Bare Minerals Original SPF15 Foundation

When I first moved to Barcelona my skin broke out horribly due to the humid weather and polluted air and what not. And even though I love my trusted Clinique BB Cream for blemish prone skin, I wanted something even lighter that would benefit my skin instead of clog it up in this wheater. 

So I did some research and found out that Bare Minerals foundation supposedly is a natural, mineral foundation that is so pure that you could even wear your make up to bed. Now, because I never sleep in my make up, I can't confirm this, but what I can say is that it never once broke me out even after wearing it for 14+ hours in the summer heat of a big city. If I did that with any other foundation I have tried so far, like Estee Lauder Double Wear, L'Oreal True Match, or even the Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation Powder, I would wake up the next day with a huge zit on my cheek. Not with this foundation, though. When I apply it it feels more like skin care than thick and cloggy make up and it even covers up my acne scars without any problems (unlike the lady in Sephora tried to convince me), and it still lets my skin shine trough.

It does have a bit of a difficulty covering up gross, crusty zits, especially if you want to full coverage it can look quite cakey, so you have to be ok with a medium coverage. I also wouldn't recommend this if you have super oily skin, as the skins natural oils break through after a few hours, which I quite like as I have dry skin. 
I use the lightest colour fairy light which is still a tad bit too dark for my pale skin, but I just blend it down my neck with what's left on the brush and it is not a problem. What I also like is that it isn't red toned but more on the yellow side which counteracts the natural redness in my skin.
The brush I like to use for a light to medium coverage is the Real Techniques Buffing brush and for more of a full coverage I like to use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. 

 

schmidt's Bergamot+Lime Deodorant

If you are anything like me, you are always on the hunt for the perfect deodorant. It should obviously keep you from smelling throughout the day, but on top of that, it should also be free from any harmful ingredients. Over the time, I found that these two don't always go hand in hand and that most deodorants who kept me from smelling contained aluminium, which (supposedly) can cause Alzheimer's disease. 

It took me a while to find a good deodorant, but I finely found one that works great for me and I want to share it with you.

It is the schmidt's deodorant which consists of natural ingredients, such as, shea butter, cocoa butter, vitamin E and hop extract. It is also vegan and cruelty-free. It comes in a bunch of different scents but my favourite one is bergamote and lime. It smells like lemon cake, which sounds a bit strange, I know, but I just love the smell. 

With the little spatula it comes with, you scoop about a pea-size amount out and rub it underneath your arms. At first it does seem a bit strange but it's just something to get used to. It also doesn't leave any white or yellow marks on my clothes; and, most importantly, it keeps my armpits dry and sweat free even on hot summer days. Before I used this deodorant, the only one that worked for me was the Dove Maximum Protection deodorant, however, this one is full of chemicals and aluminium. The schmidt's deodorant is the only one so far that I have tried that works even better than the Dove one. So if you are still on the hunt for the perfect deodorant, do give this one a try.

 

Paula's Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment

For those of you who have been following this blog for a while know that I have always struggled with acne and everything that comes with it. These days it seems like my skin has calmed down a bit and I rarely break out any more, at least a lot less than I used to. However, now I am left with a lot of acne scars, some of which are already deep, skin coloured scars and some are red marks. I am aware that there is not much I can do myself against the deep scars, however, I can still treat the red marks all over my cheeks before they turn into deep scars. 
Over the time I have tried a lot of different products, however, no product made as much of a difference as the Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment. 



1% is quite strong so I recommend that you start off using it 1-2 times a week. My skin is used to acids and strong treatments, so I used it every other night, however, that was way too strong for my skin and resulted in dryness and flakiness. 
I first tried the 15ml version, which is a lot cheaper, to see if it agrees with my skin or makes a difference at all. But only after two uses I saw an improvement in the redness of my scars, and after a week of using it even seemed to prevent pimples from coming up. I was so impressed with this product that I decided to purchase the full size version which, with 65€, isn't exactly cheap. However, in my opinion it was very well worth it and considering the amount you need, it will last me quite a while.


 

H&M Beauty Products

A few weeks ago now I walked into H&M and my jaw dropped to the floor. I was greeted by a beautiful display of their new beauty product line and as a beauty addict I had to get some products to try them out myself. What initially drew me to the products was, of course, the gorgeous, sleek design. But after I swatched some of the products, I was positively surprised as I didn't quite expect such a high quality. 

The products I decided to try out were these four:

Pure Radiance Powder Blush Cameo Pink: this colour looks very natural and gives a subtle hint of a rosy sheen. It has a satin finish, is nicely pigmented and feels very soft.

Cover-Up Concealer True Beige: when I checked out the concealer shelf I was surprised by the wide range of colours. This is the first concealer that matches my skin tone perfectly. It is not to yellow or to pink and has a medium coverage.

Lip Definer Au Naturel and Cherry Tart: I was never a big fan of lip liners but when I saw both of these colour I couldn't resist the urge to buy them. Au Naturel is a brown-pinkish nude tone and Cherry Tart is a dark red. Both are very creamy and dry to a matte finish.