I've been playing around with this pallet. Bought it because it was on sale and I'm having some mixed feelings about it.

For a while, I went back to using regular shampoo -- the kind you buy at the supermarket.

Why? Because I had 2 or 3 half-used bottles of shampoo and I don't like to waste stuff. And now, I can definitely tell that my hair hates regular shampoo. It gets all oily and yucky super fast, it feels weird. I can't explain. And I could wait to get back on my *dear* NEW Shampoo Bar (NEW is the name!). It doesn't come with the cinnamon stick anymore, but with a cool advice instead. 

And yes, that's my good old crusty tin box, where I keep my shampoo bars and soaps. And yes I know it looks disgusting. And yes, those are little remaining pieces of every shampoo or soap bar I've owned. 

Review | FLORMAR Trio Contour Palette

When I went to Flormar, the guy that did my make up there, did some light contouring on me, and I actually liked the result. Contouring is not something I do often -- it's just to much trouble for me -- BUT I liked the result, and what he did was rather simple, so I decided to get the pallet he used and play around with it.

This is the Trio Contour Pallet in shade 02 Medium to Dark. And it's just beautiful! You know I'm a sucker for cute packing, and this really hits the spot. It's so cool! You can feel the quality of the plastic of the pallet -- it's hard and shinny, and just so beautiful. Yeah, I starting to become that person that buys shit just because the box is adorable!

Anyhoo, this little pallet comes with 2 different contouring shades and one highlighter. The darker shade, is an ashy-brown completely matte shade. Very earthy, very natural. It works really well with my completion. I think it mimics really well the my natural shading. The second pan has a more bronzy shade. It is much more reddish. While the other shade creates the feeling of a shadow on your face, this one gives you a more *sun-kissed* look. I particularly like this on the sides of my nose. It gives me such a nice beachy summer bronzed glow that I really love. The third pan is a gold highlighter. It’s not glittery, just very shimmery and reflective. And although it looks really muted in the pan, it looks really beautiful on. Much like the bronzer, it gives a very natural, healthy glow to the skin. It’s really really pretty. And it is also very beautiful to wear *solo*. Just the highlighter, on your bare skin. It gives you a super natural glow, like you were just out in the sun. It’s so nice.

I try to use these very lightly, mainly because I don’t like a very defined contouring. And also because I never go full glam with my make up. I apply the darker shade right bellow my cheeks bones, temples, and forehead -- close to my hair line and I try to blend it as best as I can. A apply little bit on my jaw line and just a little bit under the tip of my nose. Very lightly, I use the bronzer shade to blend my cheeks. I apply it just a little bit above the other shade. I also apply a little bit to the sides of my nose. And blend, blend, blend! If I feel like it's just too intense -- it happens, i'm just to heavy handed sometimes -- I use the same brush that I applied my foundation with, and I just buff it out, to try and dim it a little bit.

That's pretty much it. It's much more work than what I was used to but I actually like the outcome. I don't do it for everyday, of course. But for when I go out or to a party -- which to be honest is not that often, I have a boring social life. But I do like how I look in pictures, so I think I'm doing a good job.

EAT | BAO, Lisbon

Being the weird person I am, whenever I see Ramen noodles, I just can't resist. I love the warmness of a nice bowl of hot, yummy, spicy noodles. And yes, this is the second time I talk about noodles here.

This place is called BAO Lisboa, and it's inside Amorerias Shopping Center. And although it has the configuration and logistics of a fast-food place -- you pay, you get a plastic tray, you get your food and you walk way -- it isn't. It's actually owned by the Sushic group, a chain of fancy-ass, expensive, mind blowing sushi restaurants. 

Their main hing are bao buns -- a type of steamed bread, used in various Chinese / Asian cuisines. It can be filled with so many different variations of ingredients, from meat, crab, vegetables, etc. I used to eat this when I was in Paris -- I used to go this Chinese place in Belleville, where everyone was Chinese, and where they had super cheap Chinese food, including an amazing Cha Siu Bao that only costed 1€. I used to go there all the time, and I would eat a bowl of rice and one of those hot meat filled bread balls and I had an amazing meal for 2€.

Anyhoo, this place has all different kinds of bao, but the day was gray and cold, and I was really in the mood for a nice yummy bowl of noodles. The noodle soup, is served in a big large ceramic bowl, with two asian style meat balls, soybean spouts and a perfectly poached egg. The broth is dark, deep, shinny, and full of flavor! It's good, makes me feel warm inside. It's not as good as the one from KOKORO but it's cheaper and much closer to work. It doesn't really have a lot of meat -- the two meat balls are rather small and if you need a lot of protein to go about your day, you are going to be hungry. It his very warm, and flavefoul. And gets even better with a few drops of Sriracha Sauce!

For the first time in my live I got my nails professionally done. I like painting my nails occasionally, but I just do it at home. I don't even own a nail file. And honestly, I clip my nails when I think they're too long -- and yes, I can feel you all cringe when I say I clip my nails with a nail clipper. Usually I like them short. I mean, SHOT. So yeah, this is new for me. I got a manicure and gel nail polish. Paid for it. With my own money! I think this is another step of my recovery process. I don't know. I don't care.

I've been going to this place. It was recommended to me by some girls that I know. Honestly I have no idea what to look for on a  nail salon. The girls that I know that go there, they said it was good and clean. I tried it out and I liked it and I eventually went back. The first time I did red nails -- it was closer to Christmas. This time I choose this nude-ish pink. I think it looks really elegant, don't you?

Review | MAYBELLINE Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick

Usually I’m not to into very bold lipsticks. As you’ve probably now already, I rather wear a more nude, natural lip. And I usually go for lip colors close to my natural lip color. But the other day I was at the drugstore, and I saw that this MAYBELLINE VIVID MATTE LIQUID lipstick were on sale, and I decided to pick one up. Let me tell you something – all the colors they have are super bright and astonishingly beautiful. And while I was trying to figure out which one would be more wearable for me, I came across this particular shade. It instantly reminded me of a liquid lipstick that my mom had and used to wear all the time in the 90’s. I don’t remember what brand it was or where she got it. But I do remember that this lipstick was in a little pastel-green small round pot with a transparent plastic lid, and that it came it a tiny matching lip brush – that I’m pretty sure my mom still has. I liked that lipstick so much that I used to try out all the time. It sounds crazy but I still remember the smell and the taste of the product! 

One thing I have to admit, my mom has really good taste in make up: This shade looks amazingly well against my skin tone, and it really looks super good my lips. Since I got it, I’ve been living in it. It’s dark enough to be a winter lipstick, but not too dark that makes me feel like I am a goth. The shade is very 90’s grunge and I absolutely love it. Makes me feel sexy, badass and extremely confidante.

This is shade 45 Possessed Plum, and it’s a deep, dark burgundy shade. The product, per se, is much like any other traditional liquid lipstick. It goes on smoothly, it’s not super opaque, which for me is a good thing -- It means it’s buildable!

I can swipe it on really quickly just to lightly tint my lips, or I can do a more precise, careful application and have a more intense, bold lip. The applicator is nice. It’s tapered enough to allow somewhat of a precise application. It is pretty mate -- as the name suggests -- and it does look very velvety. It’s not sticky at all -- you know I HATE sticky lipsticks! -- but it’s not like those long wearing lipsticks that I’ve gotten used to. This one never really dries, it transfers to everything, and it wears off after a couple of hours. It’s a traditional lipstick. Other than that, it’s an amazing product and I’m actually dying to try other shades.

Flormar Haul

One of these days, after work, I went for a walk at a small shopping mall right in the center of Lisbon – Campo Pequeno Shopping Mall. I like to go there. It’s under the gorgeous Lisbon’s Bull Fighting Arena, and it is really a super small shopping place. But, it has really good stores! And it happens to have a Flormar store. I've walk through it so many times and I had never even got inside. But on that particular day, I was walking around and I remembered that I’ve thinking about buying a Gel Eyeliner, and so I went inside. There was this super nice boy that immateriality came to help me. Frankly, I like to be on my own, and just walk around, do a bunch of swatches, and only ask for help if I need it. But you know, I told him what I was looking for. And he pointed me out immediately to the display. I asked him a couple of questions, like if the product was good, easy to apply, and he end up showing me some other products. Since I was in the need of a new foundation, I asked him what would he recommend. I had never tried anything from Flormar before, but I’m always reading great things about it and I thought that since I was already in there I might just give it a shot.

--

Smooth Touch Foundation, shade 7 Golden Neutral 

Invisible Loose Powder, Silver Sand

Gel Eyeliner, Gel Black

Trio Contour Palette

Mascara Spider Lash

--

I told the guy what I like in a foundation – natural looking, medium coverage, oil free, easy to blend. The guy garbed a bottle and told me to sit in the make up chair to color match me. We tested out two shades, and we settled for the lighter one. He said, since I was already there, that we would do the rest of my make up. Cool right? So, I sat down, he applied the foundation on my face, while giving me some general tips on how to do it – nothing that I didn’t knew already. He applied foundation, then loose powder, and because I was unsure about the shade --  and just looking way too pale, he applied some blush, some contouring and some highlight. I liked the result. It’s pretty similar to what I often do on my own. But I ended up buying pretty much what he used. I went there to buy a cheap black gel eyeliner, and I left with a bag full of products that I’m excited to try out. He even throw in a mascara. 

Well done Flormar, you are hiring good professionals!

 -- Oh, and Flormar, feel free to invite me to one of those cool PR events I've seen you trowing! I would love to go!  --

What I got for Christmas | 2017

When you grow up, people stop giving you real gifts for Christmas. Ether you get clothes -- and usually not really cool clothes, just pajamas or socks or a boring scarf -- or something for the house.

This year, my parents got me something for the house. Oh, but I got something really cool! I got an Arch de Triomph LEGO set to mount and display on my living room! You guys know I like LEGO and that I collect LEGO figures... You have no idea how happy I felt when I held the still rapped gift and it made that distinctive sound of the LEGO pieces shaking around in the box. I felt like a freaking kid,  super excited, and when I saw what it was I was stoked. I love Paris and this is one of my favorite spots in the city! I love how majestic it looks and how meaningful it is. If you've been there you know what I mean.

They also got me a GlamGlow GravityMud Face Mask. It’s the silvery peel off one that you’ve probably seen all youtubers doing. My mom knows I really like it and that I've been using it for months now. It works really well.  I also got some cash and of course, that one thing that I always receive, every single damn year --  A box of Ferrero Rocher. You can't go wrong with Nutella filed pieces of heaven, right?

| 2016 | 2015 |