Face Mask: Montagne Jeunesse White Chocolate

In my opinion there is nothing better to relax after a long day then pampering yourself. Enter a hot bath, an at home manicure or... a face mask! 

Last week I used an ultra deep cleansing White Chocolate mask from Montagne Jeunesse. Chocolate on my face? Yes please! ;) 

The pros:
+ It feels nice and creamy on the skin
+ My skin felt clean afterwards but not dry at all

The cons:
- It smells nice but more like dark chocolate, which I found a bit odd
- About the ultra deep cleansing claim: my skin felt clean but I didn't see a noticeable  difference in my skin 

Overall, I liked this mask. However, I won't buy it again as I'm still looking for a good cleansing one. Recommendations are always welcome in the comments!

If you like the idea of a chocolate mask, check out my DIY mask for blemished skin!

Manicure Monday: Essie Hip-anema

If you read the blog post on my first Essie experience, you'll know I'm a big fan of the brand. In fact, I haven't bought any other polishes since! 

One of the newest additions to my collection is this bright orangy red from the spring line. It's a fun color for spring and summer but also classic enough to wear all year round. Although I do believe there are a lot of similar colors available, so there is no need to rush to the stores ;)

As far as the formula goes, it compares to the other Essie polishes I own. It is opaque in one layer, however I always prefer to use two.

Recipe: Red Lentil Risotto (carb free)

I've been on a real healthy eating kick lately. Don't get me wrong, I still love me some fries and desserts! But I try to make healthier choices throughout the day.

One of the things I do is trying to avoid carbs for dinner. This is a pretty difficult one, as I still live at home. Soups and salads are a pretty easy way but can get boring too. So I like to try out recipes that substitute regular carb loaded products by healthier options.

Recently I made a Red Lentil Risotto, a recipe from Sorted (if you don't know about them, you should check out their videos!). 

I did change the recipe slightly: I added some courgette and topped the risotto with watercress in stead of rocket. It tasted just like a regular risotto and satisfied all my Italian comfort food cravings! 

I will definitely make this again and maybe even experiment with other flavors... 

I recommend you give this one a try. Either if you avoid carbs too, or just because you're curious ;) 

Let me know what you think!

Deauty Box May 2013

Yesterday I received my May Deauty box (Deauty is a Belgian beauty subscription service). I've been subscribed since the very first box, which was 9 months ago. Their boxes get better every month and this one got me particularly excited! 

Some of you won't be able to subscribe but you might be interested nonetheless...

First of all, the packaging is always amazing! It feels like getting a present every month :)

• The first product that caught my eye was the full size Garnier Ambre Solaire BB Cream. I've wanted to try a BB cream for a while but I think I'm more of a foundation girl... You can expect a review of this one soon!
• The second product is a shampoo from Klorane, a French brand that's available from the pharmacy. It's a 100 ml sample so I think I will keep this one for traveling.
• The next sample is an After-sun Repair Lotion by Avène, also a French pharmaceutical brand. Not something I will use right away either because of the absence of sunny weather. Hopefully it will come in handy during summer or on holiday. 
• The product I'm the most intrigued about are two reusable makeup removing wipes by Lamazuna. You only need water, they can be washed out and reused up to 3OO times.

• The product I was most impressed with is a bronzer by Bo-ho Green Revolution*. I have never heard about this brand before but I'm very curious now. The bronzer itself is very beautiful, not to orange and with a nice amount of shimmer. Some much needed summer feeling in Belgium!

That's it for my May box! 

If you want to see reviews of these products, please let me know in the comments!

*I did some research on the brand and found out that this product exists in multiple shades. Mine is TC 06 - Terre d'outre mer.

Empties (May 2013)

One of my favorite kinds of videos on Youtube lately are the Empties or Products I’ve Used Up ones. I actually like them better than Monthly Favorites! I feel like you can really tell if something works for you after using it for a while.  And I don’t know about you, but I only repurchase products I REALLY like…

So after this short introduction, I have some Empties for you! :)

I’ll start with hair:

• First is my Lush Retread Conditioner. As you can probably tell from the pot, it has been in my shower for ages… I liked it but I stopped using it when it almost ran out (I tend to do that a lot, I don’t know why?). As I said, I liked it but I was a bit disappointed. It is sold as a super strong conditioner, whereas I think it compares to most richer drugstore conditioners. Also, I don’t really like the smell, it’s quite herbal and stays in my hair for a while. Conclusion: I won’t repurchase this product.
• The second is a Dry Shampoo (which you may have seen in my Most Worn Things tag last summer or this Haul). Of course, this isn’t the same bottle! I go through these like nothing else because I can’t live without it! I use it on second or third day hair but also to give my hair some texture and hold. Needless to say I always have a back up ;)

Next are skincare products:

• The first is Tea Tree Oil from The Body Shop. My sister and I use this as a spot treatment. I don’t think it makes the spots disappear faster but I do find they heal nicer. I already bought a new bottle, because I like to have one at home whenever I need it.
• Another treatment type product I used up is a package of nose strips (I also hauled them here). They are budget proof and I will definitely be buying another set.
• The next skincare product is an eye makeup remover from Bourjois. I bought it while on holiday in Austria last year because I didn’t take a water based makeup remover with me. It does its job but I have a lot of similar things lying around so I will use those instead.
• The last skincare item is my everyday moisturizer by Clinique, Superdefense with SPF 25 for dry combination skin. As this is one of my skincare staples I already bought a new one.

The last product is not really empty but I hit pan on it, which is the first time this ever happened to me! Honestly, I didn’t understand what the fuss was about before but I was actually very excited when I saw the first bit of metal coming through. 

On to the product itself: It is the MAC Beauty Powder in Pretty Baby. I know it looks very pink but I use it as a powder to take away the shine on my T-zone, as it isn’t to pigmented and I’m very fair.

That’s a LOT of empties!

But this means less clutter and trying new products, YAYYY!

Haul: Jewelry

Good morning everyone!

As promised yesterday, I have a little haul for you!

I went to Antwerp almost two weeks ago because my mom got me and my sister tickets to the SYTYCD theatre tour. The show didn't start until 8.30 PM so we decided to hit the shops! Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of time before the shops closed, so we both didn't buy that much. It was only afterwards that I realized I had only bought jewelry...

Enough said, here are some pictures:

As you can see, I kind of went crazy on the stud earrings :) 
I couldn't take a clear picture of the gold bangle but it says "Love makes the world go around" all around, which I think is very cute!

That's it for today!

XOXO Jorien

Update: New year, new blog posts...

Hi everyone!

I want to start by apologizing for being MIA for a while... I started studying a new subject at a new school in October, so I spent some time adjusting to all these changes. And to be honest, I kind of fell of the blogging band wagon :(

At the beginning of this year I felt the urge to start blogging again, and I want to keep doing it this time around. As my January exams are now finally over, you can expect a lot of new blog posts!

For now, I will leave you with this short update... 
You can expect a real post tomorrow (Hint: I did a little bit of shopping!!)

I think this picture sums it up quite nicely :)

XOXO Jorien