Product Review: ISANA Automatic Face Cleaning Brush

One small kid, several jobs, several blogs, lots of things to do in just 24 days. My mother always used to say that regardless how busy you are, you should never neglect your face. You better wake up at 5am twice the week to have a mask than spend one month or more completely neglecting yourself. I was not necessarily a well-behaved kid, listening to what my mother say, but her face was always good looking, regardless the age and the life hardships and illnesses she went through. 

In her memory, I am trying to keep up with my self-care, beauty rituals, either by using a face mask - twice the week, or by trying to get some treatments - once in a while - or practicing some healthy beauty tips. Of course nothing compares to the professional knowledge of a beauty practician, but as for now, my investments are better done in other areas therefore I am doing a lot of things by myself, using beauticians' advices and family lessons.

Face cleansing is very important as it is the basis of a healthy skin. It eliminates those dead cells and add a healthy touch to your face. I religiously remove my makeup every day, but in the last year I feel that I need some more serious treatment, which includes deep peeling and a treatment to add more vitality to my skin.

Therefore, when once I've seen ISANA Face Cleaning Brush, I decided to go for it in a second. As it costs under 15$ -  with batteries included - it does not include a high investment risk. It comes in a box, with a small bag to keep the product between uses, with three different brushes: silicon, normal and smooth. The product is small so it does not take too much storage space. The instruction booklet is written in a couple of languages - among which Hungarian, Turkish, German and Polish, but - unfortunatelly - no English. 

I am using it for already one month and very happy with the result. My skin looks healthier and I feel less guilty for not taking time off for my beauty routine. I have a small beauty parlor in my home and I can happily live with that.

The normal and silicone brush applies to all types of skin, while the smooth one is recommended for special types. I have a normal type of skin and I happily and successfully used the three of them. It works. The normal brush is recommended for intensive cleaning, the smooth one for gentle cleaning, while the silicon is good for peeling and deep cleaning. 

You can use it in several ways. Either on a wet skin or after using special face cleaning products, applied either directly on the brush or on the face. 

The automatic system has two speeds and a cycle lasts around 60 seconds. Every minutes it stops automatically. I personally used it for maximum 3 cycles. More than that it might provoke iritation or hurt. I've used it through circular movements on the cheeks, forehead, nase and chin. A couple of seconds - less than 30 - for each of this side is enough. 

After you are done, you can apply your usual daily creams. 

The brushes should be cleaned following every use and dried with a clean cloth. You need to be careful to not use it close to the eyes and, as in the case of all such products, keep them away from children. 

It is very easy to use - practically I do it early in the morning, with one hand, while the other hand is busy preparing the coffee and the breakfast. It makes it a good beauty care product for the time when too busy for scheduling an appointment at the beauty salon.  

Nature Box Surprises - Your Hair Deserves More #BeautyPositivity

After the summer is gone and the cold time is coming, let's talk hair goals. Healthy, shining, perfectly beautiful hair goals. Did you even notice how better - or tired - you look when your hair shows it? I, personally, noticed the big difference between the two moments, which has to do with my own look and attitude. As I said more than once, this is why a woman wearing a good looking wig can win at least 10 years. Sometimes, more often than you think, your hair tells everything about you.

My hair look has ups and downs, especially after years of colouring and not too much awareness about the toxicity of some products included in the innocent bottle of shampoo. Stress, unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits, the city life pollution are other noticeable elements which harmed my hair and can harm yours too.

More love and care for my hear is my motto and I am trying to be true to my words as often as possible.

Therefore, when I was lucky enough to receive a full box of haircare products, part of the Rossmann Blogger programme, I realize that it is a good sign to focus more on the appearance and health of my hair. After a couple of weeks of intensive care, I can finally review the products generously offered.

#NatureBoxBeauty

The products included in the NATURE BOX by Henkel Beauty Care are available in the any store part of the Rossmann Drugstore network, but also in other chains throghout Germany, since the beginning of this October. They are sold in colourful bottles and also include a body care variant. 

The common features of all of them is that they are vegan, silicone- and parabene-free and based on cold pressed oil. You may ask - as I did once - what is the relevance of this technique as long as those products are - obviously - not edible? As you might know, during the heating process of the oil, not only the flavor, nutrivional value and colour of the oil is chaging, but also toxins are exposed. The cold oil method avoid such a risk, therefore your hair and body are not exposed to elements with a high risk of toxicity which may affect its original texture and health and eventually speed-up aging. 

The products are made of coconut, almond, apricot and avocado. The liquid is heavy, with a very discrete smell - my favorite kind of beauty and skincare products in general - which requires an intensive cleaning. A good occasion to intensively massage the skin of your head. It makes you really good, with a relaxing, soothing effect, especially after a very busy day. 

Each specific haircare product has different qualities: the avocado helps actively to repair and regenerate the splitted hair, apricot - a fruit whose advantages for the beauty industry I still have to discover - protects and nourishes the hair, giving it a shining appearance, the almond creates an elegant attractive volume, while the coconut brings an intensive, long-term fresh aspect.

All those results can be noticed after two consecutive use of the products. 

Applying them does not require a big amount of time. Often, 30 seconds of waiting for the conditioner to work are enough. Sometimes, you can apply them directly on the wet hair and wait for the hair to dry for the full effects.

The purchase prices in the drugstore are more than affordable, therefore, with an investment of 10-15 EUR. you can change your hair from your enemy to your main ally in courageously displaying your personality.

Verdict: The Nature Box products are becoming part of my regular hair care routine. After one week, my health recovered its original healthy aspect and volume. Although I complain often that I am mostly out of time, the high qualities and ingredients of both the shampoo and conditioner allow me to use them fast, with a minimal time investment for maximal results.

Disclaimer: The products were offered for free part of the Rossmann Blogger Programme, but the opinions are, as usual, my own.

Sephora arrived to Berlin!

When you spend a lot of time abroad and generally on the road, you get acquainted with great brands and products and you would love to have them at home too. One of my biggest frustrations of beauty shopping in Germany - I know, very first world problems - is that I couldn't shop from Sephora, the store I started to buy my make-up as a rebel teenager. Their products were maybe always a bit over my daily budget, but it was always a great investment. In Germany, you have Douglas which is very top notch, without the middle range offer aimed at middle class, young customers. It was something I was missing, and apparently not only me.

This year, everything changed as Sephora, the chain with 2,300 stores in 33 countries added Germany on their shopping map. In the last months, the 1969-founded French store, opened its stores in the Galeria Kaufhof stores from Munchen, Bonn, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, big German cities with a high concentration of wealth, expat community and tourists. The latest add is the store in Alexanderplatz, inaugurated the 9th of November, considered the biggest in Germany.

The problem with Galeria Kaufhof in Alexanderplatz is that it is always very busy, and as the store is not independent, meaning part of the big hall hosting other beauty stores, it doesn't provide the best identity branding, if not for the typical brand name placed in various corners. What a connoisseur would know for sure though, is that you can find here brands not available in Germany before, such as Marc Jacobs Beauty, Too Faced, Becca and Huda Beauty, in addition to the products created by Sephora itself. 

If you are looking for the best presents, here is the best place to find excellent choices. This pinky agenda on the top is more than it shows: it hides a 2018 daily agenda, plus some gorgeous make-up sets. An excellent present for any modern woman!

My longest stop was at the colourful cute corner of the Korean House, with products that I will definitely be testing in the next months. 

Therefore, I can only welcome the newest Sephora store, looking forward to more awesome beauty opportunities, that I can't wait to share with my other modern women readers.

Beauty and skincare review: Collagen capsules from Diadermine

I can't have enough of testing and reviewing beauty capsules, a very ingenous and practical skin care booster. After Rival de Loop and Schaebens, the last week I tried a 7-day cure of something even more professional and efficient: Diadermine Lift+.  

It contains seven small capsules that I used early in the morning, on a clean, hydrated skin. The content is enough to cover both the face and the decollete. It is very easy to apply and you can also use it when on the road: it does not take too make space in your bag and applying on the skin doesn't take more than 5 minutes. 

It contains collagen activator, which operates deep into the skin, offering elasticity, covering age lines and fine wrinkles. The face looks glowing, firmer and better defined, a couple of minutes after applying only. In addition, it is made of a complex of vitamines which revitalises the skin, giving it a new strength and eliminating the signs of tiredness. As I had a relatively chaotic time lately, I noticed immediately some good signs of freshness, that I hardly wanted to alter by using make-up. Therefore, the promise of 'Sofort-Effekt' - 'Instant Effect' - is delivered.

The price is more acceptable, especially if you are a on a very limited budget.

During the seven days treatment I didn't experience any allergic reactions. Its effects are multiplied especially if the capsules are used in combination with other products. I usually applied it after previously having used L'Oreal Hydra Active 3, which confers a good skin hydration. 

I strongly recommend to any busy woman around, keen to keep up with its beauty ritual, despite a crazy daily schedule.

Golden mask from Schaebens

Gold is a valuable product not only for the fashion and design industry, or even for the high-end cuisine, but also a valuable ingredient for the beauty products. In general such products are automatically expensive, but as I had the occasion to see in the case of other products created by the German company Schaebens, an affordable price can deliver good quality, although for a short term.

The Luxus Maske is available in a package of two, recommended to be used every two days. I tried once in the evening and once in the morning, and in both situations, I was happy with the results for the skin. All you need is to put aside some ten minutes for yourself and close your eyes and relax while the mask is doing its job. Quite a good job, as after applying it, at least in the first hours thereafter, the skin looks smooth and full of life, not the usual tired look.

Besides gold - which, by the way, is never available in its pure form, but always part of different compositions - the mask contains champagne, caviar and pearls. It really looks as a beauty feast, isn't it? Other ingredients are urea, sodium hyalunorate, water, glycerin. The mask looks as a yellowish gel paste that feels very cold against the skin - in both cases I did not put the mask in the fridge, although it may be recommended, so it was the natural effect of the mask. The first seconds, my face was wrapped in a wave of warm, with some short-lived burning on the side in the last half of the time. After 10-15 minutes, I cleaned it with some clean napkins and warm water.

The skin felt very smooth, although in both situations, the irritation/a bit of rash feeling persisted for at least 10 minutes after. The skin was so fresh that I did not need to wear any more concealer or other cream. 

I was happy with the quality, the price and the effects so, most probably will keep trying more Schaebens products and for sure, at least every month a Luxus Maske mit Gold, because I really deserve it!

Nail polishes for a colourful winter

I have many favourite make-up and beauty products, but I hardly can go out of the house without my nails perfectly done. For me, it is more than a personal statement, but a choice of showing my independence - more about that in a different post, maybe. Philosophy put aside, I really love to have my nails coloured and as for now, I have an impressive collection of nail polish bottles, for every occasions, time of the day and of the year. Although for the summer, I usually prefer shades of red and pink, for the long German winter, I feel the need to add more splashes of colour to my outfits. In the last days, I've played a lot with some special colours and here is my feedback for each of them.

This nail paint by Barry M Cosmetics has a surprising wall texture and beautiful colour. As long as you are getting used with the wall, raw appearance of the paint on the nails. It lasts long, but again, the first sensation of touch and sight is quite unusual, so I keep having mixed feeling about this product. It suits the early autumn pastel times and outfits. 

It is always hard to make a single choice when you visit a Kiko store, but this time, the blue nail polish bottle was easy to pick up. Blue is my favourite colour and it doesn't matter too much what it suits or not my outfit or mood of the day. It is enough to make me feel good and elegant and beautiful. It is easy to apply - in two layers - and lasts for around 3-4 days. 

Trend it up is a brand of the German DM Drugstore and this shinny chocolate nail polish is obviously in trends. This season the 3D nail polish are very fashionable, and in the next weeks I hope to complete my collection of special nail decorations with more shades. This brown has traces of gold and looks very elegant on the nails...as long as you know how to apply it. You need more than one layer and a longer waiting time to dry it. It doesn't last too long, and I need to correct it several times. For a special night out it can be a good choice though...

This lilac High Shine nail polish by Rival de Loop is one of my favourites. I love the colour, can be applied easily, from 2 strokes maximum, it lasts long and it suits a variety of outfits and occasions. It looks shiny on nails and gives an elegant outlook. If not so many colourful bottles calling my name from the closet, I would wear this nail polish over and over again.

What about you, what are your favourite nail polish colours for this winter?

New beauty products from Rival de Loop Young

I am usually very critical when it comes with the ways in which German companies - whatever the domain - deal with bloggers and online media in general, but no one seems to do it better than the drugstore giant Rossmann. My almost daily destination when it comes to baby products, it offers many other goodies, at very good prices, from cosmetic and beauty products to house cleaning and even books and veggie products or wines. More than that, they have a special program for bloggers, where they give local online writers the chance to test and recommend their products, as well as to be part of different promotions.

Regularly, they send newsletters with the newest additions to the stock that you can wish for. One of the last weeks, I was lucky enough to be randomly selected to test some of the latest Rival de Loop package. It included products which suit my usual posts: lipbalm, two lipsticks with matching nail polish plus a top coat, a mascara and - not in the picture because it will be featured a bit later - an eye liner.

As usual, I carefully tested each and every one of the products, in order to be sure that I am writing the adequate recommendations. And, here we are:

- The lip balm does not only have a cute cover, but it also works efficiently against the dry lips I may have once in a while. My product has a very discrete strawberry taste. It contains lanolin, seed oil and jojoba, among other products. 

- The nail polishes: I definitely loved the colours and the coating makes wonders when it comes to resistance. And, as a busy mother that spends some good amount of time cleaning the house and the baby, this is what I need. My favourite is the pinky one, but unfortunately, it is a bit short-lived if the coating was not applied. 

- The matching lipsticks are really hot and elegant. Actually, I developped a passion for the reddish one, and thus, I wear it as much as I can around the day. Both last long and do look very good if you have a light complexion and dark hair. 

- The mascara is water resistant and in general makes a good impression. It brings volume and outlines the eyes in a very normal way.

All the make up products are a good addition for the summer and travel makeup set, are affordable and can be easily matched with different outfits and moods.

Disclaimer: Products delivered by Rossmann via their blogger program, but the opinions are, as usual, my own