Crucianize

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  • What Made My October Interesting

    What Made My October Interesting

    So, it’s October…

    The month of both Naveen and his father’s birthday as well as several other family members. The month of Halloween which I have to admit I don’t really pay attention to. We’ve never celebrated it when I was growing up but Naveen has been big on doing the whole dressing up and trick or treating but not this year for obvious reasons.

    Since the 25th of September, I’ve been using the Multi-Restore Gel Cream and Multi-Restore Facial Sleeping Oil from Garnier Bio. I spoke a bit about it here. This was my first time using a Gel Cream and a Facial Sleeping Oil, normally I wash my face and apply a cream then go to sleep so this really was a new experience for me, here are my thoughts on the products:

    Multi-Restore Gel Cream

    First of all, what is a Gel Cream?

    A Gel Cream is water-based, it has a lighter and more fluid texture compared to regular creams which is why they provide better hydration without leaving your skin feeling heavy or greasy. They are aimed towards people with oily skin.

    The first thing I noticed about the Gel Cream was how light and easy it was to spread it on my face and neck, the second thing I noticed was the scent, I really don’t like the smell of hemp and this was no exception, whenever I get a whiff of hemp it reminds me of some kind of musty old thing you’d find in the back of your grandmother’s house. Disgusting.

    Thankfully the scent does not linger at all.

    Once the Gel Cream is applied it absorbs into the skin rapidly and you forget all about that terrible scent and are left with a very moisturized face.

    Multi-Restore Facial Sleeping Oil

    Facial Sleeping Oils or Night Oils are oils designed to be used before you go to bed. They are usually too heavy to wear during the day or under makeup.

    When using a Facial oil a little goes a long way, trust me, when I first applied the oil I used it like I would a cream and it left my face feeling very very greasy, the next day I applied less and it was much better. Once again the scent is terrible but doesn’t last long. I never remember that I applied anything with Hemp let alone two products which in my opinion is great.

    Reactions

    I can’t say for certain that the products were behind my lack of PMS pimples, PMS is the only time I get pimples, and this month I had 0 pimples! If it was because of the products then great but it could easily have been just a coincidence. I will only have to keep using it for a couple more months to see if I skip the pimples for the next two or three months to see.

    Voxbox Update

    Now onto my Voxbox or should I say lack of Voxbox…

    I know, it’s been 4 weeks since my last post and I’m still without my Opi Rainbow Voxbox…

    A lot of people in the UK as well as some in France for their boxes but I’m among the unlucky few who have still not received their boxes. The campaign ended earlier this week and literally disappeared off my dashboard, I was pretty anxious, to say the least. If you don’t complete your missions for a campaign you can be excluded from ever receiving one again and I really didn’t want that to happen. Two days later the campaign reappeared and has been extended again! It should last until November but to be honest I’m losing hope that I will ever receive this box. I’ve been a member of the site for 6 years and this is the first time I’ve ever had this kind of problem. I don’t know if Covid is to blame for the terrible shipping or if this will be the norm now.

    So, you remember those false nails I bought to use with the Voxbox?

    I already started using them. I have painted my nails a few times thinking “Oh no! What if my box comes now?” It never does though so I’ll continue to use the nails and color my nails something new every few weeks.

    The nails are very long in my opinion, I can’t leave them too long or I start to feel like I can’t do anything so I trimmed them down to the perfect length for me.

    Nailfies 💅

    Cien in 15 Nude Brown
    Spartoo Glossy Nail Polish in Red Beauty
    Opi Tokyo Collection – I’m on a Sushi Roll

    I guess we’ll see if I get my box next week or if I never get it…

  • Getting My Skin Summer Ready

    Last week I received two samples in the mail and today I finally got to try them out.

    I’ll be giving my thoughts on erborian’s Ginseng BB Cream and both the Minéral 89 Daily Booster and Minéral 89 Eyes from Vichy.

    I want to state that I’ve never used a BB Cream before but I have heard of them and I’ve heard that some of them can be drying so it’s best to use a moisturizer before applying your BB Cream, I decided to use the Daily Booster first so here is what I thought of it.

    Daily Booster by Vichy

    I applied little drops on my face and spread it from the center outward, the product felt a little thicker than water and I had no problem spreading it on my face or throat. It absorbed quickly and left no residue behind. The scent is very agreeable, it’s not cloying and once applied it doesn’t linger.

    You can purchase the Daily Booster for 21,20€

    I have terrible dark circles around my eyes and having a 4-month-old who doesn’t sleep hasn’t helped so I used the Eyes serum next.

    Eyes by Vichy

    I took less than a pea-sized amount and applied it under both my eyes, the product felt creamy and thicker than the Booster but quickly absorbed into the skin, like the Booster the scent is not overly present and doesn’t linger.

    You can purchase Eyes for 13,50€

    And finally, I applied the BB Cream.

    Ginseng BB Cream by erborian

    The BB Cream I received was in the shade Caramel, it has a very pleasing odor, it smells lightly floral, you really don’t need that much product so I applied some pea-sized drops and spread it from the center outward. I wasn’t sure if Caramel would match my skin tone but it’s hard to tell that I have anything on my face.

    You can purchase the BB Cream for 16,90€

    As you can see both Vichy and erborian have helped me achieve Summer-Ready Skin.

  • New Nuxe: Huile Prodigieuse Florale

    New Nuxe: Huile Prodigieuse Florale

    Hey guys!

    I forgot all about this beauty they were coming my way, since I’ve been sick I haven’t reviewed much of anything but this will come in pretty handy since my skin is so dry now.

    This is a new scent for their Florale Huile Prodigieuse line.

    It is 96.9% Natural ingredients.

    If you’ve never heard of Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse it is a multi-purpose dry oil for the face, body, and hair.

    I’ve spoken a bit about them in this post.

    It nourishes, repairs, and beautifies with 7 precious oils.

    It is labeled as All Skin Types.

    Touted as the new floral, fresh, and delicate perfume I think I am really intrigued to try out this dry oil.

    What I like about this product:

    🌸 The scent is light and not at all overpowering

    🌸 The oil seems to seep right into my skin and doesn’t leave that oily surface feel.

    🌸 The sample was provided in a very unique and cute way. I really enjoyed it.

    What I don’t like:

    🥀 Samples always seem so small!

    Other than that I can’t think of a negative.

    I’d definitely get the full-size version of this Prodigieuse oil.

  • New 1 Minute Masque from Le Petit Marseillais

    New 1 Minute Masque from Le Petit Marseillais

    Recently I was given the opportunity to test out the new 1 Minute Masque from Le Petit Marseillais, If you don’t know this brand it is can’t say that I blame you, I never heard of it either until I moved here but it has become a steady staple in our lives whether it’s leave-in conditioner (I see you Karité et Argan) or lotion, Le Petit Marseillais has something for all your skin and hair needs.

    Needless to say, I was excited to have the chance to try out their 1 Minute Masque, I don’t normally have skin issues but lately, I’ve been getting a couple of pimples and this Masque is just what I needed to keep my face moisturized.

    In my package I received:

    2 Masque 1 Minute Sous La Douche

    Fraîcheur de Rose Aux Roses bio de Méditerranée and Délice de Miel Au miel de Haute-Provence.

    1 campaign packet

    10 coupons for 1€ off any 1 Minute Masque.

    You can find more information and stores near you (in France) that sell the masques at Le Petit Marseillais.

    I used the Fraîcheur de Rose first and spoke about my experience on my personal Insta account, the post is no longer available but here is what it said.

    Wash day is the perfect time to try out my 1 minute mask from Le Petit Marseillais.

    I tried the Fraîcheur de Rose and let me tell you the smell is divine. I love roses and this smells exactly like the rose in my mother’s garden.

    There are little beads in here and I’m very particular about these because they tend be pretty harsh on my face but these are really gentle and I didn’t really feel them at all.

    After washing off the masque my face is very soft and I’m

    beyond happy with the results.

    Seriously the scent is amazing, I can’t stop opening the bottle to smell it

    I’m definitely going to buy more when I finish this bottle.

    @dat_gyul June 15, 2019

    I used the Délice de Miel this morning and while the scent isn’t my absolute favorite I must say that it left my face feeling very soft and refreshed.

    I will probably buy the Apricot and Lemon just to try them out and of course, you already read that I will buy a new tube of the Rose when this one is finished. I’m still on the fence about the Honey, I mean I do like how soft my face is now but the smell? I guess only time will tell.

    Now I’m off to finalize my thoughts on my camping experience, so look for that the next time I post!

  • Finding happiness in the little things

    You know that feeling when you open your mailbox and there’s something in there with your name on it? I don’t really experience that feeling, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve ever received anything, I don’t really order anything online, I’ve gotten some books in the mail, some clothes as well but that’s about it. Every time I go out to the box I am not really expecting anything but still feel a little disappointed that everything is for my husband, he gets packages all the time, sometimes I have to sign for them and that is a tale for another day.

    So imagine my joy when I opened my mailbox yesterday and inside was a package with my name on it, I was overjoyed, I ripped it open with quickness and inside was a box that said Marc Jacobs Beauty. Let me back up just a bit and tell you about this package. I’ve been a member of a website called Influenster (it’s a website that sends you products to test for your honest review) I think it’s been about three to four years, so right around the time when I was pregnant, if you’re new to my blog I suffered from Hyperemesis Gravidarum (severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy) which basically made me an invalid for nine months, I then went through postpartum depression and post-traumatic stress disorder which lasted for about a year. In 2015, I moved from my Caribbean home and went through a series of terrible events. The loss of my puppy, finding out my mother was in the hospital, I was taking punches left and right but the worst one was losing my second baby. What should have been the happiest time of my life was stained with dark spots that I couldn’t find a way out from. 

    I’ve always been weak to dark moods and Expat depression added itself to my growing pile, while I always seemed to find myself out of my foul moods this one seemed enormous. What helped was finally being able to talk to my mother online, she hates the internet but there was no other way for us to communicate. My days seemed a little sunnier, one of my brothers who had a distaste for social media also joined and I found myself happy.

    I got off-topic, my apologies, I can ramble on and on sometimes, anyway I was very sick and couldn’t do much with my Influenster account so it laid dormant for years. This year I decided to get more active on it, I reviewed products I had already used, I answered questions, I followed accounts, I was enjoying myself, out of nowhere I got a survey asking if I wanted to be sent a product to review, I answered yes and about two weeks later I got a message saying I was chosen!

    I was thrilled, along with no interest in my Influenster account I hadn’t been using my makeup kit much, so I relished the chance to go back to something that gave me a little joy in life, I’m nowhere near to being MUA status, not even close I just enjoy enhancing my features. I have to be honest when I say my happiness was wearing off a bit when I saw everyone else reviewing their VoxBoxes and I was still without my product, see the way my mind works it immediately jumped to the worst scenarios, I swore my box got lost or someone stole it, I questioned whether I put the right address in, my mind was whirling and then yesterday there it was.

    Disbelief and exhilaration, I wanted to do everything right to make sure I did the review right and they would choose me again.

    Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara Volume Spectaculaire VoxBox 

    Testing out my new mascara.

    A little eyeliner and mascara make me feel pretty!

    I’ve been testing the mascara now for three days and have to say that I’m pretty much in love with it, the mascara goes on smoothly and gives an instant boost to my lashes, and let’s not joke about it but my lashes are not the best, they are short, thin, and not at all impressive which is why I was shocked to see how long and luscious it got from the mascara. There is just one thing I don’t care for about the mascara, it is on the heavier side, if I use three swipes of mascara my lashes will clump horribly so what I did to fix this issue was to go over it with another mascara brush, I was able to separate the lashes to fully enjoy the length and dark color the mascara provided.

    In the picture above I applied the mascara to just my right eye and you can see for yourself the difference the mascara has made to my pitiful lashes. I don’t think I will ever leave the house again without using my Velvet Noir mascara even if I use nothing else.