Everyday Ingredients of Mitomo Masks

In the last weeks, I continued testing a new batch of Mitomo masks. After experiencing the positive effects of some very special ingredients, like horse oil, for instance, or the face sheets with hyaluron or other basic ingredients that are becoming so popular lately, this time most of the products included everyday substances.

A special note on the design of each package: as a regular user of beauty products, especially face masks, I noticed a stereotypical disregard to the way in which the masks are presented. In Europe you have generally some glowing woman face smiling from a shining package where you have a lot of written details about the products. This batch of masks from Mitomo, do have a lot of written details too, but inserted among well chosen inspired images of the ingredients. It is not only about entincing the customer to buy it, but offering a product tailored according to the highest quality standards.

Back to my experience with the masks now. This time, I decided to use them at the beginning of the day, as I started to have very early mornings due to the shortening of the light hours. Shortly before being awake, I decided to start applying a mask while for the next 20 minutes I keep myself busy checking the latest social media updates and planning the rest of the day. It was my own meditation moment to open the morning. 

Each of the sheet has 25 gr. and is heavily soaked into liquid. It works for all skin types and I personally did not experience any negative effects. As usual, the masks were kept in the fridge overnight, for a refreshing effect in addition to the nourishing.

I started with Camellia Essence Mask, using camellia flower, an ingredient of the Japanese cuisine or drinks. What I did not know is that there is camellia oil which is rich in vitamins such as A, B, D and E or nourishing Omega 3, 6 and 9, having a higher concentration of antioxidants than almost any other botanically derived oil.

The green tea doesn't neet too much introduction as an excellent product for both the food and beauty industry. As a face mask, it has a deep cleansing effect, eliminating any blemishes or rashes and red spots. After applying the Green Tea Essence Mask, the skin looked well hydrated and youthful, ready to cope with an overwhelming busy day.

The Rice Leaven Essence Mask may smell a little bit compared to the previous too which are fragrance free, but this highly moistured sheet mask is the perfect antidote to a tired face. After 30 minutes of applying it - I wanted to treat my face with an extra 10 minutes of morning care - the good nutrition mix of ingredients - rice protein, SOD, beta glucon, Vitamin B, among many others - my face went through a radical lift and it looked perfectly rested. 

Another good remedy for a tired skin was the Soy Bean Essence Mask, as soy has amazing natural effects, reducing irritation, improving considerably the skin texture, building the useful resources of collagen and fighting efficiently the damage produced by sun. 

Many of the masks do have, besides the beautifying effect, clear healing and skin care effects. By using face sheets, the chances of increasing the efficiency of the product, as the substance stays longer on the skin are higher. The Tea Tree Essence Mask by Mitomo is recommended especially if you are trying to offer a special protection to your skin. The tea tree has antiseptic and anti-fungal benefits, reducing the risk and effects of infection. It helps considerably against skin infections, burns or rashes and it is recommended to use it especially during the summer when some of us might forget the use a proper skin cream. It has a smooth Tiger balm smell but it worked perfectly deep into the skin tissues and my face looked regenerated and fresh, after only 20 minutes.

The most exotic ingredient of this batch of masks is Sake Essence Mask. I am not a big fan of sake drink, but I may acknowledge its benefits for the skin, such as moisturizing - due to the high concentration of glycerol and amino acids. What I did not know either is that you can also add some drops of sake to your bath water, with a better moisturizing and heat-retention effects. At least I have one more serious reason to reconsider my opinions on sake.

Meanwhile, my next batch of Mitomo masks are quietly waiting in my fridge to be tested in the next days. Stay tunned for more reviews!

Disclaimer: Masks offered generously by Mitomo to test, but opinions are, as usual, my own

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.

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?

Product review: Aqua Kiss by Victoria's Secret

Easy to use and in a good looking package - at least at the first sight - Aqua Kiss by Victoria's Secret is a fresh and sparkling fragrance. Easy to use in the morning or in the evening, it creates the same impression of dynamic presence and young-at-heart bubbling personality. I personally use it in the morning, after the shower, and the scent itself makes me feel energized and in a conquering-the-world mood. I suppose I send the same message to the ones who feel my scent too.

The fragrance was created as a mixture of rain kissed fressia and daisy. Fressia is usually a very strong scent, but it seems that the right dosage was happily chosen here.

As for the bottle....It has a nice design with an image of blue flowers reflected and magnified by the liquid, but from close-by it is made of a relatively cheap plastic...For the 250 ml. bottle, the spray part can be easily damaged and it takes time to turn it round and round until it works properly. 

The Aqua Kiss fragrance is also available as shower gel and fragrance lotion.

In Germany, it is available by the Douglas stores, for around 15 EUR.

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

Korean hydro mask from Rival de Loop

Keeping your skin hydrated enough during the hot summer days is one of the biggest challenges of the season. I am generally using special wet napkins every evening for cleaning the face, even if I am not using make-up, and I try to drink as much as possible.

However, I am also trying to find professional help and this affordable mask from Rival de Loop, available at any Rossmann store for under 1 EUR. Cheap doesn't mean not worthy this time. I'd used it several times already and was pleased with the result.

You can apply it very easy: it contains a big face mask foil, with space for the eyes, but quite tight for the rest of the face. The advantage of using those masks is that you have guaranteed the coverage and thus, highest results. When I apply a mask by myself, I might be tired and absent minded and not all the face is covered properly. 

The mask contains avocado and cupuacu butter, both with benefic effects on the level of skin hydration. I kept the mask on my face for around 7 minutes, a good occasion to just think about myself and relax. You can use it as often as you want, as it has a good effect on skin and makes your face feel healthy and refreshed for the rest of the day. You can apply it either early in the morning or late in the evening. 

Skin spa from L'Oréal

Source: L'Oréal

I haven't tried too many skin oils because I just prefer to use the right product at the right moment. Right now, after three weeks spent in a relatively polluted part of the world and with a different temperature heights I am back to the chilly yet hot once in a while climate of Berlin. The first victim of such changes is the skin and thus, decided that I should pay more attention and care to it.

Thus, my decision to give my skin a spa for a week with Luxurious oils from L'Oréal Paris. It is available in Germany at any Douglas or Rossmann store, for prices starting with 15 EUR. I used 5 drops each time, in the morning and for the night. The recommendation is to use less for the day, but somehow I decided that I need more soothening. I applied the oil on the entire skin, plus the neck. In the evening treatment, I did a bit of extra massage. 

The overall experience was from good to excellent. It is well absorbed by the skin and I haven't developed any allergy. The skin looked revigorated and shining. The first minutes after applying, the skin is a bit too greasy, but maybe I was too excited about the products and overdid the recommended dosis.

L'Oréal aimed to offer a real spa feeling to the skin, with a mixture of many fragrances among which: olive fruit oil, jojoba seed oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, rosemary, cucumber fruit extract, turmeric root extract, jasmine extract, orange peel, lemon. Unfortunately, the predominant fragrance is lavender, which I fancy the least, so for me, was not the happiest olphactive experience.

The general impression about this product is very good, with a good value for money and visible effects on skin. Recommended, especially if you like the lavender smell.

Fashion tips: H&M jewellery collection

I am very very careful with the jewellery I wear - more than with the shoes, to be honest - but when completely by accident I discovered some items from the latest accessoires collection by H&M, I was more than surprised. I usually associate their jewellery with the teenage-kind of items but this time I was proved to be snobbishly wrong. Most of the metals are gold-looking, combined with various stones. The assymetric row stones are very attractive in fact, and they look pretty natural - not only in the pictures.

The silver and black combinations are inspired by the 1001 Nights, it seems, massive pieces with intricated chains. The metal looks pretty cheap so it did not impress me too much. 

But on the goldie side of the collection, there are more attractive options, like the opal and glittering gold, which can be used not only for the office sport outfit, but also for some non-pretentious evening date or party.  

These bracelets are actually my favourites, as I love the finely-shaped metal with the moderatelly sized stones. For each bracelet, there are three colourful stones that can be matched to different outfits, both in term of colour and degree of sophistication. 

 The Latin American inspiration of these earrings is chic enough to wear them for a couple of days in a row.

 The rings are also nicely cut, with flower models or simply stones. The prices are very attractive too: with an investment of 10 Euro one can find easily two matching items. 

The complicated geometry of some make it an interesting accesoire for the day. Regardless of the reason why you are living the house, do it in style!

The earrings are offered in different combinations and pairs which makes you feel free and special, regardless of your age and your budget. Especially when you travel, you need to still feel good, without being exposed to the danger of losing your family treasures or being too ostentative. 

Not all earings look authentic and high-end but if you have some time to search, you can find for sure something interesting. As for me, I promise that, at least once in a while, will be less snobbish and will check non-brand jewellery. 

Photos taken at the H&M Store in Bamberg. 

Beauty review: Anti-Falten Lifting Konzentrat by Schaebens

I used the face masks by Schaebens for a long time with relatively good results, provided at a very good price, but was not too keen to start testing many of their capsule skin treatments. Somehow, the very low price and the apparently little substance discouraged me from trying it. After all, I cannot do experiments with my skin. 

But one of my many resolutions are to try as many new producs as possible and the positive quality reviews of the products branded by Schaebens helped me to go over all the ready made ideas. 

After looking at many of their beauty products, I decided for the anti-wrinkles lifting concentrate. It is available for less than 5 Euro at any DM or Rossmann shop in Germany. It has a big list of ingredients, among which Q10, Peptides, Grape Seeds Extract, hibiscus flower extract, perfume. It includes 7 capsules to be used for 7 days in a row. Other similar products included 5 or 6 capsules.

The little capsule is a wonder in itself. You cut the head and start applying on the skin, especially in the areas exposed to wrinkles: corners of the eye, corners of the mouth etc. The wonder is that the liquid contained is really enough for covering the face and even found more than once that there is even more liquid than I needed. 

I previously cleaned the skin with Hydra Skin Protection by L'Oreal, let to rest and started to apply the liquid with circular moves. At least upon the first application, you will feel some little tickle under your skin within the first 30 minutes, especially in the checkbone area. 

The liquid itself is very consistent, fatty - very greasy at touch - and it stays on the skin for a couple of good minutes before being absorbed by the skin. I followed the treatment early in the morning, leaving it to work for hours before applying any other skin care products or make-up. 

I do not have too many wrinkles due to a very good genetical heritage, but I felt after the first day that the skin looks more natural and glowing. After 5 days, did not see any more some fine lines around the mouth.At the end of the treatment I was really feeling much better in my skin. 

Verdict: It is a product worth the investment, with good result, but if you really have a seriously wrinkled skin, you better save money for something more high-end. 

Book review: How to be Parisian Wherever you Are

Given the fame of this book - even at my local bookstore I had to pay 2 Euro especially for reading it - I was expecting something much more interesting. It is supposed to be a guide of of love, style and other (bad) habits of a Parisian woman, but it can easily suit, at least partially, other women too. Like from Italy, or Spain or maybe from Greece too. Anyway, it is an easy reading, with many glamorous pictures - sometimes much better than the text itself. 

Trying to keep being on the good side of things, here are a couple of advices that are useful for any women, wherever they are:

- Find your perfume before you are 30 and wear it for the next 30 years - Seriously, with so many interesting perfumes around, it is a pitty to just stay stucked to one and only. Plus, you need to change for different parts of the day and occassions. Seriously, the life is more complex than it used to be...

- 'Too much Make-up, too many colours, too many accessoires. Breath deep - less is more'. This is something I agree with...

- 'You play the main role in your life'. I could not agree more and this is something not a Parisian should know, isn't it?

- Salt&Pepper belongs to the table not to your hair. 

- The Parisian is ever happy. Like I tell you are the most beautiful woman in the world and you said it is not enough for you. Art, culture and politics are exactly her thing - To be very honest did not feel that this is exactly an advice to follow. Instead, learning to be happy with your lot is the best lifestyle lesson ever.

- Being original is not a compliment. - But we are unique, each and every one of us, isn't it?

- What you will not find in her closet: nylon polyester jogging pants, UGG Boots, free top, fake design bag, jeans with holes. - Except the UGG which are too comfortable to be left behind, I swear I do not own any of these items either.

- What she always has in the closet: black items, V-Pulllover, Pull marine. I knew it, I was always a Parisian...

- The Parisian often comes outside Paris, but she is born again there. - It goes for Berlin too, I think. Or NYC, nothing special about that actually...

-  The natural look is the result of well kept secrets transmitted from a generation to another.

- What you will not do for your skin? - Here you got me, dear writers. I am so 100% with you that I forget everything I disliked about this book.

- She is by nature a melancholic being. - I don't think that this is necessarily something you should include as part of your to-be-to-do-list. Unless you want to spend a serious amount of money on therapy.

- Only the best wins - Kind of stock markets advices for the fashionable women. 

- Dinner in Paris starts with Champagne. - I am too much wine-oriented to change now. 

- Together with her children she can always find dream worlds to explore, where herself she would love to live for ever, when she does not need to return to her adult world where she can work for a salary. - Maybe this is just a literary trick. 

- Being rich does not mean a design bag, an expensive car, a golden watch or a ring on every finger, but a newspaper under the armpit, talking self aware about Deleuze, her personality who is shining. Money versus intellectual richness. - #pleasegivemeabreak. This was on the time of Madame Bovary, isn't it?

What I also did not find great about this book is the structure of the chapters and the distribution of ideas all over the book. Practically, you can find many ideas about the same thing spread here and there. 

The verdict: Read it if you do not have something to keep your mind busy while commuting or waiting in line. Otherwise, you better go to Paris to see the real world. 

Cheap or expensive? What products are the best for you?

Before I am planning what I have to write for the week, I am trying to include various beauty products, including creams, perfumes or make-up. In most cases, I purchase these products from the local DM and Rossmann store in Berlin, which always offer various temptations at a very good price. 

The products that I stuck in my closet vary, from high-end expensive ones to affordable investments for the daily care. For instance, I am using right now make-up removal wet napkins from Balea for less than 1 Euro. As I used for a long time various creams, I may say that I am very happy with the results of the wet napkins because not only clean the traces of make up but also offer a proper hydration to my skin. 

For a long time, I used to think that only expensive products are good for the skin. When it comes to make it, it actually works in many cases, but when it comes to skin care, nowadays there are many quality affordable options, at least when it comes to the German market. As I am very careful about my skin, before I buy a product I reading the ingredients and the description in order to be sure that it is worth to try it. My experience with both categories of products is that it happens to invest in very expensive products that disappointed me greatly while small investments brought me a lot of advantages. As a rule, I prefer to use known brands, with a well established reputation, including in the field of medical and scientific research.

On this blog, I will always keep posting product recommendations and reviews of products that I tested and used myself, regardless of their price. Proved quality is what matters for me. As I only occasionally do luxury reviews, most of the products introduced on this blog usually belong to the medium priced category. As usual, I am always curious to discover new brands and products but be sure that the review will always reflect my direct experience.

Travel discoveries: Anastasia Beverly Hills in Bucharest

On the road for a couple of weeks for some travel assignments and random human discoveries in Central and Eastern Europe, I love the comfort of meeting my favourite brands: the new beauty parlour Anastasia Beverly Hills in Bucharest, Romania. In full honesty I confess that Anastasia's brow contour kit is one of the most awesome beauty discoveries in the world: it helps you to find the shape that suits your face by offering the make-up tools that make you feel so different.

I have a very controversial personal relationship with my brows. Till my mid-20s I preferred them wild and untouched, but once I was on the way to a proper fashion rehab, I wanted them as thin as possible. Not always, if ever, the shapes were suited for my face, and the experiments lasted till I had the chance to be part of a live eyebrow shaping with Anastasia. An elegant and powerful public presence, Anastasia left Romania decades ago, and by using golden ratio calculations set up a method to identify the best shape of brow that suit your face. One of her main recommendations that will never forget was to give up the fake small tiny eyebrows and get a natural look. An advice that she is permanently using when working the look of big Hollywood stars like Madonna or Jennifer Lopez. Here are some advices from the Eyebrow Queen about getting the perfect eyebrows. If asked what are my fashion essential I never go on travel without, her tweezer and eyebrow kit are on the top list. 

The Bucharest headquarters of beautiful eyebrows is situated in the elegant Radisson Hotel, situated on the fashionable Calea Victoriei Avenue. 

Beauty corner: a glittering sorbet manicure

Summer is finally around and there is about time to completely change the colours of my wardrobe and also the makeup colours. Although I am not that extravagant and off the books when it comes to the daily makeup, regardless of the season, the manicure is always one detail that I keep in mind when it comes to going out of the house.

Due to the intensive use of nail polishing - my nails are usually free of lacquer only one day the week, from Thursday evening to Friday, when I am cooking - I need to be sure that my nails are getting the right protection. For a couple of week, I apply once the week this Multivitamin Gel from Rival de Loop, an affordable purchase from my local Rossmann store in Berlin. The nails are looking healthier and are stronger.

From the same Rossmann, I purchased last week two tempting bottles. One yellow sorbet - the colour is so tasty that I could not resist the 'buy me' call. Luckily, it was included at sales and thus, I was able to buy another item(s) too. The other one looks awesome, little glittering that doesn't necessarily looks uniform, but very elegant and interesting for various occasions. Either you go to a business meeting or at shopping, it gives a joyous air of distinction that matches a curious personality. 

I first applied the sorbet and waited till dry - maximum 10 minutes. Then, I applied with one single touch of the brush, the special effects. It shines without giving the impression of carnival outfit. It is not necessarily looking too teenage either. 

The good part is also that it resists a lot, around 5 days upon the first application, although I cook, wash dishes, and write the whole day. The cleaning will take a bit more efforts than usual. I was more than happy with both choices and be ready to hear more about the combinations I made with the 'special effects nail lacquer'.

The overall price of the purchase is less than 5 Euro. 

Beauty corner: What's wrong with the silicone in shampoos?

A couple of months ago, I purchased a shampoo, not the usual type I used to be faithful too, and noticed a special mention about the absence of silicone. Not familiar with the issue, I decided to do a bit of research and clarify the problem.

What I discovered during a short online investigation. The latest studies and researches consider that silicone has a negative influence on the hair health. As it is no water soluble, the hair should be cleaned a lot of time before it goes out. The first consequence is the split hair. Used in excess, it prevents oils and moisture from penetrating into the hair. It brings more damage than a regular use of the hair drier. 

Its scientific name is dimenthicone, a class that comprises several types of derivates, with various degrees of danger for the hair. The usual endings of silicones are: - ane, - cone, - corol, - col. For instance, among the most dangerous are: cetyle dimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane, stearyl dimenthicone. It is used as ingredient for smoothing products, as it makes hair looking less fizzy, conditioners and moisturising masks.    

A little bit afraid about the effects of those substances, I paid a visit to the Rossmann store nearby in order to check the main shampoos available. Some of the big companies do have both with or without silicone products. Dove, for instance, which I used to try for short periods of time, includes silicone in the Oil care, as it does the Panthene Pro and Oil conditioner from the same company. The Liquid Silk from Gliss Kur, does it too, as it does Head and Shoulders too. Citrus Pure, from Garnier, as well as Herbal Essences, Isana Totes Meer, Alterra, Swiss O-Par, Lavera are free of such ingredients. In a cosmetic shop I discovered new silicone free shampoos from Anemarie Borling, Schoenenberger, Henna Shampoo, Extracta Hair. 

Even though many of the usual shampoos, with a high concentration of silicone, are usually less expensive than those from the second category, there are many affordable variants too, as for instance Alterra and Isana Totes Meer, who are under 3 Euro.

As in the case of the food, is always very important to know what we are using, and to make the right informed decisions.

Beauty corner: home made face mask

My mother rarely used expensive cosmetics, but her face looked till her early 60s without wrinkles and always fresh. She haven't been to beauty parlours either, but still, taking care of her face was her daily priority and she taught us from an early age that for a woman, the face is a precious asset that we should take care of. 

I haven't followed her advice too often and I rather prefer to book an hour or professional cosmetics than to look for my own tips. After all, I am working all round the year and at least once in a while I should offer myself little beauty presents.

However, in the last months, I got more interest in more healthy and beauty tips and I am right now in process of trying various masks and easy wellness ideas that can be prepared at home.

Part of my resolution, I discovered in the December issue of Women's Day an interesting and extremely easy recipe of face mask that answers many of the challenges of the winter time.

First, I started by cleaning the face with my Rival de Loop wet napkins and let my skin to relax till I added the ingredients, as follows:

1 tbsp. honey

Honey is a valuable ingredient for many face care products. Among others, it slows down the process of ageing, it moistures and brings glow to the skin while it also opens the pores.

1 tbsp. coconut water  

I don't like the taste of it, but it has several important benefits for the skin, such as anti-ageing, moisturising, improves the oxygen circulation, counter the oily skin and contributes to the treatment of acne and blemishes.

1 tbsp. liquid glycerine

As my pharmacist clarified, it is highly recommended for improving the skin hydration.

1 egg

Eggs are commonly used as ingredients of various face masks, mostly for their strong concentration of derivatives of vitamin B and its contribution to strengthening of the skin tissue.

I mixed all the ingredients for 1 minute and started to apply it on the skin and neck (a part that I often forget to include on the checking-beauty list). Waited for 20-25 minutes and after rinsed with water. Be careful with cleaning, as the honey may insist to stay longer on your face. 

After a couple of minutes, the skin looked shining and relaxed and very smooth and it continues to be so two days after applying it.

The costs of one time mask is ridiculously cheap, as the price for the entire basket of ingredients is less than 10 EUR and most probably I can use them every week for at least 2 months.  

It suits every type of skin and can offer equally a good summer skin protection. Given the fast and long standing effects, I expect to include this mask as part of my Friday fix from a good time from now.

Beauty testing: Hand care LeCorail from Guam

During the winter, I need extra hand cream protection. Especially if I travel, I may need to take a lot of pictures outdoors and I am not always prepared with the perfect gloves and thus, my hands are usually exposed to the cold.

For a couple of weeks already, I am constantly using LeCorail cream by GUAM and I am extremely pleased by the results. However, my first encounter haven't been unforgettable, as I did not like at all the smell, a bit too perfumed for my taste. But once I saw the effects on my skin, I try to ignore the smell and continue to use it. 

In addition, it not only moisturises, softens and protects the skin, but it also gives a certain shinning that I only have in the summer. This effect can be the result of having Corallina officinalis as one of the main ingredients. Corallina oficinalis is a calcareous red seaweed that helps to reinforce the moisture of the skin. Rich in carbonate and magnesium, it also protects the skin against the effects of the sun. 

There are long-term effects and thus, I don't need to use it more than once the day. 

It works for any skin type and for any age range. 

Lacote, the company that produces the cream and many other beauty care products, was created at the end of the 1980s. The main ingredient used is the seaweed, considered a very efficient natural base for many beauty and wellness recipes. 

Disclaimer: I was offered to test a hand cream by GUAM, but the opinions are, as usual, my own.