Quick review

Hi guys, I'm just stopping by to recommend you a product I've been testing. It's the Giorgio Armani Luminessence CC bright moisturizer.

I got several small testers like this when I recently bought some other cosmetic products and I fell in love with this one instantly! I will definitely purchase it and let me tell you why: I finally (after so many years) found a product that matches my skin tone! I tested so many products from so many different brands and I always ended up looking like a weirdo with a dark face and a really pale body. But not this time! 

The first time I used this product was for an important event and I just had to look decent, so I first applied it and took some time to see what it's like and how it's going to look like after some time and it was flawless. I was flabbergasted. It covered up all the imperfections so well (my almost black circles around my eyes and skin redness) and it didn't seem like I had any product at all, it looks so natural and blends very well.

The only downside to it is the price. At my local store it costs a whooping 40€ for only 30ml. 

Another product I'm testing right now is the Garnier Roll-on 

Showing you the actual size since the box looks so big...

I picked up this fellow at the local supermarket for 10€ and I hope it does something to those black bags under my eyes because it's only 15ml inside of that pencil thingy! This product isn't one of those with an instant effect; it takes some time to notice changes and you should use it at least twice a day. So far I've noticed slight improvements around an hour after each applying and I've been using it for just a few days now. 

Update: I've been using this product for just over a week now and I see a significant difference. I regret not taking pictures from before I started using it and pictures of how the area under my eyes looks now. I believe that soon I'll feel confident enough to stop using foundation and all products that come with it because this product is just amazing. It didn't just fix the problem I've been having for so many years, it really gave my self-confidence a huge boost. Thank you so much Garnier for inventing this amazing product, it truly is a lifesaver!

Goodbye 2015

Another year just flew by. So much has happened and there's so much to be grateful for. So many trips, good food, hanging out, spending quality time with the family, I can't complain. Let's hope 2016 has something special for all of us and may it be the best year so far.

I wanted to make a small review of my year. I feel extremely lucky for all the blessings. I got to visit Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Milan, Budapest, Koper, Istanbul and many more. I got to experience the diversity of cultures, get a taste of local cuisine, buy the things I always wanted to have, learn how to love, expand my knowledge and so much more. I think it's safe to say 2015 was my year. 

Can't travel without stopping by at Starbucks 

Shopping at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan

View from the top of Milano cathedral 

Souvenir from Thailand

The tree of life spectacle at Expo 2015 in Milan

This was briefly my 2015. I enjoyed it to the max. I want to wish you all happy holidays and a very very happy and prosperous New year! Kisses from your Chanel addict 💞

Birthday trip

A real sagittarius loves to travel and takes every chance to do so. So I booked a weekend trip to Budapest, Hungary as a birthday gift to myself. This was my 2nd visit to Budapest and God knows which time in Hungary (used to visit Balaton lake a lot as a child). 

The weather in Budapest wasn't in our favor :( / view from Citadella

We arrived before noon, took a stroll around Citadella, went into the center, had lunch in a cozy Italian place (don't remember the name), checked in to our hotel (unfortunately, it was such a disappointing place and it's not worth mentioning) and later took a boat ride. 

Danube river/parliament 

Finally got the opportunity to take a decent picture of the parliament building, but it got ruined by the lights on the boat. 

It was quite warm that night, so we hung out on the deck and snapped some more photos.

Enjoyed a glass of champagne during the boat ride 

The next day we checked out and continued our city exploring. We ended up having a slice of cake and a glass of hot wine to warm us up. It was so freezing cold and windy and I spent the last forints I had exchanged on warmer clothes. 

Being a food lover, I tried to get a taste of local cuisine, but I must confess Christmas market food definitely isn't my cup of tea. I had to satisfy my tastebuds elsewhere. My travel buddies, au contraire, stayed around and spent quite a lot of money in my opinion on food that was offered on those stands. They weren't satisfied with the quality of it either. 

All in all, this trip was just ok, I wish it had been better. There were way too many tourists and moving around was such a pain in the butt. Sadly, the weather made everything worse and high, unreasonable prices didn't help either. But at least I got to spend some quality time with my loved ones and although this trip has been exhausting and a bit disappointing, it's going to be a nice memory. Someday. 

Almost forgot! I also treated myself to a little something from Women's secret. I've been needing a new cosmetic pouch for such a long time now and I just couldn't resist this little cutie! I got it for 50% off (for around 8€)!

Perfumes

Hello guys, today's post will be about my favorite and most used perfumes. Let's get started:


 
my absolute favorite is Light Blue by Dolce&Gabbana

TOP
Invigorating Sicilian cedar melds with the crisp vibrancy of apple and the guileless charm of the bluebell, to evoke the essence of a South Italian summer.

HEART
The freshness of bamboo nestles amid a glorious feminine bouquet of decadent jasmine and delicate white rose.

BASE
Redolent citron wood is entwined with voluptuous amber and a suggestive caress of musk.

This fragrance is perfect for summer as it smells so fresh and seductive, even the edt version stays on your skin all day which makes it even more special. It suits almost everyone and blends well with most of natural body scents.




another favorite from D&G is Dolce

Top
The fragrance opens with a brightly-coloured, sweet-smelling explosion of Neroli leaves and Papaya flower, dissipating into a floral bouquet as the core of the fragrance emerges.

Heart
A unique and opulent combination of White Water Lily and bold White Daffodil blend perfectly with the full-bodied White Amaryllis, a South African flower used for the first time ever in scent.

Base
This floral signature is counterbalanced by the background of warm Musky notes, along with the complex accents of Cashmeran; leaving a sensual trail of light woods, earthy tones and piquant spices.

This is an everyday fragrance, regardless of whether it's summer or winter. I'd say it's a perfect perfume for a business lady, it's gentle, yet bold. It might seem like a fragrance for mature women, but just anyone could pull it off well.


YSL Black Opium

This is the coffee lover's favorite perfume. Main notes are, of course, coffee and vanilla. It's a quite heavy fragrance and I never thought I would buy this type of perfume, but once I tried it out, I had to have it. I instantly got obsessed and the name ''opium'' fits this fellow like a glove. An absolute must have for winter.


Versace Bright Crystal

Another perfume I thought I'd never buy, but it grew on me pretty quick. It's not too heavy, so you can use it either every day or for special ocasions. It features magnolia, iced accord, yuzu, musk, pomegranate, acajou, peony, plant amber and lotus flowers scents.

 
Mexx Berlin 

Not sure if this perfume is still being produced, but it's definitely one of the best perfumes I ever had. It awfully reminds me of Light Blue by D&G. It's an inexpensive, fresh citrus fragrance.

 
I'm going by Puma

Another inexpensive perfume, again not sure if it's still being produced. A bit heavy, floral fragrance that lasts for hours and it's suitable for almost every ocasion, although it doesn't suit everyone.

 
Pour Homme by D&G

Another D&G perfume (I know, I'm obsessed), but this one, as the name says, is for men. I started using it when my father decided to get rid of colognes he isn't using anymore and I just fell in love with this one. I use it whenever I feel especially bold and need an energy boost. 

This is what D&G said about it:

Top

The top notes of neroli open up with gutsy masculinity, giving way to citrus hints of mandarin and bergamot.

Heart

Lavender provides the perfume’s soul of pure freshness, like a Mediterranean breeze, studded with spicy hints of sage and pepper: evocative recollections of a mother’s fresh laundry and the classic essence of a father.

Base

 A powerful base of tobacco provides structure for the last dry notes of cedar wood, dotted with sweet hints of tonka bean.

 
These were my favorites, I hope you liked the post :)

Winter favorites ❄️

The real winter has finally come and that means dry skin, catching a cold and everything that comes with it. But not necessarily! Here are my top products for this winter that are real lifesavers:

1) Neutrogena concentrated hand cream and deep moisture body lotion are a must have each winter, although not exactly the cheapest products, they are absolutely worth every penny as the damaged and dry skin recovers almost immediately. These products are loved not just by me, but my whole family and friends. 

2) Nivea/labello lip butter is the perfect choice for chapped lips. You can choose between 4 (I think!) different kinds. They are long-lasting even if you're eating and drinking or smooching 😉

3) Another Nivea product also adored by my family and friends is pocket-size creme, probably the most famous in the whole wide world and it just never lets you down. Another must have in everyone's cosmetic pouch.

4) I wouldn't call it a must have for winter, but this perfume completely enchanted me. I'm not a fan of this type of fragrances, but I had to have this one in my collection. It's supposed to be a combination of coffee and vanilla and it's just addictive. YSL Black Opium is THE perfume for this winter.

That was it for cosmetics, but there's another favorite for this winter:

The warmest, most comfy shoes ever, UGGs 

I never thought I'd ever buy these shoes, but ending up in the polar circle made me change my mind and up to this day I didn't regret buying them! I'm sure these won't be my last pair and I can't wait to get my hands on some other shoes from their collection. 

I'm sorry for bad pic quality, but all my pics are taken on the go and now I realize I have forgotten to add a nice scarf or a cute hat to go with these boots! Big kisses for all of you from my warm and cozy home, I'm off to put up some Christmas decorations! xoxo

Christmas gifts

Now that my wifi is finally working again, I can write a new post and shock! It's about Christmas gifts. I'd like to share with you some of my ideas for the upcoming holiday that's all about presents.
Here are some:

Perfumes
Everyone loves a good scent, so you can never really go wrong with a perfume, as long as you know that the person will like the scent and has already used the perfume you're about to give them. It would be such a shame and waste to spend money on something that's just going to collect dust on a shelf; for that purpose you can get them a figurine or something similar. Here are some of trendy perfumes at the moment, taken from Sephora's website:

Decadence by Marc Jacobs

Gucci Bamboo

My Burberry

Gadgets
If you're looking for a gift for that special someone and you're able to spend a bit more money, a phone, tablet or any other gadget can make your geek really happy this year. You can even personalize some of them, such as the Apple iPod Touch  which you can have engraved with a personalized message. Another great idea is the Apple watch, also available in collaboration with Hermes, although a lot more expensive.

Gift cards
This is a great idea if you're in a need of a gift for a colleague or someone you don't know very well, but know where they might be spending their money. There are all sorts of gift cards with all kinds of spending amounts, such as Starbucks, Olive Garden, H&M, Spotify gift cards, you name it.

Personalized gifts
This is a great gift for someone special in your life, your spouse, mother, sister, it's your choice. Usually, this type of gift belongs to the luxury category and can be quite expensive. I already mentioned the engraved iPod and there are so many other different products that can also be engraved. Speaking of luxury items, companies such as Burberry and Louis Vuitton have a great offer when it comes to personalized stuff. Burberry, for example, has a ''scarf bar''  where you can have initials embedded in a scarf and Louis Vuitton offers a free of charge service of hot stamping initials or even whole words/names on their products. Louis Vuitton also offers the ''Mon Monogram'' service, but the waiting time for these products to be made and delivered to you can take up to 8 weeks.

Gift baskets
Many supermarkets and specialized stores offer this type of gifts for the upcoming holidays. They usually contain a bottle of wine or spirit, some candy, artisan products such as jams, cheese, sausages, pasta, etc. They're a great gift for families and those who can appreciate good food and wine, but this gift comes with a ''nice'' price tag.

DIY gifts
If you're talented and creative, why not making a gift for the person you know will appreciate it? It's a great, personal gift that's usually inexpensive and it comes right from your heart. 

So I bought Balmain... I mean, H&M

Everyone knows about Balmain and H&M collaboration and of course, so many people wanted to get their hands on pieces from that collection. Being in love with their type of dresses for a long time now (long before this collection was even planned), I couldn't resist getting one. This is what I ordered online:

I ordered it online (had to wait in a virtual line for 45 minutes) because there was no way in hell I would stand in line in front of the store and fight for a piece of clothing. I'm not really happy with the way they packed it;  they just tossed it in a plastic bag, showed in a box and shipped it. It didn't come with a protective case, a hanger, nor a shopping bag. Kinda disappointing, but I guess I was supposed to stand in that line for those extras :P

Speaking of materials, not so happy, but what can you really expect from H&M and a price of 129€? Here are some details so you can suit yourself:

All in all, it's a pretty piece, but knowing that thousands of girls have the very same dress or whatever you bought and that they will wear it everywhere just to show the Balmain tag is not so nice. It makes me think I won't enjoy my piece as much just because everyone has the same thing.

This was actually the first H&M collaboration that I liked. Call me crazy, but Alexander Wang, Lanvin and Versace just weren't my cup of tea.