RiRi Loves M.A.C. Holiday

Hello everyone, hope you're all doing okay. First of all I want to apologize for not being active these past weeks. I had a lot of exams for which I had to learn a lot (think entire book within two days or so) as I fell behind. Even though I had a lot of ideas and posts I wanted to share with you, school had to be my priority. So I hope you all forgive me for that. As I'm typing this I also suffer from the flu, but I just couldn't wait to show you guys what I got from the RiRi loves M.A.C. Holiday collection.

I didn't feel all that well when my alarm went off yesterday, but knew that if I didn't went to the store as soon as it opened I wouldn't have any chance to get my hands on these babies. At 10am I wasn't expecting a line, but unfortunately there was one. Everyone seemed to want the lipsticks, which is why the store only allowed you to buy one of each color. I let one of the salesmen swatch the pink lipstick as I was doubting if I should also get that one besides the other two when I heard another salesman say that the infamous Riri Woo was already sold out. 

*insert cry face*

I immediately ran out of that store (remember that I had the flu and was feverish) onto the next one, which luckily had a shorter line. I immediately asked how many they had left of each color or else I would have ran to the last store in Amsterdam that carried them. Luckily for me that wasn't necessary.

*insert happy dance*

I was able to get my hands on all three colors (the last Riri Woo and the second last of Pleasure Bomb). It was kinda sad though when others arrived asking if the store still carried some as it turned out that all stores' lipsticks basically sold out within 7 minutes after opening the store. 

Enough chit chat, let's look at the goodies

Isn't the packaging just gorgeous?  

From left to right: Bad Girl RiRi, Pleasure Bomb, RiRi Woo

Plain lips 

Bad Girl RiRi

The nude color of the bunch, a very wearable lipstick for all skin tones in my opinion. It's this soft rose cream that just looks flattering and I will probably wear this one everyday. 

Pleasure Bomb

This hot fuchsia lipstick will grab everyone's attention for sure. I like this one although I have never worn a bold lip and I will have to get used to this one. Paired with a calm eye look and due to the matte finish, this can work in daytime as well.

RiRi Woo

A true classic red that suits every skin color. I finally understand why this was sold out super fast every time it came out. For those that missed out I have asked the saleswomen to swatch this besides their regular Ruby Woo and there is barely a difference to them. RiRi Woo is just a bit darker, richer of color but really though I bet no one could tell if you wore one or the other until you compare them side to side.

I really do not regret my purchase even though I had to go outside with my flu and feverish head. I would have never been able to get my hands on them if I didn't unless of course for the ridiculous prices on Ebay. 

Have you purchased anything from the RiRi Loves M.A.C. Holiday collection?

Xoxo WyoniAlyssa

How I Chemically Straighten My Hair

Since I have thick curly hair a lot of people have asked me how I do my hair and/or if I chemically straighten it everyday etc. The answer is no of course, as no chemical substance should be applied to the skin on a daily basis. Some of you have seen Chris Rock's movie Good Hair but still don't understand everything. That's okay though. Some wonder why people use those chemicals on their hair, while they never ask they same thing from blonde-haired ladies. The chemical (bleach) is almost equally as strong as a relaxer and while black people normally do this every eight weeks, I've seen caucasians bleach their hair with an almost equally strong chemical every four weeks. My point is that ALL of those things can do harm if not used professionally and one should never do them if it's not necessary.

I do this every 13 weeks now instead of eight, just because I can handle my thick hair better than before and therefore do not find it necessary to do this as often as I used to.

What I use for the entire process:

• Chemical relaxer: enables you to chemically alter the structure of the hair (I use Organic Root Stimulator)
• Neutralizing shampoo: used to stop the relaxer from processing the hair (I use Maven) 
• Hair mask: softens and strengthens hair after the entire process (I usually mix whatever brands I have at the moment)
• Gloves
• Plastic combs and brush or spatula
• Protective base: to protect the scalp, ears, hairlines from burning (I use Maven)
• Hair clips: to keep hair in parts

I normally start by applying a thin coat of the protective base all over my scalp, hairline and ears. Unfortunately I didn't have enough left, so did it without it this time. Next I divided my head into four square parts (quadrants), braided them and clipped them out of the way. Normally I start in the back, but because I also wanted the length (excluding the ends) of my hair a bit straighter I started in the front to be able to rinse it out in the sink. 

I applied the relaxer on the first two centimeters of hair from my scalp (so on the new grown hairs) on the first quadrant. Immediately after that I applied some on the length of my hair and combed it a bit with a wide tooth comb to get it more straight. As I was doing one quadrant at a time, I kept smoothing the hair with my fingers to help with the straightening process. As soon as my scalp started to tingle a bit, I quickly checked if my hair was straight enough with a fine tooth comb. When this was the case I quickly rinsed that quadrant until none of the chemical relaxer was left in my hair. Next I applied some neutralizing shampoo (left it in my hair) and repeated the same steps with the other quadrants. 

When all quadrants were done I washed my hair once more with the neutralizing shampoo and after rinsing I applied a protein based hair mask for a few minutes. After that I washed my hair about three times more with the neutralizing shampoo until the foam color turned white (the shampoo has a color indicator which shows whether or not there is still some relaxer left in the hair). Next I used a moisturizing hair mask for a few minutes as the shampoo can be a bit drying for my hair. After this long process I just proceeded to dry my hair. 

Important Do's and Don'ts:

Do's:

• Work really fast; the relaxer starts working immediately when you apply it, so this is a must to get uniform results and avoid chemical burns on the scalp
• Keep all of your necessary items for the entire process ready
• Use gloves to protect your skin as the chemical will otherwise sink into your hands and this is unnecessary and not healthy especially if you do this every time
• Shampoo your hair at least four times with a neutralizing shampoo, letting it sit in the hair for 2-3 minutes each time
• Use plastic utensils as metal parts could possibly cause a chemical process with the relaxer and we're no chemists so it's a no no
• Use a protective base on your scalp especially if you have sensitive skin 
• Protect the length and ends of your hair with a silicone and/or oil based substance (I've used Pink lotion and oil over that as well)
• Use a hair mask after as this will help smooth the hair again since the shampoo can be a bit drying

 Don't's:

• Scratch your scalp in the week before your relaxer (I'm guilty of doing this one though)
• Leave the relaxer on too long just for the sake of getting your hair as straight as possible
• Wash your hair with a normal shampoo as this will NOT wash the chemicals out of your hair and scalp
• Use these kind of products if you are not a professional, these are heavy chemicals and one should be cautious  

Note:

This treatment should be done professionally. I have worked in salons for a while so I know how to do this on my own hair. Everyone is responsible for their own decisions and I am in no way telling you to do it the way that I do it. I'm merely informing those who were wondering. 

If you any questions that I failed to answer, please ask them in the comments below.

Xoxo WyoniAlyssa

M.A.C. ESPRESSO EYE SHADOW

So I've wanted to get this eyeshadow for so long, the classic M.A.C. Espresso eye shadow used to define everyone's eyebrows. I wanted it so bad but just couldn't buy it at the time, I mean come on...splurging around 17 Euros for an eyeshadow? I just couldn't do it so I tried to find a cheaper alternative , a dupe as they call it, and thought I had found it with Catrice's (We'll see below if I was right though). 

Anyway this seemed good enough at the time and I've been using it everyday since I bought it, but I'm almost out and felt it was a good time to look at M.A.C. again. Still a bit annoyed about its price tag, I decided to look on eBay and there it was…offered a few Euros less than in-store. Haven't used it yet, did swatch it on my skin though for the comparison, but that wasn't visible enough on camera so for the comparison I've swatched them onto a white paper. Let's have a look...

 

 

Comparison M.A.C. (left) vs Catrice (right) 

As you can hopefully see in the pictures, they appear to be very good dupes. The M.A.C. is a bit lighter and warmer of color while the Catrice seems a bit darker. The latter also looks a bit cooler, ashier if I might say and I did notice this sometimes when I was using the Catrice eyeshadow on my eyebrows. I haven't used the Espresso yet, but I can already tell that it will never look ashy on the skin.

Some important information for those who are interested...

Net Weight: 1.5 grams / 0.05 US ounces

Price: 17 Euros

Ingredients:

Talc, Zinc Stearate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Tocopheryl acetate, Caprylyl glycol, Hexylene glycol, Phenoxyethanol, [+/- Silica, Mica, Titianium dioxide (CI 77891), Iron oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Bismuth oxychloride (CI 77163), Blue 1 lake (CI 42090), Carmine (CI 75470), Chromium hydroxide green (CI 77289), Chromium Oxide greens (CI 77288), Ferric ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Manganese violet (CI 77742), Red 40 lake (CI 16035), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Yellow 5 lake (CI 19140)] <ILN29076>

Have you also used M.A.C.'s Espresso eye shadow for your eyebrows? If not, what do you use to define your brows?

Xoxo WyoniAlyssa

NOTE:

You've probably noticed that my font is different than before. The reason for this change is that my former font is not offered on my new computer. I also can't seem to paste my website onto my pictures, but I'll try to figure that out. Photos were taken with my Canon 600D btw. xx

GLOSSYBOX | MODERN ROMANCE

Hi readers today I'm showing you another awesome Glossybox, November's Modern Romance issue. This month is Glossybox' two year anniversary and because of this they included two more gifts as well, a Zalando coupon code and a Pink Gellac nail file. Let's have a look shall we..

First Impression

This month's box makes me very happy, because awhile ago I wanted to buy Benefit's They're Real Mascara but I completely forgot about it. So hooray for this sample box as I now can test a mini version to see if it's really as fabulous as people claim to be. Anatomicals' Showergel smells divine kinda like cola flavored candy (yumm right), so I can't wait to try this one as well. 

The TONI&GUY hairspray is suppose to protect against humidity, something that's very important when you've spend hours curling your hair for example. The thing is that I'll probably curl my hair for the holidays, so I'll try it out then. I'm still searching for the perfect (and affordable) skincare products that can not only clean my skin but also remove my makeup at night so we'll see if this will happen with Avène's Skincare set. The Balance Me lip salve seems to be a nice color and packed with awesome ingredients.

All in all I think that this month's issue has some good stuff that people really need everyday. Good job Glossybox. 

Have you tried one of these items before or would you like to?

Xoxo WyoniAlyssa

GLOSSYBOX | OCTOBER

Hello there how have you been? The title states October and I know what you're thinking (it's already freaking November right..), but these past two weeks have been quite busy for me, arranging things for my exchange to Mexico, finishing the first draft of an investment plan, preparing for a presentation etc. And so I totally forgot I ever received this box and therefore of course didn't upload this post in the month it was issued. Too bad on my part sorry.

For last month's edition Beautybox Glossybox collaborated with a well-known Dutch beauty blogger named Mascha Feoktistova, creator of Beautygloss. She has apparently been receiving these boxes for a few years now and for this edition she was asked to create her own box filled with 5 of her favorite products. Lets have a look shall we..

Box Contents:

• Christina Aguilera - Unforgettable body lotion and perfume (both samples)
• Miners Cosmetics - Color Quilt Blusher (full-size)
• Golden Rose - City Style Mascara (full-size)
• The Body Shop - Honeymania lip balm (full-size)
• Andrélon - Make it Shine Spray (full-size)

I haven't tried them yet unfortunately, but I do think this box contains nice items. Basically the necessary products that every girl should have. I believe these are very good for the girl on the go that just needs 4-5 products in total for her hair and face and I think these products do exactly that.

Do you see anything you would like to try from this box?

Xoxo WyoniAlyssa

Note 15 November:
So I just found that I had titled this post as Beautybox' october while you can clearly see that this was suppose to be about the Glossybox. Of course I now have two posts with the same permalink, but oh well...I just shouldn't blog when I'm tired. Xoxo

REVIEW | AHAVA - Hydration Cream Mask

Promises:* 

A creamy textured, hydrating mask enriched with the best Dead Sea Minerals, mud, and powerful moisture ingredients to provide an active hydration boost in just 3 minutes. Skin's moisture is instantly restored and left with a smooth, plump, and supple complexion. Approved for sensitive skin.

Directions:
Massage into clean skin until fully absorbed. Apply 1-2 times a week. Can be rinsed off after 3-5 minutes or left on all night for a more intense hydration. 

Ingredients:*

Aqua (Mineral Spring Water), Glycerin, Ceteareth-20 & Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Propanediol (Corn derived Glycol), Cetyl Alcohol, Alanine & Creatine & Glycerin & Glycine & Magnesium Aspartate & Saccharide Hydrolysate &Urea, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Caprylyl Glycol & Chlorphenesin & Phenoxyethanol, 1,2 Hexanediol & Sodium Hyaluronate & Aqua (Water), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract & Propylene Glycol, Maris Sal (Dead Sea Water), Peg-40 Stearate, Xanthan Gum, Sorbitan Tristearate, Tocopheryl (Vitamin E) Acetate, Silt (Dead Sea Mud), Parfum (Fragrance), Lactic Acid, Saccharide Isomerate, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Hexyl Cinnamal ,Limonene, Benzyl Salicylate, Linalool, Hydroxycitronellal

*Retrieved from www.ahava.com 

Price: 

30 Dollars for 100ml

Fragrance: 

Has a light muddy and sea salt smell

Packaging: 

I personally love crèmes in a tube so that contamination is practically out of the question.

Consistency: 

Soft creamy texture, applies very easy and smooth on the skin.

My view:

I've received a 20 ml sample with September's Glossybox. I've used this twice now, applying it to a clean and dry face and neck. Left overnight, because I could and well you can never have enough moisture for your skin right. The mask doesn't dry hard like most others do, probably because of the moisturizing ingredients. Feels a bit like aloe gel once its drying, kinda sticky but not in an annoying way. I will finish the sample tube that I have now, but probably won't reorder unless I can find it on the ground. 

Have you ever tried products from AHAVA?

Xoxo WyoniAlyssa

REVIEW | OCÉANE - MAKE UP REMOVER PEN

Description

Use for removal of excess makeup around your eyes, lips, and those corners that smear every time you apply makeup. The tip of the pen contains a liquid makeup remover without fragrance that does not dry out the skin. Full size (3 ml) / 4 Euro

My thoughts

I love to use this on moments I suck at applying eyeliner (you know when you're in a hurry and the application of eyeliner is the worst ever...). It's very easy to use and does indeed work. For the price it's a handy item to have especially when you're on the go and don't want to be bothered with carrying around cotton buds with you. What's also great is that you also receive 3 refill tips, so this could last quite some time really.

Ingredients

Laureth-12 meadow foam seed oil, 1.3-butanediol, water deionized, liquid germall ®plus.

Note: received in the Glossybox september issue

Have you ever used a makeup remover pen?

Xoxo WyoniAlyssa

BEAUTYBOX | OCTOBER

 Yay another box filled with goodies, I feel so spoiled haha. Beautybox’ October theme is “Beauty Secrets of the World”. Unfortunately delivery of this box got delayed though, as one item couldn't be delivered on time. There was suppose to be an argan oil in this edition but there were some difficulties with the supplier. I received this box about a week ago, but wasn’t able to write about it. You have no idea how many items I’m reviewing at the moment and I wasn’t sure if I should already write about this box when I was still reviewing September's Glossybox. Decided to do it anyway, because life would become way more complicated if I didn’t ^_^.

Enough rambling, back to the Beautybox....

I'm not sure how I feel about this box though, OK I needed a new eyeliner (mine dried out last week *sad*) and I love to try new products for my hair and skin, but the feet crème...well not really my thing. It seems to be directed to diabetics which I'm not and I don’t really think this is a good alternative for the argan oil (the item that couldn’t be delivered on time *insert sad face again*).

Would you be happy with this months’ Beautybox? What do you think would have been a better replacement for the missing argan oil?

Xoxo WyoniAlyssa

Glossybox: The September Issue

Hi everyone how have you been this past week? School is really killing me, have to read so much stuff that I decided to not start up my computer at all past week as I know how I can get while browsing online. Good news though...almost done catching up one of my subjects and passed my first French written test with a 8,9 out of 10 whoop whoop. I can do this, just a few more weeks till the exams.

Anywho a few weeks ago I read about these beautyboxes that you can order online for a small fee, around 15 Euros per month. These boxes contain sample and sometimes even full sizes of high-end beauty products which is totally awesome. Since I've quite found my favorite products so far (I think), I thought this would be a perfect way for me to test and review certain items that would've otherwise never be purchased.

Since I ordered this quite late I still received the September issue, but I don't mind that at all. I mean look at the pictures below at how beautiful this box and the content looks. 

Box Wrapping

Glossy  magazine and Glossybox

Small greeting card

Product Information

Glossybox Content:

• Yves Rocher - Sexy Pulp Lipgloss (Full-size)
• Elie Saab - Le Parfum, Scented Body Lotion (30ml sample)
• Elie Saab - Le Parfum, Eau de Parfum (1ml sample)
• AHAVA - Hydration Cream Mask (20ml sample)
• OCÉANE - Make Up Remover Pen (Full-size)
• EMITE MAKE UP - Eyelash Curler (Full-size)

Isn't the box design just plain gorgeous? I absolutely love it. Designed by this amazing artist named Cil Laurens. This was a collaboration though as Glossybox really wanted a special September issue and I really feel like this design suits this perfectly.. Don't you agree? I also liked the product information as it shows which items were sample sizes and which weren't. In addition to that it also shows you how much each product costs so you do indeed get your money's worth. 

Well I'm really happy that I've ordered this and can't wait to try them all out for you and write my review for them soon. Ooh btw I've also ordered the beautybox, so I should receive two boxes filled with new goodies per month ^_^ So stay tuned.

Have you ever ordered a beautybox or something similar? What goodies have you found through this?

Xoxo WyoniAlyssa

What did I buy? My shop log

This week I was searching for essential stuff to bring with me on vacation. I needed my beloved Mac concealer as I just finished my previous one and I was in serious need of hair removal items (who wants hairy legs on the beach right?). I also just can't help myself and always find my way to the nail corner (addict remember).

So what did I buy exactly this week? Of course my MAC concealer as mentioned above. Lucky me there was a sale on the new Veet Electrical Roll-on kit as it regularly costs around 25 Euros and was now half priced at the Dutch drugstore Kruidvat *insert happy dance*.

The generic brand (drugstore Kruidvat in The Netherlands) also had a nice offer being that you bought 2 hair removal items for four Euros, so I just purchased two packs of cold wax strips.

In the nail corner where the brands Essence and Catrice are located I picked up a black  Essence eyeliner, some handgloves from Essence for hand treatments and an eyeshadow base from Catrice. I also finally want to try a red color on my lips as I always wear a nude and decided to test a matt lipstick and a gel tint from Essence.

What beauty or product essentials did you buy this week?

Xoxo WyoniAlyssa

Midnight in Paris

So all these years I tried to find the perfect black eyeliner to complement my eye looks. It had to be a true black and waterproof and of course smudge proof. I have tried several different brands during the years and have either thrown them away or used them as a somewhat base for eye shadow.

The eyeliner that I currently like is from Essence and it is their gel liner in 02 Midnight in Paris. Now I have been using this for awhile now and recently replaced it with a new one again (which i usually never do).

What the website says about the Essence Gel liner:
Ultra-smooth gel formula allows for precise application. Apply it with the eyeliner brush. Quick-drying, long-lasting, smudge and waterproof.

Now to be honest I never tested how waterproof this gel liner was with my first jar, but decided to test it out for you. I applied a stripe to my arm and held it under rinsing water while trying to smudge the line. On the picture below you can tell that although the line isn't a perfect solid colour anymore, it's still quite there.

Even though I'm quite content with this eyeliner, I still want to try Essence's STAYS no matter what 24h eyeliner just to see if that one is even better, since you don't need an additional brush for that one.

Have you ever tried this eyeliner? Have you ever used gel liner instead of the usual eye pencil or liquid eyeliner?

Xoxo WyoniAlyssa

 



New Face of ...

So today my class did Jeu de Boule, I had never played this game before. It's basically a competition between two teams about whose balls are closer to this smaller red ball (uhm yeah). The weather wasn't that great as well and for a moment we had to quit playing because of the rain. Even though it was fun, I do not have to play it again.

Anyway there is this competition at one of the perfumery shops to become their new Beauty Star. At first I didn't want to go and suddenly I thought why not.

How it works:
You need to visit the stores on one of the so called casting days where they would do your makeup first and afterwards take some pictures. Afterwards you also had the opportunity to buy your own pictures, but they used the first 4 for the competition anyway. Let's hope I win (fingers crossed).

I didn't like all of them and decided to just buy these two pictures.

Close-up on the eyes

Unfortunately I can't tell you what make-up I have on exactly though since the make-up artist applied some more on top of my basic look.

After the photo shoot I passed the Lush store and picked up some samples as well. I can't wait to try them.

What have you been up to today?

Xoxo Wyoni