Winter essential #1 - Facial Care

Today I'm trying a new little series, the « season essential », and I'm starting with Winter. The first episode of the series is all about skin care. Body lotion, face cleanser, everything to make you skin feel super nourish even when it's pouring rain, or snowing like crazy outside (I live in Switzerland, and the weather was pretty rude those last week, I had to update my skin routine.

If I could go back in the past, and something to my 16 self, I would told my "always remove your make up, ALWAYS". I never though it was a big deal to keeps a little bit of eye-liner to go to sleep (OMG!!) I could never do that again. No matter how tired I'm, no matter how late it is, I always remove my make up, clean my face and moisture it. I think I now have a pretty sure and efficient skin care routine. I hope you find something new or learn something,  every product feature or cruelty free of course!

  

♦♦ CLEANING ♦♦

If I wear a super dramatic smoky eye, I start by removing my eye make up with this super gentle DIY cleansing oil / or coconut oil. Then I do the rest of my make up with a basic oil cleanser.

Once I rinse it I clean my face with a gel or a milk cleanser, always really gentle.

Oil eye cleanser (organic and vegan)- DIY

Coconut Oil (organic and vegan)- Organic

Cleanser Milk (vegan) - Kneipp

White tea fluid gel cleanser - Korrès

♦♦NOURISH♦♦

Once my face is clean, I like to put an hot wet towel on my face, and let it a few second. It is really relaxing, and it's gonna open your pores and let your skin absorb the  lotion you put on and  make it more efficient. So, once my pores are open, I put my sebo creme from Louis Widmer on. This is THE moisturiser, it is the only on I will never changed ( I always have back up in my bathroom). I use it for a few years now, and it is the best I ever tried for my oily skin. It is antiseptic that why I love put it on on the evening. In the morning, I will quickly wash my face then put  the Korrès Wild Rose Moisturising, I recently purchase it and I'm super happy and surprised how moisturising it is without being sticky or heavy, it feel really comfortable.

Sebo Crème - Louis Widmer

Wild Rose 24h Moisturising - Korrès 

 Jojoba Oil (organic and vegan)- Alva

♦♦TREAT AND REPAIR ♦♦

I used to skip this step for a long-time, because.....because of laziness :) but I found it quite important to clean your face deeply maybe once a week.
Once or twice a week I use the Terra Naturi face scrub. It helps removing all of the dead skins, then I like to apply an Aloe Vera gel, it's gonna hydrate your skin, it's really fresh and helps your skin skin to heal. When I have an unwanted pimple I like to use tea tree oil, I apply it with a Q-tip on the spot.
And the Hamamelis water is actually a pretty resent discovery but it helped me so much those past super rude winter months. I use it when my skin feels really irritated, most of the time it's around my eyes. I put some hamamelis water on two cotton pad, put them on my face and let them for a few minutes, it really calm the skin and the redness that can appear there.

Scrub (vegan) - Terra Naturi

Aloe Vera Gel (organic and vegan) - Lily of the desert 
Tea Tree Oil (organic and vegan)- Bergland

 Hamamélis (organic and vegan) - Aroma Zone

♦♦PROTECT♦♦

 Protect your skin! This is probably one of the most important step in your routine even in winter! I live in Switzerland, and in the winter the snow is reflecting the sun, so sun cream is really important!! I use carrot oil, before exposing my skin to the sun, to prepare it. (but I'm still using a sunscreen).
The Aloe Vera act as a protector, it let a thin film on a skin that will keep the hydration of your skin.

Carrot oil (organic and vegan) - Aroma zone

Aloe Vera Gel (organic and vegan)) - Lily of the desert

Suncare - still haven't find the perfect cruelty free face sun cream (if you know some good product please let me know!!)  

I hope it helps, if you have very special cruelty free product that you love, please share them!
 Have a great day!

 

Make up of the day - COLD WINTER

I read last week that Spring was slowly coming to us....it's true, it's slow!
But for now, here is my make up of the day:

J'ai lu la semaine dernière que le printemps arrivait doucement à nous, c'est vrai....mais tout doucement!
Mais en attendant le soleil, la chaleur, les cocotiers, voilà mon "Make up" du jour:

Contouring Kit - Barry M
Eyliner #Schwing - The Balm
BB Cream #TeaTree Flawless- The Body Shop ( review HERE) I may have changed my mind about it!
Brushes - Eco Tools
Eye Concealer #Match2 cover - Essence
Bluh #2 - Santé (read my mini review HERE)

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

WHO IS DR. SPONGE? - The konjac sponge review (french / english)

  I don't remember when I heard about the Konjac sponge for the first time, but I was immediately intrigued by it. A sponge made out of a plant, to clean my face? GIVE IT TO ME! But I was a little bit afraid of his exfoliating aspect and the contact my face will have to have with water.
But still on my quest of a new alternative for my cotton pad, I decided to try it!

So what is Dr. Sponge?

 Well, obviously, it's a sponge! It made out of a plant call Konjac. This plant grows in the tropical forests of east Asia (China, Vietnam, Japan). Tje konjac is used for more than 2000 years, to cook or as medicine. But in Occident Konjac is better know as a dietetic aliment. So the Dr Sponge, is foremost made out of konjac, but some minerals have been had to it, bamboo, lavender, aloe vera, ingredients that are supposed to helps any type of skin. You can find the sponge that suit you.

Original - Sensitive skin
Characoal - Oily skin
Poudre de perle - Uneven skin
Thé vert - normal to dry skin
Aloe Vera - Sensitive or really dry skin
Lavande - Stressed and tired skin
Lycopene - Mature skin

  How to use it?

 Once you take your sponge out of his plastic protection, it looks like a stone. It's really hard and dense. You have to soak it up under water for a few seconds (like a beauty blender). When the sponge is damp enough it is really fluffy and gluey (really strange feeling). You can either use it with a cleanser or without anything on it. Than massage your face with it. Once you are done, clean your sponge by rinsing it under warm water (i wash mine with Alep soap). Than let it dry in a clean and well ventilated area. It's recommended to changed it every three month or when the sponge starts to crumble.

Is it for me?

I will say yes, this sponge is for everyone as their is a sponge for each type of skin. However, if you have a sensitive skin be careful. I recommend you not to use it everyday, maybe once every two to three day, don't rub you face a thousand times with it and you should be fine.

What I think about it:

I love it, I definitely love it. I can not use it everyday as my skin is too sensitive But every two day I use it with a cleanser lotion on my T zone, neck and cheeks, I tend to avoid my eye area. It let my skin really soft, and super clean. And I have to say that since I use it, my skin feels better, my pimple are slowly disappeared, and it let the blood flow. But I also recently change my night skincare routine and can not give all the credit to this sponge. Anyway I think that the sponge associate to a strong routine can make miracle!

Positive points: It is biodegradable, faire trade, cruelty free and made out of a plant. My cotton pad consumption really decreased. Fairly priced. Easy to use.


Negative points: I bought the sponge with seeing it as a ecological alternative to my skin routine. And even if the cotton pad problem is eradicate, now comes the water problem. The sponge needs a lot of water to be fully damp. Then you need a lot of water to rince your face and wash the sponge. This is my major minus but otherwise it is a really good product that hardly recommend.


Where to buy it?

  I bought mine in the cutest little shop in Zürich - Pretty and pure- you can find it on their website
Dr Sponge
You can also find it on Bazar-bio







EN FRANCAIS S'IL VOUS PLAIT:


  Je ne me souviens plus très bien quand es ce que pour la première fois, j'ai entendu parler de la "Konjac Sponge" mais j'ai tout de suite été intriguée; une éponge cosmetique faite à base de plante? C'est pour moi! Cependant, deux petits points ont frênés mon achat. Son aspect exfoliant, et le contact inévitable de la peau avec l'eau. Pourtant, lancée dans ma quête d'une alternative aux cotons démaquillants, je l'ai testé!

alors la Dr Sponge, qu'es ce que c'est?

  Et bien c'est une éponge (ahah) faite essentiellement à partir d'une plante, le Konjac.
Une plante que l'on trouve dans les forêts tropicales de l'est de l'Asie (Chine, Vietnam, Japon).
Elle est utilisée en Chine depuis plus de 2000 ans comme aliment médicinal (contre la toux, les brûlures, le cholestérol...), cependant en occident elle est surtout connue et utilisée pour ses pouvoirs amaigrissant, puisqu'une fois humidifiés les fibres de cette plante deviennent visqueuses, elles absorbent jusqu'à 100 fois leur poids en eau, et forment un gel végétal qui agit comme un coupe fin naturel.
La Dr Sponge est donc principalement formée de cette plante, mais pas que.
Des minéraux tels que de la poudre de bambou, de l'argile, du charbon sont ajoutés à sa formation, pour cibler chaque problème de peau, pour que chacun trouve l'éponge qui convienne à son type de peau.

Original - Peaux sensibles
Characoal - Peaux mixte à grasses
Poudre de perle - Peaux inégales
Thé vert - Peaux sèches à normales
Aloe Vera - Peaux irritées et très sèches
Lavande - Peaux stressées et fatiguées
Lycopene - Peaux matures

Comment s'en servir?

  Lorsque vous la sortez de sa protection plastique, elle ressemble à une pierre ponce. Elle est très dure, mais il suffit de la passer sous l'eau tiède (assez longtemps). Elle va se gonfler, se ramollir, et la texture deviendra gélatineuse  (très surprenant).
On peut l'utiliser seule, ou avec un nettoyant.
Pour la nettoyer, il suffit de la passer à l'eau chaude et la faire sécher dans un endroit propre et bien aéré (je ne vous cache pas que....je la nettoie au savon d'alep de temps en temps).
Il est recommandé de la changer tous les trois mois,ou dès qu'elle commence à s’effriter.

Pour qui?

  Pour tout le monde, comme dis plus haut, différentes éponges ont été créees pour différents types de peaux. Cependant je dirais aux peaux très sensibles (égale quelles soit grasses ou sèches),  allez y mollo, et espacez les utilisations.

Mon chat l'aime aussi!

Mon Avis:

  J'adore. Je ne l'utilise pas tous les jours, parce que ma peau et vraiment trop sensible. Mais une fois tous les deux jours je l'utilise après m'être démaquillée, avec un lait nettoyant. Je masse mon visage en ciblant la zone T, les joues, et le cou (ne jamais oublier le cou!!) mais j'évite les yeux et leurs contours.
 Elle laisse la peaux ultra douce, et oui je note une nette amélioration. Moins de boutons, pore plus propres, et surtout elle stimule la circulation sanguine. Cependant, je pense que mon changement de routine y est aussi pour quelque chose. Je dirais donc qu'alliée à une routine nettoyage/hydratation béton elle est très efficace!

Les plus - Elle est biodégradable, fair-trade, cruelty free, et faite à base de plante. Elle m'a fait diminuer ma consommation de coton  de manière fulgurante. Facile à utiliser. Son petit prix.

Les moins, je l'ai acheté pensant qu'elle serait une alternative bio et écologique au nombre incalculable de coton que j'utilisai pour me démaquiller et nettoyer le visage et pour cela, elle est génial cependant elle nécessite une énorme quantité d'eau, d'abord pour la gonfler, pour rincer mon visage et enfin pour nettoyer mon visage.
Mis à part ce "gros" point négatif, ce produit est génial!


Où la trouve t-on?

  J'ai acheté la mienne dans une petite boutique de Zürich - Pretty and pure - vous pouvez l'acheter sur leur siteweb Dr Sponge
Mais vous pouvez aussi la trouver sur Bazar-bio

Make Up of the day - Gloomy Sunday

Just a super quick post on this gloomy Sunday, here is what I use for my make up of the day:

- Foundation # 12h Matt Mousse Make up - Catrice (I have to write a review on this, because this product is freaking amazing!)

- Gel liner # AMC Eyliner Gel 77 - Inglot

- Lip Gloss

- Palette # Naked Palette - Urban Decay

- Brush # Base/Flawless core collection - Real Techniques

- Blush # Baked Blush, beachy cheeky (vegan) - Elf

Have a great Sunday!

P.s: Urban Decay is cruelty free, their parent company are not.

REVIEW - Eco Tools brushes

 

 The first time I ever hear about Eco Tools was in an interview. Jessica Alba revealed some of her beauty secrets, and she told fantastic things about Eco Tools.
Still on my organic/eco friendly research I was really intrigued about this brand.
Of course, you can't find it in Europa! But a few week later I flew to Los Angeles, and went on the hunt. And guess what? I flew back to Switzerland with the wrong product! (but still very good brushes anyway).
  I finally bought my first set on ebay and.....felt in love.
I use this set for a few month (or a year!) and decided to try face brushes.
Here are the two sets I received a few days ago.

 Flawless Face set

  Mineral Set

- What I like:

They are super handy, easy to use. They have the softer bristles I ever came across. Their small size and sleek handle make them travel friendly, or space saver (I live in a single room flat with my boyfriend, where space is an issue). They are multi task, you can use them like you want (I use the eye blend brushes for my under eyes). The quality incredible, I wash my brushes a lot and they didn't move, as soft and beautiful as new. And last but not least, they are eco friendly and 100% cruelty free. And all of that for a few dollars only!

 What I don't like:

You can't buy them in Europa. I found some of the face brushes a little to short, it can make them a little tricky to use.

To sum up: Eco tools is a super brand, everybody can find something suit for them. Their are super great for beginner and small budget, and I don't think I could ever found a better deal for the quality and moral they have.
I LOVE ECO TOOLS!








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BRAND FOCUS - The Body Shop (Review)

I don't know why but The Body Shop was one of those brand I was very sceptical about. .
But I remember trying the almond hand cream and finding myself smell my hands every 10 seconds!
So I decide to go over my apprehensions and give the body shop a chance!
And well, you can see the result!
I felt in love with some of their products.

P.s: The body Shop is cruelty free and have a lot of vegan product, but the parent company is l'Oreal (not CF)

 Skin Primer  Matte it:

This is my favourite primer of all primer I ever tested. It smooth everything, mattifies my skin, my foundation does not flip on it. And I feel like any foundation will look way better with this primer underneath.
+ It's vegan, it does not smell anything, texture
- Don't find any minus point
= Try it!

 Oil Free Foundation :
This is actually the first product I ever bought by the body shop. 
+ oil free, great coverage, SPF 15
- hard to apply, oxidized 1 shade darker (on me)
= I would say it's good if you have oily skin and a good practice

Tee Tree BB Cream
I put a lot of hope in this product, I saw and read a lot of great review on it, but I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. It's not a bad product at all, I just feel like it's not the best product for my skin.
It's probably more suited for summer, and will be great for very oily skin. If you have dry patches...it's gonna be a mess!
+ It's vegan, it has tee tree oil in it (the smell does not last), cute packaging
-  Hard to apply, light coverage, not for the winter
=  Good for oily skin but I found it not good at covering my scars. I'll try it again in the summer, when I want something super light coverage

Edit - I tried it with a beauty blender, and think it's the best way to apply it!
 

Vitamin E eye cream
Nothing to say about this product. I probably didn't use this long enough to have an opinion on it. I like that their is Vitamin E in it, but doesn't not see any progress on my under eyes since I use it.

Aloe lip treatment:
I heard about this on the Essie Button's channel. My lips are probably one of my biggest trouble, If I forgot to take my lip stick with me, I will have to buy a new one. That's how dry are my lips. The texture is simillar to lip glosses, but it's not sticky, and it actually prevents me to lick my lips.
+ the texture / the hydration
- the smell

Body lotion and body butter:
 Those are my favourite body products. The body butter is perfect for the winter or for the dryer part of your body. The body lotion is perfect for any time, it dries really fast.
+ The smell, hydration, packaging, dry fast
- The smell 


RECAP:
To finish, the body shop has a great selection of product, I fell like everyone can find something that suit him. I bought a lot of stuff that I share with my boyfriend and even with my dad.
They have more and more vegan products. But we (well I ) regret that their parent company is not CF They also have very good hand cream (try the hemp hand protector!).
Now I really want to try the Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder and some products of the Tee tree oil line.
Please let me know your favourite of the body shop, what is worth to try!?

Fallow me-> http://instagram.com/bazbabayaga/



 

Make up of the day

My day starts almost always the same way, waking up, showering and then my favourite moment, my own little ritual....make up. Here is what I used today:

Urban Decay - Naked palette
The body shop - Tee tree BB cream (Vegan)
NYX - Eye primer
Illamasqua - Sealing gel  (Vegan)
Une - Eye pencil
Nars - Blush
Mascara - Catrice "Ultimate Lash"
NYX - Gel liner
Sephora - Brushe (Vegan)
Eco Tools - Brushes (Vegan)

My favorite cruelty free blushes (high end and drugstore)

1- Nars "Orgasm"

2- Illamasqua "Laid"

3- Santé (bio) "N°02"

4- Catrice "A propos apricot"

5- NYX "Dessert rose"

6- Essence "It girl"

So, here is my very first article, and it's all about blushes. It's one of my favorite thing to do when it comes to make up. I selected  my favorite of those last months. I choose three higher end and three drugstore's ones.

 NARS: This blush is actually on of the first high end make up I ever bought, so in addition to being a special item to me, it's also a beautiful color.

 ILLAMASQUA: This is the last one I bought, it's a cream blush. I'm not a huge fan of cream blush (cream eye shadow, cream high lighter) but this is super smooth, the color is incredible, and it stays all day. But not a fan of the smell.

 SANTE: You can't tell but I use this one almost every day in 2014. Super soft and natural, I also like the smell of it.

 CATRICE: I like to use this Catrice blush in summer, a beautiful apricot touch, and I can find it in my supermarket!

NYX: I would probably buy every color that exist if I were living in the USA, but unfortunately, here in Switzerland, NYX is pretty expensive. Dessert rose is for me....perfection!

 

ESSENCE: Essence is one of those brand were you have to try everything to find your treasure. I am allergic to their eye product, but their blush are great! (check out their nail polishes!).

Note: 
If you live in Switzerland, you can find Catrice products in Migros and Coop, Essence in Coop / Migros / Manor