Category: Beauty

Blogging about all things beauty: makeup, skincare and hair.

Sharing makeup tutorials & tips, the best beauty products & all my beauty secrets. And probably getting excited about an eyeshadow palette.

 

2018-01-24 Lifestyle, Skincare

A relaxing morning

haikko spaIt’s been snowing non-stop and it’s freezing outside. I forgot, that after Christmas the actual Winter arrives. Well, it’s here and it’s full on. Now don’t get me wrong – I love it. Especially on these cold snow-stormy days it’s relaxing to just take a moment and enjoy some good company, good food and learn about the latest beauty news.

Today I waded my way through the snow to a warm bus, which took me to Hotel Haikko Manor & Spa. Recently they took a new cosmetics line in their spa and I got to hear more about that. They also told us about their new Green Key certificate and how they’ve made their hotel more eco-friendly.

ekopharma helsinki

The cosmetics line that’s now new at their spa is EkoPharma Helsinki. It’s actually a professional cosmetics line, that I used to use both professionally (in a salon, where customers loved it!) and personally. I like that the line is made in Helsinki, the products contain Finnish berries and that they are suitable for sensitive skin. And that they’re organic, as the name suggests.

So naturally I already knew the products and that my skin liked them. But what was exciting was, that I got to make my own lotions! The lotion base was ready, but I got to choose my own active substance, that I added to the lotions. The two lotions that are suitable for my skin are the Herukka (=Blackcurrant) cream and the Vadelma (=Raspberry) cream.

self made lotions ekopharma

  • My self-made Herukka cream contains:
    • Hyaluronic acid – ’cause who doesn’t love a good old hyaluronic acid, right?
    • Blackcurrant extract – which is an antioxidant, that soothes and protects the skin. All that sounds heaven to my skin right now.
    • Oat extract – which soothes and moisturizes. Who knew oat was good for you externally too, huh?
  • My self-made Vadelma cream contains:
    • Raspberry extract – which moisturizes and nourishes the skin and contains vitamin C
    • Betaine – apparently it’s made from sugar beet and it’s a good humectant!
    • Natural raspberry scent – the only scent I added, ’cause apparently I love raspberry

I’m excited to try my unique lotions. Let’s see if they help – since my skin has been going crazy lately. But hey, what’ new. It’s been dry and sensitive. I basically just want to drown my face in lotion. And have some champagne in that Spa-room, I took that picture of. And since we’re on the subject, I would love a sunny holiday, a new car and… well, that’s it for now.

Thank you Hotel Haikko Manor & Spa, EkoPharma Helsinki & Marsaana PR for the lovely morning. It did me good.

How was your day? Have you ever made lotions yourself?

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2018-01-19 Makeup, Reviews

Natural contour and highlight

jane iredale greatshape contour kit

Sometimes you think you’re over something, but then you realize – when the right thing comes your way – that you’re actually as excited about it as you were when you first found out about it.

I’m talking about contour palettes. Am I over them?

Apparently not. And I might have found the best so far for a natural contour and highlight.

natural contour

Jane Iredale GreatShape Contour Kit review

Jane Iredale recently came up with the GreatShape contour kits and I was lucky enough to be at the launch. I got my own palette and I’ve been using it ever since. What I like about this palette is that it offers a very natural contour with just enough pigment and a very smooth consistency.

Since Jane Iredale is a mineral makeup line, these powders are mineral-based too. That makes them soft and easy to apply. You can get a very light color – or you can build it up for a heavier contour. I prefer a natural contour, the kind that just enhances my features rather than changes them radically. A nice natural contour looks like the light is just hitting your face from the best possible angle. Right?

The palette comes in two colours – Warm and Cool. I chose the cool one, just ‘cause it happens to be my mojo. I’m cool in that way. The kit has three colours – contour colour, highlight colour and a blush colour. I like that it has a blush in it. I’m all about blushes and for my face shape blush is what makes the biggest difference. Blush actually shapes the face, which is why I later wrote a full guide to blush placement and techniques.

All the colors are matte – including the highlight – which makes them suitable for all skin types. I’ve talked about this before (click!), but shimmery colors tend to highlight skin texture. This highlighter brightens and illuminates the skin by reflecting light.

I couldn’t talk about Jane Iredale’s product without mentioning their packaging: This palette comes in a beautiful rose gold packaging with a mirror inside and it’s just simply beautiful. I’m not big on gold jewellery or anything like that, but with makeup products I love gold details and packaging. Another thing about the packaging is, that it’s very graceful. I feel like most contour palettes are huge and as much as I love palettes, I really appreciate a product, that doesn’t take a lot of space in my makeup collection.

Jane Iredale contour kit cool

But here’s a question to you: Do you use contour palettes in your every day makeup? Do you prefer a natural contour or do you carve up your cheekbones like a pro?


I would love to hear your thought! Personally I do contour my face most of the time. It’s not the most important thing in my makeup routine, but I like the difference it makes. But one of the products I never skip, is blush, and if I had to choose between contouring/highlighting and a blush, I would definitely go for blush.

natural contour makeup

P.S. I’m wearing on my brows the new brow product I talked about here!

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