Laoura's Beauty Blog

Πέμπτη 13 Ιουνίου 2013

Lavera Cosmetics Review

Hey summer beauties!

How many of you have started to look around for natural cosmetics that are actually good for your skin?

Skincare that actually feeds your skin? I say yes.

It is not only the latest trend but also has become an actual skin need due to environmental changes.

Well, I am one of you and the moment I got the chance to try out some Lavera Greece products.... I was thrilled.

Lavera is a well known cosmetics brand for me but not quite often reached in Greece.

Thomas Haase started the company in 1987 due to his need of alternative, soft and natural for his problematic skin. And he did it.

He created a brand of natural cosmetics with:

- 100% certified natural plant ingredients & organic plant extracts and oils.

- 100% natural fragrances

- 100% paraben, synthetic preservatives free.

- 100% silicon, paraffin & mineral oil free.

- Dermatologically tested

- Not animal tested

That sounds good, doesn’t it?

Let me show you some of the brand’s products.

Clockwise:

-Exfoliant Wash with organic wild rose extract*

It is a gentle exfoliant wash that diminishes the appearance of wrinkles and offers your skin an intensive yet soft deep cleansing. Contains organic grape, peach, apricot that sends away the dead cells and gives a glowing complexion

-Liquid EyeLiner in brown*

It is a rather “runny” eyeliner, ideal for sensitive eyes or those with eye contacts.

Ideal for everyday use or hiding the band of your eyelashes due to its tiny thin brush.

Ophthalmological & nickel tested

-Concealer Stick Abdeck Stift*

It is a concealer in a stick. Its coverage is ok, not full and if applied with a small brush in the area needed gives a flawless result. Set it with powder to stay all day!

-Natural Concealer in light*

Well, this concealer was a surprise for me. I haven’t seen anything alike. It is creamy yet feels mousse like. I know, strange!

It applies like heaven but the coverage is the one of a highlighter, not a concealer. As I don’t have dark circles, this has become my new favorite thing!

-Lip Balm SPF10*

It is a natural water resistant protection for lips with SPF10. Filled with organic oils & moisturizing factors prevent your lips from drying out.

The only thing I don’t like is the fact that it shows off a little white on your lips (see swatch below)

-Foot Cream with organic macadamia & healing clay*

Now that summer is here and the need to moisturize our feet tends to be bigger, we are searching for a fast absorbing foot cream to ease our lives.

This one is all the above. Infused with organic macadamia oil to nourish and protect your skin and healing clay that works against excessive sweating & minimizes odor.

from top: liquid eyeliner in brown, natural concealer in light, concealer stick, lip balm

So, have you ever tried Lavera Cosmetics? What is your opinion?

If you use other natural cosmetics please tell me all about it!

as always,

stay healthy & beautiful

xxx

*pr sample

Πέμπτη 6 Ιουνίου 2013

Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for eyes

You all probably know by now my love for cream products, especially cream eye shadows.

And most of you remember my love for Chubby Stick Lip Color

Well, if you combine these two, guess what comes out!

Cream eye shadows in a convenient chubby stick packaging!

Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes*

As you can see they have the same awesome stick form like Chubby Stick Lip Colors, which is soooo cool.

You swirl the back of the pen and the eye shadow stick comes out. Because of its size, it is very easy to use it straight from the tube and simply blend it with your fingers.

They feel very soft and creamy but once they dry, they stay on your lids all day which means they can be used also as eye primers like most of long lasting cream eye shadows.

The colors are very pigmented and vivid and they are a perfect solution for summer makeup that you don’t want to smudge or melt!

From top: Portly Plum, Fuller Fudge, Lavish Lilac, Big Blue, Pink & Plenty.

The other thing that I like a lot is that you don’t need to put your hands inside a pot or something which makes it a very hygienic option.

As all Clinique products are allergy & ophthalmologically tested and 100% fragrance free.

They are available in stores since May ’13 and they retail at 19,90 €

If you are a cream long lasting eye shadow fan, like me, you should try one of these out.

Have you tried them yet?

Which is your favorite cream eye shadow? Do tell!

As always,

Stay healthy & beautiful

xxx

*pr sample

Δευτέρα 27 Μαΐου 2013

Kerastase Elixir Ultime Oleo Complexe Review

Hello beauties!

I am back with a presentation and review on two amazing products from

Le Tif Hair Beauty Shops, an e-shop with unique and special hair products as well as the professional point of view of experienced hair experts!

But let’s continue with the review.

Kerastase Elixir Ultime Oleo Complex

The range is full of sublime oils such as argan, maize, camellia and pracaxi.

It is a very moisturizing, soft and rich in oils products with one goal.

To nourish, moisturize and protect your hair.

Unlike other Kerastase products, this range is for all skin types but dry hair will be extra benefited!

They are developed to bring moist, shine, softness and “sexy back” like Justin used to sing!

This oil enriched shampoo will provide you with the most luxurious cleansing experience!

Its benefits are heavy but its feel very light!

It goes really smooth and while shampooing you can feel your hair softer.

After the shampoo you complete your hair ritual with the super moisturizing mask.

The first Oil enriched Kerastase mask.

It feels really rich and you don’t need much. You leave it for 5 minutes, at least, and a lot of work has been done to your hair, leaving them nourished and soft.

Both have a perfume oil smell, like if moisture had a smell, this would be it.

Rich and soothing.

You can find them both at Le Tif Hair Shops at sale in several packs!

As always

Stay healthy & beautiful
xxx

Τρίτη 21 Μαΐου 2013

Avene Nettoyante Mattifying Cleansing Foam

Hello my beauties!

How are you?

Here, in Greece, the last few days the weather is hot and humid like it’s August! That hot!

And with heat comes sweat. And with humidity comes shine.

So all we can do is change some of our skincare and makeup routine choosing oil free and mattifying products depending our skin type, but even drier skin girls make some changes as well.

The first thing that all of us do is choose a oil free moisturizer and sunscreen in order to reduce the oil production and the shine.

But have you ever thought that it all begins with your morning cleansing?

I have never given it a serious thought until this product knocked my door.

Avene Mousse Nettoyante Mattifying Cleansing Foam*

Let me first talk to you about my cleansing routine.

The first and last thing I do is wash my face. Until now used to have one cleansing gel for all uses.

I am not the kind of girl to use cleansing milks first to take off my makeup, right or wrong, and I always used foaming gels to take off my makeup and clean my face.

And the same goes for the morning. I wash my face with the same gel.

And then came Avene Mattifying Cleansing Foam*.

I started using it in my morning routine as it does not do a good job removing my makeup.

Well, actually it is not a makeup remover even though they say that works for that too.

It is a super gentle, foaming, not drying cleansing gel for normal/combination/oily skin that takes away all the oil from my skin prepping it for my everyday makeup routine.

It smells like old fashioned crème, at least to me, which I love and even though it does not feel dry at all, you feel and see your face clean, refreshed and nourished.

As every other Avene product, it contains pure Avene thermal spring water which soothes irritated skin.

It contains base soap that tightens pores and glutamic acid that regulates sebum production.

Of course it is paraben free as all Avene products.

It is Avene’s answer to all that super drying cleansing gels for normal/combination/oily skin and I really like it!

You don’t need to drain your skin for not the oil come through. It will either way and you will have dehydrated your skin.

They say it works best with the Avene Mattifying Fluid Moisturizer which targets the T-zone and claims to eliminate the shine but I haven’t tried it yet!

It retails at 14, 00 euro.

Which is your favorite cleansing gel?

So, have you tried this one?

If not, you should give it try especially if you have combination/oily skin.

As always,

Stay healthy & beautiful

xxx

*PR sample

Δευτέρα 13 Μαΐου 2013

Clinique Even Better Compact Makeup

Hello beauties!

How are you? Did you have a good time during Easter?

I, like I told you, was in Naxos, a Greek island in the middle of the Aegean Sea. As you can easily imagine I did my first visits at the sea. And I say visits because the Aegean is still really cold!

But the color came back to my skin, even with the use of SPF 30, and I feel already refreshed and summery, what do you think?

Plaka

Naxos Chora

Plaka Beach

Saturday night

After all that catching up let's start!

So, today I will talk to you about a new product that came out just a couple months ago and worth to be mentioned.

Clinique Even Better Compact Makeup SPF15*

As you may remember Clinique has a skincare series called Even Better, that already has a liquid foundation.

Well, this year Clinique took that series to another level.

They transformed the liquid foundation to compact, making it easy to carry with you for touch ups and convenient to use with the stiff sponge that comes with.

It is specially designed to even out your skin tone, covering up any discolorations and imperfections.

It has a long wearing formula although I would suggest that you set it with a powder whatever your skin type is.

It is medium to full coverage, has an SPF 15, which is not enough but always good to have and feels quite light on your skin when used correctly.

It is filled with antioxidant ingredients including vitamin C & E, which contribute to skin tone correction from the sun damage, dark spots even acne scaring.

It comes in a sleek classic Clinique silvery-white package with a large mirror inside making it ideal for your bag.

There are 6 shades suiting most skin color and retails at 37,00 euro.

So, have you tried the Even Better series?

What do you think?

As always,

Stay healthy & beautiful

xxx

*PR sample

Πέμπτη 2 Μαΐου 2013

Golden Rose Cosmetics Review

Hello my beautiful summer ladies!

I am in a summer mode and that is because this time as I write to you I am packing my bags off to a beautiful Greek island to spend my Easter holidays, have my first swims and with a little luck my first tan!

How about you? Where are you spending your holidays?
Do send me photos!

So, let's get down to business! To Beauty Business!

Not long ago I was introduced to a worldwide brand since 1983 in Istanbul, now found in more than 80 countries in the world.

Golden Rose Cosmetics

They are high quality products with really low prices prices.

Really pigmented , long lasting and many many colors.

I was sent some to try and I will show below what they look like.

Terracota Sparkle Trio Eyeshadow in # 410*

It is a trio eye shadow as you can see at the photo that feels like baked.
It is super shiny and glittery which is why I can't talk much about longevity.
Especially the medium color, the gold one, is very sparkly and flies everywhere!
You have to be careful as they tend to have a little falldown.

price: 8,90 euro

Mettalic Style EyeLiner in # 11*

It is a very good eyeliner that sets very quickly and stays on really well!
The color is perfect, summery and glittery. I wear it as an winged eyeliner for a modern pin up look or on the waterline and lower lashes for a beach summer one.

price: 3,80 euro

Long Lasting Lipstick 2000 in # 104*

When I first saw this lipstick, I knew we would get along just fine!

I am always on the hunt for the perfect nude-pink lipstick and this is getting real close.
It applies smoothly, it is very hydrating and has a medium staying power as you would expect from a moisturizing lipstick.

I love it!

price: 2,50 euro

Rich Color Nail Polish One Step in # 17*

It is a very vivid summery color that I have loved! It applies perfectly with its different wider brush, dries in 5 minutes and stays on for at least 4 - 5 days.

price: 2,00 euro

The prices are unbelievable and the quality similar to known brands.
I should definitely recommend that you give it a try!

Until they finish building their own site, you can order
Golden Cosmetics online at Beauty-Town

Well that's it from me!

Have you tried any Golden Rose Cosmetics?
Do you feel like you discovered a hidden little treasure?

Have fun on your Easter Holidays and get some tan!

As always
stay healthy & beautiful
xxx

*PR sample

Δευτέρα 29 Απριλίου 2013

Garnier Ambre Solaire BB Cream Review

Hello my beauties!

How are you doing?

I know some of you already had their first swim on the hot beaches of Greece!
I hope I will in the next days during Easter vacation...!

So as the weather is getting hotter and hotter many things keep popping in our heads such as sun protection, oil free, long lasting, color, coverage and other stressful words!

As many of you have noticed, BB creams are popping out like crazy!!

Today I will talk to you about Garnier Ambre Solaire BB cream*.

You all know and most of us love the classic Garnier BB creme but this one comes from a different series.

It says it provides sun protection for the face & neck, with a very important SPF30, illuminates your skin, evens out any imperfections, hydrates and has an anti-dark spots formulation.

Personally, I think that it feels a lot like a sunscreen than a bb cream, which means it is a little heavy, at least for my combination skin.

It has a decent coverage, certainly evens out my skin and it takes at least 5 minutes to dries on your skin before you set it with powder, which is something I think you must do with this bb cream.

It comes out in one color as you see in the picture which is quite dark and difficult to match all skin colors, but you can blend it really really well and set it with lighter or darker powder.

Before I started using this bb cream, I was wearing the classic Garnier bb cream for combination skin but as I had bought it during winter in the shade light, now it is a little light for me.

Sooooo the thing I started doing is mixing the two Garnier bb creams and guess what.

It gives the perfect color, an extra SPF protection and evenness!

I would certainly recommend this bb cream for those with drier skin and wanting to look flawless on the beach!

Actually yes. I now think that it is a Beach BB cream not a City BB Cream as the first one.

But I am really happy with the result so I think I found my everyday summer bb cream!

Well, that's it from me.

Have you tried this bb cream? What do you think?

As always
stay healthy & beautiful
xxx

*PR sample

Δευτέρα 22 Απριλίου 2013

Guerlain Fresh Bronzing Gel

Hello my beauties!

How are you?

I am doing great as long as I see that sun popping outside my window!

But even though I adore the sun and its glowing effect on my skin.......

we all have learned by now that it is not good for our skin. Not good at all....

We have figured out many many ways to "cheat" the sun effects on our skin and this is exactly what we were discussing with my very good friend Vicky and she just happened to have the most brilliant idea ever!

She would review her new bronzing gel for my blog and all you!

Let's hear it straight from her!

"Hi everyone!

My name is Vicky and today I will be sort of a "guest lecturer" in Laoura's Beauty Blog. The reason for this, is that I tried a certain product and wanted to share it with everyone else.

I am talking, of course, about Guerlain's Fresh Bronzing Gel, from the Terracotta series.

It is not a foundation, not a self tanner, and not a primer. It is pure magic, in my opinion!

There are two ways to use it.

First, you can apply it on your face (or neck, arms, and wherever you wish) by itself and achieve a beautifully bronzed skin tone and a healthy glow. This is great for the months of summer, when we usually don't need heavy coverage.

Second, you can combine it with a foundation of your choice and apply it on top of it. You still achieve the bronzed skin tone and the glow, but now your face looks flawless and healthy.

It is extremely light and easy to use. Due to its gel-like texture you hardly feel like you have anything on, but it stays in place for several hours.

There is also a bit of sunscreen there, which is always good.

As a downside, it is a bit expensive so keep an eye out for sales and offers! At least, that is how I got it and I haven't regretted it at all.

Thank you for your time, and a special thank you to Laoura, for letting me use her wonderful blog!"

Thank you Vicky for the lovely review!

As always

stay healthy & beautiful

xxx

Δευτέρα 15 Απριλίου 2013

AVON. Eyes Wide Open.

Hello everyone!

How are you? Do you enjoy the weather?

How are you spending your days? Are you doing something special? Do tell!

Today I will talk to you about an event I went to, not very long ago at AVON Headquarters in Athens.

They invited 40 beauty bloggers in order to present the already world known AVON, show us their new products, inform us about the best sellers and most importantly walk us through the fundraising campaigns they are running as a company.

I am sure that all of you are familiar with AVON.

It is a brand who’s been around since 1886 and founded by David McConnell in the United States. There are about 6,4 million Avon Representatives in more than 100 countries. That says a lot, don’t you think?

During the presentation, they showed us new products that are about to be released and classic best sellers, some of which were given for a try.

The thing that caught my eye was of course was the new bb creme.

Everyone is talking about bb cremes and we want to try them all!

The Avon Skin Loving Beauty Balm comes in 6 natural skin shades, loaded with vitamin E & SPF 15, reduces any redness, softens your skin and even out your tone.

It is a great product worth trying!

However there was one thing, no, three things that really hooked me.

Avon is currently running 3 campaigns:

Avon Foundation against Breast Cancer

Since 1955, Avon Foundation has helped millions of women through information, updates, prevention. They offer over 850 million dollars in more than 50 countries for education, diagnosis, support and scientific research.

Here in Greece, Avon is a true supporter of the Greek Cancer Society and together they have managed the sponsorship as well as the purchase and operation of a mobile mammography unit art.

The mobile mammography unit began its precious journey in Greece in April 2010 and since then they have performed over 14.500 free digital mammograms!

Everyone can help support and expand this action by purchasing some special Avon Products such as the Pink Calendar.

For more information: http://www.avoncosmetics.gr/PRSuite/crusade.page

Avon Foundation against Domestic Violence

This campaign launched in 2004 in the United States. Through educational programs, prevention and information, they support mostly women and their families who suffer from Domestic Violence.

Avon Greece with the cooperation of WIN Hellas, they finance educational seminars within the families suffering from this, focusing mostly on the children affected in order to stop the cycle of violence.

This campaign is supported through the sales of products empowered such as the Empowerment Necklace.

For more information: http://www.avondomesticviolence.gr/

Hello Green Tomorrow Campaign

“Avon Hello Green Tomorrow is mobilizing a global environment movement to nurture nature and help end deforestation”.

With mottos like “Helping Protect Forest Worldwide” & “Paper is a sustainable Resource” they are trying to unite people, educate them and mobilize them to do good and give back in this important cause.

Help Avon protect the Forests can make a huge difference in the world we live in.

Selections of special fundraising products have been creating in order to expand the life and the purpose of this campaign such as the Green Bag.