Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Vichy Idealia Review



I've been using Vichy's Idealia face cream for about 3 weeks and I think it's about time I did a proper review. I absolutely love it! I've been looking for a good face cream for a few years and now I'm happy to say that I have finally found it!

I should start by saying that Idealia is built around a star ingredient, namely Kombucha extract, which is said to "even skin texture and complexion while smoothing wrinkles, creating thus an ideal skin". It also contains Vitamin E and thermal Vichy water.

What I love most about it is the fact that after I apply it in the morning my skin looks instantly radiant and feels really fresh. I think this happens due to the pinkish colour of the cream which I believe reflects the light, hence the radiant skin effect. Furthermore, it has a gorgeous fruity smell, it is very hydrating and  it's easily absorbed into the skin, so you don't have to worry about any excess left on your face that will make your skin look oily during the day. Another thing I like about Idealia is the fact that it evened and softened the appearance of my skin over time. But I have to add here that I don't have any major skin problems or discolouration except for a few spots now and then (I have a normal skin type), therefore I cannot predict its efficiency on a skin with acne problems or scars. But, being such a good face cream (at least in my opinion) it may have some positive results.

Moreover, after I apply my foundation, my skin doesn't lose its glow as it is the case with other illuminating face creams. On the contrary, my face looks radiant, healthy and fresh the entire day. I also noticed that this cream tends to control the sebum production around my T-zone, hence another bonus point.  

Vichy Idealia is available for dry skin and normal/combination skin, but it's also suitable for sensitive skin and it's paraben free.

I know this will sound like a huge cliche but Idealia is truly an ideal cream for me. It has improved my skin's quality in only a few days and for the first time I can see clearly the benefits of a product: radiant, even skin, which feels fresh and hydrated throughout the day. I'm really impressed :)

Have you tried it? Take care x

Thursday, 24 May 2012

New in: Zara spring sweaters

Hey lovelies!

I'm soooo excited to have finally found the Zara chiffon sweater I posted about one month ago here! It was totally unexpected since I'd given up any hope of finding it because I hadn't seen it in any Zara shop for such a long time. But yesterday was my lucky day! It is so gorgeous, it has a looser fit, the front print is beautiful and the colour is really pretty also. The chiffon front is a little see-through but you can put a vest underneath and the problem is solved. Love love love it! Can't believe it's finally mine!

The other thing I bought from Zara is a light sequined sweater. I know I should buy summary clothes since it's the end of May, but the weather in Bucharest has been really nasty for the last few days - cloudy, rainy and chilly bleah. So I blame the weather for my rather autumnal mood. Back to the sweater now, it is a little more sophisticated than the first one due to the fact that it has sequins sewn into it, which means I can also wear it during a night out.  The colour is a lovely beige/ taupe and it is a bit longer in the back. Again, love it!



I think these two sweaters will be great for summer chillier days or for warmer autumn days. Can't wait to wear them! Btw, Zara is going to empty my wallet this season because they have some gorgeous pieces. I have my eye on a few more things...but since I don't want to break the bank any time soon, I have to behave.

I also wanted to show you the newest additions to my nail polish collection: Max Factor Glossfinity in Amethyst and Midnight Bronze and OPI Malaysian Mist. I love the shades, especially the purple one, and I'm going to do some NOTDs with them soon.



That's it for today. I hope you are all doing great and you are somewhere hot and sunny! x

Saturday, 19 May 2012

Today I like...


....This beautiful picture of Diane Kruger on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. I think she has a great sense of style and this ethereal mint dress makes no exception. I particularly like this photo  because I love how she stands out from the sea of black suites thanks to her fairy like dress. She looks so surreal.

Tuesday, 15 May 2012

Seduction in the City: The Birth of Shopping

Hello girls,

Today I have a great documentary recommendation for all the shopping lovers out there (and not only). A few days ago I watched this fantastic documentary on Viasat History called Seduction in the City: The Birth of Shopping and I immediately fell in love with it! Hmmm history and shopping? The perfect combination as far as I'm concerned! Basically, it tells the story of how department stores were born and how they changed society forever, while sowing the seeds of female emancipation. Needless to say, this quickly became one of my favourite documentaries of all time.

Since I'm not that good at describing films, or documentaries for that matter, I will leave you with a great description I found on an Australian website (www.femail.com.au), because they describe it a million times better than I would :)

Seduction in the City: The Birth of Shopping is the fascinating two part series that tells the story of the department store - how it became the greatest invention to emerge from the industrial revolution and ultimately changed the role of women in society forever.

This elegant documentary series reveals the foresight of internationally renowned store entrepreneurs such as France's Aristide Boucicaut, Britain's Harry Selfridge, New York's Rowland Macy and Australia's own Sidney Myer, who invented such revolutionary concepts that now form the basis of everyday shopping conveniences. These include easy credit, returns policies, window displays, changing rooms and ladies' toilets. The foresight of these men and the department stores they created offered women the first chance to have a career outside of the home.

Seduction in the City brings to life the ambitious and magical world of the 19th century department store with rich reconstructions of key characters, rare archival footage of Myer's opening in Victoria, sophisticated animation and illuminating interviews together with quirky advertisements, extraordinary diary excerpts and letters and posters of the age. It tells the untold social history of the phenomenon of shopping that took hold of the world and transformed the lives of women, national economies and saw the birth of consumer culture. The inspiration for the documentary came from the research and work of Melbourne-based academic, Sylvia Sagona, whose playful take on history is refreshingly humorous.

Episode One- "A Genius Idea"
The first episode of Seduction in the City introduces viewers to the world's first department store created by the visionary 19th century French entrepreneur, Aristide Boucicaut.
Boucicaut's store, Le Bon Marché, situated on the left bank of Paris and engineered by the famous Gustave Eiffel, is a huge success and his magnificent "cathedral of commerce" is very quickly copied all over the world. Stores like Selfridges in London, Myers in Melbourne and Macys in New York develop the idea further, craftily inventing more enticing ideas to lure in customers and sell industrial goods in huge numbers. Consumer culture is thus born.
This episode also establishes four archetypal, female characters, Mrs Debt, Mrs Homemaker, Lady Kleptomania and Miss Assist. These dramatic characters illustrate the changing presence of women's place in society. This episode focuses on Miss Assist's ascent from provincial shop girl to department manager eventually running her own store, in contrast with Lady Kleptomania's immersion in the darker side of shopping - stealing for pleasure.

Episode Two- "A Modern Game"
The second episode reveals the canny secrets of the retail game in the early part of the 20th century, examining the tactics of the world's greatest retailers.

Philadelphia merchant, John Wanamaker, exploits religion by being the first vendor to create sales on Christian festivals: Christmas and Easter. Wanamaker even invents Mother's Day to encourage shoppers to spend more.

Meanwhile, penniless Russian immigrant to Australia, Sidney Myer, suppresses his Jewish faith by trading on the Sabbath to fit in with the Anglo majority. This controversial decision works in his favour as his business grows from pushcart to major city institution in less than a decade. Myer also helps shatter class barriers by the introduction of a department store staple - the bargain basement.

Over in England, the showman, Harry Gordon Selfridge in London dazzles his store 'guests' with new inventions including escalators, electric windows and telephones. Also in this episode the role of Mrs Debt is explored as she falls into every trap set by the department store. Her radical solution to paying her increasing bills is prostitution. In contrast, Mrs Homemaker outwits the stores triumphantly exploiting store freebies.

I highly recommend it. You will no doubt love it! It is really interesting to see how it all started almost 150 years ago. You will be surprised to find that even back then things weren't too different than they are today.


Thursday, 10 May 2012

Recent beauty purchases



I'm so excited to have finally found all of the beauty products I've been eyeing for quite some time. The products I'm most excited about are Vichy's Idealia face cream and Caudalie's Beauty Elixir. I will do a proper review in the next few weeks but up to this point I am more than pleased with both of them. I am so pleased when I find skincare products that actually do their job!

Besides these two, I've bought a slimming gel from Gerovital because summer is near and I want to prep my legs for short shorts and dresses, a hair mask from Syoss, a face scrub from Bioten and my trusty Carmex lip balm. Besides the slimming gel, the other products are regulars in my face care and hair care routine, so there's nothing new under the sun.

The last two things I've bought are not beauty products, but the British and Spanish editions of Glamour magazine. I can't wait to read them since I find them much more interesting than the Romanian edition.



Have you tried any of these products? Any thoughts?

Take care x


Monday, 7 May 2012

A walk in the botanical garden

Hello loves,

I hope you all had a great weekend! Mine was pretty low key, on Saturday I did some uni work and on Sunday I went to have a walk with my boyfriend in the botanical garden. The weather was great, even though it's pretty hot for May. We expected to have 30 degrees in June or July and not now. The garden looked lovely, with lots of beautiful flowers and blossomed trees. When I was little my mother always used to take me here because it was one of my favourite places. So I have a lot of sweet memories regarding this place.

I finally managed to take some outdoor outfit posts; you know I hate taking outfit pics outside because I feel silly, but the background was really beautiful and a park is always a great place to take photos. I think it's because I feel less awkward when I see that other people are also taking pictures around me :)).

This was one of the first outings for my new River Island front tassel cross body bag and I just wanted to say how much  I like it! It has a gorgeous design and it's perfect for summer thanks to its light colours. Another thing I  like about it is its size, because it's a little more spacious than your average mini cross body bag and this means I can stuff it with even more useless things whithout which us girls wouldn't feel complete when going out.

On to the outfit pics now...





Silk blouse - H&M// Bag - River Island// Jeans - Miss Sixty// Ballet flats - Nine West

 

How beautiful is this last picture? The tree seems to have something magical about it thanks to its beautiful white flowers, doesn't it?

That's it from me guys, have a great start of the week! x



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