Mini haul and review

Online shopping is evil.. You just don't know when to stop!

Speaking of shopping, I bought a couple of products when I ran into Rossman's for a few things.

One is a lip product,
One is a hair product.

Both are absolutely fan-freakin'-tastic.

The MANHATTAN 'Soft Mat' lip cream in 45H.
 -->   http://www.manhattan.de/en/products/lips/product/Productline/details/soft-mat-lipcream/40025543576052/

I've been on the search for the perfect lip stain for years now, and I have to say this has taken the cake.
Not only does it have a vibrant, red colour (Love.), but it also smells like the most delicious cupcake ever made. The ONLY downside to it is that if you apply too many coats over the course of a day then it might get a little dry (cold weather is to blame), but other than that it's perfect.

As you can see, bright, beautiful, RED.

Love it.

The second product I bought is Taft Instant Volume Powder.

http://wizaz.pl/kosmetyki/produkt.php?produkt=47098

This product is definitely the most effective volume powder I've ever used.

It's almost like a super-intensified dry shampoo. 

You pour a dash or two of the powder onto your hands and then rub together. The texture here is a little odd. Almost waxy in a way.

Then, you tuft up your locks by fluffing up from the roots.

It's fantastic and works everytime! 

And you know you can count on my word because I'm a girl who has damn thick hair that falls to gravity and I have to fight to keep a little volume.

This stuff WORKS!

If you want I'll upload a before and after picture later on because I just got out of the shower and my hair is still wet.

Until then, I'll update again soon..

Lots of love, -S xx

A few things

Over the course of the past two days I've made a few decisions I feel great about.

Yesterday I pledged to go vegetarian/vegan for a month (if not longer).

Technically I was, what you would call, a "flexitarian". A little silly, but you're an almost-vegetarian. You are still just flexible enough to eat meat/fish every now and then.

Not anymore! I've always been aware of what the food industry does to animals, and it's horrible.
Which is why IF I do eat meat, I go for the organic produce. That way I know that the animals were raised and treated fairly.

If you haven't seen any videos or if you don't know what food you're eating I suggest you go to:
PETA.org

or watch FOOD.INC
Food.inc is a documentary all about the food industry and how whatever we buy at the grocery is a vote to what the manufacturers mass produce.
trailer : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0

I don't mean to preach, but YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE EATING!
Everything you eat dictates the way your body grows. I mean, think of it, if you give your pet shitty food and pump it full of hormones of course it's going to get sick, and soon!

If you wouldn't do that to your pet, or your family member, why would you want to do that to yourself?

And by the way, just because someone chooses to be vegetarian or vegan doesn't mean you lose out on all the "good stuff". Trust me, I'm picky when it comes to food and this is coming from someone who THOROUGHLY enjoyed steaks.

HOWEVER, my new favorite dish is something I came up with a while back while tinkering in the kitchen :

Couscous with onions, garlic, and mushrooms stuffed into tomatoes and steamed.
Oh, deary me. Really, I'm making it as a side dish for a dinner party I'll be holding soon and I'll report back to how they all liked it :)

here's a picture of it

 It may not look like the most appealing thing, but trust me, the flavors are magnifique!

Enough boasting..
My point is is that vegetarian food doesn't at all have to be bland or boring.

And another plus side is that you automatically make healthier food choices, so weight loss is almost a garuntee!

The other choice I made is a something I pledged to do a while back.
Quitting smoking: probably the best thing I've done.
Honestly, this is coming from someone who used to really smoke. A lot.

And don't get me wrong, I didn't quit cold turkey either. I've done that and just fell right back onto the wagon.
I took about a month to get used to the idea that after December 31st, I wasn't going to have a ciggarette.
Once I got the idea stuck in my head, I found myself smoking a lot less than what I was used to.

Now, I pass by smokers on the street and crinkle my nose at the smell (was that really what that cloud of smoke surrounding me smelled like?!) gah!

Realistically though, I know I might have a drag off of someone or maybe a social cig once in a blue moon, but I'm going to try not to.

It became almost like an "I've gotten this far, I don't want to screw up now!" kind of thing. Competition with myself, you could say.

Anyway, I mentioned I'll be busy with exams for the next week or so. I'll update with a beauty-related post ASAP.

Lots of love,
-S xx

Hippidy hoppidy

Well hello humans..

I'm in a dapper mood right now because I have just jumped on the scale and have seem to have dropped about 8-9 kilos since new years :)
And I didn't even notice! The surprise was honestly something that gave me a big motivational PUSH to work even harder because I am THIS much closer to get to my goal weight :)

On another note:
I've been off the radar because I just moved houses and the packing/unpacking situation is a hella lot to deal with. Especially when you're taking care of family.
Soon enough though, I will have a break from exams and (house)work and will be able to concentrate on my actual work AND finally putting some effotr into a video tutorial.

I know I keep saying I'm going to start but in all honesty, I have no time. I barely have time for uni as it is with everything thats going on, so just hold your horses, alrighty?

That being said, I've got 14 chapters to read for an exam tomorrow and not enough caffeine in my system to do it!

Post something a little more interesting soon, promise :)

Maybe something about eyeliner ...

xxxx -S 

"Why do you wear make up?"

A common question I get from a few of my guy friends is "Why don't you leave the house with no make up on?", or, "Why don't I ever see you without any makeup?".

The answer to those questions is that I do leave the house many times without a smudge of make up on, you probably aren't there to see it though; and a majority of the time I spend at home (usually on Skype) I avoid putting any make up on because I like to give my skin a break.

This also relates to a question that I get most often: "WHY do you put makeup on?" and "Why do you like doing dramatic make up?".

I finally decided to write down an answer to that.
When I use make up or cosmetics, I'm not using it in a way to "cover up what God gave me", or any of that. What I try to achieve when doing a look, natural OR dramatic, is to make it look like my own skin (which is why I'm very picky with foundations/powder and how little I use them). I like to "enhance" features.

However, the way I see make up is not a way to "prettify" one's self. Sure, that's an added bonus, but it's not my main reason. I feel just as comfortable walking out of the house with a bare face and running errands.

I know this is going to sound corny, but the way I see make up/cosmetics is more of an art form. It's a way of expressing yourself and your ability to "paint" yourself. I love playing with colours and learning how they work off one another, blending different shades and creating shapes and concepts.

It's not about "wearing too much makeup" (of course, certain situations call for a limit), it's about how I feel that day. It could also mean that I was awake all night playing around with different looks and I just kept one on! It's the fun of discovering new ways to express yourself.

That's what got me into this whole thing. I honestly believe that if you love and appreciate art, you'd chase after it in any form possible. Just as I love to be a makeup artist, I love writing, and photography, dancing...

I'm not at all saying I'm a "trained professional" in any of the above. I trained myself and persued my "passion" for learning more about them all ever since I was a young kid.

When I say I'm a photographer for example, I don't at all want to imply that I'll be able to teach a course on the many inner workings of a DSLR camera or film camera and a dark room; nor that I've taken a course! I do know the way around it, though. I know which light suits a certain situation, what to focus on to bring out the best of a photo, how to shoot something to capture it at a precise point, etc.

On that note, I don't believe you have to be "taught" (as in, with a diploma) to be good at something.
I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but I'm confident with cosmetics and how to apply it, but that's because I've been practicing for 12 years.

It's a passion, a hobby that stemmed from my love for anything and everything beautiful and unusual.

The biggest misconception I hear from people is that the idea that someone who wears a lot of make up "tries too hard". Admittedly, there are many people out there who do it for the attention. I'm not going to lie, I do post my looks on social media websites and this blog for example. 

Why? Because:

1- I want to share my ideas.

2- I want to inspire creativity. Whether it's cosmetics, or anything else. 

And to show you it's not just talk, here I am: 5AM in the morning, clean face, writing my blog.

Got the baggy eyes and everything!

Hopefully that cleared up a few things.

Lots of Love, -S xx

Heeby Jeebies!

Today's post starts on a lighter note than the previous one's.

It's almost a review, in a way. You'll get what I'm rambling about soon enough :)

Sooo, I went waltzing into a specific studio to discuss a specific project I'm designing, when I thought I'd be a little adventurous and get a piercing. 'Lo and behold! Salma, the needle-phobe actually eager to have one stuck in her?
..That sounded suggestive.
Anywhore, after careful contemplation over which "discreet" area of my body I should start this piercing brigade, I chose the tragus. Small, sweet, and a little quirky. Speaking of the piercing, I have an itch right in my ear and I can't scratch it because of the stud! GAH!

Going back; I decided upon the tragus because I wanted something a little different than your average lobe or cartilage pierce. And I don't think I'll be getting an industrial anytime soon, not yet anyway.

One thing you're probably wondering: Pain level?
I was so nervous about the needle itself that I was shocked at how little it hurt! Mainly because the tragus doesn't have many nerves or blood cells running through. The only thing I felt was a millisecond of sharp pain followed by a strange awareness that there was a long needle poking through my ear.
Honestly I was laughing at my being so nervous, it was nothing!

I also have to give props to Izza, the lovely lady who pierced me. She was so wonderful. All the equipment was fully sterilized and everything was done really professionally. 5 stars to Blackstar Studio :)

Can't wait to go back there! And just to show y'all.. It was really dim and I only had my BB camera so apologies for the dark, grainy photo :

Izza had trouble screwing the little head on the stud because "my ears are pixie small!".


On another note, I'm moving apartments next week so I'm super busy among other family obligations, but I'll try to film a video that I'll upload in a few weeks. Blog posts will come along, I promise.

In honour of my project, I'll be doing cat-eyes. Very Angie Jolie.

Lots of Love, -S xx

2012

I wasn't so sure how to start out this blog post because of recent happenings, but I'm going to just write and see what happens.
This new years was a lot tougher than quite a few of the things I've been through in 2011.
I lost a family member the night before, which is one of the reasons I won't be posting too much for a few weeks.

I know everyone has their New year's resolutions; I have mine as well, but they're more lifestyle changes than a week's to-do list (9gaggers should get that).

Right now I'm following the 11-day diet (otherwise known as the idiot-proof diet) with my sister who is joining me in the quest to lose a few; or in my case, quite a few!

If and when I get the time, I'll work on the youtube channel and some new, more creative make up looks.
But for now, enjoy the new month and the prospect of a clean slate and have a lovely beginning of 2012.

May you rest in peace Granddad Piotr Glowacki, you were very loved, and are deeply missed.

Love -S xx