My Morning Routine - Skincare Edition

Hi lovelies,

Todays morning routines turned out to be green-orange-themed. It was too cute to not take pictures so here it is.

Let's start with the orange side of my skincare. 

- The Body Shop papaya body butter to keep my body soft and moisturised

- Shiseido benefiance creamy cleansing foam to cleanse my face

- Essence colour & go nailpolish in flashy pumpkin to give my toes that summer feeling 

- Bio oil which I put on scars to help them heal

The green side was all part of a skincare kit from Clinique that was in promotion after Christmas. You got a bag with a full size moisturiser and 2 generous samples for a price that was less than a full size moisturiser. I of course could leave it the store without it. It's a great set that really works for dry skin. It's the only thing that I've tried when I get a skin reaction where my skin turns bumpy and dry that actually works. Ofcourse it also works great for every day. My skin hasn't got the memo yet that it's spring now and can stop being dry. So what am I exactly using?

- Clinique 7day scrub cream after I cleansed my face

- Clinique superdefense spf20 age defense eye cream

- Clinique superdefense spf20 daily defense moisturizer for very dry to dry combination skin

I love my cute green-orange-themed skincare, what about you?

Goodbyeeee

- Nikki

The essentials - Shower edition

Hi lovelies,

After the last fashion blogpost we're going back to the beautyside of things with a post that hasn't been done on the blog before : My shower essentials. Lately I've accumulated a couple of new bits that I really love and deserve to have their place in the spotlight.

 The haircare edit

I start my showersession with haircare because all of these products need their time to work into the hair so start with that first and do your bodycare in between while your products soak in your hair. I wash my hair with Bioderma Node K shampoo. My dermatologist recommended this because I have a condition that's similar to psoriasis on my scalp, it helps a little with the itchiness and cleans quite well but it isn't a miracle worker so the itchiness probably won't ever leave. After I washed and rinsed my hair twice I apply a hairmask. My hair is quite sensitive and gets split ends so quickly. I only need to look at an curling iron and my hair dies. To keep my hair healthy and growing without splitting I use the Lee Stafford treatment for hair that never grows past a certain lenght. Longest name ever but I really noticed a significant difference in my hair. My last step for hair is conditioner. I refused to use conditioner until last year but I finally caved and I just need to accept that it really does keep your hair healthy and not just makes it too soft and flat. My conditioner of choice is the Aussie 3 minute miracle reconstructive deep conditioner. It works miracles, trust me. The fact that it smells like bubblegum doesn't make me mad either.

The bodycare edit

I start with washing my face using the Shiseido benefiance creamy cleansing foam. It's meant for older skin but that also means it's more hydrating, which I really like with this cold weather we've been having this winter. My bodywash changes with my mood but I really love the fruity scents from The Body Shop. I featured the papaya shower gel but I also like other scents and the showergels from Bourjois. I've only ever used The Body Shop scrubs to scrub my body but I really like them. I do prefer the shea scrub over this jelly pink grapefruit one but it does the job. The last product I use is when I get out of the shower. I use a Body Shop body butter in the papaya scent to moisturise my body. It smells delicious and makes you feel soft and non-flaky in the past cold winter months. 

Looking back on this post I really am a Body Shop fan, which are your favorite products?

Goodbyeeee

- Nikki

F*ck it - The final thought before making a desicion

Hi lovelies,

Last week I wore an outfit I personally really like so I decided to feature it on the blog. I love knee high or over-the-knee socks but I'm usually a bit afraid to wear them because people tend to stare. Sadly enough they only come out the closet on the days I feel most confident and can face the stares. I should really learn to care less about other peoples opinion.

Outfit

                                                                       Dress - H&M

                                                                 Cardigan - New Look

                                               20 deniere stockings - Zeeman

                                                     Over knee socks - Primark

                                                                      Shoes - Converse

                                                                Necklace - H&M

Goodbyeeeee

- Nikki

Review NYC Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil

Hi lovelies,

My search for the perfect black kohl liner continues. Finding a decent one seems to be harder than you'd think. There are a couple of boxes that need to be ticked : 

                                              - cheap / drugstore prices

                                              - readily available aka in my local Kruidvat

                                              - smudgeproof

                                              - doesn't crumble during the day

                                              - doesn't get in lines

                                              - lasts all day

                                              - needs to be pigmented 

                                              - needs to be soft to apply

Me picky? Nooooooooooooo?!

 Contestant of choice : NYC waterproof eyeliner pencil. You may now enter the ring. Let's see how it will do. Let's start with the good : The pigmentation is great, is has a a great deep black velvet finish. It looks gorgeous when swatched and on the eyes. It's soft to apply and the price is great, 2.99€ a piece in my local Kruidvat. Meaning that it also ticks the box of being readily available. Sadly that's were the good part ends.

 Onto the bad part: It starts as soon as you apply. I started my eyemake up with a light layer of the maybelline color tattoo in permanent taupe as a base. After that I applied the eyeliner around my eyes but when i looked up to do the waterline, the liner on the upper lashline had already left a black line in the crease which turned out to be incredibly hard to remove. Micellair water just doesn't cut it, which makes it hard to remove any smears during the day or at night when you remove your make-up. My eyes were still black the next morning.

When I came home at the end of my school day and looked in the mirror I was horrified. I looked like a panda. Black smears everywhere, my entire under eye area was one black stain. The picture below doesn't even show how badly it really was. The kohl crumbled in some places, smeared on other. It definitely isn't waterproof or stays all day. It managed to get into every fine line it could possibly find. It looked horrendous, let's be honest. It was so disappointing especially because it swatched beautifully and was completely smudgeproof on my hands.

As illustrated by the photos above it will probably be clear that my search for the perfect kohl pencil continous. Any recomendiations?

Goodbyeeee

- Nikki