Elegant, Classic, Chanel (4)

Allure Sensuelle - Allure's younger brother is my favorite of these two. The notes are far better structured, and after the first sensation, represented by citric notes, you can sense the dominant middle and base notes, which are far more oriental and woody, based on patchouli, sandalwood and amber. Its persistence is formidable and is only equaled (in my case at least) by Jungle and Angel. It can be worn in cold or cooler days, and in the evening rather than in the morning. It's not a perfume for the sensible, so I recommend caution in case you intend to wear it at the office! :)

Rate 10/10.    

Beaute Initiale Eye - from Beaute Initiale range of products, is a moisturizer meant to prevent signs of eye fatigue and dark circles. The product comes in form of a pink gel and offers a light hydration, somewhat improving the appearance of fine lines and the color of the area beneath the eye. The packaging facilitates the right product dosage and application. It's an excellent makeup base. Minuses: it seemed that in my case it wasn't hydrating enough over the day and I also noticed a slight eye irritation. Another minus is obvious: its price :)
Rate 8/10.

Elegant, Classic, Chanel (3)

Allure - the fragrance that surrounds you with the sweetest and enjoyable notes. The perfume debuts with energizing citric notes, but is shortly followed by the oriental enriched vanilla aroma  which makes you inhale insatiably any whiff of this perfume...or at least this is its effect on me. It is without a doubt one of the most resistant fragrances I ever had, in my top 5. It can be worn especially in cooler days, casual or at the office.

Rate 10/10

Rouge Coco - I "worked" hard at finishing this lipstick. I didn't really like the color and with this occasion I learned not to go with close-to-lip shades again. I was saying in previous posts that I had a similar experience with a Dior lipstick and it became clear to me that good lipsticks need to have a shade that "says something" instead of just staying quietly and unnoticed in my makeup bag. Otherwise, I have nothing to comment on. Very good resistance, hydrating, with a very subtle shine, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to "invest" some money and try out a good lipstick. :)
Rate 10/10

Spring begins with you..

There was no way of posting anything up to this moment, and the reason is ...see it for yourselves! :)
Pure beauty..

As we adapt to this brand new life together, we'll find the time to also keep writing in this blog. Our cosmetic universe just got considerably richer, if we take into account baby creams and lotions, right? :p

Valentine's

And because today it's Valentine's Day, we need to start preparing, right?!
1. We start with total relaxation

2. We continue with the beautifully scented bath

3. Next comes makeup, of course! :)

4. Hmm..what to wear, what to wear?!

5. Shoes..tough decision

And we start thinking about what comes next...first is chocolate!

And maybe some delicious dinner...

...in a special place!

What are your Valentine's traditions, if you have any that is?! :)

Wishing for...

Writing about Chanel, I just realized that on my Wish List, with an existence of its own and perpetually self-generating, this foundation got its way in.

The reason cannot be rational, as I have in current use no less than 4 foundations (3 Dior and 1 MAC) and another 3 which are waiting to be at least opened...perhaps at testing, it will turn out to be unsuitable for my skin and it will automatically self-erase from the List. :)

Elegant, Classic, Chanel (2)

Chance - if I remember correctly, my first impression of this perfume is that it was just another version of Coco Mademoiselle. The difference between the two perfumes becomes noticeable only a few hours after applying. The sweet floral notes (rose and mimosa) are missing from this fragrance, and what remains on my skin is a strong citric note, blended with base woody, patchouli notes. It's a very nice combination in the end, but not ideal for me. It's a looong lasting perfume, just like any Chanel perfume. It can be worn during warmer days, in the spring-summer or even beginning of autumn, excellent for the office.

Rate 10/10.

Beaute Initiale Energizing Multi-protection Cream SPF 15 - from Chanel Beaute Initiale range of moisturizers, I think that only the eye cream is still left (and I'm going to talk about it in one of the future posts). This cream was apparently taken out last year (?) and the only reason might be that it didn't rise to expectations, correct? In short, the cream was hydrating and was an excellent makeup base, although, while using it, I noticed some small skin problems (clogged pores!). I didn't identify any other significant skin changes, be they for the better or worse :). Minuses: in my case, there was no skin firming or improvement of luminosity, and for a simple moisturizer the price is simply too high. Jar packaging is totally not indicated.

Rate 7/10.

Teint Innocence - or another one of the Chanel discontinued products. I don't really understand why this one was not continued (or was it replaced by Vitalumiere, or another one of the Chanel foundations?). The formula was very silky, easy to apply, with a semi-matte, natural finish, of light to medium coverage. Perfect for combination to oily skin. Its resistance was very good, with an SPF adequate for lower sun intensity /exposure days. While I used it, I had no significant skin problem. Minuses: SPF could have been higher, appropriate for summer time as well. Using the liquid right out of the bottle can be difficult and it would have been for the best if it came with a pump.

Rate 9/10.

Getting ready for spring (2)

Continuing the list of things that need to be considered when spring comes, we return to small adjustments in the cosmetics we use:

3. Hydrated skin: count on exfoliation and good hydration products.
Chemical exfoliation can be performed using a diversity of products, containing AHA, BHA acids or retinoids, or you can turn to mechanical exfoliation, using creams or gel, including small gentle abrasive components. Each woman's ideal product can only be identified by testing, taking into account skin specifics.

Personally, I prefer dermatological products for this process. For a gentle, chemical exfoliation  Effaclar Duo by Roche Posay, for a more effective, but harsh treatment: a retinoid product, or, for mechanical exfoliation: face scrub: Exfoliant Doux Aromatique aux 3 Roses, from Nuxe, alternating with the thermoactive masque Aroma Perfection.

In what concerns hydration, I cannot stop from always testing new products (obvious from my reviews), but over time, I gradually turned to serums, as they rapidly sink into the skin, not leaving that awful  and unaesthetic shine on your face. At the moment, I have to say that I'm pretty happy with a Galenic serum, Ophycee - Elixir jeunesse supreme (I promise a review later on).