Featuring Sunshine Citizen and her Top 3 Dermacol Products

Hello my Beauties,

ones again it’s one of those days, where you find a new featured Blogger here on Beauty expression by Luchessa. 
Please give this lovely lady a warm welcome and be prepared to gain a beauty friend.

Meet Flori, who has always been inspired by anything beautiful and dreamed about making a change in the world, while not necessarily making a name for herself. How humble is that!
On her blog the Sunshine Citizen you will find great DIY ideas, recipies, beauty & hair products, as well as style posts.
I mean, look at her gorgeous & healthy looking hair – she simply has to have her “hair secrets”! Right?!
Swing over and leave Flori some feedback. You’re going to love her!

{My Top 3 Dermacol Products}

Hi, my name is Flori and I am the blogger behind Sunshine Citizen.
Luchessa generously offered me the chance to write a guest post for her and I couldn’t refuse!
Don’t you just love Luchessa?

She wanted me to showcase a Slovakian brand, since that is where I am from, but honestly I couldn’t find one. Instead I offered to do a post on my favorite products from Dermacol, an old brand started in Prague, as I have tried a fair share of their products and after all the Czech Republic is our neighbor and we once were the same country. I hope you enjoy the post! 

Product No. 1
{Dermacol Makeup Cover Up}

This is a must have! Honestly, I would call this the secret weapon of the Slovak and Czech women.
Dermacol Make-up Cover lists 50% of pigments in its ingredient list, making it possible to cover up just about anything with the tiniest amount. It can be used as foundation, but let me tell you this is heavy duty stuff, which will become one of your favorite concealers.

It’s so versatile that not only can you use it as foundation or concealer, you can dilute with the moisturizing cream you use to your preferred coverage and you have a tinted moisturizer!
You get 30 g of product in a gold metal tube, which will probably last you ages considering how little of the product is needed to get the job done.
It being waterproof, smelling lovely, and having a SPF 30 are some other things to take into consideration and in my mind adjectives to add to its list of qualities.

Product No. 2
{Lip Seduction Lipstick}

Not only is the packaging of the Lip Seduction Lipstick really cute, it is the lip product I find myself reaching for to take everywhere. Press the transparent end through which you can see the lipstick and with a click the lipstick comes out of the blue metal tube.
With the lipstick being extremely hydrating and nourishing, your lips are sure to be look beautiful and plump.
The lipstick is in fact so nourishing that it has replaced my favorite lip balm.
It has made it possible to enjoy the best of both worlds; the pigmentation of lipstick and the overall luxurious feel of a great balm.
Product No. 3
{Aroma Therapy Stress Relief Body Oil – Grape and Lime}

Not only does this smell so good, that it makes me want to make a summer drink inspired by it, it is amazing stuff!

The oil blend is very light and sinks right into the skin, leaving it soft and smooth. It is rich in vitamins so it is supposed to intensively treat and regenerate your skin. The scent of grapes and lime is rather strong, but so soothing that is does not bug me and leaves me wanting more.
The thing I love about this oil is that it doesn’t really contain a lot of chemical ingredients and it is very versatile!
It can be used as massage oil, a moisturizer after taking a bath, and even can be used in your hair care routine.
Personally, I love using it after a bath and it leaves the skin soft and since it has a thin runny consistency; it seeps right into the skin without leaving an oily film. It is definitely one of my favorite body oils I have ever tried and the scent embodies everything I love about summer.

I hope you enjoyed the post! And I would like to thank Luchessa for giving me the opportunity to write a little post for you.
Have a great day!

So my Beauties, i hope you found a new interesting brand to check out and a great fresh face in the blogosphere.
I especially liked the review on these lipsticks, since Flori somehow managed to pick out just the right “Luchessa-colors”.
And those of you know follow me for some time, know that i absolutely love vintage rose type of lip products, that are not having a  drying effect on my lips.

Here is the official Dermacol site, where you can take a look on the whole range of their products. 
And here is an online pharmacy Medcentrum, that seems to be shipping internationally, in case you get interested in any of Dermacol’s products. 

Find Flori on Twitter or Bloglovin’ and chat away!!

Until next time – stay beautiful!!

Cosmetics around the globe – ♥ Golden Rose Style Liner Metallic ♥

Hello my Beauties.

Wishing you all a very relaxing sunday. Please feel free to grab your favorite weekend mug and let’s start with today’s post.

As you already know, i have a big passion for different kind of cosmetics around the globe. So every time i get the chance to try a new brand or a product line, that i haven’t seen before, i get seriously excited. Well who can blame me on that one?!
Recently i got my hands on some goodies by the turkish brand Golden Rose, that i previously talked about in my review on Golden Rose Paris Magic Color №314. 
As the brand is big not only on nail polishes, i was intrigued on trying some of the liners, mascaras, lipsticks and co. 
Today i would like to share with you my experience with the Style Liner Metallic.
What i loved right away about the packaging, is that you can immediately see what color it is, without having to look at the bottom or taking the lid off.
The liners are available in about 15 different metallic colors, that gives anyone the chance to find the right shade and
you get 6,5 ml / 0,22fl.oz of the products in one packaging. (The prices are obviously going to depend on where you get the products.)

The colors i have (from left to right) are:

• 04 Green Metallic
• 10 Dark Purple Metallic
• 02 Gold Metallic

 As you can probably tell, they’re very shiny and opaque, so you would usually need only one stroke to get a line done.
Apparently it needs about 30 – 40 sec. for the liner to dry on your skin, but it still gives you enough time to correct it, if you feel like you messed up a little.

In my own experience i found it very easy to draw a fine or a thicker line, if needed, since the brush tip applicator is quite thin and easy to handle and the consistency is not too liquid, so there is no problem to get an even cat eye look on both eyes – which can be a difficult job sometimes, when you don’t have the right tool handy.
Another important quality of these liners in my eyes is the staying power. Ones dried on your lid, these liners stay put for the whole day. Literally! As i was doing the swatches for this blog post, i tried to smudge them on my hand and they just didn’t go anywhere. For someone who tend to have a rather oily eyelid, i really appreciate this long lasting formula.
But on the other hand you can easily remove the metallic liners with your favorite makeup removing wipes.

I have not had any allergic reaction to  the liners, both while applying the product and while wearing it throughout the day. 

My favorite of the three is def the gold one, since it “increases the value” of any everyday makeup and it really reminds me personally of those beautiful arabian style dramatic night looks.
I would definitely recommend you to try these style metallic liners in one of the many available colors.
As most of us don’t have an easy access in local stores to Golden Rose, i will leave a few links, where you can find it online.

If you try it, please let me know, i would for sure love to hear from you.
What’s your current  favorite liquid liner? Don’t be shy, share your secrets with me. 

Golden Rose USA online store – free shipping on any order on $25 or more at the moment.
Kosmetik24-shop.de – online store based in Germany (might be an option for the UK buyers, since i couldn’t find any UK stores)
Golden Rose on Amazon  – nice option for everyone.

♥ Cosmetics around the globe – H & B Dead Sea Minerals from Israel ♥

Hello my Beauties.

Happy weekend to all of you. Hope you’re relaxing & having fun. 
If you read my blog for a while now, you might have noticed two main things. First one is my passion for new exotic beauty brands, that aren’t available in just every store and the second one – my love for hand creams.
I never leave the house without a hand cream in my bag. You never know, when you might need it.
After using this product for a long time, I’ve decided to share one of my very favorites with you, which stands for an exotic brand and a great hand cream in one.
It’s also going to be a part of my series: Cosmetics around the globe. 
Let’s talk Treatment Hands & Nails Cream by Health & Beauty Dead Sea Minerals.

For a very long time millions of people from all over the world have come to the Dead Sea region to relax, enjoy its beauty and experience the healing and rejuvenating powers of its mud and waters. We also know about the powers of the minerals, which all have an extremely positive effect on our body. Like improving cell metabolism, helping the body absorb nourishment, and eliminating toxins. We are talking minerals, such as Calcium, that helps cleansing the pores, Magnesium – that’s a big help to our cell regeneration, Chloride – that balances our own body’s minerals ect. 

What do we know about the brand Health & Beauty? It has been on the market since 1990. It produces cosmetics with Dead Sea minerals and vitamins. The product range goes from skin to face to hair care, for any kind of age and is also make without parabens.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on this Hands & Nails Cream.

I have to say, the very first thing that i notice about this hand cream, was the amazing smell of it.
I immediately knew what it was – Obliphica Oil (other names for it are Sallow Thorn and Sea Buckthorn) – since my mom used to make jam out of it, when i was a kid. And we all know those childhood smells are something that we keep with us like a little treasure.
So when I smelled this by opening the lid, i knew i would love the hand cream no matter what!

That’s what the brand claims:
One of the best hand creams for men and women alike has been created. A professional treatment cream with a rich, non-oily texture providing protection to the skin, hands and fingernails. It preserves the upper layer of skin tissue and forms a glove forming a protective layer which neutralizes the harmful effects of cleaning materials and exposure to UV rays. It includes Vitamins A and E and Dead Sea salt water minerals to strengthen the vitality of the skin. It smoothens and softens the hands and strengthens broken or chipped fingernails. It is enriched with Olive Oil, Aloe Vera, Camomile, Tea Tree Oil Extract (which is renowned for its effectiveness against fingernail fungus) and Evening Primrose Oil. It also includes UV filters to protect the skin of your hands. We recommend keeping a tube of this cream besides your bed, in your handbag and in the kitchen. This product is a must in every home.

The texture of this hand cream is something between creamy and gel like, which is quite interesting. It absorbs incredibly fast into the skin and doesn’t leave any greasy film on my hands, which is a big plus if you have to continue typing or writing right after applying the cream.
The feeling over all is refreshing. The cuticula of my nails looks very neat and nursed. The moisture does stay on my hands for a long time and as i mentioned before, i really enjoy this light smell as well. I think, i’m a little addicted to the finish it leaves – so smooth and silky. Even in this cold time of the year, when everyone tend to have a dryer skin than usual, i personally don’t have to use any other heavy cream, since this one is so moisturising.

I will definitely be purchasing this products later again. It became my must have during 2012. If you get the chance to test this product, let me know what your impression of it was. I would love to hear from you & your experience. 

If you are interested in more information about this brand, i found this little video on youtube, that you might want to watch:

Have you tried any other products from Health & Beauty Dead Sea Minerals?

Disclaimer: This review is strictly my opinion of this product and was not sponsored or paid by Health & Beauty Dead Sea Minerals. 

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Cosmetics around the globe – russian goodies.

COSMETICS AROUND THE GLOBE – Bulgarian Rose

Hello Beauties.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a big fan and lover of great hand creams & hand products in general. My skin isn’t overly dry, but as we are getting closer to the chillier time of the year, I feel like talking about hand cream is totally appropriated.

While traveling around the globe, I find it pretty interesting getting to know the local favorites when it comes to cosmetics. And as my friends know about my love for all new & exciting, they tend to bring me little gifts from different counties. This time is was a little souvenir from Bulgaria, which i didn’t hesitate to try.

I’m talking about Bulgarian Hand cream & soap “ROSE”.

Bulgaria’s tradition of producing essential oils dates back to the 17th century and is a source of national pride for the country. The Bulgarian Rose is considered superior. Usually it is cultivated in organic rose gardens and the oil contains the essence of the actual plant Rosa Damascena. 

The Cosmetic series is created on the base of entirely natural compounds with main ingredient the well-known rose-water and rose oil.

This is what the brand claims: 

Active ingredients – hand cream: Natural Rose water, Rose oil, Silicon oil and Vitamin F. With intensive nourishing, soften and recovery action the Hand Cream “ROSE” is an effective protection for the skin against the harmful influence of the environment. The natural rose-water and rose oil soothes the inflammation of the cuticle. Vitamin F accelerates the regeneration of the cells. The silicon-film protect the skin against influence of the environment and loss of moisture. By regularly usage of the Hand Cream “ROSE” the skin becomes soft and elasticity.

Bulgarian Rose – cream soap with Rose Oil softens and soothes the skin. It’s delicate aroma gives you a feeling of freshness and relaxation. Bulgarian Rose Cream Soap with Rose Oil is a nice little way to say Thank You to your skin.

The packaging itself is simple, but very elegant at the same time and through the rose drawing you definitely get the vintage vibe. Obviously the next thing to notice about the hand cream is the rose aroma. It isn’t too strong, like some of the rose perfumes, so even if you aren’t the biggest fan of rose scent, you might still enjoy this one.
The texture is pretty thick in the beginning, but after rubbing it between your hands, it absorbs really quickly and doesn’t leave an oily feel, which is always a big plus, if you’re using it on the go or at work, where you have to touch your phone or keyboard.
Your cuticle & the skin feel soft and well taken care of.

After starting to use the soap, my bath became an instant mild rose garden. Makes me smile every time i enter the room.
It doesn’t dry out my hands and leaves them soft and clean, which was my number one request, after being disappointed by using different Lush soaps in the past.

So over all it is a really nice & useful souvenir from Bulgaria, that I keep happily using these days. And as it’s really easy to find their products online, I didn’t want to miss out on sharing the news with you.

Have you tried any rose oil products yet? If so, what’s your favorite? Share your secrets!

Cosmetics around the globe – russian goodies.

Hello Beauties!

Every time I hear about exotic new brand names or see amazingly done packaging in a very feminine style, my heart goes “boom boom boom”.
Even if the product isn’t that easy to get, I still enjoy learning more about it, while comparing to the items I already have in my collection.

That and your answers in my beauty poll were exact my motivation to start this series about the cosmetic items around the globe. And let’s be honest, we all want to know what kind of fabulous things they are using in Japan, Australia, Belgium, Turkey or Russia.

So why not starting with the last one.
I was lucky to get my hands on some russian decorative cosmetics in a very distinctive vintage parisian chic style.
The brand name I’m talking about is Vivienne Sabo. It was created in 2006 in Samara, the sixth largest city in Russia, by Gradient Cosmetics (one of the leading distribution companies in the country).

After having a better look at their official site and the products itself, I realized it was quite a good marketing decision to create a “french brand” in Russia. It combines definitely some aspects of conservative traditional makeup along with fresh and innovative ingredients.

That’s what the brand claims: 
Vivienne Sabo is a brand with a romantic Parisian soul, modern and classic, enigmatic and democratic. When creating the cosmetic products from Vivienne Sabo we use up-to-date textures and formulas. Fresh violets fragrance makes you feel Paris’s air in spring, this delicate flower decorates the collection.
The packaging of Vivienne Sabo’s products has symbols on it. Polka dot is the most romantic French pattern, an absolute classic. Violets are a symbol of revival, love and spring, a symbol of Paris.

Make-up by Vivienne Sabo embodies the true Parisian chic and elegance. It is created with the modern cosmetic products and corresponds to the latest fashion trends. Vivienne Sabo is a company with a very beautiful history and named after a beautiful heroine.

Genuine cosmetic romanticism…

                                                                          (Photo was taken from the official Vivinne Sabo homepage.) 

Why not looking at the products a little bit closer and see what they are really all about. 

First up was a blush in light rose, which applies really sheer, but is also buildable. It gives you the chance to intensify the color if needed. The feel is very powdery & velvety. Might be nothing for the cream blush lovers out there. But over all it’s a nice every day product.

Next item is the beautify shaped eyeshadow trio – Fleur de Velours nr.73.

I didn’t even want to touch the flower, since it looked so lovely, but of course I was excited to see how well the color pigmentation was. Unfortunately I have to admit that only one of the three colors was pigmented enough for my taste. (The silvery blue shade looks very pretty on the lid.) We often see that phenomenon of drugstore eyeshadow being less pigmented than high-end products. In this case I hope to be more successful when using a primer beforehand.

Next two items have been the smoothing lipsticks with wine extract in nr.410 and nr.411.

First of all, how cute is the packaging? The polka dots are spot on at the moment, immediately giving the little box a vintage flair.

The shape and even the application is similar to the L’Oréal Paris Color Riche lipsticks, maybe a slight reminder of the Revlon Lip Butters through their creamy and moisturizing formula and very wearable colors.

They apply very well and leave a shiny finish. But the best is definitely the smell. When you take off the cap you instantly smell wild strawberries. It’s an incredible smell that reminds me personally of my childhood. So far the smoothing lipsticks have been my favorites from this collection. I enjoy wearing them a lot these days.

There are still two different mascara, powder pearls and a moisturizing brilliance lipstick in testing (which you can see in the main picture). So stay tuned for more of this brand.
Hope you liked the little overview of the russian cosmetic brand. Have you tried anything from that country yet? If so, what was it?

And if not, what are you most worn blushes and lipsticks of the past season? Share your secrets.