Lush Dream cream review!

Hi everyone!
It's Margaret! Even if I had a long break from my dear blog, this doesn't mean I've stopped trying out new products. I had the chance to test the Dream cream from Lush. I was really excited because it's one of their bestsellers and everyone on Youtube seems to absolutely adore it. I finally managed to buy it on a rainy saturday afternoon almost 4 weeks ago.

As soon as I smelled it, I was like "That is my little treat, I know, but I promise I won't get anything else" and so I did: this is my latest purchase. Yay!! (I have to resist :) )

 Lush Dream cream - 19.85 euros

So, this is supposed to be a body lotion - it's famous for being super gentle on sensitive skin and it  seems also effective at curing eczema. That's impressive!  As promised you can see here the ingredient list:

Oat Milk, Rose Water, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Cocoa Butter, Glycerine, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Tincture of Benzoin, Rose Absolute, Chamomile Blue Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Lavender Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparabenc.

As you can see the majority of the ingredients are really good quality. But let's see in detail the function of every substance:
Natural ingredients
- Oat milk, Rose water: super moisturizing, calming and soothing
- Extra Virgin oil, cocoa butter: extra moisturizing
- Glycerine: humectant and moisturizing
- Rose absolute, Chamomille, Tea tree, Lavender: soothing, relaxing and purifying essential oils
- Geraniol, Linalool, Limonene: allergens
- Tincture of benzoin: natural antibacterial
 Chemical ingredients
- Stearic acid + triethanolamine: combined to emulsify the cream; pH regulators, they do not respect the acid pH of our skin - they could cause allergic reactions
- Cetearyl alcohol: emollient fat alcohol
- Methylparaben, Propylparaben: bad preservatives, they could cause cancer - dangerous

So, this is not the ideal solution for hydrating our skin but I was really curious about trying this out. This did not cause me any problems. In fact I benefit from its soothing property quite a lot - I tested a body scrub which doesn't seem to work for me, my skin was really tight and red afterwards. This did miracles on that. It has quite a thick consistency, not too heavy at all. Actually, it's one of the lightest moisturizers I've tried. Once you rub it in, it disappears quickly, it absorbs fast and leaves your skin feeling smooth and with a lovely scent. It's ideal in the evenings, because lavender and chamomille are really good at making you fall asleep :)

It's a nice body lotion but I don't think I will repurchase it right after I run out because I'm still looking for a better quality lotion - parabens free and possibly entirely natural.
Anyway, if you don't really mind bad ingredients, this could be a great choice - the only meh-side is the price, but I must say that it lasts a long time, you need a little amount for your body.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Do you have any recommendations as for body lotions? Let me know in the comments! I'm curious!

Love, 

Margaret

Music discoveries #1: Birdy

Hello everybody! It's Sara!

As Margaret had told you in the last post, I will collaborate with Margaret in this blog. I'm very excited and I hope I won't disappoint you.

Something new for you today! There won’t be any beauty stuff or outfit of the day, I’m sorry, but I’d like to talk to you about music. I'm pretty sure everybody loves music, from classical to indie, which is my favorite one. Like Jimi Hendrix said: "Music is my religion" and this is why I want to share with you all my new "music discoveries". 

Picture from Pinterest

So... like a month ago, I saw this young girl in an Italian singing competition on TV. She was a guest -not a competitor- and as soon as she started singing I was like “MAMMA MIA!” (Which means OMG!).

Her name is Birdy, and oh gosh!, I wish I had found about her before. She sang her version of Bon Iver’s Skinny Love (have you ever heard of them?), simply accompanied by piano. Her performance was amazing, her voice was so sweet and left me speechless until the end of the song.

Anyway, I googled her name and this is what I found: she is a sixteen-years-old girl from England and if I’m not wrong, some years ago she won an English music competition. She recorded lots of covers such as Pheonix’s 1901, The xx’s Shelter that I think are pretty much different from the original ones, except for the lyrics and this is what I love about her songs. Some of her songs are also in the Hunger Games’ soundtrack, as well as in many episodes of The Vampire Diaries and Grey’s Anatomy. 

Over here you can see the official video of “Skinny Love”, while the second link shows “People Help the People”, which is originally sung by Cherry Ghost.

Skinny Love by Birdy (official video)

2 --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmLNs6zQIHo

What about you? Have you ever listened to her before? Let me know what you think about Birdy and most of all write to me if you have found some awesome singers or bands. I will be very grateful to you! Hope I didn’t bore you and thank you for reading :)

Love,

Sara

Aesop Parsley seed Cleansing masque review!

Hello ladies! I'm Margaret! 
Today's a beauty related post! It's been a while now - 3 months - since I bought the Aesop Parsley seed cleansing masque. It's really hard to find in Italy, but I finally got my hands on this super-hyped product. I saw this mask on Essie's blog for the first time: I was shocked by its visual effect on the skin once it's dry - stunning! Since it's a ridiculously expensive product I started reading loads of other reviews, looked at the ingredient list and checked the benefits of each substance.

Aesop Parsley seed cleansing masque - 28 euros

From now I want to introduce another point to judge a product: the safety of the ingredients - we must be aware of what we put on our body, so it's really important to know if it's safe or if it could damage our skin. I must say, the ingredients are really good apart from two preservatives, which are by the way at the end of the list. Here's the list:

Water (Aqua), Kaolin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Bentonite, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Ormenis Multicaulis Oil, Carum Petroselinum (Parsley) Seed Oil, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Linalool.

This is specifically designed for cleansing deeply your skin. It is antioxidant as well - always a good plus. It has a fresh, but still lovely smell. The Aloe vera is one of the first ingredients, it's a soothing, purifying vegetal juice which is great for blemish prone skin. This mask is not harsh and it's incredibly gentle on my sensitive (but combination) skin. I recommend to use this once a week for a proper cleanse. It has a light and smooth consistency, I put it on very easily and after 10/15 minutes I rinse it off with warm water. The skin does not feel tight or dry, but smooth and clean. Always follow with the moisturizer, anyway. It's really good, I think it's a good choice for those with dry skin.

The properties of ingredients:
- Kaolin: white clay, known for the purifying and astrigent  properties
- Aloe Vera: soothing, cleansing, healing
- Bentonite: it is a gel with purifying properties
- Alcohol: solvent
- Glycerin: nourishing and hydrating
- Lavender: incredibly soothing and purifying
- Evening primrose: toning
- Rosa canina: hydrating, repairing and stimulating
- Parsley seed: cleansing and purifying
- Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone: the only chemical ingredients - preservatives (not good for the skin)
- Linalool: allergen

According to the list, the ingredients are excellent, with great properties. The mask is effective but bloody (ahah) expensive! Nonetheless, it lasts a long time - I've been using it for 3 months now and half of the tube is gone! So: good quality and reasonable price for the amount of mask you get.

I really hoped this review was helpful and detailed enough.

Lots of love, 

Margaret

A new start and a big announcement!!

Hi everyone!
So much time has passed without any post. I am really sorry for that, seriously. There are not that many excuses: simply I was not inspired anymore, I've been very busy with school in the last few months and I was always too tired to upload a new post. Though, you all were always on my mind and I was wondering: "Will they be disappointed?". I couldn't know the answer. I would have never thought of being absent from my blog for such a long time.

Things were hard for me, blog-wise, until a friend of mine, Sara, gave to me the inspiration and the right spirit back. She helped me gaining again the confidence and the enthusiasm I had before. I've been thinking about starting again for a while now and I can tell you - now I am determined to start updating my blog as frequently as before. I have so many things I want to talk to you about! (beauty and clothing-wise :) )

                              Picture from Pinterest                               

But before talking about these lovely things, I have a big and exciting announcement!! After all her support, I came up with the idea of a collaboration with Sara. She would be the other author of this blog. She loves the idea and she's really excited about starting this new experience. She's not into beauty and make up as I am, but she ADORES clothing and fashion, she has great taste and always finds the best outfits out there. And she loves music too! She plays the guitar very well and she's always updated with the latest releases. She introduced me to a lot of great rising artists. So, after all these rambling words, I think that she will do a great job here on the blog. We were thinking about sharing it - the blog would deal with more topics and vary more frequently. Different kinds of posts will be enjoyable for more people and we all could share our interests and be more open to new things!

We both are really really really enthusiastic about starting this new path and we would love you to follow us in this adventure!

I really hope you will stay with us, we won't disappoint you!! 

With all our love, 

Margaret and Sara

I'm back! + What I got for Christmas!

Hello everyone!
I have to apologize for the lack of posts but I really didn't know how to deal with all the things I had to do. I'm really sorry if this disappointed you all!

Anyway, hopefully I will be more present: I have a lot of things to tell you! MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you had an amazing time with your family and friends! I've done some last minute Christmas shopping and got some presents!
This morning, I opened my presents! I was really happy because my parents gave me some money in advance so that I could buy the thins I wanted on my own, and well I did!
I decided to get some make up bits! I went to Sephora and (bam!) I took the Benefit They're real mascara! I'm so excited! This is the best mascara I've ever tried so far! It gives everything you expect from a mascara. I will certainly do a proper review all about that.
Then, I got an angled brush to apply gel eyeliner because the bristles of the other one I had fall out. Finally, I went to Lush and I only picked up one thing from their Christmas range: I didn't need anything in particular and didn't want to waste money, so I got the corn based facial cleanser "Let the good times Roll": its smell!!!! (review coming reeeeally soon - I adore it, I think I'll buy another jar :P)

 

 

I also did an order from the New Look website a few weeks ago: I got three bits: 2 simple dresses and and a plain black skirt. I'm so excited for that: everything suits me! Yep!

(I have to put these plain website pictures because it's dark here now and I can't have a proper lighting :( )

First pic:  Link
Second pic : Link
Third pic: Link

I really hope you enjoyed my post! I know it could be a bit boring but it's the best I can do today! 

Tell me what YOU got for Christmas!

Love, 

Margaret 

Skincare routine! #Winter edition

Hey girls! Here I am again!
I know, it's been soooo long since I wrote the last post but I never forgot you, my lovelies! I've been so busy with school that I couldn't take a break to write to you! I'm so sorry but I have an interesting post for you today!
I want to talk to you about my skincare routine, maybe you could get some ideas! Since it's really cold outside, my skin has become a little dry. So, I have changed a little bit.

Morning routine 

When I get up, I wash my  face with cold water to make me feel definitely more awake! Then I apply some of my Bioderma solution micellaire (Review here) through my face as a cleanser. I spray my whole face with Lush Tea tree water and I apply a Royal jelly Nourishing day cream. It's from a local beauty brand called Albergian. But I'm sure you can find many other royal jelly-based moisturizers (I know Burt's bees does something similar). I like this one very much because it sinks in so easily and leaves my skin really soft.

Nighttime routine

Before I go to bed, I usually have my night routine. I take my make up off with Bioderma solution micellaire and then I apply the Yves Rocher Pure Calmille cleanser, which is really soothing and calming. As for toner, Lush Tea tree water again. As a nighttime moisturizer, I know it could sound weird but I have 2 choices: I apply the same cream I put in the morning (Royal jelly nourishing day cream) or I use some drops of Argan oil. Yes, oil. It's ah-mazing! Incredibly nourishing. You need the tiniest amount and you're ready to go! Me and my mum use the 100% pure argan oil, which is the most effective.

Since I have some other bits I use, my skincare changes depending on what my skin needs are.
For example, 2 weeks ago, I had a really bad breakout and my skin was unmanageable, seriously. I applied the Origins Super spot remover everyday to get rid of them but it was so bad. Now everything has calmed down and my skin has come to back quite normal as usual. Don't get me wrong, I still have spots and thigs like that but it's definitely better!

I can definitely say that the honey mask I applied last week has improved things a lot. Although it's very rich, it's been REALLY soothing and my skin felt much better the day after. I only needed 2 teaspoons for the whole face. I HIGHLY recommend this DIY mask. It works so well and you can do it whenever you want! I find that pure ingredients are much more affordable and effective!

So, that's it really! I hope you found it helpful or in some way interesting!

PS If you want, I can do masks related post, so that I can tell you something more about 'special' treaments! :)

Love, 

Margaret

September favourites!

Hello ladies!
A little bit late, here you have my september favourites!

Real techniques Buffing brush

This is the best foundation brush I've ever tried. I always use this in the mornings and gives the most natural finish. It's incredibly soft and gentle. Bristles never fall out when you wash it. 

Yves Rocher Pure Calmille cleanser and toner

My current cleanser. It is so soothing ad calming. It's light and fresh. It has helped so much in re-balancing my face after a bad breakout :/
I use it in the mornings and in the evenings after Bioderma (post here)

Collection 2000 Lasting perfection concealer

I wish I had this in Italy! nothing compares to this liquid concealer. I've got the shade 02 Light and it's a bit darker than my face, but I can barely notice it. It lasts for so long! A bargain!

The Body Shop Vitamin E night cream

I got this 15 ml cream in the Vitamin E kit I got in London (post here), it's perfect for my skin type. Moisturizing enough but not sticky at all. It sinks in so quickly and lasts for more than a month. I think I'll repurchase the full size on the website.

Kiko Eyeshadow 122

I know, it's quite a dead colour, but I found it to be the perfect colour for my crease. I used to apply it through my crease, while on the rest of the lid I put Virgin from the Naked palette. 

It's a taupe matte colour, very pigmented and suitable for day and night looks.

Essence pure skin Anti spot compact powder in 01 beige

This is my go-to foundaion. Although it's meant to be a compact powder, it gives quite a good coverage. So I decided to use it as a foundation, it's light and the right shade for me. Perfect! I apply it with my lovely buffing brush!

So these are my iits for september! 

What are YOUR favourites this month? Make sure you tell me this in the comments! 

Thank you so much for reading!

Love, 

Margaret