll surely go back to taste each and every one from the menu!!

SHOP : Quick tip about me - I can't go past an H&M without going in and potentially getting something. This time I went small and got a simple V necklace and a cream color hair-bow. It isn't much, but I love this minimal necklace that can be worn everyday on its own or stacked. Now about the bow.. I admit.. it's a new addiction of mine!! Bows can turn any hairstyle into something great and of course, they're as girly as can be!!

So how did you spend your weekend?!