Circle lenses: GEO Trearful Gray

I'm a subscriber of Wayne, the gossmakeupartist channel on youtube and a couple of weeks ago he planted the idea of wearing circle lenses to enlarge and define my eyes into my mind.
I'd heard of them before, I'd come across them when browsing blogs about Korean cosmetics but the idea of wearing them had never crossed my mind. I was so impressed with the impact these lenses had on Wayne's eyes that I decided to risk them.

Geo Tearful Gray

I ordered my first pair from Malaysia, they arrived within a week. I don't know how it works but my Asian mail arrives much sooner than domestic letters. When I opened the envelope I was stunned to see a lovely handwritten personalised  thank you note, animal lens case and, obviously, the lens packed tightly in a cute gift box. They've made me their most faithful customer with this simple marketing trick which unfortunately many relailers forget about. Personal touch counts more than freebies and samples, though I love receiving samples, of course.

 the thank you note and the gift box 

As for the lenses I can't stop raving about them. These lenses are clear in the middle with a rim in dark gray, towards black and a couple of light gray stripes which are supposed to look like tears in the eyes. What I love about these lenses is that they enlarge and define my eyes greatly and naturally without any change of colour. The 'tearful' effect is hardly noticeable, I would say I don't notice it at all, perhaps its visible on darker-coloured eyes while on mine the gray stripes blend into my natural eye colour and and disappear. I don't mind cause this teraful look wasn't exactly what I was looking for.

What is more I absolutely love the comfort of wearing these lenses. I've been a lens wearer for over 10 years and I must say lenses that are so soft, yet tear resistant, shapely, non-drying, easy to apply are a rare find. I absolutely love them. 

Although the producer claims these can be used for a year, I don't think it's wise to keep them for so long. But for sure I'm gonna repurchase these every time I use up a pair. These are a MUST HAVE for me. Nonetheless, I wouldn't be me if  I didn't give coloured lenses a try, in fact a pair of blue lenses in on its way to me now. I feel my adventure with circle lenses has just began!

animal lens case

Cooking:mackerel paste sandwich

One of my major interests is cooking, though I rarely post anything about cooking, the simple reason being that I hardly ever manage to take any pics before we eat everything up.

The reason why I'm so excited about a simple thing like my mackerel paste is that I'm on a diet which involves eating substantial amounts of fish and unfortunately I'm not a fish lover so I need to devise different methods to force myself to consume any.
This mackerel paste is delicious and easy to make. The ingredients are as follows:
1 smoked mackerel, bones removed
2 tsp tomato paste
2 small pickled cucumbers, roughly diced
half small onion
freshly ground pepper


 Just pop all ingredients into a blender and blend well. Serve on toast or a slice of wholemeal bread (if dieting) with fresh cucumber.


This is just the beginning. I'm gonna carry on devising methods of making fish more edible and less smelly. Fish burgers are coming up next!

Eisenberg Fond de Teint Correcteur Invisible #1Natural: review & swatches

I got a sample of Eisenberg Fond de Teint Correcteur Invisible from my local Sephora. First of all the colour match was wrong, the shade was too dark and too yellow. I hoped it'd adjust itself to my skintone (Like MAC Matchmaster does) but it didn't. I suppose shade #2 Natural Rosy is the one for me.
Secondly this was the most watery foundation I've ever used. And when I say watery I mean it. When I dispensed it on the back of my hand it started to run uncomfortably making me scared I'd mess everything around me. So I grabbed the first brush I saw and tried to prevent disaster by splashing this substance on my face without controlling the amount of the product I used. Using a pump in a full-size product would definitely solve the problem of dosage.

So what do I think about the foundation regardless of the obviously wrong shade?

• this is definitely a lightweight foundation. Even though I applied too much I didn't feel like I was wearing anything on my face.
• it offers buildable coverage, sheer to at least medium
• the finish is light glow (on my oily skin), when dusted with powder stays nicely matte
• SPF25
• good at oil-control
• there are only 4 shades of this foundation, which is definitely a downside.

The manufacturer promises this foundation will hold at least 12 hours in all climates regardless of skin type. It's also supposed to have soothing, moisturising and rejuvenating properties thanks to a number of plant oils and extracts. Sounds good, doesn't it? So where's the catch? Well, the price tag! This foundation costs over $100 in Polish Sephora! In spite of the fact that this is a very decent foundation there's nothing that justifies the price. Invisible Fluid Makeup by Estee Lauder is just as good (actually it's very similar in terms of coverage and finish) and costs a third of the price, the same can be said about Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. I really adore high-end make-up and I'm seriously addicted to it but to everything there is a limit...

Korean goodies: Skinfood Black Sugar Mask

I've received a couple of complimentary samples of this mask from my favourite e-bay seller, tried it out and now I'm able to write a review.

First of all I wouldn't say this product is a mask. This is an exfoliating scrub containing grains of sugar which you massage all over your face and rinse. This is what the packaging says. Some sources, though, advise to mix it with water or toner for a more gentle peel and leave for 10-15min. I've tried it both ways.

So what are my impressions?
I quite enjoyed the sweet smell, I like my cosmetics to smell nice, this is part of my pleasure of using them. But unfortunately the sugar grains are too large and above all too coarse. This scrub treats my skin in a very harsh way substituting the fun of using the stuff with fear that it might actually cause irritations or simply scratch my skin. I suppose the sugar was meant to dissolve while being massaged into the skin but it doesn't do so.

But to my surprise, after this somewhat traumatic beauty treatment my skin is clean, soft and noticeably smooth with no traces of irritations or allergic reactions. One of the most successful scrubs I've ever used.

So am I going to purchase the full-sized version? I'm not sure. It does the job well, there's no question about that, but I love to indulge in my beuty rituals and Black Sugar Mask doesn't guarantee this pleasure to me.

Skinfood BB Creams compared: Aloe Sun, Platinum Grape Cell, Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea, Mushroom Multi Care

Today I'd like to review 4 BB Creams by Skinfood, basing on samples which I ordered on e-bay. I have wide experience with Skinfood cosmetics but these are the first BB Creams by Skinfood I've ever tried.

Aloe Sun BB Cream SPF 20 PA++

Aloe Sun BB Cream 

Aloe Sun BB Cream 

• pink hue
• non-sticky glowy finish
• like tinted mioisturiser but nicely evens out the skin tone
• good colour match
• nice faint smell
• moisturising  (according to the producer)
• spf20

PLATINUM GRAPE CELL ESSENTIAL 

BB CREAM SPF45 PA+++

Platinum Grape Essential BB Cream 

Platinum Grape Essential BB Cream

Platinum Grape Essential BB Cream

• watery consistency
• neutral beige towards yellow, no gray cast, to my surprise neutralizes the redness in my NW15-20 skintone without looking yellow
• more matte than I expected
• anti-aging properties, brightening, moisturising  (according to the producer)
• spf 45

I'm surprised cause I expected it to be much heavier and more oily (all anti-wrinkle products tent to be oily) and I'm considering getting it full size when I've used up all the other BB creams I've got. Nice coverage, healthy non-sticky glow, anti-wrinkle properties, high SPF what else do I need?

GOOD AFTERNOON HONEY BLACK TEA BB SPF20 PA+

Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea BB

Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea BB

Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea BB

What is that name supposed to mean? Is is a special purpose afternoon BB cream? No clue.

• sweet sugary/honey smell, the strongest of  all these BB Creams reviewed
• pink toned, may read orange on yellow skins, almost exactly the same shade as the  Aloe
• non-sticky, glowy finish
• moisturising, illuminating, softening (according to the producer)
• SPF 20

MUSHROOM MULTI CARE BB CREAM SPF20 PA+

Mushroom Multi Care BB Cream

Mushroom Multi Care BB Cream

Mushroom Multi Care BB Cream

• seemed too dark but blended surprisingly well, might do for a more tanned look
• nice smell I can't figure out what somewhat citrusy
• moisturises, clarifies the skin and enhances resillience  (according to the producer)
• pink toned, may read orange on yellow skin tones
• nice coverage
• stays a long time
• nice glow finish but non-sticky
• spf 20

L to R: Mushroom, Platinum, Aloe, Honey  Black Tea

As you can see Mushroom #2 is the darkest one, looks in the pictures like it matches my skintone well but in  fact it's too dark. Perhaps in the summer?

Platinum Grape #1, on the other hand is the fairest and it's kind of neutral-yellowish beige.

Aloe and Honey #1 are identical in terms of colour, consistency, finish, coverage and SPF. The only difference is the smell. If I were to choose I'd pick Aloe for this only reason.

All of these BB creams show an amazing abilility to adjust to your natural skintone so even if the colour match isn't perfect it doesn't mean you wouldnt be able to wear them.

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.

Korean goodies: Skinfood Gold Caviar Collagen Double Eye Serum - review

I absolutely love Skinfood Gold Caviar Eye serum so I thought investing in the collagen programme for upper and lower lids would be a good idea.This product is sold in an elegant box containing 2 vials, the contents of one to be on upper lids and the other one under the eyes.  I had a premonition before spending over $40 on this product I should test first if it works so I ordered a bunch of samples from an e-bay seller.

I can't say how happy I am that I didn't buy the full size product. I applied it in the evening and it gave me the most terrible allergic reaction ever. A row of tiny red spots with white tops extending along the whole undereye plus a swollen cheek. And my skin is not generally sensitive or allergic but I do suffer from some allergic reactions to eye products which manifest themselves as rash under my right eye only ( the skin under the left one seems immune to these allergens). The  biggest culprit so far has been Lancome Renergie Yeux Multiple Lift but the reaction to Lancone product has never been as bad as this.

I really regret that I'm allergic to it cause my left eye, the one that doesn't break out allergically, looked very nice indeed after a single application.

I've got 2 samples of this eye serum left and I'm not gonna risk using them so if anyone's interested - let me know, I'll send them to you in exchange for following my blog;).







Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.

Korean goodies:Skinfood Peach Sake Silky Finish Powder - review

Skinfood Peach Sake Silky Finish Powder

 I ordered this powder cause I'd run out of my beloved ELF HD powder and I thought I'd try something else. The idea of the powder is basically the same, it's finelly milled translucent white powder which provides flawless matte finish.

Skinfood Peach Sake Silky Finish Powder

 There are several reasons why I choose Skinfood Peach Sake Silky Powder. First of all I'm a big fan of  their Peach Sake line, secondly I love the packaging and finally I'd read a number of good reviews. And now I must say I'm in two minds about it.


So what do I like about it?

• the packaging is very nice
• smells lovely
• excellent for oil control
• flawless finish
• makesmy face soo smooth to touch

Skinfood Peach Sake Silky Finish Powder

What do I dislike then?

• I find it hard to apply it correctly. If you use too much it turns very cakey. The puff picks up too much product in the centre of the puff and I haven't figured out the way of sheering this out before application. The best way I found so far is to dip my ELF kabuki brush into the sifter (it fills the entire space) turn the box upside down, then back, then swirl the brush inside and then gently pat it on my face. 
• not suitable for flash photography
• the thing which bothers me is that there was very little product in the box (see picture below). The packaging wasn't sealed when it arrived and particles of the powder were floating here and there. I buy my Skinfood products from my trusted E-bay seller and actually I have no reason to suspect him of stealing some powder from me. Why would he do that? There's no way of trading this powder without the packaging! I suppose the parcel had been opened by the customs (perhaps I'd ordered heroin from Korea, who knows) and they simply spilled half of it! 

All in all this would be a nice product if it wasn't so easy to overdo.

can you see how little product there is?

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion. 

Korean goodies: Tony Moly Latte Art Cappuccino Cream-in Scrub - review

I won't deny that I bought Tony Moly facial scrub simply cause I found the packaging irresistible. The product comes in a mug which looks like a real mug full of delicious cappuccino with a milky heart formed on top by some crafty waiter. To open the packaging you need to unscrew the top part et voila, the scrub is there!

The scrub is brown gel-like substance with tiny granules embedded in it which smells insanely of coffee. You are supposed to massage your face till the scrub changes its colour from dark brown to milky beige. When you do so you feel pleasant warmth on your skin. Then you wash it off.

 It's supposed to remove impurities from the pores, nourish with milk proteins, and of course exfoliate. The peeling effect is surprisingly subtle, the grains are tiny and soft and they actually dissolve on my face so I think calling it a scrub is misleading cause it doesn't scrub. Which doesn't mean it doesn't work. Quite the contrary.

It exfoliates my face nicely without causing irritations leaving my skin incredibly soft and simply looking and feeling better. It takes only a minute or two to apply and remove and makes such a difference. I'm really glad I got it.

The plastic box the product comes in gives detailed information about how to use the scrub in English an a full list of ingredients.

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion. 

Easter beverages

M&S haul: delicious Vintage Cider, two IPAs and a Scottish ale

local "Dom Piwa" haul: honey beer Trybunal, alcoholic ginger beer Crabbies (delicious) and two Belgian fruit beers: Floris (strawberry) and Kriek(cherry)

Polish flavoured beers '"Bernard". Kuba contains rum,  tasted artificial and very  sweet. Not my favourite here.

Another local shop haul: Twierdzowe, Olsztyńskie, Krakowiak, Cornelius - each single one was different, all of them good

So this is what we drank this Easter!

EASTER 2012

I must say that this Easter we managed to unwind. Kuba took time off since Thursday which gave us the opportunity to complete all our chores on time, sleep longer, enjoy each other's presence, drink hectolitres of beer, praise the sun and ignore the snow, watch Mad Men like mad, and do millions of things we don't normally do. 

On Saturday afternoon we took our kids for a lazy stroll in the city centre. We hardly ever go there so it was really nice to see the new establishments that have been built since we last went there. 

The sun in the pictures is very mislesading, it was barely a couple degrees above zero and nasty wind forced us to take shelter in a lovely cafe called Pikawa. The boys loved the place, especially a large fish tank and a poster of steam engine on the wall. The latte was delicious there and the kids loved their apple pies. 

Pikawa

Most people were busy preparing their Easters so the city was exceptionally quiet, deserted even, which we liked. Soon the tourist season will open and it'll become unbearable so we have to enjoy this serene atmosphere while we may.

We had Easter breakfast, as usual, at my in-laws place. It was very nice and festive but Kuba says that in the pictures we look as if it were some kind of funeral party so I'm not posting any of us at the Easter table. The sad thing about having breakfast with a family which celebrates different traditions than yours is that you swap what you used to enjoy most about Easter breakfast ("egg fight" in my family) for something you've never heard about (sharing Easter egg and being forcefed by the great grandma). Nevermind. Once we've built the house I'll start organizing family events MY WAY and everything's gonna be back to normal.

Zurek - traditional Polish soup served in round bread

my lamb debut

In a way we've already started. We made a stand and refused to stay all day at my in-laws place and returned home after breakfast. I cooked delicious lamb with potatoes, which may not seem a particularly festive treat but considering the fact that lamb in Poland is hard to get and damn expensive it was very special for us. However, preparing a festive meal with two little boys and a much older one is a mistake. Too much excitement, nerves, broken dishes, spilt drinks. The flat looked like it's never been cleaned.

Mikolaj enjoyed his festive outfit so much that  he refused to take it off untill the end of the day

Adam fed himself on Easter eggs  and  nothing else

And at night Marta dropped in for a quick beer, Adam accompanied us almost all the time and finally sank his Mini Cooper in Kuba's beer, thus creating a new way of serving this beverage in our household.

My Mum invited all of us to have Monday dinner with them in Rotmanka so we spent a veeeery long day there. Lovely but tiring. The kids ran berserk in the garden, Adam refused to sleep all day and drifted off as soon as Kuba started the engine. Then, at night,  he gave us hell when we tried to put him to sleep in his bed. All in all  this was a very nice holiday. I desperately needed this time off. Now all I need is a diet! 

Korean goodies: Skinfood Salmon Darkcircle Concealer Cream #01: review & swatches

Skinfood Salmon Darkcircle Concealer Cream #01

I'm not a concealer fan. I've only had two or three of them throughout all my life. I've never needed them that much and foundation usually did a good job evening out the skin tone under my eyes. The thing is that now I use foundations for oily skin which tend to leave my undereye area dry.

Skinfood Salmon Darkcircle Concealer Cream #01

So I discovered Skinfood Salmon Darkcircle Concealer Cream and I like it very much. The concealer is contained in a little glass jar with a metal lid. You pick the cream with your fingers, which some people may consider non-hygenic but I don't mind. It's fairly thick so I like to pat it under my eyes et voila! The shade looks very orange in the jar but when it's sheered out under my eyes it  neutralizes the redness perfectly. I can't say anything about how it would perform when concealing really dark circles but for me it's just fine. What's more this concealer cream doesn't leave the area under my eyes uncomfortably dry,which is really rare.

Skinfood Salmon Darkcircle Concealer Cream #01

I love almost everything about this concealer. It's creamy, it's opaque, doesn't dry out, it's elegantly packed and this amount will be enough for a lifetime but there's no SPF and I've just realised that I haven't got a single eye product with an SPF. I need to make up for this as quickly as possible, especially that now I'm gonna spend more time outdoors. Has anyone heard of any good eye cream or concealer with SPF20 or more?

Skinfood Salmon Darkcircle Concealer Cream #01

Disclaimer: I bought the product myself for my personal use and I am not affiliated with any company. I am not paid to do this review and everything I said here is my genuine opinion.