I also write for / Scriu si pentru


I also write for / Scriu si pentru

Revista Tango Romania


Thursday, May 31, 2018

Unboxing – Topbox Beauty Box, May

In today's story I am going to unbox my most recent monthly beauty box from Topbox, the May one. It is also my last monthly beauty box from Topbox, as I decided to discontinue my monthly subscription with Topbox. I have been subscribing to this beauty box for almost two years now, however I feel that I should take a break from it now, and the reason for discontinuing it is the fact that I accumulate too many beauty products in my beauty stash, more than I have time to use.

For instance, I currently use a dry shampoo Wella Professionals that I received in my Topbox beauty box, but I also have two more dry shampoos from Topbox that are still waiting to be used. The case is similar with other types of products -- hand creams, body creams and lotions, face masks, lipsticks, mascaras, nail polishes. Definitely, I have more than enough beauty products for the next few months or even a year, so I shouldn't purchase anymore for now. Maybe sometime later I will come back to this monthly beauty box again (or to another one, who knows), but for the time being I don't feel the need to keep this monthly subscription anymore.

The May box brought me 5 products -- an eye mask, a Clinique makeup remover, a body cream, a Simple cleansing facial wipe, and a loose powder.

And here it is, my May beauty box.
Photo credit: Victoria West
BLAQ
Hydrogel eye mask
Pop on the activated charcoal eye mask to de-puff, detox and get back to your shiny, gorgeous self.
$29, available at Blaq.co

Clinique
Take The Day Off™ makeup remover for lids, lashes and lips
Dissolves and "lifts away" long-wearing makeup, even waterproof mascara. Non-irritating, non-stinging.
30 ml, made in UK, available at Clinique.ca

Delectable Cake Beauty
Triple citrus blend body butter cream
The best body butter to hydrate and moisturize ultra dehydrated skin driven by shea butter to nourish dry skin and smooth out flaky skin rich in delectable antioxidants via this trio of essential oils.
30 ml, made in Canada, available at CakeBeauty.com

Simple Cleansing facial wipe (one sample) -- I already used this facial wipe, it's great. My beauty box also included a few Simple coupons to save $7 if I purchase 3 skin care products from Simple, which I'll be able to use the end of this year, when I need to refresh by skin care stash.

Nude By Nature
Natural glow loose bronzer
A loose mineral powder bronzer designed to capture the warmth of healthy, sun kissed skin.
$30, made in Australia, available at NudebyNature.ca

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Review: Online Stationery from Paperless Post

I am an avid lover and user of stationery. I love paper and anything paper, but beyond paper itself, I love that it helps you send the message of love to your dear ones, when you want them to know how much they mean to you. I used to love writing and sending hand-written letters to my friends by mail in the pre-internet days. I still love writing and sending out handwritten cards to my friends and family for holidays. I am a long time journaler and I have been journaling on paper for decades, a habit that I still keep today, even though I also spend quite a lot of my time online, including writing this blog. My home office is a haven of stationery -- greeting cards for all possible occasions, envelopes of all sizes and for all purposes, notebooks for my journaling, pens, paper, wrapping gift stationery, and anything else in between.

But besides paper stationery, online stationery is also available to us in an array of options. It is the internet era after all, isn't it? Just like any other aspect of our lives, when we went from analog to digital in everything over the last generation, the world of stationery has done the same -- going from analog to digital, from paper to paperless.

Recently I discovered a wonderful source of digital (aka paperless) stationery, Paperless Post. It's a website where you can create and design your own stationery, and send the message of love to your friends and family. How does it work? The trading currency on Paperless Post is the coin, which can be purchased on the website, in any desired amount. You have the option of creating and designing your own stationery -- that is cards for any occasions, and you use coins as means of payment to send those cards to your recipients. Free cards that don't require coins are also available on the platform.

You can send out cards from Paperless Post using an array of available designs to create and customize your own stationery, to your liking, for absolutely any occasion. The entire online stationery on Paperless Post is grouped in 7 big categories -- Graduation, Birthday, Wedding, Parties, Professional, Cards with other themes, Flyer. And each of these categories have subcategories with dozens and dozens samples of stationery and cards you can choose from. For instance, under Birthday cards, we can find general birthday cards, birthday cards for her, birthday cards for him, and even belated birthday cards! Under Parties, we can find invitation cards for all types of parties -- dinner parties, cocktail parties, graduation parties, farewell parties, baby showers, baptism parties, first communion, and many-many more.

Another section full of inspiration on Paperless Post is the designer stationery. Paperless Post partner with the world's best designers, fashion houses, lifestyle brands and independent stationers to bring you distinctive designs for any occasion or style. Among the designers and brands who collaborate with Paperless Post to create exquisite online stationery are Kate Spade, Mary Katrantzou, Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang, Charlotte Olympia, The New Yorker, and others.

I also noticed another exciting section on Paperless Post -- design your own stationery, where you can upload your own designs (photos), an option that allows you to get even more creative!

And for those who still prefer paper stationery like back in the days, Paper Source section on the website is what you need -- greeting cards for all occasions and holidays, craft paper, personalized stationery, gift wrapping, journals, planners, and much more.

I have a certain amount of coins available in my Paperless Post account that I can use to send cards to my dear ones. First time when I accessed the website, I browsed all categories and styles of paperless cards, and I sent a few cards to some of my friends, just to cheer up their day. I loved it! The designing process is very easy to follow, and you can create your perfect card to send to someone dear to you in mere moments. You can create so much beauty on Paperless Post, that my only regret about it is that I didn't know about it sooner! Most certainly I will come back to Paperless Post to create more exquisite online stationery.

Saturday, May 26, 2018

"How to Be a Fashion Designer", a New Fashion Book from DK Publishing

One of the novelties from DK Publishing this year is a book by author Lesley Ware, How to Be a Fashion Designer, which was created in collaboration with illustrator Tiki Papier. The book was released in February 2018 and is addressed to a young audience -- a fun guide for girls full of practical fashion design ideas and advice.
Photo credit: DK.com
How to Be a Fashion Designer is an easy to follow guide for preteen and teen girls who want to create their own unique style. The book starts with an introduction from author Lesley Ware who invites her young readers to begin their journey into fashion and to learn about fashion and style.

The girls can learn from the pages of the book the skills of fashion design -- how to sew, how to embellish clothes, how to create accessories. They will learn how to design their own fashion, from street style to party dresses. Fashion is a fun way to express your personality, and as the author of the book says, if you can speak up with fashion, you can speak up in other ways, too.

The reader will also discover how to be a stylist. While designers create the clothes, stylists know how to put them together. Girls will learn how to create stylish outfits for school, for their day to day, for weekend, for going out with friends, for family reunions, for the beach, for parties, and so on. The book will help them learn the secrets of styling, choosing accessories, and finding their personal style.

Last but not least, this book will teach young readers how to dress in a way that respects the environment. They will find tips and advice on the pages of the book how to shop wisely, how to make the most of their wardrobes, how to give new life to old clothes and how to customize those clothes to take them from basic to brilliant.

Each layout (each two pages) of the book is a separate chapter that guides you and gives you tips and fashion inspiration on how to dress in a creative way and build a unique style. The book shares a lot of fun sources of inspiration for fashion design like tools to use when you create your outfits, colors, patterns, black and white, sparkle, texture, mood board, photography, carnival, party ambiance, denim, the sun, the beach, shopping your own wardrobe, looking at nature, music, inspiration from Ancient Egypt, DIY, and much more.

The book also has patterns with tips and advice how to design your own clothes and accessories -- T-shirts, pants, skirts, dresses, necklaces, hats, bags, shoes. Girls can experiment and play with patters on the pages on the book to draw and create their perfect outfits.

The author concludes her book with a fashion glossary where girls can learn the language of fashion.

How to Be a Fashion Designer by Lesley Ware is a fun book for any girl who dreams about becoming a fashion designer and who wants to make her first steps toward a career in fashion.

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Produse terminate – Empties (8)

Astazi voi vorbi despre produsele cosmetice pe care le-am folosit recent, in ultimele patru luni – un articol din seria Produse terminate – Empties. In articolul de astazi va voi prezenta 26 produse, carora le voi face cate un mini-review – produse pentru ingrijirea parului, pentru ingrijirea corpului, parfumuri, produse pentru ingrijirea tenului, produse de machiaj, accesorii cosmetice, mostre. De altfel, am folosit mult mai multe produse cosmetice in ultimele patru luni de cand am scris ultimul articol din aceasta serie (in ianuarie), dar n-am pastrat ambalajele acelor produse, si in articolul de astazi includ doar produsele pe care pot sa le prezint cu ambalajele lor.
Geluri de dus, detangler de par, sampoane, parfumuri, balsam de buze, blush, creion dermatograf, lac de unghii, servetele umede, toner, deodorante, mostre, lumanare parfumata
Voi incepe cu produsele pentru ingrijirea parului.
Sampon Dove, detangler L'Oréal, sampoane cu proteine de lapte, mostre Garnier Whole Blends
Sampon Dove pentru volum, 355 ml -- este cel putin a doua oara cand folosesc acest sampon. Imi plac foarte mult sampoanele Dove (si in general apreciez produsele de ingrijire Dove pentru par si pentru corp), am incercat pana acum diferite variante si arome de sampoane Dove, in principiu mi-au placut toate, inclusiv acesta, parul meu a fost fericit cu acest sampon. Daca imi aduc bine aminte, am cumparat doua sampoane din acestea anul trecut; unul l-am folosit acasa in curand dupa aceea, iar pe celelalat (adica cel despre care scriu astazi) l-am avut la casa de vacanta din Minden pe timpul verii. Cand s-a incheiat sezonul estival de anul trecut si am pregatit casa de vacanta pentru iarna, am adus acasa toate produsele din baie de acolo (sampon, balsam, gel de dus etc.), si le-am folosit in continuare acasa la Toronto.

Detangler pentru par L’Oréal, 250 ml. Este un produs grozav pentru femeile cu par high maintenance asa cum este al meu. Folosesc detanglere (descalcitoare) pentru par in mod constant de trei ani, si acesta este un produs foarte bun, ma ajuta sa-mi descalcesc parul fin si subtire dupa fiecare spalare, este repeat purchase, l-am cumparat pana acum mai mult decat o data. Il voi folosi cu drag din nou. De fapt deja il folosesc din nou, 😊 caci l-am cumparat din nou dupa ce mi s-a terminat aceasta sticla, si il am acum din nou in baie, a devenit un favorit de-al meu.

Doua sampoane cu proteine de lapte, travel size. De curand am fost intr-o vacanta in Cuba, si am folosit aceste doua sampoane in camera de hotel unde am stat, au fost ok.

Sampon si balsam Garnier Whole Blends -- mostre, 10 ml fiecare. Am primit aceste doua mostre in cutia mea lunara de frumusete Topbox din aprilie curent, si le-am folosit pe ambele la scurt timp dupa aceea. Sunt produse pentru ingrijirea parului bune, nu mi-au displacut. O utilizare la dus cat mi-a permis fiecare din aceste doua mostre n-a fost neaparat de ajuns sa-mi fac o idee mai clara despre aceste doua produse, dar la prima incercare mi s-au parul ok.

Continuu cu produse pentru ingrijirea corpului -- produse pentru baie si deodorante.
Gel de dus Zest, gel de dus Olay, gel de dus cu ceai verde
Gel de dus Zest cu arome tropicale, 532 ml, fabricat in SUA -- a fost un gel de dus fabulos care mi-a placut extrem de mult! L-am folosit atat eu cat si Alex, si lui Alex de asemenea i-a placut foarte mult acest gel de dus cand ii umpleam cada cu spuma cand ii faceam baie. Are o aroma seducatoare de fructe exotice care te duce cu gandul si cu toate simturile in tropice si te face sa te simti ca si cum ai fi pe o plaja insorita cu nisip alb si fin. De curand am fost intr-o vacanta in Cuba, si cand m-am intors la Toronto, imi placea sa fac baie cu acest gel de dus cu arome tropicale, ca sa-mi aduca aminte de vacanta splendida din care tocmai revenisem. 😊 La fel am facut si data trecuta cand am revenit din Cuba, am folosit produse de ingrijire cu arome tropicale care sa-mi aduca aminte de vacanta din Cuba. Intr-un cuvand, este un gel de dus foarte bun si il recomand cu drag, nu-l evitati daca aveti ocazia sa-l folositi.

Gel de dus Olay cu unt de shea, 400 ml -- un alt gel de dus superfain, care mi-a placut foarte mult si care este foarte delicat cu pielea datorita efectului ultra-hidratant, conferit de ingredientul principal untul de shea. L-am folosit atat eu, cat si Alex.

Gel de dus cu ceai verde, travel size -- l-am avut in camera de hotel in vacanta mea recenta din Cuba. Un alt gel de dus absolut grozav! Nu stiu cum voua, dar mie imi plac foarte mult produsele de ingrijire si frumusete cu ceai verde, datorita efectului calmant extraordinar pe care ceaiul verde il are asupra tenului si asupra pielii corpului in general. Si nu conteaza brandul sau marca produsului, ci conteaza ingredientul -- ceaiul verde este cel care face diferenta, si nu eticheta de pe produs. In prezent folosesc un alt produs cu ceai verde, si anume un gel de spalat pentru fata St. Ives (un brand canadian), de care sunt la fel de incantata, datorita efectului calmant extraordinar pe care ceaiul verde din compozitia acestui gel de spalat il are asupra tenului.
Deodorante Dove, deodorant natural
Deodorante stick Dove cu aroma de castravete, varianta mini, 14 g. Apreciez foarte mult produsele de ingrijire Dove, inclusiv deodorantele, si am folosit pana acum diferite arome. Aroma cu castravete, fiind foarte proaspata, se afla printre preferatele mele, este repeat purchase, o cumpar foarte des, si dupa cum vedeti din imaginea de mai sus, am folosit 5 mini-deodorante Dove cu castravete din ianuarie incoace, de cand am scris articolul precedent din seria Empties.

Deodorant natural antiperspirant Jason, fabricat in Canada, 71 g. Este un deodorant cu caise pe care l-am cumparat de la Winners. Este un produs organic, nu are aluminiu, parabeni, propilen glicol. Si pentru ca nu are aluminiu, care este un ingredient de baza in deodorantele traditionale, nu a fost foarte eficient. Nu am fost convinsa de acest produs, din pacate. Am mai cumparat un deodorant similar in trecut, si mi-a lasat aceeasi impresie de ineficienta, din cauza lipsei ingredientului activ principal, aluminiul, desi este de apreciat incercarea de a crea un produs natural fara aluminiu, ceea ce m-a facut sa cumpar un produs similar a doua oara. In fine, din punctul de vedere al eficientei, deodorantele traditionale din massmarket functioneaza mai bine pentru mine, asa ca pe viitor nu cred ca voi mai cumpara deodorante ca acesta.

Urmeaza parfumurile.
Narciso Rodrigues, The Body Shop
Narciso Rodriguez for Her, fabricat in Franta, 100 ml -- a fost de departe parfumul meu preferat din ultimii cativa ani. M-a tinut doi ani si 3 luni, din octombrie 2015 pana in ianuarie 2018. Este un parfum foarte senzual, de o sexualitate care nu are cum sa nu te seduca -- m-a sedus. De obicei nu-mi place sa repet parfumurile, de fiecare data imi place sa cumpar un alt parfum ca sa descopar noi arome, dar pe acesta il voi mai cumpara pe viitor. Cand mi l-am luat in octombrie 2015, l-am luat de fapt intr-un set care mai continea gel de dus si crema de corp, dar pe acestea din urma le-am consumat deja mai demult, nu mai am acum ambalajele sa vi le arat in acest articol.

The Body Shop Black Musk, fabricat in Franta, 50 ml. Un alt parfum cu mosc care mi-a placut foarte mult, m-a tinut doi ani, din ianuarie 2016 pana in ianuarie 2018. Imi plac foarte mult produsele The Body Shop, iar colectia cu mosc alb si mosc negru este colectia mea preferata de la The Body Shop. Gasesc ca acest parfum este unul reusit, mi-aduc aminte de buzzul pe care l-a creat in blogosfera de frumusete acum 3 ani cand a aparut prima oara, ceea ce m-a inspirat si pe mine sa mi-l iau atunci, si nu am regretat ca l-am luat. Ba chiar mi l-am luat si a doua oara, in prezent mai am unul pe masuta mea vanity, vi l-am aratat in cel mai recent articol al meu din seria Cumparaturi recente – Shopping Lately.

Urmeaza produsele pentru ingrijirea tenului si produsele de machiaj.
Servetele umede, toner Garnier, blush, creion pentru sprancene Lise Watier, balsam Avon, lac protector de unghii Revlon
Servetele demachiante cu nuca de cocos si aloe vera, de la Winners, 60 bucati -- au fost grozave! Delicate cu pielea, curata bine, mi-au placut foarte mult, le-as mai lua pe viitor.

Lotiune tonica matifianta Garnier SkinActive, 200 ml -- o lotiune tonica pentru ten gras, cu un efect matifiant grozav, foarte delicata cu pielea (spre deosebire de lotiunile astringente care au un efect mai puternic). Am doar cuvinte de lauda la adresa acestei lotiuni, este un produs pe care il recomand cu drag, l-as mai folosi pe viitor fara sa ezit.

Blush IBY Beauty -- l-am primit in cutia mea lunara de frumusete Topbox din septembrie trecut, m-a tinut cateva luni. A fost un produs bun, cu un pigment puternic, nu m-a dezamagit. De asemenea, a fost un produs nou pentru mine, fiind prima oara cand am incercat un produs de machiaj din aceasta gama.

Creion de sprancene Lise Watier -- l-am folosit atat pentru sprancene, cat si creion dematograf, si cateodata ca fard pentru ochi. 😊 A fost un creion multi-tasking pentru mine. Dupa cum vedeti in imaginea de mai sus, l-am folosit in inregime, pana la ultimul strop -- l-am ascutit, l-am ascutit, pana l-am ascutit de tot. Mi-a placut faptul ca a avut mina moale, si nu a existat riscul sa-mi irite pielea delicata a pleoapelor de exemplu.

Balsam pentru buze Avon, fabricat in SUA -- l-am primit cadou de Craciun de la o colega de serviciu, la un gift exchange de Craciun la job. M-a tinut mai mult de un an. Nu este doar balsam de buze, are si o culoare discreta, chocolate, usor transparenta. L-am tinut in masina pentru comoditate, si il aplicam frecvent cand eram on the go. Un downside pe care il avea -- culoarea sa nu rezista mult timp pe buze, nu este rezistent, trebuie aplicat de multe ori daca il folosesti pe parcursul zilei.

Lac protector pentru manicura Revlon Color Stay Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat, fabricat in SUA. L-am primit cadou de la o prietena, m-a tinut aproximativ 2 ani. Este un lac foarte bun, l-am folosit in mod constant, confera rezistenta in plus manicurii.

Si ultima categorie de produse de frumusete din articolul de astazi -- accesorii de frumusete si produse diverse.
Servetele umede Kleenex, lumanare parfumata Avon
Servetele umede pentru maini si pentru uz general Kleenex Fresh on the Go, 2 pachete, 10 bucati fiecare, fabricate in Korea de Sud -- am tot timpul servetele din acestea la indemana, la birou, acasa, in baie, in dormitor, in poseta cand sunt in oras, imi sunt indispensabile si sunt foarte utile in tot felul de situatii.

Lumanare Avon, am primit-o de la o prietena care este reprezentanta Avon. A fost o lumanare grozava, cu o aroma de spice wreath potrivita pentru sezonul rece, am folosit-o cand inca era iarna afara.

Ati folosit vreunul din aceste produse? Ce parere ati avut despre ele? 

Sa aveti o saptamana minunata!

Photo credit: Victoria West