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Saturday 19 January 2013

Beautiful Malta:- Fawwara

Hey Beauties,

This post is especially for our international viewers. In this post I am not going to talk about beauty related to makeup or hair, but beauty related to our beautiful country, Malta.

Last weekend I visited a place called 'Fawwara'. I knew it existed however this was the first time that  I visited this picturesque area. This is a stretch of land between Siggiewi, Rabat and Had- Dingli which are situated south west of the island.

Malta: Il- Fawwara
 Il- Fawwara: History

In the past, Fawwara was known for the large amount of water it supplied. It dates back to the times when the Arabs controlled Malta in the thirteen century. It is a host to two Chapels. one that is dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel which was built in 1616 and the other one is dedicated to Our Lady of Providence which was built in 1575.

I was mesmerized by its natural beauty:

Fawwara cliffs

Fawwara: my mother from the top of the cliffs.
This is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in Malta since only a couple of people live here and no cars can pass through it. I kept on walking to the top of these cliffs which go all the way to Dingli which is another quiet village in Malta.

Fawwara: Filfa
From Fawwara Cliffs, a small uninhabited island that forms part of the Maltese Archipelago, Filfa, can be clearly seen. During 1980, it became a bird reserve, where 3 types of bird species are protected. The following photos are the view that can be seen from Fawwara Cliffs:

Fawwara: Dingli Cliffs

Fawwara: View

Fawwara: View

So, if you are planning to visit Malta someday, this is a good place to start and relax on your vacation,

Until next time.

Take Care,

Jessica xxx








Sunday 6 January 2013

Review: Coconut Oil

Heyyy Beauties,

One of my main New Year's resolutions is to eat healthier and maintain a balanced diet with high protein foods and as minimal carbohydrates as possible. I visited a health store and bought some organic and protein filled foods. One of the products that I bought is coconut oil. I knew that it was a great moisturizer, however I did not fully now how powerful and healthy it is for us.

First off, the coconut oil that I bought is 100% raw, organic and fair trade. In Winter it is a hard consistency, therefore if it is being used to cook, it has to be melted first. However, in Summer it melts down to an oily and creamy consistency.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil (Hard consistency)
This product has a lot of benefits. It can substitute all your beauty products that are filled with processed chemicals, it works better and is cheaper.

Benefits:

Skin:
  • Can be used as a face moisturiser. Beneficial for those that have acne, since it can help to clear it up. 
  • I also use it as a body moisturiser, especially after shaving. 
  • If mixed with some baking soda, it can act as a facial scrub
Hair:
  • Can be used as a deep conditioner and treatment for the hair. It is beneficial even more for those that have dry and damaged hair.
  • Tames frizzy hair, if applied straight after washing it or after blow drying.
  • Can prevent and eliminate dandruff.
Nails:
  • I apply coconut oil around my cuticles and also as a hand cream
Food:
  • For those who are on a diet or who have opted to a healthy lifestyle, it is a great product to substitute butter and normal oil. As can be seen from the nutritional facts below, it does not have any carbohydrates, no sugars, no gluten, no preservatives. It only has natural fats which are essential for a healthy lifestyle. 
Coconut oil nutritional facts

To conclude, I love this product, it is great for almost anything and it also saved me a lot of money because I use one product instead of several products which in reality are harmful. Always remember that natural is better :) I bought this product from Holland & Barrett however it can be found in any health food store.

Until next time,

Take Care,

Jessica xx



Happy New Year! New Hair :)

Heyy Beauties,

Happy New Year to all!! :)

So for the first blog post of 2013 I am going to show you my new hair color. I have been contemplating since last Summer to change my hair color, however I was quite scared because the color that I wanted is quite risky, needs maintenance and is not such a natural color.

However, for the new year I decided to just take the plundge and do it, so yesterday I went to my usual hairdresser. The following pictures are my hair before and after. Beware: there is quite a difference hehe.

Hair Old

Hair New

Before, I had a dark kind of brown, but then with washing it it became quite dull. The new color is between orange and red. At first I had quite a shock when looking at the result for the first time, but then I got used to it. I really like this color and I think it is quite unique.

What do YOU think?  I am very interested to know your opinions :)

Jessica :)

Thursday 27 December 2012

Festive Nail Tutorial

Hey Beauties,

Hope you had a great Christmas :) I'm so looking forward for New Year's Eve, therefore I tried to come up with a nail look that I might wear on that day. The following is the look that I created:


For this Nail tutorial you will need the following items:


  • Base Coat:- In this case I am using CHi Ceramic Base Coat
  • A Deep Red Nail Polish:- I am using Barry M in the color '923 Red Wine'
  • A Gold Color:- In this case I am using a nail polish that I had bought from Primark
  • Some silver and gold nail gems
  • Tooth picks
  • Nail Remover:- I am using Artdeco Nail Remover
  • Cotton Buds
Step 1:

I started by shaping my nails with a nail filer because they were in quite a bad shape:


Step 2:

Next I applied the base coat to all the nails:


Step 3:

After I left the base coat dry completely I started applying the Barry M color. To prevent some of the nail polish to be applied outside of the nail, I always start applying the polish from the middle of the nail and then apply it on the sides of the nail.


Step 4:

I let the first coat of the polish dry and then I applied the second coat on all the nails except for the ring finger. On the ring finger I applied the Gold color as the second coat. Immediately upon applying the Gold color, I started placing carefully the gems with the tooth pick on the nail in a slanting line from one side of the nail to the other:






Step 5:

I applied the base coat again on top of the Ring Finger only. I do not apply a top coat to the other nails because I find that the Nail Polish peels off much faster then if no top coat is applied.

Step 6:

The last step is to remove any mistakes, by applying some nail polish remover on the cotton buds and removing the nail polish from the skin.



Finished Look

This is the finished look:


Hope you liked this simple yet eye catching nail look,

Until Next Time,

Take Care and Happy New Year,

Jessica :)

Friday 21 December 2012

Review of Make Up Store products & Festive Makeup Look

Heyy Beauties,

So last weekend I bought a couple of products from the brand 'Make Up Store', you can see what I got HERE. I tried out these products the day after, and the following is the look that I came up with.

Using 'Make Up Store' products
For the main color I used the color Aquarius. The first impression I got as soon as I applied this color is WOW!! I never had a color so vibrant and that transfers the same as seen in the pan. I have to say, this has become my new favorite eyeshadow. Pity that this type of color cannot be worn with every outfit :( Also, it stays on for quite a long time. Obviously with time it fades, like every other eyeshadow, but on the whole I am content with the quality of this eyeshadow.

For the other colors, I blended in some black in the outer corner, a white shimmery color in the inner corner and on the brow bone and a light blue color in the crease. 



 As for the lipstick I used the color Made in Style also by 'Make Up Store'. I was also impressed by this product and I have been using it every day since I purchased it. 

Made In Style Lipstick
 First off, I love this color, it is so unique. Furthermore, it has a matte finish therefore it prolongs its longevity. When I wear it to work, it stays on for the most part of the day, approximately 6 hours. The best thing is that since it is such an intense color, it still leaves a tint after it wears off. In this look I did not use any lip liner. I just prepared my lips with a lip balm and then applied it. 

That's all for today,

I hope you like this makeup look, 

Happy Holidays,

Take Care,

Jessica :) xxx


Monday 10 December 2012

Small Haul:- Make Up Store

Hello Beauties,

Today I teamed up with Martina from All Things Fabulous Beauty Blog to visit the new out at The Point the "Make Up Store". This make up brand is already established in various countries for example USA, Australia, Denmark and many others. We both wanted to try out their products, and since Martina already visited the outlet during its launch, we decided to team up and go together.



I only purchased two things, but I'm definitely planning to purchase more of their products in the future. The first product that I picked up is a lipstick. I had been eying this lipstick from the very first day that they set up their  Facebook Page back in November. It is a light berry purple color. I was impressed but its pigmentation and also it is very smooth and moisturizing. The price of this lipstick was 13.29 euro.

Made In Style Lipstick
Made In Style Lipstick Swatch
I am always searching for unique and unusual colors therefore the product immediately caught my eye is a bold aquamarine color, which I must say, I have never seen an eyeshadow color quite like it. The color that I purchased is called "Aquarius". The price for this eyeshadow was also 13.29 euro which in my opinion is a reasonable price for the amount of product that one gets since the size of this eyeshadow is double the size when compared to a MAC eyeshadow which costs more.

Aquarius Eyeshadow

Aquarius and Made In Style swatches

Make sure to visit this store and if you have any difficulty or confused which colors to choose the staff are all ready to help and guide you.

Hope you liked this haul,

Until next time,

Take Care,

Jessica :)

Monday 3 December 2012

Review:- Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

Heyy Beauties,

I have a review for you today. I am always in search for new foundations, and after reading and watching very good reviews about this product I decided to purchase it. I purchased it from Echemist with the added bonus of free shipping to Malta. It retails for 11.19 euro, which I think is not that bad when compared to other foundations for example an Artdeco foundation which is 15 euro.



Before starting to use the Bourjois Foundation, I was using an Artdeco Foundation which I had been using for about two years, however lately I noticed that it was breaking me out and after taking a look at the ingredients I noticed that it contained lots of parabens and also an ingredient called oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is found in sun screen products and in fact the Artdeco foundation has SPF. Although the Oxybenzone protects the skin from the sun, it is absorbed in our system and can cause damage to cells and affect hormones. So I think that it is this ingredient that is causing my acne break outs.



The Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation does not contain any SPF and upon using for the first time, I noticed quite an improvement in my skin. Its ingredients when compared with those of the Artdeco product are much better with the added benefit of having fruit ingredients. It claims to use "Fruit therapy for radiance and boosting and maintains essential skin hydration". I vouch for this product that it does what it claims. After using it for about a week and a half my skin looks healthier and my acne has dramatically decreased. It also is oil free.

It has medium coverage however it can be full coverage when built up. The down side of this product is that there is a limited range of colors to choose from.

For the packaging, its a plastic packaging so if it falls it does not break, like other foundation packaging, and it has a pump therefore the product is not wasted. Unlike other foundations, which have a plasticy kind of smell, this foundation has a really sweet and fruity smell.

Therefore, to conclude, I highly recommend this product especially for sensitive, oily and acne prone skin since this foundation takes care of your skin.

Have you used this product? What do you think of it?

Hope you found this review helpful,

Until next time,

Take Care,

Jessica :)